#obviously without any skating and more about a party

[phoenix-ash234]

Business Partners?

Fionna gets done talking to Prismo about using how he makes people happy at his college parties as the basis for his business. Prismo is barely fuctioning at that point. Scarab decides to finally see why everyone enjoys Prismo so much and how Scarab can learn how to be more likable.

Scarab still can't figure it out and thinks it was a bad idea to even come. "Scarab buddy youuu made it." Prismo is way to drunk to stand or speak.

Scarab asks Fionna if she can help by getting everyone out of Prismo's place. As Prismo lays in bed he has one more thing to say.

"Hey Scrabby do you think you could help me run a business. I know you could be good on the actual business side of things. I don't know just think about it... " Prismo falls asleep before he even finish's talking.

Scarab ends up thinking it over but decides against it.

Around a year later Prismo starts up Wedding Wishes but sees business not get anywhere because of how bad he is at keeping schedules and phone conversations. So he lists a job online for an in person interview.

Scarab sees the job offer and gets upset that Prismo started the business anyway. So he drives to the building to see whats going on. He walks in to Prismo tidying up. "Scrabby long time no see,what brings you here?" Scarab is confused, "The job interview?" "Oh yeah that I'm gonna be honest with you I need someone now."

Scarab begins working for Prismo but he can't help but feel hurt that Prismo forgot the offer. When he starts the job he tries to avoid Prismo altogether but ends up yelling at him for thinking he could do something on his own. A few months of things getting better Scarab asks Prismo about the offer he made ages ago. " Is that why your here, Scarab I was super out of it so I didn't think you of all people would take it seriously, but I am really glad you still chose to be here."

"I may not seem all too thrilled to work on jobs with you but trust me when I say I will be with you every step of the way," Scarab says as they kiss. "So, um you wanna hang out at my place tonight?" Prismo asks as Scarab is still in his arms. "If your house is anything like your college apartment I am leaving you right now." "Uh um, no definitely not everythings spic and span." "Oh Prismo, already lying to me, well see you," Prismo can't tell if Scarab is joking as he begins to walk out the door. He then sees Scarab wait by Prismo's car with a smug smile on his face.

"You are going to be the death of me aren't you?" Prismo asks as he unlocks the car. "Only with you," Scarab answers as he sits down. Prismo smiles as he drives.

[spiralsublime]

we all have to be aware of how perfect the placements of the reactions are, especially when we consider what led to them being scattered. but i personally need to put it all into words to get it out of my brain.

Then we have Fight, represented by an older woman who is a trainer. No longer an active fighter, no longer the fighter, but instead a coach. Not to mention a coach to "Domination" who is terribly undersized and is constantly beaten (assumedly) by self-doubt. She can not actively react and fight self-doubt herself, so instead she coaches and tries. She has been internalized and weakened. She doesn't have the same self-hate as Conrad from the actual Incident, but Elias has pushed his own fight response to the sidelines so hard that had can't fight his own self-esteem issues.

Also fight is perfect for a Noir Trope of the out of work old champion who comes out of retirement. And I LOVE that.

= Spoilers for the newest Episode below =

in episode and in adventuring party they actively talked about the meaning of Freeze hiding as logic. It makes the most sense as Freeze is literally mentioned by Fight as being the one that she got into it with following the Ice Skate Incident. he looked around and feared the idea of ever being in a situation where they could get that hurt. and it all made sense to him. so he becomes logic, he becomes mayor, and he freezes Elias from ever risking a fight like that again.

And that makes perfect sense for Elias, a man that is described to us as someone who has faded into himself. he hasn't had physical contact in so long that the chemicals that come from it have been outlawed in his own mind. no romance, minimal friends (probably more coworkers who barely interact from elias calling the guards companions).

The trope of false identities? CHECK.

Then we have Fawn. Fanny likely didn't have much involvement whatsoever with the Incident but she is suddenly abandoned by her family as they shatter. She then leaves and becomes attached to the Don, a man built on greed but powerful. He is an urge, and thus likely will never disappear. She still has her key, unlike Fight. She is not minimized in power because they likely never saw her as powerful. It is also extremely believable that Elias does turn to Fawn, at least more than he ever would fight.

Also she is obviously the trope of the woman in peril.

But Flight, Flight is my favorite and to be fair that might be because of the tease at the end of the episode. She is Stacey Fakename, a character that we didn't know if they were just a used name by everyone in Mentopolis or a person. Flight is so good at her job that she became a kind of myth. However, Flight has become a thief. She has her key, though I believe she stole it back (unlike Fanny just keeping it). Flight is the unknown, Flight is the surprise event. Stacey, unlike her Sister that blamed herself and her Brother who blamed everyone, likely had the frustration of the event. Elias didn't run, but he could have.

And I'm sure he has since. I think genuinely Fight being the only one without any power or connection to power shows that she became the default non-option to Elias. Freeze became his base as his logic, Flight became an instinct but less intense, and Fawn was always attached to Greed, to Safety, and through that to his Ambition.

Yeah, I love this season and I love these reactions so MUCH.

[lab-trash]

So, uh, I was reading my Milton x Jack google doc, and I came across this. And I'm pretty sure I haven't posted it. So here ya go. And it's a long one, so strap in.

SHIP QUESTIONS

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet? - Jack kicked ass on Milton’s behalf

What was their first impression of each other? - Jack thought Milton was sort of dorky-seeming. That he would like to be strong, but never had really the real opportunity to do it with his skinny little bones and muscles. - Milton obviously was extremely impressed with Jack, no surprise there. We see it. We know it. 

Did any of their friends or family want them to get together? - I think that Mika would see it like… so quick. She would pretend she thought they were already dating just to nudge them along. 

Who felt romantic feelings first? - Jack. I am 100% on the side that Jack was a complete mess about his feelings for Milton while Milton had no clue that either of them were queer • Jack had a big ol’ gay crisis, fite me

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? - Absolutely, both of them. Like, we see it in the show; Jack has the most internalised homophobia a man has ever had. Like, he looks so uncomfortable when he’s with Kim, but like he’s obligated to, y’know?

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think? - Telling Jack: He’d deny it, he would flat-out deny it.  - Telling Milton: I feel like he’d get really confused and flustered about it. 

What would their lives be like if they had never met? - As we see in the show, it is not pretty. But I also chose to believe that it would actually not at all be like that. - I mean, come on, even if Jack didn’t join Wasabi, I don’t think he’d turn into a black dragon. He literally hates his cousin’s morals so much, and he’s a black dragon. I know that Kai became a black dragon only halfway through the show so if Jack hadn’t become a Wasabi then maybe Kai wouldn’t become a black dragon, but they still have the same morals. - I think it’d be a lot more like Kickin’ It On Our Own. - Jack would become committed to skating, a skatepark would’ve really been built at Jack’s petition and Kim would’ve never found the vole bc they weren’t friends.  - Milton wouldn’t have dropped out of school and become whatever tf he was in the wonderful life episode, he would’ve switched to Swathmore.  • Note to self, write a version of the Swathmore AU where they don’t meet until Milton goes to Swathmore.

GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go? - Milton. I feel like there are multiple points where it could happen, but Milton is always the one to start it. Here are some of my favourite points for their relationship to start.

Wrath of Swan. Milton comes back after dropping off Carrie and they dance and they’re gay. 

My Left Foot. Milton feels all sort of warm that Jack is encouraging him to quit football if it makes him happy and Milton kisses him before going out onto the field. They don’t talk about it until the after-party

Milton claims that kiss is the only reason he made that goal 

New Jack City. This is the one with Carson (BooBoo Stewart) if you don’t remember. After the fight, Milton approaches Jack saying that he feels guilty and that he couldn’t believe that he didn’t trust Jack before considering his feelings. This one is more of an accidental reveal

You may also remember that as the episode where Milton slapped Jack’s ass. That has nothing to do with the episode choice, I just felt like mentioning it. I don’t think they’re into that stuff, but I do think it made them both feel awkward in a flustered way. 

Kickin’ It On Our Own. Milton admits that he didn’t really like continuing his life without Jack in it. 

Meet the McKrupnicks. I don’t even know exactly how it would happen, I just like the idea of it. 

Two Dates and a Funeral. Milton takes Jack’s hand on Mount Seaford and it snowballs from there. 

Mama Mima. Milton apologises for causing all sorts of drama during the news thingy.

School of Jack. After the show, instead of hugging, Milton and Jack kiss. 

The Return of Spyfall/The Boys are Back in Town. Grey is really observant about Milton and Jack’s feelings about each other and peer pressures Milton to ask him out. It works. 

RV There Yet? Milton yells a love confession off the cliff before he knows Jack is alive. 

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like? - Yes, but I feel like it’d be often interrupted by Rudy, Jerry, Phil, Joan, etc. 

What was their first kiss like? - Oh boy, was it awkward. Their redo was better, and they consider that their first.

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)? - I’d like to think they were each other’s first boyfriends. Not their first relationship, but first boyfriends specifically. 

What’s their height difference? Age difference? - I don’t think they have much of a difference between those things. Like, they have a size difference, since Jack has more mass, while Milton is kind of just a stick man.

What’s their relationship with each other’s families? - Jack’s mom is definitely happy that Milton is Jack’s partner, she likes him very much. Milton gave her his tamale recipe and she made a spicier version for her and Jack (it’s cannon Jack eats spicy food without even flinching lmao) - It is my personal belief that Jack doesn’t really see his dad, so I’m skipping past his dad’s opinion on Jack - Milton’s dad is trying his best to be an ally, so he is automatically supportive of their relationship albeit a bit awkward. He does like that Jack protects Milton though.  - Milton’s mother is… Well, she either doesn’t know their dating and approves of their friendship, or she knows their dating and doesn’t bc she’s homophobic imo. - Jilian likes Jack. She definitely likes messing with him in regards to Milton, who we’ve seen she’s very protective of, but she does like Jack. Jack is mildly afraid of her, for good reason.  - The McKrupnicks all like Jack, it’s very much one of those like… when he enters the room, they’re like “Jack!🍻”

Who takes the lead in social situations? - Jack. Well, most of the time. If it’s regarding their relationship, then it’s Milton, as he’s much more comfortable with his sexuality than Jack is.

Who gets jealous easier? - I think it’s about the same. But it’s different kinds of jealousy. Jack gets like… jealous in a sad possessive way, while Milton gets jealous in an anxious way. Does that make sense?  - Like, we see him get jealous of Carson and his friendship with the Wasabi Warriors, and he doesn’t really get possessive in an angry ‘mine, only mine,’ way, he gets jealous in a ‘but… mine… ;(‘ way. Milton is afraid Jack will leave him, and I’m counting that as jealousy.

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear? - I think that neither, for the most part. Jack is way too flustered to do that, in public or not, and Milton is afraid of getting caught. But sometimes he isn’t. And it is a mess for Jack. 

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first? - Jack, but mostly because Milton didn’t want to push Jack to say anything. 

What are their primary love languages? - I think they’re both cuddly bitches, but Jack also likes giving gifts and casual praise.

Who uses cheesy pick-up lines? - Both, but like… as a joke. They tell each other pick-up lines for fun and laugh at them. 

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA? - They cuddle as often as they can, even during the beginning of their relationship, though it’s usually private. - During the beginning of their relationship, they absolutely do not engage in PDA because Jack feels bashful at even the idea of that, but once they get into the later months of their relationship, you’ll pretty much not see them not touching each other.  • Jerry complains about it a lot; calls them clingy. 

Who initiates kisses? - Milton at first, then Jack, then both. Most often, rather. 

Who’s the big and little spoon? - They trade because they both have weird relationships with their masculinity. 

What are their favourite things to do together? - Karate, obviously. But they also enjoy bowling. And sometimes Jack will play guitar and Milton will sing. - Jack also makes sure to be in every Swords and Magic game once they start dating.

Who’s better at comforting the other? - I think Milton for Jack, but that’s mostly because when Jack has lows, they’re really fucking low, meanwhile Milton is used to the hills and valleys and doesn’t really need to be comforted because he’s already got coping mechanisms.

Who’s more protective? - Jack 1000%. Like, do I even have to explain?

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection? - Milton prefers physical. Jack prefers receiving physical, but likes praising Milton any chance he gets— especially when/since people push him around. 

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise? - I don’t know, I haven’t thought of it. But Jack’s favourite song ever is Nowhere to Go because Milton sings it. 

What kind of nicknames do they call each other? - Milton has a habit of just varying Jack’s name. So like Jack-Jack, Jackie, Jackson, Jack Attack, etc. - Jack calls Milton regular pet names + kitten. • No one else is allowed to call Milton those things.

Who remembers the little things? - Jack, he likes remembering little details about Milton’s life and hobbies. 

DOMESTIC LIFE

If they get married, who proposes? - I feel like it’s just sort of something that’s brought up casually. Milton would bring it up, but they’d decide on it together. 

What’s the wedding like? Who attends? - Milton plans their wedding, obviously. It’s awesome. Jack nearly cries during their vows. - The Wasabi Warriors (and the honoraries), Izzy Gunnar, and some of their family. 

How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like? - I think they’d foster kids, and consider Sam like… their nephew. 

Do they have any pets? - I love the idea of them having a rabbit. 

Who’s the stricter parent? - Milton.

Who worries the most? - Jack

Who kills the bugs in the house? - Whoever doesn’t spot it. The person who spots it is in a stunned state, so the other has to swoop in.

How do they celebrate holidays? - They usually like to just spend time together, since they’d both be off work. For things like birthdays and christmas, I think they’d have both a private celebration and one with the Wasabis.

Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning? - Hmmm… Okay, I think that they’d be the sort of couple who both get up and be productive pretty quickly. But on days when they’re supposed to be productive and he just doesn’t feel like it, I feel like Jack would ask Milton back to bed, and on days they have off from work, Milton would ask Jack back to bed. 

Who’s the better cook? - Every urge to say Milton, but that one episode where he bakes that cake has me torn, but I have to remember Invasion of the Ghost Pirates. So Milton can cook, but Jack has a weird secret talent for baking. He doesn’t like doing it, but if Milton asks real sweet-like, he will. 

Who likes to dance? - I have not watched the show in a hot minute, ngl. So I’m gonna say that I can be totally wrong on this, but I feel like they both do, in the comfort of privacy. But I like the idea of them sort of just swaying together while Milton is cooking, or when they’re tired.

[thehalfbloodedwitch]

I see you're doing some sort of an ordering event about draco!

can i ask a imagine of draco with fem!reader slytherin who is a figure skater (like yuzuru hanyu) super talented and she is going to participate in a competition on christmas day and draco makes a surprise for her going to watch the competition

(she wins the first place obviously, bc she is better than any other figure skater 😋)

english is not my first language, sorry 😭

Hello, anon! Yes indeed, I am doing an event for Draco because he deserves some more recognition here! Here's your request!

Imagine getting a Christmas Surprise from Draco

A/n- I absolutely adored this request so here you go!

A/u- Muggle

✧ : * ❆✧･ﾟ:*

Y/n Y/l/n, a well-known figure skater, had a grace to her skating that very few skaters possessed, which may have resulted in her widespread popularity.

On December 25, Y/n competed in an important competition for which she had been preparing for months. Draco Malfoy, her boyfriend, was there for her with warm beverages, constantly watched her perform, and always clapped for every flawless stance she performed.

Y/n couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend; he supported her through all of her highs and lows. But now that it was her turn to shine and demonstrate her skating skills, she was anxious.

This anxiety wasn't related to stage fright; rather, it was related to her ability to perform all of the postures correctly without falling. Y/n was a talented figure skater, yet this anxiety was always present in a very little part of her mind.

And so, the time came, the speakers in the stadium spoke, "And now, we have Y/n Y/l/n with her performance!"

Cheers and thunderous acclaim from the audience could be heard filling the stadium. When Y/n emerged from the doors, she looked across the stadium and noticed that hundreds of people were cheering her name from their seats, but her attention was fixed on just one person.

Her name was handwritten in a large banner by Draco Malfoy, who was sitting there. The charming sign her boyfriend had created for her couldn't help but make her smile. She began her exquisite performance with a well-known smirk on her face since she was determined to win this tournament at all costs.

"AND THE WINNER IS...." shouted the host and Y/n's heart was as if it stopped beating for a second, "NONE OTHER THAN Y/N Y/L/N!!" the host continued and a huge round of applause echoed through the stadium and Y/n was as if on cloud 9.

After receiving her prize, she dashed over to her boyfriend, who was waiting there holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Congratulations my love!" Draco said as he scooped her in his arms and Y/n held him tighter than ever and said, "Thank you, baby!"

While driving home, Draco said, "I have a surprise for you" " What surprise?" Draco chuckled in response to Y/n's question, " It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you about it" he replied to which Y/n said, "Yeah, but you know, I won the freaking competition so I deserve to know about this surprise of yours." As he parked the car in the garage, Draco continued, "You will know about it tonight.

And Y/n walked inside the mansion that they both owned wearing a stunning crimson dress that reached her knees. Several thousands of people were inside their mansion wearing elegant attire, and it was completely decked out in Christmas decorations.

"So, how did you like my surprise?" A voice asked from behind her, "I loved it Mr. Malfoy" said Y/n as she turned around to see Draco dressed in a black tux, he looked dashing in it.

Draco exclaimed, "You look, gorgeous sweetie," as his eyes swept over Y/n's outfit "Says the guy who looks so dashing in a tux," Y/n replied.

Everyone came and congratulated Y/n for her outstanding performance at the competition and Y/n smiled and thanked each and every one of them while Draco admired her.

After the party had ended and everyone had left, Y/n was sitting on the couch, exhausted after the incredible night Draco had prepared for her, when she heard footsteps coming toward her.

"Thank you so much baby for this-" "Y/n Y/l/n" interrupted Draco and Y/n sat straight on the couch with a confused expression on her face.

"We have been dating for a good year and we have made memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, you mean a lot to me, you have been there for me when I was at my lowest, Y/n, your mere presence is enough for me to be happy, and I want us to be together forever, so Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry this idiot who is in love with you and cannot think of living a life without you?"

Y/n's eyes filled with tears, and with a smile on her face she jumped towards Draco and hugged him tightly, "So, should I take that as a yes?" Draco asked and Y/n chuckled and said, "What do you think? Of course yes, a million times yes!"

✧ : * ❆✧･ﾟ:*

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Tags- @alexis-angelsss @blackthunder137 @ell0ra-br3kk3r @itchywitch33 @kimberlyxmalfoy @slythermuf @dracoslittleangel @tsukibaby1 @enchantedforever @gachabella23 @raajali3 @siriusblackstwin @lazydreamer19 @writingwitch007 @zmxchs @ravenqueen777

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[sergeifyodorov]

i could read a million of these character asks <33 would love one for jt of leafs pjs fame and alexander ovechkin

I already knew about ovi from cultural osmosis, so I’m pretty sure I just thought of him as That Big Russian Guy Who Scores All The Goals. you know how it is.

unfortunately, i can remember my first encounter with john tavares in much more clarity. Picture this. 2021. NHL playoffs. I’m tuning in casually to watch a hockey game, plenty of which I’ve seen before but none of which i have consciously paid attention to, as I am now about to.

john tavares plays three minutes before --

i turn the television off, not to pick up hockey again until christmas.

IMPRESSION NOW

Ovechkin: DILF OF MY DREAMSSSSSS. kind of walks the line between the erotic and terrifying… he’s big and sexy sure but he’s also 240 pounds of pure freight train muscle and he DOES not get injured. Remember svech Trying It? remember svech trying It and getting knocked out in a couple punches? Ovi doesn’t even look like he’s TRYING, and svech, while being young, is no wimp, but he’s absolutely nothing compared to the absolute brick wall that is ovi. Also his power play technique freaks me out. He literally just stands there and waits for u to send him one timers. and it works

this is the shot density map for washington’s power play this year. Can you tell where ovi stands

yeah. 

anyway i also think besides his big scarysexydilfy power he also has this sort of genre-aware whimsy that makes him just absolutely fascinating. it kind of reminds me of chucky in a way and it absolutely makes sense charisma-wise that ovi was The Cool One and sid (mcdavid in our tkachuk analogy) was obviously better albeit less popular for the casual fan, who likes the shiny sparky one and perhaps does not have a finer eye for the true step-above skill that davo and sid have.

Tavares: from one dilf to another… anon u have chosen well. jt like ovi is a virgo, a captain, a werewolf, a first overall pick, and a dilf, but the similarities end there i think… jt is a lot quieter and his sense of authority over his team feels a lot more “democratically chosen figurehead” than ovi’s natural alpha pheromones or whatever. As a player i think he’s really quite underrated -- his footspeed has obviously slipped away from him as he ages, but he’s never been fast or agile and has kind of always been a lot more reliant on his intellect and upper-body dexterity than his skating. I think he’s got this steady internal peace that really comes off to a lot of us as Boring Man (and that’s not entirely false per se) but more importantly that he has this willful internal compass that few hockeys have. that he chose to leave the islanders like that is not something that can be overstated i think; he was offered more by the isles and the sharks and i believe at least one other place, too, but he picked. He CHOSE. Most hockeys who have that kind of first-overall captaincy expectation/franchise saviour mantle on their head like he did for the Island are trapped; he was not. AND HE’S SEXY

FAV MOMENT

Ovechkin: the out-knocking of andrei svechnikov is not my fav moment but it’s certainly iconique… ovi is old and has several Moments so im gonna list a few:

the goal from his back, without which we may not have auston matthews in his current capacity

Any of the million anecdotes where he shows up in denim shorts so tiny everyone tells him to go home and change

sidovi duelling hattricks night

Really any time he cellies by just jumping on TOP of his teammates, presumably all of which are smaller and significantly more fragile than him

hahaha ice tweet

partying in the vegas fountains with the cup

Tavares: instead of providing you with several small moments i will instead provide you with The Big One: CURSEBREAKING GOAL. nuff said. to many more.

IDEA FOR STORY

Ovechkin: his age as a vet and his nebulous genre awareness make him really an ideal man for something weird. real “talking about the nature of the metaphysics that hold hockey together” type fic. also because he is such a mother hen of all the caps he deserves to take a few of them on a road trip to solve some problems… maybe we can get some baby cap who is having a Moment when confronted with A Dilf. dylan strome seems like he would take any opportunity to ~service~ his amazingly talented generational captain and of course his winger.

Tavares: say it with me: JT/ROR werewolf/vampire au (jt is the werewolf)

UNPOPULAR OPINION

Ovechkin: if the nhl weren’t cowards they wouldve marketed him as a sex symbol in the late aughts

Tavares: if the nhl weren’t cowards they would’ve marketed him as a sex symbol in the early 2010s

FAV RELATIONSHIP

Ovechkin: i actually was never an nhl fan during nicke backstrom’s time so as much as i appreciate a good Duo marriage type deal im not like. Familiar enough with Nicke for any of it. so i suppose i have to come out of the little glass closet im in as a SIDOVI WARRIOR

Tavares: now he is not nearly as slutty as ovi so we mostly have to appreciate him looking like That without shipping. although he did confess to quote liking “bossing [Willy] around a little bit” so. there’s that. also through my campaign to make the bolts more popular (so i can enjoy more narrative while getting colour confused on our yearly playoff matchup) i should remind you all that he and stamkos are CHILDHOOD FRIENDS and both wear 91 because of the other. think on that

FAV HEADCANON

Ovechkin: we’re getting into magical realism fic au type deals but he is one of the nhlers who inherently Has Powers. look some nhlers just Have Powers and he is one of em. no sidney crosby does not he is just autistic and a hockey freak. no auston matthews does not he is just a virgo and gay. quinnifer and mcdavid definitely do and machuk definitely does not. back to ovi he’s got some weird seeing beyond the veil shit goin on

Tavares: now we know he likes celine dion so i think really he’s got tastes in music that are a lot more reminiscent of your standard suburban fifty-something white milf than what he is, which is a thirty-something toronto dad. we ARE listening to shania twain together and you have to deal with that

[itwoodbeprefect]

i bow before the length of your wip list but all of them sound absolutely incredible oh my god. half the titles alone had me laughing out loud. can i. uh. trying to narrow myself down here. On Blond Blintzes and How To Sweeten Them & Greg is a four letter word (??) & Steve's becomes.... themed (sounds like a hilariously terrible idea i need to know more) & MASH marriage fic?

fjdkjk thank you. <3 i answered the steve’s becomes themed one here!

-

On blond blintzes, and how to sweeten them: easy 5-step recipe!

set somewhat early on in their partnership, and starsky has recently introduced a new nickname without giving it any real thought, but then he discovers that it seems hutch has:

“I looked it up.”

“What?”

“Blintz.”

“You had to look that up?” Starsky can’t imagine not knowing what a blintz is, but even if he hadn’t, he would never have thought to reach for a dictionary. Sometimes Hutch complicates things so much that he forgets to just ask.

Which is funny, because it seems he has figured out how to ask, “How would you feel if I went around calling you a little pancake, huh?”

Starsky blinks. Hutch is such a weird guy. “Pretty good. I like pancakes.”

cue hutch overcomplicating everything (“And it’s full of sweet cheese,” Hutch continues, like that part is some grave insult.), a misunderstanding about hutch calling starsky a crêpe, a few other food-based jokes, and eventual blintz acceptance. this fic is currently not even strictly starsky/hutch, but it does feel very shippy for gen fic.

-

Greg is a four letter word

this is pretty much purely dialogue as of right now, but it’s also so delightfully stupid that it has a much higher than average chance of getting finished at some point. it’s the morning after starsky and hutch sleep together for the first time, they’re both a little high on life, and over breakfast starsky goes “so what do we call this?” and hutch, with no idea what starsky is talking about, jokingly goes “greg” - which he regrets an instant later when starsky is a little clearer about his meaning, but of course at that point starsky has already taken greg by the hand and is running away with him, so it becomes a shorthand for sex, essentially. they’re passing notes at work suggesting dinner w/ greg, huggy tells them to invite this mysterious friend to a party and they have to tell him greg is a pretty private person (“Doesn’t like crowds.” / “Or to be seen by anyone, really.”), and at some point of course they run into a guy whose name is actually greg. this one is not deep - it’s just silly and fun, and taking a ridiculous idea and trying to make something readable out of it.

-

MASH marriage fic

this one starts with hawkeye and trapper bored and drinking in the swamp, and hawkeye asks trapper if he’s told him lately that he loves him (because he’s being handed a ready-made drink), so frank is extremely witty and clever and says “if you like him so much, why don’t you marry him?”, which. obviously you can’t say that to a bored hawkeye (and trapper) without having to attend a mock(???) wedding party a few hours later. they go to henry:

Henry retracts his chin into his neck like a confusedly indignant turtle in a fishing hat. “Hawkeye,” he says, clearly going for either beseeching or commanding, but ending up nervous. “C’mon. You know you can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Hawkeye asks, swinging his feet up on Henry’s desk. Henry frowns in mild disapproval and pokes the sole of Hawkeye’s boot a few times with the tip of a pencil he’s been nervously rolling between his fingers, but it doesn’t do much, or anything at all, for that matter. “Frank told us to. And he’s of Major importance, so we have to listen to him.” And then, as an aside, “Henry, that tickles.”

Trapper, whose boots were already on the desk but who didn’t utter the words “don’t worry, of course we want you to be our best man” less than a minute ago and therefore skates by unpoked, nods very seriously. “Yes, Henry, don’t you understand? We’re forced to do as Frank says, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.”

“Yeah. Which is pretty likely around here, you know.”

Henry, though clearly uncomfortable, needs a second to come up with a reason why. “Well- McIntyre’s already married, for one thing.”

Trapper smacks his own leg like he just thought of something. “Oh! That’s right, a person can only have one wife.”

“And a person can only have one husband,” Hawkeye supplies, not missing a beat.

Trapper nods. “Correct. Right, Henry?”

Henry is nodding along before his opinion is even asked for, but he gets into it more vigorously. The fishing hooks on his hat dance to unheard music with a very erratic beat. “Yes. Exactly right.”

“I’m glad you agree.” Hawkeye refuses to nod, but he does lay a hand on Trapper’s shoulder. “You see, Trapper here has one wife, but he doesn’t have one husband.”

Trapper pats Hawkeye’s hand. “Yet.”

Henry stops nodding abruptly. He does some more of his turtling, and gives bristling a go, but finds that it takes a lot out of a sober man. He uses that energy to rub his eyes instead. “Please tell me you’re not going to file any paperwork with the Army about this.”

Hawkeye puts his hand to his heart. “We’re not bucking for anything dishonorable, Henry. Disreputable at worst.”

“Well, alright then. It’s not like I could stop you anyway, and we could all use a party. It might be good for morale.”

Trapper swings his feet to the floor. The front legs of his previously tilted chair hit with a bang like a judge’s gavel. “You’re a wise man, Henry Blake,” he says, and ignores Henry’s pained sigh when he offers Hawkeye a hand up from his chair and out of the office.

and from there it’s a lot of wedding prep à la 4077th MASH (it involves toilet paper decorations and klinger going hey, you’re not stealing my schtick, are you? and winning margaret over by offering her the position of best man because obviously none of the guys in camp deserve that title) and it’s all comedy fluff, insofar as that’s ever possible for MASH fic.

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send me the title of one of my WIPs and i’ll tell you something about it or post a snippet!  

[screenmaven]

Films I’ve Loved This Year

I have already written reviews on some of them (not seen in this post), that you can already read here. So make sure to also do that.

I’m completely laid out in bed extremely sick, I thought between the delusional fevers, bomb exploding headaches, and literally feeling like I’m dying, I’d share the other films I’ve absolutely enjoyed watching this year.

I started up a separate account via Instagram to just post film, but having multiples is beginning to be too much, so from now on any other film content aside from the blog here will be on @ starrymayx.

So to start off the list here we go…

These 90s “Noir” films started my whole new movie Escapades, and I’m so glad they did -

Bad Influence, Guilty As Sin, Pacific Heights, Whispers in The Dark, Dream Lover, Untamed Heart, White Palace

Here are the others…

Thrashin - 1986

Starring: Josh Brolin, Pamela Gidley

Brooke McCarter (RIP homie), Sherilyn Fenn, Robert Rusler, & Josh Richman

Anthony Kiedis + RHCP

Tony Hawk, Kevin Staab, Mike McGill, Jimmy Star

What I liked: There was so much awesomeness in this film and a feel good story of triumph. Basically it’s about two skateboarding gangs, having beef, mix in lots of skating, graffiti, punk rock aesthetics, and a love story, and you have yourself a pretty badass film. Plus they overcome their rivalry in the LA Massacre challenge, and there’s even several rat tails. 🤣 Definitely worth a watch!

I really wish I could skateboard. I would have been so rad. To all my skater friends and Bo’s over the years, mad respect. 🤘🏻

The House on Sorority Row - 1983

Director: Mark Rosman

I swear Scream Queens was influenced by this film.

I really liked it. Loved the lighting, still had a seventies type feel, storyline was really good. Definitely a film to check out if you like really good horror, without all the super special effects.

*For any strobe light sensitive people* like myself out there, there is a scene where it’s wild,

Pump Up The Volume ✊🏻 1990

Director Allan Moyle

This movie is 🔥 Definitely a pioneer for all things talk radio but from a non-narrative perspective. Films like this and indie radio programs paved the way for our now podcasts. I loved the way it was written, the development of the characters personal selves, and breaking the rules.

I love me some Christian Slater 💓

The soundtrack is also amazing!

From Richard Hell, Leonard Cohen, Beastie Boys, Ice T, & more! I’ll link the soundtrack in my stories.

*trigger warning: there is a scene that deals with suicide and those scenes always get me. So I wanted to mention that.

Out of Bounds - 1986

Director- Richard Tuggle

Cinematography - Bruce Surtees

Starring: Anthony Michael Hall

Siouxsie and the Banshees 🤘🏻💓

& Meatloaf (in like 3 scenes)

What I liked: The cinematography of downtown LA & Venice Beach California, (actually the whole film is beautifully done). The 80’s colors, Dizz’s home, her style. The fact that Anthony Michael Hall was a badass hero, taking down a heroin drug man with his knife throwing skills. Really good film.

2 Days in The Valley - 1996

Written and Directed by: John Herzfeld.

Starring: James Spader, Eric Stolz & Charlize Theron

Synopsis: 48 hours of intersecting lives and crimes in The Valley of Los Angeles.

Why I liked it: Artsy Cinematography, James Spader obviously, and the correlation of numerous parties all being connected, going through individual stuff but being thrown into the mix of chaos. Plus sunglasses just seem to add viable cred to it. Why are sunglasses so cool yet mysterious?

Shampoo - 1975

Director: Hal Ashby

Starting Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, & Warren Beatty

I throughly enjoyed this film mainly due to the Jim Morrison/Sharon Tate style vibes it gave off throughout, and all the stylish decor/fashion. The Morrison looking guy played by (Warren Beatty) is basically a lover to many of his women hair clients (he does hair).

I really appreciate the 70’s swank and aesthetic appeal in this film. I’m also obsessed with Julie Christie’s glam Tate starlet look and I wish I could pull off bangs! Goldie Hawn is also in here and a younger Carrie Fisher.

From the 70s eye shadow, purple outfit I want, the main girls style, glamorous hair, river grotto, la house party with body paint and strobe lights (which that part I had to turn away - sensitive), it still rocked.

Based in the LA canyon/hills it’s definitely worth a watch to see the web of desire and aesthetic unfold. Keep your eye out for the creepy art in one of the scenes that just didn’t quite belong. 😳

Additionally there was some dialogue between two parties in the kitchen about questioning the lead male’s (hairstylist) orientation, and the f word was used a couple times. Didn’t like that part.

Really glad we’ve evolved on how we should identify people and what’s right to say and not to. A person can be gay or even not, but using derogatory terminology to hurt them is very low par. If you still do that. Stop.

Chopping Mall - 1986

Director: Jim Wynorski

Mall Location: Sherman Oaks Galleria

I loved this film. For reals.

Nothing better than a mall unleashing new technology security robots, only to go horribly wrong. Which I already knew where it was going as soon as it started 😂

Anyways a group of mall employee friends and two others throw a party in a bedding home store and get freaky - typical 80s horror, which I love. Then basically the robots go crazy and savage, hunting down all of them in a terminator/stranger things vibe kind of way. The aesthetic, 80s style, and scenery are very appealing, all the way down to even the playboy underwear from Miss Virgina Slims herself. Camel ciggs just won’t cut it. 😂

Lots of greats here, and I hope you check them out if you haven’t seen them.

Happy Filming 😘

[galacticlamps]

Something I wanted to bring up earlier in the re-watch but held onto in the hope that I’d forgotten something that would eventually make it make sense is the Doctor’s motivations or goals in Tomb - because frankly, I’m having trouble finding any.

Does he even know he’s landed on Telos? Is he here to see the tombs? I think it’s pretty clear he wants to go inside, since he’s the one who single-handedly makes that possible at every step of the way (no matter how ridiculous some of those steps are, frankly - nobody else in this archaeological expedition could notice the other doors, without his genius to guide them? seriously? these people aren’t meant to be there by accident like he is) - but he keeps warning everybody else not to go further, again for no apparent reason. Not that contradicting himself is out of character either, but now we’re looking for answers to two motivation questions - why does he want to do this, and why doesn’t he want anyone else to know? And I don’t really feel like the serial offers satisfying reasoning for either.

Even his fears & suspicions (in theory, things that might give us an indication of what he hopes to achieve himself in spite of them) are all over the place - when Haydon’s killed in the weapons testing room, the Doctor is the only one not convinced it was a real live Cyberman, and spends the whole scene defending the sensible explanation - and yet as soon as they leave the room and find out the rocket’s been sabotaged, the Doctor now insists to Captain Hopper (with virtually the same certainty we just saw him use to disprove the existence of an alien menace hunting them) that it may well have been a ‘what’ instead of a ‘who’ that’s responsible for trapping them here. And later, when Kaftan closes the hatch on them in the tombs, Viner - the nervous wreck character who we’re inclined to dismiss as overreacting - is the one to immediately & correctly accuse the people upstairs, while the Doctor’s still on his vague, misdirected ‘it could be someone else’ thing - even though seconds later, he calls everyone’s attention to how unbothered Kleig is. He never seems to receive additional information in these moments when he changes his mind about what he’s suspecting, so it feels less like the Doctor figuring things out and making deductions, and more like lines being shoved in his mouth to lend a vague air of uncertainty and mystery to what’s going on, while also carrying us to whatever needs to happen next in the ‘plot.’

To his credit (I guess?) he is suspicious of the Obviously Suspicious characters too, right from the start - but despite later telling Jamie he needed to find out what Kleig was up to (which is the closest we get to an explanation for any of his actions at any point) absolutely nothing is accomplished by the Doctor being onto them from the start - partially because he himself keeps getting misdirected vacillating between believing there are/are not any other threats present, but also because he outwardly antagonizes them while subtly helping them - flipping the correct switches behind their backs and insulting their intelligence to their faces. He’s play-acting, which is typical of him, but there’s no logic to when, why, or how he chooses to do so, because rather than skate under the radar while observing the villains quietly and forming his own conclusions, he marks himself out as an enemy of theirs before they even get serious about their plan, even though he’s actively helping them put it in action.

There’s even an almost brilliant bit (I want to like it so much! but giving it full credit just feels undeserved) when they first climb down to the tombs and Jamie says “you obviously knew what to expect” to the party re: the anoraks, but he & the others wearing them aren’t in shot - the Doctor is, faring better than any of them in the cloak he brought with him from the Tardis and had awkwardly draped over his shoulder in his first scene outside the tomb doors. You could almost make the argument he’d planned getting this far, all along (and headcanon wise, you still could, if you wanted) - but there’s no getting around the fact that the actual story contained in these episodes does absolutely nothing with that implication, if it’s meant to be there at all.

It’s like a pile of Doctorish behaviors - some posturing and trickery, a bit of dazzlingly advanced scientific knowledge, a couple of clever conclusions and a few jokes sprinkled in among ominous warnings - but it’s all scrambled together with little regard for the picture it paints taken as a whole. And maybe I seem like I’m focusing too hard on it or holding it to a standard it’s not meant for, and that might be true to some extent (although I tend to argue that most of these serials are better than people give them credit for, not worse) but the thing is, in Tomb, all of these actions have a spotlight shone on them - the Doctor’s warnings are the final ominous line in a scene, shot in closeup with a sound effect following it before we cut to a different scene - or he hits the switches that make the hatch open and everyone gives Kleig the credit, so Jamie’s given the line “but Doctor, you--” until the Doctor hushes him, to draw the audience’s attention to both the fact that the Doctor is indeed responsible for Kleig’s success and unwilling to have the rest of the group notice that. The script treats things like this as though they are noteworthy and goes out of its way to make sure we recognize that the Doctor knows more than he says and sometimes means the exact opposite of what he tells other people - only to do nothing with it. Part of me’s inclined to call this an over-use of Red Herrings, but I’m not even sure the term really fits in this case? After all, that would imply there’s a purposeful misdirection happening, someone in- or out-of- universe trying to trick either the audience or other characters into believing one thing before a reveal of the opposite. But these elements are so inconsistent, they really don’t convince us of anything in particular, they just get us from point A to point B and from point B to point C & seem to hope we don’t notice whether the trip from A to C makes sense taken all together. And I think that much can be said of a lot of the serial, honestly, but with the Doctor’s actions specifically it’s not just the narrative/framing device that’s strange, but his in-universe actions as well, making the lack of a clear motivation - some goal that he might, theoretically wish to use Red Herrings to obscure - even more frustrating. In this case it’s not just a matter of how the story’s told, it’s actually what he’s doing and saying to these people, and it’s useless.

I can’t say the Doctor’s the only character the script does this to, but I definitely think he’s the one it’s the biggest problem for. Not only is he the main character, the one the audience knows the best & is used to understanding the goals of the best, this is also a terrible point in the series at which to run into this problem with him. Say what you want about Two, but he’s not made out to be as mysterious & inherently suspicious as a lot of later Doctors are, and without retconning that element of the Doctor’s personality and backdating it completely here, there’s no explanation available to a fan watching this in the 60s as to why he’s doing what he’s doing. And coming right after Evil (of all things!) where the audience always knew what he was trying to accomplish even when the other characters in the serial couldn’t be sure about trusting him, his motivations feel especially weak in Tomb, and they just don’t hold up to the same level of scrutiny or analysis they usually do. Two’s certainly capable of causing chaos, double crossing, manipulating people into doing one thing by ostensibly attempting to get them to do another - but here it just feels like replicating those behaviors directionlessly.

Of course, once the Cybermen show up and become the main threat, this issue pretty much disappears, since it becomes clear he wishes to stop them (no matter how many foolish mistakes are made along the way) - but they don’t finish defrosting until the end of Episode 2, and in a 4-part serial, having the Doctor’s actions be so confused for half of it is a pretty big barrier to enjoying it, especially since that confusion isn’t really part of or acknowledged by the plot.

[trensu]

YES GOOD, LET THEM HAVE KITTIES!!

One little thing, though, if you don't mind.

See they had every intention of getting them all to the shelter (minus smokey and bandit, obviously) except that the party came over the next day unannounced because they're rude little shits. Idk what setting you've got our boys in, OP, like, timewise, but I'm picturing the party as 18ish, doing their first semester at college. With all the government hush money everyone's got, they don't have to worry about the cost of college (though tbh I'm pretty sure tuition rates were significantly lower back then anyway), and they don't have to worry about dorms.

Dustin grew up with a cat in his home and his apartment is kind of lonely without one. He didn't take a roommate so that Suzie could move in with him next year when she transfers her gen ed credits from community college to the university he's attending. All that to say that he sees the box of kittens and immediately falls in love because kittens are freaking cute. He ends up taking the curious little calico that climbed up his arm the minute he reached into the box. She has splotches of brown tabby stripes mixed in with blobs of orange amidst all the white fur. Her name was going to be Dart2 but then he realized that it almost sounds like R2 and he really likes R2D2, so her name is actually Artoo.

Max and Lucas share an apartment that's actually only a few floors up from Steve and Eddie. They take a kitten too. This one is less curious and more rowdy. A tabby with a mocha colored underbelly, that zipped around the apartment the entire time they were visiting. Her name is Zoomer, and she gets leash trained so she can be with them whenever Lucas and Max go to the park (Lucas to use the outdoor basketball courts and Max to skate around obvs).

El takes the little ginger kitten who she names Lasagna because Eddie introduced her to the Garfield comic strips years ago and so lasagna and orange cats are forever linked in her mind. Lasagna turns out to be a very good fit with her. He is very skittish around strangers, preferring to hide when there's a lot of people and/or noise happening, but he adores El. He follows her from room to room and his favorite spot to be is draped across El's shoulders.

The last kitten doesn't go with any of the party. The last one is dainty little thing, the runt of the litter. His coat isn't as long as Smokey's but he's definitely not a shorthair like the other kittens. And while all the other kittens have amber eyes, this one has yellow-green that really pop against his dark fur. He ends up living a very pampered life after he's claimed by Robin to be a bday gift for her girlfriend Chrissy. He becomes Chrissy's most precious baby boy. Chrissy names him Reginald, because she thinks it sounds fancy and gentlemanly. Robin isn't even mad when Reginald (aka Reggie) shows an obvious preference for Chrissy (eg: immediately leaving Robin's lap the moment Chrissy is around to cuddle with her instead) because Robin prefers Chrissy to pretty much everyone else (platonic soulmate not included).

So yeah, the kittens were supposed to go to the shelter but thankfully they all got adopted into loving homes instead!

Just a little fluff to start your weekend with.

*

Steve is sitting down in his shared apartment with Eddie reading a magazine, waiting for his boyfriend to get home.

Soon enough his tornado of a boyfriend comes barrelling through the door. He can hear Eddie set something down before walking up to the sofa.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie says softly. “How mad would you be if I brought home a box full of kittens someone had abandoned on the side of the road in this torrential rain?”

Steve lowers the magazine and looks up at Eddie fondly. “That would depend on how many there are? How many you plan on keeping? And how many you plan on giving to the animal shelter?”

Eddie grins. “There are six kittens and I only plan on keeping one?” He pulls a kitten out from under his leather jacket. It’s mostly white with a little black on the tip of her ear and a single circle around her left eye. “Her name is Bandit.”

“Not mad at all, sunshine,” Steve reassures him. “She’s beautiful. Now, come show me the others, too.”

Eddie’s grin broadens. He hands Bandit to Steve who immediately starts scritching her neck. He grabs the sodden box and sets it down in front of Steve.

Steve peers inside to see a cute bundle of fluffs in varying degrees of black to white ratio. But tucked away in the corner, Steve spots the final kitten. He looks up at Eddie and licks his lips. “How mad would you be if I fell in love with a kitten, too?”

Eddie cocks his head to the side and asks which one. Steve pulls out the final kitten, long haired while the others are short haired, and a dark charcoal grey. He meows in protest of being picked up. Steve now has a kitten in each hand and looking like he’s about to cry from the sheer joy of it all.

“Ah, yes,” Eddie said. “You would fall for that one. What are you going to name him?”

Steve grins at him like he’s about tell the biggest pun of his life. “Smokey.”

“As in ‘Smokey and the Bandit’?” Eddie deadpans.

Steve just continues grinning.

Eddie sighs. “Fine. You get Smokey and I get Bandit and we’ll go the shelter tomorrow to get pet supplies and drop off the other kittens.”

Steve hands Bandit back to Eddie as he cuddles close to Smokey. Eddie smiles up at them from his place on the floor. This just might have been the best decision he’s made since he asked Steve to move in with him.

Outside it rains on, but the love in that small apartment is brighter than the sun.

[timothyjimothy74]

Second Best - Luke Hughes ft. Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes

A/N: You're welcome.

Word count: 2.5k

Everything was perfect.

School was out, the boys’ seasons were over so they were home and Quinn and Jack had invited Y/N and Luke to stay at their house for the summer.

They’d spent the past few summers together, every single one since Luke and Y/N met in high school and became best friends.

But after her first year of college at Michigan, Y/N was happier than ever to have some time off with her favorite people. And taking care of herself and the boys without her parents or Mom and Dad Hughes made her feel more grown up than ever.

After breakfast one morning, they were all lounging by the pool drinking mimosas. Luke and Y/N were sitting side by side as always, and Jack and Quinn were relaxing on the other side of the pool.

Y/N snuck a peak at Luke from behind her sunglasses and sighed with content, thinking, ‘Could life really ever get any better than this?’ when she heard someone approach her chair.

She looked over, pulled down her sunglasses and found Jack standing there looking nervous. “What’s up, Jack?”

Jack looked down at his feet, and suddenly Y/N was nervous too. “Can we talk?” Finally picking his head up, he glanced at Luke and added, “Alone?”

Y/N shot Luke a confused look, but he was too busy glaring at Jack to notice. She was alone in this one.

“Umm, sure.”

To say that Y/N was confused was an understatement. Yes, she had been around Jack for years, and they were obviously friends, enough to have ridiculous inside jokes and one of her longest-running snap streaks, but what did he need to say that couldn’t be said in front of Luke? Luke was her best friend, they shared everything with each other. This was just weird, but she got him and followed Jack anyway, mostly out of curiosity.

And you know what they say about curiosity.

Jack led her back inside to the living room and sat down. She sat down opposite him and waited. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him so nervous. It was quite a change from his usual cocky demeanor.

When he didn’t say anything, she said, “You’re freaking me out, Jack. What’s up?”

He finally made eye contact with her and looked like he was about to speak but then got up and started pacing in front of her instead.

Y/N sighed and dramatically flung her head back on the couch.

After a couple minutes, he stopped pacing, turned to her again and started rambling, “Y/N, I’m sorry for being dramatic, but I think I like you as more than my little brother’s best friend. Something’s different about you this summer, and I just can’t help but look at you differently. I’d really like to take you out on a date tonight.”

Y/N was stunned and didn’t say anything. She just stared off into space.

“I know I just dropped a lot on you so I’m going to give you some space. Come find me later and let me know what you think,” he ran his hands through his hair nervously and left her alone with her thoughts.

And boy were they loud. What the fuck, Jack liked her?

And her heart hurt because she knew she didn’t feel that way about him. And the worst part was that she knew why, but she couldn’t tell him. That would mean she would have to say it out loud.

Jack was right, something was different about her this summer. She had finally realized she was in love with her best friend.

It was a Friday night at the end of October. Michigan’s hockey season had just started, and Y/N had dragged her friends to the game to watch Luke and the boys. Everyone was talking about the Halloween party later that night, but Y/N was focused on the game.

She’d been a hockey fan long before she met Luke, but their friendship only intensified her love of the game.

When Luke stepped onto the ice, she yelled, “Let’s go, Luke!”

Seeing him play at this level was even more exciting than seeing him play for the USNTDP. The highs were higher, and the lows were lower.

It was one of Michigan’s first losses of the season. Luke had a tough game. After he took quite a few hits from Wisconsin’s biggest players, he was skating slower than usual.

She tried not to let herself think that he could be injured and instead headed down to the waiting area.

There, she saw her second set of parents also waiting on #43 and didn’t hesitate to approach them.

“Hi, guys!”

Ellen squealed and hugged her. “Y/N, it’s so good to see you, sweetheart. How’s school going?”

“It’s pretty stressful, but I’m enjoying my classes.” Jim smiled. “I heard you’re tutoring Luke on top of all your classes. In case he hasn’t said it enough, thank you, Y/N.”

Ellen agreed. “Yes, thank you, hon.”

“Of course, I’m happy to help. Are you guys going to take him out to dinner?” As soon as she asked that, she saw Luke walking toward them. The three of them watched nervously as he walked slowly with a frown on his face.

Her usually energetic best friend looked like he was trying not to cry as he gave his parents hugs and thanked them for coming. When he hugged her, he held on for a moment longer than usual.

When he pulled away he asked quietly, “Would it be okay if we skipped dinner tonight? I just want to go home.”

Ellen pulled him into another hug. “Whatever you want, honey. We love you.”

Jim hugged Luke as Ellen went to hug her. She whispered to her, “Take care of him, will you?”

Y/N nodded when she pulled away. Jim hugged Y/N next, they said goodbye and then they were gone.

Y/N had just turned to Luke when Matty came over. “Hey guys, see you at the party?” He smiled at Y/N, “I could really use my beer pong partner.”

“Sorry, Matty, I don’t think Luke’s really feeling it tonight. But don’t permanently replace me, I’ll catch you next time.”

Matty smiled. “Fair enough. See you guys,” he said before he headed out.

Luke spoke up then. “You don’t have to skip the party just because I’m in a bad mood.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “I know I don’t have to but I am.” She pulled him toward the door. “Come on, let’s go grab you some clothes and stuff, and you can stay with me tonight. My roommate’s gone this weekend.”

Luke stopped in his tracks and looked at her seriously. “You’d do that?”

“Yes.” He was still just looking at her. “What, do you think I’ll be a worse roommate than Dylan?”

That finally cracked a smile on Luke’s face. “No, it just feels like you can read my mind sometimes. I really don’t want to go to this stupid party or go home and be alone.”

Y/N smiled. “Well, you’re lucky you have me then. Let’s go.”

Once they got back to her dorm, they changed clothes and climbed in bed next to each other. After a few minutes, Luke groaned, probably replaying a moment of the game in his head.

She rolled onto her side so she was facing him and said, “Luke, come here. Let me help.”

And he didn’t need to be told twice. He rolled onto his side, moved closer, rested his head against her chest and intertwined their legs. She put her arm around him and rubbed his back.

She never thought twice about letting Luke spend the night, despite the fact that this was the first time they’d ever cuddled like this, until she heard his muffled sobs into her chest.

She looked down at him. “Hey, hey, hey, what are you thinking about?”

“I played like shit tonight. What if I’m not good enough to play college hockey yet alone play in the NHL? This is all I’ve ever wanted, and I’m already failing.” he rambled through his cries.

And her heart broke with every word. She knew she’d stay up all night telling him how amazing he was if it would get through to him.

And that’s exactly what she did. Because it was true and because she loved him as way more than her best friend.

Y/N sighed as she remembered that night. Her and Luke had definitely gotten more touchy with each other since then, but nothing else really changed. They were still just best friends. She was just trying desperately not to show that she wanted more.

Suddenly, Luke came and sat in front of her on the floor. “Hey, what was that about?”

Shit. She couldn’t lie to him, but she also couldn’t tell him the whole story. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Luke waived his hand in front of her face. “Y/N?”

Y/N just stayed silent.

“Quinn!” Luke called loudly.

Quinn came running into the house and over to them, taking in Y/N’s state. “What?”

“Do you know what Jack said to her? I can’t tell if she’s in shock or what.”

Quinn was silent too.

Luke’s jaw tightened. “Somebody better tell me what the hell is happening right now.”

It was Quinn who spoke up. “He asked her out.”

Luke whipped his head around to face Y/N again. “Is that true?”

Y/N nodded.

“And what did you say?” Luke demanded.

“I was too shocked to say anything.”

It was Luke’s turn to be silent for a moment. When he finally spoke up, his first words were, “Get out, Quinn. Now.”

Once it was just the two of them in the room, he took Y/N’s hands in his. “Y/N, I’m in love with you. Maybe I always have been, but that night in your dorm room when you held me and talked me down all night, I knew.” Y/N started crying when he brought up the memory she had just been thinking about and squeezed his hands. “You know better than anyone, the last few years, it seems like everyone always picks him over me. He’s Mr. #1 draft pick, I get it. But I’ve watched my parents and friends fawn over him. Sometimes it feels like I’m second best, and I can’t be second best to you too. I don’t know how you feel, but if there is even a chance you could someday love me the way I love you, please don’t say yes. Please.”

They were both crying by this point.

“You’ll never be second best to me. I realized that night how I felt about you too. I’m in love with you, Luke. You’re the only Hughes I want.”

Luke went In to kiss her, but she stopped him. When he pouted, she said, “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time, and I want it to be perfect. Let me talk to Jack first so I can fully enjoy this, okay?”

Luke nodded, squeezed her hand and let her go.

As she walked up to Jack’s room, she felt bad for how happy she was. She was about to hurt one of her close friends, she shouldn’t be smiling. But she was. She tried to force herself to look sadder when she knocked on his door.

When he opened the door, he looked down at her and smirked, “Made your decision already?”

Y/N sighed. “Can I come in?”

Jack moved out from the doorway and motioned her in. He went to sit on his bed and she stood in front of him.

Y/N wrung her hands out and started rambling. “Jack, I care for you a lot, but only as a brother. I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, and I just don’t want you to be mad at me.”

Jack smiled a little. “It’s okay, Y/N. I can’t be mad at you. I am curious about something, though. Can I ask you a question?” “Anything.”

“Is there someone else you like?”

Y/N gulped. “Umm, actually there is.” She looked down at him, trying to read his expression, not knowing if she should tell him just yet.

“You can tell me, I’m not fragile.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “I’m in love with Luke.”

Jack smiled. “You should tell him.”

“I just did after he confronted me about what you wanted to talk about. He feels the same way.”

Jack fell back onto his bed and started laughing.

“You are the most confusing man I know,” Y/N shook her head at him in disbelief.

Jack sat up again, holding his stomach, grinning at her. “You’re welcome.”

“Huh?”

“Quinn and I planned this to try to get you and Luke to admit your feelings for each other. It seems like it worked. So you’re welcome.”

It was Y/N’s turn for her jaw to drop. She quickly recovered and punched him in the shoulder. “You jerk! I was so worried about hurting you.” She paused to punch him again. “And you made Luke cry. He thought I was going to pick you.”

Jack rubbed over the spot you punched him. “Okay, I probably deserve that. But we just couldn’t go all summer with you guys sneaking loving looks at each other without doing anything about it. It was driving us nuts. I don’t know how you guys did that.”

Y/N smiled and raised her hands in surrender for now. “Alright, that’s pretty sweet I guess even if you went about it in a ridiculous way. I’m done being mad for now. No promises on Luke though.”

Jack groaned as Y/N left the room and went back down to Luke.

Luke was still in the same spot she left him in. She walked over and sat next to him. “Hey, how’d it go?”

“Jack doesn’t actually like me.”

“What?”

“Quinn and Jack came up with that idea to get us to admit our feelings for each other.” Luke stood up immediately, and Y/N followed. He started in the direction of the stairs, but Y/N grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her.

“I know you’re mad, but could you hold off on killing them for a second? There’s something I’ve been wanting to do.”

“Y/N/N….”

She got on her tiptoes, put her arms around his neck and kissed him for the first time, effectively cutting him off. She could feel all his anger melt away as they both smiled into the kiss.

They only pulled away when they heard Quinn and Jack clapping.

Y/N hugged him around the waist to try to get him not to go over and murder his brothers. He sighed and hugged her back, resting his head on top of hers.

“I appreciate you guys wanting to help but I would have worked up the courage to tell her myself eventually, you know.”

Jack and Quinn laughed.

“Whatever you say, Lukey,” Jack joked before he and Quinn went back upstairs.

Y/N released Luke. He paused to kiss her again before running after them.

Even with the chaos happening upstairs, Y/N had time to stop and think, ‘Okay, NOW life can’t get any better than this.’

[fruitcoops]

Night Changes

This isn't based on an ask, but I've had some early-Cap ideas brewing and think about the first time the team heard him laugh a lot. His and James' friendship is so sweet in SW--the beginning of it must have been such a shock to them both. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

So maybe James had bitten off more than he could chew. It wasn’t the first time, to be sure, but coaxing (read: drag kicking and screaming) his new teammate out of the carefully-constructed mosaic of scowls that made up his entire personality was proving to be a little more challenging than he previously expected. With most rookies, all it took was some elbow grease and overenthusiastic inclusion in group events to get them to open up—with his brand-new soon-to-be best friend, he had to handle things a little more delicately.

Sirius Black was a puzzle wrapped up in one of those freaky code-breaking machines from World War Two Lily liked to talk about. He was one of the best hockey players James had ever seen, but off the ice he seemed to shut down. The intense focus on his face smoothed out into almost perfect neutrality, and in the four months since he joined the Lions, he had never once smiled for real in front of the team. He sat in his stall and padded up in silence, then went out and kicked ass before following Pascal home like a living shadow.

Naturally, James took it as a personal mission to pry Sirius Black’s closed-off persona open like a stubborn oyster. He tried including Sirius in group events—the rookie went along with a quiet “yeah, sure”, but sat at the table and nursed a single drink for the entire night. He tried getting into friendly banter with him on the ice, but it was like Sirius had never joked with anyone in his life. Hell, he even tried finding him a girlfriend, which tanked harder than the goddamn Titanic.

“Rookie!” James shouted down the hallway.

Sirius jumped and turned around, obviously confused. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” James laughed, jogging over to toss an arm over his shoulders. “What’s up?”

“Not much.”

He waited for Sirius to continue, then rolled his eyes and gave him a friendly shake. “C’mon, man, how was your weekend? Has Dumo coerced you into being a stay-at-home babysitter yet?”

Sirius’ frown deepened. “What? I come with him to practice every day.”

Change tactics, change tactics— “Got any plans for Friday?”

James knew the answer, of course; it was always no or not yet or a simple shake of the head. If he was a less observant man, he would have assumed Sirius didn’t actually want to hang out with the team. But the longing looks toward their easy rhythm and the way he always tilted himself toward locker room conversations told a different story. “None yet,” Sirius said with a shrug.

James gave him a friendly slap on the back. “Good, ‘cause I’m having a party at my place and you’re not allowed to miss it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want you to be there, duh.” The bewilderment didn’t fade from Sirius’ face, but beneath it—well, maybe James was just seeing things, but he looked almost hopeful. He ruffled Sirius’ hair and headed for the locker room. “Friday at five, rookie! I’ll be waiting!”

--

The week passed in a slog of practices and cold weather. Sirius clammed up more and more as the party drew closer, but James didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered between the rest of them like he was analyzing a play. He would make one hell of a captain someday, if he could just relax a little.

“Hey, rookie, want a ride?” he asked when the big day finally arrived.

“Don’t you want to go home and set up first?” Sirius’ brow furrowed. For an eighteen-year-old kid, he was awfully thoughtful. James couldn’t wait to see him let loose a little. “I wouldn’t want to get in your way.”

“It’s a yes or no question,” he teased, poking the bit of exposed shoulder through the widening hole in Sirius’ under armor.

“I…” He faltered, then the corner of his mouth twitched up. It was the closest thing James had seen to a smile from him yet. One point for Potter. “Sure, Pots. Thanks.”

“No problem. Meet me at my car in five or so, yeah?”

“D’accord.”

“Oho, fancy French,” James laughed, turning back to unlace his skates.

It wasn’t until thirty seconds after Sirius left the room that he remembered he never told the rookie what his car looked like. Horrible, terrible visions of the poor guy wandering around the parking lot—or, god forbid, thinking James had left without him—flashed through his mind. It would undo everything he had been working so hard to build.

“Shit,” he hissed under his breath as he shoved his gear into his duffel with reckless abandon and hurried out of the locker room. His legs would be stiff from trying to run so soon after a grueling drill practice, but it was worth it to save his friend. “Rookie? Hey, Sirius, you still here?”

There was no response. James cursed again and made a beeline for the door to the parking lot. Please, God, don’t let him get lost. I need him to trust me.

“Oh, thank fuck,” he panted as he burst out onto the half-frozen concrete.

Sirius looked up from his phone with a strange expression. “Are you okay?”

“Thought I lost you for a sec.”

“You said to meet at your car, yes?” He glanced between James and the car in sudden worry.

“Yeah, yes, absolutely, I just—” He made an aborted gesture and dug his keys out of his pocket. “I realized I forgot to tell you which one is mine.”

Sirius blinked at him. “I know what your car looks like.”

“How?”

“Because you drive it here every single day and you gave me a ride three weeks ago.”

‘Dumbass’ went unsaid, but James could feel it hanging in the air. He coughed lightly. “Right. Anyway, you can toss your bag wherever and hop in the passenger seat. My place isn’t far from here.”

Sirius took his duffel as he unlocked the car and settled both in the trunk with more care than James’ poor, battered bag had ever seen in its life. That was another thing that confused him about Sirius Black—he was so careful. He walked quietly for someone so tall, and each movement seemed pre-planned.

Each movement, that is, until he tried to get in the car. “Uh, Pots?”

“That’s m—oh.” James covered his mouth to stifle his laughter as Sirius tried to fold himself into the passenger seat and failed miserably. “I’m sorry, my girlfriend was sitting there last. Uh, there’s a lever on your right—yeah, there, just give it a pull and—”

With a harsh ka-chunk, the seat slid all the way back. Both men froze. It took everything in James’ power not to burst out laughing at the deer-in-headlights shock on Sirius’ face.

“Yep, that one,” he managed. “Nice job.”

They drove in relative quiet—James chattered on about weekend plans and hummed to the radio while Sirius watched out the window with the occasional monosyllable response. It took James a bit by surprise how comfortable he was, even without a steady stream of banter. Sirius might have been stubborn and silent and determined to foil all James’ plans at getting him to socialize, but he was calming to be near, like an anchor on unsteady water. Despite his overall quiet air, he was obviously paying attention to every word that left James’ mouth.

“You’re a good guy, y’know that?” he said as they turned onto his street. Sirius glanced over in surprise. “Most people tune me out within, like, five minutes.”

“I’m a good listener.”

James opened his mouth to respond, then paused. “Was that—Sirius Black, was that a joke?”

Something akin to mischief—mischief!—crossed his face. “Maybe.”

“Were you roasting me?” James gaped at him. “Oh my god. The guys are never gonna believe this.”

“Probably not.”

“You sick bastard. They won’t believe me.”

“You can give it a shot,” Sirius said with a shrug as the engine turned off. Pieces began to connect in James’ head as he stared, incredulous, at the rookie he thought would never even crack a smile. Four months of work had not been wasted, as he had feared; every joke, every one-sided conversation, and every attempt to get Sirius involved had been seen and heard and taken to heart. When he thought about it, he wasn’t sure he had ever seen Sirius actively agree to something unless James asked personally.

“We’re friends,” he said aloud, too surprised and too happy to hold it in. Not friends in the way James was with the rest of their loud, over-the-top teammates, but friends all the same.

“Well, yeah,” Sirius said as if it was obvious.

James unbuckled his seatbelt and socked him lightly on the shoulder, barely suppressing a shriek of excitement. “Love you, man. Grab your shit, we’ve got a party to set up.”

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

As much as it pained James to say it, having someone around who was six-foot-three was a huge help. There was no blow to his pride as he dragged Lily’s stepstool out; no grudging acceptance that he simply couldn’t reach those last two inches on the wall. Instead, he could foist any and all responsibility on his brand-new best friend in the whole wide world and focus on the things that mattered, like putting anything breakable or important far away from the grubby hands of his inebriated teammates.

His success was still ringing in his ears when the guests finally arrived—throughout the evening, James rode the high of accomplishing his mission to pull Sirius Black into his tight-knit circle. Every minute of those four months was worth it.

Midnight came and went, and by one-thirty in the morning James’ cramped living room was packed with tipsy hockey players in a vague imitation of a circle. “Non, non, I’ve gotta good one,” Dumo said, hiccupping. The room fell quiet as he leaned forward. “What do you call a body of water with a chicken in it?”

“What?” Kasey whispered, starry-eyed like a kid at Christmas.

“A swimming pool.”

The room stayed quiet, and then someone started to laugh. Slowly, they all turned to the source of the noise, and James felt a ripple of shock roll through the team as Sirius snorted. “It’s a swimming pool,” he said around a smile, his accent thick from three drinks. He had a nice laugh; James could get used to hearing it. “Like—poule, like chicken?”

His whole face was alight with happiness. James wasn’t sure whether to cry or cheer. That’s what I’ve been waiting for, he thought. That look, right there. Sirius fit in among the group like a missing piece of their puzzle, snickering away as if he hadn’t been stoically silent a day in his life. His laugh was downright bubbly.

“I don’t think they get it,” Dumo said into the rim of his cup.

Sirius shook his head, trying to catch his breath. “D’accord, so—so ‘chicken’ in French is poule, yeah? So a chicken in a body of water is a swimming poule. Do you get it now?”

A few oh’s of understanding washed over them, but several people continued to stare. “Too drink for this,” Sergei grumbled, though James could see the smile pulling at his mouth as Sirius turned to him with bright eyes.

“But it’s funny!” Sirius protested, so earnest it made James’ heart hurt.

“I think it’s funny, rookie,” he assured him with a clumsy pat on the arm. “And it’s my house, so I say Dumo gets a point this round.”

Kasey hiccupped. “Hey, anyone who makes the rookie laugh gets points in my book. No offense, dude.”

“None taken,” Sirius said, though his cheeks were pink.

James nudged him with his shoulder as Talker started a knock-knock joke. “It’s okay,” he said under his breath.

Sirius picked at the label on his cup. “I know I haven’t been very social,” he muttered.

“It’s okay,” James insisted. “It always takes rookies a while to warm up, so we’re just glad you’re happy. I’m glad my best friend is having a good time at my party.”

A heavy silence fell between them as Sirius looked over, eyebrows raised. “Best friend?”

“What, like you didn’t see this coming?” James slung an arm over his shoulder. “Yes, you French-Canadian nerd, you’re my best friend. And that means I’m your best friend, and there’s no take-backsies.”

“What the hell is a take-backsie?” Sirius laughed. “Did you make that up?”

James grinned. He had the feeling this was the beginning of an excellent friendship.

[bluestsdays]

this was once commonplace, sitting together on a night out with friends or at a party, completely oblivious to anyone else around, occupying their own little bubble. she’s missed it so desperately over the past couple years with him miles away, always subconsciously watching the door as if waiting for him to walk through it at any moment, to save her from that loneliness that followed them both around before they found one another. wishes this still was her normal, that she could take his hand and lead him to some dimly lit corner where they could let their hands and lips and teeth explore one another in the semblance of privacy. but, no— instead she had to ignore how her heart stutters in her chest as he inches his chair closer, trying to pretend it didn’t make her dizzy with want. want for him, for how it used to be, for everything they once had. disguises it all with a soft smile, attempting to allow his words to permeate her brain. finds it hard to believe, though, as it was always easier to blame herself, before anyone else. “ i don’t know, maybe it’s actually your fault— it was so good with you, that you ruined me for everybody else, ” it’s spoken with a hint of a smirk, although she doesn’t actually blame him at all, signaled by the laugh that emanates from her throat. and it wasn’t his fault, at all, but there was truth to those words— how could anyone else compare when she’s already experienced the best ? they possessed an intimacy that was driven by love and understanding and passion, which was obviously missing from whatever it was she had with fletcher. it didn’t feel right, anyway, not like how it was with miller, but what did it matter, now ? he was with someone else, and lived miles and miles away, regardless. didn’t like thinking about that, though, especially not when he was here with her now, in the flesh, fingertips tracing along her hand, electricity pooling in every nerve ending he skates across. she watches intently, free hand twitching with the desire to reach out, to skate across everywhere she could see, just to be reminded what he feels like, beneath the pads of her fingers. gaze only lifts at his words, nodding at his question, because yes, it always was easier with him. easier than anyone she’s ever been with before. there’s a soft, sad smile written across her features, then, hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. “ yeah, it was, wasn’t it ? probably because i never felt the need to hide any part of me from you. even if i wanted to, you would have seen it. you’ve always been good at that, ” and god, did she love him all the more for it. it’s the kind of love that doesn’t ever dissipate, the kind of love reserved for the one person who has seen the inside of her soul and loved her anyway, despite all the cracks and bruises. him— it would always be him. and maybe that’s why she suddenly feels sick after posing her question about his girlfriend, unsure if she could stand to hear more about the one who took her place next to him. brows furrow at what he reveals, trying to conceal the concern on her features, the desire to tell him she obviously wasn’t good for him, but what right did she have to say that, now ? finds herself shaking her head, instead, at the mention of therapy, hand now brutally cold without the warmth of his own. “ wait, this isn’t a therapy session ? i’ve been charging you by the minute this whole time, ” it’s spoken teasingly, followed with a soft chuckle. “ it’s never been hard for me to like you, to see who you are, miller. ” a pause, to think. “ i always believed in you, but i was just happy to be with you, regardless of your potential. ” in the end, she decided she had to let him go, so he could follow his dreams. “ honestly, i regret not going with you, when you left. ” inhales sharply, then, as her next question falls from her lips without much thought, the alcohol loosening her lips. " do you ever think about what our kid would've been like ? because i do, sometimes. "

if the past few weeks have taught him anything, it's that they could've made this work. he's become so accustomed to their talks— whether it's with a bleary image of her flushed across his screen, or the crepitate of her voice, while they've been on the phone. but nothing beats this, he doesn't think; being this close to see her smile lines, or the cracks in her hands, the lingering traces of paint against her skin, her clothing, telling him all it needs to, all he's hoped for, in their time apart. there's a certain warmth to him, now, after what feels like two years of being left out in the cold, bringing him comfort in a life that's felt so uncertain, since they parted. there's always been a place for him here, he thinks— a place that would continue to be open for him, as long as he needs it. and he still struggles with that fact, wishing he had found the fortitude to reach out to her earlier, open that line of communication when he needed it most, and feeling as if that would've never been fair for either of them. it still feels like an uphill battle sometimes, one he can't ever seem to grapple; just how much he shares of this new life, new existence, this path of life that he'd always thought she would be by his side for. supposes the alcohol in both of their systems has blurred that barrier, enough so that they use it to touch on the things that have remained unspoken between them for so long, even now that they've re-established a connection. " there's nothing embarrassing or pathetic about that at all, " he focuses on the way her fingertip traces the rim of her glass, shaking his head as her next words fall, instantly defensive as that ache in his chest returns. " but there's nothing wrong with you, you hear me? nothing at all. " and it wasn't like he was aware of the ins and outs of her new relationship, nor was he sure he wanted to know, afraid of how much it would sting, more than it already does now, if he became apprised of those inner workings. inches closer then, bringing his chair along with him, as if the closer proximity will have her believe him, even as he bites back the rest of what he wants to say— that maybe it was a visceral reaction, informing her that things weren't right. but what place did he have to say that, anymore? and he couldn't speak on it without looking at his own situation, in the feeling simmering in his gut, that told him none of it was right, that it never has been, nor will it ever be, when what they had together, was incomparable, and always will be. there was a reason to the stutter in his chest, the tingling in his fingertips, as they trace along the back of her hand. it was real, true, undiluted happiness that he had with devon, once. the sort of love that only came by once in a lifetime, perhaps one that had followed him from the past, and will continue to follow him into the next lifetime. it's a sad smile, then, that he gives her, nodding briefly to say that he understood, that he couldn't have said it better himself. " no, i don't think anything makes sense like it did with you, either. everything was so easy, hm? like, we didn't even have to try, " like all the pieces fell into place. what was once so easy with her, now feels so hard with someone else. that alone has his stomach dropping, along with the spotlight turning back on him. " i don't know, " he admits, the words falling off his tongue, unravelled from the piece of him that he's only ever kept to himself. " sometimes i think she likes my potential, more than she does me, " who he was now, what he encompassed, or even all the baggage that came in his shadow. " and it was just... never like that with you, you know? i always felt like you liked who i was first, and anything that i could be, or do... well, that never seemed to matter, as much, " chuckles then, removing his hand from her own, using it to rub at jaded features. " fuck, i don't know, maybe i should save this for therapy, or something. "

[actualbird]

can the nxx boys dance?

wc: 1.4k

notes: pls open the links, i will die for u, dance is so beautiful

vyn richter

yes, REALLY FRIGGING WELL, the stuff of FAIRYTALES.

his first birthday ssr told us that hes classically trained in MANY forms of ballroom dance. "many"???? i'd like to think this means ALL actually.

hes most adept with waltzes but he really enjoys a fast paced swing, he can do one HELL of a saucy tango. hes got a wonderful ear for music, just a few seconds of listening and hes clocked in the type of dance and the beat and just what kind of performance people are expecting from it, and he'll lead the way, the picture perfect image of elegance and beauty

perhaps it's not that vyn is good at dancing, it's that hes good at PERFORMING. and at roping you into the performance as well. he's a DAMN GOOD lead, he can do it perfectly, telegraphing the exact movements you need to do to complete the dance alongside with him

but thats the thing, vyn can only ever dance with a partner

(which, sidenote, of all the boys i would put into an ice dance figure skating AU in, itd be vyn richter. and he'd dance like this. REALLY FUCKIN GOOD.)

he doesnt dance without a partner. never has. hes been taught forms of dance ONLY as a part of a pair, ONLY as the one in control. so hes out of his element when hes alone (dont expect him to dance with just himself, theres nobody to direct, what does he do????) or when the other person is leading.

this would make for some cute scenarios. vyn richter may be the ballroom dance genius, but perhaps you know how to dance at a club. he'd gasp in surprise as you move his body for him. when you (or anybody else he trusts) teach him, hes in your care.

all in all, dancing for vyn has a history of being a performance for other people Only. not for him or his happiness. when dance becomes something a bit more "selfish" so to speak, hes surprised and is willing to see where this surprise will take him

artem wing

yes but he is SO SO SO STIFF (note: i know nothing about the artem dance card where mc is in red dress, these are ALL just hcs, pls dont flame me)

guys, this is artem wing we're talking about here. he's stiff at work, he's stiff when hes supposed to be relaxing, im sure on his first date he needs to be TOLD to like, fuckin exhale. this is the most clenched man ive seen in his life, and it's to his detriment.

so much of what makes art FUN is letting a bit of yourself go and artem is like "BUT WHAT IF THAT MEANS I'LL FAIL." before he tries any dance (and maybe it's for the company uhhh...party or some shit? ur not getting this dude to dance because he initiated it, u'll have to finagle a situation where he HAS TO), he watches all the videos and reads up on the history and he has a perfect theoretical understanding of all the moving parts----

and then when he sees u (or insert whatever ship u like, mc, nxx boy, maybe forgo the nxx polycule tho bc 5 people dancing is hard to coordinate so artem will just lie on the floor and die) all that information goes OUT THE WINDOW. he is clenched once more, reblog if u cry every time

see, the REASON he gets so stiff is because of the pressure from the situation (must be perfect), the pressure from you/other (must not let you down), and the pressure from himself (obviously if he fails at dancing he is a horrible terrible no good man who deserves nothing in life [artem wing depression spiral])

he'll only calm down after he makes a mistake, actually. he stumbles and steps on your foot and hes SO SO SO SORRY but you laugh it off, pull him closer, and tell him it's alright. youre both learning together, yeah? mistakes and successes, you'd like to share them both with him

marius von hagen

yes and you WANT HIM TO STOP (...u dont actually, it's HOT)

ive written several past posts where i am CONVINCED marius has no personal grasp of musical elements whatsoever, so hes got no beat, he cant dance in time to any song, not even ba ba black sheep.

tho his lack of beat doesnt bother or stop him though from dancing like a SLUT (affectionate)

i think marius learned how to dance at smarmy rich kids parties he was invited to as a kid and he hated those because everybody sucked but the alcohol was good and the inhibitions were loosened. desperate to have SOME KIND OF FUN at this hellish gathering, he starts dancing

marius is a shameless person, he doesnt do dance moves so much as just let his body move in whatever way it wants to. the result is a dance thats electric. full of energy yet flowing at the same time, completely spur of the moment, and really, really...alluring. like, it's not slut from the get-go, marius only MAKES IT slut when he wants to. but his dancing is wholly something you cant take your eyes off of, despite the fact hes dancing to a song that only he can hear in his head.

because marius doesnt dance to music. he dances to the tune of himself.

(art has always been the one avenue where he can be who he is no matter what, yeah? no roles, no expectations. just him, for once, letting go and being him.)

(he will absolutely dance on his own, especially at his studio. if anybody sees him, he'll smirk all smug and transform his dancing into whatever is going to get that person to blush and stutter the MOST. among all the boys, marius von hagen is most likely to give you a lap dance, if you wanted one.)

luke pearce

no. he cant. and when he does, hes a HUGE AWKWARD DORK

see, luke just has so much trouble moving his body in situations where hes not fighting/sports-ing. he can do mid air spins with a gun, can scale a rock climbing wall in record time (never getting over it), can show off SO MUCH how hes SO STRONG OOOHHH, but ask him to dance and he'll wiggle. it's excruciating for everybody involved

the NSB TRIED to train him in dance (it would be useful for undercover missions) but the dance instructor nearly cried because luke's body is SO BEAUTIFUL AND YET LUKE IS INCAPABLE OF MOVING IT. after a few hours luke is on the floor, panting, whining, "can i please just kill some people?" so the NSB just lets him go kill some people

but luke isnt immune to the magic of music. when he hears a banger he taps his foot along to the beat, he bops his head, and NSB CCTV camera footage has recorded many instances where hes dancing alone in the elevator. and hes ADORABLE, he mindlessly dances in a way that exudes joy and happiness. no actual "dance moves" from a certain dance style, just luke bopping and vibing like a huge dork. it's the kind of dancing that makes everybody smile and actually heres a visual peg for how i think luke dances

but he stops the moment somebody else is there. bc his issue is that he gets bashful when he knows hes being watched. thats when the shame trickles in because how DARE he let himself have fun

(the good news is that once he trusts somebody else and once that other person bonks him on the head like "I LIKE IT WHEN UR HAPPY, PLS LET URSELF BE HAPPY" he'll come out of his shell and dance in the little moments. when hes cooking, when hes feeding peanut. maybe it's okay to have fun, especially since it gives you joy)

(additional visual peg: this is just a very good luke/mc dance, case closed)

last sidenote: given everybodys HUGELY DIFFERENT styles, motivations, and overall vibes of dancing, please expect that the nxx investigation team new year's eve party---where everybody gets drunk on like 3 bottles of wine vyn made---is an absolute disaster, in terms of people drunkenly dancing.

nobody meshes with one another AT ALL.

thats not stopping them tho.

(mc's got videos of the night. the law is the only thing stopping her from using marluke_dance.mp4 as blackmail material)

[apocalypticgargoyle]

𝙅𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙔 | 𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙡 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙨 (18+)

∘ request(s):

Ooh maybe edgy!karl teaching skateboarding :o. I’m also in uni and I remember my first frat party was quite interesting 😂 -🦋

ahhhh part four of your edgy karl was soooo good!!! could i get jealous karl? maybe someone else is hitting on the reader at a party

please please please more edgy!karl if u can. like maybe where him and reader get into a fight because he gets like jealous and he just shows the reader who they belong to fjsjjsj thankyouuu !! 🤍🪐 x

∘ pairing: edgy!Karl Jacobs x fm!reader

∘ warnings: nsfw (18+ minors dni), smut, light bdsm, jealous, somewhat toxic behavior, crude language, frat boys (again), mentions of masterbation, biting, domination, spanking

∘ word count: ~3200

∘ links: 𐐪 ao3 𐑂 𐐪 previous part 𐑂 𐐪 submit an edgy!karl edit 𐑂

a/n: not me having to watch daddy tony hawk tutorials for this bc I'm uncultured and only skateboarded for like three months when I was 14 :)))

thank you for all the requests (especially 🦋 ily). if any of you have ideas for what I should call this series, lemme know! as always, have a great week and happy reading :)

♡ ᵍᵉⁿᵉ

The parking lot behind the campus union was barren. The morning dew in the air left a sweet smell to combine with Karl’s cologne as he walked beside you, his arm bumping yours as he listened to you nervously ramble on about one of your classes. You weren’t sure why, but the thought of falling on your ass in front of Karl terrified you more than anything. This man had degraded you and made you completely submit to him in the past, yet you were worried that not being able to master his ~craft~ would ruin his image of you. 

He dropped his skateboard, his feet settling on it lazily as he rolled beside you. You watched quietly as he stopped, kicking his foot down on the front of his board so it popped into his hand. “You won’t fall. I’ve got you,” he joshed, tugging on your hand so you were in front of him. 

He set the board down, his hands going to your hips as you stepped on it. His fingers dipped under the hem of your sweatshirt, your skin lighting up at his touch as if his hands belonged on you. “You look like an anemic Victorian boy. I don’t trust you as a safety net,” you grumbled, your hands covering his. You knew, roughly, how to skate from a middle school phase you had. Karl only promised to teach you a few tricks, but to say you were rusty would be an understatement. 

He chuckled darkly, nudging you closer to the middle of the board and peering over your shoulder to look at your stance. “I’ve fucked you without your feet touching the floor. I think I can catch you before you hit the ground, baby,” he chided, making you scoff. 

Your cheeks flushed with heat at his words. “Dirty, dirty boy,” you mumbled. He instructed you on how to kick the board up to where you needed it. His words were simple and almost plain like he knew you could figure it out. You attempted to push the board up, but crashed into Karl’s arms, your back thumping against his chest. 

He giggled slightly as he straightened you up, setting you back on the board as his foot kept it from rolling out from under you. His hands hovered over your hips again as he moved his foot, leaving you to balance on your own. “If you fall correctly, people will just think you were giving really good head,” he jested. You shoved his arms away at his words as he laughed at his own joke. 

You attempted a few more times and nearly had it down before Karl’s hands were on your hips again, giving you further instructions. You fought not to smile as his breath ghosted against your neck. You knew he cared about teaching you something that---on paper---was seemingly so easy, but his vulgar teasing was beginning to swarm your head. With his next steps set as your goal as well as the feeling of his hold on you, you kicked the board up and attempted to jump with it. While your brain was up to speed, your feet weren’t, sending the board out from beneath you and you to fall into its place. 

Karl snorted as choked back a laugh at you scrapping your hands on the concrete. “Come on, don’t be a pussy. Try again,” he chided, voice uneven and laced with whatever dark humor he was getting from watching you do this. 

You rolled your eyes playfully, letting him tug you up in front of him. As you wobbled on the board once again, you let his hands dig into your sides. Obviously, it seemed that he actually was worried about dropping you again, despite the fact that he was holding back some kind of sick laugh. “You would be great at teaching a kid how to ride a bike,” you quipped, the fact that he called you a pussy seeping into your mind. 

You gasped slightly as you slipped again, this time Karl’s arms wrapping around you tightly, pressing your body against his. “Awe, you want me to put a baby in you, pet?” He jeered with his lips near your ear. You shrugged out of his grip, breaking up your indecent thoughts at his comment. 

You could feel the heat rising to your ears as you balanced on his skateboard again. “Stop, you perv,” you deflected, hoping he couldn’t tell how hard you were having to bite back a smirk. 

After your skateboarding escapades, you sat typing away at your computer, Karl occasionally looking over his phone to peer at you. His legs were thrown lazily on either side of you as he stretched out on his pillows. 

An alarm went off on Karl’s phone, startling you in the process. He fought against smirking at your surprise as he sat up, crawling over to you. “Okay, I gave you two hours,” he stated, leaning forward to press his lips against yours and gently close your computer. The taste of him on your tongue was like a drug for you, leaving you constantly wanting more. 

You smirked into his kiss as your brain finally caught up with you. “I hope that document saved, asshole,” you groaned, pushing him back into his pillows as he chuckled at you. His fingers dragged up the length of your thighs, squeezing the flesh in his hands as you straddled him. “Fucking weirdo, timing me. Who are you, my dad?” You teased, pressing a kiss to his neck and digging your fingers into his hair. 

He moaned lowly, grinding against you. “Oh fuck yeah. Call me daddy,” he cantered. 

“No,” you answered simply. You sat up, reaching over to his top drawer in search of protection, but running your fingers over a lacy garment instead. Your brows knitted together as your gaze shot to the drawer, your underpants dangling from your finger. Karl tucked his hands behind his head, looking up at you nonchalantly as your mind flashed with memories of your time in the bathroom. 

Before you had the opportunity to ask him what he was still doing with them, his door popped open to reveal one of Karl’s roommates, his name beginning with a D but slipping your mind. “What are you guys doing in here?” He asked with a rather dopey smile, gesturing to Karl still between your legs. “Everyone’s downstairs, come on.” You and Karl shared a look as he left. 

You leaned back down to him, kissing him briefly before pressing your lips to his neck again. “Wanna come over instead?” You suggested softly, your lips ghosting over his ear. 

Karl loped down the stairs in front of you, a heavy layer of smoke hanging in the air above your heads. A mass of people crammed themselves together, finding solace in each other after the long week. If you weren’t so hung up on getting into Karl’s pants, you might have considered joining them. 

Before the two of you could reach the door, someone called out for Karl. Their voice boomed over the loudness of the music, making Karl wince slightly. His face flattened into a frown as “Todd” waved at the two of you. Karl took a few slugging steps to stand close enough to Todd’s group that they wouldn’t have to yell at each other. You settled your hand on Karl’s hip as you wrapped your hand around his waist, leaning against him. Todd’s eyes traced over you. 

He wet his lips. “You guys leaving already?” He asked, leaning back in his chair and accepting the joint offered to him. From an outsider’s perspective, he looked like the king of the castle. Luckily, you knew better. “Come on, play a game with us!” He suggested, patting the empty spot beside him. Even though you couldn’t see his face, you could tell Karl was rolling his eyes. “I got a seat warmed up for you, baby girl,” he nodded towards you. 

You perked an eyebrow in his direction and Karl slipped his hand into yours nonchalantly. “Thanks, but no,” Karl stated. 

“Come on, Karl. Don’t make me pull pin.” At Todd’s words, Karl groaned reluctantly, the sound barely audible. You furrowed your brows at him. “Fifteen minutes. We were gonna play Never Have I Ever.” 

You leaned towards Karl. “What’s pulling pin?” You mumbled. 

“Flexing rank,” he grunted back. He tugged you with him to join the group. Before you could sit down, Todd pulled you into the spot beside him. You laughed nervously, watching as Karl’s features darkened as he sat across from the two of you. Todd handed you a drink, which you took but avoided sipping out of. 

A boy beside Karl piped up. “Okay, so never have I ever graduated high school. My degree is literally fake.” The boy smiled before taking a drink, making you giggle slightly. Todd draped his arm around the back of the couch where you were sitting. He wasn’t touching you exactly but every ounce of his being was getting under Karl’s skin. 

Todd smugly shook his head. “No, Zeke. Those aren’t the rules. You have to say something that’s not true about you. Like…” he trailed off slightly, his gaze settling on you before his mouth twisted into a smirk. “Never have I ever slashed someone’s tires.” 

You humored him with a subtle smile as if to ask if he was serious. He gestured towards Karl, who took a drink. You bit back a grin. “Well, never have I ever masturbated to a girl my roommate’s sleeping with,” Karl retaliated. Your eyes grew wide, suddenly happy to watch the event unfold before you. 

Todd took a drink after glaring at Karl. He leaned closer to you, this time his arm dropped to pull you against his side. “Do you wanna take a turn?” You shook your head, flashing your eyes to Karl before looping your fingers with Todd’s. Karl chewed the inside of his cheek, looking like he was holding back another laugh. “Alright, I’ll go.” Todd brought your hand up to his lips, kissing your palm. “Ah, I know. Never have I ever betrayed the secret oath of the frat and called the police.” 

Karl took another sip, his eyes on you. “Yeah, because never have I ever set the house on fire trying to light a bong,” he answered, making you snort. 

You let your free hand settle on Todd’s knee. “Awe, I’d light your bong for you,” you chided, making Todd laugh as he took a drink. 

“I bet you could do a lot for me, Princess,” he flirted, his lips nearing your ear. You raised your eyebrows in Karl’s direction, who was sitting with his chin in his hand. His expression was darkly entertained as you flirted with Todd. “Speaking of,” Todd looked to Karl again. “Never have I ever fucked someone on my roommate’s bed,” he teased, tucking his nose in the crook of your neck. 

Karl smirked. “You’re right, you probably haven’t,” he stated simply, downing the rest of his drink. Todd tensed slightly beside you. Karl stood, ruffling the hair of one of the other Brothers that were in the group before holding his hand out for you to take. As the two of you left, you heard one of the guys whistle and say something about never having peed in a pool before. 

As the two of you left the house, you walked in time with Karl’s heavy steps, swinging your entwined hands as if you were completely oblivious. “I can’t believe I made you jealous,” you taunted. You could practically see the steam rolling off his shoulders as he opened the passenger car door for you. Before you could slip into the seat, Karl’s hand gripped the back of your neck, bringing you to press your lips roughly against his. He pinned you between him and the cool metal of the car as the taste of beer spread across your tongue. 

His fingers dug into your hips, his other hand tightening around your throat. The coolness of his tongue ring was a welcomed sensation as you attempted to find friction against his hips. Your fingers moved to close around his wrist as he pulled away, leaving you gasping for air. His face was expressionless as his gaze danced from your lips to your eyes. “I’m going to fuckin’ ruin you for the way you acted,” he ribbed, stepping away from you. 

You nearly slid down the side of the car at his words. “Okay,” you whispered, heat rising to your cheeks and ultimately to your core. 

Karl’s calm exterior followed you until you finally got your apartment door open. Karl pinned you against the wood of your bedroom door, reaching to twist the lock as his lips began to commandeer your own. His hands dragged up your thighs beneath your skirt, squeezing at the flesh roughly. He yanked your shirt off, grinding his hips up and against yours as his teeth moved to nip at the skin of your neck before returning to badger your lips. 

The taste of beer on his lips blended with your flavored chapstick as your tongue slipped into his mouth. In a mess of tugging and biting each other, your body melted into his rough grasp. You wanted whatever repercussions his twisted mind could come up with. You wanted him to do whatever he wanted to you. You fought against diving your hands into his jeans to beg him to continue, but he broke away from you as you fought to catch your breath. 

Your lips were buzzing as the feeling of him still lingered. He brought his hand up to your jaw, tipping your chin up to him. “Fucking slut,” the devil’s grin painted across his face before he continued, pressing his lips against yours once more, his grin dragging your bottom lip between his teeth. “You act like I don’t fucking own you,” he nearly growled, his face hovering over yours as his hand squeezed your throat. You moaned quietly as he regulated your breathing with his hand. You wanted to drink in his dark, commanding appearance. 

He pushed you back on the bed, making you instinctively crawl up towards the pillows. He smirked slightly, undoing his belt and slipping it into his hands. He put the garment on your bedside table. After tugging his shirt off, he was on top of you again, pushing you into the pillows and the fluffy comforter. Karl’s lips seared yours, showing you how much command he had over your body. He ground his hips against yours, the fabric of his jeans digging into you to elicit a moan echo from your mouth. You could feel his erection hardening against your leg, the tension deep within you tightening at the prospect of what he was going to do to you. 

His fingers tugged at your skirt, gripping the material in his fist and dragging it down your body as if it was nothing. He flipped you, your elbows crowding the pillows as you felt him sit on your back, snapping the belt in his hands again. You let out a short breath as Karl’s nails raked up your back before his fingers dipped in your hair, tugging your head back to look at him. “I want you to scream my name tonight,” he groaned. You obliged as he dropped his grip on you. 

He pulled your wrists between the bars of your headboard before binding you to the metal with his belt, yanking the leather to sinch against your skin. He dropped his head to press his lips against your shoulder, a tender nod of affection you knew would be the last. You leaned on your side to watch him sit back on his knees to unbutton his jeans. “Be gentle,” you leered, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth to fight your grin again as you watched him spit into his hand and stroke himself in preparation.

He chuckled. “I’ll take good care of you, sweetheart,” he murmured darkly through a smirk. He pulled your hips up and against his own, forcing your face into the mattress. Your hands tightened around the metal bars, as he angled himself at your entrance before driving himself into with an act of force you knew you deserved. A moan of his name slipped past your lips as his fingers dug into your hips, thrusting into you to drive himself deeper into you. “That’s right. I want the neighbors to know who’s fucking you,” he groaned, snapping his hips against yours. 

Moans of pure bliss escaped your lips as his head neared yours. Karl used your hips as leverage for his unwavering pace, leaving you a mess of pleasure beneath him. His lips found their way to your neck as he nipped against the sensitive skin. You wanted him to mark you, to claim you, and he deserved to. His hand from your hair became wrapped around your throat as he began to reach his peak. 

His hand slapped your ass with such force you knew there was a handprint, but you were too overwhelmed with the noises escaping his lips and your climax threatened to disobey your control to be concerned with the sting. If anything it threatened to push you over the edge. Your hands pulled against the leather of his belt as he pounded into you. 

Your toes began to curl as he leaned over you, his breath fanning against your shoulder as you bit back heavy moans of pleasure. Karl’s hand was knotted in your hair again, his other fisting the sheets beside you. “Who’s making you feel this good? Huh?” You moaned out his name as he punctuated his sentence with the thrusts of his hips. “That’s right, you fucking slut.” You tightened around him, your orgasm sweeping over you with an element of shock. 

You could practically hear Karl’s smirk as he moaned at the sight of you coming undone beneath him. He continued to ride you, finishing rather abruptly. He pressed his lips between your shoulder blades before loosening the belt around your wrists. Your back popped as you were finally able to move freely. He bit back a chuckle as you gingerly snuggled beneath the covers beside him. You slipped your hand across his torso, hugging his side against your chest as he rested an arm behind your head. 

As you laid your head on his chest, his heartbeat began to steady, his fingers lightly brushing against your skin. “I’d rather eat my own feet than sleep with Todd, you know,” you croaked, realizing just how much your voice was weakening, breaking the silence between the two of you. 

Karl chuckled softly. “Me too,” he commented, making you smile slightly. “I’m actually…” he paused slightly before continuing as if searching for what he wanted to say exactly. “I’m actually not sleeping with anyone else.” 

You couldn’t fight the smile spreading across your face. “I’m not either.” You hugged him tighter, letting his fingers twirl into your hair. “I’m good with you.” 

“I’m good with you, too,” he mirrored, a smirk evident in his voice as his other hand traced over the red marks on your wrists from his belt. 

Tags: 

@mrwinemaker @madsbbg @idiotinnit @xxtakechancesxx

[spideyobsessed]

Before It’s Too Late Ch. 2

peter parker x avenger!reader

Synopsis: With all the life changing events taking place, will you ever get to overcome some of your biggest fears?

Might wanna read Ch. 1

You run and run and run until your legs nearly go numb. Bumping into people, tripping over your feet, the sounds of your heavy breathing getting louder and louder. There’s only one thought etching itself into your mind: Tony’s words.

If you got your powers from that thing, then I’m positive you can do a lot more.

A lot more.

Why now? After years of having these abilities, why now? It’s almost like the words he spoke yesterday were a trigger and now they’ve awaken something that’s been dormant inside of you.

I heal and that’s it. I heal and that’s it. This can’t be happening right now.

You finally take a right down an alleyway and slow down to a stop. No words can be strung together to perfectly describe the sensation you’re feeling. It isn’t painful, but you ache. Energy is surging through your veins, but you feel like you need to lay down and rest. You feel anxious, but if the circumstances were different, you can find this quite enjoyable. It’s confusing.

You sit down right next to a dumpster and bring your knees up to your chest, fighting the urge to let out a gut wrenching scream. You can feel something inside of you bubbling up and growing stronger. It’s a tight feeling, like your body is a champagne bottle and the cork is going to skyrocket any minute now. For a brief moment, you come to the conclusion that you are literally going to explode and accept your fate.

...you can do a lot more.

Your hands cover your ears, your thoughts ultimately becoming too loud for you to endure. It’s like all of your senses are heightening, yet numbing all at once. You can’t pull it together. Your face scrunches up as you unintentionally hold your breath. Useless.

Involuntarily, you let out a cry that you’re sure can be heard throughout all of Queens. You feel your body jerk harshly three times before, all at once, everything stops.

A breath of relief escapes your lips as you finally relax your tense body, but the anxiety remains. Nothing new. Your entire physique feels tingly. Too fatigue to immediately spring into action, you remain sitting in your spot.

After a few moments, you take in your surroundings. The alley, although it was noticeably trashed when you entered, looks horrendous. The dumpster is about three feet away from you now. The windows in surrounding buildings are shattered. Several car alarms are blaring.

“What just happened to me?”

- - - - -

“You better keep your little girlfriend in check, Parker.” Flash threatens Peter before purposely bumping into him.

Unfazed by him, Peter turns his attention to Gwen. “Uh, is she..” He trails off.

“Yeah, she’s fine! I should still go check on her though. Best friend duties, ya know?” Gwen chuckles awkwardly.

Ned speaks up, “I totally get that. Being the superior friend comes with a lot of responsibilities.”

Peter furrows his eyebrows before shooting a look at his best friend, who is supposedly superior to him. “Don’t act like you didn’t know.” Ned says simply, earning a laugh from Peter.

“Exactly! So I gotta go.” Gwen says as she tries to walk away from the dorky pair.

“Can I come with you? I’d like to check on her, if that’s okay.” Peter asks.

If this were any other time, Gwen would’ve agreed before he even finished his sentence. She’s been rooting for you and Peter from the start, along with several other people, considering you two have made your feelings for each other extremely obvious to every except each other. It warms her heart to see your crush of four years finally getting the courage to get to know you.

However, having seen your hands radiating that familiar glow with her own eyes, she has to lie.

“You actually can’t b-because she’s just...on her period?” She lies horribly, but it’s perfect enough to fool two young men.

Peter immediately backs off, understanding that it’s not really his department of expertise. “Yeah I think you got this. Tell her I’ll text her later please?”

“Gotcha. Bye guys!” She waves at them before fast walking in the direction you went.

The two boys stay in place, as quiet as they’ve ever been. Both of them are obviously thinking the exact same thing. They don’t even have to say it out loud, but of course, they do anyway.

“Dude.”

“I know.”

“DUDE!”

“I KNOW!!”

They giggle together happily as they do their signature handshake before sharing a celebratory hug.

“She’s so into you!” Ned cheers when he pulls apart from his best friend.

“Do you really think so?” Peter questions, “That could’ve been strictly platonic.”

“Trust me, man. It wasn’t! She’s practically in love with you!” Ned over exaggerates, but he wasn’t wrong.

Peter doesn’t respond to his comment, but instead looks down at the ground and smiles to himself. “

‘Does she actually like me?’ He thinks.

The short events of today made him even more excited for the party tomorrow. Although he’s nervous and still very doubtful about your feelings for him, he planned on confessing his feelings for you at the party.

Ned continues to ramble on about “the birds and the bees”, (Peter doesn’t even know how he got to that topic), when suddenly chills plaster Peter’s body. He lifts up his arm and sees that every single hair is reaching straight up.

“Spidey sense. So cool.” Ned chuckles.

“Not cool. That means something is wrong, Ned.” Peter states as he begins to let his legs carry him to wherever feels right. Coincidentally, it’s in the direction Gwen just went.

As he rounds the corner, just as you and Gwen did minutes before, he spots the blonde girl standing in the doorway of the girls’ restroom. Before he can even get halfway to her, he watches as you make a beeline for the nearest exit of the school.

“I thought you said she was fine.” Peter says, strolling up next to Gwen.

“I thought you said I got this.” She quickly retorts, hoping he didn’t see your hands or eyes.

“Yeah, well look how that went.” He responds back.

He takes a few steps to walk after you, but comes to an instant halt. Peter turns on his heels and walks back up to Gwen.

“I’m sorry, that was sort of rude.” He apologizes sincerely. He looks back at the door you stormed out of and back at Gwen once more, “I’m just worried about her. Something is telling me to go check on her.”

He lightly jogs to the exit before Gwen can spit out another lie to protect you. Peter pushes the door open with determination, the cool wind breezing against his face. His head snaps left and right, looking for any sign of you.

A group of girls chatting.

Someone rushing through their homework.

A guy skating across campus.

“There she is.” Peter mumbles when he finally spots you.

He’s able to take one step before being yanked backwards by his backpack.

“Leaving so soon, Mr. Parker? It’s not even lunch yet.” He hears the voice of his principal.

“Uhh I have gym class next. I was just going to get a head start on my mile.” Peter lies through his teeth with a sheepish grin.

He might be good at fighting crime and protecting his neighborhood, but if there’s one thing Peter can’t do to save his life, it’s lie.

The principal obviously saw right through him and chuckled dryly. With a firm grip still on his backpack, Peter gets walked back into the hallways of his school. His principal even takes it upon himself to watch the young boy walk into his next class, earning laughs and taunts from Mj.

- - - - -

It was only a few minutes into physics whenever Peter’s senses started sounding off alarms in his head again. His eyes scan the classroom, every student with their heads down and focused on their work. He glances at the teacher, who is steadily typing away at her laptop.

“Psst. Ned!”

Ned, who is sitting directly in front of him, turns around, surely prepared to make some outlandish comment. However, upon seeing the worry on his friend’s face, he decides against it.

“Spidey sense?” Ned asks simply.

Peter frantically nods his head, “I’m almost positive it’s Y/n. It feels different. It feels the same way it did whenever I thought she was being followed.”

He takes one more anxious glance around the classroom to make sure none of his classmates were eavesdropping.

“I need you to create a distraction.”

Ned gives him a single nod before swiveling his seat back to its prior position. He obnoxiously clears his throat, “Uh ma’am, I think there’s a mistake on this paper. Here let me show you.” He rises from his seat and as soon as he does, everyone hears a mysterious low rumble.

Peter and Ned make eye contact, knowing that it’s already too late. Whatever Peter was being warned about is already happening. Without a single notice, the entire school is shook by a harsh vibration.

Boom

The students begin to talk amongst themselves worriedly before another vibration strikes. Panicked yelps scattering all around the classroom.

Boom

“Everyone stay calm. There’s no need to get worked up.” The teacher attempts to calm the students, despite sounding panicked herself.

If every fiber in Peter wasn’t going haywire already, there’s no doubt that they are now. It’s almost like he can felt the movements before they happen. He flies out of his chair and peers out the window.

He’s not sure if what he’s witnessing can be seen by everyone or if it’s just his heightened senses. “What the hell is that?” He mumbles to himself.

Peter watches as a violent ray of purple aura heads straight for them, everything in its way viciously convulsing. His heart rate quickens as he turns to face his classmates.

“Everybody get down!” He shouts, the people surrounding him do not waste a second to fling themselves onto the floor.

Peter grabs a hold of Ned and together they hit the deck just in time.

Boom!

A purple wave is washed over them, shattering the large windows in the process. Glass flies everywhere as the terrified shrieks of each individual fills the air.

The wave left just as quick as it came. Peter and Ned are the firsts to pop up from the ground, breathing heavily with shaky limbs. They look out of the broken window and are absolutely astonished by the amount of destruction that was caused in such little time.

“Still think it’s Y/n?” Ned chuckles in amazement.

Peter doesn’t answer because at this point he doesn’t know what to think. He definitely doesn’t want to rule it out. Whether it was you or not, he can only hope that you’re okay...wherever you are.

“Okay ladies and gentlemen, we need to evacuate now! Get on your feet and start calling your parents, we need to move!” The teacher instructs.

Everyone hurriedly follows in pursuit.

- - - - -

You let out a groan as you slowly pick yourself up from the floor of the dirty alleyway. Aside from being a little lightheaded and having a slight sharp pain on your side, you’re feeling 100 times better.

You dust yourself off, taking another look around as you do so.

Okay. Maybe that stone isn’t amethyst after all. You admit to yourself.

A dry cough erupts from your throat as you begin to walk to... well you don’t know where you’re going. You don’t want to go home yet, just in case an episode like this happens again. You wouldn’t want to put Alice in danger.

Just as you exit the dimly lit backstreet, an old man with thinning white hair and a white mustache to match it speed walks over to you.

“It’s the damn aliens!” He shouts as he whips out a tinfoil hat.

Where did he get that from??

“It’s the aliens, I say! They’ve finally arrived!” The man continues to yell as he carries on.

He wasn’t the only one in a frenzy. Everyone roamed the streets talking to one another. Theorizing what great threat they think has struck New York now, complaining about their vehicles, using some pretty strong language.

The pit of anxiety residing in your stomach quickly turns to guilt. You’re fully aware that you couldn’t control your actions, but it doesn’t change the fact that you still caused all of this damage. The further you walk, the guiltier you begin to feel.

How far did it reach?

You thought you only affected a block or two at most, but now you are starting to believe you victimized the entire city.

“Kid!” You hear a familiar voice.

You snap your head to the left and see a black vehicle with tinted windows. In the backseat sits none other than Tony Stark.

“You are in huge trouble. Amethyst crystal my ass.” He scolds.

The door pops open, “Get in.”

Not having the energy to argue back, you slide yourself into the car.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” you clarify.

“Well I sure hope not. Happy, to the tower.”

The drive wasn’t long, only about 20 minutes, but the silence made it feel like hours. You’ve tried apologizing multiple times, but every single time you were dismissed by the lift of a hand.

Once in the tower, you didn’t even have time to look around in wonder at all the high tech features of the place. You were put in a room with Tony sitting directly in front of you. His eyebrows are furrowed, eyes focused on you, and his leg is bouncing so fast he could drill a hole in the ground. He still has yet to speak a single word.

You open your mouth to say something, but your phone begins to vibrate. Instead of answering, you freeze, not wanting to make Stark even more upset, if that’s possible. You also don’t want to see all the angry texts from Aunt Alice.

“You gonna get that?” Tony questions.

“Oh, he speaks.” You attempt to make a joke, but you’re the only one laughing.

Your smile falters as you take your phone out of your pocket to see who’s calling. Peter.

The smile returns once you lay eyes on the goofy contact picture he took on your phone. As much as you want to answer, you figured it would be better to wait for another time. It would be sort of hard to explain everything. Especially while Tony is shooting daggers into your head.

You take a swift scroll through your texts.

Gwen: That was so cool and kinda scary at the same time! Was that you??

Peter: Hey! Don’t mean to bother, I just wanna check up on you. Sorry I say that a lot haha.

Peter: Text me back when you’re feeling better. I hope you’re okay!

Alice: Y/n, you NEED to call me back. NOW!

Alice: You’re not in trouble, I just need to know if you’re safe.

Peter: I also want to say thank you for standing up to Flash for me. Even though I totally could’ve taken him myself! Okay okay, sorry for triple texting!

You send Alice a simple message back just to ease her nerves and not ground you before locking your phone.

You look up to see Tony still staring at you quite intensely. If you didn’t know any better, you could’ve sworn he hasn’t blinked yet. You clear your throat.

“Look, Mr. Stark, I really didn’t mean for-“

He cuts you off, “No no no, it doesn’t matter if you meant it or not. That’s not going to reverse what you just did!”

His tone of voice makes your heart shudder, the guilt you were feeling from earlier returning. You decide not to talk again unless he tells you to.

Stark runs a hand through his hair in frustration before cradling his left hand as he pushes himself out of his seat.

“I know you couldn’t control it.” His tone is softer now. “It’s not fair for me to take my anger out on you, I’m sorry.”

You still don’t dare to say another word. He sighs and walks over to the window that has a perfect view of the city.

“I’m not really angry. I’m just...scared.” Tony admits.

This is not the man you’ve been seeing all over the news for years. Tony Stark has never been one to be so vulnerable and open about his feelings. Or anything for that matter. You sure as hell didn’t expect a superhero to ever get scared, much less admit it to someone he barely met yesterday.

“Scared of what?” You ask quietly.

He turns and makes eye contact with you once again, but this time you don’t feel like he’s ready to attack. There’s a beat of contemplation coming from him before he says, “The little outburst you had might’ve sent a signal to a really bad guy. A really bad, really powerful guy. His intentions aren’t the best, and it won’t be long until he comes here.”

You blink a couple of times trying to process what he’s telling you. If an avenger is this scared of some “guy”, then you really have a situation on your hands.

“He’s coming for me?” You squeak.

Tony returns to his seat in front of you, “Not technically. But he will be coming for the stone that you have locked away in a desk drawer.”

“So if I’m in the way...”

“He won’t be afraid to move you.” Stark affirms.

You sink down in your chair, taking it all in. How has your life completely flipped upside in just two days. Two days! Just as you might finally get a chance with Peter after crushing on him for so long, you possibly just devastated the entire city. Maybe the entire country. Maybe the planet. You don’t really know how bad it is, but you feel too sick to your stomach to bother asking.

“How long until this dude gets here.” You ask.

Tony snorts at your usage of the word “dude” when describing someone who has destroyed multiple planets, but of course, you don’t know that yet.

“Our very own time telling wizard gives us about a week. A week and a half, if we’re lucky.” He answers.

“Great.” You sigh as you pinch the bridge of your nose.

You take a look at Tony, who sends you a sympathetic smile. You return a defeated one, tears burning at the corner of your eyes.

“We’re not going down without a fight, kid. That’s the one thing I can promise you.” He says sincerely, trying to make you feel better.

Although you appreciate the sentiment, you don’t respond in fear that the lump in your throat will make your voice crack. Instead you change the subject.

“Why do you keep nursing your arm like it’s a defenseless baby goat?” You ask, earning a hearty laugh from the man in front of you.

“Well after 10 years of being one of earth’s mightiest heroes, you’re gonna walk away with some battle scars.” Tony explains.

You let out a light chuckle, almost forgetting exactly who you’re talking to. With a smirk on your face, you stand on your feet and walk towards him, “May I?”

He scoffs and gives you a strange look, but nonetheless, offers his hand. You take it with both of yours and close your eyes. It isn’t long until you feel the warmth of your energy flowing through your veins and to your palms. Tony watches in amazement as his hand is engulfed by the same sensation that shook the city just hours ago.

You finally let go and open your eyes just in time to see the dumbfounded look on his face. He closes his hand into a fist, and then opens it as he wiggles his fingers around.

“Who’s the happy fingers now?” You tease. “I can’t heal 10 years of injury after injury in one sitting, but it should feel a little better now.”

Tony is still shocked beyond belief. All he can do is let out small breathy chuckles and stare at this hand that’s nearly good as new.

“Y/n.” He manages to say.

You’re shocked to hear him say your actual name. Weirded out even.

Stark finally puts down his hand and gives you a look of astonishment.

“How would you like to be an avenger?”

Your eyes widen and your jaw drops. Tony Stark, aka IRONMAN, wants you to be an avenger. After you’ve wrecked miles and miles of property, he’s asking you to be an avenger?!

“What? I mean...w-what?!” You let out an incredulous laugh. “You want me to- even after every- I can’t..I-I..” All you can do is stammer.

“Well don’t say yes too quick” Stark rolls his eyes.

“Sorry, I’m sorry! It’s just that I didn’t even know the avengers were a thing anymore. I also don’t know the first thing about being a superhero. All I do is heal tiny animals and cure hangovers.” You ramble.

Tony stands whiles still wiggling his hand around, enjoying the extra mobility it suddenly has. “And if you can do what you did today in a more controlled manner, you’ll be unstoppable. A bit of combat training wouldn’t hurt either.”

You think it over in your head. What he’s saying makes a lot of sense. You still don’t know what happened to you today, and you’d love nothing more than to figure it out. Tony is the perfect person to help with that.

Being an avenger is a lot of pressure though. Only a week and a half to train and fight some “really bad, really powerful guy”? It’s impossible. You’d be way over your head. You would get yourself killed.

“I know it’s a lot to take in.” Stark saying, practically reading your mind. “But I believe you can do it, and I’m never wrong. Scratch Saturday, you’re coming in tomorrow for immediate testing and training. Expect to be here all day.” He orders, returning back to his assertive persona.

All day tomorrow?

“I actually can’t tomorrow, Mr. Stark sir.” You say a little under your breath.

“You what now?” Tony stops in his tracks.

“I-I can’t come tomorrow. I’m going to a party, I sorta have a date.” You explain, getting quieter and quieter after hearing how pathetic you sound.

It’s his turn to laugh incredulously, “Yeah, sweet cheeks, and the world is sorta in immortal danger. I’ll let Happy know he needs to take you home and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You don’t bother trying to protest or be a smart ass because he makes a very valid point. “See you tomorrow.” you say, mostly to yourself.

- - - - -

Three knocks echo from your bedroom door as you sit at your desk doing some chemistry homework.

“Hey hun! I brought oranges slices.” Your Aunt Alice shuffles past the doorframe. As she comes closer, the brightest smile on her face, You notice she made a smiley face on the plate full of poorly cut oranges.

You let out a giggle and set down your pencil, “Thank you Ali, they look great!” You begin to eat the juicy treat while Alice takes in the atmosphere of your room.

“Those weird earthquakes were crazy today, huh?” She absentmindedly makes conversation.

“Earthquakes. Right. Yeah it was crazy. They really shook me at the core.” You say sarcastically, soaking in the irony.

Alice only hums in response. You watch her eyes dart from your trophies and then to the chair with clothes piled on it and then to the plants perched on your window until they finally land on the picture of her, your mom, and yourself.

It was your 11th birthday and you had cake smeared all across your face. The memory is so vivid, you can still hear the beautiful melody of your mother’s laugh dancing through the air. It’s the last picture you have of her.

“I miss her too.” You speak quietly, fearing if you spoke too loudly, the memory would go away.

Her gaze returns to you, tears brimming her eyes and her smile a little less bright. “You remind me of her so much, Y/n.” All you can offer her is a warm smile.

You’ve already cried all the tears you had left. You clear your throat, “Thanks again for the oranges, Ali.”

She wipes the tears that manage to break free before placing a quick kiss on the top of your head.

“Take out will be here soon.” She informs as she exits the room, her cheerful tone returning.

“Sounds good.” You respond.

You take one more glance at the picture of the three of you before getting back to work. However, like most things here lately, you didn’t get very far.

“Shoo, shoo! Stupid bird. I hate you!” You hear a muffled voice coming from outside. You wouldn’t have found this odd, if you weren’t on the fourth floor of an apartment complex.

You rush over to your window and peek outside, and much to your surprise you see just the person you needed to see. You snicker before unlocking your window and pushing it up.

“Peter, what are you doing up here?” You whisper.

“Oh, ya know, just...fighting some birds.” He chuckles weakly at being caught.

You smile wildly at the sound of his voice and the sight of him covered in feathers. You’re feeling too giddy to even question how he got up here. “Get in!” You move out of the way so he can crawl into your room.

Oh my god. Peter Parker is in my bedroom!

You hurry to shut the door, so Alice doesn’t see a boy in your room. You turn back around to see Peter stealthily make his way past your potted plants. He hops in with a soft grunt.

“Hi.” He says shyly once he finally looks at you.

“Hi.” You say back in the same tone.

Peter looks down at his hands, causing you to just notice he’s holding a plastic bag. “Um this is for you. You never answered my texts so I thought I should just...sneak by.”

You take the bag from him and sit on your bed, Peter copying your actions. Your breath hitches as your shoulders touch.

OH MY GOD!

You pull yourself together enough to take a look in the bag.

There are several things inside. Two chocolate bars, your favorite ice cream, a large bottle of water, a box of tissues, and a dvd of your favorite movie.

You look towards Peter with the softest smile to ever lie upon your lips.

“What’s all this for?” You nearly whisper, your heart aching at the gesture.

“Gwen mentioned that it was that time of the month for you, so I brought you some things. I asked her for your favorite snacks and stuff.” He explains as his face burns with a rosy tint.

You’re not on your period, so you just assume that Gwen covered for you earlier today. She could’ve come up with literally anything else because her lie is kind of embarrassing, but you’re not complaining at the moment.

After you don’t saying anything in response, Peter starts to ramble nervously. “I’ve seen this movie once, it’s pretty good! I don’t know if it’s Star Wars level good, but I’d recommend it to someone. Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I brought you a copy. If it’s your favorite movie, you probably already have it so that’s kinda stupid of me I guess. Did you know that-“

You could listen to this boy talk for hours and hours, but for now, you interrupt him with a tight hug. It takes him a second to process, his mind and his heart going just as crazy as yours. He recoups soon, wrapping his arms tightly around your lower back.

“Thank you, Peter. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“I just wanted to make your rough day a little better.”

And that, he did. More than he even knows. The two of you hug for a little while longer before pulling apart, your faces only inches away from each other.

You gulp as you look into his brown eyes. You’ve never seen them this close before. Chills are sent down Peter’s spine, but for a different reason this time. A better reason.

His eyes begin to flutter shut as he leans in and you mirror his movements.

It’s finally happening, and so fast too! Peter Parker is now literally in the palm of your hands. You try your best to maintain your excitement. Another uncontrollable episode is not what you need right now.

You can basically feel his lips on yours already. Your first kiss with Peter...

“Y/n! The food is here!”

...was too good to be true. Of course.

The sound of Alice’s voice makes you and Peter jolt to opposite ends of the bed. You run your hands over your face and let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah Alice, I’ll be right there!”

The air becomes still as you and Peter look at everything in the room except for each other. He’s the first to speak up, “Well uh, I should let you go eat.” He rubs his hands on his legs.

“Yeah I probably shouldn’t keep my aunt waiting. She’s scary when she’s hangry.” You joke to lighten the mood.

You both share a small laugh before you walk Peter over to the window he’d just entered through.

“Thank you again for everything. You’re a really good friend.”

He doesn’t show it, but that word just stabbed him in the heart. Friend.

“Anything for you, Y/n/n. You should go, I don’t want you to see me climbing these walls.” Peter says truthfully, but plays it off as a joke.

You laugh along with him, “Call me if you hurt yourself. I have ways to fix ya up.” You say truthfully as well.

Neither of you catch on to the other’s honesty.

You give each other an endearing smile before parting way.

Once your back is turned, you whisper to yourself, “Friend? Why did I say that?”

Here’s one more thing to beat yourself up about all night long.

“Y/n, The food!” Alice yells, the hunger taking over.

“I’m coming!” You should in an equally frustrated tone, but because of a different type of hunger.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Sorry it took a while to post this chapter!! I tried making it longer than the others to make up for it :)

Omgg my Tom fic, The “Friendship” Test is currently sitting at 800+ notes, that’s insane!! Thank you guys so much, I know I say that a lot but I truly mean it!

((excuse any typos, i write at night))

tag list 🏷 (lmk if i missed you or if you want to be added!)

@jackiehollanderr @crazylittlereader2474

@phantomhrt @sassystay-bunny @sltwins

@bigassnocash @pignolithecookie

@big-galaxy-chaos @lilyblackx @jjjmaybank

@peterandtom @meilikki

@the-avengers-assembling @voldyphobia

@lumiees @frostay

@lupinpetersclearwaterodairparker

@mikaofasgard @empath-bunny

@neoneun-nananeun-neo @themoonlightofari

[wclkmans]

[ ellie bamber | cis female | she/her | twenty-two ] —— it’s just another typical week in hawkins i guess — isn’t that right, maxine mayfield? huh, guess they can’t hear me over running up that hill (a deal with god) by kate bush playing on their walkman, but it looks like they’re headed to work as an arcade attendant. did you know max has been in hawkins for three years? yeah, they’ve been described as a bit brusque, but i suppose them also being resilient outweighs the negative. i’ve also heard people say they remind them of the thrill of beating your high score in a game and rubbing it in kids faces, the splash of puddles along a dirt road that dirty your vans, idolizing feminine comic book heroes and posting them on your bedroom wall, the distressed feeling of someone lingering in the back of your mind and haunting you, the blasting of kate bush through shitty headphones, and making your own rules… however, that could just be this weeks newest rumor.

character inspirations — katniss everdeen (the hunger games trilogy), rey (star wars sequel trilogy), ellie williams (the last of us), maeve wiley (sex education), kate beckett (castle), veronica mars (veronica mars), juno macguff (juno).

full name — maxine mayfield nickname(s) — max, madmax, zoomer, red name meaning — a feminine name of latin origin, meaning “greatest” age — twenty-two date of birth — may 18th, 1964 place of birth — california current location — hawkins, indiana  gender — cis female pronouns — she / her sexual orientation — bisexual religion — agnostic ? she’s prayed before, but not sure to whom occupation — attendant at palace arcade education level — high school residence — forest hills trailer park family — sam mayfield, estranged father. susan hargrove, mother. neil hargrove, ex-step father. billy hargrove, ex-step brother, deceased. finances — poor spoken languages — english faceclaim — ellie bamber

tw: divorce mention, mental / physical abuse mention, alcoholism mention, grief, death mention, self deprivation mention.

a cali girl at heart, maxine mayfield was never going to be the girly girl her mother had hoped for. she enjoyed the non-conventional things someone of her looks and stature should enjoy, and became skilled enough to even be better at them than anyone else. a horror / thriller movie buff, video game legend, and skating fiend — max mayfield had the seemingly perfect life. until she became a child of divorce. 

she was eighteen, and with no plans ahead of her, she had no choice but to follow her mom to the midwest after she married someone new. “we want to get far away from your father”, is what her mom had said. but max liked her dad, and she wasn’t really sure why he didn’t want her to stay with him instead.

it was a house of horrors when susan became a hargrove. she earned a step-brother in the process, billy, who did everything in his power to make max’s life a living hell. his own father was an asshole who treated billy like shit, thus giving billy the power to return it on max. she was just another member of the food chain while her mom just watched. max always hated how susan never said anything.

the skating loner best known as MADMAX. had it not been for the way she was, max truly wasn’t sure if she would’ve made any friends. making girl friends was hard for her, and the only guy friend she had was back home. without letting them know, max was grateful that dustin & lucas were welcoming to her, even if mike wasn’t at first. she was curious, wanting to know more, but obviously something else had happened before her move to hawkins that made her give will their space.

and even though she is as nosey as one can be, max wasn’t gullible. it took her time, and definitely proof, for her to believe anything that lucas told her about the other dimension and ‘el’, the crazy friend they had that could move things with her mind. but after some real proof and nearly killing billy, max was a member of the party.

the summer of ‘85 was the best summer of max’s life, until it wasn’t. her and lucas were on the rise ( even if she dumped him at least an on-going of five times ) and she was finally gaining that sense of normalcy she had in california. billy left her and her friends alone, and she even finally gained a new one in eleven. 

even though max may be considered a typical tomboy to anyone on the outside, she knew she needed the girl time she could have with el. max actually loves to shop, and was blessed that the mall had better clothing options than downtown hawkins could offer. her california sense of fashion was able to make a reappearance and her giddiness for gossiping and slumber parties helped make max feel like she was a sweet teenager again, and that hawkins could actually be home.

things started going downhill that summer the night eleven and her realized billy was flayed. max was already terrified of billy and what he could do, what he showed her he was able to do. she feared for the lives of her friends and the town she just grew to love, but she battles the mind flayer with the rest of the party and watches in horror as billy dies right in front of her. not because she was heartbroken, no — but because she was relieved. 

max turned cold after that summer. riddled with guilt for the way she felt about billy, mixed in with the second new home life she had to endure in a two year span. her ex step-father was an asshole, and eventually left which helped, but then susan turned to other ways of coping.

the alcohol, mixed with the trailer and the constant worry about money forced max’s mind to focus on things other than her friends and her own health. she found someone she could go to for cheap for help. someone to talk to that didn’t obsess over dnd or basketball. the nightmares were first, then the headaches. but max would always brush it off, say everything was fine while she was simply a ghost. until there was a mysterious death.

max felt like she had gone back in time. something new was happening in hawkins and it helped keep her mind off of lucas and the nightmares. that is, until the investigations began pointing her way, and she was back to being cursed again. legitimately, this time. but, she accepts it, because of course it would be her. she deserved it after everything.

the letters she wrote simply served as insurance. max was never good at expressing herself verbally in any vulnerable fashion, but she needed to get the words written down before she regretted never being able to say them in the first place. she nearly died that march evening, and had it not been for nancy, robin, lucas, dustin, and steve, she wouldn’t be where she is today.

and max thinks thats why she will never be able to recover deep down. she was saved and she didn’t deserve it. instead, her original plan to become the bait, the final sacrifice was ruined by vecna’s own plans. max believes that it’s because of her that cindy johnston is dead. two bodies on her conscious. 

now that it has been a year, and after her own trailer was destroyed in the earthquake, max is starting to get her footing back. there’s a new trailer, and while it’s worse than the last one, it’s still better than living in the old mall just steps away from where billy took his last breath. 

max was also able to get a job, one that reminds her of who she was... who she used to be. MADMAX is no longer number one on digdug, but she’s okay with it. all that matters is that she can move on, but that first requires her to forgive herself.