#the band rub off on her after the events of HS

[palettepainter]

I stayed up till 4am working on these and I they're still late oop-

Anyway belated Valentines themed doodles with Liv and Skeeter!! I imagine the band got invited to some fancy event with the Muppets and Liv found the courage to ask Skeeter out, so the band helped her put a fit together

Hope all the couples and single people had a great Valentines!!

Older Skeeter design by @skippiefritz

Message screenshot in the second drawing from @zombiedeers on Discord

[girlwsoftsound]

Slaying Dragons || Ross MacDonald Oneshot

Word Count: 3,261 Summary: “Can you write something about a HS reunion, Ross being the readers fiancé who accompanies reader to this reunion and he encounters the readers ex or ex crush who hurt her and Ross becomes uneasy or something and when the guy approaches her Ross gets defensive idk something sweet but with a taste of a mean Ross 🙂” Author’s Note: I absolutely loved writing this fic! Defensive Ross is 10/10 fun stuff. Hope you like it as much as I do! Be sure to throw in a like or comment if you liked it! I love seeing feedback from you all. Please feel free to read my other work here! Enjoy!

High school was an...interesting time for you.

You could say you had the typical high school experience. There were good friends, bad friends, people you wished were your friends, people you wished had stayed five feet away from you at all times. You went to sports games, enjoyed clubs from time to time, tried your best in class. It was high school - it was the time meant to find yourself, and you did all you could to help you figure yourself out. Eventually, you found your place in a few clubs with a good group of friends and an A/B average. You also found a boy - Clark.

Oh, how you fell for Clark. Who wouldn’t? A tall, built boy with jet black hair and a soft face. He was on the football team on defense, and he had relatively good grades for someone whose time was spread so thin around football. He caught your eye after one of the games of his you attended with your friends. One game-saving interception by him had you swooning. In no time, you found yourself trying to get his attention, first subtly and then later more obviously when subtle failed to work. Obviousness did the trick. Clark fell for you back.

For a while, you were on top of the world with Clark. He made you his girl, the one he would do anything for. He met you at your locker every day, and ate lunch with you when your schedules would align. When they did not, he still made sure to ask to go to the bathroom to give you a kiss. He took you to homecoming, both years you dated him, and Junior and Senior prom. He was the one for you, you were sure of it.

At least, up until the night of Senior prom. He was great during the dance as always. He kissed you, slow danced with you, and joked around as if he would be happy doing so for years. You had made plans to go with him to a friend’s house afterwards for an after-party. Clark drove you, and you both got there with the intentions of having a good time. The issue was that Clark’s idea of a good time was very much not yours. You realized this was the case about an hour and a half into the party, when he brought you up against a wall for a kiss and started getting handsy. You told him to stop, but he didn’t. Before you could think, he was rubbing his crotch against you and essentially coaxing you to get sexual with him. It was something that, at the time, you were not okay with doing. You had to push him off you and have a friend come to drive you home. You cried the entire way, feeling like you had ruined things.

Clark, to your surprise, did not turn you away after this. The whole situation seemed to go away overnight, and he was just as nice to you as always. Being young and in love, you did not question it much. Life went back to being good, all the way up to when you were supposed to graduate. The night before, more precisely. That night, you found out why exactly he had been so content with you. Up in his room, where you were planning to surprise him with kisses and a cute mini-picnic indoors, you found him butt-naked with an equally naked girl, whom you knew to be a cheerleader, fucking her as if she had been the one with him for almost three years. Your heart broke instantly. He tried to apologize, but you did not care. You cried, threw the food you had prepared at him and the girl, and ran home. Your mom sat comforting you for what seemed like hours. Seeing him the next day get his diploma was enough to rip what remained of your heart into tinier shreds. The Clark you had poured your heart out to was now a stranger, a face that you wished would disappear forever. The promise of college was the only thing keeping you from giving up on love.

It was good that you kept your hopes up. In your Sophomore year, you traveled overseas to the UK for a study abroad trip. There, you met plenty of people. No one caught your eye more than one boy with dark brown hair, a scruffy brown beard, and an admirable love for history and music. His name was Ross, and he stole your heart from the moment you ran into him. He treated you like you should have been treated all along. He brought you flowers, he inquired about you, he cuddled with you when you had a hard day of classes. He even played for you, which you came to love more than anything. All the while, he did not once push you to do anything you did not want to do. It made the moment you actually felt ready so much more special. Even then, he treated you at your own pace with incredible care and love. Once your study abroad was over and you had to part, you made plans to move to be with him as soon as your Bachelor’s degree was in your hands.

He proposed to you a year to the day that you moved overseas with him. His band, which had gotten their big break while you were in your final year, made a beautiful scene for the proposal. When you came home, you found them set up in the living room, Ross absent, candles everywhere. The lead, Matty, began to sing softly your favorite slow song of theirs, and suddenly Ross appeared. He was in a suit and looked positively dashing. It took your breath away, almost as much as the sight of the ring he intended to put forever on your finger did. You wasted no time saying yes. That night, after the boys left, you made love to Ross and told him you would never let him go. He held you as you fell asleep, promising the same and that he would always protect you. You were positive these promises would hold true forever.

The next day, a piece of very special mail came in with the normal load. Ross found it and brought it to you as you waddled into the kitchen, your hair messed up and your body still covered in one of Ross’ larger shirts. When you opened it, you knew exactly what it was. Your five year high school reunion was finally upon you. It sent chills down your spine, and not the good kind. Ross noticed the paleness in your face immediately and guided you to your dining room table. After getting you some tea, he sat and listened as you explained to him just what was so chilling about the invitation. The looks on Ross’ face said it all as you spoke. Whatever hatred you still had left for Clark, he seemed to reciprocate in double.

“We don’t have to go,” he told you, and you truly were grateful that he said that. Frankly, you did not want to go. Other than your few friends, you hardly wanted to go back there and relive all those memories. Simply passing by your old locker would be enough to set you off. It was not worth it.  However, something inside you told you otherwise. Something told you to go, to confront Clark and show him that cheating on you and treating you like crap had actually led you to bigger and better things with a man who was twice the man he was. When Ross repeated again that you did not have to go, you stopped him and said that you did. He still seemed wary, but he trusted your judgement and respectfully promised to go and be by your side the entire time. You kissed him, and the plan was set. You were going back, no matter how nervous you felt.

Thankfully, the reunion was not slated to be on a cruise or something ostentatious like that. It was to be in the gym of your old school, a dinner followed by dancing or friendly mingling. It was meant to be low pressure, yet you felt pressure on your chest the moment you got on the plane to go overseas to there. Thankfully, you had made the trip a big occasion that had you seeing your family and vacationing a bit before actually having to go to the event. You got to show Ross off to your family, along with your new ring, and lay by his side on the beach with your hand in his and the sunlight hitting the both of you. The comfort of it all made that pressure go slightly away, or at least be numbed until the day of came. It did not fully return until you went to get dressed. You began shaking so hard that Ross had to help you.

His gentle hands slid the beautiful blue dress over your shoulders and down your body. He helped you place each shoe on your feet, kissing your legs tenderly when he could tell you were starting to shake again to ease your mind. You let him kiss you for what seemed like hours, though only minutes. You drank in the calm assurance from his lips, letting it wash over you and mend your own frayed nerves. By the time he had you safely in the car you both were renting, your shaking had subsided and your confidence had risen slightly. Nevertheless, Ross kept his hand in yours, squeezing you every now and then to remind you he was there. That was all you needed to know. He was there.

The place looked the same. Sure, it had a few new coats of paint, but it was still the same old school, with the white railing and rustic black and gold coloring. Even in the darker light of the evening, it brought back memories. Memories of you walking through those doors on your first and last days, of you listening to music with friends on the courtyard grass because your parents had not picked you up yet and no one had a car. It all came back right then like a waterfall over you. You found yourself gripping Ross’ hand tighter. He kissed your cheek. It would be okay.

The gym was decorated like any ol’ dance, with streamers and cute tables and a dance floor set up. People were scattered everywhere, by the food, by the drinks, on the dance floor, at tables. Your eyes were flying between them, trying to spot the guy you did not wish to see, simply wanting to know his location even though you wanted nothing to do with him. Before you could catch him, someone else caught your eye. It was a group of your good friends, and they all rushed to see you as soon as you made eye contact. Happy hugs, a few tears, and introductions ensued. They brought you and Ross to sit with them at their table, and spent a good portion of time getting to know all about Ross. Two of them took pictures with him, which made you laugh. For a while, it felt like old times. You felt at home, happy, this time with the added comfort of the man of your dreams beside you.

One of your friends caught sight of Clark first. Turning to follow her gaze, you saw him. He looked somewhat the same, perhaps more built than before, and this time with a bit of a beard for himself. He was dressed nice, you had to admit. He looked like he had money. On his arm was a girl who seemed to signify that. Her dress was stunning. She looked done up with makeup, and had jewels on her neck that sparkled no matter what light hit them. They looked well off, and that almost hurt more than seeing him. Deep down, you supposed you wanted to see him looking unhappy or struggling. It wasn’t so much out of a fit of spite, but more because you did not want to seem worse off even while being so happy. You were scared he would see you and be glad he cheated and left you to dry. Ross caught your expression and squeezed your hand, trying to get your attention. You could hardly look away, though. Not when he was there, flaunting himself around.

“He’s the one,” he murmured, pulling your gaze to him. “Isn’t he? Clark?”

Nodding, you finally squeezed his hand back. “Yup. That’s him.”

Looking around at all the girls, Ross got up and set his napkin on the table. You looked at him in confusion, even calling after him as he moved across the room away from you. It was not until he was heading in the direction of Clark that you got up and went after him. A bad feeling seeped into the pit of your stomach. This could not end well. It couldn’t. The sound of Clark getting shoved against the wall of the gym, though muffled by the music in the room and not causing much of a scene, proved that fear to you. You ran to Ross’ side, pulling him by the arm away from Clark. Clark’s girl, be her wife or fuckbuddy, stared at Ross with disgust. You shot her a look of your own, but went right back to trying to pull Ross away. Clark chuckled.

“Well, hello again {Y/N}.”

“You stay quiet you son of a bitch,” you replied, still trying to keep Ross away. “Ross, babe, it’s okay.”

“Listen to her, Ross. You wouldn’t want to mess with me.”

“Like hell,” Ross growled. All your years knowing him, you had never heard him sound so infuriated. It scared you a bit, your grasp easing up on him slightly. “You have no right to even speak to her after what you did.”

Clark smirked, his gaze turning to you over Ross’ shoulder. “I think you don’t have any right to talk for her. What’s your name, buddy?”

Ross’ eyes narrowed. In seconds, Clark was thrown again against the wall, his back hitting with a thud that made his girl gasp. “My name is Ross, I am not your buddy, and she is my fiancé. I’m allowed to say anything I need to to protect her from complete scum such as yourself.”

“Do you hear your loverboy talking to me like this, {Y/N}?”

“Shut the fuck up,” you said, cold and full of acid in your response. Clark only laughed again, rolling his eyes. It made Ross’ fists clench.

“I thought you did not like guys to be so rough.”

“There’s a difference between being rough and being a piece of shit who does not respect their girlfriend’s wishes,” Ross fired, his face closing in on Clark’s. “She told me everything. She told me how you went and cheated on her when she did not accept your advances on her prom night. She told me how you made her think you loved her only to go and fuck the nearest girl who was willing to suck your cock. You make me sick,” he spat, marked with another shove to Clark’s shoulder. “Here, I was hoping you would have changed with age, but no. You are just as shitty as she made you out to be, if not worse.”

“Haha, but I’m not the same. I’m wealthier and more well off.”

Ross shook his head. “Money does not mean a thing. I have money. Loads of it. My friends who have the same income as me wear Gucci almost every day with extra money to spare. I have people who would pay to say hello to me. I can assure you that I am more wealthy than you could ever hope to be, and yet you want to know something? I’m not a dick. I’m not conning myself into thinking that because I have some more cash, I’m suddenly a far better person than I was before it. That’s your issue. You get to forever live with the fact that you are hiding behind money and nice suits, that you need those to make yourself even remotely attractive to women because you are so shit to them. I don’t have to know much about you to see that.”

Clark’s fist hit Ross’ before either of you could react. Right to the jaw, causing a loud wail to escape him. You gasped and immediately reached to spin him around so you could see him, but you were also too late. Ross was already swinging his fist at Clark, hitting him right in the nose and knocking him back. This time, he did not only hit the wall, but slid down it. Blood was quick to stain his fancy suit. The girl fell to the ground with him, gasping at the sight. Ross merely held his infuriated gaze, even as your jaw dropped beside him and hands gripped tight at his arm.

“That’s for my fiancé.”

Taking your hand, Ross brought you swiftly outside of the gym and out to the parking lot. Once he felt he was far enough away, he stopped and leaned against a pillar of the carport there, clutching his jaw. You looked to him with wild eyes, still a bit stunned at what happened. Ross chuckled.

“Fuck, and I owed your friend a drink, too.”

A smile crept upon your face. “You just punched a man clean in the nose and got punched in the jaw, and that’s your first worry?”

He smiled slightly. He would’ve smiled brighter, but his jaw was beginning to ache and he did not wish to push it. “It was worth it, no?”

“I can’t believe you did that for me.”

“Well love,” he spoke, moving his hand from his jaw to your arm, “I’d do anything for you. You’re my future wife. I wouldn’t be able to stand myself if I just sat there and let you feel uncomfortable around that prick. He deserved what he got. You deserved to be protected.”

You leaned in and gently kissed Ross on the lips. “I don’t deserve you.”

Ross stole another kiss, before pulling away just barely with a smile, his eyes still shut. “Shhh. You deserve the world, my beautiful bride. I’d slay dragons for you. I love you, so ardently.”

Wrapping your arms around Ross, you looked into his eyes. In those eyes, you saw everything from love, to possessiveness, to protectiveness, to a slight twinge of pain. Overall though, you saw the man of your dreams, the man willing to do whatever he could to make you happy and safe by his side. You saw the face that made you feel at home, the look that made you blush and giggle like the silly school girl you had been before Clark ever stained your life. Hugging him to you, you knew that whatever new memories you would make with Ross would be good ones, happier ones. Ones that would put Clark to shame. Just as much as Ross would fight to keep you safe and loved, you would fight to make good memories with him and give him that love and comfort back. Forever.

“I love you too, Ross. You deserve to hear that every day.”

He smiled. “I look forward to it, love.”

All was okay.