#see i even took a bunch of pictures of the shoes because i liked them so much and thought about maybe buying them some other time

[lyxchen]

Crying because a while ago I found these amazing amazing shoes in a TK Maxx and I didn't buy them and I've been regretting that so much because look at how gorgeous those shoes are!!!!

[luvyeni]

❛THE WEEKEND❜ ( j. sungchan )

p. bestfriendsbrother!sungchan x fem!reader w. 3.6k+

— 𖦹 warnings. sungchan is lowkey obsessed with reader even tho he just met her, oral (f. receiving), unprotected sex, size kink, breeding kink

— 𖦹 (you didn't intend on meeting your best friends brother, let alone fucking him, but hey it's the weekend ) !

“Hey how about we have a sleepover this weekend?”

You turned to your new friend who sat next to you; it had only been a few months since you started at your new school — not many people were welcoming to you because it was in the middle of the school year; everyone had made their respective friend groups and your shy nature made it hard for you to even make friends.

Then came jung soojin; your saving grace— she was a relatively popular girl who approached you first offering a seat to you; then sitting next to you at lunch, and then as the days went by your friendship blossomed. she’d been over your house multiple times, but you’d never been to her house. “th-this weekend?”

She shrugged, the teachers voice playing in the background. “yeah, it’ll be fun, we can watch a bunch of movies and eat a ton of snacks.” She smiled, you thought about it for a second. “okay sure.” She nodded. “great, we can head over to your house after school and get your clothes, and then head over to mines.” She explained. “okay.” You both turned back to the board, excited for the weekend to come.

After the bell rang; she dragged you to her car, driving over to your house — your parents were always happy to see her, chatting her up while you grabbed the things you need for the next three days, running back down the stairs before they could embarrass you. “that’s enough mom.” You grabbed soojins hand. “we have to go.”

“okay, well you girls have fun, i’ll see you sunday.” You waved, dragging her back out. “I love your mother.” Soojin started the car, you rolled your eyes. “yeah because she’s not spreading your business too people.” She laughed, driving off in the direction of her house.

“Shit.” She cursed pulling into the driveway. “he wasn’t supposed to be here.” She whispered. “who?” you questioned. “my brother, he's home from college, he wasn’t supposed to be here until next weekend.” She frowned. “im sorry.” You’ve heard of her brother once or twice; but this was the first time you’d be meeting him. “it’s okay.” You smiled. “we can still have fun right?” she nodded. “of course, he probably won’t even bother us.”

You both got out of the car, making your way up to her door, opening it and walking in, taking your shoes off at the front. “lets go to the kitchen first and the head up to my room.” You nodded, following behind her, looking at all the pictures they had hanging up. “you have a nice house.”

“thank you.” She held a bunch of snacks in her hand, handing them you so she could grab some more. “you think we’ll be enough to last until dinner?” you chuckled. “im almost certain it will.” She sheepishly smile. “Jesus, other people live here you know.” A deep voice shocked you, making you jump a little. “you’re taking all the good snacks.”

“you’re not even supposed to be here today.” You friend said. “I came home early to surprise our parents.” You turned to face the attractive voice — being met with an equally attractive face. “they aren’t here, they went to a wedding for the weekend, yn is gonna spend the night.”

He shifted focus to you, he was probably the most gorgeous man you’ve even seen, perfectly good symmetrical face, his hair fitting for his face— and he was tall, making you feel small; he made you feel nervous and you didn’t even know his name. “this sungchan.” Your friend said. “my annoying older brother.” You smiled. “h-hi.”

Sungchan took a look at you, eyes scanning you up and down — you hands full of snacks, looking up at him with doe eyes; you nervously rocked on your feet; you were cute. “hello yn.” You liked the way he said your name, it gave you butterflies. “we’re going to my room, so we won’t bother you.” Soojin said. “so don’t bother us.” She warned.

“Why would I do that?” he scoffed. “shotaro is coming over later to play basketball, we’re gonna order pizza if you want to eat.” You watched your friend’s eyes light up. “He is?” You just knew you had to ask her about it. “I’ve told you he doesn’t like you.” She scoffed. “how do you know?” she said. “he has a girlfriend.” He pushed past her, you watched them bickering as he filled up a cup filled with water. “okay , im done, you’re boring.” He said. “great didn’t want to talk to you anymore either.”

“Good.” He approached you, his body towering over yours. “leave her alone.” Soojin said. “can I have those?” he pointed to the bag of chips in your hand. “h-huh?” you were too lost in his eyes, he smirked; you were so cute. “these are the last bag and they’re my favorite, can I have them?” you held the chips out, handing it to him. “h-here.” He smiled taking the chips. “now go.” Soojin said. “nice meeting you yn.” He walked back up the stairs. “my gosh he’s so annoying.” She rolled her eyes.

“He’s okay.” You said. “please, you don’t know him, get to know him more, and you’ll be tired of him.” She guided you up the steps to her room — looking down the hall, seeing a quick glance of his back as he walked into his room, soojin pulling you into her.

“He’s so cute isn’t he?” soojin looked out her bedroom window; where sungchan and his friend played basketball in the front of their house. “and look at his abs.” you got up, looking out the window— both of them were out there, shirtless; but you only paid attention to sungchan, his toned six back, dripping in sweat as they played. “him and my brother have been friends since forever.” You nodded, not really paying attention, unable to keep your eyes off the older boy.

You were so focused on him, you didn’t even realize he was also staring back at you until you heard soojins voice, pulling you back to reality. “He’s looking up here, oh my god he’s so fucking fine.” You laughed at your friend, silently thanking god that she was too busy lusting over her brothers friend; to notice you lusting over her brother.

You heard the door shut, your friend jumping up. “let go downstairs so I can see him.” She pulled you up, dragging you down the stairs. “be calm he’s not here.” Your breath got caught in your throat, he was glistening with sweat. “he went to go pick up the pizza.” Your friends smile dropped. “ah! so annoying.” He heard your little giggle, turning to you — you were no longer wearing the sweater, giving him a full view of your white blouse that was unbuttoned, a sliver of pink from your bra peeking through the shirt, making him want to unbutton your shirt and get a full view. “when will he be back?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know, I also told him to stop by the market and get some beers and chips.” He said. “but i think he’ll be around an hour, might want to go fix that ugly face and outfit if you want his attention, im gonna shower. She slapped his chest as he walked upstairs. “asshole.”

“I have to go shower, yn make yourself a home.” She chirped. “we’re gonna eat out here with them.” She winked , running back up the stairs, leaving you in the kitchen. “she’s never ran that fast as long as I’ve known her.” You laughed to yourself, making your way into the living room.

15 minutes later; you saw sungchan walking back down the steps, shirt cut so you could see his rib cage — and a peek of his abs if you looked hard enough, and a pair of basketball shorts. “she’s still in the shower?” he asked, you nodded. He didn’t say anything, walking into the kitchen you turned to your hand, picking at your nails. “here.”

You looked up, he was now standing in front of you, a soda in his hands. “oh thank you.” He watched you open it, taking a sip, the red liquid falling past your lip, dripping down your chin. He chuckled to himself, sitting down right next to you. “so messy.” He said to himself.

“h-huh?” you asked, eyes wide open at how close he was. “you made a mess.” He said, your face was hot, you wipe your chin, sitting the soda down — he stared down at your thighs, watching you nervously picking at your skirt. “sorry.” He laughed, opening his water bottle. “no need to apologize.” You stared at his neck, watching his adams apple move as he drank the water, letting out a sigh, that sent your body off.

“So you must be new.” He said. “I know all my sister’s friends.” You nodded. “I-I moved here a few months ago.” God you were so cute; back at his university he was popular amongst the girls, going back to his shared apartment with shotaro, but none of them were like you — cute and nervous, so small and ready for him to ravish. “your sister was the only one to talk to me on my first day.” He listened to you talk. “she’s been a good friend to me.”

“I’m glad; if she hadn’t the I would’ve never gotten to meet you.” He said, you eyes jump to him, back to your knees. “so cute.” He said, you felt his hand come to your chin, lifting your head up to face him. “So shy cant even look me in the eye.” He chuckled. “I make you that nervous baby?”

You wanted to speak, but you were still stuck on the nickname that you couldn’t even focus, until you felt his hand caressing your cheek. “it’s okay baby I don’t bite.” He smirked. “I saw you looking at me earlier, you almost started drooling.” He teased. “I was looking at you too.” His thumb ran across your bottom lip, you let out a low whimper. “you sound so pretty just now.” He hummed. “I wonder what other noises I can get out of you.”

He was so close you could smell the scent of his shampoo and body wash flooding your nostrils; his arms trapping you, your eyes quickly flickering to his lips. “you want a kiss pretty girl?” you bit your lip, shyly nodding. “well then come get it.” He whispered. “wh-what?” he chuckled. “you want to kiss me right? So kiss me.” He watched your face get closer and closer to his, until he could feel your lips on his.

It was a quick peck, he almost laughed. “not like that.” He cradled your cheek, pulling you into a deeper kiss; you let him take charge, pulling you closer. His hand moved from your face, to your thigh, his hand inching up your skirt, you whimpered against his lips, he smirked pulling away. “keep making those noises pretty baby and your friend is gonna walk in on me doing something to your pretty body.” You could feel his lips on your neck, you let out a small moan. “su-sungchan.”

Fuck you sound so pretty moaning his name into his ear, his shirt balled up in your shaking hands; his cock begging to be freed — he knew he didn’t have more time, hearing the bathroom door open, the front door rattling open. “shit.” He pulled always, pulling your skirt down. “I got pizza!” shotaro entered the house, looking at the both of you. “am i — shotaro!”

You thanked the man above as your friend ran down the steps; distracting the man. “soojin , hey.” He smiled at the girl, you watched them interact. ‘he definitely likes her’ sungchan was too busy looking at you, your shirt was unbuttoned more, you’re a little ruffled; his hard cock jumping; you looked so ready to be fucked. “lets eat!” shotaro called out. “I’ll go get some plates.” Your friend said. “I’ll come too.” Shotaro following behind. “he definitely likes her.”

Sungchan quickly moved next to you, his hands on your chest, buttoning up your shirt. “you look so obvious baby.” He smiled, patting your hair down. “so cute.” He pulled away, leaving you breathless once again as soojin shotaro returned. “shotaro this is yn, my friend who just moved here.” You waved. “it’s nice to meet you.” Shotaro looked at the scene in front of him; shaking his head. “it’s nice to meet you yn.” You friend jumped. “oh yn, let’s go get some drinks from the kitchen.” You nodded, following behind her.

“She’s cute.” Sungchan turned to his friend. “nothing like your sister other friends, is that what you find attractive?” sungchan scoffed throwing a pillow at him. “please don’t act like I don’t see you flirting with my little sister.” He shrugged. “touché.”

You all sat around eating the pizza and talking; you watched your friend and shotaro flirt back and forth; occasionally turning back to sungchan who was already looking at you like he was ready to pounce on his, his presence making heat boil up in your stomach— your hands were so shaky, spilling some of your soda on your legs. “oh! yn you okay?” you nodded, sungchan reached over, grabbing a napkin. “here.” He patted your skirt, cleaning your legs, his hands lingering a little too long for your poor heart.

“look at you , trying to be a gentleman.” Soojin said. “too bad you’re actually a ogre under that.” You giggle, taking the tissue from his hand. “thank you.” He nodded, moving his hands from your legs. “I actually have to go soon, I have to help my mother out tomorrow.” shotaro said. “and it’s getting late and she’s a early bird.”

“I’ll come back soon.” He stood up. “let me walk you to your car.” Your friend said, he nodded. “nice to meet you yn.” You wave. “could you help put the trash away?” you could see your friend begging with her eyes. “yeah, i’ll help.” He picked up the empty pizza boxes, you grabbed the cans following behind him as your friend left out the door.

You threw the trash away, ready to walk back upstairs to wait for your friend so you could get ready for bed — but you were stopped by sungchan pulling back against him, you could feel his hard on against your ass. “you feel that?” he sighed. “you feel how much I want you pretty baby?” you pushed back against him, he groaned stopping you by grabbing your hips. “not right here fuck.” He was truly loosing the war. “when she goes to bed.” He pulled away, ready to feel your warmth again — what were you doing to him?

You could still feel him on you; smell his scent on your skin, even after you were showered and in your pajama — you could hear him groaning how much he wanted you as you listening to your friend go on and on about the kiss she shared outside with shotaro. “I felt butterflies.” You smiled watching her dopey smile. “he was so soft and sweet, it was perfect.”

“I knew he liked you, the moment you came down the steps.” You said watching her giggle, looking down at her phone. “he just text me good night, look!” you nodded. “has he asked you on a date yet?” she hummed. “next weekend.” She squealed, her face getting serious. “but enough of that, this is our weekend, time for us to have some girl time, I have face masks, nail polish and gems.” She said. “and a few movie and of course snacks.”

Many movies and snacks later; face masks washed off and your freshly painted pink nails, soojin was knocked out cold beside you; phone in her hand, you could still see the messages against her and shotaro. You pulled the blanket over her body, slowly making your way out the room, and down the hall to the bathroom.

You reached for the handle, but it was already open, you stepped back, revealing the boy who you longed for — his chest fully exposed, your eyes traveling down to his abs. “h-hi.”

He looked down at you outfit; his cock hardening once again in his basketball shorts, a big shirt eating your small frame straight up, coming down to your knees — it wasn’t his but he fucking wish it was, wanting to see you in his clothes as he fucked you. “nice pajamas pretty girl.” He smirked. “i’ll let you do what you need to do.” He moved to the side, letting you into the bathroom, closing the door.

You did what you needed to do; brushing your teeth, spitting into the sink, before making your way out of the bathroom. “where you goin?” you felt him coming up behind you. “she sleep?” you nodded, breathing heavily as you felt him feeling up your body. “good, cause im not going any longer without your pretty little body on mines.”

He took you by the hand, guiding you to his room, letting you in, closing the door behind him; turning to you, the lamp from his bedside giving you a good look at his darkening eyes. “been hard ever since earlier.” His hands came up to your face. “you’re so fucking cute baby.” He pulled you into a messy kiss; grabbing at your shirt, pulling away from you. “lift your arms up.” He breathed.

You slowly put your arms up, letting him pull the shirt over your head, throwing it to the floor, the cold air on your nipples, making them pebble up. “so cute.” He back you against the wall. “su-sungchan.” You moaned as he pinched your nipples. “keep making those noises for me.” He placed a kiss on your chest. “I wanna hear them all.”

Kissing down your stomach, he stopped at your pajama shorts, pulling them and your panties down in one go, also dropping down to his knees, your back arching off the wall. “such a tiny pussy baby.” He pushed your legs apart. “need to taste you.” You gasped out as you felt his breath on your heat. “su-su— oh my god.” You moaned out as licked a fat strip on your clit. “so good pretty.” You bawled your fist up, desperate to grab a hold of something.

He grabbed your hands without stopping his assault with his tongue, putting it in his hair, giving you leverage. “sh-shit sungchan.” You tugged at his hair, whining. “gonna cum.” His nosed brushed against your clit, humming against your cunt setting your orgasm off, grinding against his face as you came, legs shaking. “good girl.” He pulled away, kissing your cunt. “came so much for me.”

He stood up; now towering over you, making you feel small. “you want my cock pretty baby?” you nodded. “words baby, I want to hear you say it.” you whined. “ne-need you sungchan.” He that’s all he needed, to lift your body up like it was nothing holding you . “fuck you’re so adorable.” He pushed his shorts down to the ground. “need to feel you on my cock.” He grabbed the base of his length, his read leaky tip kissing your entrance. “gonna stretch this tiny cunt.”

You winced feeling his cock protruding your hole, both of your moan as he mounted you down on his cock. “fuck you’re so tight.” He groaned. “your tiny pussy barely taking my cock.” You moaned out. “so-so full.”

He moved his hips up, fucking you. “I knew I needed to fuck you the moment you walked through those doors.” He moaned. “so tiny, so cute.” He kissed your chest. “needed to see you struggling to my cock.”

He felt so addicted to you already, he knew this wouldn’t be the only time; shit the way you felt around his cock he probably would be able to have sex with another girl without thinking of you. “sh-shit pretty girl im gonna cum.” He groaned. “wanna feel my cum filling you up.” He flicked your nipples. “need to breed this pussy.”

“pl-please.” You whimpered into his ear, tears streaming down your face. “please come inside me.” He kissed your tear stained cheeks, his cock twitching inside you. “cum with me.” He sped up his movements, you came for the second time, feeling his cum entering you cunt. “fu-fuck take it all for me.”

His lips pressed against yours, as he held you in his arms, moving to his bed, laying you on your back — slowly pulling out, watching the cum leak from your puffy cunt. “so pretty, tiny pussy can’t keep all my cum inside.”

He wiped you down, cleaning you up, whispered sweet nothing as he got you dressed. “so, so pretty baby.” he kissed your lips softly— giving that this was your first day meeting him, you felt more loved by him than you did with your ex who you gave your virginity to.

“i don’t think this can be a one time thing.” Sungchan said, laying in bed next to you. “I don’t want this to be a one time thing.” You sat up, he followed sitting up on his elbows. “well you have to go back to university.” You said. “I know.” He frowned. “but we can still talk all the time, and it’s not like I won’t be here for the summer.” You said. “but summer is a while away.”

You nodded. “yeah, but we can still talk.” You smiled. “and we still have the weekend left.” You said. “let’s just have the weekend” He grabbed your hand, kissing it.

He'd figure it out before he went back to college cause he knew he couldn’t just have the weekend.

©️LUVYENI

[crushpunky]

when rafe picked up kook!reader for midsummers (midsummers part two)

Reader took a deep breath and looked at the clock again.

6:56

Rafe was going to be here soon to whisk her away to what he had deemed his “Best Midsummer Date Celebration Extravaganza”. He had been hyping himself up for the past week, bragging about how much he had spent on his tux, the dance lesson Rose had convinced (more like forced) him to take, and all of the time he spent cleaning his best dress shoes. She laughed to herself, picturing Rafe practicing his waltz steps in his sparkly shoes.

As she made her way downstairs she checked her phone to see if Rafe had texted. She hadn’t seen him at all the past two days, which was unusual for the pair. They had planned on meeting up but Rafe called her at the last minute saying he must’ve gotten food poisoning from the night before and couldn’t stop throwing up. Despite ordering the same thing as him (as she had for years), Reader felt perfectly fine. She didn’t bother to question it because, as often as Rafe got drunk and partied, he was never one to actually get sick. Luckily, by yesterday evening, he had texted her saying he was still on for Midsummers. 

The doorbell rang as Reader quickly went to answer the door. She had assumed it was one of the neighbors, as Rafe was a lot of things but early was never one of them. However, to her surprise, she opened the front door to the powder blue suit and flushed face of Rafe Cameron. They both locked eyes for a second before looking down at the other's outfit and meeting eyes again.

“Holy shit.” Rafe said, dropping his arm that held a gorgeous bouquet of flowers to his side. Reader felt her cheeks warm as she let out a bashful giggle. She had seen Rafe in a suit a million times, and he looked great every time. This time was different. This time he was picking her up and taking her out on a date. Not “as a date”, but “on a date”.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Cameron.” Reader laughed as Rafe’s eyes continued to look over her dress. Rafe was never shy about his affections, but something about seeing him speechless at the sight of her felt even better than any compliment he could give.

“The um— the blue looks very good…” Rafe stammered. “You look very good.”

“Thank you.” Reader said quietly, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by his reaction. Rafe blinked quickly before pulling the flowers back to his chest.

“Here,” Rafe handed the beautiful bouquet to Reader. “I got them from that shop downtown you like… Wheezy helped me pick them out.”

Reader smiled at the thought of Wheezy directing the tall boy through the flower shop, throwing bunches of flowers into his arms. She had done a great job though; lavender and baby's breath spun with beautiful, soft-hued blue lilies all wrapped together with a dainty baby-blue ribbon.

“Well you did a great job. Or Wheezy did at least.” Reader teased, turning to put the flowers into one of the empty vases that sat near the entryway.

“I told you I’d give you the best night of your life.” Rafe said with a shrug before offering out his arm to her.

“Well it’s off to a great start.” Reader grinned, hooking her arm into his. She looked over at Rafe’s silhouette against the setting sun, soaking in this moment and his sharp features as he led her to his car. Once they got to the passenger side, Rafe opened the door and guided her into her seat. She grinned as he closed the door gently before rushing around to the driver's side.

As she soothed her dress down she caught a glimpse of something on the dash: a white, powdery residue. Her heart dropped. Rafe had come to the door flushed, was he using again? She had sworn she hadn’t seen him high since he asked her to Midsummers… or had she? Maybe he was just getting better at hiding it. It wouldn’t be the first time she had caught him when he said he was clean…

“You ready to go, m’lady?” Rafe grinned, putting the keys into the ignition. Reader however, did not match his excitement.

“Rafe.” Reader said calmly, nearly a whisper.

“What? Are you okay? Did I forget something I can—”

“Are you high right now?” Reader said sharply.

“What?” Rafe scoffed.

“I said, are you fucking high right now?” Reader repeated firmly, turning towards Rafe. He scowled, putting the car into reverse.

“Jesus, I’m not fucking high right now. I would never drive high with you in the car, a’ight?” Rafe shook his head as they left the driveway and started towards the country club.

“Then what’s this shit on the dash, Rafe?” Reader said, trying her best to not allow the tears in her eyes to fall. She knew he was an addict but he had promised her tonight. Promised. Promises were so sacred between them, how could he?

“It’s—” Rafe sighed. “Alright fine, it’s coke. But it’s not mine. It’s Top’s. From this morning. I swear.”

“Do you seriously expect me to—” Reader scoffed.

“Yes! I expect you to believe me because I’ve been fucking clean for an entire week for you!” Rafe shouted. An entire week? For her? Sure.

“I would rather you just tell me if you’re fucking high. You know I hate it when you lie to me.” Reader said sharply. Rafe slammed on the breaks before pulling off to the side quickly.

“I’m not lying.” Rafe whispered, his hands still clenched on the wheel despite his soft tone. “I told you— I promised you— tonight and I’m going to fucking deliver. Ok? I’m not gonna fuck this up for you. I… I couldn’t forgive myself if I did.”

Reader sat there in silence, looking over at Rafe. His blue eyes looked at her sincerely, no sign of any dilated pupils or hazy glare despite what the powder covered surface might imply. He was right, he had promised her, and by the look on his face, she could tell he was struggling.

It all started to fall into line: his sluggishness the past week, his flushed appearance, and his “food poisoning”. He was in withdrawal.

“It wasn’t food poisoning you had, was it?” Reader said with an exhale.

“No. It wasn’t.” Rafe said quietly. Reader reached across the center console to take one of Rafe’s hands into her own. He could feel himself relax under her touch.

“I… I’m sorry, Rafe. I should’ve seen how hard you were trying, I was just being ungrateful and thought this was too perfect and—” Reader rambled, shaking her head.

“No, no, no.” Rafe said, reaching his hands up to cup the sides of Reader’s face, looking directly into her eyes with his own.

“You were right to… doubt me. It wouldn’t be the first time I lied about being clean.” Rafe whispered, running his fingers along her skin slowly as he spoke. In that moment, in his touch, she could feel the Rafe she remembered as a young boy. The Rafe who treated her like she was the best thing in the whole entire world. The Rafe who made her laugh more than he made her cry. The Rafe she had fallen in love with.

“Thank you, Rafe.” Reader said, taking his hands back from her face and holding them gently in her lap.

“You know I would try anything for you.” Rafe said, giving her hands a light squeeze. She could feel her heart swell at his words. He was right. He wasn’t perfect, but he would try to be. For her.

“Well…” Rafe broke the silence, placing one of his hands back onto the steering wheel, keeping the other grasped onto hers. “We should probably get going. We’re already about twenty minutes late.”

“Rafe Cameron! I knew you being early was too good to be true!” Reader teased, causing Rafe to flash her one of his signature grins before peeling back onto the road to the country club.

[arsenal-womens-1]

In the blink of an eye

People often use the saying "your life can change in the blink of an eye" a lot. Six weeks ago, you understood what the saying meant. One day, you were taking a silly DNA test for fun with your friends. The next thing you know, you find out your whole life is a lie when you get the DNA results back. It turns out the people who said they were your birth parents are not, in fact, your biological parents; they kidnapped you.

For six weeks, you've kept a huge secret. It's eating at you. Leah Williamson is your sister. For six weeks, you've been going to training, playing, eating, and talking with your biological sister, and she has no clue about your secret. How were you supposed to tell someone they're your sister when you were kidnapped at six months old? You can't even look at her. People have started to notice that you can't look at her and that you are avoiding her as much as possible.

You have been staying with Beth and Viv for about five weeks now. You couldn't go back to that house, not after what you found out. Beth and Viv don't know the real reason; they just think that your mum and dad went back to live in Spain. Your head is a mess, questioning who you are, why did they take you. Would your life have been different? Would you have gotten into football? All these "what ifs," you would never get the answers to any of them.

It hurts, knowing that you would never get the answers to why they took you and stuff like that. Hearing a knock at your door, you get up. Standing in front of you was the one person that you didn't want to see. “Hey, you ready to go? Beth and Viv are waiting in the living room.” Nodding your head, you walk past her and into the living room where you see a bunch of footballers walking over to where all the shoes are kept. You pick a random pair.

After you put them on, you walk over to where Beth and Viv are, giving a weak smile to Viv. She looks at you; it's clear you had been crying at some point. “You ok, kid?” Giving her another weak smile, you nod your head. Hearing Kim shout, “We will all meet at the restaurant, everyone drive safe,” as all the footballers pile out of the tiny apartment. You, Viv, Beth, Leah, and Jordan are the last to pile out. Walking to the car, Beth and Leah were whispering to each other about something.

Pulling out your phone, you take a picture of your outfit, posting it on your Insta and Snap stories. You stop at the car, waiting for Viv to open it. When she does, you get in; Jordan was in the middle, and Leah was on the other side. The car ride was quiet for the most part. Getting out of the car, you walk into the restaurant. Beth, Viv, Leah, and Jordan weren't that far behind. Alessia and Ella come over; you know them from England.

You got your first call-up two months before the Euros, and I guess Sarina liked the way you play, as you got the call to join the team for the Euros. It's now November 1st; life has been crazy since you won. Walking to the table, you sit more away from your Arsenal teammates. The night went well; everyone was happy and talking to each other. It's now the next day; you had a game today, so you need to get there at 5 am because it's a 12:30 kick-off.

Getting up, you slip on a hoodie and joggers, trying to shake off the weight of your secret. As you head out the door, you walk to the kitchen where some of the Arsenal girls are; some stayed over last night. Beth passes you a coffee. "Hey," she says, her voice soft and it has a hint of tiredness in it. "Are you okay? You seemed a bit off last night." You force a smile, hoping to deflect her worry. "Yeah, just tired, I guess. Big day ahead."

Giving another forced smile, you walk over to the couch and flop down next to Jen. The news was on the TV; nothing interesting, so you just go on TikTok and watch some fan edits showing Jen. A few here and there were of to the training center; it's cold as it's like -4. As you arrive at the training center, each step you take is heavier than the last, burdened by the weight of your secret. Your mind is a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

Jen's concerned gaze follows you, her eyes silently pleading for you to confide in her, but you just can't bring yourself to do it. Not yet. Inside the training center, the familiar sights and sounds offer little comfort. Your mind keeps drifting back to Leah. How do you face her knowing what you know? The guilt threatens to consume you whole. As the bus parks up, you catch Leah's eyes. For a moment, it feels like she can see right through you, like she knows the truth.

You quickly look away, unable to bear the weight of her gaze. She was just a teammate six weeks ago, and now she is your sister. Well, I guess she always has been, but you didn't know. Getting on the coach, you sit next to Katie, Catlin, Steph; you don't really talk to them. The game was a blur; yous won 2-0. After taking photos with fans, you walk down the tunnel where Leah, Beth, Katie, and Georgia Stanway are.

Leah walks over to you; as you try to walk away, she gently grabs your arm. “Hey, can we talk?” You just shake your head, and you try to pull your hand away. “What have I done to you to make you hate me?” You shake your head. “I don't hate you, Leah.” She still has your hand in her grasp. “You can't look at me; you don't talk to me, and you won't tell anyone what's going on.”

You do the only thing you can think to get her to let go of you. The connection of your hand connects to her face echoes through the tunnel. The girls come over and quickly separate you. Beth comes up to you and pulls you around the corner. “What's going on? Leah just wanted to know if she did something; why did you slap her?” Looking at Beth, the concern for you and a bit of anger for slapping Leah, you couldn't bear it any longer.

You let all the emotions out, letting a sob rip through you. Beth steps forward and gently pulls you into a hug so your head is resting on her shoulder. “She-I'm-” She tries to calm you down. “She's my sister.” Letting another sob rip through your body, you feel Beth tense under you. “What are you talking about?” Wiping your head around, you see Leah standing there.

[roosterforme]

Batting Practice Part 17 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley keeps making up little excuses to see you every day, not wanting his winning streak to end just yet. And when Everett is the one benefitting from these plans, it just makes you want your boyfriend even more. But when Frank embarrasses you in front of Bradley, you feel like the winning streak is coming to an end. 

Warnings: Smut, fluff, angst and swearing

Length: 3600 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Check my masterlist for more Top Gun fun! Batting Practice masterlist.

The fact that you didn't have to wait even an entire day to see Bradley after he slept over made you feel so good. But the amount of work you managed to get through was laughable, even for a Monday, because you couldn't stop thinking about him. When you picked Everett up from school and drove to the ballfield, both of you were buzzing with excitement. 

"Coach Bradley makes good pancakes," Everett said. "Not to be rude, but they are better than the ones you make."

You took a deep breath and glanced at him in the rearview mirror as you pulled into the parking lot. "Ev, are you sure you're okay with Bradley spending more time with us? Like maybe being at our house for dinners and breakfasts?"

"Yeah! He's going to help me with baseball stuff and math homework."

He was going to stick around. You made him work for his apology, because you were scared, but he was sincere. It struck you that Bradley was already so much more dependable and loving than Danny had ever been, and that made your heart ache for Everett. Maybe you should reconsider your current arrangement with your ex.

Bradley was jogging up to meet you as you parked next to his Bronco, and he was opening your door and leaning in to kiss you before you turned the engine off. 

"I missed you, Kitten," he whispered before his lips met yours, and he ran his fingers along the chain of your necklace. You looked up at him and smiled as Everett scrambled out of the backseat, and soon he was standing beside Bradley, right next to your door. 

"Did you have a good day at school?" Bradley asked him, turning Everett's hat backwards so they matched. 

"It was kind of dumb compared to the Phillies game."

Bradley nodded very seriously at him. "Most things are."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

You laughed. They were like twins in their interests and love of baseball. "Let's go get your cleats on, Ev." But to your surprise, Bradley did up Everett's shoes on the bleachers, then sent him over to Bob, and then kissed you. Right in front of everyone. A long, lingering kiss, after which he whispered in your ear how much he loved having a sleepover with you. 

And then he was gone, and the matching scowls on the faces of Sandra and Tara had you giddy.

"Holy hell," Molly gasped, walking up behind you. "When I didn't hear from you last night, I figured that was a good thing."

You hugged your sister and kissed her cheek and whispered. "I have a boyfriend." She smiled at you and took your hand. Then you sat together and watched both of the coaches while you cheered for Everett.

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

When Bradley walked you and Everett to your car, he caught sight of Molly and Bob making out in the parking lot. He figured another family pizza night would be in his future. And he wanted nothing more than to be making out with you, but there would be time for that later. 

"Thanks for packing me a lunch today," he whispered, pushing you up against your car door after Everett was buckled in. He pictured the brown paper bag with Coach written on one side with a bunch of hearts. 

"Oh, did you like that?" 

"All the guys were so jealous," he said with a smirk, pinning your hips in place with his big hands. "They had to eat cafeteria food, and nobody drew hearts for them."

Your laughter as he kissed your neck made him smile. "I'll pack you a lunch whenever you sleep over."

"You're never gonna get rid of me," he whispered, sucking on the spot just below your ear. The idea of not seeing you and Everett tomorrow had him inviting you to visit him on base right away. "If you want to bring Everett to North Island after you pick him up from school tomorrow, I'd love to show you guys off."

You laughed as you opened your car door. "Don't you mean show off your jet?"

"No. Show you off."

You ran your hand along his abs, caressing him through his sweaty shirt. Bradley kissed you one more time as you climbed in. 

"So you'll come?" he asked, leaning down as you buckled your seatbelt. 

You smirked and turned toward Everett. "Bradley invited us to visit the Naval base tomorrow after school. Wanna go?"

His eyes went wide as he bounced in his seat. "Yes! I've wanted to go since Career Day! All my friends think I'm the coolest because I invited the best adult!"

Bradley laughed and said, "I'll see you both tomorrow."

When he arrived on base on Tuesday and told everyone that you and Everett were going to visit that afternoon, Nat started freaking out. 

"What does this mean, Rooster?" she asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes. 

"It means Hangman managed to help my unfuck everything up after he fucked it up."

Jake smirked. "I am sorry. But you shouldn't let me around your cute girlfriend. That goes for you too, Bob."

"So you're both officially dating the sisters?" Nat asked with a grin.

"Yes," Bradley and Bob said in unison, and Bradley noticed how flushed Bob's cheeks were. 

Jake snorted. "Sounds like a porno. Are you two gonna switch hit?" he asked, and Nat elbowed him so hard in the ribs, Bradley thought he heard something snap. 

"What?" Bob asked innocently. "What does that mean?"

"It means Jake is a pig and he's about to shut the fuck up for the rest of the day," Nat said loudly while Bradley shook his head.

"Seriously, can you keep your mouth shut in front of her this time? And her son? The last thing I need is you teaching him something filthy."

Jake winced and rubbed his side while he drawled, "You don't want me rubbing off on your stepson?"

Eight weeks ago, the idea of anything even close to a stepson in Bradley's life would have been laughable. But now, the thought didn't bother him at all. He was actually warming up to it more and more. 

"No. I do not. Keep your mouth shut."

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

The security protocols to get onto the base at Top Gun were extensive. You had to wait while someone with a dog searched your car, and someone else checked underneath it with mirrors. Everett practically vibrated in his booster seat when he saw the security dog, but you told him over and over again that he wasn't allowed to touch a working dog. 

But when you finally pulled into the visitor's parking area, Bradley was standing on the curb with Bob, waiting for you. And they were both wearing their flight suits. You were staring, you knew you were, but the way that thing fit Bradley was a real treat. And when he opened your door for you and pulled you right into his arms, you kissed him immediately. 

"Hi, Kitten," he whispered, his voice as deep as it was when he was tangled up in bed with you, and you forgot for a second why you were here. "Ready for a quick tour?"

"Yeah," you told him, while you followed Bob and Everett inside to a hangar filled with jets and equipment. You listened to Bradley and Bob explain what everything was, and you watched Bob help Everett climb up into one of the cockpits.

"Okay, okay!" Everett called out as you took his picture. "This is as cool as the Phillies game!" Obviously this was just going to add fuel to his fire; Everett already thought Bradley was the coolest adult in existence, but now you'd never hear the end of it. 

"If you think that's fun," Bradley told him, scooping Everett up for a piggy back ride, "just wait until you get to sit in my Super Hornet."

"Does it have your name on the side?" he asked in awe.

"We looked up some information online," you told Bradley and Bob. "And now he's a little obsessed with how they paint the pilot's and weapon systems officer's name and call sign on the side."

And then you stopped talking, because as soon as you exited out the far side of the hangar, you were confronted by a row of absolutely massive jets all lined up in a precise row. 

"Whoa!" Everett shouted from his perch on Bradley's back. "That one's yours!"

You looked where Everett was pointing and saw the jet with LT BRADLEY BRADSHAW "ROOSTER" emblazoned on the side. And Bradley's friend Nat was sitting in the cockpit waving down at everyone. You watched your son wave to her with a smile on his face. 

"Hi, Everett!" she called down. "Check it out! We gave you your own call sign!"

You and Everett watched as she unrolled a huge sheet of paper with Everett's name followed by "GRAND SLAM" written on it, and let it cover Bradley's name.

"Oh my goodness!" you gasped, smiling while Everett cheered. 

"I have a call sign!"

"Do you like it?" Bob asked. "You hit the ball so hard at practice, we thought it was fitting." 

"It's so cool," Everett told him, still wide eyed as Bradley carried him over to the jet. You stood next to Bob and watched Bradley help Everett climb up the ladder, and then Nat helped him into the cockpit with her.

"I've never seen him this happy before," you said, shaking your head and taking another picture. 

Bob laughed and adjusted his glasses. "I've never seen Bradley this happy before."

Your smile grew as you listened to Bradley and Nat explain all of the controls. "Well, I've never seen Molly as happy as she is now."

The endearing touch of pink that tinted Bob's cheeks had you positively certain that your sister had this man wrapped around her fingers. "Molly is..." He swallowed hard. "Well... your sister..." he started. "Yeah. I'm happy, too."

"If everyone is happy, we should try to keep it that way," you told him, and that's when you noticed Jake strolling over. 

He nodded at you while Bob shot him a warning look. "You better be nice to Team Mom," he warned. 

But Jake just held up his hands as you turned away from him to glance up at Bradley, Nat and Everett. "I want to apologize," Jake drawled, and you looked at him with a smirk. "I spoke out of turn last time I saw you, and I'm sorry. Clearly that man is into moms," he said, jerking his thumb in Bradley's direction. 

You snorted. "Apology accepted."

Bradley eventually helped Everett down the ladder with the promise of visiting the popcorn machine in the lounge. When you grabbed Bradley's hand and pulled him closer, you whispered, "I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to stop by my place for a bit after Ev is in bed later."

The look on Bradley's face let you know that he knew exactly what you had in mind. 

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

Bradley had been in your house for about thirty seconds when you worked the zipper down the front of his flight suit and sunk to the floor in front of him.

"Oh, fuck," he groaned, shrugging out of the sleeves as you pulled his cock out of his underwear and wrapped your lips around him. You were still all made up from work and the visit to base, but you'd changed into sweatpants and a sports bra. Bradley reached down to rub your peaked nipples through the thin fabric while your red lips gilded expertly over his length. "Jesus, Kitten."

You just hummed and looked up at him as your tongue swirled in a delicious circle that had him taking a deep breath. You bobbed your mouth along, your eyes locked on his, watching him come undone for you. Hands on his thighs, you occasionally teased his balls with your fingernails. And when he got a little rough with his hands at the back of your head, you just moaned around him, letting him hit the back of your throat. 

But Bradley almost passed out when he growled, "I'm so close." Because you popped him out of your mouth and pumped your hand along his length while you opened your mouth and stuck your tongue out for him. The sight of his cum painting your lips, tongue and cheeks white had him thrusting into your hand. A sound halfway between a laugh and a surprised gasp escaped his lips as you looked up at him, a drop of his cum falling from your lip onto your tongue. 

And then you were sucking on the tip of his softening dick like a lollipop, and Bradley's eyes drifted closed. "It's not my birthday. I didn't get promoted. Today was just a Tuesday, but that felt like an extra special treat."

"How do you know every blowjob I give you won't be just like that one?" you asked with a smile as Bradley swiped his cum from your cheek with two fingers. 

You sucked them into your mouth while he moaned. "Kitten."

Once you had licked up every last drop, Bradley pulled you to your feet and kissed you. "It was kind of an extra special treat," you told him as you wrapped your arms around his neck. "For today. And the Phillies game, too. Every time you're sincerely sweet to Everett, it makes me insanely horny for you, Bradley."

"I love that kid," he replied as he nipped along your lips. "And I love you, too."

Bradley wanted to sleep over, but it was late, and Wednesday was his early morning. But he followed you up to your bathroom, and watched you take off your makeup and brush your teeth. And then he tucked you in bed with a kiss to your forehead. "I will sleep over a different night," he promised, and then he paused in your doorway as you looked at him, all snuggled in your plush bedding. "Okay if I go check on Ev?"

"Yes," you whispered, looking at him like you were ready to climb out of bed and suck him off again. Bradley could get used to this. Surprise blowjobs and packed lunches and baseball in the park. You and Ev.

When he quietly walked down the hallway and peeked inside Everett's bedroom, he watched his small, strong body rise and fall with each breath. He glanced around and then smiled when he saw that you or Everett hand hung up the banner with Everett's call sign. It was just a big roll of paper. If Everett really liked having an honorary call sign, Bradley would get him something that said Grand Slam on it for him. 

Before Bradley left, he walked back into your bedroom where you were nearly asleep. He kissed you while you smiled against his lips. "Good night," he whispered but you grabbed his hand when he turned to leave. 

"I left something on the kitchen counter for you. It's in an envelope."

"What is it?" he asked. 

You held his eye contact for a beat before you said, "A house key."

Bradley's heart skipped a beat, and when he finally managed to make his way downstairs, he grabbed the envelope that said Coach in your handwriting. Then he locked up behind himself when he left.

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

You had given Bradley a key to your house after you'd been dating him for a matter of days. Probably barely forty eight hours. But when you got to work on Wednesday morning, Bradley texted you a picture of his keyring resting in his palm, and there was your house key, shining in the sunlight. And then you stopped caring that it seemed quick.

When your stomach started growling, you realized it was after lunchtime, and before you could even process what that meant, there was a knock on your office door. And then Frank was in your personal space. 

"I didn't see you before. Did you skip lunch?" he asked, watching your every movement as you stood up behind your desk and straightened out your lace top underneath your blazer. 

"I'm not hungry," you lied. "Is there something I can help you with, Frank?" 

He shrugged and sat on the edge of your desk. "I just miss you. I thought I would go pick up a sandwich or something if you wanted me to. I would be happy to."

Your stomach growled loudly at the mere mention of a sandwich, completely giving you away. But then you heard another blessed knock on your door, and you loudly told whomever it was to come in. 

"Bradley!" you exclaimed when you saw your boyfriend standing there eyeing up Frank as you rushed around your desk to get to him. "What are you doing here?" you asked softly. He wrapped his right arm around your waist while he held a bag and a bouquet of flowers in his left hand. 

"I missed you, Kitten," he replied. "I wanted to keep my streak going. I'm up to four days in a row of seeing you now."

You were about to kiss him when Frank cleared his throat loudly. You turned to look at the confused expression on his face, but Bradley didn't budge at all. Instead Bradley pressed his lips to your neck and teased you while you awkwardly considered Frank. 

"Uh, Frank... this is Bradley," you said on a breathy sigh. 

"Her boyfriend," Bradley added, finally releasing your neck and heading for Frank. "Fred, was it?" he asked as they shook hands, and Frank sputtered for a moment before correcting him. 

"Are you her kid's coach?" Frank asked, eyeing Bradley's solid form warily. 

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm Everett's tee ball coach."

"Huh," Frank grunted before he turned to look at you. "Didn't think you'd be into a jock."

You smiled and said, "He's a Naval aviator, actually. Didn't you notice the uniform?"

Frank skimmed his gaze briefly over Bradley before strolling over to you and saying, "Why don't you let me take you out for lunch? I know you're hungry."

"Frank. No," you said, shaking your head. "No. I don't want to get lunch with you. I've been telling you no for a while."

Bradley laughed from his spot at your desk. "I'm pretty sure she already ditched you for me weeks ago, Fred. Just leave her alone, man."

"I had sex with her on that desk," Frank blurted out loudly, and you could feel the embarrassment wash over your skin. You could barely look at Bradley. He knew you'd been with Frank, but you didn't want him thinking about Frank when he pictured you sitting at your desk. 

"Probably the best two minutes of your life, huh Fred?" he asked casually, closing the distance to you and scooping you up. You squeaked as you braced one hand against his service pins while you wrapped the other around his neck. He just smiled at you as he said, "Now get the fuck out. And close the door behind you."

You saw Frank's back retreating through the door as Bradley deposited you in your desk chair and opened the bag he had brought. You audibly moaned as you saw a sandwich, some pretzels and a bottle of iced tea appear on your desk. 

"I thought you might be hungry," he said as you took a huge bite out of the sandwich and nodded. "And I wanted to bring you these flowers."

You swallowed your food and told him, "Tulips are my favorite!"

"I know," he said, kissing your forehead. "I made Bob text Molly to find out. I'll remember from now on, Kitten. But I need to get back to work."

You popped up and hugged him, took a breath and whispered, "You know what Frank said? About my desk?" 

"Yeah," Bradley replied quietly, rubbing his hand up inside your blazer. 

"That was the time I was thinking about you. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Bradley's smile was smug, and now you felt less embarrassed. 

"Next time, I'll stop by for a longer visit," he promised.

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

After practice on Thursday, Bradley settled into a seat at the same pizza place again, but this time Nat was there too. He was a little sweaty and dirty, but so were Bob and Everett, and you didn't hesitate to let Bradley touch you. 

"Hi," you whispered with a smile as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders. Bradley watched you turn away from him to continue your conversation with Nat while Everett played tic-tac-toe on the paper tablecloth with Bob. Molly was writing Everett's name in big bubble letters from him to color in, and the waitress was dropping off a pitcher of beer and some apple juice. 

When your warm palm came to rest on Bradley's thigh just above his knee, he exhaled a deep breath and let himself appreciate how good it felt to have a little family again. Thankfully he'd had Nat around for a long time, but having Bob gave him another person he knew he could trust. And Molly was a spitfire, but now he was starting to appreciate the way your sister always stood up for you and Everett. 

As the enormous pizza was dropped off, Bradley started to cut a slice in half to make it easier for Everett to eat. You watched his every movement as everyone else started to grab slices and pour more drinks. 

"What?" he asked you softly as your eyes followed the plate that he handed to Everett. "You want me to cut your pizza up too, Kitten?" he asked teasingly. 

But you just leaned in and kissed him until Molly had to pretend like she was gagging on her food. 

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

Coach just wanted to show them off! And Frank, you loser, she doesn't want you! She upgraded! Thanks to @beyondthesefourwalls and @mak-32!

PART 18

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[silentstyx]

"Go For the Throat" ~ jake peralta x reader

tw! fighting, hitting a throat, self-defense, genitalia mention, laryngeal trauma.

sum! "Have one of them teaching the other self-defense or fighting and one of them accidentally hits the other too hard." (ai fanfic trope again lord save me)

I'M SO MAD, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A B99 LIKE PICTURE THING IDK WHAT THEY'RE CALLED. I'M 𝒶𝓃𝑔𝓎. js fyi i did watch b99 while watching so im pretty up to date on his character 😉😎 also established relationship between jake and reader

You weren't a detective but you did have a detective boyfriend. Who says he's "put a bunch Gruber's away"? Whatever that means.

Anyways, having a cop boyfriend meant that you were safe. When he was there at least. Otherwise it was up to you to keep yourself safe.

Except you never really got taught how to defend yourself. But recently Jake offered to teach you self-defense.

You were on your way to the 99th precinct, after looking up what to wear when you practice self-defense. It said comfortable clothes you can move around in: you brought tennis shoes, t-shirt, shorts, no jewelry.

You go to the detective floor for Jake, after grabbing his attention he took you to the gym. He had on his gray shirt and jeans. God he looks so good.

"i don't know what to do." You confess to him, looking at his body not his face.

He chuckled, "thats the whole reason you're here. Because you don't know what to do."

You roll your eyes at his witty response. He then starts to teach you what to do.

"I'm gonna teach ya how to throw a punch, kay?" He said a tad more seriously.

You nod your head, then he goes further to explain.

"Okay you wanna make sure you're always covering your face. so put your forearms in front of your face, but make sure your fists are still able to throw a punch." He does it as he explains, showing you a visual aid as well.

You copy him, as well as his spread feet that he didn't explain.

"Okay, good. But I'm gonna warn you, you're not always going to be able to do that so I need to see how good your punch is." He explains.

You look confused, "How am I supposed to show you?"

"Punch me."

He says it so carelessly meanwhile you're freaking out, "What? Why?"

"So I can see how you strong you punch? I feel like I made it pretty clear?" He says with his confused, teasing smile.

You roll your eyes at his sarcastic come back, "Where?"

"uhh my stomach. No that might could hurt bad... uh my.. hand!" He says, while he was thinking about it he was doing that thing where he looks around a bunch.

You snicker at his antics before hitting his hands, the way he told you to do it. You hit hard enough that every time you hit him his hands went back. He also wasn't known for being the strongest. No matter how much Jake had told you otherwise.

"Noice, okay now let's do a body part where it wont move backwards when it gets hit." He has his proud, genuine, sweet smile on as he says this, "Hit my shoulder"

"Won't that hurt?" You put your hands down a little more as you look at him concerned.

He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Thanks babe, but I'm so buff that I probably won't even feel it."

Again, you roll your eyes and scoff at his comment. God he was gaslighting himself.

"What I'm saying is there a bunch of strong, tough bones in your shoulder that will hurt if I try to fist my fist through it?" You said, matter-of-factly.

His face came to a realization of what you meant then he smiled, "Oh yeah, smort. Hit me in the chest, it'll hurt less. Especially with all of these... chest bumps... that I do with, uh, my gym bro's."

You shook your head, putting your fists back to the way he instructed you.

BAM.

You meant to aim or the chest.

You thought you were hitting him a little below the collar bone.

Except you were a little off. You hit him in the throat.

He was making a wheezing noise, holding his throat. Your hands were still near your face, but this time they aren't kept in fists. They're flexing as you freak out.

"Oh my god, Jake! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to!" You say panicked.

He doesn't respond, he's still bent over an end table, holding his throat, wheezing.

You grab his phone, unlocking it, and call some of his coworkers upstairs to join you. Those being: Amy, Charles, and Terry.

They all come downstairs after seeing he had been put in a group chat with the only message reading, "come to the gym NOW."

They then see Jake gasping for air. Charles was the first one by his side.

"Jakey! Are you alright?" Charles asked panicked as well.

Jake gives him a look of concern and confusion (eyes widening and brows furrowed).

"What the hell happened down here?!" Terry asks somewhat loud, "Peralta I'm gonna take you to the hospital."

Charles, Terry, and Jake all leave. Jake getting admitted to the ER more than likely. Leaving you and Amy alone. Together. Where you probably just killed Jake.

"What happened?" Amy asks, genuinely just confused.

That's when you word vomitted.

"Jake was teaching me self-defense so I could protect myself when he isn't around, he told me to him in the chest but I missed and hit him in the neck!" You speak at a rapid pace.

You feel so guilty, he has a now life-threatening injury because of you. Amy comes up to you with a sympathetic look, rubbing your shoulder, "When the sarge texts me I'll let you know and I'll take you to the hospital."

You nod your head at her comment, appreciating her kindness.

About half an hour later Amy gets a text from Terry and she takes you to the hospital in her car.

You were allowed to visit him in his room, Terry had to drag Charles out so you two could have alone time.

Jake wasn't weezing anymore but his voice was super raspy.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I did not mean to hit you in the throat. I meant to punch you in the chest, like you said. I feel so bad." You again rant.

"It isn't 100% your fault. I should've gotten you to punch the actual punching bag, the thing that is made to punch." He says somewhat regretfully, still coming out in weird teasing tone.

Your eyebrows were practically knitted together. He could see the guilt, pain, and regret in your face.

"Don't feel bad. We're both at fault. Hitting me in the chest also would've hurt me, and risked my heart. The doctors said I have Laryngeal trauma," He tries to explain, "but they also said that nothing looks severe and that I should be back to normal soon."

You nod, understanding that nothing is too severe. Still, you feel bad that this whole time you could've avoided this. If you were smart enough to say, "Hey! This isn't a good idea, let's just use the punching bag!" or if you had just done what he originally said and punched his shoulder.

"I think that is what you should use that move for self-defense." Jake says jokingly.

You rolled your eyes at him and laughed, "or kick 'em in the genitals. Hurts for girls and guys."

"I don't want to practice that move with you."

[hamiltonaf]

Payback | Kylian Mbappé

Pairing: Kylian Mbappé x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.4K

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: My apologies for not posting part 2 of ‘One More Dance’, I’ve been so busy and I’m currently working on it so hopefully it will be up soon. Inspo is from an old tiktok trend. Enjoy .xo

(Y/F/N) - Your Friend’s Name

The thud of heavy rain drops hitting against my window set the mood to do absolutely nothing today. Though it doesn't work like that today since I have an assignment due in a few days time. It would also be ideal to cuddle someone right about now but that's out of the question because of a certain someone.

After completing half of my assignment, which I was quite satisfied with, I decided to call it a day for work and take advantage of the gloomy weather.

Taking a look at Instagram was a bad idea since I came across rumours of Kylian dating another girl. So much for breaking up a month ago and wanting to 'focus on football'. His excuse still bothers me since it was a poor one after dating for almost 3 years. I don't see a change of performance on the pitch if I’m being honest. I guess everything happens for a reason, maybe we're just not meant to be.

I mean if he moved on then so should I, right ? It then hit me that I should spice things up and give something for people to talk about. We’ll excuse my petty behaviour and blame it on the weather for making me somewhat evil. Before causing some drama, I called (Y/F/N), "Ello !" she answered. "Hey girly ! How are you doing on this beautiful day ?" I asked. "Ugh I’m so bored, you have no idea” she whined. “But never mind me, how are you doing more specifically ?” She asked curiously. “I’m doing okay, but-“ “I can already tell something is up your sleeve” she cut me off.

“Damn you really know me well” I pouted. “Of course ! Otherwise I wouldn’t be your bestie. Anywho, spill the tea…I’m all ears” she said enthusiastically. “So word of mouth right now on insta is that he is dating someone else, there’s literally pictures of them at dinner together” I rolled my eyes. “Shut up ! What the actual fuck dude. That’s so messed up. He’s such an ass” she yelled. “Yeah yeah I mean it hurts but the only way for my petty ass to get over it is-“ “If you do the same thing” she finished my sentence.

“Exactly ! So remember that TikTok we wanted to try out ages ago where one of us is dressed up as the guy and take out a bunch of pictures to look like a couple” I reminded her. “Oh my god ! Our time has finally come ! Okay I’m on my way, I’ll literally be there in like 5 mins” she said lastly before ending the call.

As soon as (Y/F/N) came over, we went straight to my dresser and got working on her makeup. We started by accentuating her veiny yet bony hands and then contoured her cheekbones, as well as her jawline to look more masculine. I failed to mention how smart she is, she came through with a bouquet of my favourite flowers so I had something else to post about.

Once we were done with her makeup, she slipped into one of my high heels so she was much taller than me. With her oversized hoodie and cap on you’d literally think that she’s a guy - a hot one at that too. I changed into a black slip dress and took off my shoes to spice up the picture, and exaggerate her height.

When (Y/F/N) came up behind me in the mirror, we both burst out laughing over how accurate she looked to a guy. “Shit. Even I would date me” she said before getting serious and wrapped her arms around my waist. After a few pictures of my head tilted and her face nuzzled into my neck, we finally had the picture. Her side profile looked so sharp, it’s actually insane.

After all of this, I suddenly felt hesitant to post for some odd reason that even (Y/F/N) noticed. I think it was pretty obvious how long I was staring at the pictures. “Girl don’t hold back now, just do it. He should see that you also moved on” she wiggled her brows. “You got a point there” I said to myself. I then uploaded 2 stories, one of the bouquet and one of us together - both simply captioned with a white heart. “If I saw this for the first time, I’d literally scream. Everyone is gonna lose their minds, especially him” she smirked. “Feels good to throw this back at him” I smirked back. “Welcome to the dark side bestie” she patted my back. “Anywho I need to run, got a few errands. Love you and call me later to update me on the drama. I’ll desperately be waiting for your call” she said as she gathered her things. “Of course ! Will do. Thanks bestie” I quickly hugged her before she hurriedly left.

I proceeded to spending the rest of my afternoon binging on early 2000's chick flicks, it wasn't until the evening when I decided to check my phone again that I noticed how many notifications I received. My notifications were the highest its ever been, well shit. We love to see it I guess.

I received countless tags on reposts as well as comments from fans, and surprisingly messages from family - understandable how many messages I received since it’s so evident that it’s not Kylian in the pictures. Scrolling through my notifications I decided to ignore all until my eyes landed on Kylian’s contact name, 'Kyky'. Surprise surprise.

"Heyy" the text read, I rolled my eyes, I don't have time for a conversation starter. I left him on read and proceeded with watching my movies. It wasn't even 5 minutes and my phone started to ring. It was Kyky calling. My heart started racing, I was hesitant to answer the call because what are we going to talk about and why call now ?

"Hello" he greeted. "Hey" I answered plainly. "Are you busy ?" He asked curiously. "Well kind of.. I'm actually just getting ready to leave" I said with a devious smile creeping onto my face. "Oh. Erm okay never mind" he said disappointed. "Why ?" I raised a brow. "I'm actually outside your apartment" he said embarrassed "No way" I said lowly to myself. "Have a look" he said as I then walked towards my front door and was met with his face. I ended the call and looked at him in shock, "You- here- like..what are you doing here ?" I asked.

"Can I come in please ?" He asked pleadingly. "What for ?" I asked back. "To talk about us" he said. "Theirs no us anymore. Theirs nothing for us to talk about" I said as I was about to close the door. "Wait. Just give me a chance" he said softly. "Theirs literally no point. You moved on..I moved on-" "You have another boyfriend already ?" He asked in shock. "I'm offended that you think I'm not capable of moving on so soon" I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest.

"So you must've known this guy whilst we were dating ?" He asked as he started to grow angry. "Yeah so ?" I scoffed. "You were just waiting for us to break up so you can date this guy" he said as he started to raise his voice. "You literally did the same thing. You made it seem like it was such a simple break up for your own good, but for the last 2 weeks you're rumoured to be with another girl !"I said as I started to grow annoyed. "Yes, but she's just a friend" he said.

"Funny how we’ve been together for so long and I never met this friend before" I said. Just then my next door neighbour yelled at us for raising our voices. "Please do yourself a favour and leave" I said as I shut the door. I then heard rattling of the door and in came Kylian. "You weren't invited inside" I said. "Well I had a spare key" he said as he held up the key. "That was supposed to be returned to me when we broke up" I said as I snatched the key from his hand and went to sit on my couch. “Also, how could you act surprised that I moved on when you’re literally here after I posted a picture with another guy ?” I questioned. He then sat beside me, "Can you just stop talking about that idiot ? I came here to talk about us…How do I make you love me again?"

"Love ? Dream on" I half laughed. "I'm being serious" he said as he looked between my eyes. "Forget about me loving you. How do I know that you love me ?" I asked. "Well I missed you all this time so I came back" he smiled. "It's not that simple. If you truly loved me as you say, you wouldn't have wanted to break up after all these years" I said. "Look I'm sorry okay ? I really am. I wish I could go back in time and reverse what I did...I just needed some time to myself to think about my future personal life and I kept imagining you in it..." he said as he gently moved a strand away from my face.

"Don't play with me right now" I warned. "No jokes. I love you. I really do, and I want to continue to spend the rest of my life with you" he said as he held my hands. "Okay cute. Anyways I have to go meet my boyfriend. It was nice of you to stop by..I'll think about it" I huffed as I got up. He grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me towards him to sit on his lap. "Stop lying" he smirked. "What makes you think I'm lying ?" I raised a brow. "I know your facial expressions when you lie. I just know you all too well because you literally could've left the second you opened your door instead of coming back inside" He said with a smile.

"Well I've changed my mind, I rather be with him right now" I shrugged. "I want my old (Y/N) back" he pouted. "She left the building the day you left her" I said lastly and got up to walk to my room. "Ouch" he pouted as he followed behind me. "I still love you no matter what. Always have and always will" I gave him a brief look before pretending to rummage through my closet. "So is this how it's going to be ?" He asked as he leaned back in my bed and watched me. "I told you that I need to think about it" I said as I continued to skim through my closet. "I'm not going until we stop fighting" he said casually "This isn't fighting. People don't get back together based off 5 minutes of talking to them after a whole month" I said as he stood up to stand in front of me.

"I like it when you're angry" he said as he got closer. "Don't" I said softly as I looked down. He lifted my head to meet his eyes as he cupped my cheeks, his thumb tracing over my lips. "You're making this harder" I pouted. Just when his lips were a mere centimetre away, he mumbled "It shouldn’t be hard if you have a boyfriend…Should I stop ?"

I hesitated to answer. To give up the game and kiss him or keep annoying him. “I can’t” I faked a pout. “Why not ?” His mood dropped. “I can’t do this to Nico” I said as I looked down. “Fuck Nico !” He yelled. “How the hell do you even know this guy ?” He asked frustrated. “We met at a party” I answered casually. “Besides him, it’s wrong of you to cheat on your girlfriend” I said looking everywhere else but him. He walked closer which made me take a step back, my back hitting against the wall. He placed his hands on either side of me, cornering me. “I just told you that she’s a friend and nothing more” he tried to say calmly. “I’m not convinced” I shrugged.

“Forget about her, she’s irrelevant right now. I came to claim back what was once mine. If I have to fight this stupid so called boyfriend of yours, then I will” he said as he inched his face closer to mine. There was a moment of silence. Both of us holding eye contact and switching between looking at each others eyes and lips. He leaned in and I didn’t stop him. It was a sweet soft peck. His forehead against mine, he sighed and said "I'll give you your space.” I surprised myself by grabbing a hold of his hand and pulling him back into place. “What’s wrong ?” He asked. “You’ll fight for me ?” I teased. “I know that I’m not fighting anyone because you’re lying, but if I have to then I will” he said as his hands were on my waist.

“How can you tell I’m lying ?” I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. “Besides reading your facial expressions, we wouldn’t be in this position right now” he said. “Or doing this” he said softly before placing his lips on mine. I pulled him closer against me and just then he broke away from the kiss. “I think I should go” he teased. "No no wait just a little more" I hushed him as I pulled him closer to connect our lips once again.

[kissorkill16]

You're The Victim: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: After you read this, you'll learn who's the true victim here.

Mr. Murtaugh sat across from Nicky at his desk, hands folded and lips curled into his usual creepy smile.

"I see you've been really sluggish lately, Nicholas.", he said, "I take it you've been taking the pills I gave you?"

Nicky nodded, "I think they're working a little too well.", he yawned.

"Well we'll discuss that later, dear.", said the science teacher, he stood up and walked behind the boy in his seat. "Right now, I want to know how much you've progressed this past week."

Nicky looked down at his lap. "I don't know why, but I feel like I would've been better off alone."

Mr. Murtaugh looked down at Nicky, a little hint of worry in his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"I feel like if I hadn't been so desperate to make friends, none of this would be happening right now.", said Nicky. "Lucy wouldn't have died, Mrs. Peterson wouldn't have died, Aaron and Mya wouldn't have gone missing, Mr. Peterson wouldn't have gone crazy, my grandmother wouldn't have gotten killed, no one would've hated me, I wouldn't have been kidnapped, and I wouldn't feel like shit."

"Hey, watch your tongue!"

"Sorry."

Mr. Murtaugh put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Nicholas, don't say things like that. It's not your fault that you lost so much with no warning. Sometimes, people just have to go and there's nothing you can do about it."

Nicky continued to look at his shoes.

"But while they're no longer alive, they're still in our beautiful memories. We still love them with all of our hearts and souls. Don't we?"

The boy nodded.

"Great."

The science teacher walked back to his side of the desk, "As for the people hating you bit. That's not your fault at all.", he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well after all that you've been telling me, it seems like you're more of an innocent victim."

When Mr. Murtaugh said that, Nicky's eyes widened in shock. "Innocent victim? Are we still talking about me? I'm not innocent, sir, far from it actually."

"Nicholas, after everything you told me, I'd like to politely object, for the following reasons.", said the science teacher. "First, you told me that your grandmother had been unstable and hard on you for years, then you tell me that before she was murdered, she called you a cursed child. Lucy's death was an accident, and the crazy old bat thought it was your fault? Disgusting. Then after you witnessed Mr. Peterson doing some pretty abnormal things, people made fun of you and called you names. Does Nutty Nicky ring a bell? Or maybe Sick Nick?"

Nicky felt like hugging his knees when he heard those god awful nicknames that a couple of cruel students gave him. He didn't know where "Sick Nick" came from, but he definitely remembered that "Nutty Nicky" came from Finch.

"Then while you were in Mr. Peterson's basement, he told you that he never chased you past his property line because he wanted to make you look like a maniac. He kept you locked up in a room with a demon shadow creature that forced you to play games with it. Actually, let me check again. Did you want to play with them, or did they force you to play?"

Nicky didn't want to answer that question, but he felt his science teacher's eyes staring into his soul, and that made him extremely uncomfortable. "Forced me.", he mumbled.

"Exactly."

The science teacher continued on, "Then a month went by, and when you escaped the basement, you learned that not one of your friends had bothered to look for you. Not even your parents who you love so much. Then when you came back to school, Finch and a bunch of other people said your trauma was fake and that you've turned into a mindless little doll.", he said. "Then you took a few more days off, and when you came back, you learned that Finch had taken a picture of your mental breakdown and shared it with the entire rest of the school for everyone to see."

Nicky brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"But now that I'm here to talk to you about all of your problems, you've been progressing and slowly making a real full recovery.", said the science teacher. "And here I am, telling you that you're the innocent victim, and you don't believe me even after I've basically told you your entire story?"

Nicky looked down at the floor.

"Darling, you've suffered from not only bullying. You've suffered from emotional abuse, parental neglect, one sided friendships, spiritual abuse from an actual spirit, physical abuse, and nightmares of all of your traumas put together."

Nicky's eyes widened, "Damn. I think that's some kind of record.", he thought.

"I appreciate you listing out all of the things I've told you, but I'm still not sure if we're still talking about me.", said Nicky. "I mean, I'm also the one who worked alongside Aaron Peterson with all of the nasty pranks around Raven Brooks. I was one of the brash delinquents who made teachers regret their life choices. ...I told my grandma I hated her."

Mr. Murtaugh tapped his chin as he thought about that. "You do have a point.", he said.

"And I made all of my friends accomplices to my activities. I pounced on the new students when the old ones got fed up with me, and then the new kids got fed up with me too. I've been to detention more times than I can count on my hands. I -"

"Nicholas."

Nicky stopped talking and looked at Mr. Murtaugh.

"While that all may be true, I still fail to see how you think you're not an innocent victim, even after all you've been through. While you may have committed a couple of sins in the past, it seems like you're trying to push more of the blame on yourself. You've suffered more than you should have, dear. Remember that."

Nicky was about to say something, but his words got caught in his throat. He knew he wouldn't win this fight. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Mr. Murtaugh had basically told him that he was an innocent victim of several kinds of abuse.

The science teacher knelt down to meet Nicky's level. "Repeat after me.", he said. "I am the victim."

"I am the victim.", Nicky repeated.

"I went through the most."

"I went through the most."

"I've felt more pain than anyone."

Nicky paused for a moment, thinking about that line. Technically, it was just emotional pain. If he wanted to talk about pain, then he should look at Maritza's leg, she stepped in a bear trap.

"Nicholas, say it.", said Mr. Murtaugh, getting his attention back. "I've felt more pain than anyone."

Nicky stayed silent for a moment, then he said that line that he felt wasn't entirely true, not because he wanted to, but because he just wanted it to sound believable enough for his science teacher so he'd back off this topic.

"I've felt more pain than anyone."

[moocha-muses]

I don't know if this was asked already, but do you have, in your poetical card catalogue, a poem about Bigfoot? No worries if not. I am virtually sending some apple cake along.

Thank you for the cake! I used half of it to tempt in this Sasquatch:

Home had been a biiiiiig Bigfoot town. Once. There was a time when you couldn't walk two feet in the summer, not without tripping over a gaggle of tourists, in their khaki and their camouflage, their cameras and binoculars beating tattoos against their chests. Kyle had been heir apparent to the best bed and breakfast in town, a sprawling Victorian that had now run half to ruin, because Greenville had been a big Bigfoot town. Until someone shot him. Mark McCree took a flask of whiskey into the woods, shot Bigfoot right in the back, and killed it stone dead with a bullet to the spine. He said he thought he was shooting a bear, which was about the worst defense of all time, since bears are more illegal to shoot than Bigfeet, but he hadn't shot a bear, and the damage had been done. They did stuff and mount the corpse. Strung it up in front of the Cryptid Corner, with a bunch of animatronics in the arms so that it could wave at passers-by. Somehow, that didn't have the same draw. Kyle loved Greenville. He loved meeting new people, and hearing all about them over dinner. He'd even loved cooking them breakfast, and cleaning their rooms. He'd never gone into the woods for a Bigfoot tour, had never even seen him in the flesh until he was stuffed, but he'd loved his home town, even though they didn't have much to offer. (Not outside of all those hastily repackaged bird watching tours.) Bigfoot had left behind some awfully big shoes to fill. Or it would have. If it wore shoes. No one even knew where it had come from. One day the woods had been innocent of cryptids, and the next day someone had come into town with an unexplained Polaroid, of something big and blurry and not even all that bear-like, and suddenly Greenville had been on the map. Until it wasn't. About six years after that, about when Kyle would have gotten home from college, if he'd gone to college, (no tourists, no college money), that was when Kyle got his idea. He spent weeks, months, online. Browsing the fan pages, looking at photos, memorizing footprint measurements, ordered an expensive hair sample and peered through a magnifying glass, and eventually, bought a gorilla costume. Kyle, whose mother was an excellent cook and a terrible seamstress, had been making his own Halloween costumes for years. This one came out pretty damn spectacular. Tufts of fur on the elbows and putty on the face, and he'd worked a pair of stilts in above the infamous feet, and learned how to walk around on them naturally. He took the first picture of himself with a camera timer. Put it up online under an assumed name. Waited. The first true believers trickled into town by March, and back on went the costume, and back he went into the woods, scrambling and hiding and peeking and leading, until he felt a little claustrophobic under that reeking plastic mask, and ducked into a sort of cave all the locals knew, just for a moment of fresh air. The mask stayed on. Kyle tugged. The mask stayed on. But he was breathing better, with a hoarse, tooth-mouthed sound he didn't recognize, and his hands were moving easier in the gloves that didn't feel too clumsy, or too long, and, and he could hear his leg bones pop and crack as they grew down to pull a pair of short stilts into themselves, and he could feel the new tendons growing, and his feet. Felt. Big. And he was panicking, now, running without seeing, and- "Get the camera! There it is!"

[satellite-blossom]

NEW ART !? It's more likely than you think !

I've redesigned Léa's Magical form again, but this time around I've actually colored (& shaded) the whole thing ; I'll share more of my process under the read more.

Feel free to reblog this (but it's ok if you don't) !

(Léa use they/them pronouns and are agender)

So this is Léa's old Magical form, or at least the last art of it I had completed before the 2024 version :

I was going for a fancy, somewhat ouji inspired outfit that'd still be comfortable to wear, as Léa Acorn's style is all about being cute yet comfy. Their body saw no change from their regular form.

I think I was already not fully satisfied with this design by the end of 2021, but as time went on my list of grievances kept growing longer. I started to dislike how much of the design was pure white ; it's not really something I like on Magical Girl designs but for some reason I included it here, probably because I was trying to branch out and take inspiration from series like Lolirock & Pretty Cure for once. I also ended up finding the jacket kinda dumb, or at least the way it fit on top of the shirt seemed off. I had no idea how to color the shoes when I drew this design and it was bugging me more and more over time.

But while I fell out of love with the outfit, my main grievance was the staff-paintbrush-scythe hybrid, which was not only drawn poorly but also pretty boring. I couldn't help but try to redesign it just a month or two after completing the new ref, but I didn't want to redo the whole thing as back then I still made my refs in Microsoft Publisher with the help of Photofiltre, which was a slow and painful process I dreaded.

(Léa's Mobian forms 2021 ref, for... Reference)

So between my laziness, art block and the general state of my life I wasn't able to complete any new design before this year (2024). Let's break down this new design, shall we ?

This was my main inspo board this time around :

As you can see I kept the lolita/ouji influence but added some streetwear elements to it. I felt like the previous design didn't do a great job showcasing the mix of preppy prince & comfy fashion Léa are supposed to encapsulate, so I brought up pictures of a character that had only influenced their story and personality so far : Sora from Kingdom Hearts !

It's not something I bring up a lot anymore, but I used to be well-versed in Kingdom Hearts lore and Léa's story was heavily influenced by it ; they were even supposed to fight with a keyblade at one point ! Design-wise, I borrowed the length of Sora's shorts/jumpsuit for Léa's bloomers, and replaced their cropped suit jacket by a short-sleeved hoodie (which also mirrors some of their Sonic.exe world designs). I mixed these elements with lolita items for a cuter look.

Léa share my love of ties, so I've replaced their bow tie by a regular one ; it's somewhat short to showcase their shirt, which is a revamped version of the old one.

For the legwear I took inspiration from some long flowy legwarmers I saw in a few fairy kei coords, and also the shoes from this CocoPPaDolls screenshot I've taken years ago, back when the game was still up :

(I miss this game every day)

And of course I needed the shoes to be velcro LED shoes, because that's just the Léa Acorn way.

The rounded pink heart-shaped gems throughout the outfit were somewhat inspired by Amulet Heart from Shugo Chara.

Talking about gems, time to talk about the staff ! It was inspired by Amulet Spade's paintbrush, some Lolirock items, and a bunch of bootleg Magical Girl wands. Why reference bootleg wands, you might ask ? Well, since they're already off compared to the real deals, they allow me to not design wands that are too similar to ones from well-known properties.

I've been meaning to make Léa's eyes pink in their magical form for years but didn't actually follow through for a while. I ended up making their eyes brownish pink to not make their eyes too light, as I felt like it'd remove some of their charm (I already felt guilty for not keeping their eyes brown in this form). And of course, I had to bedazzle their eyes to hell and back.

Actually all this shininess and sparkling was inspired by the original drawing of Léa's Magical Form drawn all the way back in 2017 and redrawn in 2018 :

For some reason I took a lot of inspiration from Sailor Moon for these despite Léa's role being inspired by Card Captor Sakura (and Kingdom Hearts). Also Wish Gems used to be called "Magical Chaos Emeralds" and look just like the regular Chaos Emeralds, which was kinda dumb. But I loved the energy of these pieces so I've tried to recapture the "sparkly pink magical transformation void" vibes they had ; I hope I've succeeded on that front.

Anyway, thank you for reading this all the way through ! I hope this was an interesting read, somewhat.

[danwhobrowses]

That (Other) Time I was All In

From this angle it seems like I was farther away, but I assure you I was at least 10 rows closer this time XD

Another All In is in the books and I had the pleasure of attending it again. I promised myself last year that if I was gonna come back it'd only be under 2 requirements; I'd get closer seats and the card had to sell it to me this time. And for the second consecutive year AEW delivered massively.

I'll discuss more below, not a lot of action pictures I'm afraid they all came out blurry.

Also Spoilers for All In 2024 if you don't already know the results

So there are two things to talk about, one is the show (split into before and during) and the other is travel, so I'm just gonna rant about both in case anyone else thinks about going to Wembley in 2026 (or next year if Forbidden Door is at Wembley, they only say London right now).

Travel to and from Wembley

Okay for starters, travelling during a train strike is rough. I get why they picked a bank holiday weekend but what was initially a 45 min to 1 hour train to King's Cross turned into a 2 hour journey, having to take a bus to Bedford and then a train with a bunch of stops, including Luton Airport, to London

Premier Inn needs to update its info because the website said I could check in for free after 11am and the desk said 3pm, I didn't want to leave my bags in there for an extra £10...which bit me in the ass.

Don't make the mistake I made on consecutive years and come off at the wrong Wembley station. There are 3 of them and 2 are quite a walk away from the stadium compared to the one right outside of it. My mood was already tense since my travel had been up to 3 hours at that point but also again the turnstiles swallowed up the ticket I was also gonna use to get back, meaning I paid extra on the way back. Go to Wembley Park, it's on the Circle Line, you can get there via Baker Street too.

Bring as little as possible to the stadium, they think they're fucking airport security and overestimate how many view their website when getting tickets via ticketmaster. When I made it to the stadium I was stopped at the steps, being told that my bag was too big to bring in, and I'd have to pay £10 to put it in a bag holding area - which was a fair walk away from the stadium too. So either way I was forking out cash

Then after hours of waiting, queuing and getting into the stadium I was told that my drinks bottle I had brought from home couldn't be brought in, even when empty, because it was 'too big and could be thrown at someone'. I protested, since they're not gonna reimburse me for forcing me to discard my belongings and were insisting that I go back to the bag holding to put away a plastic drink bottle I took with me last year, but they treated me like I was gonna throw hands - and insisted that the info was on the Wembley website - so I threw it away to placate them. Still a drinks bottle can't get in but you can bring your phone and keys - both of which can equally be thrown to deal even more damage, I'm sure my shoe could do worse too. Just a con to squeeze more money out of you.

Premier Inn has cosy rooms, but I don't like any lights being on, so having a TV always on standby on the wall opposite and a smoke alarm blinking above me was just added nuisance to my aching body and natural difficulty in sleeping, also there's no toothpaste, you can buy some but it seems to be the only thing that doesn't come with the room (and a toothbrush but I brought my own expecting that). Breakfast was nice though.

Before the Show

Despite my travel woes there was some caveats before the Zero Hour began. For one I cross paths with Cultaholic again, they weren't asking questions but they were doing a punishment bit, so I followed behind watching but also trying not to intercept. I shook Tom Campbell's hand though.

After seeing Emi Sakura and Lulu last year I did keep my eyes open for other wrestlers arriving to Wembley, and I did spot another, this time someone on the card (really wanted Emi on this card). Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo were too far for me to approach - they were carrying their kid too so it wouldn't have been appropriate - tbh I spotted Tay before I spotted Sammy, in spite of his sky blue suit and haircut.

This was how close I was to the ring, and upon getting to my seat I was met with an interesting surprise too, a padded chair and a note...

So you know all that above nonsense about not being allowed to bring in a drinks bottle because you might throw it and hurt someone? Well they let me leave the stadium with a fucking steel chair, how's that for hypocrisy?

I wasn't expecting to take home the chair, I knew it was a thing for VIP tickets but my ticket never said it was a VIP one. Not easy to carry around mind you and I gotta find a place to put it now...

When soaking in the area I also spotted Lexy Nair and Alicia Atout in their sparkly dresses making their way around to the ramp for the Zero Hour.

Unfortunately we still don't get video coverage of the Zero Hour outside of matches, you hear a few interviews and maybe the screen shows some footage but that's about it, which is a shame.

Lots of fans didn't find their seats until midway after the Zero Hour, and a lot of them liked to move around, get drinks between each match and all that, which could get annoying. Not as many signs in my way though and since I had a bit of space beside me I could shuffle a little bit to the far side for more space. You'll always get the contrarian chanters too, the ones who cheer the heels.

Close seats are great for in-ring wrestling, not so much everywhere else. I understand that wrestlers want fans from all seats to get a look at the action but yeah, even on the barricade it's covered by a swarm of bodies trying to get a look, or get on tv.

My position had the added benefit of having a good view of the rampway, the place where most wrestlers would stop to get the on-ramp camera was within my eyeshot.

The Show itself

Fans love the commentary btw, Daddy Magic and Schiavone got a lot of love and gave it back too.

Zero Hour was fun, the first multi-man was a bit of a potluck of faces and heels. Private Party came out as faces but then Ari Davari comes out with them? Still match was a lot of fun; Lio and Satnam, Kip getting a massive pop from the crowd, Top Flight going nuts, Kyle being badass, glad Dark Order got to show up too they mentioned it was on their list for the year. Dante and Kyle threw their shades and elbow pad into the crowd too.

Mixed Tag was funny as hell too, Stoke knows his role, liked that Statlander got to wrestle Ishii a bit too. You can't hear me but I do shout 'you're wearing him down!' to Stoke when he's trying to shoulder barge Ishii.

The big 10 man was alright, we all loved Dustin and Shibata, we were still unsure with Sammy but we rallied at the Von Erich's urging. The aftermath with the Claw was better, the botch on Shibata with the throwing powerbomb did make us a little worried.

Jamie Hayter coming back was a huge pop, I was hoping Emi was gonna show up since I expected Hayter for the TBS title match but it's great she's back.

Ladder match was great. Tables didn't really comply a lot in the match but we loved the effort and the narrative and PAC. The image is smaller but you can see me stand up the moment he kicks Christian off the ladder realising he's gonna take it. Great opening surprise win.

Then to hit us with the story-charged women's title bout of Mariah vs Toni. We were in full song for that one, it's hard to gauge the crowd noise when you're so close but you can hear the echoing for the Toni Storm sang in the tune of Daddy Cool chant. Right woman went over too, very strong match.

I kinda feel bad about how effortlessly we the crowd derailed the FTW title match by following Cardiff's lead and cheering for Big Bill XD HOOK and Jericho put on a fine match (cricket balls were dubious though this ain't the Oval) and Tazz showing up was great, but it was a lull in the show. The people around me at least chuckled at my 'He can see! It's a miracle!' when HOOK took his patch off.

It was difficult to gauge the Tag Title match too because we chanted hard for FTR and the Acclaimed during their entrances but they were also at each other's throats. Didn't like the CM Punk chants, it's fucking unnecessary let it go. I knew Sgt Pepper's Young Bucks would win but it did feel like it could've gone another gear.

Grizzled Young Vets walked RIGHT PAST ME! I barely even noticed until I clocked that it was Zack Gibson. Attacking FTR was on brand but it did make the cheering fall to uncertainty, but this is a fresh team to enter the picture.

If I had a nickel for every time Christian Cage did double duty to swerve us all...well I'd wonder why you're giving me nickels we don't use them here. The Casino Gauntlet was a lot of fun, we expected Ricochet but Okada, ZSJ, and Nigel McGuinness coming out of retirement were all big surprises, Jarrett getting cheered like a babyface and cracking Hangman with a guitar, OC with the Mr Bean intro too! But Luchasaurus with the bait and Killswitch, goddammit! He can't keep getting away with this!

MJF/Ospreay was a cream of the crop kinda match. We knew the story would be Max absorbing all of Ospreay's arsenal but it came down to who would be eating the Tiger Driver 97? I dunno if I'm in shot when Max soaked in our corner to a parade of middle fingers but I did tell him his country sucked (had he returned to the corner more beaten I'd have made a healthcare jab). We were all for Ospreay though, thought it was Adam Cole with the intercept first but glad it was Garcia, great match.

The TBS title match was hard to gauge as well, it felt like the crowd was drained a little from the previous match, or just the more misogynist part of the crowd leaving to skip it. There was nothing wrong with the match itself, Moné's entrance was great and that reverse super powerslam from Britt was creative. We tried to will the chants of CEO and DMD but the ending did feel abrupt. Still another correct outcome but I feel like Hayter's return could've been utilized better here.

The TNT Coffin match felt like a sprint. Honestly though even though I couldn't see much of it given how little of it was in the ring I appreciated how Jack approached the match. The real glass and soaking in the boos (Cry Me a River chants are acceptable, 'Fuck CM Punk' chants were not) were great but I particularly loved the storytelling that Jack knew he couldn't outdo Darby in violence so worked to subdue instead, essentially hogtying him to get him in the coffin.

Sting coming back was rumored but still amazing, can't believe I've seen Sting on 2 consecutive AEW shows. I hope narratively we use this loss and outwitting as a way for Sting to coach Darby into trying to find his edge again for his upcoming world title shot.

And well, what can you say about the Main Event? It was the only one I couldn't call down the middle, we were either seeing the end of Bryan Danielson or we were seeing him win his last world title of his full time career. The noise I'm sure was incredible for the Final Countdown, but at ringside it was godly.

So much props to Swerve too, he knew exactly when to heel it up enough with the ring bell and the stomping in front of Bryan's family - a focal point of the match's storytelling - plus with Hangman's surprise distraction we may end up doing a second double turn from this. He was a great world champion, extremely crisp in the ring, and absorbing the Buisaku Knee like an anime villain was a great touch.

But the night belonged to the best fucking wrestler in the world Bryan Danielson. The YES chants are infectious, he pulls off the babyface in peril so well, the constant looking and reaching for his family for strength as well is just chef's kiss. And in a chorale of 50k fans demanding Swerve tap was only droned out by the immense cheer of when he did. My throat is hoarse, my hands and feet are sore, but I left the show happy - albeit in a massive queue for my bags while carrying a steel chair XD

Fortunately the queuing didn't cause me to miss all of Whatculture's live ppv Ups and Downs. I could hear him talking about the TNT title match but it was still hard to hear, didn't help that two guys were arguing in front of me because one was protesting that he hadn't consecutively been rubbing up against his girlfriend and took umbrage with being told to give each other space to avoid it happening again, another guy chiming in with 'it doesn't matter how she feels' when asking for an apology annoyed me too because it fucking does! Both parties left separately a few moments later so I got closer and was able to partly hear more. Then I carried my ass to the hotel and came home the following morning.

All In All (pun intended), another fantastic show of wrestling. Travel and external factors had threatened to dampen my experience but it was great nonetheless. I doubt I'll go to Texas but maybe 2026 I'll run it back again. In the meantime we'll simply soak in the joys of multiple debuts, returns, title changes and Bryan Danielson as a World Champion again.

[diedraechin]

I suppose I could share a bit of the next chapter...

Sometimes I stare at chapters for ages and can never make that one scene work, but other times I open the file and know exactly what was missing. Like magic.

And other times I was trying to add in something that wasn't really needed and could just be scrapped. The next chapter was a little of everything.

I know everyone wants to see what Viktor is up to, but there is still a whole day of competition at 4CC left and a banquet... Do you really want to miss all that?

“When are they supposed to arrive?” Takeshi shifted from foot to foot. He didn’t know what he should do with his hands. Should he just put one in his pocket like Yuuri was? No. He’d look foolish if he did that. He didn’t have that look of affected boredom that models like Yuuri could sport at the drop of a hat which made the whole 'hand in pocket, casually standing around' thing work.

He crossed his arms instead, but then felt like he probably looked like a hockey player out of place in a fancy suit, so dropped his arms to his side and looked at Yuuri again who was looking at his phone and not paying any attention to Takeshi’s dilemma. “They should be here already, right?”

Yuuri looked over at him, frowning as Takeshi shoved his hand into his pocket and then pulled it out again. “They just got here and are heading to the elevator.” Yuuri paused. “What are you doing?”

Takeshi huffed. “I don’t know what to do with my hands.” He held one out to Yuuri. “See this hand? It usually has Yuuko’s hand in it at these things, but she’s not here because your friends stole her!”

Laughing, Yuuri nodded. “That is correct. She’s been kidnapped, held against her will as my friends offer their designer cast-offs to her and Keiko.” He bit down on his lip. “Let Yuuko have this, Takeshi. Let her go and enjoy getting ready for a fancy party with a bunch of other women around her age. She’s getting her hair and makeup done by professionals, they’re going to dress her up in expensive clothing, and let her wear shoes that I’m sure that I don’t want to know the cost of. It might all seem overkill to you, but for LOVE-ly this is just another function where they’re expected to present themselves at a certain level. So yes, Yuuko could have just worn the same dress that she wore to the last banquet she attended and get ready in the room with you, doing her hair up the same way she’s done a million times, but why not let her be spoiled? Why begrudge her this?”

Nishigori shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the elevator doors. He didn’t begrudge his wife anything, especially not this. He just worried that she’d think he was too boring or something after living the high life.

From the corner of his eye, Nishigori saw Yuuri nod and then look back at his phone, pulling his hand out of his pocket and typing something on it with his thumbs. The elevator door opened and a bunch of skaters, none of them his wife, poured out. The gold medalists in ice dance, the Americans Matt and Caro, paused and stared at Yuuri.

“It’s a new suit,” Matt whispered.

His partner smiled at them. “It is!” Caro dropped her hand from the crook of Matt’s arm and took a step forward until she was standing in front of Yuuri, forcing Yuuri to look up from his phone. “Hi, Yuuri.”

“Hi, Carolyn…san. Can I help you with something?” He blinked at her.

She hummed. “Just Caro. I swear we already had this conversation. Call me Caro.” She smiled. “Nice suit, is it new?”

Yuuri nodded. “Yes, well, sort of. I got it after nationals for a New Years thing.” 

“We should take a picture!” she stepped into the space next to him, and looped her arm through his, turning to look at Matt. Yuuri's eyes went wide and panicked. So maybe there was something of the awkward kid left in his friend. “Say cheese!”

“No! No pictures on Scythecapades!” Yuuri groused as Paul walked between the pair and where Matt was standing with his phone camera pointed at them.

Matt laughed. “Not even this one?” He walked over to Yuuri and showed him the photo.

Yuuri blinked, staring down at the picture, the corner of his lips eventually twitching up. “All right. You can share that one, if you absolutely have to.”

“Share what?” Yuuko’s voice came from next to Takeshi and he whipped around to look at his wife.

He opened his mouth to say something, but forgot what words were.

“You look lovely, Nishigori-san!” Matt stepped forward and quickly lifted Yuuko’s hand to press a kiss to the air just above it.

“Arigatou, Smith-san,” Yuuko beamed. 

Her chestnut hair had been curled into loose waves, and some of her bangs brushed to the side, held in place with a flower clip that matched the multitude of flowers that covered the dress she was wearing. The neckline of the dress was no different than most of the higher necklines that Yuuko preferred, but the entire top was made of a sheer mesh that disappeared under the flowers that made up the rest of the dress, but not before showing just a little cleavage. The flowers were mostly bright pinks and corals with sparse accents of spring greens and ice blues, made all the brighter against the black fabric. The dress itself came in tight at her waist and then poofed out in layers of fine black tulle covered in even more flowers, some just visible in the topmost underlayers too. Takeshi thought his wife had rarely looked more beautiful, and the times he did, she was unlikely to agree with him, their wedding being the sole exception.

Yuuri brushed past him and smiled down at Yuuko. “ゆうちゃん、きれい！そのドレス似合ってる。(Yu-chan is beautiful! That dress looks good on you.)”

His wife giggled. Giggled! “Yuu-kun, arigatou.” And then she turned expectant eyes on Takeshi and he didn’t know what to do. Yuuri had literally stolen his line. The one that Yuuko had taught them both when they were still kids and had told Mari that she looked weird when she’d gotten all done up that one time. 

Kanon came up next to her and leaned in to whisper something into Yuuko’s ear that made Yuuko blush. What did she say?

“Kanon-chan!” Yuuko turned to look at her with eyes wide. “I couldn’t! I promise to be careful.”

“Are you already causing trouble?” Yuuri asked the idol.

“I just told her that I was always going to let her keep the dress, but that if her husband ruined it, I definitely didn’t want it back!” She winked at Takeshi. “Go on, tell her how cute she looks.”

“Kawaii.” It sounded like a frog had taken up residence in his throat, and Takeshi started coughing. 

[kittykatkatelol]

Prompt: "Camera" ~ Oneshot ~ StaticMoth

-

"Why am I here again?"

"Because fuck knows we both need a break."

"You didn't go to work yesterday-"

"NOT THE POINT! Just shut up and watch the fucking show."

They were sitting on the couch, watching some shitty drama Valentino and Velvette had been hooked on for weeks - Vox didn't really see the appeal but it kept them quiet and from fucking up their reputation so whatever. Val had insisted Vox take a break and watch with him since Velv was busy - he didn't really have a choice in the matter, because last time he refused his best assistant was ripped to shreds.

Valentino had two of his arms around Vox, another holding a cigarette, his wings out and wrapped around them both like a weighted blanket. Maybe relaxing wasn't as dumb as Vox had thought.

When Valentino wasn't looking, too focused on whatever drama was going down on the TV, Vox took a picture with the camera in his TV face - not often they weren't fighting or pissed off at something, and were just relaxing, together, happy. Just going to add that to his private collection, no one ever need know.

Vox leaned into the giant mass that was Valentino before returning his focus to the show.

Why must they like such shitty TV when I literally make so many actually good documentaries? Why must it always be a bunch of ladies screaming at each other and throwing shoes at each other?

The show was complete trash, but at least it was comfortable. Nice even.

Maybe Vox should take Val up on more relaxing endeavors. He could get used to this.

-

[Word Count: 268]

[moonchildreads]

small town

Chapter 21 - Far from Over

IN THIS CHAPTER: High school rumors, two really awkward talks, and Eddie makes plans for the future [6.0k]

WARNINGS: suggestive themes (very mild, just a misunderstanding with wayne), very vague mention of disordered eating (one line about chrissy not wanting to eat lunch)

A/N: in case you didn't see the announcement at the bottom of the latest extra, i'm changing update days to saturdays because things are insane at work and i really need the extra day. we're halfway done with this story so there's loads to come still! enjoy the chapter <3

masterlist - prev - next | playlist

I'm moving in 'cause I am getting closer I'm digging in I want it more than anything I've wanted

Sunday, June 1st - 1986

Wayne Munson had given up a lot for his nephew. He’d given up his dream job, his bedroom, and his privacy. He’d given up on having the freedom to go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted, dating (not that he was too interested in that these days, but still), the childless life he’d always envisioned for himself. And yet, if you asked him, Wayne would tell you truthfully that he’d never regretted it. How could he, when he loved Eddie like he was his own even when he was probably the reason he was balding? He carried a picture of an eight-year-old Eddie in his wallet from their first Christmas together, he had two mixtapes Eddie had made for him when he was barely 13 and still figuring out who he was and what music he liked, he had Eddie’s birth certificate and the papers he’d signed to become his legal guardian in a manilla folder at the top of the hallway closet along with a newspaper clipping from the time a photographer had taken a picture of a bunch of smiling kids at a pumpkin patch for an article, his boy’s grin the brightest of them all. No, there was virtually nothing in the world that could convince Wayne Munson that becoming Eddie’s caretaker had been the wrong choice, but when he walked into his trailer that Sunday at 6:30 in the morning and immediately tripped on a pair of shoes that had been abandoned at the door, he couldn’t wait until the moment Eddie was all grown up and would leave for greener pastures.

He bent down to grab the shoes, fully intending on throwing them down the hallway for Eddie to pick up later when he realized these weren’t Eddie’s shoes. They couldn’t have been, because for one, they were a size much smaller than his nephew usually wore, but also because they were black kitten heels with a strap and a silver buckle at the sides. These were women’s shoes, and he had no idea who these belonged to but judging by the fact that they were lying by his front door, the owner was still in the trailer. Turning on the lights, he looked around and saw something a parent never really wants to see: signs of their kid’s sex life. There was a dress lying on top of the couch, clearly haphazardly thrown, a white frilly sock next to his armchair and another one in front of the TV. Wayne took in a deep breath, fully intending to pretend like he’d gone temporarily blind, but when he took one step further into the living room and noticed the white cotton bra dangling from the corner of his coffee table he couldn’t stop the indignation from bubbling up his throat.

“EDWARD!” he bellowed, not caring if the mystery girl in his nephew’s bedroom was still there or not.

“Shit!” he heard Eddie yell, accompanied with a loud thump as the boy hit the floor, clearly startled out of his dreams.

Eddie had been enjoying a peaceful sleep - probably the best sleep of his life - when he heard his Uncle Wayne yell his name from the other side of the trailer. During the night he’d shifted from the position he’d been in when he initially fell asleep and was now currently being spooned from behind by Dottie, who jolted awake at the same time he did; her scared gasp on his neck sent him straight onto the carpet and scrambling to open his door. Bleary-eyed, he spilled into the hallway, heart in his throat and ready to fight an intruder or call an ambulance.

“Boy, get over here now,” Wayne gritted out, jaw tight.

Oh, fuck. He knows. Someone probably called the cops, he knows Dot broke Andy’s nose, shit, was all that was running through Eddie’s brain as he approached his Uncle meekly. He looked equal parts terrified and confused, and Wayne softened, remembering how skittish Eddie used to be whenever he accidentally raised his voice too much when he first came to live with him.

“Wayne, I can explain,” Eddie held his palms up, trying to control the situation.

“Look, Ed, you know I don’t care what you do and who you do it with as long as you ain’t bein’ stupid ‘bout it, but at least have the decency of not treating our home like a goddamn love motel,” Wayne said, voice lower but his tone still strict.

“Uh- what?”

“I don’t think that lady friend you got in there would appreciate me knowing what her undies look like-”

“Fuck,” Eddie flinched, but Wayne continued.

“-so please, get her her stuff and take her home so I can get some sleep, would you?”

“It’s not what you think, I swear.”

“Eddie, I don’t give a shit.”

“No, you don’t understand- it’s not a lady friend, it’s Dot,” the youngest Munson said, eyes wide begging his Uncle to shut up for a second.

Wayne looked at him quizzically for a few beats before directing his eyes to the hallway where someone was poking their head out of Eddie’s bedroom. And lo and behold, a sleepy-looking Dorothy was staring back at him with the most shameful look on her face he’d ever seen on anyone in his entire life. Wiping his face with his hand, the old man sighed and motioned for her to come out of her hiding place. She rushed forward, head bowed until she reached Eddie’s side and grabbed the back of his shirt for comfort, gnawing on her lower lip.

“Son,” Wayne looked back at him with a pointed look. “Can you please pick up her clothes before we have this conversation?”

Eddie nodded and leapt onto the coffee table, hiding the offending bra under the rest of her clothes before throwing them inside his bedroom for them to deal with later. Dottie waited in silence, wanting for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. She didn’t know what was worse, Wayne believing they’d hooked up or them having to explain that actually nothing had really happened and have the older man think they were liars. He looked at her and noticed the gauze covering her hand, frowning at the idea of her being hurt.

“You okay there, kid?” he asked, nodding towards her injury.

“Y-yeah. I… I kinda got into a fight last night,” she admitted shamefully.

“You got into a fight?” he asked, disbelief clear all over his face. “With Ed?”

“Actually yes, but that’s from a different fight,” Eddie said, coming to stand next to her again.

“Okay, Jesus,” Wayne muttered to himself. “Sit down.”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Munson. I promise this is not what it looks like,” Dottie said, looking up at Wayne who stood on the other side of the coffee table with his arms crossed.

“You don’t gotta call me Mr. Munson, you’re not in trouble,” he reassured her with a wry smile. “Now, wanna tell me about these fights you been getting into?”

“We went to a party in Loch Nora,” Eddie explained. “Some bullshit about saying goodbye to senior year, whatever. The basketball meatheads were being assholes so Dot punched one of them.”

“This guy called me names,” she said, fidgeting in her seat. “Said some really ugly stuff, and I was so pissed I just kinda… hit him.”

“Pretty sure you broke bones, princess,” the youngest Munson said, pride tingeing his voice.

“Damn,” his Uncle said.

“He threw beer all over my clothes and I didn’t want my Dad to see me like that so I asked Eddie if he could bring me here to get cleaned up. Nothing inappropriate happened, I swear.”

“Kids, I don’t mind if it did-” Wayne started saying, but Eddie cut him off.

“Wayne, we’re telling you, she showered, I gave her clean clothes and then we went to sleep. That’s it, we just slept in the same bed,” he looked at his Uncle with red ears. “Nothing else happened.”

“What about that fight you two had? Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” he looked at Dottie and they both smiled at each other shyly. “Was just a misunderstanding, we sorted it out. I was being dramatic and threw her stuff around, you know me.”

“No, you weren’t,” she sighed. “I wasn’t listening, you had to get me to shut up somehow.”

“I mean, I could have picked up your clothes after we made up,” he chuckled, and she snorted, still a little embarrassed at the situation.

“Okay,” Wayne said, scratching his beard. “If you say nothing happened, then I believe you. But-” he looked at Eddie. “-if anything ever happens, and I’m not saying it will, but I still gotta tell you this… don’t be an idiot, son. Got you those condoms for a reason.”

“Jesus Christ, Wayne,” Eddie flinched.

“Actually, I threw them out when we cleaned his bedroom last month,” Dottie said, mortified but also holding in a chuckle. “They were kind of… old?”

“Old?” Eddie asked, his brows rising on his forehead.

“Expired, Ed. You do know those things have an expiration date, don’t you?” she said, and Wayne let out a loud chortle.

“Do I look like I knew that?” he replied, looking at her like she’d just blown his mind. “Why do you think that box was sealed?”

“Didn’t really need to know that, but I’m glad there won’t be any little Munsons toddling around here then. God knows we ain’t got the space,” Wayne said, putting an end to the conversation. “You two gonna hang out here today?”

“No, I should get home,” Dottie said, turning to Eddie. “Gotta tell my Dad I broke someone’s nose eventually.”

“We could always tell him you were defending my honor,” he joked, getting up. “That asshole threw me onto a table, Wayne, I think my ass is bruised. Look!”

“Ain’t nobody wanna see those pale cheeks, boy, pull those pants up!”

It was around 8:30 when Eddie pulled up to Dottie’s house, parking his van in the driveway just outside of the closed garage. James was already awake as evidenced by the open living room windows; he was a light sleeper and his body was so used to waking up early for work during the week that he hadn’t known what a lie-in looked like since he was in his early 20s. The teens had stopped at a bakery on their way to the house, planning to have breakfast together and maybe spend a little time away from the trailer so Wayne could have a well deserved sleep without being disturbed by their loud chatter. At the looming sight of her own house however, Dottie couldn’t get her legs to move to hoist herself out of the van. Eddie circled around to get to her side, bakery bag swinging from his fingers as he opened her door and waited for her to get out, always a gentleman.

“Okay, what’s wrong? Want me to go home so you can talk to your Dad alone?” he asked, tapping on her knee to get her attention.

He’d barely been able to look away from her while he drove, mesmerized by the fact that she was just calmly sitting next to him, in his clothes, browsing through his tapes, mumbling the lyrics to whatever Black Sabbath song was playing from his radio. She had swapped her borrowed boxers for a pair of Eddie's old sweatpants that barely reached his ankles anymore; they were too long for her and he'd rolled them up for her so she wouldn't trip when she walked, her cute kitten heels barely visible under the surplus of soft dark blue fabric. Dottie interlaced their fingers, stalling until she felt like she could finally face her Dad and tell him she’d gone all Rocky Balboa on some dude’s face.

“He’s gonna kill me,” she muttered; Eddie didn’t have to ask what she meant.

“No, he’s not. You defended yourself, it’s not like you went after the guy while he was distracted. It’s gonna be okay, I promise,” he reassured her, slotting between her legs to give her a one-armed hug.

“Please don’t go.”

“I won’t. I’m gonna be there for backup the entire time, okay?”

“...Okay.”

“Okay! Good. Wanna get out of the van now so I can give you a kiss before your Dad catches us out here like two idiots?”

Laughing softly, Dottie finally let herself drop from her seat and let him lock the van before he sneaked a hand around her waist and pushed her into himself, kissing her temple first, and then her lips. She sighed, content to be safe in his arms where no one was mad or upset for a little longer.

“Good morning, darling,” Eddie muttered against her mouth.

“Good morning, Ed,” Dottie replied, squeezing him once before letting him go and making her way towards her front door, wringing her hands nervously.

The house was so quiet it might as well have been empty, but the curtains moving softly in the breeze coming in from the opened windows were inviting and cozy, the air heavy with the scent of coffee and upcoming rain. Dottie took off her heels, leaving them against the entrance table in the foyer before hanging her purse from a hook next to the door and heading towards the kitchen. Eddie followed without hurry, the bag filled with warm baked goods crinkling with the movement. As they approached, they could hear soft noises coming from the coffee machine mingling with James’ voice, calm frustration noticeable in his tone.

“Dad?” Dottie called.

“I’m in the kitchen! No, Dad, I’m talking to Dot. Yes it’s still leaking! Yes, I know how to- you don’t have to tell me again, I’ve done it a million times before,” James looked up from where he was crouching under the kitchen sink and saw the kids enter, confusion painting his face as he took in his daughter’s appearance.

“I need to talk to you,” she said, not wanting to delay the moment any longer.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I just… I really need to talk to you. Like, right now.”

“Uh, Dad? Yeah, I’m gonna have to call you back, okay? Uh-huh. Yes, I’ll tell her you love her-”

“I love him too,” Dottie said, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips at the thought of her Grandpa Ken on the other side of the phone.

“She says she loves you too. Okay, talk to you later. Bye-bye,” James hung up and eyed Eddie curiously before turning back to his daughter. “What happened to your dress?”

“Someone spilled beer on me. We washed it last night but I think we probably should wash it again,” she lifted her hand, the one that wasn’t injured, a plastic bag containing her clothes dangling from her wrist. “Eddie gave me some of his clothes so I could take a shower.”

“I can see that. You stayed over at Eddie’s?” James crossed his arms, face carefully schooled into a stoic mask.

“I’m sorry I lied. I was upset and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to come pick me up,” Dottie pulled at the hem of her Garfield shirt.

“Did you get into a fight with Jeff?”

“Not exactly, no.”

“Okay. What does that mean?”

“I got into a fight, just not with Jeff,” she moved her other hand from where she was hiding it behind her back letting her Dad see the gauze.

“Dorothy, what did you do?”

“I… I punched a guy in the face at the party?” she grimaced.

“Dorothy.”

“He deserved it,” Eddie said, pulling James’ attention to himself. “That guy, he’s- well, he’s a bully, sir. Him and his friends were shoving us, and he was saying all these nasty things-”

“Eddie, I appreciate you trying to defend my daughter right now but getting into a fight and hitting someone isn’t how you deal with things.”

“I know that, but that asshole- sorry, that guy isn’t someone you can reason with. He’s a jock, he’s been bullying us for years. He had it coming,” Eddie explained. “He’s a racist, sexist piece of trash that thinks he can get away with everything he does because he’s popular and has money.”

“I get that, trust me, I do but-”

“He called me a whore,” Dottie said, silencing them both. “He has it out for me because I told him to stop bullying my friends or else I’d tell our Spanish teacher he cheated on a test, so he said I was a slut in front of everyone to make me look bad. He would have hit me and Nancy if one of his friends didn’t tell him to back off.”

“He threatened to hit you?” James’ eyebrows rose.

“He raised his hand at us. His friends pulled him away before he could do it.”

“He also emptied an entire beer can on her head,” Eddie added, jaw tight.

“And he pulled Eddie’s hair and pushed him into a table,” she ended the story, eyes glued to the floor.

“Well, in that case… fuck that guy,” James scoffed. “Who is this kid?”

“His name’s Andy, he’s on the basketball team,” Dottie said, but Eddie was way ahead of her.

“He’s Carson Humphrey’s son.”

“Of course he’s Carson’s boy,” James turned to Eddie. “I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“You know his Dad?” his daughter asked, curious about this turn of events.

“Everyone knew Carson back then. Popular, had money, shoved everyone into a locker if we looked at his girl wrong. Can’t believe Adelaine married that asshole.”

“He’s still a piece of shit,” Eddie said. “He’s one of the suits at the plant my Uncle works at. Wayne hates him, says he’s always treating everyone like trash.”

“That really does not surprise me.”

There was a moment of silence that passed between all three of them before James moved to get a mug from one of the cabinets. He filled it with coffee, stirring one spoonful of sugar into the dark liquid, and turned to the teens who were still standing on the other side of the island, awaiting judgment to pass upon them.

“You two had breakfast?” he asked, taking a sip.

“No, we left as soon as we could. Wayne worked last night and we didn’t want to disturb him,” Dottie said, wondering why she wasn’t grounded yet. “Am I… Are you mad at me?”

“Come here,” James said, opening his arm so she could tuck herself into his side. “Am I happy you got into a fight? No, I’m not. But you stood up for yourself and your friends, and I am proud of you for that.”

“You are?”

“Of course I am, honey. I’m proud you didn’t take his shit lying down,” he sighed. “Just… don’t lie to me again, okay? You could have told me hey Dad, I’m gonna stay over at Eddie’s, I’m upset and I don’t want you to pick me up and I would have respected that. You know I would have. I know you’re old enough to do whatever you want and I can’t stop you from doing that, but what if something had happened, huh? What if there was an emergency and I couldn’t find you? It’s just you and me, Dot, you gotta help me out here a little bit.”

“I’m sorry. I promise you I was safe, we stayed at Eddie’s all night. Mom’s dress was gross and I was so upset, I just… I don’t know. I didn’t want you to see me like that,” she mumbled.

“It’s okay, honey. Nothing a good wash can’t fix,” James muttered into her hair. “Ed?”

“Y-yes, sir?” he looked awkward as hell, avoiding staring at them while they shared a tender father-daughter moment.

“You want some coffee?” the older man asked, but Eddie understood what he really meant to say. Thank you for being there for my daughter when she needed you.

“I’d love coffee, thanks. We, uh- We got donuts on our way over if you want some.” Thank you for letting me be there for your daughter; here’s a peace offering.

“Which kind?”

“A dozen. Half glazed, half with jelly,” he smiled.

“Atta boy,” James grinned at him, and the tension in the kitchen dissolved to nothing.

After breakfast, Eddie helped James fix the leaky sink in the kitchen while Dottie put a new load in the washing machine, her Mom’s baby blue shift dress finally on its way to normalcy. From the laundry room next to the kitchen she could hear what were possibly the two most important men in her life talking like they were family, and in a way, she supposed they were. Whether Eddie and her stayed together forever or not following recent developments, she knew he would always occupy a big space in her life, and she was grateful that her Dad was so accepting of him. Once Eddie had left, she’d most likely have to give James a full rundown of what had happened at the party and how she’d ended up at his trailer instead of going to Jeff’s house, but she wasn’t afraid of him getting mad at her anymore.

Officially not in trouble, the teens retreated to her bedroom to hang out while James finished up his morning routine. He came out of the bathroom after a shower, dressed up in his cozy Sunday clothes fully intending on going downstairs and lounge around until lunchtime when he walked past Dottie’s room, the silence coming from behind her almost closed white door startling him. He’d heard them talking animatedly all morning, had Eddie left already while he was in the shower? Peeking inside, he saw the two teens asleep on top of the comforter, Eddie spread out like a starfish and Dottie curled into a ball next to him, her pillow on the verge of falling to the floor. James watched his daughter turn in her sleep towards her friend, the soft cushion finally hitting the rug with a barely audible thud, her head perching on Eddie’s arm and her hand resting on his chest. He would have laughed at how her sleep-addled body had betrayed her if he hadn’t seen Eddie shift to accommodate her new position better, turning onto his side to drape an arm around her middle and pulling her to him, his leg tangling with hers. He snored once as he settled and they both carried on sleeping like nothing had changed, but James knew without anyone having to tell him, that everything was different.

With the heavy heart of a Dad watching his little girl slip away from his fingers in order to grow up into the wonderful woman he knew she’d become one day, he closed her door again and headed downstairs, trusting that the boy who held her like she was precious cargo when he was unconscious would do exactly the same while they were awake.

Monday, June 2nd - 1986

“So is it true? Did you really break Andy’s nose?”

“For fuck’s sake, Fred, I think people in Indianapolis couldn’t hear you. Wanna ask a little louder?”

By lunchtime, Dottie was already tired of people coming up to her and asking about Andy while the boys in Hellfire were having a lot of fun scaring nosy students away. Nobody was denying the general story - how could they when half of their senior class had seen the fight go down - but as the rumor spread like wildfire, the specifics of it all were becoming more and more convoluted. Some said she had punched him because Andy had tried to slip a roofie into her drink, others said that she hit him during a lover’s quarrel, and her personal favorite was that she’d actually been upset over him getting a better grade on a Spanish test than she did and went psycho on him. Her friends were stuck to her like velcro, arguing that they were worried that someone in the basketball team would try to retaliate but it quickly became evident that they were keeping their distance when during her AP Spanish class on third period, Andy sat as far away from her as possible, a butterfly bandage decorating the bridge of his nose.

Nancy told her one class later during AP Research that Andy’s nose hadn’t actually been broken, but that he was probably still going to be sporting the white bandage and a purple eye during his prom pictures. The damage was superficial, which is why the basketball team was so willing to pretend like it hadn’t happened, particularly after their teammate had been so ready to punch two girls much smaller than him in front of their entire year over what seemed to be a mere misunderstanding. Much to their chagrin, their need to protect one of their friend’s girlfriends was very unneeded, as evidenced by the fact that Chrissy greeted both Dottie and Eddie with hugs and big smiles in the hallway when they crossed paths. No one wanted to fight the freaks on Chrissy’s behalf if she wasn’t going to play her role as the damsel in distress.

“Get lost, Benson, we’re trying to have lunch in peace,” Gareth told him, shooing him away with his hand like Fred was a bothersome fly.

“Good luck I wasn’t talking to you then, Coleman,” Fred said, turning again towards Dottie. “Come on, Dot, aren’t we friends? Just tell me what happened, Nancy won’t say shit.”

“You’ve never called me Dot in like the three months I’ve known you,” she said, pointing at him with her lettuce-filled fork.

“No time like today to start, huh? So why did you do it? Did he really try to feel you up?”

“That’s a new one, hadn’t heard it yet,” Dottie looked at Jeff across the table from her and he snorted. “I hit him because he was being rude, kinda like you are being right now.”

“You’re absolutely no fun, did you know that?”

“I’ve been told. Now scram before I punch you too,” she smiled at him sweetly.

“You’re spending too much time with the weirdos. Drop by the newsroom before you leave, got your final stack,” Fred said, finally relenting and going back to his table.

“Okay, I know you’re upset about it but you gotta admit that punching a jock on the nose is a really cool story,” Dustin laughed. “Best part is that he can’t even do anything about it because he’s too embarrassed everyone saw him getting hit by a girl half his size.”

“Yeah, that’s… not the pick-me-up you think it is, Dus,” Dottie sighed. “I’m just tired everyone keeps trying to talk to me about it.”

“Look, you’re only gonna have to deal with it for two more weeks and then you’re out of here forever,” Mike said. “No one will care anymore after the holidays start.”

“Speaking of being free from this hellhole,” Donny said, tapping the table excitedly. “Are we still on about the summer jobs thing?”

“Absolutely, yes,” she nodded. “I wanna save up as much as I can before Michigan.”

“You two getting summer jobs?” Jeff asked, curiously.

“She’s gonna cover for my sister while she’s on her pregnancy leave,” Donny explained.

“Aw, man, you two are gonna work together?” Gareth complained. “My Mom got me a job at the fucking supermarket, one of her aerobics class friends is a manager or some shit like that.”

“You gonna be a cashier?” Jeff said, laughing when Gareth nodded. “You can barely do basic Math, who’s the fuck is trusting you with money?”

“Shut the fuck up,” he threw his straw at his friend.

“What are you gonna do, Jeff?” Mike asked.

“Dunno yet, might walk some dogs again to get some cash before college.”

“Aren’t you allergic to fur?” Dustin frowned.

“Cats.”

“Ah.”

“Does anyone know what Eddie’s gonna do?” Donny wondered.

“What do you mean what’s he gonna do? He already has a gig,” Gareth said, mouth full of mushy carrots.

“You really think he’s gonna keep selling weed after graduation?” Jeff said. “I bet he’s gonna ask Dave for a job or something.”

“Who’s Dave?” Dottie asked.

“He owns The Hideout. He’s known Eddie for years, and he’s always saying he needs a bartender. I think Ed’d be good at it.”

“Who knows. Doesn’t seem like he’s too interested in a job anyways,” Gareth shrugged, but Dottie knew that wasn’t true.

As the conversation kept going and Dustin talked about his summer camp and being reunited with his girlfriend, Dottie stared at Eddie’s empty chair at the head of their table and wondered how they were going to navigate the changes in their relationship if they were both about to have completely different schedules.

“I’m telling you, Chris, it was something straight out of a fucking movie.”

“It sounds like it!”

Eddie and Chrissy were hanging out in the woods, enjoying what was probably going to be their last time together at their spot. Hellfire was officially on hiatus and cheer practice had ended last week, so there were no more reasons for them to stay after school on Friday evenings, and thus no more secret smoking sessions would ensue. Still, when Eddie opened his locker to find Chrissy’s note asking if he wanted to have lunch with her at their table, he took the opportunity to update her future Maid of Honor-Best Woman-Whatever That Shit Was Called on his developing love life. Yes, he wasn’t actually supposed to be telling anyone what had transpired after they’d left the party, but he figured that letting Chrissy know wouldn’t be too bad considering how much help she’d been providing to him all along.

“I’m really proud of you, Eddie,” she said, pushing a cherry tomato around her little Tupperware container. He’d noticed she wasn’t really eating but didn’t say anything about it; maybe she didn’t like the salad her Mom had packed for her. “You put yourself out there even if it was scary, you set goals and worked hard to achieve them, and now you’re about to graduate while dating the girl of your dreams. You must feel so relieved everything turned out great.”

“Actually, it feels weird,” he admitted. “Like, all this time I was psyching myself for it, y’know? And I thought it was gonna be this huge thing once it happened, and it was! But… I feel, I don’t know, calm? Like for once in my life I’m not just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“That’s great. I’m happy she makes you happy. I’m happy you’re both happy!” she smiled, reaching across the table to grab his hand. “You’re really cute together, and you deserve to feel loved.”

“Yeah,” he laughed, a little out of breath. Dottie loved him. Dottie loved him. That was gonna take some time to get used to. “Anyway, enough about me being a fucking softie. What’s going on with you? What happened after we left?”

“Nothing much,” Chrissy shrugged. “People kinda went back to their own stuff, it was pretty normal. Jason and I got into a fight on Sunday though.”

“I’m sorry. Did we-”

“No, no, it’s okay. He was being an idiot,” she rolled her eyes. “Everything is fine now. He was… well, he asked me if there was anything going on between us.”

“What? Us as in like, you and me?”

“I know, right? So weird. Apparently Andy told him you were, like… being a perv about me at the party?”

“Fuckin’ Andy, man.”

“You can say that again. But really, it’s fine now. He calmed down after I told him I had it on good authority that you liked Dottie.”

“You told Jason Carver I had a crush on Dot?”

“No, I told Jason Nancy told me you had a crush on Dot,” she giggled. “He didn’t ask anything else after that. Every time I bring up girly gossip in front of him he mentally checks out.”

“Yeah, no, that seems reasonable. No sane man likes girly gossip.”

“You love girly gossip.”

“Who said I was sane, sweetheart?” Eddie grinned.

“Ugh, I’m gonna miss this! I’m gonna miss you!” Chrissy groaned. “My Mom’s gonna be looking at me like a hawk all summer.”

“Lie to her and come hang out with us. We’re probably gonna be at the lake most of the time, it’s hot as hell and none of us has a pool,” he said, munching on his last bit of sandwich.

“I’d love to go but I don’t wanna say yes and then flake out on you. She’s… overbearing when she wants to be. And I need to start training for the preseason so she’s gonna be on my ass all the time. She already ordered my new uniform, she’s insane,” she let her head fall onto her arms.

“I bet Dot can help you out with that. She won’t suspect too much if you’re going out with another girl, right?”

“Maybe,” Chrissy said, not putting too much faith into the idea. “I need to figure something out though because I think I might freak out if I can’t smoke anymore.”

“Actually, I kinda wanted to talk to you about that,” Eddie scratched his neck awkwardly. “I’m not gonna sell anymore after graduation.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“I don’t want Callahan to bust me again now that I’m 20. Hopper didn’t give two shits about it but that asshole is gonna tell Chief Powell, and I think he hates me,” he crossed his arms over his chest. “But I can give you the number of this guy I know, I’m gonna buy from him too probably.”

“Okay, that sounds good. Can we, like, buy together though? At least the first time. Until I know he’s not, y’know, a murderer or something,” she laughed nervously.

“Yeah, we can go together,” he smiled. “Can’t go until a week after graduation though. Gotta take a pee test and I don’t wanna risk it.”

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No, I… I’m applying for a job.”

“Are you serious?” Chrissy beamed at him.

“Yeah! But I don’t wanna jinx it, so don’t ask me anything about it until it’s a done deal,” he said, lifting a finger at her in warning.

“Okay, okay, I won’t. But that’s so exciting, Eddie, oh my god!” she got up from her seat and went to hug him. “Look at you, being all grown up and stuff! Who are you and what did you do to my Eddie?”

“I’m still here, haven’t gone anywhere,” he smiled, leaning into the hug. “Just decided to stop dicking around for once.”

It occurred to Eddie, once he was sitting in his English Lit class after lunch, that he owed much of his recent maturity to the girl sitting next to him. Dottie was playing with the rings on his fingers as they relaxed at the back of the classroom, a boring movie playing during their last period to fill up time while their teacher tried to finish grading all the finals she had in front of her. He pulled her hand up to his mouth silently, not wanting to attract any attention towards them, but no one cared. Half of the class was asleep anyway. He kissed her injured knuckles over the colorful band aids he’d gotten for her, and she smiled at him, eyes soft and heart soaring.

“Thank you,” he muttered; she looked at him inquisitively but he didn’t say more.

When his lips pressed to the inside of her wrist, she understood what he had meant: thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being here. And when they were finally alone, hiding away in what was now known as their clearing at the edge of the lake, he told her he believed he couldn’t have gotten to where he was without her and she replied that all she’d done was to simply return what he’d given to her since the day they’d met, which was kindness, understanding, and above all, a whole lot of love.

taglist (comment below or send me an ask if you want to be added!): @munsonology @kurdtbean @every1lovesanunderdog @eg-dr3amer3

[naomitours]

Tromsø, Norway: The North Above the North

I am not a "cold-weather" person, both in personality and in personal inclination. So you might wonder why someone like me would go to Norway in December. And if you asked me this after I actually got there, it would've been a damn good question! But I had a single reason, and a good one:

That's right, I went to see the northern lights. The green lady. "A-AURORA BOREALIS??", in the words of Superintendent Chalmers. People much smarter than me say this is caused by the sun's upper atmosphere emanating a solar wind that reaches *our* upper atmosphere. While not the most consistent place in the world to see it, Tromsø is one of the easiest and largest to try your luck.

Disclaimers from the Top of the World

The first thing you should know about Tromsø is that the sun doesn't come up for most of winter. You'll have light for a few hours, sure, but it's not the same. The meaning of darkness is different when it's ever-present, and those brief few hours of light mean everything. I found myself wanting to shed my coat and soak the light in through every pore of my body.¹ Depression is a real problem here, so is alcoholism. (I was even told by a local that they track alcohol purchases via card, to make sure nobody is drinking too much in the dark months!)²

The "sunset" over the Tromsø harbor, 1:35 PM.

The second thing you should know is that you need traction on your footwear. Pack your snow boots, or buy some shoe spikes because otherwise you'll be spending a good chunk of your time here on the ground, cursing the ice. My dumb-ass had decided to come to Norway on a whim, without thinking or preparing, so I showed up in my Doc Martens slipping and sliding. I almost couldn't make it to my Airbnb, my host having to come down and help me up the hills!! Thankfully I was able to borrow boots from my, again, incredibly lovely host³, but my god you've never appreciated gravel so much!

The Tromsø Troll Museum

That's right, the main attraction in the city, the reason you flew hundreds, perhaps even thousands of miles! This tiny museum with a bunch of trolls scattered all around!

It's a cozy space, and if you're as fascinated as mythology as I am, it's really a must-see if you're in town. Also, there's a replica of a hulder. According to local lore, these were beautiful women who would often try to lure men away from their human homes, to live in otherworldly pleasure with them⁴, or they would marry human men and join our world, retaining their otherworldly strength⁵!

Aurora Borealis

The biggest disclaimer I'd offer for the northern lights is this, you are never guaranteed to see them, even if you do everything "right". This was such a huge source of anxiety for me until I finally had a good sighting, then I was able to relax. I recommend doing some guided tours, these are not necessary (I saw them once right outside my Airbnb!) but it's going to maximize your chances by getting you away from the city's light pollution. There's many different modes of transportation for this, I myself took a bus and a boat, but I saw advertisements for planes, helicopters and even dog sleds*. The first time I ever witnessed the northern lights was on a sleepy little boat tour, New Year's Eve 2023.⁶

The interior was very cozy, more importantly it was warm, essential on a night with subzero wind chill. I enjoyed cookies and coffee and hot chocolate with marshmallows!

The lights don't look like the pictures, that should be stressed. The vast majority of aurora borealis photos are taken via long-exposure, and our eyes just don't work the same way. But on a good night you can see a faint green distortion in the sky, as if a riff into another dimension. It's like you expect an alien spaceship, or the giant hand of a monster to come ripping out of it, changing our world forever.⁷ But for the natives of Tromsø, it's just a day like any other.

View of the Aurora Borealis, from my Airbnb the next day.

I also recommend booking a few different tours, if you're like me and only really need to see it once, many will let you cancel on 24hrs notice if you pay extra. I recommend this as a good way to save money, but I'm kinda a cheapskate, so what do I know?

Also, please don't be discouraged if you don't see the lights on any given tour, you still do get some really beautiful photographs. It's important to keep a sense of relativity about you, you are standing at the top of the world, in the freezing cold. And in this moment you are having a novel human experience, regardless of whether or not you see some pretty lights on top of it.

What I Ate

Now, you might think the food is very bare-necessities in this sleepy arctic city, but you'd be surprised! One of the first things I had was something I had actually failed to find in Oslo, a delicious Norwegian donut called a skolebolle:

With a custard center and coconut flakes trimming the top, it's a deliciously sweet treat that I found in a Eurospar for the equivalent of a dollar. I recommend enjoying it with black coffee! Not pictured are the other things I got from the store, including paprika-flavored potato chips (highly recommended) and a large bar of Freia milk chocolate, which you'll not be disappointed by.

There's also an abundance of little convenience stores that will get you hot meals for relatively cheap (Northern Europe is expensive!) On the right you'll see a pepperoni calzone that was pretty good, along with a Norwegian soda that was less so. But if you're looking for a finer taste of Tromsø, stay with me:

This is a sampling I did of Aquavit, the signature liquor of Scandinavia. All of it was made right here in Tromsø, and I had a lovely guide for this tasting. To name a few, lingonberries and reindeer meat, not to mention a small slice of grapefruit.⁸ It's a little skimpy, however the point isn't to eat, but to taste!⁹

Conclusion/Takeaways

It can be a very scary thing, to be so far away from home. In all my years of travel, though that uncertainty has diminished, it never truly goes away. Maybe travel is just like any other experience, your tolerance to it builds until you only feel the original high when you get even further out of the world as you've known it. In this way, travel is much like a drug. But what moves me most about travel is its capacity to help us understand not just the planet we live on, but our own place within it. And if you ever feel lost for purpose, I might recommend standing on top of the world, hunting for otherworldly apparitions in the sky //

Footnotes:

¹ Of course, if you actually try to walk around in Tromsø without a coat, you will a)freeze to death and b)look stupid

² LITERALLY 1984

³ Of course, I had to return the boots when I left for the airport, meaning I fell not once, not twice, but THREE times trying to get down the hills to the bus stop. Seriously, you can't wear your Docs, no matter how fashionable and punk rock they are!

⁴ But why would you want to do that, when society is sooooooo good?? Like, who wants to live in a fantasy world where there is no suffering or want when we have Pizza Hut here, right now?

⁵ A hulder also features prominently on the cover of that one metal album by the murderous Nazi that your friend still listens to, despite knowing he's, you know, a MURDEROUS NAZI.

⁶ I would later go on to watch a man in lederhosen play The Weeknd, Cher, and at midnight ABBA's "Happy New Year", all on a keyboard. Dude was a one-man entertainment MACHINE, the vibe was immaculate.

⁷ As seen in Avengers 17: We Saved the World Again, in theaters this summer! Go watch it. Right now. The corporations demand it. DO IT. CONSUME.

⁸ Make sure your meds don't interact with grapefruit. Grapefruit may cause side effects including sour taste. Ask your doctor if grapefruit is right for you.

⁹ You know, like, a tasting menu or something!!

[xirex]

JULIA ✮ FRIENDSHIPS ?!

! YUNJIN . . . JENLIA

le sserafim's yunjin

julia's contact name : julie 💕

yunjin's contact name : jenjen 💞

they're basically sisters. julia met yunjin just before she went into produce 48 and their conversation just flowed so naturally—they just had to be friends. since then, they've been inseparable. if jake or one of the boys weren't there to give her advice, julia would head straight to yunjin. and when yunjin got eliminated from the show, julia was there to comfort her and make sure that she never gave up on her idol dreams. when she signed with somu, julia was her biggest supporter, and even showed up to every le sserafim comeback show to support her friend. yunjin offered julia the best of advice, even if she only understood the struggle her friend was going through to a certain extent. even the boys themselves know and are friends with yunjin.

? WONYOUNG . . . LIWON

ive's wonyoung

julia's contact name : jieunnie

wony's contact name : my queen 👑

julia and wonyoung met during produce 48, when the former made a visit to the set to see yunjin preform. it took them a while to get close, but now, they're like best friends. they don't hang out alone often, most times being during 'dorkz' meetups because of wony's busy schedule, but when they do, it lasts hours because there's so much to catch up on. two fashion icons, the duo enjoy styling each other and occasionally post videos or pictures of the process on instagram. just a really wholesome relationship that's more private compared to julia's other friendships.

! MINJI . . . 2JI

newjeans's minji

julia's contact name : jujuju

minji's contact name : CAUSE IIIIIII 😋

them meeting was extremely random. julia bumped into minji in a target shoe aisle while looking for a new pair of shoes for seungmin. somehow they became friends after that. these two are like two hype girls !! constantly cheering each other or their friends on for doing the smallest of things LMAO. they love messing with dispatch too!! once julia went out with minji dressed man-like and it had everybody confused pls. my little pranksters <3 out of every duo in the 'dorkz' friend group, these two are the best at tricking the others. after minji debuted, julia would NOT stop singing attention & hype boy and even does it with omg now.. bless her members' ears.

! KEEHO . . . KEELIA

p1h's keeho

julia's contact name : front door frame 🖤

keeho's contact name : forward up 🖤

my silly gooses frl!!! they love to play around. they met just before p1h debuted, in a convenience store ?? julia saw him pick up a bag of chips and was like "i love those too!!!" :insert shock face: from there, they became bee eff effs! a mix of tom and jerry and "omg ilysm let's get married!" tbh. another more private relationship; these two prefer to hang out in the dorms rather than going out, just sitting doing something as simple as video games. trust me, they'll make it extra somehow. they're the type to send you 100+ tiktoks in a span of 2 hours and then continue to annoying quote said tiktoks the entire day until they find something else to mimic.

! LILY . . . 2LI

nmixx's lily

julia's contact name : lelelelelelele 💔

lily's contact name : lililililillili 💔

never shuts up x never stops singing. all of the 'dorkz' hate [/joke] them. they've been friends since they were trainees !!! their conversations could last for hours, because somehow, there's always something new to talk about. they like to go out a lot; arcades, malls, rollerskating, bowling, etc. every day there's some new adventure they're going on and documenting in the group chat. they have a bunch of different v-lives together, dating all the way back to 2019, of them just talking about whatever's on their mind or playing some game.

! SOOBIN & YEONJUN . . . JJUTTANGBIN

txt's soobin & yeonjun

their gc name : 도움이 필요 [ needs help ]

these three.. i don't know how to explain them. two overly confident idiots and one tired leader? its um. chaotic. they can't do anything together without causing chaos, but it's okay. 'sleepovers' that turn into either a. all three of them entangled together cuddling, or b. one of them accidentally breaking something and everything ending up in an absolute wreck. soobin and yeonjun love to scare julia, while julia loves to tease them for being "old hags" (they're only 2-3 years older...). overall, fans love them, while their group members do anything and everything in their power to keep jjuttangbin apart.

! SUNGHOON . . . PPOKKU

enha's sunghoon

julia's contact name : ppororo

sunghoon's contact name : 🐧

they began being friends when they had to be mcs together, but met some time before that. you would think they wouldn't be a good match—however julia's extroverted nature brings out the more playful and energetic side of sunghoon, something fans enjoy seeing when the two do interviews together. their friendship is filled with teasing; it could be over anything, just give one a prompt and they'll find some way to connect that to the other. despite this, the two admire each other, even if they won't admit it out in the open; julia for his talent in ice skating and visuals, and sunghoon for her expertise in dance. they hang out more often nowadays, just simple coffee or shopping friend-dates.

! JAY , JAKE , & RIKI . . . JAGIZ

enha's jay, jake, and ni-ki

their gc name : 사랑의 새와 세 번째 휠러 [ love birds and the third wheelers - made by riki ofc ]

julia met jay through jake in early jan '21. then, around a month later, she, jake, and jay were gonna go to an arcade to hang out; riki saw the three leaving and immediately started being a little shit asking them to take him with them. julia, wanting to be nice, agreed (although jake begged her not to) and that bloomed the jagiz friendship we have now. her best friends !!!! they always go out or have celebratory dinners whenever one group's promotions end. during the enskz drought, they got caught hanging out tgt by dispatch and fans so much that it started to make fans think julia was dating all three boys at one point...weird, right? anyways, their name "jagiz" came from a vlog julia posted in mid-2022. jake used 'jagi' to call julia over, and jay & riki immediately began to mock him, julia joining in at some point as well.

for some context ,, jake & julia went to the same school & have known eo for years; they began dating in january '21.

! BSS . . . BSSJ

svt's dk, hoshi, and seungkwan \ such a long nickname. bssj stands for booseoksoonjul :sob:

their gc name : 싸움, 아니 [ fighting, no ]

julia met hoshi when she worked with seventeen for home;run! he found her talent in dance really cool and because they had similar personalities, wanted to be friends. initially, it was just hoshi & julia, but then he introduced her to dokyeom & seungkwan and everything just clicked for the four. bss were the only seventeen members she wasn't highly intimidated by, and they had already knew of julia because she blew up in 2019 for her dancing, so they managed to get along in a more natural setting. these three treat her more as a best friend rather than a daughter or younger sister (although sometimes, they do end up using their ages against her); regularly scheduled game nights, sleepovers, gossiping, etc. and julia's been mentioned / involved in a handful of going seventeen episodes because of her friendship with bss.

xia's message . . . this took everything out of me to finish. lee jieun why are you a social butterfly. this is only her close friends too.. :sob: taglist [ @mynameisnotlaura ]. . . open!