#there - fixed the text so you can read it now sorry bout that

[juleskelleybooks]

1995. A young woman. Her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. The small Alabama town neither of them can escape. And a ghost. Lilly Ann Guthrie is living with a man she isn't married to; she can't hold down a job, and she can't sit in a moving vehicle without having a panic attack. It isn't the life she once imagined for herself, but she can't complain. She has a roof over her head and food on her table, and she doesn't owe either of those things to her only living relative, an aunt whose disdain almost makes her wish she'd died in the same car wreck that claimed her brother and parents. So it could be worse. But in late summer, life decides it has other ideas. Her boyfriend's infamous ex, Jolene, comes back to town and turns everything on its ear, including Lilly's ability to be satisfied by her current circumstances, and strange things start happening around her house. Voices in empty rooms, fleeting glimpses of someone in her peripheral vision. Is she on the verge of losing everything, including her mind, or is she standing on the precipice of having even her most secret wishes granted?

Stars Still Fall, a southbound novel by Jules Kelley

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[myoddessy]

🍰 for Dad!KSI of how he would be while taking care of his daughter while his wife/gf is out on a girl's trip and she comes back to see both father and daughter all happy but the house in a mess 😭

hi!! sorry for the wait, i lowk hate this but i hope it's okay 💞

with a glass of champagne in your hand and a calming breeze in the air, to say you were in nirvana right now would be an understatement. "you alright, babes?" faith asked, running her hand through the water and throwing her other arm around your shoulder, resting on the edge of the hot tub.

"mhm. just miss them, i guess." you rested your head on the crook of her neck. "i get you." she leaned her head on top of yours. "i'm worried i'll miss something important. like, what if she starts talking while i'm away!" faith laughed.

"i know what you mean, hun. but if jj and ethan get to go to dubai and all that, we can go to france for a weekend." she rubbed your arm. after another sip of her champagne she spoke again, "i just hope they haven't burned our houses down."

"ethan, man, I've got shit on my arm, what the fuck!" ethan cackled loudly at jj over the phone.

"that's what happens if you try change a nappy with one hand, you nob." jj could faintly hear olive gurgling happily on the other line. "wipe it off and finish fixing your kid, geezer."

"alright." jj nodded to himself. "man this is so fucking gross." he threw the nappy in the bin and picked his little girl up, gently bouncing her as she giggled freely.

"wonder what the girl's are up to." ethan mused.

"chatting shit 'bout us, any money." jj laughed. he looked around the sitting room and the toys he'd stepped over to make it to the couch without breaking his neck. "mate is your place a mess too?"

ethan did the same, barely having to turn his head before he saw a pile of baby blankets and toys. with a deep inhale he replied, "yeah."

"swear i'll twist my ankle on some building block legos the second i step foot through the door." you sighed, looking over at faith who was getting a massage during your facial.

she laughed. "oh, definitely. wonder if ethan remembered which baby blanket she likes or if he brought down all of 'em."

"i really needed this trip. i haven't felt like a normal person since the second trimester." you smiled at the dermatologist who handed you another drink while your face mask set.

"genuinely. glad it's you i got to be normal with, babe." she winked at you.

jj was passed out on the couch, your little girl sprawled out on his chest, drool escaping from the corner of her mouth and seeping through his shirt. he held her up with one hand, while the other laid across the back of the couch.

she woke with a start, screaming into his ear and making him jump. in a blind panic, jj reached for his phone, about to call you until he saw a notification from you from an hour ago—a picture of you and faith at a corner cafe with pastries too beautiful to be eaten and coffee cups twice the size of your daughter's face, and he decided to put the phone down and handle it himself.

he stood up slowly, rocking his baby as he did so, and humming some nursery rhyme that had gotten stuck in his head over the past two days. slowly but surely, she began to calm down. her eyes that were previously sealed shut now opened to look up at him in soft wonder and her lips bore a smile that he swore melted him then and there.

you stepped out of the taxi and gave faith a hug, telling her to text you when she got home. you grabbed your bags and made your way up to the apartment, a sense of excitement growing in you.

you braced yourself when you got to the door, nudging the key in the lock and stepping inside. the first thing you saw was the mess. the stacks of legos and dolls and teddies and baby books that jj had undoubtedly tried to read to her before declaring them too boring and tossing them to the side.

then you heard her laugh and your head snapped to the sofa where she sat bouncing in his lap while he held her hands and made funny faces down at her. you quickly snapped a photo before walking towards them, knowing this was the only way you wanted to live your life.

[cloud-somersault]

so just read your review of s5 and i definitely think that this season wasn’t lmk’s best and tbh the ending falls flat for me

i honestly think it’s the pacing and how everything is fixed with a bow too quickly and there’s not enough time to really process and delve into. which the specials help with, but we didn’t get one here and it just makes me go :/

there were a lot of good moments like you said (and i am latching onto them for my own safety bubble lmao) but omfg yeah when you mentioned the unexplained magic system i could not have nodded harder because HOW???? HOW DOES MK JUST KNOW THE SPELLS????? i can only suspend my belief for so much. i do trust them to explain eventually but how long do i gotta wait ;-;

sorry for the mini rant at the end. i just haven’t seen others also mention lmk’s issue with its magic system and yeah

first off, i love people using the smaller text to appear as if they're whispering. LOVE that. it's so cute.

second, that wasn't my full review. more of my initial thoughts. If I did a full review, it would be 10 pages long with sources and it would be peer reviewed and have footnotes and stuff. I still might do that. LMFAO

but s5 spoilers ahead, ofc.

but! yes. The pacing in LMK has always been quite fast! and that was less noticeable when the stakes were lower. but now that the world's always going to be in jeopardy, apparently, then. the pacing is really too fast for what they want to do.

We don't have time to delve into what the characters are feeling after each major event. Why are we JUST NOW learning about how Mei has the Samadhi Fire still and it's been inside her all along? During s4, there weren't any clues (that I saw) of her still having it, like no emerald swirls of fire, just electricity. So, the fandom, as a whole, thought she lost it, but noooo, it's been there all the time. Like, what??? That's a great way to make your audience feel stupid.

There's no -- like how did Red Son feel being locked in the scroll. What about everyone else. How are people feeling after Azure nearly destroyed the world. What about that aftermath? That part...that part that people largely think is filler is crucial to telling a story like this. We have to have moments where we sit with the characters and check in on them, see what they're thinking, how they're coping. We don't get that. We don't get enough of it. And it makes these characters feel flatter than they actually are.

They sneak in what they can in snippets and one-liners but that's not enough at this point. It's not enough when every season is going to be a world-ending catastrophe. We need to know these characters. And they've had 5 seasons to do it, and I still don't know critical things that I should know by now.

Also, worldbuilding? Can I get some, please? If the worldbuilding was good, we could go without a magic system! Think Lord of the Rings --- such WONDERFUL world building and history baked in, I don't have time to worry about the magic system. I've got so much information to go off of, I can suspend my disbelief because the world is so developed and magic can happen in a whimsical way.

But there isn't any...we travel around but WHERE ARE WE GOING?? How do-- can humans use magic? Can they see it? Have humans stumbled upon the celestial beasts ever? What bout the temples scattered about? NO one has? What if a human gets their hands on an artifact, what then? They fight in areas where humans are; is there no concern about being spotted? Sorry, but if anyone fucking saw a creature that looked ANYTHING LIKE Sun Wukong, he would be swarmed with pictures and selfies like.

And Nezha is just?? walking around??? WHAT??? I know in S3 they did this, too, but at least it was contained to those people on the train. this is a whole ass....city now.

I feel like people are just hearing me whine and complain about the magic system and they don't think it's a big deal. It's a HUGE DEAL. There is so much magic in this show!! There is so much magic that is just flung around by using seals and fancy circles. What do those circles mean??? Does everyone have their own special circle. Why does Macaque not have a circle, is it because he uses shadow magic?? Or chaos magic?? Why are they fucking with the magic now WHEN THEY HAVEN'T EVEN FULLY EXPLAINED WUKONG'S/MK'S MAGIC!!!!

Spoilers for the end of s5. But how. Does. MK. Know the spell. For Wukong's circlet. HOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW DOES HE KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He saw Li Jing cast it maybe 3 times, but that's enough? How, MK? When did you study that magic? When did you learn how to use seals? When DID YOU LEARN HOW TO CLOUD SOMERSAULT??

How can I follow MK anymore when he's going places I can't pinpoint? I started off with him knowing nothing, now he picks up powers whenever he wants. If that's the case, just make him as strong as Wukong then!! Just do whatever. There's no power balance either. How strong is Macaque against MK? How strong is Mei against Macaque? I need a magic system or something so I can measure these values!!

They are never going to explain it to us. You can search through the series and look for clues, but that frustration is caused by the show not telling us crucial information. They want you to suspend your belief over and over and over again, but there comes a point of pure frustration where the audience is so disconnected from what's going on, because there's no rules. Characters can do whatever they want whenever they want.

Think about how that affects the plot. Think about how they came across these stones so easily. Think about how MK suddenly got the power to reach the top of that pagoda. Think about how they just so happen to stumble and find the White Lion and Azure Dragon like!! The plot is suffering! The characters have been suffering! And i'm suffering!!!

Sorry for my SUPER LONG RANT but i'm just so fed up.

[kolour-me-kourt]

Chapter Seventeen: It’s 10:10 where you been?

They had finally made it to the point where Jayson didn't want her around anybody else . Everytime she was about to go out with friends he had something planned. She finally started getting frustrated. She planned a phone call so she was waiting for him to call and finally he did.

"Hey sexy how you doing?" She asked him smiling "I'm good I'm just tired bout to get in this ice bath" "I wanna do one with you next time" "that'll be fun can't wait to see you do that" "I'll be a thug" he slides into the water  "I bet but um what you wanted to talk about?" "I'm going out tonight with my friends" "oh okay I was hoping we could watch movies tonight" "bae this kinda what I needed to talk about I need some time with other people too ... okay? I still love you but" "you need some space?" he seemed sad she felt bad "I don't like how that sounds" "that's what you saying though?" "I like the texting and calling and finding movies to watch together but when I wanna step out I want your blessing to do it I don't wanna go out with my friends and then all I can think about is hurting your feelings " "ok I get that...just cause I like being in the house don't mean you should have to be glued to your bed when I'm not there ...I get it" "you promise?" "yes...so who you going out with? "a few of the girls" "going out to eat?" "yeah food and drinks..." "you know the restaurant?" "No why bae" "Im just asking...you'll be out late?" "possibly" He didn't like the way she was answering. She was being to vague and it pissed him off. "ight I'll hit you later" he hangs up "Uhhhhh no he didn't" yn stood there confused before she could call back her friend was calling.

Hiiii yn

hey boo

Im hype for tonight ...but what's wrong with you?

nothing just me and Jay...nothing

hmmm well fix that and ill see you later right?

yes I've been looking forward to this night

oh yeah so since we all gon be drinking can we just meet at your place and uber to the restaurant from your house

yeah ...do y'all wanna spend the night too? just leave tomorrow so everyone is safe

My man will probably pick me up unless y'all want a sleep over

I don't care just um ask everyone else....either way its fine

okay well ima let you go so you can get hype cause you not hype right now

yn slightly laughs my bad by the time yall get here Ill be ready.... I promise

mhm see you soon

see ya

                      call ended

Do I call Jayson back? or just wait.... yn thinks that was so strange for him to do and this was entering into toxic territory. She decided to put her phone on dnd and take a shower blasting her music and letting her phone charge. Once she got out of the shower she grabbed her phone taking it off of do not disturb and reading the notifications 5 missed calls two from her mama three from Jayson and several text messages after calling her mama back she read the group chat messages first the girls are on their way...that was ten minutes ago so that leaves her twenty. That's the good thing about meeting at her place she didn't have to be ready. When she went to Jayson message she got teary eyed so she decided to call back he answered on the first ring.

"I love you and im sorry that was so fuckin stupid" yn tears began to fall "Jay you make me not wanna go out" "I want you to go out I like when you to have fun...I just enjoy it more when Im with you or I get to come pick you up...or Im in the bed waiting for you that's all." "so fly down here...meet me in my bedroom so when I get back...I'll have something to look forward too" "bae..I can't just fly down there in two hours" "yes you can You're Jayson Tatum you can do anything baby....get yourself down here to me...and I'll show you how grateful I am" "... I can't do that tonight Bae .... But please go out and have fun" "okay I will" "let me know what you wearing" "you just wanna see?" "Yeah talk me through it while I'm in this Ice bath" she smiled going to her closet to pull out options.

"Soooo I have these black distressed jeans from fashion Nova .... Then I have this shirt to go with it..... but I didn't know if I wanted to dress up a little more so I also have this dress .... Or this shirt and skirt" "all those are fly bae idk... what everybody else wearing you don't wanna be under dressed compared to your friends" "you right im gonna wait until they get here to decide" YN sits back down staring at him slightly shiver it made her smile. "Wish I was in there with you.... Trying my hardest to warm you up" she smiled

"you so sexy..." "I'm not trying to be.... I just miss my man" "your man misses you too.... Don't get it confused" YN hears her doorbell so gets up going to the door. "When am I gonna see you next?" She opens the door letting her friends in "heyyyy girls" Asia and May come in "heyyy ... where your clothes" " on the bed ... im on the phone with Jay" "hey ladies!!" He says waving so YN let's them see the phone "heyyyy Jayson what you doing there?" May asks laughing making him shake his head

"my ice bath" "oh okay nice" "I was trying to see what y'all were wearing before I chose .... But it's on the bed" they take their shoes off going back to her room. "I like the jeans..." may said "I like the shirt you put with the skirt .... But I like it with the jeans" Asia says "that's fine can you find me some comfortable shoes too..." "yes you wearing heels though"

"Ima let you go bae... everybody be safe and I love you" Jayson says YN pouts "I love you too" "why you making that face" "I really really really miss you" "make sure she drink and have fun tonight ladies!!" "Oh trust me we will" "send me your outfit with the shoes I wanna see it on your body" "okay baby " "I'll see you later...bye" "byeee" she hangs up smiling

"Where's Trin?" "On the way she should be here in like five minutes" "okay and are y'all staying?" "Yes both of us" "okay go get your stuff then and y'all can sleep in the other room together"  as they head back to the living room for them to grab their stuff. Trin is at the door so they let her in. "I have a blow up mattress if you wanna spend the night" "yes I'll spend the night no point In making my man drive all the way over here" "okay bet we can do that when we get back so that it doesn't deflate" "okay .... Ima get the shots going" "okay let me go change real quick y'all can go ahead to the kitchen"

YN goes to her changing into her jeans and t shirt grabbing her heels and purse. Bringing it all down stairs. "You two shots behind" Trin says smiling. "Okayyy... pour me up" YN laugh taking her first shot and then the next.

"You feeling better?" "Yes me and him was beefing before my shower" "about what" "I don't wanna talk about it yall let's just go have fun" "who calling the Uber?" Asia asks "got you" may says "everybody spending the night?" "Yupp" "oooou okay let's go have fun" "the Uber only five minutes away.

"Everybody take two more shots" "lord" YN laughed they take their two shots and YN heads to the door to put her shoes on because she had to lace them up. "Uber arriving In two minutes.... Everybody got everything?" "Yesss let's stand outside everybody walks out YN sets her alarm and locks the door. Walking with her friends to the Uber.

"I forgot to take my full body picture for my baby" YN pouted "he checks your outfits?" Asia asked "he likes to see what I have on he likes the way I dress" YN smiled "nasty ass" trin said laughing "anyway somebody take my picture in front of the restaurant please."

"How is your night sir?" Trin asked the Uber driver "good real nice night" YN giggled "yeah she's drunk already" "it was four shots back to back and I can't name one thing I ate today" "bitch you knew we were going out why you ain't eat" "I said I can't name what I ate that don't mean I didn't eat" "you so damn annoying ..." "likewise" they arrive to the restaurant. "Take my pictures Asia please?" She laughed " yeh I got you" "ima check the reservation" trin says "okay I'll go with you" May says

YN poses for her pictures as Asia takes them sending them straight to Jayson.

"Okay your man texting" "thanks Asiaaaaaaaa....he so damn sexy look at how he hypes me" "you do look good friend.... Let's go"

When you get them shoes? You look so pretty baby

I got these a lil while ago Just never wore them

Well have fun tonight .... I'll talk to you when you get in

Okay baby I love youuuuu

I love youuuu

YN and Asia walked into the restaurant and then they were seated. "Can I start you guys off with any drinks?" "Lemon drops all around please" "drink or shot" "one of each "okay great I'll get that in for you guys.

           * time skip*

"Damn how long we been waiting for the checks?" May asked YN laughed at least 10 minutes the waitress walks back by "excuse me" "yes?" "Yeah we were asking about our checks" "oh sorry your bill was paid I can bring you a receipt" "everybody bill? Or just hers?" Asia asked "everyone's bill it was all on one ticket" "did you get a tip too?" "Yupp" "oh great okay then yeah a receipt would be great" "alright I'll be right back" "who Tf paid for us?" Trin asked "idk but call that Uber so we can get tf out before they realize" YN laughed soon the waitress brought the receipt back out and they all got up heading outside and soon the Uber was there.

Heading homeeee with the girls

Okay be safe

Always daddy💕💦

Mmmmm you gon show me later

You asking?

Did you see a question mark?

😂😂😂 no

Exactly stop playing with me

I don't know who you think you talking to but this is your girlfriend

Nah

.... This my wife

😂😂👀 wait until I get alone ... you can see whatever you wanna see.

Oh wow.... You like that huh?

Stop playing with meeeeeee

After getting out of the Uber. "Who's car is that YN?" "I can't see that far tbh" YN laugh unlocked the door and turning the alarm off. "Im gonna go change and then I'll meet y'all back down here. "Everybody take fifteen minutes" "okayyyy" YN walked to her room and screamed

"baby!!!!!" "Mmmm hey sexy" Jayson picks her up "you made it" he kissed her lips slowly "I did... and you're not alone" "it doesn't matter" "it does though" "why?" "I'm not fuckin you when you got people in the house" "my friends don't care I promise .... I can suck your dick in front of them and they wouldn't care" "oooou let's do that" she rolled her eyes "that was just an example don't play" "you don't wanna share me?" "Never" "let me go say hey to your people"

"Wait they getting theirselves together I gotta make sure everybody decent before you go down there" "y'all just be walking around naked?" "Hate to kill your fantasy but no😂😂" "no fantasy .... I only think about you. In fact I was thinking about what was gonna happen when you saw me here..... but we can just chill tonight I did miss you" "bae we're having sex tonight .... And I mean that" she smiled "only if you sure nobody will be mad" "first of all it's my house secondly they're gonna know you're here .... And when is the next time I'm gonna see my baby? And have time to get some? They care about me they know I need this" he laughed

"you need me?" "Mhm but since I love them so much I'm not on my knees yet" "when you tell everybody you was coming back down?" "Trin said everybody come in like 15 minutes it's already been like 8 tho" "that gives me time.... Let me eat it real quick ... so I know you'll still want me later" YN didn't hesitate she removed her jeans getting on the bed "I missed you baby" YN says looking up into his eyes he pulls her body closer kissing her lips and sliding a finger inside of her.

"You stay wet for me" he kisses down her body as she gets excited to feel his lips and tongue ... he kisses her thighs she whined causing him to smirk. "Baby?" "Hmm?" "Can you eat my pussy... please?" "Of course baby girl" and with that she felt his tongue lick in between her folds still not focusing on her clit but at this moment it was okay cause it still felt good he glanced at her and then placed her clit in his mouth sucking softly.  "Ahhhh" her hips started to move up and down as she began to lose her breath.

"Mmmmmmmm" he moaned against her really causing her to shake. "Oh Jay.... Feels so good" she says softly "you wanna cum for me? Or you wanna see your friends?" "I wanna cummmm" her breath was heavy she was so close he smiled

Let's get real for a second Jayson has no intentions on sharing YN with anyone right now maybe ever.... If his tongue and lips are what's gonna get her to stay in her bedroom then that's what he'll use. "Ride my face bae" he lays on his back she hovers over his face and he pulls her closer "ahhh" "I don't know why you like to play ... suffocate me" her hips begin to rotate against his face the closer she got the harder it was for her to stay on his face

"wait Bae....." his fingers slide inside of her. "Oh gosh oh goshhhhh" "YN YOU READY?" ".....ONE SEC GUYS" "don't stop baby pleaseeee" her legs began to shake around his head "Jayson yes yes yesssss oh baby I'm cumming" she whined softly releasing on his face she heard him slurping her juices up.

"Jay please please pleaseeee" he let go of her and she slowly slides off his face down his chest and to his waist "torture" he groaned she kissed his lips "bae I loved this surprise but I have to make sure every one is good ... come say hey and then you can come back up here" "my dick is hard" "I'll ride it later .... I promise" he laughed slightly "give me a second go head down" "okay Bae"

She gets up grabing her pajama shorts going down stairs she left the door slightly open. "What took you so long?" May asked "well ... Jayson came and surprised me ... he's upstairs" "oh he not gon come say hey?" Asia asked "he is ... soon" "well shit I guess we can all just go to sleep" trin says "why? I'll stay out here with y'all" Jayson comes downstairs smiling bright his basketball shorts lowkey revealing all that belong to YN she bits her lip standing in from of him. He instantly wraps his arms around her,

"Hey ladies sorry to intrude I didn't know you were spending the night" "have you met everybody?"YN asked looking up "Umm no" he laughed YN shook her head "Trin, Asia, and May" "hey I'm Jayson"

"Treating our girl right?" Trin asked "you gotta ask her that I think I'm doing a pretty good job" he kissed the top of YN head making her smile "he ight" he slaps her ass "ima let y'all chill I'll be upstairs... pleasure to met you all " Jayson says walking off "she'll be up soon too Jayson" trin says

"Are you sure?" "You never get to see him ... go enjoy your man" "thanks girls... I'll keep it down... or try too" YN laughed loudly "we got headphones shit" trin says YN gives them a hug while laughing "see y'all in the morning" they all say bye as YN walks back to her room.

"Damn that was quick" he was laying in bed on his phone he glanced up when she walked in "they said I should enjoy you being here.... And I agree" "I ever told you I love your friends?" She laughed "I'll make sure they know" "come here" she walks over to him slowly. "Right here?" He pats his lap "nah .... Up here .... Trying to see something" she smiles straddling him "I do wanna thank you for coming Fr.... I know you had to go out of your way and you'll probably have to leave hella early" "nah you got me..... don't worry about me leaving" she bits her lip "hard not too" "hmmm... come back wit me then it's Friday night" he kissed her lips softly grabbing her ass squeezing.

"For how long?" "Sunday night ... I know you gotta work Monday" she smirked "convince me🫣😉" next thing she knew she was on her back pinned down. "You talk all that shit over the phone... you forget it's different when I'm here" "maybe I want this reaction" "one of these days you're not gonna get it" he slides inside of her making her gasp he doesn't move  "why not?" "Why would you?" He laughed moving his hips slightly  "fuck" she says softly "nah you gon have to make some noise for me...." she laughed slightly

"Jayson please" "please what?" He kissed her lips "go slow I'm tipsy" "you wanna stop?" "Did I say that?" She smirked "YN what did I ask you" she rolled her eyes he stops "I don't want you to stop Jayson" she whined "you really a big ass brat" she kisses his lips as he pulls out "Jay—" "shhh I got you" he slides back in deeply going slow she closed her eyes "that feel good?" She opened her mouth but couldn't say much "hmm?" He asks "-Y—e-ssss"it came out broken but he liked when she couldn't speak.

His thrust were slow and deep as he continued to kiss her. The kissing was just as intense as his hips moving she moved her legs to wrap around his waist but they were already shaking. "Fuck" he groaned in her ear. "Baby?" She asked he bit his lip focusing on anything but her soft moans and how good she felt but naturally his hips started to go faster "Jaysonnn—- fuck" his hand began to rub her clit because he knew he wasn't gonna last much longer "hmm? What you want?" "Don't cum yet" he took a deep breath pulling out his face was quickly in between Her thighs eating her out again

"ahhhuuhghgh" she moaned loudly slapping her hand across her mouth his big hands grabbed her boobs stimulating her nipples. "Hold and spread your legs" slowly but surely she lifted her legs spreading them she watched  as his tongue placed patterns all over her clit. "Yesss baby yess"

He hummed bringing her closer to his face. Two fingers slipped inside her massaging her g spot as his thumb rubbed her clit. He kissed up her body to her lips "cum for me likes this okay?" "Yesss yesss" "I want you to squirt all over this fuckin bed you hear me? Cum for me" "ahh!!" "YN do what I fuckin said" her body shook as he brought her closer and closer and closer and then she lost it completely.

A shaking moaning mess  he kisses her sliding back inside he places his hands on the backs of her thighs so that her legs can stay up and pinned to the bed. "This dick is so good.... It's deep" "yeah? I'm deep" "so deep baby" "you can feel it?" "Yesss daddy I feel it" "ooou where you feel it?" "In my stomach fuck....don't stop" he was hoping that orgasm was gonna keep her at bay but ... he was wrong she needed more she wanted more.

"I can feel you... squeezing me ... you holding it" "I don't want you to stop and you keep trying to" "why you don't wanna stop" he slows down "Jayson please" "I'm asking" "it's feels good I ju—-ughhhh fuck oh fuck oh fuckkkkkkkkkkkk yessssss right there right there" " don't hold nothin unless I tell you to ... do you hear me?" "Fuckkkk" he feels her relax and immediately after her juices start to flow out of her. Then he pulls out flipping her over and pulling her hips to him teasing her a little bit and then sliding back inside her.

"Yes yes yessss" "still deep?" "Yesss Jayson so fuckin ughhhhh" "your arch is amazing don't lose it" "oh fuckkkk" "bounce that ass on me" he pauses his movements so she could do exactly what he said "look at me when you do that shit" she glanced back and as soon as she did he grabbed her hips fucking her again. She burried her face back into the mattress. "Uh uh... gimmie that pussy baby" he pulls her hair "fuckkkk Jayson I'm about to—-" "you can't beg for me to stay in you if you don't know how to take my dick..... take it" he spanks her ass making her lose it completely.

She slides his dick out of her turning around to suck him. "You want me to cum?" "Mhmm daddy I want you to cum in my mouth" he grabs her hair as she continued to suck him slowly while stroking. "Look at me baby" he said softly his voice sounding horse from all the groaning. She continued to moan as he finally released in her mouth he held her head until he was finished. She slowly removed her mouth swallowing. She sits looks up at him. "I'm ready for bed" he shook his head kissing her forehead. "Let's go to sleep then. "Turn that fan on please" she says and then rolls to the side of the bed she usually lets him sleep on.

"What you doing?" "I figured you would wanna sleep in the wet spot cause I don't" "you made it wet you sleep in it" "no" she smiled Jayson walks over picking her up placing her on the floor and then getting in the bed. "Lay on top of me then" "to sleep?" "Yeah... come here" "I don't wanna crush your little frame" "stop playing with me" "just sleep bae" "tell yourself that ... cause I know that" YN gets on top of him pulling the cover over both of them. "I could've just changed the sheets and comforter" "I think you got the mattress wet" "I didn't though" "mmm okay" "sucker" he grabbed her face kissing her slowly "goodnight big head I love you" " I love you too"

      *the next Morning*

YN felt guilty for leaving her friends so she got up early fixing everyone breakfast. French toast bacon and hash browns. Trin was the first one up and out then Asia sauntered out eventually May came too.

"Surprised you up and walking around" Trin says "of course y'all heard me dammit" YN laughed "I didn't think you was trying to be quiet" Asia said "it don't matter regardless though" Trin jumps back in "I was ... but y'all know me the sex is actually really good and I'm already extra so you put two and two together" everyone laughed "he had to leave?"

"No he's still upstairs I'm trying to decide if I was going to with him when he leaves today" "I mean when would you come back?" "Sunday night... which seems pointless right?" "Not if he wants you there I feel like if you can you should" Asia says YN bits her lips "I get that too" Jayson comes in on que

"Goodmorning ladies" "Goodmorning Jayson" they say in unison YN laughs while rolling her eyes. he walks over to her kissing her slowly "Goodmorning to you especially" "Goodmorning ... you wanna eat with us?" "Yeah I'll eat with y'all what's going on" "welll I was talking about you" YN smiled "yeah I'll take my breakfast in the living room" he joked sitting down YN brings his plate "nooo I want you here" "so what about me?" "Nothing too bad just im coming with you today" "good"

Everyone continues to eat and talk until one by one the girls left. "You cooked so I'll get the dishes" Jayson looked down at her kissing her forehead "you can just rinse and put them in the dish washer .... I'll go pack" "okay sounds good to me..." "you sure?" She smiled he look like he was pouting "gimmie kiss" she licked her lips slowly. "When you get done" "mmmm no now" she smiled walked over to him kissing his lips quickly.

"That's good?" "One more" She tried to kisses him quickly again but he added tongue so she started kissing back and then he pulled away. "Go get packed" she bit her lip walking away going up the stairs.

One thing she didn't wanna admit to her friends is the perspective she's gained from last night to tonight ....she's noticed that he honestly doesn't wanna share her and it's not just something cute he likes to say. Of course she invited him last night. But he got the plane and made it to her within 3 hours meaning he got his pilot and staff to the jet in a hour.... He was ready for the invite in other words. Did he have them on call? He walks into her closet staring

"do I need anything nice for dinners? Or are we just staying in?" "You should bring a few outfits for dates" "conservative?" "Not too conservative... but maybe one or two we are having dinner with my mom and her boyfriend" "am I invited?" "I just told you what to wear? Is that not obvious" she laughed slightly "I guess I'm just a little confused .... you didn't know I would be there tonight so how are you making plans for me and you ... and other people?" "I was already having dinner with them and now you're coming home so of course you're coming what's wrong?" She walked over to him holding him close "baby I am home" "you know what I'm saying" she walked away sighing "Maybe we need some space?"

[notkitsune]

hello! this is wonjae, my second muse for this group! (this is a side blog, so i can’t follow back! sorry bout that!)

excited to plot with him, he is very different than my other muse here :D you can access his about page here, but in the meantime, below is a little intro to him and some potential plots! dm me or ask for dis/cord if you’d prefer! tw in the first few bullet points for dv, will be marked below the cut as well

wonjae was born and raised in seoul!

he was mostly raised by his mother—his father wasn’t very involved in his life

(tw: dv) when his father was around, it was mostly to cause issues—getting very drunk, fighting with his mother, etc

when wonjae is 17, he fights his dad & basically kicks his ass then tells him to never come back. happy ending

overall, throughout school, wonjae was in and out of trouble. as a rather obvious anomaly, he was no stranger to the meanness of other kids

he likes to say he was cool, calm, and collected, and never let it get under his skin. thats a blatant lie—he would get angry and throw punches, scratch, bite, etc

he eventually was sent to a special “scare em straight” no nonsense type of school

despite his rough exterior, wonjae was always a creative soul. he started channeling his emotions into his art—his favorite mediums being painting, sculpting, and photography

eventually he attends sua as a visual arts major, and now has started his first year in a masters of fine arts to continue his education!

he’s been a member of house gangcheori since his undergrad, but has since moved up to vice captain. he’s very loyal to this team!

while he loves sporting rallies, he dislikes any other sporting events (he sees anything else as boring)

while wonjae was a very angry kid/teen, he has since calmed a bit (read: learned that remaining cool in the face of adversaries is usually more frustrating for them than getting pissed)

(he likes to think so at least. something about sporting rallies still brings out the beast inside. competitive ass)

he can still definitely reach that point though. which is great because emotional outbursts can make him turn into a fox sometimes. fun stuff

he’s overall a self-absorbed type, very confident in himself and often erring on the side of cocky and arrogant

he doesn’t like to open up—he’s very good at making it seem like he’s sharing a lot about himself when he really hasn’t told you much of anything

despite this, he can be a fun friend to have—certainly fun at parties!

if he does like you, he can be nice. i prommy he’s not JUST an asshole

oh also fun fact since he has a tail he taught himself to sew to fix his pants to be tail friendly. but then he just found he liked it, got better, and now makes a lot of his own clothes!

that went on super long but anyway here are some potential connections!!

people who knew him in school? maybe before he was sent off as a delinquent? or someone else who attended this scare em straight type of place?

fellow artsy types? collaboration on art projects? similar/complementary art styles?

a muse—someone who inspires his art, who would be open to random “i need you to come model” texts

while wonjae has never been in a real relationship (that requires #OpeningUp which is a big no-no), i’d be open to plotted ex flings, casual hookups, fwb, you name it

could even play with the emotions of this—was your muse cool with it being casual? did they feel misled or was this a mutual understanding? etc

enemies? he’s kind of a bitch so i’m sure there are people who do NOT like him

fellow house gangcheori members! do they like him? not like him?

other sporting rally house members! do they actually hate each other, or is it a joke?

handsome man just spontaneously became a fox right before your eyes wyd (i’m mostly joking about this but it does make me laugh)

literally anything i’m open to discussion!!

[timaeusterrored]

(Pictures)

Kerry hated being away from V. That was a no brainer, but he hated it even more now that they had Jackie. Not that it was her fault, he never brought his kids to shows or tours. But not having V or Johnny there sucked. It was lonely.

Johnny would be joining him soon, he had fucked up his arm and Vik had been fixing it, but the technology was so fucking old everyone was trying to convince him to just get a new one. Money was not an issue, Johnny was just stubborn.

His phone dinged from across the room, he was standing at the bar, attempting to ignore the empty bed where one of his partners should have been laying.

He finished making his drink and picked up his phone. A text from Johnny. His face broke into a smile when he saw what was sent.

A picture of Vax and Jackie, sound asleep on Johnny’s chest. V always let Jackie sleep in the big bed when someone was missing, maybe because he was used to three people in bed. It settled in that he wouldn’t get to see his husband and child for another three months, it was torture. Worst of all, V had given him permission to sleep with other people on tour, but Kerry saw as he said it, he would have been destroyed if Kerry had done that. Kerry didn’t want other people anyway, he wanted V and Johnny.

In his thoughts, his holo rang. Johnny again. Bastard.

“I can hear you thinking from here. You’re gonna fry something doing that shit.” Johnny’s face was illuminated by moonlight from their windows, the top of V’s head barely visible from the screen.

“Sorry, I saw the pic and got to thinking.”

“‘Bout what V said, you sleeping with other people?”

Kerry nodded, looking down at his drink. “‘S not like we haven’t hooked up with other people at bars… messed around with Venus and Panam a few times. But those were different, we were together.”

“You slept with Panam?”

“Like once. It wasn’t a whole thing.” Kerry shrugged. “Vax wasn’t that into it really, or really with anyone we don’t know.” Kerry hated the thought of V trying to force himself to have sex with other people for Kerry. He couldn’t care less, but V’s comfort matter to him.

“Damn-“ Johnny looked down when there was shifting, Vax’s face appearing in the holo screen.

“Talkin’ to yourself again?” God his voice. Kerry missed him so much. He’d do anything to go home right now.

“Talkin’ to your husband actually.”

“Ours. And tell him I love him.” V mumbled sleepily before passing out again.

“This is the first time I’ve gotten him to sleep like this. He struggles when you aren’t here.” Kerry loved and hated hearing that. On one hand, V needed him. Vax needed him around. But on the other hand, he was struggling. And hadn’t told Kerry that.

“Is he-“

“I’m making sure he’s eating three meals, showering, and working a healthy amount. I told you, I’ve got this.” He was still skeptical, but he always was when it came to V.

“You need sleep.” Kerry downed his drink and put the glass on the side table.

“And you can’t drink yourself to shit, okay?” Johnny stated. “I’ll be with you next week, think you can hold out?”

He was glad Johnny was coming, but of course his mind immediately went to V. He couldn’t sleep alone, he tended to overwork himself when he didn’t have someone to stop him. Maybe he’d shoot Venus or Judy a text, see if one of them were in town to stay with him. He knew V was a grown man with their kid to take care of, that didn’t make him worry any less.

“Venus is gonna come stay with him while we’re gone.” Johnny seemed a little too proud of himself.

“Asshole. Stop reading my mind.”

“Stop thinking with your face.”

“Night Johnny…”

“Night Ker. Actually go to sleep now.”

[deleahtarte]

Because He’s Kenny [ Prologue ]

Pairing: Kenny / Butters - Marjorine

Content: Alt Universe - College, Aged up characters, Implied sexual content, friends to lovers

Summary: When your boyfriend can’t get it right, you can trust your childhood best friend to.

Note: To everyone who follows me on tumblr, thank you!! Please consider this as my service to you. This is a PROLOGUE, therefore not the finished fic! It’s supposed to be porn with plot and what we talked about when I did that poll with Marjorine. I’ll post the finished fic on ao3 officially, but everyone here deserves the first look. You guys mean the world to me and I hope I show that enough

Photo Creds: Alai Ganuza

“Are you feeling it?”

“Um…I’m feeling something.” As in a dull, consistent ache.

Creed sighed in frustration, making Marj’s mood drop, too. He tries moving his finger in a figure eight motion, just like what they read about, but that actually made it worse instead of better. “How about now?”

“No…”

With a loud groan that makes Marj jump, Creed reappears from between her legs with furrowed eyebrows. His whole face is practically scrunched up into an expression that could only be described as fed up. “Marj, darling, I think this is useless.”

She closes her legs, pushes herself up by her elbows. “R-Really?”

“Yes,” Creed rolled his eyes. It’s something he does very often at the slightest inconvenience. “why do you want to do this anyways? It’s not like I’m getting pleasure from it. This is just for you. And weren’t you the one telling me that sex should be good for both parties?”

Yes, she did tell him that—but only after Kenny told her that Creed shouldn’t be using her like a sex doll while giving her nothing in return. And she agreed. She got tired of opening her legs for him whenever he wanted and having to go to the bathroom to finish the job herself. It made her feel…like a toy.

“Well, yes, but—“

“But? There’s a but? So you’re a hypocrite.” Creed snapped. “Listen, I really don’t think I need to learn how to eat you out if I’m the one doing all the work when we actually fuck. You lay there like a dead fish and take it, meanwhile I’m tried the morning after because I always have to do every-single-fucking thing! How is that fair?”

Stunned silent, it takes Marj a moment to process what Creed said. He can be mean, borderline cruel even, but it's not often raised his voice with Marjorine.

Seeing her reaction, Creed sighed once again. He didn’t look any less annoyed. “Marj, I…I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”

The damage was done nevertheless. Marj stands up, fixes her skirt, and rushes for her bag. Being around Creed when he’s like this is never a good idea. He’s the type of person to feel the highest when he’s high, and to be at rock bottom when he’s low. There’s never an in between. No happy medium.

“Are you seriously mad?” He asked when she makes her way to the door. “I already said I was sorry.”

“We’ll talk later. Preferably when ya aren’t bein’ unnecessarily mean.” As soon as those words left her mouth, she squares her shoulders in pride. Not being afraid of fights is something Kenny also taught her. And even though she is terrified, she can have those bouts of moments where she pretended otherwise.

The door to Creed’s dorm clicks shut behind her. In a matter of hours, Marjorine is sure her phone will start blowing up with apology texts, all which she’s heard and seen before.

The breeze is especially cold tonight. Creed and her had been trying for hours, but it’s just starting to dawn on her how long it’s actually been since they first began their…lesson.

Well, if it could even be called that. It’s hard to learn something when there’s no teacher present. Marj knew how to make her body work just as much as Creed did, which is not at all.

But she knows someone who does…

Her feet naturally takes her to his home, almost instinctively. She bypasses the closed shops and avoids the streets Kenny tells her is dangerous, all the while making sure to keep watch and listen for man made sounds. She owned a mace that went with her everywhere, a Fox Labs one that she knew like the back of her hand. Marjorine first learned how to use it when she was 12 years old and Kenny got worried that, ‘a cute girl like her’ would be targeted by bad people, especially men. So they practiced and practiced until the art of pulling the spray out and aiming became flawless.

Soon enough, Kenny’s apartment comes into view. It’s not on the safest side of town, and a little far from their college, but it was cheap and right within Kenny’s budget. He split rent with his roommate who interned at the hospital, so most of the time, Kenny had the place to himself. Marjorine hoped this was one of those nights.

The elevator dinged to signal her arrival. She steps out onto the 8th floor, stands in front of room 202, and gently knocks on it. Kenny was a late sleeper and an early riser, (none of which he wanted to be), so she doubted he was in bed right now.

A minute later, the door swings open—Marj’s face drops at who she sees.

“Ugh, seriously. You again?” Bernie Kaplan rolled her to the back of her skull, reminding Marjorine of Creed. “Will you ever stop?”

“Heya, Bernie.” Marjorine flashes her best smile, hoping it would ease the lines of irritation on Bernie’s face. “Is Kenny here?”

“It’s Bernadette to you, Majorine. And of course he is. This is his place.”

Bernadette Kaplan is the president of Chi Omega, in the Fellowship Committee, and known to be the most wanted girl at their college. None of that mattered to Marjorine though, because in the end, she only knew Bernie as one thing—Kenny’s girlfriend.

“Can I talk to him?”

“About what?” She asked with gritted teeth.

“Um, well gee, that’s priv—“

From above, a jacket is thrown over the top of Bernie’s head. She scrambles to get it off and turns around, facing— “Bern, don’t answer the door in just your underwear. That shits dangerous.”

Kenny is standing there, every ounce of him wet from the shower. He has a towel loosely wrapped around his waist and a small one hanging around his neck. Marjorine quickly adverts her eyes even though she’s seen this sight a millions times before, and a lot more.

“How about you stop answering the door in just a towel?” She pushed him slightly back as he laughed. Kenny, ever the gentlemen, helps her put his jacket on. It successfully covers her lacey bra that she greeted Marjorine with.

“What’s up, Buttercup?” Kenny eyed Marjorine’s disheveled dress. “Something wrong?”

“No, why, I just wanted to talk.” Marjorine meets Bernie in the eyes, sees the fire in them, and quickly adds, “If you have the time.”

“Course’ I do,” Kenny replied easily. He pats Bernie on the back. “Bern was just about to leave. Is your driver here?”

Glancing down at her phone, Bernie nods. “Yeah.”

Kenny turns to Marjorine. “Let me walk her to the car and I’ll be right back. Go sit and make yourself comfortable.”

Marjorine enters Kenny’s apartment, brushes against Bernie by accident upon doing so. She looked like she wanted to fray Marjorine alive on an open fire and stomp on her charred remains.

Kenny and Marj’s closeness must bother her, Marjorine deduced, because they’ve been childhood friends since they could walk. Maybe even before then.

When Kenny got accepted into college on a soccer scholarship, Marjorine got accepted into the very same one and they left South Park behind together. They likely would’ve lived together as well, but their college didn’t allow students of the opposite gender to room together. Which was why Marjorine resided in the dorms, while Kenny settled into a small apartment here.

In a blink of an eye, Kenny changed to his pajamas; a plain t-shirt and sweatpants he’s owned since junior year of highschool that barely fits him anymore. From the couch, Marjorine watched as Kenny tied Bernie’s shoes laces. He was real careful about it too, knowing they were Golden goose. As he ushered Bernie out the door with his hand resting in the middle of her hip, he turns back and gives Majorine an acknowledging wink. Marj smiles until the door shuts behind him.

Kenny’s apartment is a simple two bedroom with the bare necessities. A tiny kitchen, a machine and a dryer that didn’t work too good, a slim bathtub that Kenny said could barely fit two. All those things might have just made the apartment simply bad, but the good is just as great. The walls are relatively thick, there’s a balcony with an amazing view, and the air conditioning had no trouble going full blast. All in all, Marj deemed it a cozy little place. That may be simply because Kenny’s scent was everywhere here.

Walking to the window, Marjorine made it in time to see Kenny and Bernie walking to the car. It scared her for a bit, because from the back, her and Bernie looked similar. They had the same mellow blonde hair that was often curled.

The two stop short in front of the BMW. From what Kenny told her, Bernie hated to drive, so she insisted on having a personal driver that came at her beck and call. She’s saying something to Kenny, a hand on his chest, and he shakes his head at her. Bernie’s eyes widened in equal measure of shock and anger. She pushes Kenny away slightly, before trying to enter them vehicle, but that’s when Kenny grabs her arm, says something, and kisses her hand the way a prince from a fairytale would. Whatever he said pacified Bernie, because her expression morphs into something so soft that Marjorine could hardly believe it. She didn’t know Bernadette Kaplan was capable of making such a face.

Seemingly from nowhere, Marjorine feels a sharp pain od hurt in her chest. It turns into something dull and aching. It comes from time to time, though Marj has no idea what the cause is.

Kenny and Bernie haven’t been dating long. A month at most. Personally, Marjorine saw it coming from a mile away. Kenny—handsome soccer star bounded for the league. She of the glossy blond hair, regal face, and astounding proportions—Bernadette. Their relationship seemed as sure as the sun would rise. Marj wasn’t sure how serious they were with each other, but sometimes Bernie looked at Kenny as if she really liked him. The him that went past his looks. The Kenny that sings songs at the top of his chest even though he knows he’s got the lyrics wrong. Kenny who occasionally forgets to eat and needed the reminder to do so. Kenny who Marjorine loves and trusted from the bottom of her heart.

With a parting kiss, Bernie enters the BMW. As soon as it speeds off into the distance, Kenny turned and began walking back. Marjorine watched him closely until she jolted when Kenny suddenly looked up and met her eyes. Yikes. It’s almost scary how aware of his surroundings Kenny was.

They gave each other a wave. A minute later, the front door opens and in came Kenny.

“There she is.” Kenny opened his arms wide and Marjorine practically jumped into them. He squeezed her tight, face in her neck, before scooting back and letting his eyes slide down her body. “Is this the dress we rock-paper-scissors on?”

It’s a game they play when they couldn’t decide on something. After going back and forth on this dress, Kenny ultimately won and Marj bought it. “Sure is!”

“Give me a twirl, let me see.” Kenny spins her around as Marj giggled. “Oh yeah, you’re—that’s gorgeous. See? Floral and you is a lethal combo.”

Marjorine adored how the skirt was flowy and long. Kenny liked the small daisy prints of the fabric. When she showed it off to Creed (albeit without him asking), he told her she dressed like Becky. Marjorine didn’t know who that was until he broke it to her that she was his late-grandma.

“Aw, shucks. Thank ya, Ken.” Blushing from Kenny’s compliments will probably be something Marjorine will do for the rest of her life. He gives it out to her like candy, so you’d think she’d be immune to it by now—but no. It still makes her shy every time.

He winks. “Only being truthful.”

Her heart that was aching before soothed over as if Kenny had placed a healing balm on it. Marj couldn’t remember why it ever began hurting. If it even hurt at all.

“So what’s up? I thought you were supposed to be with Creed tonight.” Though Kenny said that with a smile, his words came off as gritty and restrained. Marjorine fumbled with the laces of her skirt.

“I was, but…” It was hard to put it into words. Where does she even began?

Sensing her hesitation, Kenny places a reassuring hand flat on her back, steering her towards the kitchen. “Okay, how about this? I make dinner—you haven’t ate since lunch, right? And then you tell me whatever you want to when you’re ready.”

A smile bloomed on her face. “Okay.”

It’s easy to settle into something that could almost be called routine. Kenny is an amazing cook, Marj—not so much unless she had clear instructions, so therefore it was mostly Kenny whipping something up in the kitchen. She’s sitting on the barstool swaying her feet, admiring how skillful Kenny was with a knife. Every food that’s been touched by Kenny was guaranteed to be good.

“Do ya remember how I told you I did research? On the uh…bed stuff?” Marjorine began slowly, trying to find her flow. Kenny stiffened up for half a second before he nods.

“Yeah, because Creed can’t fuck for shit?”

She opened her mouth to maybe defend her boyfriend, but then closed it due to her lack of a rebuttal. It was an established fact at this point. Neither Creed nor Marjorine knew the first thing about the bedroom.

“We tried mouth stuff today.” Marjorine continued quietly, face as hot as the scorching sun. She knew she shouldn’t be embarrassed—It’s Kenny. She could talk about anything with Kenny and he would never judge her for it. And though she knew that to be true, that still doesn’t stop her from fidgeting with her skirt.

“You sucked him off?”

Marjorine nodded. “Yes, and he came!”

“Good job.” Kenny replied with rather tense shoulders. The angle she was sitting at didn’t allow her to see what expression he was making right now. “He ate you out too, right?”

“Well…”

“Well what?” Kenny turned around, holding a spatula high as he stared at her with furrowed eyebrows. “Marj. Don’t tell me that fuck—guy didn’t show you how grateful he was.”

“He did!” Marjorine chewed her bottom lip. “Or at least he tried to.”

A mere second of quiet consideration passes before Kenny deadpanned, “…He didn’t make you cum.”

“Yes…”

Which wasn’t anything new. But it is because it wasn’t anything new that Marjorine and Creed (her more then him, truthfully), started taking the time to learn bedroom stuff. Creed was able to reach his orgasm just fine, it was Marjorine who needed that extra help. It barely came to her when she was playing with her own body, but with Creed, it never.

She’s never once been able to cum with him.

“Jesus.” Kenny runs a hand across his face, shaking it in disbelief. It must be hard for someone like Kenny to comprehend, because if the rumors were true—Kenny had never known bedroom troubles ever. “So what happened in the end? Did he apologize?”

“No, he got..,” Marj recalled Creed’s sour words, feels her mood plummet. “frustrated. He said he didn’t understand why he had to learn when I’m the one who lays there like a d-dead fish.”

There’s a rise of shame that wells up within her from admitting that, because she knew it was true. Apart from the typical blowjob, she didn’t do much else sexually for Creed.

“Did he call you that?” She could hear Kenny walking to her and stopping just in front of her, but Marjorine did not look up. She simply nodded.

Gentle fingers grab her chin, tilting her head up to meet narrowed baby blue eyes. “That asshole called you a dead fish? Like he has any room to talk, bastard can’t even make you come!”

His grip on her on her chin won’t let her look away, so she simply just murmured what she feared all along, “…Maybe it’s me Kenny.”

“Don’t say that.” Kenny said, and now he just looks sad. Marjorine wanted him to understand where she was coming from, though.

“No, maybe it really is. Maybe I’m the—“ Kenny hands move from her face to squeeze her shoulders in assurance, to ground her, maybe.

“Marjorine, baby, it’s not you.” A part of her melt at that nickname. Something Kenny only ever calls her during their vulnerable moments, like he’s trying to tug at her heart strings. It works every time. “I promise you it’s not you. Creed just doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing, and that’s on him.”

She pursed her lips and admits, “But…I can rarely even make myself come.”

Every muscle within Kenny’s body stiffens. “…You can’t?”

It takes everything within Marjorine not to run out the door and die in embarrassment. It’s Kenny, she reminded herself, Kenny would never judge you.

“No, my fingers just don’t reach deep enough, I guess. It’s not…” She trails off, eyes landing on Kenny’s fingers; thick, long, adorned with a couple of silver rings they bought together at the pier because they were so cheap. It was Marjorine’s 18th birthday present to him, and she got to pick out the two of the five rings. “like yours.”

Jaw tight, Kenny swallowed before he asks rather hoarsely, “Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Doin’ what?”

“Okay.” Kenny’s head drops to Marjorine’s shoulder. He takes in a few deep breaths, inhales, before muttering, “It’s still not your fault. It will never be. Don’t blame Creed’s problems on yourself, okay?”

Things seem so much more believable when Kenny says it. The doubt that’s been gnawing away at her self esteem stops, if only for this moment, to let Marjorine breathe in his scent. “…Alright.”

Kenny gives her a smile, tucks her hair behind her ear. “Close your eyes.”

Wordlessly, she does it. She feels Kenny’s presence backtrack, followed by a string of noises that sounded a lot like dishes flashing and drawers opening. Whatever he’s been cooking smells amazing.

“Open them on one, two, three!”

In front of her was a platter of fried rice and an omelet. Marjorine’s mouth stretched wide into a smile. “You remembered.”

“Course’ I did.” Kenny nodded.

Back in South Park, the both of them would go to City Wok purely for the reasons that Marjorine adored their fried rice. And while Kenny wasn’t exactly a fan of anything Tuong Lu Kim made, he would still go with her and sit in the restaurant regardless. Just a week ago, she told him she missed his fried rice and the big, fluffy omelet.

Kenny pulls another bar stool to sit in front of her, focused on her first bite. “How is it?”

“Incredible.” Marjorine hummed. It’s not quite like the one from City Wok, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

“I took a basic recipe and tried to tweak it based off of the times I had it.” Kenny explained. Marjorine giggled.

“You mean all the times ya took a bite out of my plate when you thought I was distracted.”

Holding his hands up as if hes been caught red handed, Kenny amended, “I’ll let you know that the majority was you feeding me.”

A laugh bursted from her, she shook her head. That was true.

Kenny gets up from his seat while Marjorine continues to eat. When he comes back and sits down, it’s with a glass of ice cold water. Thank you, she told him. Kenny simply nodded and then dabbed the side of her mouth with a napkin.

She feels the air shift before he even said anything; a certain unmissable tension.

“…Marj, why do you like that guy? I mean, I know he’s decent looking and in Phi Delt, but how far can that go when he acts like he’s five-years old?” He shot her a coy look.

His wording nearly made her wince. Kenny wasn’t the biggest fan of Creed; had never been even before they officially met. “He opens doors for me and checks up on me. When I look nice, he tells me so.”

“That’s the bare minimum.” Kenny scoffed.

Should she tell him the main reason? Yes. It’s Kenny. “He…He likes me.”

“Okay?”

He doesn’t get it. Marjorine will just have to say it upright. “I like him because he likes me.”

Not only was Creed a vastly talented person who was bound for great things, but he is also the only person who showed interest in Marjorine. He treated her like she was special, not someone to be forgotten or lose in the background.

It takes a while for Kenny to process this. When he does, his eyebrows scrunches up with disbelief as he states, “A ton of guys like you.”

Marj set down her spoon, gives Kenny an unamused ook. “What guys are ya talkin’ about?”

“80% of the male population in South Park!” Kenny exclaimed, throwing his hands to make a point. Marjorine shakes her head and continues eating.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not. Marjorine, if it wasn’t for me, a hundred dudes would’ve come up to you and asked you out daily.”

“What do you have to do with it?”

Something akin to guilt flits through Kenny’s face, so fast Marjorine barely caught it. “They were afraid of me. Thought we were dating.”

“They did?”

Kenny nodded.

That was perhaps the most unbelievable thing Marjorine had heard all night. No, of all time. Sure strangers thought they were together, but they were strangers. South Park was so tight knit everyone knew each others grandma grandma’s—so they should’ve known better then to ever think someone like Kenny would ever go out with Marjorine of all people.

“Whatever gave them that idea?” She splutters.

“Yeah,” Lips pulled into a thin tight, Kenny was still refusing to meet her eyes. “good question.”

There’s a lull in their conversation. Kenny seemingly now has nothing to say. Marjorine squared her shoulders and prepares to defend her boyfriend, because that is what a good girlfriend would do.

“Creed isn’t always the best, yes. He certainly has his off days. But most of the time, he’s very kind to me. Just last Saturday he introduced me to his friends as his ‘precious.”

It was a special day for them, a good day, so long as Marjorine ignored how he left her standing at the corner for two hours. He claimed he didn’t forget about her, but Marjorine swore she almost see him leave.

Kenny made a face like he just ate something sour. “What is he, fifty? The Granny from Ice Age?”

“I thought it was very sweet.” Marjorine huffed.

Kenny drops his face into his hands. Marjorine knows that whenever he does that, it means he’s nearing his limit. He’s either frustrated and doesn’t know what to do, or he’s upset and doesn’t want anyone to see. Sometimes it could be both, most of the time it is. “I think—I know you could do better. He’s not the guy for you, Marjorine. No way in fucking hell.”

Better, Kenny said it so firmly, as if it was really that simple. But what was better then Creed Mossic, who treated her like a dime in a dozen. Who, despite the fact that he was set to inherit his father’s company, still chose Marjorine—a nobody? Someone their own parents couldn’t love?

“You mean you?" She asked in a way it sounded like a joke, with a hint of a chuckle, but she was picking at her fingernails and pulling at dry skin around her cuticles.

"No," Kenny said, stiffened and poker-faced. "I mean better.”

They fall into silence before Marjorine asked, because apparently they are being utterly open about their relationships now, “What about you and Bernie? Why are you dating her?”

A pause. “She’s fun.”

“Fun? How so?”

“She likes to…party?”

“You don’t sound too sure of that.”

“We’re not talking about me right now.” Kenny waved her off. They’ve been together for so long that Marjorine knows that just means he doesn’t want to answer. “I’m just saying you deserve better then some pencil dick fuck who can’t make you cum and treats you average. Because just average isn’t enough for a girl like you. You deserve world class. Like a prince from those fairytales you like.”

Something warm spreads through Marjorine’s body, from the delight of knowing how well Kenny knew her, to seeing the conviction he held on what Marjorine deserves. Kenny probably expected everyone to treat her like he did; with the utmost care and affection, gentleness but not fragility. Sadly, that wasn’t how the world worked.

“Fairytales ain’t real.” She learned that the hard way.

Kenny almost looked sad. “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean your life should be an Edgar Allen Poe book.”

“It is not!” Marjorine exclaimed, horrified. “He ain’t as bad as it seems! Besides, I can live with the bad s-sex. I could handle bad sex for as long as I live!”

“You shouldn’t have to.” Kenny said firmly, before he makes a face and adds, “And you’re not spending the rest of your life with this dude. So this is only a temporary problem, but still.

“Ya sound so sure.” Marjorine said. Kenny lips tilt up into something that isn’t quite a smile or a complete frown either.

“That’s because I am.”

[vargskelegore]

OK! So transfer student shuri showing up to your practice, with an extra water bottle! Transfer student Shuri who says "I'm here for _____" and takes ur bag with all ur stuff in it, slings it across her shoulder and walks u to ur dorm!. Pls I need this!

author's note: now thats some gay ass shitttttt, ain't no way reader's friends would assume their relationship is straight.

friends, huh? - hbcu!shuri x black!reader

word count: 958 words. (shorter than normal, sorry!)

homecoming was coming up fairly soon, and your majorette team was stopping at nothing to perfect the routine that was being prepared for the school.

your school’s band decided the song they would play for the homecoming game was remember the time by michael jackson, and your majorette team would prepare the dance for the song.

with being homecoming being a little under a week away, these practices got more intense. you were the leader of the majorettes, too, so this was more pressure on you than anybody else.

as the practice continued, your water was beginning to run out, and as of right now, since your school was so cheap, the water lines in the gyms and practice rooms/halls weren’t working properly.

you mentally cursed yourself as your team went over the dance routine one more time. “fuck.. i think i’m gonna die if i don’t get no damn water soon.” you muttered. “alright ladies, we’re gonna take ten, if you need to go get water from the other building, feel free, i don’t care.” you were out of breath, and needing a towel asap.

you went to go sit down in the locker room, checking your phone. your face lit up when you saw a message from shuri. opening up your phone, it was a selfie of her, smiling, walking outside. you tilted your head a bit. where was she walking to? not that it was any of your business.

you replied a quick ‘cute :)’ before setting your phone down to get a towel from your locker. coming back, you see she read it, but nothing more. you frowned a bit, because usually she’d walk and text you at the same time, but not this time you assumed.

you overthought a lot-- you never meant to do that, but it always happened. combine that with dance practice, and you were bound to have a stroke.

you sighed for a bit before turning off your phone, because you realized the ten minutes was up, and everyone was back, chatting.

you left the locker room with your towel, setting your phone down next to your bag.

a couple of girls were having a conversation about someone, squealing and giggling. “y’all seen that girl that transferred here? shit, i didn’t think i liked girls til i saw her.” a couple of them laughed, and you raised your eyebrow, wondering what they were talking about, you called out.

“who y’all talkin bout?” you simply asked, getting prepared for another practice.

“nothin, just that new girl.. where she from, wakanda?” you stopped in your tracks once you heard that. they were talking about shuri. your stomach turned a bit hearing them talk about her like that.

“oh, her.. yeah i know who y’all are talking about. why are y’all talking about her?” your voice was a bit weary, but you tried not to show it.

“we saw her walking down the sidewalk.” another girl said, her voice getting all giggly from talking about shuri.

you stomached the way they spoke, clearing your throat before clapping. “alright y’all we need to run the dance again! we ain’t got much time.” your leader voice came through because you couldn’t bare to have this conversation.

there was about ten more run throughs of the dance in twenty minutes, and you were burnt out.

as the rehearsal came to a close, you gathered the girls in a circle to talk about things that need to be fixed in the future rehearsal.

“alright y’all, we did good today but it needs to be better tomorrow. i’m really proud of what we have going on as of right now, but i’m sure we can do better--”

you were interrupted by the loud door opening. all the girls turned around to look, and you were confused yourself at who could’ve came in.

“..are you looking for something?” one of the girls called out. you could hear some of them giggling at who walked into the room, and whispering.

“uh.. i’m here for y/n.” your ears perked up at who it was. shuri.

she was holding up a water bottle, other hand in her hoodie pocket as she stood there awkwardly.

you moved away from the girls to walk up to shuri. you could see her face visibly light up once she saw you.

“what are you doing here? i thought you were studying..” you whispered to her as you walked up to her. she only laughed.

“when you were complaining about there being no water in the gym, i asked you when rehearsal ended so i could give you some.. i didn’t want to interrupt during the rehearsal.” she was clearly shy and embarrassed because everyone else was staring at you.

“that’s so sweet.. um- thank you, shuri.” your face was getting warm as you grabbed the water from her.

“oh, so you wasn’t finna tell us that you know her, y/n?” one of your co-majorettes called out. everyone else just laughed. you cleared your throat.

“well, she and i are friends-- wait, why are you in my business? rehearsal is over, y’all go back home.” you were quick to speak as shuri went over to grab your bag and put it over her shoulder. “i’m ready when you are, y/n.” her voice was back to being soft as the girls giggled some more.

“friends, my ass.” one of them whispered. you were so embarrassed at this point, there was nothing more to say.

“girl hush, y’all better get out of here before y’all get locked inside.” you warned as you walked out of the dance practice room with shuri.

there was something neither you and shuri could deny,

and that was being friends was kiiinda overrated.

[onthecourtbugs]

Silver Airways

Pairing: Jason Silver x Reader

A/N: I was stuck at the airport for the second day in a row cuz the plane engine needed to be fixed. I made this to keep myself from combusting and I don’t wanna edit so beware.

Summary: At the airport with bored hubby Jason.

-----

If you’re the type to want to get checked in and through customs early, you’ll want to be prepared when waiting at the departure gate with this man.

Bring snacks and buy drinks cuz he gone be complaining bout being hungry. Trust me. 

You don’t wanna hear it.

He can only text in the Jabberwocks’ group chat, The Den, for so long before they eventually ditch him for whatever they’re doing and he becomes bored.

Music doesn’t last long.

Games keep his attention for a little while, but it’s not long before his mind wanders again. He’s sick of entertaining himself. He wants to mess with somebody.

And by somebody? 

I mean you.

Don’t think that you’re gonna sit there and read a book, or get lost in your daydreams, or be on the phone with somebody while he just sits there.

-snatches your book- “Whatchu reading? Mann, why you reading this boring stuff?”

-leans over in your space- “Aye. Aye.” (Whispering loud as hell too 💀) “I know that face, whatchu thinking bout?”

-butts into your conversation- “First of all, you were the last one to leave the kitchen so you left the water on.”

You give him your hand to talk to and turn your body away. “Stay in your business, thanks.”

“I’m IN my business, you talking bout ME!!!”

“Shut UP. Why are you so loud?!”

If Jason can’t find somebody to talk to he is going to be bothering you the entire time and he doesn’t care if you yell at him because he’s getting attention. 

As far as he’s concerned, arguments are better than just sitting there doing nothing with nobody to play with but himself.

Lord forbid you run into your ex while in there tho💀

——-

THAT’LL give him something to do.

“Why you looking like that? Who that is?”

“Nobody,” you roll your eyes. “Just my ex.”

If he’s a more passive guy, Jason is going to forget about you and antagonize him instead. And to be honest? You low-key torn between laughing and feeling sorry for the man.

Jason snatching his book now. “What YOU reading?” He sucks his teeth at the title. “Mannn yo stuff boring too.” -tosses it back into his lap-

Jason butting in his phone conversation. “The girl keep telling you later? Damn, she don’t want you then.”

Your ex leans back to give you an exasperated look but Jason leans back too, blocking him. 

“Whatchu trying to look at her for? She don’t want you either!”

That was the last straw. Homie got up expeditiously and pulled his luggage to the seats across. You didn’t know whether to laugh or tell Jason to cut it out.

You should have told him to cut it out cuz Jason was not done with him. He started up that loud whispering again, leaning over the aisle. “Aye. Aye man, I’m just saying. If you stop reading them boring “catch the rice” books you might start getting some!”

You paused and squinted your eyes. Catch the Rice? What kind of book was…

When you caught it, your eyes widened and you burst out laughing.

“Jason it’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE!! You get on my last NERVE!”

Jason didn’t get what was funny but he was glad you were finally paying attention to him. Your old Edmund Tipton looking ex wasn’t no fun.

Oh, shoot. Now he’s back to bothering you 😂

——-

It’s not so amusing if your ex is just awful but at the same time what was he gonna do, really?

Jason will stomp that man into a pancake if he tries anything in that airport.

“Why you looking like that? Who that is?”

“Nobody,” you sink in your chair, hiding your face with the book as your former boyfriend passes. “Just… nobody…”

He squints down at you. “You hiding from nobody?”

He doesn’t recognize this man from anywhere, but he can see that you’re very uncomfortable.

Jason don’t like that.

Instantly hauls you into his lap.

He doesn’t put you down either, even though you protest, which draws the attention of your ex, who recognized your voice.

Not that he was gonna do anything. Jason’s overwhelming size and hostile expression was enough to make anyone think twice about going over there. 

When you went to pee, Jason reclined back in his seat and stared at your ex. Daring him to move in your direction. Daring him to breathe.

Jason Silver played no games when it came to protecting his Missus, and when you came back it was right back into the lap for you.

Either way, you cannot WAIT to get on the plane already, going home from vacation was way harder than it needed to be!

[peachysdmn]

toxic

first time writing! please be nice :)

summary: you and rafe's relationship hasn't been the best as of late, and the events of midsummer have only made matters worse after a fit of rage resulted in some words spilling out. rafe fixes things in the only way he knows with you.

warnings: angst, swearing, slight manipulation, mentions of alcohol, super little fluff, not so nice kook reader

+1.7k words

can also be read on my wattpad acc: forestbyte

✩────────────────────────────────────────✩

your relationship with rafe had been on the rocks for a few months now. In the last few weeks, you was barely able to be alone with him and you couldn't figure out why every time you were alone it ended in a fight. As you sat in bed, knees to your chest, and hugged yourself, you replayed the most recent fight in your head. Fighting seems like the only way he knows to get rid of you, as if he doesn't want you around. midsummers was supposed to be your debut together, but of course, when the time actually came, rafe was busy getting shitfaced with topper and kelce. you had been waiting for rafe to show up so you could walk in with his family but he never did.

sarah sounded like she couldn't care less as she asked for her bother's whereabouts. "have you seen rafe? were supposed to walk out in 10 minutes and no one has heard from him"

"nope, I'm looking for him too..." you trailed off looking around the room once more to see if he was in near before sighing.

you spend the rest of midsummer hanging out with Sarah and wheezie before spotting rafe as you were bout to leave. he was with topper and kelce walking up from the beach obviously drunk - walking in a zig-zag and grabbing onto topper shoulder for support. "shut up, man at least we're here now" you hear rafe mumbled, probably in response to one of the boys on either side of him.

as soon as rafe sees you his demeanor changes. he freezes in his place for a second, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of this nose with this fingers. "fuck" is all he could come up with after making you wait for god knows how many hours. you scoff, turning around and walking back to your car where your parents were waiting for you.

"y/n, wait!" you hear rafes harsh footsteps following behind you but you don't stop.

that was only one of the events that happened this night. you back home in bed while softly crying, hoping not to wake your parents who could sense the tension between and rafe before getting in the car. your phones been vibrating on and off for the past half an hour. you know it's rafe. I mean who else would be texting or calling at 3 am. despite knowing it's him you decide to check in case, convincing yourself it might be Sarah in some trouble - although your sure it's not.

5 missed called from rafe

rafe: pick up the phone y/n

rafe: please baby

rafe: come on how long are you going to ignore me

rafe: im coming over if you don't answer

as soon as you're done reading the text, you see an incoming call from rafe. deciding you'll eventually have to face him you pick up - it's better you don't see his face to avoid breaking down and letting him know just how hurt you are he stood you up.

"baby" he slurs - obviously drunk you decide to tell him talk before saying anything you'll regret.

"listen, i know what I said before" he paused for a second thinking of the right words to say before speaking again "but I just forgot ok?" you couldn't tell if he was actually sorry or just drunk sweet-talking you but your heart ached knowing he was out having fun while you were waiting for him to show up, sadly not for this first time. "babe?...you still there?"

"yeah, rafe I'm listening" you surprised yourself with how rough and course your voice sounded. it was evident that you had been crying from your voice alone and rafe obviously picked up on this. "fuck, don't cry" this only made you cry more. "hey..hey listen to me, I'm sorry ok?"

"rafe, you left me there all night so you could go drink!" finally your sadness turned into anger and you let your next words fall from your mouth without even thinking about it. "you don't even know how pissed your dad is rafe, you always let everyone down god it's embarrassing" you snap out of your fit of rage when you hear the dial tone.

he hung up on you.

✩────────────────────────────────────────✩

the next few days were like hell for you. in bed, crying, binge eating, listening to sad music, looking through old pictures of you and rafe- which only led to more crying. you wanted to reach out to him but didn't have it in you. you hurt him, you knew that and it was killing you - killing you that those words slipped from your mouth when you know it's not the truth. it's so far from the truth.

when you felt the urge to use the bathroom you thought you might as well grab something else to eat. looking through your kitchen trying to find something better than the Oreos and junk food you'd been eating, you come across something else - a bottle of don julio - you had one specific memory with this type of alcohol the only and only kook king himself. rafe had stolen a bottle from his dad's collection, the one he kept for guests. you guys snuck out to his roof and drank straight from the bottle. it was one of the early days in your relationship, back when you guys didn't fight as regularly. you felt the need to have a taste again. it was going to be as close to rafe as you'll get since the last few days and maybe you also need some liquid courage to get you going.

about 45 minutes later, you were sobbing on your floor, phone in one hand and bottle in the other. you were a mess to say the less. your finger hovering over rafes contact for the last 5 minutes. "c'mon" you try to encourage yourself before pressing the call button, hands shaking with anxiety.

"rafe..?" you whisper the words when you see he's picked up but the line stays silent. you hear some movement on the other side before a small "hmm" comes thorugh. the sound of his voice after so long and the mixture of alcohol coursing through your veins brings you to tears.

"I'm so sorry rafe, I didn't meant it i-" you break into sobs feeling like this is it for the two of you. it was no surprise this relationship wasn't how it was in the beginning - the honeymoon stage was over and it felt like hell had just started. "please say something rafe...I miss you" you sniffle trying to control your emotions - hoping he can't tell he's got this effect on you even. you didn't wanna seem weak but rafe didn't see you as weak he felt the same things you were but he couldn't express them in the same way you could.  

"that was pretty fucked of you" his words sting you worse than you could've ever predicted. "you know how I feel about my dad and you just use it against-" you can't help but cut him off, knowing exactly what he'll say but you couldn't bear to hear it. you fucked up. "I know rafe, I'm sorry please, I was just upset because you- it didn't mean it, baby" you knew he loved when you called him that - you did it in hopes it would ease the burden you placed on him that night. "i love you, rafe"

for the second time in the last few days you hear the same dreaded dial tone, indicating he had once again hung up on you.

✩────────────────────────────────────────✩

you told him you loved him and he had hung up on you - what an asshole. sure you messed up too but you didn't think he would just ignore what you said like that. those words were supposed to be said during a better moment than the one you both just had but it felt like the right time for you to say it, maybe he wasn't ready?

you were knocked out of your train of thought when you heard a knock on your door. deciding to ignore it as it was most likely just the post since your parents were away on the mainland for work. you also didn't feel like answering the door in your state. when you didn't answer the knocking only got louder and more persistent. figuring it might have been something urgent you went down the stairs. "coming" you drag out when the knocking didn't stop.

"oh my god" you mumbled under your breath as you walked up the door. who the hell was knocking on your door like this. I swear once I open the door if there isn't anything urgent i'll-

your thoughts escaped you as you swung the door open to find the boy you'd been obsessing over for the last 6 months at your door. he looked tired, slight dark circles under his eyes and brows creased together in a frown. "rafe?" you questioned with a tone he couldn't recognize.

rafe wasn't sure how to fix this situation. He was never the best with words or promises, much less apologizing or accepting them. In spite of your tears, you looked as good as the day he met you. Rafe reacted to your appearance in the only way he knew how. he stepped close to you, grabbing your face whispering a quick "come here" before pressing your lips together in hopes that would fix all the problems between you two.

and of course, like always - it did. he was like a drug to you after all and you were addicted, to say the least.

✩────────────────────────────────────────✩

a/n: wow, this is my first time ever writing an imagine let alone for a complex character like rafe. I hope this does him justice - just feel like I should mention I don't support rafes actions in the show but I do love drew and his talent to play such an interesting character like rafe. 

drew is the only reason I'm writing these imagines [and maybe the tiny hope that rafe can be redeemed in season 3???]

[songficsbyrissi]

You’re Mines Still (Erik X Reader)

“They say time heals She can't see her life without me, she's so blind still Fuck that nigga, you can tell him that you're mines still” - Yung Bleu feat. Drake

A/N: heyyyy y’all! Back from the dead again! 🤣 here to drop my shit and dip as always. I’m trying to stop that, I swear. Hennyways, I wanna put a disclaimer here: I have nothing against MBJ. I couldn’t care less about the nigga but I thought it’ll be interesting to have this nigga as the boyfriend, instead of making a character up in contrast to Erik. I think it’s perfect because I’m pretty sure they’re two completely different niggas. And I know “mines” isn’t proper English but I’m going with the title of the song so don’t start with me 😂😂😂 Aight imma let y’all read lol. Hope you enjoy it!

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

You were doing it again.

You found yourself observing your boyfriend Michael, and comparing him to your ex, Erik. Right now, Michael came into the kitchen and gave you a swift kiss on the cheek to say good morning. It was sweet and nice but Erik would’ve grabbed you by the waist, pulled you in for a long, juicy kiss, followed by a smack on the ass. You found yourself low-key missing that, but you moved on so you had to let that go.

“Michael?”

“Yes, cookie?”

You held yourself back from rolling your eyes. It was a cute nickname, but ever since you told him your favorite dessert was chocolate chip cookies, here this nigga go, making it your nickname.

You shook your head. “Never mind.”

“You seem so distant, babe. What’s on your mind?” He asked from his seat at the table.

You avoided eye contact with him. “Nothing. I’ve just been tired.”

He snorted at this. “It’s because you work too much. I told you to chill.” He got up from the table and kissed you on the cheek. “Alright, I’ll see you later. I gotta go to the office.”

“Bye.” You said faintly as he walked out of the door. That was another thing. Erik could tell when something was bothering you and knew you avoided eye contact when you were lying. Michael just let anything you tell him slide. At this point, you could have a gunshot wound in your stomach and tell him you were fine and he’ll believe it.

You sighed deeply and got your things together so you could go back to your place. Michael asked you to move in with him, but you knew you weren’t ready for that. Not with him.

On your way to your apartment, you remembered you needed to do some grocery shopping, so you pulled up to the supermarket and pulled out your list of essentials on your notes app. The supermarket wasn’t too busy, thank God. You were able to weave back and forth through the aisles with ease. You got to the soup aisle and the broth you needed was all the way on the top shelf. You looked to the side to make sure no one would see you embarrass yourself. Before you could climb, a man’s arm reached up, grabbed the carton of broth, and handed it to you.

You smiled softly. “Thank you so much. I was about to embarrass myself climbing this shelf.”

“I could see that.” The man replied in a familiar voice that caused you to break your neck to look at him.

“Erik....” you breathed nervously once your eyes fell on him. He was still fine as always. The day you run into him, he would be wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. An outfit that gets any girl’s faucet running. You wanted to sneak a glance, but you stopped yourself because you knew he would catch it.

He licked his bottom lip and looked you up and down. Damn him.

“Hey ma...it’s been a while.”

You nodded, looking down at your shopping cart. “Yeah, it has....”

“You still fine as hell.” Erik cracked a smirk and you were getting more and more nervous under his gaze. What the fuck is wrong with you?

You decided to breathe and ignore his statement. “How have you been, Erik?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, which something he always did when he was nervous. Holy shit, he was nervous around you. Why did that bring a pang of joy into your heart?

“I’ve been chilling. I'm still an architect. Still designing houses and getting people to buy them. It’s been aight. I’ve been successful.”

You gave him a genuine smile. “That’s good. I’m glad everything is going good in your career.”

“Yeah, it is. If only you were with me to see it all.”

You sighed deeply, shaking your head. “Erik-“

“I should’ve never let you go, Y/N. You were a good ass woman and you motivated me. I know I messed up but-“

“Erik, I’m kinda seeing someone else right now.” You spat out, preventing him from continuing the monologue he had going. He seemed taken aback by your outburst. Then came denial, anger, sadness, and acceptance all on his face.

“I’m sorry, Erik but I have a new boyfriend now. His name is Michael and he’s great. I figured you should know that.”

Erik let out a dry laugh in response and held his hands up in defense. “Yeah, you know what? I should’ve. A woman like you, of course, a nigga gonna snatch you up. That’s my fault. I hope he treats you well.”

“He does.” You swallowed hard and pushed your cart forward. “You take care of yourself, Erik. I’ll see you around.”

You didn’t wait for a reply. You just continued pushing until you heard his voice.

“You too, Princess.”

You stopped in your tracks for a bit, hearing that nickname for the first time in forever but you continued on your journey, refusing to look back at your ex.

You wrapped up your grocery store trip and went home. Even while you were cooking for your new man, Erik was still on your mind. You couldn’t help but think about all the times you had with him. One memory came back to you and you cringed. The night you two broke up.

“All you can think about are these damn houses! What about our house, Erik?!?!” You screamed coming closer to him, with your fists clenched. “What about all the shit you promised me?!”

“You’re still getting it, Princess! I promise!” He tried to pull you in a hug, but you pushed him away. All you saw was red. You didn’t want him touching you. You stuck a finger in his face.

“Bullshit! I’m tired of your empty-ass promises! I’m better than this! I’m better just being your damn girlfriend for all these years! It’s either you’re wanna be with me forever or you don’t! It’s that simple!”

Erik gathered up all the anger building to yell back. “No! It ain’t that simple! You just don’t get it.” Your angry demeanor softened at his words and you took a seat on the leather sofa. You wanted to cry because this shit was so fucking frustrating. You looked up at him with all the sincerity you could muster.

“Help me get it, Erik. Please. Because I just don’t.”

Erik took your trembling hands into his larger hands. “I just...I just don’t see myself as your husband right now. I got a lot of shit to work out before I can make that type of commitment to you, ma. I just need you to understand that and stick with me. I’m not saying it’s never going to happen. I’m just saying now’s not the right time.”

As much as you tried to prevent it, it happened. Tears were rolling down your cheeks. Erik began wiping them off, but you backed away.

“You keep saying that. When is the right time, huh? When?” You asked then sneered once you saw that once again, he couldn’t supply you an answer. “Just admit it, Erik. You don’t want to marry me. You don’t want to get a house with me, you don’t want to have kids with me. You don’t...” you swallowed hard, trying to find the strength to say this. “You don’t want forever with me. Now I get it.”

Erik shook his head vigorously as you rose from the sofa and he grabbed your hand. “No, baby girl! You’re not getting it! I love you! I love you so much! Please!”

You used your free hand to wipe some more of your tears. “You don’t love me the way I love you, Erik. I’ve been dying to be your wife, but you don’t want to be my husband. So I’m not gonna waste time with you when I can find someone who will.”

You released yourself from the grip he had on you, both figuratively and literally, and packed all your shit up. Despite the protests and guilt-tripping coming from Erik, you still made it your mission to get the fuck out of his apartment and get the fuck out of his life.

After mourning and healing from the loss of your long-term relationship, you met Michael. He was a nice man who looked similar to Erik but was completely different, personality-wise. Your friends noticed how much Michael looked like Erik, but they decided not to bring it up because they knew you would deny it. You were in denial, convinced it was all a coincidence. Deep down, you knew damn well he looked like Erik.

However, he was nothing like him and you thought that would work out in your favor. It didn’t.

You laid wide awake in Michael’s bed. He fell asleep after one round of sex and you were not satisfied. The sex was good, but one round??? Erik used to go at least 3 a night. Erik also would spoon, but Michael was turned away from you, snoring away. Your phone buzzed on your nightstand and you picked it up to see a text from your ex. You sat up in shock and opened it.

Erik:

Ik I shouldn’t b but I can’t stop thinkin bout u. I never stopped.

You took a deep breath and fixed your thumbs to respond.

You:

I’m with someone else, Erik. U gotta respect that.

Erik:

I do I just don’t like it. Can we at least be friends?

You contemplated your answer, then constructed a text back.

You:

Fine. We’ll be friends.

Erik:

With benefits? 👀

This caused you to stifle a laugh that would’ve been loud enough to wake up your boyfriend.

You:

Lmao no! Just friends, Erik.

Erik:

Lol I’ll take what I can get. Good night, Princess ❤️

After that last text, you were smiling yourself to sleep. It didn’t take long for Erik to invite you to group outings with mutual friends to eventually just you and him. It felt wrong but felt so right at the same time. You were alone in Michael’s apartment once again when Erik hit you up asking if you would like to see a house he built that was being pulled off the market. You agreed since you had nothing else to do. It’s just a house.

Needless to say, The house was gorgeous.

“Shittttt look at this fucking closet!” You cooed, entering the large walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and turned around to look at Erik with an enormous smile on your face. “Erik! You did that shit! This is my dream house! If I had the money, I would buy it right now!”

Erik chuckled with his arms folded. “It’s already bought, Princess.”

You scrunched up your face in disappointment as you stood against the marble island table in the middle of the room. “Ughh for real? I bet they don’t even like it like that!”

“Nah...I do.” He walked up to you slowly.

It didn’t click for your slow ass what he just said. “Of course you like it. You designed it.”

“Nah, we designed it.”

A record scratch went off in your head and you turned to see Erik right next to you. You gazed into his eyes to see an emotion you couldn’t describe. He saw confusion in yours.

“You ain’t noticed how this house is exactly your dream house? Everything you wanted in a house is right here. Baby girl, after you left me, all I could think about you and us and how I fucked us up. I was designing other houses and buildings, but there’s one that was most important to me that I never focused on and that was ours. I remembered our discussions and you didn’t know it, but I took notes of everything we wanted in a house. I finally had the motivation to get it designed, built, and bought.”

Erik built a house for you. He actually listened to you. Even when you thought he wasn’t, he was listening to every detail of what you wanted. You had so many questions to ask, but you were speechless. What were you supposed to say to this?

“I don’t want you to think I was on some creepy nigga shit because I wasn’t. It’s just that this design was gonna go to waste and I was going to let them sell it to the highest bidder, but I just couldn’t. This house was the last piece of you I had left. If I sold it, it was like me officially giving up on the possibility of us. I still had that hope. I’m a stupid ass nigga, I know.”

Your right hand grasped his left hand and he finally spared you a glance to see unshed tears in your eyes.

“I wanted this....from you....for so long. For so long! Why are you giving it to me now?! When I have someone else?!” You threw his hand out of frustration and exited the closet. You didn’t make it far. You just went into the master bedroom and cried your eyes out. You waited so long for this and he’s giving it to you now? When Michael was in the picture? Well, It’s too damn late.

Erik got on his knees and grasped your knees. You stared at him through the tears in your eyes.

“I know you’re building a life with this nigga, but stop. Stop that shit. You know he ain’t the one for you. Fuck that nigga. You’re mines still.” Erik was pleading with you. He began to shed a tear. Holy shit, he meant every word. “Baby, I’m on my knees. Take me back.”

Your ex began planting tender kisses on your knees and traveled up to your thighs, still holding you. Your heart raced at his actions, but you didn’t want him to stop. You missed him. You missed him so damn much. As much as you tried to lie to yourself, you still loved him.

“Erik, get up.”

He obeyed and you took his face in your hands, caressing the sides.

“You’re such a fucking manipulative motherfucker and I hate that I love you so fucking much.”

Erik took your hands into his and kissed the insides. “I ain’t trying to manipulate you, baby. I swear I’m not. I love you and I just wanted you to know that I heard you. You just wanted a nigga to show you that he was serious about you. I get it. While you were gone, I focused on myself and fixed myself because I admit I was dragging my ass with doing that while we were together. It was because I thought you were here to stay so I had all the time in the world to get my shit together. When you left, I saw that I was wrong. I was wrong as fuck.”

You didn’t say anything. You just let him keep talking.

“I love you, baby. All I’m asking for is a second chance to make this right, but if you say no, I’ll sell this house and leave you alone for good. I swear on my Pops’ grave, I’ll leave you the fuck alone, Y/N.” His words were so heartfelt. “I don’t wanna go unless you make me.”

You were hyperventilating through your tears, then a smile formed across your face. “Erik, I love you. I love you so much, baby.”

Erik tackled you with frequent kisses on your lips and it turned into a whole passionate make-out session. He planted kisses all over your neck while he unbuttoned your blouse and you could feel his hard dick through his pants.

“Fuck. I missed this. I missed us.” You breathed when his lips met yours, once again.

“I missed us too, baby.” Erik rested his forehead against yours and stared into your eyes with so much love. “Be my wife.”

You backed away from him and furrowed your eyebrows. “What?”

“You heard me. Marry me, baby. I don’t wanna waste any more time.” He saw the look on your face and his joyful expression turned somber. “You don’t want to marry me?”

You shook your head. “It’s not that, Erik. I always wanted to but just because we getting back together doesn’t mean I wanna rush into a marriage. We gotta fix us first. We can’t even fix us right now because I still have to break up with Michael.”

Erik put a hand through his hands and blew air out of his mouth. “You right.”

“And the way you asked sucked.” You deadpanned but found yourself laughing afterward and he face palmed himself. “Seriously? After all this time, I deserve a better proposal than that.”

Erik chuckled and placed a soft kiss on your lips. “You right. Once again. Imma do better.”

And when he said he would do better, you knew he wasn’t just talking about the proposal.

“You better. I ain’t giving you a third chance. This ain’t baseball!”

This caused him to guffaw, pull you into a tight, loving embrace, and kissed you once again. He had a grin on his face that rivaled the Cheshire cat.

“You’re mines still,” Erik said as a statement and a question.

“Yep. I never stopped being yours, baby boy.”

TAGS:  @lifelover4u @dessianna1 @brattywriters-anonymous @marvelmaree​ @purple-apricots​ @blackpinup22 @ljstraightnochaser @slimmiyagi @cancerianprincess @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @vibranium-chakra @nerd-lovely @chaneajoyyy​ @ohliyaxoxo @chefjessypooh @yourfavoritefavorite @airis-paris14 @ljstraightnochaser @quietstorm-73 @msincognito67 @sociallyawkward18 @mychemicalimagines @nerd-lovely @marvelpotterlove   @destinio1 @madamslayyy @thehomierobbstark @fd-writes​ @semianta​ @raysunshine78​  @lifelover4u @dessianna1 @brattywriters-anonymous @marvelpotterlove @guccixcucci​ @blackpinup22 @ljstraightnochaser @slimmiyagi @cancerianprincess @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @vibranium-chakra @nerd-lovely @chaneajoyyy​ @ohliyaxoxo @chefjessypooh @yourfavoritefavorite @airis-paris14 @ljstraightnochaser @quietstorm-73 @msincognito67 @sociallyawkward18 @mychemicalimagines @nerd-lovely @marvelpotterlove   @destinio1 @madamslayyy @thehomierobbstark @fd-writes​ @semianta​ @raysunshine78​ @fd-writes​ @rbhp @fandom-fangirl22​ @bigchoose​

(Sorry if you got double tagged or I missed you. I need to get my tags together I know )

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

big brother to the rescue.

BEN MILLER

TRIPLE FRONTIER. ┃ USEFUL LINKS.

❝ request by @meteora-fc: hello hello! hope you're doing well :) i was thinking about a ben miller fic where when they're in the bar towards the beginning the reader is there with her friends and the boys push benny to talk to her bc he's getting distracted from conversation by her across the place. thanks a ton 💖

❝ words: about 1.6k.

❝ a / n: if you'd like to read a second part, lemme know! don’t forget to comment and reblog if you liked it, i’d really appreciate it!

“C’mon, little brother. She’s been looking at you the whole night”. Will says palming his back, after catching him distracted for the third time.

“Go, before I do”. Frankie challenges him with a petty smile, knowing it’s going to be enough to force the boxer to take the step.

Taking a deep, deep breath, finding in that gesture the encouragement he needs, Benny goes straight to you, waiting for the bartender to serve you another beer.

At first, you don’t notice his presence, until the unknown guy stops by your side leaning too over the bar. You two cross your gazes, sharing a soft smile that makes your knees tremble. The blonde looks really good, but for some reason, you have the feeling that he could be an idiot, so when he throws at you one of those horrible pickup lines, you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“I’m gonna give you advice. Don’t hit a girl like that”. You just reply with a chuckle, referring to his words.

“I’m more into hitting men”.

For a second, where you were about to leave with your drink, you squint at him having a sip and trying to understand the meaning of his affirmation.

“I box, professionally”.

“Oh…” You nod your chin, puckering your lips, showing him that this fact doesn’t impress him at all. “Congrats. Good luck in your next fight”.

Not giving him the chance to continue the talk, you come back to your table under the attentive looks of your friends, who are laughing at the poor guy and the gesture on his face. His brothers, on the other hand, have slapped their faces whilst shaking their heads disappointed. As soon as Benny joins him, Santi slaps the back of his neck, causing him to choke in his beer.

“There must be something wrong with my eyes, ’cause I can’t take them off you? Really, Benny? Really?”

The guys are laughing when Pope repeats his sentence, as Will puts an arm over his shoulders. “You’re lucky to have me… Big brother to the rescue”.

Anna nudges you, making you turn on your stool to watch a second guy walking towards you, very secure of himself. The only thing you wanted tonight was to have fun with your friends and seems it’s not going to be an option. Crossing a leg over the other and nailing an elbow on the table, resting your chin on your palm, you force a smirk when he offers you a kind smile.

“Good nights, ladies, sorry to interrupt. William, a pleasure”.

The man holds your free hand without asking for it to stretch it. Firmly. Like only a soldier would do —as your father does. He turns for a second to his friends, laying his oceanic and hypnotic eyes on you with a charming and funny grimace on his face.

“Sorry ‘bout my brother, you know... too many punches”. He has captivated your friends, who are gasping for him and the honeyed tone he’s using, covered by a raspy voice. “He has watched you looking at him and he was nervous, but he’s not a bad guy. Just a little asshole. But he’s worth it, believe me”.

“Okay”. You reply slowly, raising an eyebrow earning your attention little by little.

“He has begged me to not come, but I think you’re too smart to not have a date with him”.

“Your brother was right, you didn’t have to come. And you’re wrong, more or less. I’m very smart, but having a date with him doesn’t seem a very intelligent idea”.

“Got it. But he’ll be waiting for you at seven in Kaleo’s, tomorrow night”. A negative it’s not an option to the soldier, showing you his perfect white teeth in a huge smile clapping his hands before leaving. “Good night, ladies. Have a good time”.

Since last night, you've been debating with your friends if you should go to the date just to prove both men were wrong. Lucy would call you crying if you text her in case the guy is another idiot.

The first test is to see if he'd wait for you, arriving thirty minutes later than the hour William told you. Your heart can't help but race a little when you find the blonde boxer sitting on the hood of a black Mustang, in front of the restaurant. Wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans, he has both legs crossed and his hands laced over his lap. Head bowed down and a sigh escaping his lips as he checks the clock on his wrist. Poor guy, he's thinking you are not going to come.

You send a picture of him to the chat group where your friends are asking you if he's still there and, in less than a second, you receive a bunch of heart emojis from all of them. Keeping your phone in a pocket, as you tuck in your hands too, you begin to walk towards him. Step by step. Taking your time with a soft smirk curving your lips as you come closer and closer. Watching him texting someone too, you roll your eyes, imagining it's to some random chick to hang out with, due you have stood him up. Until you're almost leaning above his shoulder and you see he's texting his brother —who is very interested in knowing if you're there or not. You melt as he replies: “amma wait another thirty minutes, maybe there's traffic”.

“You can say to your brother I'm here”. You whisper into his ear, taking him by surprise and causing the boxer to jump off from the hood.

“Oh, fuck. You scared the shit outta m— Where you readin' my phone?”

“Nah, I've some witch in me”. You lie terrible, feeling goosebumps on your arms when his gesture changes suddenly.

A grin like a Cheshire cat decorates his face, offering you his phone as he pressed the small microphone in the bottom right corner.

“Hey, big brother, I came. I hope you weren't wrong”.

“I'm Ben, by the way”. He introduces himself as keeping his phone in a pocket, to offer you his right hand.

“(Y/N)”. You stretch it then, feeling a little nervous at his touch.

“So, this is the plan. We have a beer, and if you think I'm a freak, you can run away before dinner. No questions, no explanations. You just… leave”.

God, that's really sweet. He's nervous too and you can see in his blue eyes how scared he is if you really decide to disappear.

“Deal”. You accept, tilting your head to the restaurant.

A couple of minutes later Ben is sitting in front of you and the first thing that captivates your attention is the fact that he doesn't put his phone on the table. Living in the technology era, everybody keeps an eye on their devices. Constantly. But he's not like everybody. He wants to talk. Know about you. What you do in your free time, what you do for a living, what unveils you at night… And you talk for hours.

Ben tells you what pushed him to be in the army, why he decided to dedicate his life to boxing and he also jokes about how you could fix him up after his fighting. Something like a plan of the future. Together. As friends —as he points out to not make you feel uncomfortable, thinking that he is forcing you to have a relationship. You also discover that your taste in music and movies are very similar, just like your hobbies. And that makes you think about the fact that William will tell you “I wasn't wrong”.

The boxer gladly takes you home, not stopping your chat even when one of the two of you doesn't know what to say, Benny has shown you in some way he enjoys too much the sound of your voice though —how it goes a little higher when you're excited about something, how your throat vibrates when you laugh. And he's falling in love with the disgusted tic that wrinkles your nose when you don't like something, in a funny gesture.

You would die for staying together a little more, but you have obligations to attend tomorrow and your friends haven't ceased sending your texts asking you how it's going. As Ben stops his car next to your house, you sigh not knowing what to do —if just say bye, thank you, ask for his number, kiss him? Yes, you'd like to kiss him right now, but what does it say about you? Should you wait until the second date?

“Got a fight tomorrow night if you're free”. His proposition pushes you back to reality, turning at him on your seat while resting a shoulder against it. “You can invite your friends, mine will be there”.

“Your brother too?” You ask giggling, noticing the change on his grimace to somewhat underwhelmed because of your interest.

“Yeah, he will come”. Ben mumbles pressing his lips after nodding briefly.

“Ugh… Is he the kind of person who has fun saying I told you?”

Ben's gesture suddenly changes again. The shine in his blue deep eyes reappears and you provoke him a strong laugh when you furrow your nose like he literally adores.

“You've had a good night then?”

“Yes”. You don't hesitate to respond, leaning towards him to press your lips on his cheek with a loud kiss.

“See? He told you”. Ben can't help but make fun of you, earning a soft punch to his shoulder that makes him laugh one more time. “It's in the Holou gym, at seven”.

“Okay, I'll not forget it”. You reply, taking your phone and setting an alarm an hour before starting to have time to get ready. “Good night, Ben”.

“Good night, (Y/N)”.

GENERAL TAG LIST: @mayans-sauce @peoniarose @destynelseclipsa @band-psycho @myakai13 @petlaufeyson @-im-fantastic- @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals @rocketqueen @rosieposie0624 @ellyseveronica @jessprins13 @diaryofkali @ravenmoore14 @starrynite7114 @kenbechillin @miahelen @monkeyluver4546 @sheeshgivemeabreak @jadesamhart @rawrlittlepanda-95 @megapeacelovemusic-blog @katsav17 @skits90s @wildsould1221

TRIPLE FRONTIER: @phoenixhalliwell @goldielocks2004 @pedritomando @spideysimpossiblegirl @im-an-adult-ish @chibsytelford

[llamakenma]

a ‘you broke me first’ fanfic (sakusa kiyoomi) 

request:I just read your  a “little did you know” fanfic and I just want to say you’re amazing! Since I’m loving the pain😂 Can I request a “you broke me first” fanfic with Sakusa too? If that’s okay 👉🏼👈🏼

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

note: hi anon!!! i’m so sorry for the delay TT,,, but here it is!!! i hope you enjoy it!! i have one with oikawa (here)! stay safe and take care!

song: you broke me first by tate mcrae

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maybe you don’t like

talking too much about yourself

you stared at the walls in which held every piece of memory you had shared with him- from your middle school years to that of now. you had been the first one to  approach him despite his cold demeanour and unapproachable actions, and to say that you had never regretted that you did so, there were times where you had a couple doubts about being close to him, nevertheless even engaging in the topic of being friends with him.

he had always been closed off- to you, to komori, to every one- you knew that, and you truly did not mind when he never spoke to you about his thoughts and feelings on every particular subject, you were simply just content being close to him. nevertheless, there were times where you wanted him to be more open than he was, instead of lashing out every now and then and apologize afterwards, you longed for him to even say something about how a certain thing felt to him. 

but you shoulda told me that

you were thinking ‘bout someone else

yet, you weren’t expecting the wayward turns in the aspects of your relationship, especially not seeing the intentions behind the time he came back moving slightly backwards with each day. 

with every tilt, the diamond on your ring finger blinded you with its shine, the light bending at every angle and catching the glisten of the ring you wore. you twisted it with every second passing by, your worry intensifying with every moving handle of the clock. he was running late once again, on the day of his practice, the days he normally rushed back home and cuddled his tiredness away with you. yet, where was he now.

you’re drunk at a party

or maybe it’s just that your car broke down

your phone’s been off for a couple of months

so you’re calling me now

you couldn’t deny how you noticed the subtle movements he did to avoid you: how he rushes away from the table once you had taken your sear, how he had turned his body away from you in the bed, how he no longer kisses you goodbye. consequently, he had not made an effort to even pick up your calls every time you had ringed him, his phone always going into voicemail each time you did so. your messages had been left on seen every time you had texted him, wasting your time on waiting for his never coming reply.

yet now as you stood at a bar in which his teammate had directed, you couldn’t help but ponder on how much you had possibly drifted apart from him, from expressing every detail about each other’s day to not knowing where he was late at night. 

i know you, you’re like this

when shit don’t go your way

you needed me to fix it

“(y/n)! wait, it wasn’t what you think it was...”

you walked away from the scene, you had just witnessed, your mind losing the last piece of trust you had ensured him with. you rushed to the exit of the moist place, wanting to run away from everything you couldn’t absorb about. you knew you were on the verge of tears and it was only a matter of seconds before you broke down. 

the light breeze hit you as you finally escaped from the walls of suffocation, your ring still glistening under the night light. the same ring that had brought you so much joy now serving a name of unwanted ties and reasons to cry. you twisted the ring, the pain numbing away with every inch off, and you could feel the weight lifting off your shoulders as you did so.

and like me i did

but i ran out of every reason

the screams of your name followed as you inched away from the place you had left him- the same place that had allowed you to make your final decision. you knew you had to solve this no matter what, it was to face you in the very near future even though you wish to avoid it. you turned to face him, you hand extending towards him as you dropped the ring he had put on you, with every gleam of the promising future.

he couldn’t believe what he was facing, he knew he was to expect this sort of behaviour after his treatments towards you. he knew he had been so careless on the topic of love he had chosen with you. he knew he could not keep making up excuses to avoid you- and his guilt from what he had committed. he should have told you earlier and made you suffer less, and maybe only then he could possibly have wiped off all the tears he had made you shed, and feel your warmth in his embrace one last time, in the place you had made him call home. 

he knew he had gone too far, and there was no longer a way to turn back.

[randomfandomimagine]

Love’s Worth Running To. Chapter 5: Hero Work

Pairing: Barry Allen x Stephanie Williams (OFC)

Fandom: Justice League / DCEU

.

⬅ PREVIOUS CHAPTER • CHAPTER INDEX • NEXT CHAPTER ➡

AO3

A/N: Another chapter! I think this one as very interesting stuff, and it’s finally starting to move on to my favorite part of the story, I can’t wait to post the few next chapters!

Also, and as always, remember to give this some love! Please reblog and leave feedback if you’re liking it, it would help me out a lot and it’d mean the world to me!! 🙏 Thank you so much to everyone that’s supporting this series 🥰💜

With the excuse that she needs to face it sooner or later, Stephanie starts trying out her powers. She promises herself that it means nothing, only a way to ensure they won’t become something dangerous because she can’t control them. It doesn’t mean she will recklessly go out trying to be Wonder Woman. But the improvised hero outfit still lays on the ground. She hasn’t put it away. Keeps glancing at it.

Meanwhile, as her eyes are fixed on the costume, a light crackle of electricity hovers over her palm. Stephanie sighs and focuses her attention on it, watching how the small force field slowly grows. The semi-transparent sphere, at first as small as marble, has reached the size of a football ball now.

Stephanie tells herself that big progress has been made, as at least she is now in control of it even if the force field isn’t big enough to really protect anyone. Its surface is also irregular and unstable. She grits her teeth, frowning in confusion, but the very best she can do is maintain the current state of the force field.

“Ah!” Stephanie suddenly yelps when her phone buzzes. The force field in her hand crackles, creating a mild disturbance in the air, before completely fading.

Promising to keep working on her newfound abilities after checking her phone, she picks the device up and looks at the screen. Her heart halts in anticipation as she reads the text. It’s from Ben.

While it isn’t the person she was expecting, it still warms her heart that Ben is reaching out and checking on her. For that reason, she proceeds to read the message and a small smile finds its way to her lips when she does.

Good morning, Stephanie! How are you feeling? I hope you’re well and recovered. There is no rush to return to work, but I must insist that you rest and properly look after yourself. I’m your boss, so you have to do as I say.

Best regards, Ben.

Stephanie chuckles, endeared by his thoughtful message and amused by the fact that he signed it like he would a written letter... despite the fact that the phone already showcases the sender. Grinning, she starts typing to reply to him.

You may be the man in charge for the project, but shall I remind you that you’re not my boss?

Best regards, Stephanie.

However, and despite the lighthearted interaction, a void settles in her chest.

For a moment, Stephanie had hoped it was Barry contacting her, only to remember that she had been ignoring his many calls and messages. He has probably given up on talking to her, figuring she will do so when she feels comfortable with it. And she misses him. For that reason, she dials his number while Ben types back.

Barry takes a few rings to answer, but when he does his warm and familiar voice is filled with excitement. It makes Stephanie smile as soon as she hears it.

“Steph?!” He answers. “Oh my gosh, hi! How are you feeling?”

“Hi, Barry” The girl can’t stop smiling now, while at the same time wondering how she had survived so many days without him. “I’m feeling better, thank you”

“That’s great, I’m so glad to hear it!” He sighed from the other end, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Um… did you need anything? Or did you just call to chat?”

“Well…” Stephanie awkwardly chuckles, feeling embarrassed for isolating herself. But now that she has her powers mostly under control after that long week, she feels like she can talk to him again. “Actually, I wanted to apologize… I know I’ve been very distant, but…”

“Hey, no” He gently interrupts her. “Steph, you don’t have to apologize, don’t say a word. I understand that you needed some time, anyone would after what you went through!”

Stephanie pauses for a moment while the nerves suddenly stir in her stomach. In the end, noticing his silence as well, she pipes up once more.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Barry”

“I’m always gonna worry about you”

She smiles to herself, knowing that he means that in the best way possible. The nerves disappear, replaced with a wave of warmth that fills her. Suddenly, all those negative emotions she has been experiencing for days are gone. All thanks to his magic.

“Listen, I’m in a hurry. I’m so sorry, I really can’t talk more” Barry mumbles. “But, uh... how ‘bout we meet this evening? I’ll take it easy on you, I promise, I just want to hang out with you for a bit”

“Sure” Stephanie chuckles. “I’d love that”

“Cool!” She hears him happily chuckle as well. “Pick you up at 7?”

“Yeah, see you later” And Stephanie hangs up, unable to erase the smile from her face.

_

When Barry arrives to the place of reunion, he heaves a big sigh. The sky suddenly looks bluer, the birds are singing louder and the sun shines brighter. Everything is okay.

“There you are” Clark pats his shoulder, warning him of the team’s presence. They had been waiting for him. “How can a speedster like you be late?”

“Right, sorry about that” Barry grins instead of taking his words as a scolding.

“You look happy…” Diana tells Barry, kindly nudging him a little.

“Yeah, well” The boy suddenly feels slightly flustered by everyone’s gazes on him. “I talked to Steph”

“Your friend?” Bruce pipes up, the hint of a smile peeking in the corner of his lips. “We told you she just needed some time”

“She doing okay?” Arthur asked, frowning slightly in concern.

“Yeah, she’s fine… she’s fine” Barry sighs like that again, feeling lighter. “Phew, it was such a relief”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Barry” Victor gravely tells him. “But we have work to do”

“You’re right, I know” The boy nods to himself. “I’m ready, let’s go”

The silence settles for a moment. Overlooking the city from their high spot at the top of the skyscraper, the six pensively observe the atmosphere beneath their feet. There is the usual busy sound of traffic, of the crowd’s murmuring and the occasional ambulance or police cars sirens in the distance. Other than that, there are no signs of an imminent threat.

“What are we doing here again?” Arthur pipes up. “Everything seems calm”

“Too calm” Bruce grimly replies, glancing at the rest. “I know something’s wrong”

“I can feel it too” Victor adds. “The electric devices feel erratic, like a virus is slowly poisoning the city”

“What we can do about it?” Diana stares at the cyborg, whose eyes are fixed on the city underneath.

“Can you do something to stop that virus?” Barry suggests to him. “Get into their systems or something?”

“I can’t” Victor gravely says, locking eyes with the speedster. “That’s how I know something’s wrong”

“I can feel it too” Clark admits. There are no traces of his usual smile. “Maybe it’s just an intuition, but-”

Before he can even finish his sentence, a loud ruckus startles them all. Something has changed right under their field of vision. An automated train, moving on its own and filled with thousands of innocent passengers, is violently wavering and making the people inside it scream and panic. It moves at a vertiginous speed. More strange noises ensure that the train isn’t the only electronic device malfunctioning there.

“You wouldn’t be doing that, by any chance?” Barry asks Victor, who slowly shakes his head.

As on cue, everyone moves at his denial. The six seem synchronized as they throw themselves down the rooftop. Diana uses her lasso to soar through the air, Bruce glides with his cape and Barry speeds leaving behind a faint blue tail. Clark flies, followed by Victor with his propellers, and Arthur throws his trident and rides it like a surf board.

In the blink of an eye, the six have landed on top of the train. More panicked screams fill the interior with the loud thud of their landing. They struggle to maintain balance in the speeding train. Moving quickly, Clark tears the metallic top of the train open and so everyone drops to the inside.

“Please stay calm” He kindly says to the terrorized passengers.

“We’re here to help” Bruce assures them with his deep voice.

“We’re saved!” A blond woman exclaims. “It’s Superman!”

“And Wonder Woman!”

“And The Batman!”

Although a warm welcome, the Justice League focuses on the mission ahead: saving those people. They exchange quick glances between them and get to work. There is no time to lose.

“Barry” Bruce lowly tells him. “Get rid of all the electronic devices as soon as possible”

“Before they overheat and explode” Victor urges him, his red eye seeming to recognize the extent of the danger they present. “They’re malfunctioning just like the train”

“Copy that!” And with that, the speedster is gone in the blink of an eye. With shocked gasps, the people find that their phones, tablets and any other electronic devices are taken from them. Some explode as soon as they’re thrown out the window, causing an even further outrage.

“I’ll try to stop the train” Victor closes his eyes, focusing his mind on the electric system.

“I’ll do that too” Clark nods, helping the cyborg by flying to the front of the vehicle. As soon as he disappears, the train produces a strident creaking as it drags along the rails. Carefully. Very slowly, it starts losing speed. He can’t risk harming the people inside with a violent halt.

“We’ll get the people safely off” Diana taps Bruce, who doesn’t lose one second to go with her.

“And I’ll help you out” Arthur throws his trident to the doors, breaking through them to allow them an exit.

Soon after, Barry has returned and instantly goes with Diana, Bruce and Arthur to help them move the passengers out of the speeding train. Clark seems to continue his part of the rescue, because it loses speed by the second. Slow and safely.

While Arthur breaks open all the doors he can to create more exits, the rest gets ahold of as many people as possible. The train hasn’t quite stopped yet. Bruce carries three grown men, using his grappling hook to swing to safety. Diana has picked up a group of four children while Barry puts their parents to safety. Perhaps they can’t quite understand and solve what is happening in the city yet, but in the meantime they can always protect the people.

_

Seven o’clock can’t come soon enough. Time passes slowly, and Stephanie’s eyes keep landing on the discarded outfit on the ground. She bites her lip. Knowing she is meeting Barry later seems to fill her with courage. Hope. Maybe she can be like their heroes, like Wonder Woman and Superman. At the very least, she can try.

“Maybe I’ll just try it on…” She mumbles, trying to get rid of her impatient energy, and as though they outfit would have changed sizes during those few days she hasn’t touched it.

Telling herself that it’s only a way to stay distracted and busy while she waits for Barry to arrive, although that isn’t for two more hours, Stephanie gets changed. The tight leggings slip on easily, like a second skin, like they’re the right thing to wear. After she puts on the tank top as well, she stands before the mirror once more. The same sense of excitement and wonder settle in her stomach, taking the form of butterflies that take flight inside it.

The look is almost complete. Just when she is applying the eye shadow like the other day, a sound interrupts her. Several police cars pass by her apartment at top speed, illuminating the streets with their blue light. A test. A call to adventure. Will she answer?

“I can do it” She whispers to herself. “I want to help, I can do it”

Anxious as the police cars wail in the distance, Stephanie nods in resolution. After such a long time of inactivity, her muscles complain at the sudden energy bursts. Ignoring the light aching of her body, Stephanie runs. She leaves her apartment, leaves behind her building and runs in the direction the police cars took. After days if inactivity, she feels alive again. Her lungs urgently fill with air, her heart begins beating so fast that it throbs in her ears.

Stephanie doesn’t stop running, chasing the call to heroism and smiling widely.

_

She gasps for air as she watches the scene before her in confusion. The streets are total chaos. Even the few policemen that have stayed seem to have lost their minds. All the people, from ordinary bystanders, to service workers that have left their establishments, are running aimlessly and screaming in a panic.

“HEEEELP!!! He will kill us all!!” A shrieking voice gathers her attention upwards. A man is teetering at the very edge of a ledge, at the top of a building. He seems about to jump. Stephanie can’t get there in time to save him. Where is the Justice League when you need it?!

Trying to make herself audible among the shouting of the panicked people around her, she focuses on the man whose life is in immediate danger.

“Stay where you are!” She shouts at him, but he only dedicates her an absent glance.

Stephanie frantically looks around, searching for something that can help her. Nothing of use is in sight. What can she do? An idea suddenly pops up in her brain. Wiggling her fingers, she tries to create a force field around herself. If it’s stable enough, maybe it can lift her off the ground and transport her to him.

But it’s all for naught. It’s too late. Her heart skips a beat.

The man has walked off the ledge.

“NO!” Stephanie screams, so violently that she hurts her throat.

On an instinct, she reaches out in his direction despite the big distance that separates them. Her head fills with uneasy thoughts, all of which are focused on helping him. Saving him! Her first attempt can’t end like that, she needs to do something!

Just as the man is about to step into the air and commence a free fall of several stories high, a bubble creates around him. The man gasps, suspended in the air by a wavering force field.

Realizing it is her doing, Stephanie clenches her jaw and focuses all her might on it. Although it quakes with her effort, the bubble carefully glides downwards until it touches the pavement. As soon as it does, the man looks around in a daze and begins to walk away.

Stephanie finds that such small deed was too great for her. All her energies abandon her and she suddenly falls to the ground. She sits there helplessly. Her heart has recovered that unforgiving pace and she breathes heavily again, even worse than after her dash.

In a daze, feeling how her brain slowly fills with fog, Stephanie watches the scene. Two men are fighting close to her, shouting as they’re convinced the other is a threat. A woman and her baby run aimlessly, wailing as each make more noise than the previous. All around her reigns absolute chaos. Panic. Terror. The reason? She doesn’t know. She doesn’t understand.

A man runs for his life, anxiously looking over his shoulder as though something or someone is chasing him. Stephanie can’t see anything behind the man. Just as he passes her by, she weakly holds on to the leg of his pants.

“Sir, sir!!” She calls out, trying to get through to him. Fighting his panic, he nervously turns to her. “What is happening?!”

“T-The scarecrow!” The man gulps. “We’re all going to die!”

And with that her breaks free from her grasp with one simple jerking motion and continues on his escape from an invisible foe.

Stephanie frowns under her eye mask. There are no signs of any scarecrow, and even if it was… what would a scarecrow be doing in a city? Why would an inanimate object be a threat? These people seem to be frightened of an imaginary foe. The only thing different aside from the panicked people is a strange ambiance. Although slightly similar to the way her force fields change the air, this once it feels heavy. There is a mild odor of something burning, like popcorn that has been on the microwave for too long.

But… there is no fire. Stephanie suddenly gets an urge to leave. She makes to stand up, but she remains too weak to move. Anguish overcomes her. Something is happening in that place, something that she cannot comprehend but that is starting to take over her too.

She doesn’t know what, but something is wrong. Something is about to happen. Something bad. Something terrible. She can’t stop thinking about it. A feeling of dread overpowers any other rational thoughts. Now Stephanie understands how all those people feel. Panicked She does too.

Her eyes frantically travel all around her, expecting hidden enemies in every corner. Her powers are useless, even if she could use them. She can’t protect herself, or anyone else.

Static-like void fills her brain, causing her to push her hands against her ears when it feels like her head is about to explode. Her temples throb. Her heart thumps. Her breathing quickens.

Just as she feels herself about to completely lose control, a figure appears in front of her as though it has fallen from the heavens. Stephanie yelps and whimpers, shielding her face with her hands and leaning backwards to get away.

“Hey” A deep dark voice approaches her. “You okay?”

Stephanie dares to peek through her fingers, only becoming more frightened when she actually sees the person… the… creature? It looks like a man, but her panicked mind can only see an enormous bat standing on two legs with its wings wide open.

“Ah!” She screams, so the figure folds the wings and cautiously approaches her. She still doesn’t trust him. “Please don’t hurt me!”

He can hurt her. He will. Anyone can. Anyone will.

“I’m not going to hurt you” He slowly crouches down to be at eye level with her. She can see his worried brown eyes through the mask that covers his features. “Look at me”

“You’re… you’re…” The world seems to spin around her, and Stephanie is out of breath. “You’re The Batman”

“That’s right, I’m here to help” He reminds her, offering her his hand. “What’s going on?”

Stephanie gulps as he pulls her to her feet. It comes to her attention that he looks her up and down, reminding her of the outfit she’s wearing. A hero… she failed. The reason why she went there on the first place was because she wanted to help those people, but… reality becomes a little more stable as she realizes… not even the police stuck around.

“Can you hear me?” The Batman tries again. “What is happening?”

“I don’t know… I don’t know” All her thoughts are scrambled, too fast to stop as they slip through her lips. “Something… is wrong… I can’t explain it...”

A sudden urge to cry causes her to stare at him, begging for help. Maybe he knows what strange occurrence takes place in that street, or how to stop it, or how to end it. He doesn’t seem to, but his eyes are filled with compassion.

“I assume you wanted to help, but you can go” He tells her, supporting her as she feels herself swaying. “Don’t worry, everything will be alright”

Stephanie slowly nods, taking a deep breath and making an effort to fight through that strange trance of terror. No one has attacked her yet, despite her irrational conviction that they would.

“Go, get to safety” The Batman insists, gently letting go of her. “I’ll take care of this”

She opens her mouth. To warn him. He doesn’t know. Since he has just arrived, he has no idea what he will soon experience. But Stephanie can’t speak up. She barely has the strength to stand.

Stumbling and in a daze, she takes a step. She needs to get away from there, breathe a different air. Clean air, not contaminated with whatever is hurting her so. For that reason, she takes another step. And then another. Little by little, she gets away from there. The safety of her home has never felt so distant.

_

When she wakes up, Stephanie can barely remember how she clumsily plopped on the bed and fell asleep. She had nightmares that are impossible to remember. The fact that she is still wearing her hero outfit is proof that it really happened. She still feels feverish and exhausted from her attempt. Something out of the ordinary was happening there. She can only hope The Batman helped those people, and that he himself was safe after all of that.

Remembering she is supposed to meet Barry when he texts her a quick ‘omw’ that lets her know he will arrive soon, Stephanie gets up. She gets changed and stumbles through her own house as though the ground is shaking under her feet.

Her mind seems to clear up as the minutes pass. When she is done getting ready, she goes to the door where she is supposed to meet Barry. He isn’t there yet. At least, her thoughts feel more coherent and ordered now.

Even after that strange effect has passed, adark feeling stays with Stephanie, like a black cloud that stays with her. At first she assumed it was the rare burst of adrenaline traveling through her veins. Now she’s not so sure. Her heart hasn’t stopped beating erratically ever since then, and although there is no more danger she feels on edge. Frightened. She wonders if she really wasn’t as brave as she though she was, or that she abused her still recovering body too much, or if the experience was too harrowing to easily leave behind. Whatever the case, a sudden presence forces her away from those thoughts.

“Hi!” Barry jumps into place in front of her, bearing a wide grin that seems to brighten up the subtle darkness that has clouded her heart. “I’m here”

“You’re late again” The girl only says, even if she’s already smiling. Barry’s feeling has a healing effect that cures her lingering restlessness.

“I know, I’m so sorry” He dramatically sighs, although he does look a little tired. “Busy day”

“What did you do today?” Stephanie asks, trying to start a conversation while at the same time distract herself from her unease.

“Uh….. you know...” Barry shrugs. “Run around, do some errands, save the world…”

Stephanie laughs out loud at his joke, and he grins widely in return. However, the gesture vanishes from his face immediately after. He is staring at her with his brow knitted in concern.

“Steph, you look pale…” He whispers, rubbing her arm. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah” She chuckles, internally panicking at the mere thought of him finding out about her powers and her little adventure. “I just… went for a walk to kill time… Guess I’m a little tired”

Barry pauses. She can almost see the wheels turning in his head. He is about to tell her that she should rest and take it easy, but he doesn’t. Instead, he dedicates her his best encouraging smile.

“I’m gonna spoil you today” His hand lingers on her arm. “You’re still recovering and you deserve to be spoiled”

“So it was a trap” Stephanie smirks, playfully rolling her eyes at him. “I should have known”

“There’s no escaping now” Barry offers her his arm, which she links with his. He then playfully arches his eyebrows. “Shall we?”

The pair smile at each other as they begin to walk. Barry immediately goes on about what they can do. They can get some snacks and take a little walk. Since she’s been locked inside for so long he wants her to get some air, but he’s stern on letting her rest, so maybe they should sit at a terrace. She doesn’t care what the plan is, she’s just happy to be with him. His presence is reassuring, silently reminding Stephanie that there is nothing to fear.

_

It has returned. That feeling of dread, of imminent danger. It isn’t nearly as strong as before, it merely feels like a shadow of its former self. Nonetheless, it is barely enough to make even breathing exhausting. Stephanie can’t focus.

Night is slowly falling as the sky turns a slightly darker shade of blue. It has orange and purple tinges as the last traces of the sunset erase from the horizon. The early night breeze envelops them, gentle like a caress.

Barry has been talking almost all evening, but Stephanie is no longer answering him. She is absently playing with the paper that the hot dogs they ate came in.

“What do you say?” Barry is saying then, but she’s not listening. “Steph?”

Stephanie is so out of it that she can’t answer. She grits her teeth, trying not to wince, when her temples begin throbbing. Her entire body is giving her signals. All she wants to do is rest. Sleep. Sleep for a really long time.

“Steph” He sternly calls her, taking her free hand when she feebly leans on him. “W-What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” She gulps, avoiding his gaze as she lowers her head in the hopes that the stillness can level her dizziness. “Just got a bit light-headed”

“You sure you’re okay?” When she doesn’t answer, he continues. His voice carries a hint of panic. “You’re still recovering, maybe you should have stayed-”

“I’m okay” She rushes to say, trying her best to smile at him. “Just a bit tired”

“Steph, you almost died not that long ago” Barry gravely says, subtly sinking his fingers into her arm. “And you don’t look so good”

“Barry” She begins to say, tiredly tilting her head as she peers at him. Her vision blurs, but she tries to fight through her unwell. “I’m just… a bit weak…”

He doesn’t reply, only furrowing his brow and feeling a pang of concern in his chest. He had been scared enough to find her after the accident, it only makes it worse to see her in that state still. He doesn’t think he could take the idea of her not being alright.

“And…” Stephanie gulps, wobbling slightly. “V-Very dizzy…”

Barry wraps an arm around her. His heart is racing in unease. Just as he supports her, Stephanie falters. The breath hitches in his throat as he tightens his hold on her and presses her against his side.

“Steph?!” His voice breaks as the concern completely takes over him.

For a few seconds she doesn’t reply, only limply lying against him. Memories of finding her after the accident return to Barry, and he grimaces at the mental image. Luckily, she reacts in time to pull him out of those dark thoughts.

“I’m… okay…” She tells him in a daze, voice weak.

Still firmly holding on to her, he presses his free hand against her forehead. Stephanie’s skin feels warm, confirming his suspicions that she was still sick.

“I’m taking you home” Barry states. “No buts, you need to rest”

Stephanie babbles, opening and closing her mouth. If only he knew the true reason behind her state. But he can never know. In any case, she doesn’t feel lucid enough to speak. The mere idea that she has a secret identity feels far too surreal at the moment, even to herself.

“Can you walk?” Barry tenderly moves the hair away from her face, trying to take a good look at her. She only shakes her head, frowning as she tiredly puts her head on his shoulder. “Okay, up you go”

Straining a little, he grunts as he sweeps her off the floor and into his arms. Stephanie suddenly feels incredibly safe and comfortable in his embrace, and the deep unwell lessen slightly.

“You’re strong…” She chuckles, and she briefly wonders why she’s tilted to the side even though her head is still resting against his shoulder.

“See? You’re clearly delirious” They peer at each other for a moment.

The slight motion of picking her head off his shoulder sends a wave of vertigo through her. She whimpers, closing her eyes tight and gingerly resting her head on his shoulder again. Then, a sudden change of position startles her. When she opens her eyes, they are already at her place. Baffled, she feebly glances around. A moment ago they were… and now… she must be really delirious...

“We’re here” Barry carries her inside. “Do I need to take you to the hospital?”

“No, I just…” She starts to say, but her voice then becomes urgent. “Put me down”

Confused, Barry does as she says. When she is on her feet again, Stephanie presses her hands over her mouth. The wave of nausea soon passes, much to her relief. However, everything else does too.

Barry exclaims as he throw himself forward to catch her. Stephanie drops down, falling limply to the ground. His arms break her fall and he nervously scoops her into them again.

“Oh my gosh…” He mumbles as he rushes her to the bed. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…”

He shakily sighs to himself as he carefully lies her down. The girl’s arms stay locked around his neck even when he lets go of her. Barry stops to intently watch her. She now looks peaceful, as though she badly needed that rest. She’s resting, he tells himself. Yeah, just resting. Her chest softly moves up and down with her calm breathing.

“She’s okay” Barry assures himself, although he begins pacing up and down her room.

Thousands of terrible thoughts battle in his brain. She’s sick again. She hasn’t recovered. She’s dying. The accident was too much for her, she will never fully recover.

“Okay, calm down, Barry” He takes a deep breath, even if he still paces. “She’s fine, she’s gonna be alright”

He tells himself that all those thoughts are lies. They are just fears, not reality. Interrupting himself, Barry stops and looks at her again. Stephanie lies motionlessly in the bed. She is still pale, but she doesn’t look terribly sick. He sighs and resumes his pacing.

“She’s not as bad as she was in the hospital” Barry whispers, trying not to wake her. “She looked much worse then. Besides, Steph’s strong, she’ll be fine, she’ll be-”

Barry’s phone rings, startling him so much that he yelps and jumps in place.

“H-Hello?”

“Barry?”

The boy finally quits his pacing for good. His hand flies to his forehead. He had totally forgotten he was supposed to return to the Batcave after being with Steph. Things had seemed to gotten worse. After their rescue on the train, panic had seemed to reign on the streets for several hours. There was no explanation, but they knew it had something to do with the rest of strange events. And maybe a villain was behind it all.

But now… Stephanie needs him. She is sick. Now he can’t leave her.

“Bruce! I’m so sorry” Barry rapidly says. “I know I should be there, but Steph got really sick and…”

“Is she alright?”

“Y-Yeah, yeah… I think so…”

“And you?”

“I’m fine, I just got scared…” He sighs, settling his nerves. “Really freaking scared”

“So you can’t make it?” Bruce asks him, but at least Barry is relieved that there is no anger or annoyance in his voice.

“I’m afraid not… I’m really sorry, I just…”

“I understand” The man replies. “But we have to check that out”

“Sure, yeah!” Barry nervously ruffles his own hair. “You guys be careful out there, okay?”

“We will” Bruce gently says. “Take care of your friend”

“Yeah” The boy absently hangs up, turning to her once more. She is now lying over her side, having turned slightly in her sleep.

Barry watches her, wondering how he can contain such an immense amount of fondness for her. Just the sight of her pale face was enough to break his heart. If he could, he would hold her tight and never let go, protect her from everything.

When he slowly walks closer to her, a board of the wooden floor creaks. Barry freezes, but it’s too late. Stephanie groggily turns around, opening her eyes moving her head to look around her.

“Barry?” She mumbles, looking around, disoriented. “What…?”

What is Barry doing there with her? However, she quickly forgets about him when her eyes fall on the window. It’s almost dawn. An alarm blasts in her head as her usual routine occupies all her thoughts. She needs to get ready!

"I gotta go to work!" Stephanie makes to stand from the bed, but Barry is faster. He pushes her by the shoulders and forces her to lie down again.

"What?” He exclaims, feeling that anguish that he had just gotten rid of creeping up again. “Are you… are you serious?"

"Barry, I’m gonna be late! Our investigation is very important, it will help so many-"

“Oh my gosh, Steph!” He exclaims, in a surprisingly loud and exasperated voice that instantly silences her in astonishment. “Can you stop thinking about everyone else and take care of yourself for one minute?! Don’t you remember what happened to you?!”

And suddenly, with his words, Stephanie does remember. The accident, the hospital, the heroic attempt, the inexplicable dread in the air… Everything. She relaxes, forgetting about work. She now remembers she hasn’t gone to the lab in a week. But it’s too late for Barry.

Stephanie gawks at him, having no words to retaliate. His sudden outburst is so unexpected that she is utterly speechless. A second after he finishes his sentence, however, his eyes widen in surprise as well. They silently stare at each other.

“I’m so sorry” He utters, averting his gaze in shame. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, I just…”

“You’re right… I just got a little disoriented” Stephanie reaches out to delicately take his hand, which he reluctantly allows. “I’m going to lie down, okay?”

The boy nods his head, and he doesn’t move at first even as she insists. When Stephanie tugs at his fingers, he starts to move slowly. Barry turns, hesitantly facing her. Stephanie only pulls a little harder, inviting to sit with her as she returns to her previous spot. Exhaling all the anguish in a shaky breath, Barry joins her in the bed.

No more words are spoken for several seconds. Stephanie doesn’t let go of Barry’s hand. His eyes are watery. Even as he looks away again, she knows, and that is why she tugs at him until they’re both lying down. Resting on their sides, they’re now facing each other. They just rest there for a moment, letting all the tension in the air to vanish and lingering on their positions until Stephanie’s soft voice breaks the silence.

“Are you okay, Barry?”

“Yeah...” He takes a deep breath in. “Just a little shaky”

“I’m sorry…” She mutters, and her hand is delicately pressing against his cheek before she can stop herself. “I really hate to worry you”

“You can’t scare me like that again, okay? Ever” Barry replies, taking her hand off his face and clutching it between both his palms. “Just when I thought you were out of danger you faint on me like that and…”

“I’m okay, Barry” Stephanie assures, chuckling a little when his eyes fall upon hers in a skeptical manner. “I’m better now, really, I just need some rest”

“I can assure you, you’re getting some rest” Remnants of that exasperated tone linger in his voice. “I’m making sure you get some sleep even if I have to lie all day here with you!”

“Is that a threat?” She tenderly smiles, and the callback causes Barry to chuckle.

He pauses, taking a moment to sigh and calm himself.

“Are you really feeling okay?” He lovingly presses her hand against his chest. His heart is drumming underneath it. “Don’t lie to me, Steph, I’ll know”

“I am, I promise” Stephanie snuggles closer to him, embracing his warmth and comforting presence. “Just a little tired”

“What happened to you?” He whispers in concern, even if his arm automatically falls over her frame. “I thought you had rested a lot, that you were recovered. Did I overdo it today? I really tried to…”

“No, no, it’s not that” The girl locks eyes with him, biting her lip as she wonders if she should tell him. In the end she partially does, thinking that he doesn’t need to know the true reason behind her little adventure. “When I went for that walk earlier I… I don’t know… Something affected me… It was like the air was contaminated… It made me feel scared and horrible”

“What was it?”

“I have no idea… I just know there’s something strange going on in this city”

“Yeah, I know…” Barry somberly mutters. After a brief pause, he feels his shoulders relaxing the closer she is. “Try to get some sleep, okay? I’ll watch over you”

Stephanie breathes in, just at the same time that Barry does, and peacefully exhales with him. She hasn’t been feeling safe ever since that awful experience from before. Now, next to Barry and enveloped by his arms, she feels the safest she’s ever been.

Tag list: @scared-to-be-lonely345​​ / @ocfairygodmother​ // Ask to be added to be notified when I post for this series!!

[julie-thefatones]

Ghost of You || Luke x Reader || Part 4

A/N: Your best friends with Julie, since the stamp was removed from the boys they are able to be seen by lifers at choice and can touch lifers at choice, but are still ghosts. You and Luke grow closer and closer starting to go from friends to more than that and everyone starts to notice, it just takes a little longer for you two to figure it out.

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3

Side Note: The song that Luke "writes" about Y/N is in fact Moving Along by 5 SOS look it up its a good one

Word Count: 3,088

WARNINGS: 16+ (Sexual References)

It had been weeks since yours and Lukes encounter, in fact you guys have barely talked.... Anytime you guys hung out it was always with the group and only the group and every time he would barely even look at you, you didnt really know what to think of it .... you missed him, yeah you knew that it was gonna be different than before but not this different... You were walking out of 4th period when Carrie came jogging down the hall to catch up with you "Hey Y/N! im gonna walk with you" She said in her normal high pitched Carrie voice, you gave her a shy but inviting smile and then hugged your books to your chest, you hadn't really felt like your self since this whole thing happened, Carrie could see the sadness in your demeanor "Are you okay Y/N? you have been down for like..... weeks" Carried asked with concern, you kind of sighed because thinking about it was hard enough let alone talking about, but you thought your friend deserved an explanation, you glanced in Carries direction "Not really" you said with sadness in your voice "Me and Luke had an... incident so to speak a few weeks ago and it kind of caused a rift in our friendship and now he won't even look at me or talk to me....." you sighed and looked down at the floor "I miss him" you said in a barely audible sad tone, Carrie came closer to you and put a gentle hand on your back showing she cared "Can I ask ... what happened between you and Luke.... you guys were so close, like it was rare to ever see you guys not together" Carrie asked in a soft tone trying not to be pushy, you contemplated on telling her or not *What do I got to loose* you thought to yourself then stopped walking, turning to face Carrie

"Okay.... you just cant tell anyone okay" you said getting close enough to Carrie so that only she could hear what you were saying, her eyes widened with intrigue "Yeah, I promise Y/N" she said urgently to insure you knew that she wouldn't tell a soul "Me and Luke......" you started saying, then stopping to look side to side, to make sure that no one was listening to what you were saying, then looking straight back into Carries eyes "Me and Luke, almost slept together... like it was going to happen but then ... Alex and Reggie Poofed in and then it was a huge mess and then Me and Luke agreed to just be friends and now we are here" You said in a slight urgent whisper, Carries mouth was wide open with shock with her eyes bugged out of her head "Carrie?" you said widening your eyes in concern to why she wasn't answering yet "Carrie!" you exclaimed in hopes she would snap out of it "YOU AND LUKE WHAT!" she yelled in which you immediately slammed your hand over her mouth "Can you not yell maam" you said with tight lips and wide eyes, Carrie shook her head yes under your mouth and relaxed, you released your hand from her mouth in which she started talking instantly "Im sorry! you and Luke what? why am I just now hearing this" Carrie exclaimed in a whispered tone, you sighed and continued walking down the hallway, in which she followed after you "Because I didnt want anyone to know .... I didnt want to make a big deal.... especially since Luke isn't even talking to me ..... I don't know... I just really really miss him" You said in a melancholy tone, Carrie looked at you as if she was gonna say something and then Alex poofed in right in front of you and Carrie, stopping you both in your tracks "Woah! Hey Alex" You said in a high pitched tone, you thought you would be used to them popping in like that by now but you weren't "Luke misses you too! hes driving me crazy" Alex exclaims motioning his hands from his head like he is going out of his mind, You just look at Alex not really knowing what to say, Carrie just looking back and forth from you to Alex waiting for one of you to speak again, Alex continues on with his rant "Y/N! hes so mopey, hes just sitting around all day writing in his stupid freaking song book with his sad Luke face! and anytime I try to ask him to do something or ask him what wrong he just looks at me with that face you know that Luke face that is just like brooding and HIS LUKE

FACE!" Alex says in frustration all while pacing back and forth in front of you guys, messing with his hair in frustration and annoyance, and then he abruptly stops in front of you with wild eyes, grabbing both your shoulders "Y/N! you gotta go make up with him or something! I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Alex exclaims, you had to admit this was slightly entertaining you couldn't help but chuckle, but then you sighed thinking about the *You gotta make up with him* part of what Alex said "Theres nothing to make up, we aren't fighting ..... we just ..... I guess aren't as close as we were" You said back to your sad voice , Alex rolls his eyes throwing his hands up in the air doing a slight twirl to face away from you and then a quick motion back to face you "BULL CRAP! YOU GUYS CANT GO FROM ALMOST BONING EACH OTHER TO NOT TALKING AT ALL THAT FAST!! YOU GUYS NEED TO TALK! NOW" Alex exclaims, now pushing you toward the door, Carrie just laughing and then following after to not miss anything "GET HIM OUT OF MY STUDIO, AND FIX HIM!" Alex continues pushing you out the door, him and Carrie just standing in the hallway looking out the door as you walk down the street in major confusion to what just happened, Alex sighs "I really hope I got through to her but wasn't like mean ya know" he says tilting his head to the side as he watched you walk away through the school doors, Carrie tilting her head in the same direction but snapping it up ward to look at Alex "No I think you did a great job! very well executed" She said with reassurance, Alex snaps his head up to look back at her "Thank you, ya know I just ..... I really want Luke out of the studio" He said bringing his hand to heart.

As you walked down the street you decided you weren't gonna go see Luke, it just felt too weird and you didnt want to impose, you just decided to go home... you just wanted to sleep! not talk to anyone or deal with anyone! just sleep! you thought to yourself....... your feet dragged you up the stairs into your room, you slammed the door and face planted on your bed when you noticed something in the corner of your eye... It was your guitar, Luke had kept it with him since he gifted it to you just to keep it safe, but there it was, with its own stand and everything, then you noticed a note sticking out of the strings, you quickly rolled out of your bed to stumble over and read it, you gently pulled the note out of the strings being careful not to damage the guitar in any way, the front of the note read To: Y/N you could tell it was Luke who left it there because of the awful, but cute hand writing, it smelled like him and you thought that was a weird thing to think but .... you missed that smell, you took a moment thinking about the last time you breathed in his scent.... flashing back to the night you guys almost..... you shook your head bringing your self back to focus and opening the letter

Dear Y/N,

Hey.... long time no talk eh? how are you? I don't know why im asking that this is a letter not a text message..... anyway! here's your guitar, figured it wouldn't be any good to ya if you didnt have it. It didnt have a strap or anything so I took the liberty of picking one out for you, I figured you would like this one it has checkers all over it, It will match your vans... and my vans too! thats pretty cool .... I almost bought one for my self I think still might, look at us matching guitar straps! Reggie is gonna be so jealous! Anyway, I hope your doing good ... Oh! and good luck on you French test! I know you were nervous about that, I know youre gonna rock it! you always do

-Luke

You closed the letter holding it to your chest and smiling, you lightly lifted the guitar strap with your finger to look at it, you chuckled noticing that you were actually wearing your checkered vans today. You removed your finger letting the strap fall gently back to place, you sighed curling your legs up to your chest. You remembered that the band had a show tonight... *Should I go?* you thought to your self... you initially thought you wouldn't go, but it would be nice to support your friends, and maybe you and Luke should talk *Okay Im gonna go!* you thought to your self confidently, but first you needed a nap.

It was 7:00pm, you arrived at the venue of the gig 30 minutes before their performance, the place was packed! you knew you should have gotten their earlier, but it was hard enough to get out of bed to get here... wasn't exactly easy for you.

You danced along with the bands that were on before Julie and the boys, you noticed Flynn and Carrie across the venue, they noticed you back waving their hands in the air in excitement for you to join them, You grow a big smile and excitedly run over to join them... you hug them in a greeting, and just then you heard the announcer say "Please put your hands together for Julie and The Phantoms" the crowd goes wild, Julie and the boys had become quite popular in your town, You, Carrie, and Flynn made it a point to be the loudest ones out of everyone though. Julie entered the stage, alone like she always did, she made her way over to the keyboard and sat down. She pressed one button on the keyboard in order for the boys to poof on stage, Luke immediately starts singing while simultaneously playing the guitar "Thinking bout you lots lately! Have you been eating breakfast alone like me! Thinking bout you lots lately Oh are you moving along!" You had never heard this song before, it must have been new, Luke played and sang effortlessly, you didnt really notice the lyrics until you noticed Carrie and Flynn looking at you with curious wide eyes, Luke sang with such passion in his voice, he always did but this time seemed different. When the bridge came Luke found you in the crowd his eyes getting big but then locking his eyes with yours as he sang, not breaking his stare, singing "Scared of moving on, but you're already gone So if you're moving on, won't you just tell me? Scared of moving on, but you're already gone So if you're moving on, won't you just tell me?" As soon as the bridge ended he broke your gaze, you shook your head in order to get your self to recover, you look over at Carrie and Flynn who were watching you for your reaction, you look back up at the stage, Luke and Reggie were doing their classic move of sharing the mic during the chorus, then Luke broke off, playing the melody on his guitar with such... what seemed like anger, or frustration. You started questioning if you should have even come tonight *Was this a mistake..... he looks mad* you thought to yourself, now biting your thumb due to your new anxiety toward the situation. When the song ended Luke shook his hair which was now damp with sweat, and then he stared at you, you couldn't tell what his emotions were at this moment.... *oh boy, how am I gonna make it through this night* you thought to your self.

The band had a great set, after the new song they played Finally Free, which was one of your favorites, then they did Bright. You were really proud of your best friend and how successful her and the boys were becoming. The whole event was over and the place was now pretty much empty, it was just you, Carrie, and Flynn waiting for Julie and the Boys to come out from the back. You were super nervous to see Luke, you didnt know what to say, was that song about you? you wondered to your self.... in the middle of your internal crisis you saw Julie coming from the back with Alex, Reggie following behind all smiling and then Luke shortly after them, he wasn't smiling though, he was just anxiously messing with the hair behind his head. Carrie and Flynn ran up to Julie to give her a hug to congratulate her on the show, you broke your gaze from Luke in order to do the same, you quickly ran over to give your best friend a hug "Congrats Jules! that was an amazing show!" you exclaimed and then motioned to the boys "All of you!" you said looking at all of them, and then setting your eyes on Luke just a little longer than everyone else, he just shyly smiled in response "Thanks Y/N!" Reggie Exclaimed "Did you like the first song? Luke wrote it about you!" Reggie continued with a big smile and a slight chuckle at the end, Lukes eyes widened with annoyance, Alex just turned slowly to face Reggie, his eye twitching in the process, Reggie just looked confused at both of them "What? was she not supposed to know" Reggie asked like he really didnt know, You just stood there shyly, not really knowing what to say, Carries eyes widened "Well!! Flynn! Julie! Alex! and Reggie! I think there is something over here you guys should see its really cool?" Carrie said breaking the awkward tension, or trying to at least, motioning everyone in to the other side of the venue in order to give you and Luke some privacy "Why whats over here?" Reggie asked confused, in which Alex pulled his arm with annoyance rolling his eyes "Just come on reg!" Alex said with a frustrated tone pulling him in the direction Carrie was leading everyone. Soon enough they all disappeared behind a curtain on the other side of the venue, You turned to look at Luke who had his hands in his front pockets, he looked up to make eye contact with you, a half smile appeared on his face as you guys shared a look, you couldn't help but smile a little too. Luke lifted one leg up and then hoped forward to get closer to you "Soooo....." He said as if he didnt know what to do next, You put your hands in your back pockets, then motioned your shoulders forward a little "Sooooo" You echoed back to him, he chuckled "Did you like the show?" He said motioning toward the stage, you nodded your head yes "Yeah!! you guys rocked it as usual" You said, you felt awkward because you had so many things you wanted to say but you didnt want to overwhelm him or feel like you were over stepping, He made a slight whistle shaking his head yes then looking down at his foot which was resting on its heel motioning side to side, "Was that song really about me?" You blurted out with out even thinking, or realizing what you were doing, Luke froze and then looked up with wide eyes, his lips still pursed from whistling and then he relaxed his position putting his foot down and removing his hands from his pockets "Okay, we're just gonna jump right into it..... yeah! it was" he said with a slightly frustrated tone, you bit your lip not really understanding "Wh- why?" you asked truly wondering why he wrote it, you guys both agreed to be friends and you guys never dated so what was there to move on from, he looked at you scrunching his eyebrows together "Why?" He said back confused to why you were confused, you don't know why but you were getting angry "Yeah!" You said throwing your hands in the air "Why Luke! Why everything! Why have you been avoiding me! why have you been so absent!!!" You exclaimed, starting to tear up "So what we almost slept together! BIG DEAL! THAT DOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO CUT ME OFF! THAT DOESNT ME YOU

HAVE TO

TURN AWAY FROM ME!" You didnt realize it but you were yelling, tears were streaming down your face, you wiped your tears with the sleeve of your jacket "I missed you so much..... so much Luke..... so yeah why?" you said softer with a crack in your voice, Luke bit his lip in frustration "You wanna know why?!" he exclaimed moving one step closer to you "Because you mean more to me than I could ever imagine someone meaning to me, youre the most amazing person I have ever met!" He exclaimed, now him growing tears in his eyes "AND WHEN YOU KEPT SAYING WE'RE JUST FRIENDS IT EFFING BROKE ME INSIDE BECAUSE IM SO IN LOVE WITH YOU THAT IT HURTS! OKAY! THAT THE FACT YOU DONT WANT ANYTHING MORE THAN JUST FRIEND SHIP KILLS ME INSIDE! SO YEAH I AVOIDED SEEING YOU BECAUSE EVERYTIME I SAW YOU THE PAIN WAS UNBEARABLE BECAUSE ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS GRAB YOU AND HOLD YOU IN MY ARMS AND CALL YOU MINE!" He yelled, grabbing his hair in frustration "There ya go! thats why!" he exclaimed finishing his statement, You stood there gathering the ends of your jacket sleeve in your fists, looking at Luke with red puffy eyes, and before you could respond Luke picked up his guitar, wiped his eyes and poofed out.

[foundfamilie]

Mutual Understanding

Prompt: How bout some platonic bromance of Carlos and Paul I feel like after the club scene they will have become besties ?

Thank you for the prompt, @daybreak96! I know it’s about 10 months late but maybe you’ll still enjoy it. I haven’t written for this fandom since S1 aired, so I’m a but rusty, I apologise for that

__________________________________

Paul flopped onto Carlos’ couch right after he came through the door. Ever since the night in the club he had been at Carlos’ apartment often enough to feel comfortable to do so. “So, where’s TK?”

Carlos closed the door behind his friend and sat down next to him. “He’s not feeling well.”

“He won’t come?”

Carlos shook his head and checked his phone one last time to see whether TK had changed his mind. He hadn’t. 

Paul sat up a bit straighter and ran his hand over his thighs as if he was nervous. When Carlos looked at him, he was frowning. “But… is he okay with us hanging out?”

“He is, yeah,” Carlos answered and sent a smug smile in Paul’s direction, “I’m a grown man, though. I can decide for myself who to hang out with.”

Paul shrugged. “Yeah, I know you can. It’s just, I met you because of him and I wouldn’t want to cause any… bad blood. Not between the two of you and also not between him and me. Things have been good at the station. Wouldn’t like to ruin it.”

Carlos shook his head in sympathy. “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t come at me I think you’ll be fine.”

Paul chuckled at that and held his hands up. “I’ll do my best but that body of yours…”

Carlos only spared him a sarcastic smile. “Oh, but you do own a mirror, don’t you?”

They were interrupted by his phone, a couple of short vibrations signalling various messages coming in.

TK: I’m really sorry for cancelling

TK: have fun with paul, you deserve it after the week you’ve had

TK: let’s have lunch tomorrow if i feel better? 

TK: say hi to paul and don’t stare at his face or muscles for too long or you’ll lose interest in me

Carlos couldn’t help but smile down at his phone reading the message. 

“TK says hi,” he passed on to Paul and texted back. 

Carlos: lunch sounds great, let me know how you’re feeling

Carlos: never!

As if he would lose interest in TK, the thought itself was ridiculous at this point. 

“Duuuude,” Paul grinned smugly and shoved Carlos’ shoulder, “You’re so far gone for that boy!”

Carlos looked up at him. When he couldn’t think of a witty remark within a second, he just kept on smiling like a Chesire cat. “Yeah, I know. So, um, now that TK isn’t coming, do you want to have a beer?”

“Sure.” Paul said and then noticed that he had never seen Carlos drinking before. “So, you’re only not drinking when he’s around?”

Carlos hesitated. He got up and walked over to the fridge to get the beers, buying himself some time to think about an answer. “He doesn’t drink, so I try not to when he’s around, yeah.”

Paul nodded. Carlos didn’t know how much he knew about TK’s past but from the expression on Paul’s face he at least suspected something. They both left it at that. Carlos wouldn’t be the one to tell him and Paul had the decency not to ask. “How is it going between the two of you?” He asked instead.

Carlos opened the beers, cheered to Paul and took a sip of his. “It’s going up and down. The timing is shit for him but I know that he’s trying, that’s all I can ask for.” He smiled at that, realising yet again how true it was.  They weren’t where he would like them to be yet, but they were good and that was all that mattered for him. “How is it for you? Anything new?”

Paul sighed. “I’ve talked to a few women online… It’s been okay, but nothing real.”

“Has it been different before?” Carlos was careful to ask that. He wasn’t sure how comfortable Paul was talking about his identity or his sexuality and he certainly wasn’t sure how comfortable Paul was talking about all of this to him. “I mean, before you came to Austin? You came from Chicago, right?”

“Chicago is about three times the size of Austin and that kind of shows in my dating options.”

“Do you miss it? Chicago, I mean.”

Paul thought about it for some time, his gaze down, fixed somewhere on Carlos’ coffee table. “I do, yeah.” He shrugged. “Some stuff. I loved the community I’ve had in Chicago but working over there was shit. Here it’s the other way around. Work is good, the team is the best I’ve ever had, the captain, too… I hope the community is something that I can build up over time. My people are everywhere, in some places you just have to dig deeper to find them.” He shrugged again but his voice was too full of emotion to fool Carlos with nonchalance. 

In sympathy, Carlos raised his beer bottle and cheered to him again. “I hope so, too. In the meantime, if you ever need someone to hang out or to talk to, you know where I live.”

“Yeah, thanks man. Same back to you. If you ever need someone to talk to, or if you ever need someone to give your boy a shove in the right direction, just let me know.” 

Carlos laughed. “I’ll try and be patient first but yeah, thanks, I’ll let you know.”

“He is a handful, that’s for sure. Good luck with that.”

“I can handle him, don’t worry,” Carlos said suggestively, “In every way.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Paul threw the cap of his bottle at him. 

“How about you though,” Paul asked about as carefully as Carlos had been earlier, “Are you from Austin? Born and raised?”

Carlos shook his head at that. “Nope,” he answered, “My parents live about two hours to the north-east from here. Very rural, very… Texas, I guess.” He swallowed and smiled self-deprecatingly. “So, I think, I kind of understand the ‘in some places you just have to dig deeper to find your people’ thing.” It was his time to go for nonchalance when he actually knew he wouldn’t fool Paul. They both knew it and still, it helped with the heaviness of dark memories at least to some extent.

Paul nodded. “Yeah, I guess,” he said. “When did you come to Austin?”

“Right after school. We’ve been to Austin very often when I was a kid and I’ve always liked it, but when I got older - with the whole coming to terms with my sexuality and such, it kind of became a safe space for me? I mean, it’s not Chicago or New York or L.A., I know it’s not, but it’s the first place I’ve ever felt safe in my whole life, so it is home for me, you know?”

Paul nodded again. He understood this need for a safe space, this need for a home just as much as every queer person. This time, instead of trying to be chill, he shot Carlos a genuine smile. “Yeah,” He said, “I know. I really hope it can be home for me, too.”

Carlos smiled back and leaned over to shove Paul gently. “I hope so, too, man.” And at this point, Carlos was certain that he himself would try and give his best to make it easier for his new friend.