#this is me throwing another beach episode

[darkopsiian]

thumbnail for my multiplayer subnautica video

without the double Rileys

[asneakyfox]

so let's talk about david jenkins saying the idea was that the crew would dump ed overboard in the mutiny before the writers changed their minds and had him kept in the hold.

he says they changed this for pacing reasons, so that the reunion could happen in 2x03 instead of being delayed longer, and i cannot argue with that, waiting any longer sounds excruciating. so i'm not complaining about this as, like, villainous interference from the WBD suits or anything, although it might be a decision forced by cutting the number of episodes. probably still the right call under the circumstances. BUT i'm interested in it because this explains a couple things that are weird about the plot structure of the whole season as it stands.

so first of all the crew throwing the body overboard just immediately makes a lot more sense because it doesn't actually require them to have failed to notice he wasn't dead. it would be pretty tough to carry the body into the hold and lay him out and cover his face with a lil washcloth and everything and not notice at any point during this that he's still breathing or that he has a pulse. and if they did notice you'd think they'd either finish the job quickly or try to treat him if they'd had a change of heart, not leave him to die slow. however the idea that they would beat him till he stopped moving then immediately chuck the body overboard, that totally makes sense, you wouldn't stop to check if he was already dead or not because one way or another he will be pretty shortly after you dump him in the ocean.

second the line from stede to izzy about "you were the one who kept his body onboard" always bugged me because it feels like it's meant to establish something about izzy but it's really unclear WHAT it tells us about him, in a way that doesn't seem like intentional ambiguity: i've seen people interpret it as a sign of his devotion and i've seen others assume it was a practical decision that the crew should keep ed's body around to claim the bounty on blackbeard. (and i've seen both interpretations from people both in and out of the canyon, so it's not even a normal izcourse divide.) i actually wondered at one point if the purpose was to foreshadow where izzy's arc is going to end by establishing that he thinks it's more respectful to bury a pirate on land than at sea, although if that was the idea it sure didn't work on the people who'd care most.

however this new info from djenks explains it pretty neatly, which is that the reason for the line isn't to establish character stuff about izzy at all it's just there to awkwardly patch a plothole. it's that someone in the writers' room was like "but it doesn't make any sense, why WOULDN'T they dump his body overboard once they'd killed him" and somebody else was like "idk uh maybe we can put in a line about how izzy stopped them or something."

now more interestingly! this also would change something bigger about 2x04. because i'm guessing the idea here would be that ed would have actually for real washed up on an island that looks just like the one in the gravy basket and just never actually gotten up off the beach, and stede would find him there, mermaid scene, and ed would wake up mad and storm off into the woods with where he meets mary read with stede already trying to follow him and the rest of the episode proceeds as normal from there. (and probably buttons would be just, like, hanging around following stede, or maybe he was already acting as a psychopomp and led stede to ed's body, idk, lots of possible ways to play that.)

this means you completely lose the beat of the crew voting ed off the ship. you wouldn't lose the idea of the crew being pissed at him; you could still have the kitty collar onesie probation stuff after he got back. but this is a BIG change.

first of all it solves a big obvious problem LOTS of people pointed out immediately when the episode aired which is that it makes no sense that stede would just stay on the ship after letting ed be exiled. reuniting with ed has been his driving goal for months and it's not even like ed has definitively told him to fuck off, he's just stomping off angry and incoherent and not even clearly in his right mind. but they couldn't let stede actually follow ed on his own initiative immediately, because it would undermine the later fisherman breakup if stede has already established that he's willing to leave his pirate career behind if that's what it takes to be with ed. so you end up with this awkward beat where he's just kind of passively standing there until buttons tells him what to do.

i think there's something even more important it does though! one criticism a LOT of people had about s2 was feeling like the crew all hated ed now and there was no clear sign they'd forgiven him by the end, and also some people had the impression that stede had just overriden the crew's decision (even though he does say he's going to ask their permission; it DOES feel weird we don't see that). now i've said before that i think there was probably going to be a reconciliation between ed & lucius, and by extension the crew as a whole, in the lupete wedding verision of 2x06, and i still think that. but regardless of whether i'm right or wrong about that. even without a reconciliation, this would seem like WAY less of a problem if the crew hadn't voted ed of the ship.

as it is, we have THREE scenes devoted to the idea that the crew as a whole (not just lucius & izzy, who both have more complicated individual relationships with ed) are uncomfortable with ed's presence on the ship - there's the initial one where stede's holding the meat on his face where they're all yelling at him, and then there's the actual walk of shame where they've just voted him off, and THEN there's the youtube apology scene where they're heckling him and stuff. and having three separate scenes like that makes it feel like the narrative is really hammering in this idea of a big dramatic rupture in the whole crew's relationship with ed. but only the last of those scenes was originally supposed to be there! the first two were just thrown into the plot to justify why ed ends up wandering around an island to run into anne & mary! if you only had the youtube apology scene, it would be much more clear that most of the crew weren't really all that mad - as it is, roach and jim explicitly saying they aren't mad feels like it's overshadowed by the weight of the earlier scenes.

(also a minor issue, but i've mentioned before that surprisingly often people think the vote was unanimous. this doesn't actually make sense in terms of the episode, because we know it was deadlocked and izzy cast the tiebreaker. but it is sort of weird, if the idea is that the crew is split on this, that we never get any sign of who voted which way; there's nobody but stede who is clearly presented as specifically not wanting ed to be exiled. which DOES end up making it feel like it's the crew as a unanimous block that wants him off the ship. but that makes sense if the whole concept of the crew wanting him exiled was sort of hastily written to patch a plot hole instead of being a fully developed idea.)

anyway. like i said i can't really complain about this as a pacing decision. but it is really interesting to me how many knock-on problems with the whole arc of the season were created by the change, and how much cleaner the original idea sounds like it would have been.

[sokkastyles]

I’m so amazed how people can’t see the emotional burden that gets put on Katara throughout the show. I just re-watched “The Deserter” (Book 1, Ep 16) and oml. First, Aang straight up ignores all the wisdom and advice given to him, and pushes too far with fire bending even though he has no control, and burns Katara. And like yes, I get it he is young and naive and impatient. But what really struck me is he burns Katara, she runs off, and learns she can heal herself. (Also really wish they had have her keep the scars, would have been an interesting lesson and more lasting imo) Anywho, then Zhang shows up and she goes to get Aang, and Katara has to end up comforting him because he’s being mopey and self-deprecating saying he’ll never firebend again. My man BURNED this girl and then throws himself a pity party that SHE has to pull him out of and comfort HIM into feeling better. Being healed aside, this makes me so uncomfortable because for a lot of people in unbalanced relationships, this exact scenario plays out all too often. Someone gets hurt, and then it’s their job to make their partner feel better when they get all upset because they’re guilty. Then, after they escape, Katara heals AANG from his battle, and her burns are never mentioned again. I was expecting him to apologize again now that things had slowed down, and nope, nothing! Other than his frantic apologies while she was writhing around in pain, he never says another word about it.

Since she’s healed, it’s all good I guess, right? I’m watching a reaction series of ATLA, and even this guy who’s brand new to the series is calling zutara all the way from halfway into book one. So much about Kataang just feels so icky, and unbalanced, and so much physical and emotional labor on Katara’s part. Forever grateful that there are good fanfics and fandom circles out there to do Zutara justice.

Sorry for the rant, but it just gets to me that some fans seem to have not a lot of media literacy, like how does this inspire thoughts of a happy healthy relationship? Lol but I love your blog sm! Thanks 💛💛

It's actually not that people who ship KA are media illiterate. On the contrary, they are interpreting the show in exactly the way it was meant to be read. It's just that the trope of the Nice Guy stuck in the friend zone who has to prove he's grown up enough for the girl is such a common trope, and appeals to the misogyny that is ingrained in our society. Many people do not recognize the unfair burden put on Katara because it's expected for her to be the one to bear that burden.

And you're right about the situation in the Deserter being manipulative. Aang doesn't do it on purpose, but you're right that in real life, it's a red flag and a hallmark of abusive relationships. It's not framed that way because there is literal magic used to make Katara's pain go away, but it's all part of the narrative of the show choosing to address Aang's feelings about Katara over Katara's actual feelings.

What happens between Katara and Aang is actually very similar to what we see between Azula and Ty Lee in the Beach episode, when Azula makes Ty Lee cry by slut-shaming her, then Azula tells Ty Lee to stop crying and is juuust vulnerable enough to give Ty Lee an excuse for her behavior, and also a reason for Ty Lee to now focus on her: Azula only did that because she was jealous, so now Ty Lee can help by teaching Azula how to pick up boys.

The difference in the way these two scenes are portrayed is that Azula is clearly a villain and Ty Lee has been shown time and time again to put up with things we know she shouldn't. Whereas with Katara and Aang, we're supposed to think Katara bearing the brunt of the emotional labor is fine and normal and not Aang's fault, because the narrative twists to make it not Aang's fault.

I also find the way people mock zutara shippers for imagining Zuko doing the emotional labor to lessen the burden off Katara highly misogynistic. Like, this is so obviously the Nice Guy myth rearing its ugly head again. Women who think they know better about what they need than the Nice Guy does will wind up in an abusive relationship, because no man can actually be better than the Nice Guy. The Nice Guy actually NEEDS to think that no man can be nicer than him, not only because he needs it for his Nice Guy identity, but because it means that he doesn't have to be responsible for any of the labor foisted onto his object of affection.

In contrast, Zutara is threatening precisely because it validates Katara. Zuko's pain is not addressed until he addresses Katara's first, in the caves. His wish for forgiveness is not granted until he helps Katara get closure for her pain. Zuko is forced to do the emotional labor that the show always forces Katara to do. Not just with Aang, but with her brother. That scene where Katara eavesdrops on Sokka talking about how Katara is like a mother to him, with the guiltiest look on her face, is meant to reinforce that Katara should just quietly accept her rile.

Often, enemies to lovers ships are popular because the enemy is the only one that a female character is allowed to express her pain and hurt towards. And boy, does Katara express it towards Zuko. And he takes it in, and listens, and tries to make amends. Zuko actually needs Katara to forgive him in order for the gaang to function. He has to be Aang's firebending teacher. Katara could have just kept on being angry at him, and eventually her anger would have faded the way it does with all the men in her life, and she probably would have quietly internalized it as another part of herself that she needs to repress.

But it's Zuko who chooses not to accept this. Which he also could have done, because lord knows Zuko is used to living with people who hate him. At least Katara won't be actively malicious towards him.

But Zuko actually does what nobody else in the show does. The show makes a point of telling us that nobody else does it, too.

And you know what? Katara still heals her own pain. Zuko makes it possible, but he's pretty passive at the important moments. He watches, and that becomes something really powerful for a character like Katara who is always made to hide her own needs, her pain.

Zuko could have not gone with her on this journey. He could have sat back and waited for Katara to heal herself and reassure him that all was forgiven. But he doesn't. He witnesses. He validates. He lets her rage at him, then accepts her forgiveness when it's time for him to. He knows enough to know that he can't make the decision about what Katara needs, only she can do that.

That's why people write fic where Zuko is sensitive and a good listener and does the cooking and the cleaning and is otherwise the perfect partner. And I think they're so valid for that.

What I said about Azula and Ty Lee is also why Azula x Katara doesn't work as enemies to lovers, because Azula would not be able to do the work that Zuko does to acknowledge Katara's pain. She can't even do it for her friends.

[lulunothulu]

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader

Summary: Jake knows something’s wrong so he makes it his life’s mission to 1. Make it better and 2. Find out what’s wrong.

Content: 18+ ONLY, sad boi hours, soft Jake, FLUFF, cuddling turned into cock warming, p in v sex, unprotected sex.

Masterlist here 💗🤠

Jake had a pretty normal day at work. Nothing compared to the week before, but still pretty okay.

He’d just parked in the driveway, sighing as he finally sees his home. Y’all’s home.

Texas flag hanging proudly on a hook out front, white picket fence closing intruders out of y’all’s space.

The house itself wasn’t anything special, just a bungalow by the beach. What made it special was you. The warmth and light you brought in with just a smile could’ve lit the whole house.

That’s why when he enters the house and finds nothing but darkness and silence, he knows something’s wrong.

Kicking off his boots at the entryway, Jake looks around the house for any signs of you.

Your purse is on the table by the door, keys along with it. Your shoes, required for any Naval Medic, lined by his own boots. Your uniform shirt was neatly thrown on the couch a little walks away from the front door, pants in tow.

You were never home before he was, only on rare occasions so that didn’t throw him off. What threw him off was in the distance, Jake heard soft sniffles coming from your room.

Carefully, Jake padded toward the room, worry increasing deep in his chest.

“Darlin’?” He drawled, pushing the door to y’all’s bedroom open.

Curled up on the bed you lay, soft sniffles filling Jake’s ears.

Instantly, Jake is by your side. To hell with showering, you were all he needed to focus on.

“Baby?” He soothes your head, brushing your hair back and away from your face. Your face was splotchy, eyes rimmed red and lips puffy from crying.

“What’s wrong, dear?” he asks, patiently waiting for your sweet voice to respond.

But you don’t.

You just lay there, staring beyond you, eyes emotionless.

Fear began to creep into Jake’s mind. He knew you’d seen some things on your last deployment, but you never spoke of it. He could only imagine you were having another PTSD episode. The last one being a few months ago.

Wrapping his strong arms around your form, Jake nuzzles his face into your neck. “Darlin’, you gotta tell me what’s bothering you…please?”

Again, nothing.

Jake’s mind begins to race, he hated seeing you so low. He had to do something to make you feel better, but before he could even do that he had to figure out what was going on.

“Baby, is this about your deployment?” He asks softly.

You shake your head, no.

Jake sits up, looking down at you again. Life creeps back into your eyes but you’re still staring off beyond you.

Okay, so it wasn’t whatever happened during your deployment.

“Is it work?” He asks.

You sigh before croaking, “No.”

The sound of your voice was like music to his ears. He breathed a sigh of relief at that, thinking of his next best thing to ask.

“Are you just having a bad day?”

When you nod and hum a ‘mhmm’, Jake almost rejoices. He’d finally gotten an answer. Now to cheer you up.

“Tell me what happened today,” he half orders, half asks. “C’mon, talk to me baby.”

You turn to face him, finally resting those beautiful eyes on his sage green ones.

Jake wipes a tear that falls from your eyes, patiently waiting for your response.

He watches as you take a shaky breath before you finally spill.

“It started this morning,” you recounted.

——— This morning ———

You were already running late.

Your alarm hasn’t woken you up and while Jake’s alarms—yes plural alarms—usually do the trick for you, you were so tired from the day before, you barley felt when he kissed you goodbye.

By the time you were dressed and out the door, you were running ten minutes late.

You sprint into the hospital where you worked, smiling as your supervisor, Captain Holt, raised a bushy brow at you.

“You’re ten minutes late,” he states.

“I know, sir,” you say at attention. “My alarms didn’t go off.”

“Hmm,” he hums, looking you up and down. “Since you’re never late, I’ll let you off with a warning. But do not let it happen again, Lieutenant Seresin.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” You reply, saluting when he dismisses you and walking to your station.

You sigh, realizing your forgot coffee this morning so you go to the break room to grab a cup before you settle back into your station.

However, after you made a cup, you’re bumped into on the way back to your station. Coffee spills down the front of your uniform shirt as you mentally scream.

“Watch where you’re going,” you yell at whoever just bumped into you.

You turn around to see a Petty Officer with wide eyes stare back at you.

“I’m so sorry, Lieutenant!” She cries, standing at attention and saluting you. “There’s a trauma coming in and Lieutenant Briggs said to grab some—”

“It’s fine, just don’t let it happen again,” you tell her. “Wait, a trauma so early in the morning?”

“Yes, one of the Aviators had an accident,” she tells you. “It’s sounds really bad.”

The only thing you can think of is Jake. Your mind was whirling, praying to whatever God that’ll listen, begging for it not to be Jake.

“Was it a male or female?” You ask.

“Wha—”

“Answer the question!” You order.

“A f-female,” she tells you.

Heart starting to slow, you nod. “Alright, go ahead, Petty Officer…” you glance down at her name tag. “Vincent.”

You go back into the break room after she scurries away, grabbing the backup shirt you keep for times like this and choke down a sob.

It could’ve been Jake. But it wasn’t.

You take the deep breaths your therapist showed you how to do to calm yourself and wipe away any lingering tears before making another coffee and finally making it to your station.

Hours later, it’s three hours before the end of your shift when you respond to another trauma. This time a male who no one can recognize. In the back of your mind, you can hear yourself say, “It’s Jake this time. It’s Jake.”

After a few rounds of CPR, the aviator is pronounced dead, sending you into a panic. When a nurse tells you the name of the aviator though, you have to excuse yourself.

It wasn’t Jake, but it could’ve been him. God knows he’s got a cockiness to his flying ability.

You’d told him multiple times he has to fly safer. Especially after what happened with his last back seater. Even more after that last mission when he saved Pete and Bradley, you’d almost broken down in thanks that he came back home.

You knew the risks in being married to an Aviator, but with the things you saw at work and again on your deployment almost two years ago…you couldn’t help but think negatively every time a trauma came in.

“Seresin?” You hear your colleague, Lieutenant Casey, say. Her voice traveling to your ears in the quiet locker room.

You sniffle, wiping your eyes dry with the back of your palm. “Hey, sorry. I just needed some time to catch my breath.”

You look up at her from where you sit, knees to your chest.

“Hey, I talked to the Captain,” she starts, voice soft and soothing. “He said you can go home early. I’ll cover your patients.”

“Are you sure?” You ask feeling the tears threaten to reappear.

“Of course,” she tells you. She had lost her wife, an aviator, years ago and knew what it was like to worry. “You go home, meet your husband when he gets back.”

You thank her, hugging her tightly before grabbing your things and going home.

——— Now ———

“So I came home, and out your clothes on,” you tell Jake. “I wanted to be close to you.”

Jake’s heart ached for you. He couldn’t imagine what you were feeling and he mentally kicked himself in the balls for ever making you worry.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he tells you, smoothing your hair back. “I have been flying a bit more carefully now so you don’t worry so much.”

You smile up at him and he can feel the worry he once felt disappear in the instant your lips formed the smile.

“Good,” you hiccup.

“Is there anything I can do to do?” Jake asks, willing to do anything and everything to make things better for you today.

You scrunch you nose and sniff. “You can go shower before you stink up the bed and then come cuddle me.”

Jake laughs at that, kissing your forehead before whispering, “I’ll be right back.”

Jake showers, scrubbing the jet fuel and grime from the day off his body and sighing. He was glad you tips him what happened and why you were so upset. He couldn’t wait to get out of the shower to hold you in his arms.

While he couldn’t wait, he made sure to scrub himself clean twice…just in case.

Walking back into y’all’s room, Jake smiles when he sees you’ve taken off the sweats you were wearing—now only in his shirt and your underwear— and eyeing him with hungry eyes.

He quickly grabs a pair of boxer briefs, not bothering with a shirt before climbing into bed. He takes you into his arms, letting your leg fall onto his legs and wrap around one. You place a hand on his lightly hairy chest and sigh.

“What is it, Darlin’?” He asks.

“You’re not close enough,” you tell him.

Jake chuckles, as you nuzzle your face into his neck, feeling you breathe him in.

“What do you suppose you need?” he asks, knowing where this might lead.

“Can I lay on top of you?” You ask.

“You don’t even need to ask.” Jake pulls you onto him, your body warm and legs opening to straddle him.

Your head is on his chest, belly right on top of his semi hard-on. He places his hands on the small of your back, lightly rubbing circles with the tip of his fingers. Almost as he predicted, you scoot higher, face now in his hair by his ear—and you begin nibbling on his lobe.

He groans into your hair, sniffling the sweet scent of your shampoo and hands trailing down to your ass, squeezing softly. When he feels the warmness of your ever growing wet cunt, Jake has to remind himself that he’s meant to be making you feel better.

Sex shouldn’t be on his mind…but then you grind on him.

“Darlin’,” he starts, licking his lips. “What do you need? Use your words.”

You pull away from his ear, looking down at him with those sultry eyes you only use when you’re wanting to get your way.

“I want you inside me,” you tell him.

Jake’s heart—and dick—was pulsing. It’s taking everything in him not to just take you right then and there. But he was a gentleman—for the most part—and he needed to wait for further instructions.

“Anything you want, my love,” he replies.

“But…” And there was the catch. “I only want to warm your cock.”

Jake swallows, it’s been a while since you cock-warmed him. That turned into hardcore sex, but that was another day.

This was now, and you were in need of intimacy. There would be no fucking tonight.

At least, that’s what he told himself to keep calm.

Jake nods at you, watching as you crawl off him and remove the soft fabric from your hips so slowly, he thought you were moving in slow motion.

But no.

You were doing it on purpose. The little smirk on your face said it all.

Jake stripped the boxers off his body, his cock flinging from his enclosure and beckoning you closer.

Painfully, you slowly climb back onto the bed, Jake’s shirt still on and nipples pebbled. You straddle Jake’s hips, your warm cunt flush with his extremely hard erection, and lean down to kiss him for the first time since he got home.

The kiss is soft but passionate on its own—barely a whisper of a peck.

Jake is fighting for his life. It’s taking everything in him not to line himself to your entrance and pull you down onto him.

You’re being a good husband right now. Calm down.

Jake watches as you pull away, one hand on his chest the other grabbing his cock and guiding the tip into your pussy.

He groans when the tip of him is finally inside you, vowing not to move until—and if—you wanted him to.

You, in turn, look down at him. Pride and love radiating from those beautiful eyes of yours as you take the rest of his cock, sighing at the way he fills you up completely.

You lay back down on Jake’s chest, him wrapping his arms you again and tracing down your back to your plump ass.

He feels you clench around him and sucks in a breath.

“Are you okay, baby?” You ask, blinking up at him with innocent eyes.

“Mhmm,” Jake mutters. “Never better.”

Jake feels you smile into his chest as you kiss his collarbone and neck.

“What?” You tease. “Did I do something?”

You knew exactly what it was doing to him and he was loving it…for the most part.

Jake looks down at you, finding you already smiling up at him from behind your lashes as you place a kiss on his chest.

Jake’s body was burning, no, itching to move. He willed his hips to buck into you, to free him from your torment.

But he wouldn’t. Not until you gave him the okay.

“Did I,” you start, clenching around him again. “Do something?”

Jake groans, eyes rolling to the back of his head and bottom lip between his teeth.

“You know,” he starts, stopping to suck in another breath and groan when you clench again. “Exactly what you’re doing to me, Y/N.”

You smile up at him and he swears he can see pure mischief behind them.

This is what he got for marrying a woman who matched his freak.

You sit up, fully taking him again. He watches as you remove his shirt and toss it to the side of the bed, eyes solely on him.

You lean in, pulling Jake about halfway out, before kissing him.

Your lips were like heaven to him, sweet and pillow soft against his thin ones. Your bare chest pressed against his own, warming him up more than he already was.

When you begin to move your hips, Jake’s eyes to the back of head, soft moans escaping his lips and crashing into yours.

You smile, working your magic and hips you slowly allow him to enter and exit you.

“Does my cunt feel nice?” You ask against his lips and Jake nearly chokes.

“Fuck yes baby,” he responds, squeezing your ass.

You moan as his touch and buck your hips a bit faster, pure fire and pleasure erupting into Jake’s stomach.

“How much do you love me?” you ask him.

Good God, you were going to kill him with that sweet voice of yours.

“I love you so much,” Jake replies, squeezing your ass even harder.

“Good,” you smile. “Do you want to move?”

Jake only nods, eyes wide and on yours. He watches as you smile, slowing your pace and leaning in so close, he can feel your breath on his ear.

“Do you want permission to move, Aviator?”

God, yes. Jake nods.

You click your tongue, pulling him out completely. Jake whines, pushing down on your ass to press you on him again. But you keep away, his dick tickling your belly.

“Use your words,” you command.

Jake swallows, eyes squeezing before locking on yours again. Pure burning desire leaks out of them and he watches as you squirm under his dark gaze.

“Please let me fuck you,” he says, deep and loud, just how he knows you like it.

The look on your face tells him you’re about to sink back into him when you bite your bottom lip and smirk, nodding fiercely.

Jake moves to action, flipping you on your back and lining himself back up to your still soaking cunt. He smiles down at you, pushing only the tip into your tight entrance and watching your eyes widen in pleasure.

“Now it’s my turn,” he says darkly.

You smile up and him and Jake nearly combusts at the way your lashes flutter.

“Tell me how deep you want me,” he orders.

“All the way in baby,” you tell him.

“How deep is that?” He smirks.

You’re about to answer when he fills you completely, stretching you until his whole cock rests inside you. Your mouth opens, an O forming on your pretty lips.

“Good girl,” Jake starts, pumping into you slowly then faster when he feels you relax around him. “Taking my cock like such a good wife.”

Your moans fill the room, causing Jake to buck into you, tip to base. He knows he’s hitting the right spot when your eyes squeeze shut and you begin whispering his name.

“Keep those pretty eyes on me,” he orders, watching as your eyes fly open. “And say my name louder, scream it if you must.”

“Fuck,” you mutter.

“I don’t think that’s my name, Sweetheart.” Jake chuckles.

“Fuck Jake!” You moan.

“There it is. You sound so fucking pretty when you moan my name.”

As if on cue, you moan his name again, practically babbling and repeating it over and over again.

“Jake, Jake, Jake!” You moan, tits bouncing at the jolting Jake was putting them through.

“Are you close, my sweets?” He asks, rubbing his thumb against your clit and feeling your clench around him.

“I’m so fucking close,” you scream. “I’m gonna come!”

“No,” he orders. “You wait for me. Be a good girl and wait for me.”

You’re a mess beneath him, nails scraping his chest and legs, eyes wild and pleading to come.

He wouldn’t let you, not until he felt—

Jake’s vision began to blur, he was tasting stars at this point and he knew he was just about ready to burst.

“Now, baby! Come with me babygirl!” He orders.

With your eyes still on his, Jake feels you begin to spasm and orgasm, his coming along side yours.

You both ride the waves of your orgasm, breathing heavily and chests pounding.

Jake bucks his hips, spilling himself inside you before slowly stopping, forehead touching yours.

Kissing you deeply, he slowly pulls out of you hearing you groan against his lips.

He quickly pulls away, grabbing a washcloth before helping you clean yourself up and carrying you to the shower.

Jake washes you, carefully massaging your swollen cunt before rinsing you and washing himself quickly.

He wraps you in a towel, pay drying you the way you’d taught him years ago, and then drying himself as you watch from the counter.

Once he was dry, he dressed you in his favorite Texas Longhorns shirt and underwear before getting himself dressed and quickly changing the sheets.

He lays you in bed before climbing in himself, arms wrapping around your body again.

“Jake,” you whisper.

“Yes, my love?”

“I love you so much,” you tell him. “Thank you for making my day better.”

Jake smiles into your neck, kissing you lightly before responding, “I love you too, Y/N. And I’ll always be here to make your day better.”

He falls asleep to the sounds of your breathing and soft hums of delight and contentment.

Mission accomplished.

[starsinthesky5]

wanna get out of here? | joe burrow x reader

description: an impromptu getaway is exactly what you and joe needed

a/n: ahhh my second fic!! all the love on my first one gave me the motivation to go and write another one :) i hope you all like this one!

warnings: smut (hope it’s not too bad since it’s my first time writing it LOL), language

word count: 6 k

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Wednesday 

The sounds of hammering rain and thunder were all you could focus on as you were sitting on the couch, curled up in a blanket trying to finish an overly complex project for work. You had been trying to finish the final section for the past week but you simply could not get rid of the restless feeling that had engulfed you over the past few days. 

Joe, on the other hand, was sitting right next to you. He was staring at the TV which had on some random rerun episode of The Office. Normally, he’d be laughing along to the show no matter how many times he had seen the episode, but today he was quiet & agitated. He had been overwhelmed this past month with intense rehab for his wrist injury; on top of which he had his off-season workouts every day which had also been incredibly vigorous. He was mentally and physically burnt out and needed something to take his mind off of everything. He noticed that you also had been swamped with work which caused you to be on edge the whole week, preventing you two from having any real 1 on 1 time like you usually do, and he wasn’t having it. 

You were typing away on your computer, another idea that would probably lead to nothing, before you heard the TV turn off. 

You turned your head to Joe and saw his blank face. “Everything Okay?” you questioned while reaching for his hand. 

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked while interlocking your hands, still looking expressionless. 

“Joey there is literally a monsoon happening outside right now,” you deadpanned as you squeezed his hand. 

“Not out there. I mean do you wanna get out of Ohio?”.

“Who are you and what have you done with my fiancee,” you laughed. 

“What?” he asked, looking quizzical as if he had no idea why you said that.

“You, the same man that never leaves his house unless it’s business or football related. And sometimes due to a forced social activity, or occasionally to have fun, wants to leave Ohio? You’re practically a turtle that stays in its shell all day,” you say before going back to your work project. 

Joe is slightly taken aback by what you said. Deep down he knows you aren’t wrong, he doesn’t go out very often, which made what he said next even more necessary. 

“Let’s go to the Bahamas this weekend. I can call up Ted and get a jet here and we can leave Friday morning. I’m thinking we stay at a lowkey house on a private beach for maybe 4 days,” he says.

You think he’s just messing with you but when you look over at him, he looks serious. 

“Where is this coming from?” you say with worry in your voice. In the 5 years, you and Joe have been together, he’d never sprung an idea of a vacation on you by himself, it was always mutual. And you’d never left the States before either. You close your computer and turn to face him. 

“I’m just so fucking tired,” he says with a sigh. “These past few weeks have been really intense and I just need a break.” 

Your face drops as he continues. He’d been under so much pressure lately with OTA’s slowly approaching and training amping up; plus all the background noise. He’d start throwing in the next month or so and deep down he was nervous. He didn’t know how it was going to go and if all this rehab was even worth it if he was never going to be able to get back to where he was. 

“And you’ve been stressed out all week because of work and it feels like we haven’t had just ‘us’ time,” he adds. 

Joe was right. He’d be gone all day with either rehab or workouts and the only time you two would get together would be dinner. And by dinner, you’d be too exhausted to do anything but eat and rush off to bed. 

You spend a few moments contemplating his offer. It would be nice to get away for a few days and you both needed the change of environment badly. 

“Okay, let’s do it," you say with a smile as you pull him in for a hug. 

“But just so you know, since we’d be leaving in 2 days, I’m going to be an absolute nightmare when it comes to packing,” you say before planting a kiss on his cheek. 

“Oh, I'm well aware. You only get 2 days to stress about packing and not a whole week like usual,” he laughs. 

Thursday Evening 

You both spent the majority of the day planning your impromptu vacation. You found the perfect beach house on the other side of Nassau, away from the main part of the island. It was hidden by palm trees and had a private beach which made it easy to unwind without any prying eyes. You would spend the week there and pick out a few activities nearby to occupy your time. You also chose a few places to eat although you both decided to cook at home for the majority of your stay. 

Currently, you were sitting on your closet floor attempting to pack your suitcase but were majorly failing. Packing was never your strong suit, especially if you had to pack the day before a trip. The closet looked like a war zone, things were everywhere. 

“This is the wrong time to not be able to find anything,” you say to yourself while getting up once again to hunt for missing items. 

Joe walked into the closet and saw you frantically pacing back and forth looking for something. 

“Babe, are you Okay?” He asked while sitting down on the stool. 

“Have you seen my new white bikini? Or my sunglasses? Or my tank tops?” You asked, aggravated that you couldn’t find your stuff.

“I literally cannot find anything,” You added before giving Joe a look. He knew that look all too well, you were 1 misplaced item away from having a full breakdown. 

He got up from the stool and walked over to where you were, put his hands on your shoulders, and said “Y/N you could wear a potato sack and still look amazing. Stop stressing about it, this vacation is supposed to get rid of the stress. Not add onto it,”

You let out a deep breath and say “You’re right. It’s just us anyway. I’ll just pack some nice dresses and stuff whatever in the suitcase,” 

“The fewer clothes the better,” Joe smirks and says before leaning in and planting a kiss on your lips. 

“You’re insatiable,” you say against his lips. 

After you finish packing your suitcase, you get ready for bed since you have a fairly early flight. It took Joe about 15 minutes to pack his things, which came as no surprise since he is the biggest outfit repeater you know. You’re just about ready to doze off before you feel Joe’s hand creep up your leg and squeeze your thigh.

“Mmm Joe not right now,” you say half asleeply. “Go to bed,”

“Not that,” he states. “I can’t fall asleep,” he mumbles. 

You let out a sigh before turning to face him. No way you’re getting any sleep now. “What’s wrong,” you say as you move his messy curls out of his eyes. 

“I don’t know, I just can’t fall asleep,” he says. 

You knew Joe too well to know when something was bothering him. His confession earlier was only the tip of the iceberg. Something was bugging him and you needed him to talk to you.

“What’s going on in that brain of yours,” you say as you play with his curls. 

He stayed silent for a few heartbeats, not knowing if he should unload his heavy thoughts on you right before a vacation. But he knew that it was just you. You’d always listen to whatever he had to say, no matter the time or place. 

“Just everything.” He says, meeting your eyes. “Rehab has been going great and training has been too, and I should be happy about that but I just can’t get rid of that feeling,”

“What feeling?” You question.

“Feeling like I won’t be good enough. I know what people are saying; overpaid, overrated, no rings, injury-prone. And they aren’t wrong. I don’t have anything to back up why people think I’m a top 3 quarterback,” 

Your heart breaks as he continues to talk. The fact that Joe feels like he isn’t good enough is mind-boggling to you. He’s one of the best damn players you’ve ever seen and you wish you could do something to get rid of his doubts, but you knew that that was something he had to do on his own. 

“But you do have things to back it up. You had one of the greatest college football seasons ever. Winning the Natty and the Heisman was only the start of your legacy. You were drafted by an organization that was in desperate need of saving and you made an impact that not many could have done,” you say as you see a small smile on his face.

“You had a shitty rookie season with tearing basically everything in your knee, but you worked hard and came back better than ever fucking before. You went on and led the team to their first playoff win in 30 years and went to the fucking Super Bowl in your first full season,” you add.

“Yeah, you didn’t win. But you put the entire league on notice and showed them who the hell you are. And then you did it again next year even though you didn’t go all the way. This past year was rough and didn’t go the way anyone would have expected, but this is part of what makes you, you.” you say with a smile as he stares deeply into your eyes. 

“You thrive when there’s adversity. It makes you work harder for what you want and it always pays off one way or another. You always come out better and stronger. You are a great quarterback and are absolutely more than good enough. You’re going to have your moment soon, and I know it,” you conclude. 

Joe stares into your eyes for a few more heartbeats. You knew exactly what to say to bring him back down from whatever cloud he was stuck on and he was so thankful for you. 

“I love you,” he said as he pulled you onto his lap, pressing kisses all over your face. 

“I love you more, always,” you laugh as he kisses the hell out of you. 

You two spent the rest of the night in each other's embrace. You finally felt at peace once you heard Joe’s soft snores fill the room and finally got some sleep.

Friday

You both got up pretty early for your flight, taking a quick shower before packing the car and heading to the airport. After boarding the plane you both took off your shoes, pulled out your fav blanket, and got comfy. 

“Are you excited?” Joe beams.

“Excited is an understatement, Burrow,” you smirk. “Getting you out of Ohio might be my favorite part,”. 

“I’m so looking forward to getting some sun and swimming in that big pool,” he says, referring to the massive pool that’s a part of the house you rented.  

“It’s like you’re a whole new person,” you smile while leaning your head on his shoulder. He smiles and kisses your forehead before pulling out his laptop to turn on a movie. 

“Oooo what are we gonna watch?” you excitedly question. 

“I was thinking of either ‘Grown-Ups’ or ‘21 Jump Street’,” he responds.

“Hmm, let’s do Jump Street, it’s been a while since we watched that,” you say. 

You spent the rest of the flight watching movies, playing a few card games, and eventually taking a small nap before the plane landed. 

A few hours later

After the plane landed, you both drove to your house for the week and it was like something out of a fairytale. The house overlooked the beach and the crystal blue water. Lush green palm trees surrounding the house provided ample privacy, especially for the large open pool in the backyard. You two settled into the house before changing into your swimsuits for a nice afternoon dip in the pool. You did end up finding your new white bikini, which was perfect for the occasion. 

Joe walked out of the bathroom and saw you brushing your hair in the mirror. His eyes trailed down to your bare legs, up to your perfect ass, then to your toned stomach, and straight to your chest. You looked so sexy and he was in heaven. He walked up to you and hugged you from behind, his warmth causing you to melt into his arms. 

Your eyes met his in the mirror, “Like what you see, Burrow?” you teased. 

“Absolutely,” he chuckled as he swayed you two back and forth, pressing a kiss on the back of your shoulder while sliding his hand down to your ass. Joe was grinning like a love-struck fool as he watched you close your eyes and melt into his embrace. He was making you feel more relaxed than you’d ever been before and you both were loving it. 

You both ventured out to the pool and sat down on the pool chairs, hoping to get a quick tanning sesh in before a swim. A few minutes in, Joe found himself staring at the pool when he got an idea. 

“I’m gonna jump into the pool,” he casually said.

You quickly turned your head to him and said, “Are you crazy, the water will get everywhere,” You gasped.

“It’s just us though, nobody around to complain. Besides, I can’t do it in the pool at home since we spent way too much money on redoing the backyard. At least here there isn’t any vegetable garden at risk of being destroyed,” he smirked before quickly running back to the patio door and launching himself into the pool, not giving you a moment to lecture him. 

The water did in fact get everywhere but it was worth it when you saw Joe come up from the water. He shook his head back and forth to get the water out of his hair before he took his hand and attempted to slick it back. Your eyes navigated to his muscular chest which had stray water droplets sliding down his abdomen, back into the water. God, he looked so hot like this. 

“Like what you see, Burrow,” he teased as he noticed your expression. 

“Yes, in fact I do. Very much actually,” you say while getting off the chair. “And I’m not a ‘Burrow’ yet, still gotta wait a few months before that,” you say as you make your way into the pool. 

“Well, you’re practically already my wifey sooo,” he trails off before swimming over to the steps and helping you into the pool. 

You giggle at his words. He couldn’t wait to marry you and he never failed to make it known. 

You immediately latch onto him when you're in the pool. This was pretty normal for you both. You’d always use him as a floatie and make him do all the work while you just lay on him and relaxed. 

A few moments later you release yourself from his embrace, making him slightly confused at the sudden loss of contact. 

“Y/N come back,” he whines out.

“Someone’s clingy today,” you say while playfully rolling your eyes and swimming away from him. 

He stared at you for a few moments, a sad look on his face while you continued to swim around and away from him. You felt bad that you’d left him hanging but you were having too much fun teasing him. 

“Come and catch me shiesty,” you yelled. He hated it when you called him that. That nickname was only for football-related individuals to use and he thought it was a little cringe whenever you would use it. Not in a bad way, it’s just he preferred you calling him other names that football-related people can’t use. You knew how he felt about it but you also knew that this would for sure set him off. 

“Oh you’re done for,” he playfully growled before swimming after you. The pool was massive so you had just enough space to get away from him. 

You two were swimming circles around each other, occasionally splashing water into each other's faces in hopes of catching each other off guard. Your arms began to get tired of swimming around so you stopped by the ledge to take a breather while Joe was settled on the other side of the pool. 

Before you knew it, Joe had swum over to you and pulled you back into his arms. 

“Got you,” you whispered against your ear. 

“I guess you did,” you whispered back. 

“You look absolutely gorgeous by the way,” he said looking down into your eyes. “I love this bikini on you,” 

You blushed at his sweet comments. He never failed to tell you how pretty you looked. 

“Ya know, I look even better with it off,” you tease. 

Joe’s face dropped immediately when you said that. He’d been horny since he saw you in that bikini but had to compose himself since you both were looking forward to swimming in the pool. But now that you’d gotten your swim time in, nothing was stopping him. 

He slowly pressed you against the wall of the pool and kissed his way up your neck right up to your sweet spot. 

“Joe,” you moaned out. 

“What baby?” He asked, knowing exactly what you wanted.

“I need you,” you whined.

He looked at you momentarily before lifting you out of the pool and rushing you inside to the large bedroom. You let out a squeal as he pushed you back onto the bed. Joe climbed over you and situated his body in between your thighs, capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. You stayed kissing each other for a few minutes before you felt something hard poke at your stomach.

“Getting eager now aren’t we,” you tease. 

“Please, I’ve been waiting to get you in this bed since I saw you in this bikini,” he grinned. 

“Then I suggest you do something about it,” you replied.

Joe smiled and started to untie the strands of your bikini top before tossing it to the side. He kissed his way down to your perfect breasts, swirling his lips around your sensitive bud which caused you to let out a breathy moan.

“Joe,” you moaned out while shoving your hands in his hair. 

He spent a few moments sucking on your breasts before he continued his way down. He pressed a few sloppy kisses on your stomach before eventually making his way down to where you needed him the most. He slowly peeled off your bottoms which was driving you insane.

“Joe please,” you whined out.

“Patience is key, baby,” he teased. 

He threw your bottoms to the side as he made his way back up to your heat. “You’re so wet,” he says while ghosting his fingers over your folds.

“Joe I swear to god-,” You suddenly felt his warm tongue lapping at your folds which caused you to let out another moan, “Ohh Fuck”. 

He buried his warm tongue inside your core as he continued to eat you out like a starved man. He moved one of his hands up to cup your breast as the other was firmly on your thigh. Joe moved up and started to rhythmically suck on your clit which made you see stars; something which he made you see often. “Joey, fuck don’t stop,” you said breathlessly.

“You like that?” he chuckled against your core, sending vibrations throughout your body. Those 3 words always managed to get you more horny than you already were. "Yeah," you whispered.

He went back to lapping at your folds as he used his thumb to rub your clit. The combination of his mouth and fingers was sending you over the edge. You started to arch your back which caused you to lift your hips slightly but Joe pushed them back down as he continued to send you into a frenzy. You fisted your hands into his hair and started to pull on the loose curls which caused Joe to let out a soft moan against you. 

“Joe I’m so close,” you whispered as you pushed his head closer to your core. You felt a familiar warmth in your belly as you were moaning Joe’s name out (which was driving him insane). Joe thrusted one of his fingers into you, causing the imaginary rubber band in your lower belly to snap; feeling a familiar gush of liquid pool below you. You were overcome with a feeling of pure pleasure and satisfaction as he cleaned up your mess with his skillful mouth. He pressed delicate kisses on the insides of your thighs before moving back up and pushing his lips against yours again. 

“You’re so hot,” he said in between kisses. 

You felt a blush creep up on your face. “I’m flattered Mr. Burrow, but have you seen yourself”. 

“Shut up,” he chuckled before going back to kissing you. You stopped kissing him after a few moments and said “Joe, I need you inside me.”

“Your wish is my command babe,” he replied as he pulled down his swim trunks and threw them to the side. His cock was rock hard and the sight of it had you sizzling with anticipation. 

Your core was slick with your arousal which made it easy for him to push his dick into you. The tip slowly teasing your folds before he buries himself inside of you, causing you to let out a loud moan. You will never get tired of the feeling of him inside you. 

He started slowly thrusting into you which made you wrap your legs around him, wanting him deeper asap. 

“Joe, Fuck,” you moaned out. “Faster baby,”. 

He began snapping his hips against you, faster & harder than before. “God, you feel so good Y/N,” he moaned out. You brought him in for another kiss, this time quick, messy, and sloppy. He continued thrusting into you and you bucked your hips each time to match his movements. The sound of your arousal and skin-hitting skin filled the room as you two were caught up in the euphoria that was happening between you. 

Joe buried his face into your neck, sucking on your sweet spot, as your hands found themselves in his hair again. You were on Cloud 9 right now and it was all because of him.

“Joe, don’t stop. Shit, you feel too good,” you moaned. You felt him move deeper inside of you as he repeatedly hit your cervix. 

He continued to pound into you, making you feel like nothing else mattered but this moment. You both felt your arousal building up, begging to be released. 

“Fuck Y/N, I’m close,” he panted as he slowed down.

“Me too,” you whimpered. 

He picked up the pace of his thrusts once again, this time moving one of his hands down to your heat, toying with your clit. “Fuck,” you moaned out for what seemed like the hundredth time. “I’m gonna cum,” you whimpered. You felt your walls clench around him, signaling you were almost there. Joe felt you clench around him and pinched your clit which set off your orgasm. Your chest heaved up and down as you whimpered out his name while seeing stars again. He continued to thrust into you, chasing his pleasure. 

“Y/N,” Joe moaned out. You knew he was close by the way his thrusts started to become sporadic. 

“Come on baby,” you encouraged while pulling at his hair and kissing his neck. 

After a few rough thrusts, Joe let out a loud moan as you felt hot spurts of his cum fill you up. He collapsed on top of you as you both panted, needing a moment to recover after the workout you two just had. You moved one of your hands to his back, softly sliding it up and down to help him relax.

“I love you,” he softly said as he kissed your cheek, making you smile. 

“I love you more,” you whisper in his ear as he buries his face into your neck again. 

The next day 

The next morning was pretty chill for you both. You had breakfast at the local beachside cafe, stuffing your faces with delicious fresh fruit from the island before embarking on a pleasant morning walk on the beach. 

“This is nice,” Joe says as you both walk hand in hand alongside the water, a content look on his face.

You look up at him and smile, “Very nice,” you giggle. “Although, I don’t know how you’re not uncomfortable with walking on the beach in shoes,” you question while looking at your bare feet and then his shoes. 

“You never know when a crab might come up and pinch your toes,” he says with a straight face. 

“Righhhht,” you say while relishing the feeling of sand between your toes. 

“So, what should we do today? We pretty much have the whole day since we’re cooking at home tonight,” he says while squeezing your hand. 

“Hmmm,” you wonder for a second. “We could go out on one of the boats?” you carefully question while looking up at your fiancee. 

Joe did not like going on boats. He hated the idea of being out on the open water with no way of getting back to shore other than using the boat. He always questioned what you would do if the boat broke down or even started sinking. You always told him the sinking part was highly unlikely, but you blamed yourself for that worry because you’ve made him watch Titanic with you one too many times. He also didn’t like how you couldn’t see what was in the water. But lucky for you, the water in the Bahamas was crystal clear. 

He stayed silent for a few moments, making you a little sad since you wanted to experience something new with him. 

“Let’s do it,” he says while flashing you a smile. 

You looked up at him, a little surprised. “Really?” you beam. 

“Yes, now let’s go before I change my mind,” he says before stopping to pick you up. He doesn’t give you a moment to respond because he throws you over his shoulders causing you to let out a squeal. He leads you both back to the house so you can get freshened up.

You both got changed into your swimsuits before walking over to the docks and renting a boat for the day. You weren’t sure how you managed to get Joe to go on the boat, but you certainly were not complaining. 

The driver had taken the boat not too far from shore, which kept Joe’s mind at ease. You swam in the water for a little bit and enjoyed a few drinks. 

“Mmm, this like the best Mai Tai I’ve ever had,” you say while taking another sip. Joe was currently in the water in front of you, while you were seated on the steps of the boat, legs partially in the water. 

“Come in the water,” Joe says while splashing some water onto you. 

“Mmm, I think I’m good up here,” you tease while placing your drink to the side.

Joe swam closer to you and said “Nope.”

You were confused at what he meant but then you felt his wet hand wrap around your wrist. 

“Joe, don’t even think about it,” you playfully growled, knowing exactly what he was about to do. He didn’t listen and pulled you into the water, causing a big splash. You came back up to the surface with a frown.

“Someone’s mad,” Joe laughs. You swim over to him while he is fully anticipating an ass-kicking but is pleasantly surprised when you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek.

You laugh and say, “If this is mad, let me be mad more often,”.

A few hours pass and you both are sitting on the boat in the net seating area that was right above the water. Joe had put on one of his many bucket hats and shades and was laid flat against the net, soaking in the golden sun. You were applying another layer of sunscreen before noticing his chest turning red. You knew he’d be a pain in the ass if he got sunburnt so you took the bottle and moved closer to him. 

You squeezed out a dab of sunscreen and started applying it to his chest. He flinched at the sudden contact before realizing it was just you. 

You felt him flinch and laughed, “Daydreaming, Burrow?”. 

“Maybe,” he smiles while taking off his shades. He looks down and sees you applying sunscreen on him, “Oh, thanks,” he says while meeting your eyes. 

You let out a playful sigh and say, “What would you do without me,”.

“For real,” he says. “I’d be walking around like a tomato,” he laughs. 

After applying the rest of the sunscreen, you lay back against the net and Joe lifts one of his arms, motioning for you to curl up next to him. He rests his hand on the small of your back while you tangle your legs with his. 

You lay there briefly, soaking up the perfect scene before breaking the silence. “Are you enjoying this? I know boats aren’t really your thing and I hope I didn’t force you into this,” you softly say. 

“Of course, I’m enjoying this. I will admit, I was a little nervy when getting on but you’re here with me so I’m fine. Besides, If the boat breaks down at least we’d be stranded together,” he jokes. 

“I guess that’s true. Better than being stranded with a bunch of randos too. I’m glad we could get a boat just for the two of us,” you reply. 

“Yup. This isn’t as bad as I thought. I can see everything below us too so no risk of a random shark popping out,” he deadpans.

“Like that would actually happen,” you say while softly hitting his chest.

“You never know,” he says while shaking your shoulder in an attempt to scare you.

You spent a few minutes messing around with each other before the driver came out to tell you that you were heading back to the island. You both got up and sat on the bench, your back pressed into Joe’s chest and stared out into the open waters, taking in the view before it was time to go back. You were mindlessly sliding your hand along Joe’s leg while he had his arms around your waist, gently squeezing your soft skin. Everything about this moment was peaceful. Joe felt at ease for the first time in a long time and he had his favorite person to thank for it. 

Once you got back to the house, you both took a nice shared shower before starting your dinner prep. Before arriving at the house yesterday, you had stopped at the local market to pick up some groceries. 

“So, what are we making tonight,” Joe asked as he sat down on one of the barstools. 

“I was thinking of shrimp-avocado tostadas and some of that wine we picked up yesterday?”

“Sounds delicious,” he said while rubbing his belly.

You let Joe fry the tortillas and make the avocado mixture while you cooked the shrimp and assembled the tostadas. While you were assembling the dish, Joe found a few candles in the cabinet and got an idea. He went outside to the backyard and set up the candles on one of the patio tables, setting the scene for a nice sunset dinner. He picked out a few flowers from the front of the house and put them in a vase to use as a centerpiece. He then poured the wine into 2 glasses, setting one on each side. 

You had finished plating the tostadas and didn’t see Joe anywhere. “Joe? Where are you,” you yelled out.

“Out here! Bring the plates outside,” he yelled back. 

You were a little confused but went along with it. You walked outside with your dinner and saw Joe setting the table and your heart melted. 

“Joe, this is so romantic,” you cooed while putting the plates on the table. 

He gave you a warm smile before pulling out one of the chairs for you to sit in. You sat down as he settled into the chair across from you. You both devoured the tostadas while making small talk about your plans for tomorrow. After you finished eating, Joe took the plates and set them inside; he suggested you both finish up your wine on the daybed since you would get a comfier view of the sky. 

Later that night, per your suggestion, you and Joe were sitting in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles and a few candles. You felt so relaxed even though you’d only been here for 2 days, and it was all because of Joe.

“I’m glad we finally get to have ‘us’ time,” Joe says while rubbing your thigh under the water. “I missed just being able to sit with you and do nothing. This past month felt so repetitive, I feel like we barely saw each other,” 

“Me too. We needed this,” you said as you pressed yourself into his chest a little more. Your back was to his chest and both your legs were tangled under the water. This was your favorite position; the warmth radiating off of his body felt like a big hug. 

“Thank you for doing this by the way,” you add.

“Doing what?” He questioned.

“This trip. I needed it more than I thought I did. Getting away from home and the change of environment was much needed. I think if I stayed in Ohio for another day I might have spontaneously exploded,” you joked, causing him to let out a soft chuckle. 

“Anytime,” he replied while kissing the nape of your neck.

“Do you feel better?” You asked. “I hope you were able to get your mind off of things. Your stuff was a lot heavier than mine,”

He lets out a content sigh and says, “Actually, yeah I do feel better. I think I just needed to get out of the chaos and get out of my head. This trip has helped me decompress and realize that not everything has to be so stuffy all the time,” Joe says. 

“Exactly,” you chirp as you lean your head back to place a kiss on his neck.

“I can’t do anything about what people are saying, they’ll always talk. But what I can do is work hard to get back to where I’m supposed to be. And I won’t be able to get there if I’m constantly pressuring myself,” he says. “Letting loose and having fun is a part of that journey. I need that balance,” he adds.

“And this is a great start,” you say while smiling up at Joe

“Yes it is,” Joe says while pressing another kiss to your forehead. 

You both had spent the rest of the night talking about the rest of your exciting activities planned for the final 2 days of the trip. You even talked about a few fun things you could do around Cincinnati when you get back home so that you could keep the work-life balance that you both so desperately needed. 

“This impromptu vacation might have been the best idea you’ve had so far,” you tell Joe as you both are about to fall asleep. 

“We should get away more often,” Joe grins.

--The End--

[untilwefind]

Brother, Best Friend, Boyfriend, Bane of My Existence

Will and Aiden have been best friends forever. Mack was the annoying younger brother. Until he wasn’t. Now Will and Mack are dating—very publicly—and Aiden is suffering the consequences.

Aiden Celebrini has made a lot of questionable decisions in his life. Letting Will bleach his hair in ninth grade, eating gas station sushi on a road trip through Quebec, telling Mack he’d never be able to land a guy like Will Smith.

But agreeing to play another year at BC while his best friend is dating his little brother?

Top of the list.

The party’s already loud by the time Aiden makes it to the kitchen. Midterm season just ended, and someone on the women’s team brought a speaker the size of a small car. The beat vibrates the floors. Someone’s spilled tequila in the sink.

And of course, they are here.

Mack is perched on the counter, legs swinging, wearing a BC hoodie that Aiden knows for a fact used to be Will's. Will stands between his knees, arms around his waist like they’re filming a rom-com and not at a BU frat-adjacent hockey party with someone throwing up on the porch.

Will looks up when he sees Aiden and grins like he knows exactly how close Aiden is to committing a felony.

“Hey Celly,” Will says, casual. “Want a drink?”

Mack doesn’t even pretend to look embarrassed. “We saved you a White Claw,” he adds, like it’s a peace offering and not a declaration of war.

Aiden grabs it from the counter and cracks it open. “You two are disgusting.”

Will just leans into Mack and says, “Thanks, we try.”

They weren’t always like this.

There was a time, back in bantam maybe, when Will used to live with the Celebrini's for weeks at a time in the summer. When Mack was just the annoying little brother who showed up in their skates and tried to follow them to the beach.

He had braces and long floppy hair and Aiden used to shove him out of the room whenever he tried to sit with them while they played Call of Duty.

Will always smiled at him, though. Ruffled his hair. Called him “Mackie” like it was a secret code.

Aiden had written it off as Will just being nice.

He should have known better.

They’d been flirting for years, now that Aiden thinks about it.

Shooting pucks together in the driveway when Mack was sixteen and Will was visiting from the U.S. Development Program, laughing and chirping each other like they were rivals. Will showing up to RJ’s tenth birthday party just to see Mack, “because I promised him I’d teach him a wrist shot,” but staying until midnight because the two of them wouldn’t stop talking about the Stanley Cup.

Aiden had always told himself Will would never actually go there.

But sophomore year, he’d walked into the BC locker room during winter break and caught them kissing behind the curtain that separated the weight room from the rink.

It was a disaster.

Will had looked like he’d been caught stealing gold. Mack looked smug in Will’s goddamn Eagles hoodie.

“Absolutely not,” Aiden says immediately. “Enough of this and return that hoodie to its rightful owner.”

“But I look better in it," Mack whines, scratching at Will's scalp as he spoke. "Right, baby?"

Aiden makes a sound like he’s been stabbed. It only encourages them.

He turned around. Walked back out. Got in his car. Drove two laps around campus. Then texted Will:

you’re both dead to me but also be safe and if you hurt him i’ll murder you with your own skate blade

Will responded with:

fair and also… you know he kissed me first right

Mack sent him a selfie fifteen minutes later with a thumbs up and a note that said “thanks for not calling dad.”

Back at the party, Mack is now on Will’s lap. They’re playing some godforsaken version of “Who’s Most Likely To” and the women’s goalie just accused Mack of being the most likely to win The Bachelor.

Will scoffed so hard he almost choked on his drink.

“Please,” he says. “He’d be terrible at The Bachelor. He’d make it three episodes before having a breakdown because someone said he was too quiet on a group date.”

Mack flips him off with one hand and tightens his grip with the other. “I’m sorry, you would be the one crying during the fantasy suites because someone looked at another guy.”

Will beams. “That’s love, baby.”

Aiden throws tortilla chips at their heads.

“I’m begging you,” he says. “For once in your life, pretend you have decorum.”

Will wiggles his eyebrows. “But you love us.”

“I tolerate you.”

“Same thing.”

Mack leans in, drops a quick kiss to Will’s cheek, and then turns to Aiden with the most annoying smile he’s ever seen.

“We should all go home together,” Mack says innocently. “Like old times.”

“Absolutely not,” Aiden says. “You two can make out in peace somewhere that isn’t my line of vision.”

“Rude,” Will says, but he’s already helping Mack off his lap. “You’re just mad you can’t find anyone who loves you like this.”

“I’m mad that the two most annoying people I know are in love and proud about it,” Aiden mutters.

Mack grins. “Yeah, and you’ll be giving a speech at our wedding.”

Will high-fives him. “Best man and best brother all in one.”

Aiden finishes his drink in one swig. He is never going to hear the end of this.

[starkeyslibrary]

LINGERING GLANCES

synopsis: three months after a messy breakup, you and Rafe Cameron are forced to face each other again at a group hangout. Tension runs high, and sparks fly as old feelings resurface, leading to a heated encounter that leaves you both questioning if the past is truly over.

pairing: you x rafe cameron

inspired by season 1, episode 16 of The Vampire Diaries.

It had been three months.

Three months since the shouting match that ended it all, since the tears, since the silence that followed. Since Rafe Cameron had gone from being your person to just another name in your phone. Since you decided that pretending to be over him was easier than actually trying to be.

It wasn't messy anymore. Not on the surface. Just... distant. Cold. In a familair way. Enough time had passed that you were both managing the whole "friends in the same group" thing. Barely.

Tonight, though - tonight was the first time you'd both brought someone new to a hangout.

You were sitting on a beach blanket with Cleo and Kie, passing a bottle of wine between the three of you, toes dug into the sand as a soft ocean breeze tangled through your hair. A few feet away, a fire crackled, throwing gold across the group.

Everyone had gathered: Sarah and John B curled up together like always, Pope leaning against a log while JJ cracked open a beer, Kelce already half-drunk and yelling about something dumb.

And then there was Rafe.

His legs were stretched out, a girl perched a little too confidently beside him - blonde, model-y. She laughed too loudly at things he said. She didn't fit here, not really, but maybe that was the point.

The guy you brought, Eli was sweet. He had kind eyes and a gentle smile and he was doing his best to talk to Pope about some podcast they both liked. But every time Rafe spoke, your focus wavered.

John B let out a low whistle. "Okay, okay, I know we're trying to be chill, but can we please talk about the Ferrari we saw in town earlier?"

"That thing?" JJ leaned forward, squinting. "Bro, that car was insane. V8 twin-turbo, matte green. You couldn't pay me to drive it slow."

"Man, you couldn't afford to drive it at all," Pope muttered, laughing.

"Fast cars are overrated", the girl next to Rafe interrupted, twirling her hair like she was on a reality show. "You can't even make out in them properly."

Your wine bottle stopped halfway to your lips.

A beat passed.

JJ snorted. "Damn. Guess we've been doing it wrong, boys."

Kelce wheezed with laughter. "Speak for yourself, Maybank."

But Rafe didn't laugh. He shifted slightly, leaned back on one arm, then tilted his head in that way he always did when he was about to say something he knew would hit.

"Sure you can", he said, voice smooth, a little cocky - but there was something under it. Something that made your pulse skip.

He looked right at you when he said it.

Not a glance. Not a slip-up.

A choice.

The air shifted.

You felt it, and so did the rest of the group. Cleo's eyes flicked between you and Rafe. Pope went quiet. Even JJ paused mid-sip, brow lifting in silent question.

But your mind was racing. Because you knew what he meant. Because you remembered every curve of his car, the fogged windows, the way his hands had moved over you like he already knew you by heart.

You forced a smile and looked down, willing your cheeks not to flush.

Rafe’s girl didn’t seem to notice. She laughed, brushing a hand along his thigh. “Oh, so you’ve tried, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said without looking at her. “A few times.”

Your stomach twisted. You wanted to scream. Or leave. Or rewind time and un-hear it. Un-feel it.

Because it wasn’t just a dig. It was a memory, delivered with just enough venom to remind you it still lived in his head and maybe in his heart too.

The worst part? It worked.

It hit.

Cleo cleared her throat, cutting the moment clean.

“So anyway,” she said quickly, “what’s the dumbest place everyone’s ever hooked up?”

“Middle school hallway,” JJ blurted without hesitation. “During a fire drill.”

“Oh my god,” Sarah groaned, laughing. “JJ, what—why?”

“Time was of the essence.”

Pope looked horrified. “You’re the reason they started locking those doors.”

As the group dissolved into chaos again, you leaned back, letting the fire mask the heat on your face. You felt Eli shift beside you, oblivious to the storm you were trying not to drown in.

Across the fire, Rafe was still watching.

And for a moment, it felt like none of the time between you had passed at all.

The night wore on.

Eventually, the laughter faded. The fire crackled lower, embers glowing soft and red in the hand. One by one, your friends peeled off. Sarah and John B wandered toward the twinkling lights of the chateau, arms wrapped around each other. Kie and Cleo disappeared into the beach house to grab blankets. Even JJ had stumbled off to crash on a couch inside.

Eli had gone home early—an early class, he said. You hadn’t argued. The vibe had shifted after that conversation. He felt it too, the way your eyes kept drifting. The way Rafe's never stopped.

Now, it was quiet.

You were still sitting on the edge of the fire pit, picking at your nails.

Then you heard it—his footsteps behind you, slow and deliberate.

Of course.

You didn’t turn around.

“You always that quiet when your flavor of the week dips out early?” you called over your shoulder, voice dripping with fake sweetness.

Rafe gave a low chuckle. “Was wondering when the claws would come out.”

You finally looked at him, he was standing there with that stupid cocky smirk, hands in his pockets, sleeves pushed up like he knew exactly what he was doing. Because he did.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” you said, standing up and brushing off your jeans. “She’s sweet though. Looks like she’d bake cookies for your court date.”

“Don’t be jealous, Y/N. It’s not a good look on you.”

You rolled your eyes so hard it hurt. “Please. You think I brought Eli just to make you jealous?”

Rafe raised a brow, stepping closer. “Did you?”

You tilted your head. “You think everything revolves around you, don’t you?”

He grinned. “It usually does.”

That smugness lit something in you, annoyance, maybe? Or something worse.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“And you’re still thinking about that night in the car.”

Your jaw clenched. “Don’t.”

“Oh, come on,” he said, stepping into your space like he owned it. “She said something about not making out in sports cars, and you practically choked on your drink.”

You stepped back, smirking. “Yeah, because I was trying not to laugh. At you.”

“Mhm.” His eyes dropped to your lips for just a second. “Tell that to the way you were staring at me all night.”

You scoffed. “You’re delusional.”

“I’m right.”

You crossed your arms, raising an eyebrow. “Rafe, your ego’s got its own time zone, and it’s way ahead of reality.”

That made him grin wider—he loved when you got like this. Fire for fire.

“You’re cute when you’re mad,” he said.

“And you’re hot when you’re not talking,” you snapped back.

There was a beat. Silence. A staring contest laced with heat.

Rafe’s smirk faltered just enough to shift the mood.

He stepped in again, voice dropping low. “You can sass me all night, Y/N. But we both know if I kissed you right now, you wouldn’t stop me.”

You laughed once, sharp. “Babe, try me.”

He leaned in—close enough that his breath hit your cheek, his cologne all familiar and dangerous—and for a second, neither of you moved.

“I missed this,” he murmured.

You arched a brow. “The sexual tension or me threatening to knee you in the balls?”

His mouth curved. “Both. Kinda does it for me, you know.”

You bit your lip to keep from smiling. Dammit.

You hated this. You loved this.

“You’re so full of yourself,” you muttered.

He tilted his head. “Then stop looking at me like you still want me.”

You didn’t reply, because neither of you needed to say it.

And when he leaned in this time, you didn’t stop him when he kissed you.

And you didn’t stop yourself when your hand fisted in the front of his hoodie and tugged him closer like you hadn’t spent the last three months pretending he meant nothing.

Because this wasn’t nothing.

It was every unsaid word, every unresolved fight, every stare across a crowded room that ended with both of you looking away too late.

When you finally broke apart, you were both breathless. His forehead rested against yours, and for a second, there was no sound but the wind and the dying fire.

“You still drive that car like it’s stolen?” you murmured.

His lips quirked. “Only when I’m trying to forget you.”

You didn’t reply.

Because you knew what came next. You were already walking, slow and silent, the space between you vibrating with something electric. He followed without a word. Like it was inevitable. Like it had always been.

The Range Rover was still parked where he’d left it. Same black paint, same tinted windows, same leather seats you’d gotten to know a little too well.

He opened the door for you—not out of chivalry, but habit.

You slid inside without looking at him.

He climbed in on the driver’s side, closed the door, and just... sat there. Like maybe this was a mistake. Like maybe this was real.

You turned to him, lips still tingling from the kiss. “Well? You gonna drive or just brood dramatically?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “God, I forgot how much you talk.”

You smirked. “Funny, I forgot how much you liked shutting me up.”

That did it.

He leaned across the console, hand curling around your jaw as he kissed you again—this time slower, deeper. Less fire, more ache. Like he was remembering you. Like he was trying to memorize you all over again.

Your back hit the seat, and his hand slipped to your waist, familiar and sure. His touch was confident but not rushed. Like he knew exactly how far you’d let him go—and exactly when you’d pull him in closer.

“You still smell like summer,” he muttered against your neck.

You tilted your head, giving him access. “You still talk too much when you’re turned on.”

He laughed softly, but there was a catch in his breath.

His hand found yours, fingers threading together like they hadn’t forgotten how to fit.

You looked at him, something soft slipping past your defenses. “This doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know.”

“It can’t mean anything.”

“I know that too.”

And the second his lips met yours, it wasn’t soft. It was a challenge. A dare.

But you’d never been one to back down.

Hand in his hair, nails grazing just enough to make him grunt against your mouth. His hands found your waist, dragging you closer across the center console like he still had the right.

“You really brought me all the way out here just to relive your glory days?” you said, breathless, eyes locked with his.

Rafe’s smirk was instant. “What can I say? The car has... history.”

You snorted. “You mean trauma.”

He leaned in, lips brushing your jaw. “You never complained before.”

“I did. You just never listened.”

“Lies,” he murmured, his hand sliding up your thigh, slow and cocky. “I always listened. I just liked it better when your mouth was too busy to talk.”

You grabbed his wrist mid-way, eyes flashing. “And I liked it better when you remembered who was really in control here.”

That stopped him. Just like it always did. Because you were the only one who ever made Rafe Cameron fold. Not out of fear. Out of need.

You slid across the console in one smooth motion, straddling him in the driver’s seat, your knees bracketing his hips. The tension crackled between you, your breath in sync, your eyes daring each other to flinch.

“You think you’re in charge just because you drive the car?” you whispered against his lips. “Cute.”

His hands gripped your hips, knuckles white. “You gonna show me how wrong I am?”

You rolled your hips once—slow, on purpose—and watched his head tilt back against the seat.

“Still think you’ve got the upper hand?” you asked sweetly.

He groaned, biting his bottom lip. “Fuck. I forgot how annoying you are when you’re right.”

“You didn’t forget,” you said, fingers curling around the collar of his shirt. “You love it.”

He looked up at you, eyes dark and dilated, like he was already halfway undone.

You kissed him like you had something to prove.

And Rafe—Rafe fucking Cameron—let you. Because no one ever kissed him like you did. With fire. With precision. Like you could destroy him and knew it.

His hands gripped your thighs, thumbs brushing under the hem of your shorts like he was trying to remember every inch of you through his fingertips. But you weren’t letting him lead. Not this time.

You rolled your hips over his, slow and steady, and watched his cocky smirk falter just enough to feed something deep in your chest.

"Still think you're in charge?" you whispered, breath ghosting over his jaw, lips brushing his ear.

He exhaled sharply, chest rising beneath yours. “God, I missed your mouth.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” you murmured, dragging your nails lightly over his scalp.

You grabbed the front of his hoodie, pulling him forward just enough for your mouths to brush—not kiss, not yet. His breath hitched. Eyes locked on yours, glazed and hungry.

“Say it,” you whispered.

“What?” he rasped.

“Say you missed me.” Your hands slid under the fabric at his waist, nails grazing warm skin.

He hesitated for half a beat—pure pride—then caved.

“I missed you,” he said, low and wrecked.

You smiled. Not sweet. Triumphant.

And then you kissed him again—deep and messy this time. Your tongues slid together, and his hands tightened on your hips like he was trying not to lose control completely. You rocked into him with purpose, and he let out a choked sound that lit you all the way up.

His mouth trailed from your lips to your neck, open-mouthed kisses and soft bites that made your thighs clench around him.

His hands slid under your shirt, palms hot against your bare skin, thumbs tracing the underside of your bra like he was testing the limits of your control.

You didn’t stop him.

But you did grab his jaw, forcing his gaze back to yours. “You don’t get to rush this. You don’t get to win.”

That did something to him. His eyes darkened, breath stalling. “You gonna drag it out? Make me beg?”

You leaned in close, lips brushing his. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

The windows had already started to fog.

Your legs locked around his hips, your fingers still tangled in his hair, tugging just hard enough to make him hiss between his teeth. Rafe’s chest was rising fast beneath you, every breath a battle between restraint and desperation.

You shifted your weight slightly, rolling your hips just right—and his head tipped back with a low, guttural groan.

“Fuck, Y/N.”

Your smirk was feral. “Language, Cameron.”

He opened his mouth to throw something back—some cocky line, some Rafe-brand arrogance—but you rocked forward again, deliberately slow, dragging your center along the thick press of him through his jeans.

And just like that, he forgot how to speak.

Good.

His hands were all over you now—gripping your waist, skimming your back, sliding up your shirt again like he couldn’t get close enough. You let him touch, but only where you wanted him to. His fingers found the clasp of your bra and paused.

You raised a brow. “Ask.”

Rafe blinked. Swallowed. “Can I—?”

You unclasped it for him. “Now you can.”

His groan was pure reverence.

When his mouth replaced his hands, you gasped—heat flaring between your thighs, pulse thudding in your ears. His lips, his tongue, the way he worshipped every inch of skin he uncovered—it was almost too much. Almost.

You watched him. Made him see how undone he was. How undone you could make him with just your body and a little restraint.

He looked up at you from beneath those lashes, pupils blown wide. “I fucking hate how good you are at this.”

“You love it,” you whispered, rolling your hips again, slower this time, just to tease. “You live for it.”

He groaned, hands clutching your thighs like a lifeline. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

You leaned down, lips brushing his ear, voice low and lethal. “Then die grateful.”

His hands slid under your shorts, thumbs pressing into your hips like he was already coming undone. You felt him, hard and twitching beneath you, straining against the denim, and god—you could feel the way he was holding back.

“Take it off,” he rasped, tugging gently at the waistband of your shorts. “Let me see you.”

You leaned back just slightly, eyes gleaming. “Say please.”

He hesitated for a second—just one. Then his jaw clenched, eyes locked on yours, and he gave in.

“Please.”

You peeled the denim down slow, letting him look—letting him want.

And when his hands returned, they weren’t tentative. They were desperate.

He kissed you again—hard, open-mouthed, hungry. His fingers sliding between your thighs, coaxing a moan from your lips that he swallowed greedily.

You arched into him, gasping. “You always do this,” you breathed.

“Do what?” he asked, voice rough.

“Ruin me.”

He grinned against your skin. “Only fair. You ruined me first.”

As his lips found yours again, deep and bruising, you realized it wasn’t just the car, or the heat between you, or the way his hands made you forget everything else—it was him. All of him. And in this moment, maybe you were both just too damn broken to walk away.

And as you kissed him, again and again, you knew this wasn’t over. It had never really been over.

[ghostsprobably]

DISCLAIMER this is just the episode summary okay, like its copy and pasted from my notes and i typed it like a year ago 😅 i have all of season 1 plotted out like this so that i could get an idea of the timeline and character beats

im scared yall will be disappointed bc its short and choppy but also i think i should put stuff out there ya know. its the bones! the bones!!

let me know what u think bye

It’s a sunny Monday in Gardenia, New York, a bustling town just outside of the city, and a woman is playfully nudging her daughter awake. “Bloom, you’re going to be late for school!” she says. Bloom, her 16 year old daughter with a head of firey red hair, leaps from her bed and frantically starts getting dressed, then with a moan she slumps back on to her bed as she realizes it’s the first day of summer vacation.

Since she’s awake now and the weather is already so nice, Bloom decides to go to the beach.

At the beach, Bloom meets a girl named Stella, thinking she’s just a cool rich girl from the Hamptons.

Stella shows interest in the drawings of fairies Bloom is working on, and tells her she also has a pretty big thing for fairies, though she always imagined them a bit more stylish and sparkly

Bloom and Stella hang out for a while at the beach, all the while Bloom is amazed at this cool, beautiful girl wanting to talk to her, she seems so interesting and mysterious. The sun is beginning to set, and Stella declares that she is just starving, and could really use some good earth food. Bloom is confused by this, but Stella offers to pay for dinner so she’s happy to drop it.

On the way to a restaurant nearby, they encounter a massive wolf with glowing eyes that seems to be after stella – gnut isn’t the one that attacks them, but he isn’t erased from the show don’t worry

The girls run away and try to hide, but they know the wolf is going to find them. As Bloom begins to call 911, Stella stops her, saying that’ll only give them more problems. As Bloom starts to question her, Stella is suddenly glowing, and brilliantly sparkling wings emerge from her back, as well as her sporting a new outfit.

Stella sends out a blast of light at the massive wolf, and screams “RUN!!!” as she hurries Bloom through a portal. The two girls are suddenly standing in a huge, beautiful bedroom filled with luxury the likes of which Bloom has never seen. But she doesn’t have a moment to take it in before being overwhelmed by a feeling she can’t describe. She falls to her knees with tears welling up in her eyes as Stella tries to comfort her with jokes and smiles. “Take me back!” Bloom shouts and Stella opens the portal back to the beach where they met.

The intense feeling subsides and Bloom tries to make sense of what just happened. “You’re a fairy!” she suddenly shouts excitedly, to which Stella does a twirl and shows Bloom her wings, all while the wolf approaches once again. Before the girls see it, it lunges at Stella, pinning her to the ground under its massive paws.

Bloom screams and throws her hands out instinctively, which ends up shooting a fiery blast at the wolf that knocks it a good sixty feet across the sand.

Bloom helps a barely conscious Stella back to her house, where her parents are shocked to see them. Her dad is a fireman and lifts Stella up to bring to the couch, where her mother is ready with a first aid kit to begin cleaning the scratches along her back. “You’re okay,” Vanessa says, “They missed your wings.” And she and Mike freeze.

The rest of the episode is Stella explaining that she is a princess on another world where sometimes girls are born with magical powers and fairy wings. She wanted to come to earth before school starts in the fall because she can relax more on the beaches when nobody recognizes her. Buuuuuut she’s not really suppsed to come to often because magic isn’t exactly allowed on earth, and it’s just so hard to resist using her powers!

She looks over to Bloom, who now suddenly understands the rush of what she felt at the beach.

[pali-and-proud]

ok, I am relatively new to this little fandom but I binged Cinderella boy and I'm just wondering... did everyone forget about that one part where buddy has this dream and he's in ragged clothes in a fancy manor house? Like, no wonder the man likes looking fancy. if that's Ex Libris and that's how they keep him, of course he likes looking good. maybe it's because he doesn't have the chance to otherwise?

also did everyone just forget that bit existed because I'm scrolling through and I'm seeing nothing on buddy seeing chase in the mirror, shattering the mirror, and jumping through. That was deeply impactful and yet I can't figure out what and i've been hyperfixtaing on that for a while now. Can you give me a rant about that bit because I know there's something up there I just cant figure out what, am I the only one who read that part?

This is so funny to me. I'm so happy you got into CB! And I'm so happy you enjoy it! But LMAO I think the Dreams episode broke tumblr--there were so many speculations and it's the basis for like 80% of our Buddy theories! (People analyzing the episode is what caused me to make a tumblr account in the first place, actually!)

(Which! Since you're new to the fandom, I can understand how it might look like we missed it, but I promise--this fandom soaks up Buddy content like it's water and we're in the Sahara)

So since it's a dream, we have to assume a lot of symbolism--we know the outfit Chase wore in his dream was a representation of himself (likely a nod to his repeated selfless, angellic actions, like trying to save Buddy or trying to save his mom), so we can assume the same for Buddy.

He's likely not actually dressed in rags--although we don't have that confirmed, but based off of Chase's fit--but it's possible that he ISNT dressed in the fancier outfit we saw him wear earlier. It's really likely, actually, although we shouldn't discount the possibility that Punko wanted him dressed so simply to reflect how dim/bare his situation is.

Someone (I cant remember who, but if anyone does know, PLEASE @ them bc this was life-changing) pointed out that if that's the case, then Violet would have been making outfits for Buddy the whole time, which would cement Buddy having a good relationship with his key well before Chase. We can assume Buddy has a good relationship with Violet anyway, since she makes him outfits he likes, but still.

The rags also serve another purpose: it reminds us that Buddy is ALSO a protag. That's what Chase realizes, in his dream, and it's what we have to keep in mind when we read the chapters. Buddy's not a side character, nor an antagonist. This is his story, too, and he's trying to secure his own happy ending, just like Chase.

(The title of the Webtoons is Cinderella Boy--and in that episode, between Chase and Buddy, only Buddy looks like Cinderella. Another nod to his true role as a protag, and another reason why we need to treat his attire with caution.)

What the dream DEFINITELY confirms is that Buddy has a bad relationship with Ex Libris. There's really no plausible alternative--from how frantic he is to escape, and how afraid he is of being caught. Beach Boys set the question of whether or not Buddy's in a bad spot with Ex Libris, but we didn't know how truthful he was.

We still don't, really, since he still hasn't told us, 'cause he's a paranoid asshole that we tragically love. But this episode laid some facts: Buddy is definitely in a bad situation, regardless of the specifics.

Plus, the final scene of him throwing the clock at the mirror, effectively destroying the reflection of Chase--clocks are often a representation of time. He's running out of time. There's a time limit, somewhere, but we don't know anything except that the clock's ticking.

(Someone else pointed out the clocks/time thing before me. I swear, I will hunt these @s and give proper citations.)

His escape via the mirror likely refers to his real motive: Buddy wants to escape, and he's aware his escape is going to involve, to some extent, harming Chase. From here, it's pure speculation: does Buddy need the keys to escape, thus betraying Chase? Does Buddy know something important? Is the mirror, or Buddy's escape, in any way tied to how he finds Chase in the books?

It's VERY likely that the keys are critical to Buddy's escape, due to the lock with 12 keyholes. This would also ensure the plotline of Buddy's strive for the keys remains intact, and would give us another reason for why Buddy was so desperate for Chase's key. HOWEVER, this isn't the only theory, and we know Punko's always two steps ahead.

The episode feels symbolic and important because it IS, but until we know more about Buddy's actual situation, it's hard to really break down what the episode means. I promise, though: the more we learn about Buddy's backstory, the more people (including myself, because i cannot shut up) will refer to that episode to swoon over the foreshadowing Punko brilliantly laid out.

[iz-belljolie]

hi belly!!! i just read the art frat boy post you did and became completely obsessed with it… so this is my request for you to make an art fratboy bot! 🥹🙏 orrr another post?

seriously I’ll be thinking about it for days

love the way you write!

Sorry it took me so long to respond!! But ask and I will provide anon!! Also ty it means so much to me that you like my writing 💞💞

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Frat!boy Art Donaldson bot - Pursuit of Happiness 𖤐

FRATBOY!ART who doesn’t go anywhere without his hat. If you’re dating, he loves when you push his hair back and put it on him backwards.

FRATBOY!ART who had an episode of just partying every night, and it got so bad he was failing hi classes and couldn’t even take care of himself, until you noticed and helped him out. Helped him shower, tutored him, listened to him, helped him get sober, etc.

FRATBOY!ART who loves to swim as much as he loves tennis. He’s always going to the school pool and the beach. He always asks his frat buddies to throw beach and pool parties, and he always asks you to go out on dates with him to the beach.

FRATBOY!ART who humps his bed in his sleep…his wet dreams are insane, and they feel so incredibly real. Even if he hooked up with a girl at a party a few hours earlier, as soon as he knocks out it’s you (his crush) that pops into his dreams. And it’s always different, one night it’s you blowing him, then you riding him, then him eating you out, then him fucking you hard and good. When he wakes up to a wet mess in his boxers, his face immediately burns up with embrasement.

FRATBOY!ART who struggles with affection. If you’re dating, It takes him time to warm up to all things lovey dovey, like holding hands, cuddling, words of affections, etc. He feels awkward and vulnerable, but after some time it becomes natural for him.

FRATBOY!ART who tried a vape at a party once, strawberry banana to be exact…and fell in love them. He told Patrick that “they’re so much healthy and less smelly than cigarettes man!” After months of doing grabby hands at everyone he knew that had one to get some hits, he got his own, gum mint of course.

[bumpkling]

consider me a house fandom Australian Cultural Liason: here’s some chase family christmas headcanons!

rowan and his mum definitely drag chase and retcon sister along to midnight mass on christmas day. it, as the name suggests, starts at midnight (imagine sitting awake in lousy wooden chairs on CHRISTMAS EVE/DAY as like. an eight year old. catholicism is stupid) and includes receiving communion (the little wafer, and the wine if you’re old enough). there’s a roman catholic communion chant specific to midnight mass for all you latin enjoyers (me): in splendoribus sanctorum, ex utero, ante luciferum, genui te (in the brightness of the saints, from the womb, before the day star, i begot you)

it’s hot and dry this time of year in australia, so spending the whole of christmas day or boxing day at the beach or the pool is common. i imagine chase and his sister competing in made-up competitions — “i bet i can make the water splash taller with a cannonball!” — with their mum as a judge

“classic catches” is a common one: basically, one person throws the cricket ball out across the pool, and the other takes the most spectacular jump/dive they can to try and catch it before landing in the water (there’s a bluey episode about it). we see chase catch pens/case files/miscellaneous objects a few times throughout the show, so i think he’s honed the skill through games like this lol

bundaberg ginger beer is a classic aussie drink for the summer. it’s not alcoholic, and kind of a stronger ginger ale, made in queensland. virtually synonymous with summer. chase feels like an adult holding the heavy glass bottle, sipping it by the pool, trying not to screw up his face at the strong taste

his family have a christmas day lunch with. yes: prawns on the barbecue. but if i catch any of you calling them shrimp i will have harsh words. you’ve been warned

i have no idea whether other places do this, but christmas meals in australia usually feature ‘christmas crackers’ or ‘bonbons’ (there is a bluey episode about these too). they’re paper and kind of shaped like wrapped tootsie rolls, with trinkets, paper crowns, and little joke cards inside the middle. they’re called crackers because you open them by pulling on either side with someone else, tug-of-war style, and when one side breaks, a little fire cracker lights and makes a small explosion with a crack sound. i think chase looooooves the stupid little crowns and wore them all day as a kid.

on boxing day every year, australia hosts a match of test cricket against another international cricket team. cricket is a slow sport (the boxing day test is like five days long), but visit any aussie household with an adult man present, and the boxing day test is absolutely on the tv. it’s one of those things that make most australians patriotic, even if for the rest of the year they couldn’t care less. i don’t think chase was a cricket kid, but he liked watching craig mcdermott’s fast-bowling against india in ‘85. gave him something to talk about with his mates when school started again.

that said, rowan absolutely had tickets to the big game almost every year, either as work gifts or consolation for his wife and kids when he couldn’t (read: didn’t want to) be there during the holiday celebrations. since it’s held at the melbourne cricket ground, chase probably attended a few. they’re gruelling all-day matches, and not exactly entertaining for young kids, but chase probably looks back at the memories fondly: his mum slathering him with zinc and bug spray, constantly yelling at him to keep his hat on, promising to buy him an icecream at half-time

chase seemed pretty aware of his surroundings as a kid, at least in his home. he never failed to catch his mum’s solemn expressions while cleaning up wrapping paper and preparing platters of fruit and cold cuts, while retcon sister played happily with her presents. rowan never labelled his gifts “from Santa”, not even when retcon sister was young enough not to know: their mum always did.

every year, chase was jealous of retcon sister about something. did she get a larger slice of panettone? did she get one more gift from rowan? did she get to be blissfully ignorant on christmas day, swimming and snacking and not having to worry about how many times mum had topped up her white wine, or how heavy her sighs became as the day got hotter? their competition wasn’t always friendly — sometimes he got pissy, and spat cruel insults at her until she ran off to cry in private. neither of them ever told their mother

[lnfours]

summer love | l.n

summary: part 2 to this request but make it ✨summer break ✨

warnings: fluff, language, all the feels, lando being 100% whipped. fem!driver x lando :,)

masterlist | part 1 | ask box

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊

it was officially summer break, a whole month off of racing to recharge the batteries, spend time with family and friends and just do normal people things.

but all you could think about was him. it was sickening. you weren’t sure how or why, but you found yourself thinking about lando a lot more than you should. and you knew you shouldn’t, he was your teammate, but something about that day in the drivers room made your heart rate spike.

you were laying in bed, scrolling through instagram when you had come across his story. you held down the picture, examining it as you looked it over.

it was a picture of the sunset, the location tagged london, england. you furrowed an eyebrow, he spent his summer break at home? before you knew it, you were sliding up, adding a comment underneath the picture.

you’re home for summer break?

you bit down on your lower lip after you had sent it. surely he wouldn’t reply, he was probably off having a good time, enjoying his life and not thinking about you-

yea, feels good to be home. where’d you go to spend holiday?

you clicked at the top of your screen, opening the dms. you had saw the previous dms being memes you had sent one another a while back, the two of you going back and forth about who was funnier.

it was you.

actually, i’m here too 😅

you saw his icon appear at the bottom of your message before it changed to say he was typing. you tried so hard to ignore the way your stomach was doing cartwheels.

out of ALL the places you could’ve chose from, you picked london? stalker much? 🙄

you let out a soft laugh, typing back a whitty response.

you wish i was here to see you, norris 🥱 no, i’ve just never been. always been on my bucket list to come outside of racing

typing…

i do, actually. i miss you

you read it over and over again before another message appeared from him.

also, where are you staying? we can meet up, get coffee or something? i can show you around 😁

okay, now you were internally screaming. you clicked on the photo option, snapping a picture of you in your bed, adding the location of the hotel you were staying in before sending it. he opened it almost immediately, sending another picture back. he was shirtless, sunglasses resting on his nose and you noticed he had grown out his facial hair. the sun was still setting and it looked like he was on a beach.

you’re literally 15 minutes away from me. hang out with me, i’m bored ☹️

you smiled before sending another picture, this time of the tv in the hotel which was currently playing an episode of a show you had seen a million times before.

can’t, busy :/

another picture from him, this time he was in his car. he had a shirt on now, the white fabric making him look tanner, his hair messy. how could someone look so good?

too bad, i know where you are 🥰

you took a picture of yourself giving him the finger, a playful smile on your face.

ok fine, but you’re getting me food

he replied with another picture, this time of his hand on the steering wheel. the mclaren logo on the center was the star of the show, the four little lines on the bottom making an appearance.

deal, see you soon

you double tapped his photo, throwing the covers off of your legs before making your way to your suitcase. you grabbed a pair of shorts and an over size hoodie, tugging it on before fixing your hair. you opted on no makeup, slipping your sunglasses on before grabbing your bag. once you made sure you had everything, you made your way to the lobby.

in the elevator, your phone pinged.

your chariot awaits, m’lady

you rolled your eyes and smiled, typing back a response.

coming to lobby now, mr. uber driver

he double tapped your message and when you walked through the doors of the hotel, you immediately spotted him. he was waiting for you, leaning against the passenger side door. you smiled, approaching him as he smiled back at you.

“hey,” you said, the two of you reaching for a hug. he wrapped his arms around your waist, desperately trying not to hug you too tight as you slung your arms around his neck.

“hey,” he smiled back, “ready for the best tour of london you’ll ever get with your favorite guy?”

you looked around, a playful smile on your lips, “lewis is here?”

he rolled his eyes, shoving your arm softly as he chuckled, “oh, fuck off.”

you laughed back at him, letting him open the door for you. you smiled and thanked him, letting it close as he made his way to the drivers side. you took note of each little personalized detail of the car, smiling softly at how much of his personality was put into it.

“so,” he said, starting the car, “anywhere in particular you wanted to see?”

you shook your head, “no, but if you want, you could show me your favorite places.”

he nodded, pulling out of the parking lot, “i’ve got the perfect place for you.”

you couldn’t help but smile again as you looked over at him. he handed you his phone, spotify open, “play whatever you want.”

you raised an eyebrow, “whatever i want?”

he nodded, “yeah, curious to see what kind of music you listen to.”

you smirked, typing in ‘summer love’ by justin timberlake. the song boomed through the speakers and he laughed, turning it up slightly as he made his way to one of his favorite spots.

after more songs, which may or may not have included some one direction songs (which he surprisingly knew all the words to), and some small talk later, he pulled into a parking spot at the overlook. you both got out, standing in front of the car as you looked out at the view.

“wow,” you breathed, “this is stunning.”

you looked up at the sky as you finally got to see it’s beauty without any light pollution. he smiled, leaning against the car as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“yeah,” he looked over at you, “it is.”

you looked over at him, “you’re looking at me like that again.”

he raised an eyebrow, but the smile still sat on his face as he shook his head, “no idea what you’re talking about, doll.”

your stomach did a flip and you walked in front of him, your legs between his, “how many girls have you brought here?”

he snorted, “none, only you,” he looked up at the stars now, his neck on display for you. his fluffy curls were pushed back with his sunglasses, his nose and cheeks slightly red and covered in sun freckles from being outside all day. he looked so pretty like this to you, who was still standing in front of him and god you wish you didn’t look awkward staring at him like this, “kind of a place where i come if i need to get away, just think for a little bit.”

you finally adverted your eyes back to the sky, “yeah, this would be the place to do it.”

he nodded, “so, to answer your question, none. guess that makes you special.”

you gasped, “i’m special to the lando norris?”

“don’t start,” he rolled his eyes playfully, “you’re like, P3 at best.”

“well you know what they say about being third,” you said, “they have the treasure chest.”

he chuckled again, the soft breeze of the night whisking a hair in your face. he carefully reached out and brushed it back, “actually, you get 15 points. cmon, you’re supposed to know this, y/n,”

you couldn’t wipe the smile off your face even if you tried, “you would know, huh?”

your phone buzzed in your pocket, pulling it out and reading the notification.

⚠️ time to bereal ⚠️

you clicked on it, looking up at him but he was already looking at you, “wanna be in my bereal?”

“sure,” he said and you smiled before clicking on the notification.

however when you held your arm up, you started laughing and not being able to take yourself seriously. lando laughed with you.

“hurry! take the picture or it’ll be late!” he laughed and you pulled yourself together before laughing again. you weren’t sure what it was. if it was how close he was to you or how happy you were right now, but he took the phone from you.

“jesus christ,” he laughed as he raised his arm up, pulling you in by your hip. you wrapped both arms around his neck, smiling at the camera. he turned the phone around to get the other picture, this time he turned his head towards you and you faced him with a smile. he smiled back, your hand resting on his cheek. the flash went off and he brought his arm down, but you still kept his face in your hand.

you took the phone from him, “thank you,”

“yeah,” he smiled, “anytime,”

you locked your phone, slipping it back into your pocket before looking at him again. he still had the same look on his face, almost like he was-

“i like you, y/n,” he said, “a lot.”

you smiled, heart jumping up to your throat, stomach doing flips, and you swore you were going to pass out when he placed his hand on your cheek, thumb stroking the skin, his fingers starting to move into the hair behind your ear.

“i like you too,” you said, and that was all he needed to hear before he was pulling your neck towards him, lips connecting with yours. your body felt like it was on fire as his hands moved from your face to your hips, shifting as he leaned back against the hood of the car, taking you with him as you laid on top of him.

the kiss got hot, his tongue poking out to lick at your bottom lip. at first you didn’t let him in, which made you giggle against him. but, the giggling turned into gasping the minute he tugged on your hair gently, allowing him to sneak his tongue in.

he finally broke the kiss, the both of you panting. you hadn’t realized that your hands were in his hair, it now being a mess of frizzy, beachy curls. his lips were red and puffy, pupils blown. you were so in love.

your phone buzzed in your pocket, taking it out and almost laughing at the notification. he smiled at you, but raised an eyebrow in confusion, “what? what’s funny?”

you turned your phone around to show him oscar’s comment on your bereal:

oscarpiastri81: WHAT THE FUCK??!?!

he laughed, pulling you as close as he could while you typed out a response to your teammate, “you hungry?”

you nodded, slipping your phone back into your pocket, “starving, actually.”

he nodded, taking your hand in his as you stood up, “i know a really good spot not far from your hotel, think you’ll like it.”

you smiled as he opened the door for you, you thanked him with a quick kiss on his lips, “sounds perfect.”

[jklinges2003]

Just a Ghost of a Girl You Once Knew and Loved

A/N: Hey guys I decided to make my first short fanfiction on here. Even though I’ve made a lot of fanfics on Quotev, this is my first time writing one on tumblr, so if I mess up, don’t judge lol! Anyway, I started watching “The Summer I Turned Pretty” with my mom, including watching season 2 this summer and I swear it just leaves me intrigued, makes me laugh, makes feel like I’m actually in it and I wish I really was. And I am so team Jeremiah all the way! So, after I watched 2x06 and 2x07, in episode 6, Jeremiah and Belly almost kiss while at the end of episode 7, they finally kiss, but I can’t find the GIF from episode 6 from when they almost kiss cuz that’s what I want this short fanfic to be about and take place in. And I also might switch POVs.

codes: Y/N = Your name

Y/EC = Your eye color

SUMMARY: So, I imagined what would happen if a girl in the show (Y/N) was best friends with Belly for a long time and had a huge crush on Jeremiah at first, and even Y/N hooked up with Jeremiah in the first season but after him and Conrad’s mom Susannah died and after Y/N has been seeing signs of Jeremiah having feelings for Belly, they broke up before the events of season 2, but Y/N’s feelings for Jeremiah have never faded and as the group reunited in season 2, Y/N has been holding onto hope that something could happen with her and Jeremiah because she’s missed him so much. And even Jeremiah feels the same, but he just wouldn’t admit to her or even to himself since a part of him still has feelings for Belly. And throughout season 2, Y/N has been trying some casual attempts to get Jeremiah’s attention but failed every time. So, one night as the gang throws a party at the beach house to honor Susannah, and while Y/N was hanging out with a couple of friends, she witnesses something that just pushes her to her breaking point, increases her insecurities and her anger/jealousy towards Belly while she’s been trying to keep her friendship with her intact, and Y/N’s heartbroken behavior strikes a chord in Jeremiah and hits him with guilt.

SONG: “Part of Your World (Reprise II)” by Halle Bailey from Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid. I feel like the song matches Y/N’s situation really well, and I love Disney songs, so I wanted to choose this song.

Y/N’s POV:

The party for Susannah has been going great! It’s fun, loud, and it was a beautiful way to honor Susannah. I hoped I’d get closer with Jeremiah this time because out of all the attempts to try and get his attention while he’s been going all lovey-dovey on Belly even though they’re not even dating, I’ve failed. Jeremiah and I had something special last summer, we bonded really well, he brought out the best in me, and there’s nobody like him. He’s irreplaceable. At first I’ve always been a very shy and self-conscious girl, but after bonding with Jeremiah, his childish personality and his sweetness and fun energy is just so contagious that it just makes you wanna have fun and laugh with him. So, he brought out the fun and confidence that I never knew I had in me. And we even felt a strong connection and spark between us. Being with him always made me feel safe, he’s easy to talk to, he’s relatable, his light blue eyes just take my breath away and you can easily see the emotion in them. But, unfortunately, I regret us breaking up in the first place after Susannah died. And I could see it in his eyes that he does, too. Whenever he and I would talk, I could easily see that he feels lost and confused, like he wants to be with me again as if us breaking up was a mistake for him, too, but also another part of him wants to be with Belly since his feelings for her never faded while my feelings for Jeremiah have never faded. And every time he’d be affectionate and sweet towards Belly, my close best friend and who’s like a sister to me, I can’t help but feel nauseous as if seeing the sight of them together just makes me wanna puke, even though they’re not dating, but I respect their close friendship since they grew up together, and I have been trying to be strong and understanding and nice, but inwardly I just feel sick and it’s suffocating me, like I’m tired of bottling it up. And I have no one to talk to about it since I feel like they wouldn’t understand and that they’d think of me as just a sad pathetic ex-girlfriend who can’t get over her ex-boyfriend.

After watching Taylor and Steven’s talented dance moves for the song “Party In The U.S.A.”, I went back to hang out with Nicole and Dara. We laughed and talked for a bit until one of the girls brought up a relationship she’s in, and that immediately made me think of Jeremiah.

Since Jeremiah has always brought out the confidence in me, I have been thinking about it for a while and I have been waiting all summer to tell him my feelings and that I’ve never stopped loving him even though I was scared to since I didn’t wanna stand in the way between him and Belly. But, I realized I’ve got nothing to lose, and that it’s now or never.

I excused myself from the girls and walked into the crowd to look for Jeremiah. I looked and looked and looked. Until I saw something that just hit me in the heart. I saw Jeremiah and Belly sitting together closely, talking and looking at each other that way. I stood and watched worriedly as I glanced at Jeremiah and then Belly. The way they looked at each other was the same way me and Jeremiah looked at each other last summer when we hooked up and fell in love. I felt like I just wanted to run out of the room and throw up. Then, they stopped talking while still looking at each other with smirks, and then they both slowly leaned in, almost about to kiss until a girl yelling “Fight! Fight!” in another room interrupted them and gathered a crowd. Seeing Jeremiah and Belly almost kiss just hit me in my breaking point. I was about to tell Jeremiah how I felt and that I never stopped loving him, but after seeing what I saw…my chance was ruined. I was too late. The hope I had in me all summer was broken and turned into dust. And I felt ignored after all the tried-and-failed attempts to get Jeremiah’s attention, like as if I were a ghost of a girl he once knew and loved. Like as if what we had before was just nothing.

While the fight between Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Milo and Belly’s brother Steven was occurring in the other room, some other kids didn’t bother to watch the fight and just stayed behind, wanting to stay out of it. And also they were also either drunk or high. I’ve never been one to drink or do drugs or smoke or any of that stuff, I’ve made a vow to myself that I’d live life in a clean state of mind. But after witnessing Jeremiah and Belly together, since it hit my breaking point, I was at that stage where I didn’t wanna feel anything anymore.

I walked over to the group of kids in the kitchen, not wanting to talk to them, and instead just opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. Since my emotions were shut off, I let my impulsiveness get the best of me and I started to open the bottle and chug the alcohol drink. I didn’t care that it tasted bad, I was just tired of feeling this way. After finishing half of the bottle already and walking around the party, trying to avoid Jeremiah, I then saw him and Conrad standing outside with Belly stuck in the middle of them and the two brothers were arguing, and I could easily tell that it was about Belly.

Ever since Belly has been hooking up with Jeremiah at first and then Conrad and then having to choose between them, I felt bad for her but I also got irritated at her because every time they would be loving and sweet to her, instead of listening to her heart about who she truly wants to be with, she just kept letting it happen and kept throwing herself at them, playing both brothers. They both don’t deserve that. Especially Jeremiah since after he and I got together, Belly and Conrad got together temporarily, and then since Jeremiah’s been crushing on Belly while he was really in love with me, and he was angry at Belly for hooking up with Conrad since her and Jeremiah kissed before while he and I were together which also caused our relationship to go downhill. The love triangle between Jeremiah, Belly, and Conrad is just stupid and annoying since Belly won’t make a decision about who she truly wants to be with, and now with me in it, it has turned into a love square. And the last thing I wanted was to be involved in a love triangle, let alone a love square. And now I got dragged into it due to my feelings for Jeremiah never leaving me. Could things get any worse?!

I continued drinking the rest of the bottle of beer, trying to numb everything inside me and to just escape from the pain. I started to get a little tipsy and even though it felt wrong, it also felt good since it helped numb the pain. Then while stumbling around the party and then sitting on the floor in a corner of a room, taking a few more swigs of the beer bottle, I started to lose myself into sorrow and despair.

The bottle of beer was then almost done. I was now really drunk. I kept accidentally bumping into people while stumbling and trying to keep myself standing. But, I started to hear Nicole ask me if I was okay since she saw that I wasn’t myself. My facial expression was blank, my eyes looked like as if something inside them had died, my face was tear-stained which caused a bit of mascara to run down my face, and my hair was a little bit untidy. When she asked if I was okay, my vision was blurry, my hearing was distorted and echoey, and my head was spinning and fuzzy. I didn’t respond to Nicole and instead just accidentally lost my balance near another kid who was carrying a glass of a drink, causing that kid to accidentally drop his glass which broke when it fell. And when I fell, the palm of my hand landed on the broken glass which caused my hand to bleed a little, but I didn’t feel the pain since I was numb and drunk.

A tiny crowd of the people gathered around me and started to look at me in concern, worry, and confusion all at once, and that was the last thing I wanted. I didn’t wanna be viewed as someone who was fragile and vulnerable, even though I knew that it was okay to be vulnerable once in a while since everybody has strengths and weaknesses. But, I just didn’t care anymore.

While there was a few people gathered around me, I kept reassuring them that I was okay, but the one person who I definitely didn’t want to check on me was none other than Jeremiah himself, but he checked on me anyway.

“Y/N? Y/N, are you okay?” Jeremiah asked as he kneeled down beside me to try to help me up, but I kept brushing him off and tried to pretend that I wasn’t hurting, both emotionally and physically. Emotionally from witnessing Jeremiah and Belly almost about to kiss, and physically from losing my balance due to my drunken state and falling to the floor and the palm of my hand landing on broken glass. So I even tried to hide my drunken state from Jeremiah since I didn’t want his pity.

“It’s f-f-fine. I’m…fine, Jer.” I tried to reassure, my voice slurring a bit as I tried to help myself up and stand on my own feet without losing my balance again and without Jeremiah seeing my bleeding hand.

But, he was looking at me that way with concern and worry. I finally managed to stand on my own two feet and then walked away from the crowd, stumbling and limping.

Jeremiah’s POV:

Seeing Y/N like this had me worried. I didn’t know what was going on with her, but she seemed pretty drunk and she looked upset for some reason. She shouldn’t be alone. She could get hurt or end up doing something stupid.

I followed her as she stumbled out of the room, but I lost her in the crowd. I looked around for her until something caught my eye. I saw her outside on the patio, walking away from the beach house and just heading down to the beach, still stumbling and limping.

I walked outside to the patio and follow Y/N down to the beach with the dark night sky in the view. She didn’t look like herself. I was really worried.

“Y/N! Y/N, what are you doing?” I asked her in concern as I caught up with her. Her pupils were dilated, her hair was untidy, she could barely walk, and she even had mascara running down her face so she looked like she had been crying. But why?

“Going to the beach. What do you think I’m doing?” Y/N asked sassily, her voice slurring. She was definitely drunk. I’ve always known her to be a goody-goody girl who would never want to drink, do drugs, or smoke, but she was actually drunk. What changed?

“But, y-you’re drunk. Are you sure you’re okay? And you fell back in there. Are you hurt?” I asked as I stopped her from walking any further towards the water since she’s too intoxicated to go for a swim. When I asked if she was hurt, I looked all over her body for any cuts or bruises or anything, until I spotted her hand bleeding. I took that hand gently and looked at her worriedly. But she immediately yanked her hand away and glared at me for some reason before stumbling to walk further towards the water. I stood in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders, preventing her from doing so.

“Y/N, your hand is bleeding. We need to clean that up and put either some band-aids or gauze on there. Let’s just go back inside, okay?” I said to her calmly, but sternly and worriedly before I put an arm around her shoulders to help her walk back inside the beach house. But she immediately refused and put up a fake smile, and her fake smile looked angry.

“No! No, no, no, no. I’m fine, Jer. You don’t need to help me. Why don’t you go and help Belly instead, hm? I’m sure she’s probably going through a lot after being stuck having to choose between you and your brother. So go ahead, why don’t you go help her and be her shoulder to cry on? I can take care of myself.” Y/N said while slurring before letting out a hiccup at the end of her last sentence. She was being stubborn as hell. And this was also a side of her that I’ve never seen before. Why was she acting this way, especially towards me?

“Y/N, I’m not gonna leave you out here by yourself, especially with your drunken behavior. I’m not gonna let you do something stupid. Like, what were you planning to do out here at the beach? Why were you walking towards the water?” I asked her, trying to be calm and gentle, but I had a bad feeling about Y/N’s intentions that it built worry inside me which caused me to raise my voice a little bit.

“None of your business. What is this, 20 questions or something? Just leave me alone, Jeremiah.” Y/N spat out, still slurring before she walked past me, still stumbling. I watched her about to go into the water, but her legs were shaking as if she could barely stand. I wanted to stop her and go get her, but I wanted to see what she was planning to do first so that I can really know what’s going on. She stopped for a second as the water reached to her knees, then she kept going until it was at her waist and she started to cover her mouth with her hand and then cover her nose with her other hand before she began to dunk her head into the water.

I widened my eyes as it immediately clicked. Y/N was about to kill herself by drowning while drunk! As I finally knew what she was about to do, I immediately took action and rushed into the water, grabbing Y/N by the waist and dragging her out of the water. She started screaming protests at me to let her go, but I couldn’t let her do this. I care about her so much. And…I actually love her, even though a part of me loves Belly. I just don’t know what to do. But after seeing Y/N like this and after us reuniting along with the others, I was actually really glad to see her. She’s a sight for sore eyes. She’s beautiful, she’s kind, caring, warm, honest, sweet, sassy, headstrong, authentic, moral, the voice of reason, and a talented singer with a beautiful voice. She’s even a better singer than I am. I did like her when she was a shy and introverted girl, though, I thought she looked adorable whenever she’d blush. But after we bonded last summer and fell in love, I started to see a more confident and silly side of her and I couldn’t help but love her even more. I miss what Y/N and I had together, even though I love Belly, too, but it’s not really the same with Belly actually. Y/N’s the one I feel something strong and loving for. She’s even tried to be there for me after my mom died, but I was too blind in my own grief and in my own conflicted feelings for Belly to even see it. How could I have been so blind?

Seeing Y/N acting like this was just heartbreaking and shocking to me. I was even more worried about her, especially since she just tried to kill herself by drowning in the ocean while completely drunk.

As I dragged her back to the sand while she was screaming protests at me, I ignored the protests and looked at her in shock, anger, heartbreak, and worry all at once.

“Y/N, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Why are you trying to kill yourself?” I asked her sternly as I held back tears in my eyes since I was trying to be strong for her.

“Why did you just help me?! I told you to go be with Belly!” Y/N snapped while slurring as tears filled her eyes. Why is she bringing up Belly while I’m focusing on Y/N and her safety?

“Y/N, this isn’t about Belly, this is about you. You’re drunk, you look like you’ve been crying, you’re acting like a different person, and you tried to kill yourself! Why are you acting like this, Y/N? Did something happen? Talk to me.” I said to her sternly, but calmly as I tried to keep myself together.

“No, if you wanna go be with Belly, be with her! She’s all yours! I won’t stand in the way! So, just leave me alone!” Y/N snapped as a tear rolls down her cheek, her voice still slurring. Why is she talking about Belly like this? She’s Y/N’s best friend and they’ve always been like sisters. This wasn’t the Y/N I knew and loved.

“Y/N, what are you talking about? What do you mean you won’t stand in the way and that Belly’s all mine? Where’s all this coming from?” I asked her in concern, hoping to get her to talk. But, she immediately exploded the truth about the cause of her problem while slurring.

“I SAW! I saw everything! I saw you and Belly almost kiss back in there before the fight between Milo and Steven broke out!” Y/N shouted through her slurs and through her tears. She even had her eyes either looking down or her eyes closed as if she could barely look at me.

When she admitted that to me, I started to remember when me and Belly talked back in the house during the party, and we talked about the flings I had from last summer and through the whole year after me and Y/N broke up and when Belly got together with Conrad. Then I remembered telling Belly that she’s a better kisser than out of all the girls and guys I’ve kissed, including Y/N. I can’t believe I actually said that because Y/N was a good kisser, too. She really was. And I even remembered during this whole summer when me and her and the rest of the gang were hanging out and Y/N tried some attempts to get my attention since she must’ve had hope for us and I didn’t even realize it. I’ve been ignoring Y/N all summer and I didn’t realize it till now. How could I have been so stupid?!

I felt such a pang of guilt and regret for how I’ve been treating Y/N. I’ve treated her as if she weren’t around and as if she were second and I’ve been putting Belly first. I realized Belly’s not the only one stuck in the middle of a love triangle and between me and my brother, I was even stuck between two girls who matter so much to me. With Belly, it was real and I really loved her, at first it was like a brother and sister relationship, but…ever since I saw her last summer, I was done for. She took my heart with her. But then, at that time, Belly brought Y/N to Cousins for the first time and introduced her as her best friend, and Y/N just took my breath away. I know that I started to feel something for Belly, but when I met Y/N, I knew there was something special about her that was just so magnetic to me. I wanted to know her. And what we had was real and strong, too. And I realized now that it was stronger than what me and Belly had because even if Belly liked me back a bit, it was always gonna be Conrad for her, even if she wouldn’t admit it. It finally hit me.

Y/N’s the one for me.

I looked at her with guilt, regret, and sympathy as I realized what I put her through and what she had to witness tonight. I put a hand on her arm, trying to be as comforting as possible.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N. I-I-I didn’t realize that you…” I was just at a loss for words as I still kept trying to process this.

“That I what?! Huh? That my feelings for you still haven’t faded and that I never stopped loving you?! I’ve tried to get your attention all summer and tried to get you to realize that I’m still here, but you just kept pining for Belly and acting all affectionate to her while you ignored me and acted as if I wasn’t the room, like as if what we had together has been forgotten! And you and her aren’t even dating, yet you act like you are, even though you two are best friends, but why can’t you just admit it to yourself that…that you still love me, too? I’ve seen it in your eyes, they can easily tell what you’re feeling. And when you were around me this summer, I had hope for us! But you just won’t open your eyes and realize what’s right in front of you! I was about to tell you how I felt, and yet I catch you and Belly about to kiss! I just…I just couldn’t bear the sight of that, so I’m actually glad the fight between Milo and Steven broke out and interrupted you and Belly. I know that’s rude to say, but I just can’t pretend that I’m okay anymore! All this time ever since everything that’s happened, I haven’t been okay! And neither have you, and I’ve tried to be there for you and reconnect with you at least, but…you didn’t want anything to do with me and the only person you’d talk to was Belly! I’ve gone through enough hell. And so has Belly, so I’m just gonna go…have a little ‘chat’ with her.” Y/N explained everything to me through her tears and her drunken slurs about the hell she’s been going through ever since me and her broke up and ever since my mom died.

And as she said everything, it was all true and I didn’t even realize it all till now. And what she said struck a chord in me. I’ve been leaving her all alone and I shouldn’t have done that. Well, not anymore. I’m not gonna leave her alone anymore, no matter how much she stubbornly tells me off. I’m gonna make up for my mistakes. Then, as Y/N says the last part, she stumbles as she stands up on her feet, holding her fingers up like quotes. I knew she wasn’t just gonna have chat with Belly, she was gonna confront her. I couldn’t have her do that. Her friendship with Belly has always been so important to her so I couldn’t let her be the one to destroy it by having a confrontation and argument with Belly.

“Y/N, no. Just…Just come back to the house, I’ll let you stay with me, okay?” I offered kindly as I tried to help her and not let her be by herself in her drunken state and in her painful heartbreak.

“No! I don’t need saving, Jer. I’m not some piece of glass who’ll end up breaking. I’m fine. Just let me go.” Y/N protested as she tried to walk away from me and walk back to the house. I wanted to stay with her, but I had to respect her decision if she could handle it. I watched in concern from behind as Y/N kept stumbling up the small wooden board steps that would lead up to the patio of the beach house, her legs started to shake again as if she could barely stand and walk.

She then took another step until she tripped and fell down to her knees, making me immediately rush up to her side and try to help her up and help her walk.

“Y/N, let me help you.” I offered while trying to help her stand, but she pushed me away and kept protesting.

“No! Just leave me alone, Jer! If you don’t walk away right now, I’m gonna have to beat the shit out of you!” Y/N threatened drunkenly while she was holding back tears again and trying to stand up on her own.

“Oh, yeah? Let me see you try. I’m not gonna leave you, no matter how many times you push me away. I’ve pushed you away already, I’m not doing it this time.” I responded with sternness and determination in my voice.

As I challenged her to see her try if she can fight me off and push me away, I knew she didn’t have the guts to do it since I knew she still had love in her heart for me. She sat on her knees while I was kneeling next to her, and she turned around and tried slapping my chest and shoving me away, but her pushes weren’t strong enough. She kept trying and trying through her frustrated grunts as if I were her punching bag, but I didn’t let it affect me. She needed to take it out on anything or anyone. And since she was mad at me, I already took responsibility for how I treated her, so I felt like I deserved to be slapped and pushed since I was actually such an asshole.

Then after a few failed shoves and slight slaps from her, she started to get frustrated and feel defeated since I wasn’t going anywhere. Her shoves and slaps started to weaken and she immediately began to finally let out her tears even more. She broke down sobbing as her attempts to push me away and slap me were weakening and slowing down, and she started to lean her head and body against me while sobbing in defeat, frustration, and heartbreak. I wrapped my arms around her securely and protectively, holding her close to me and never wanting to let go of her.

“Shhh…it’s okay, it’s okay, Y/N. You’re okay, you’re okay, I’m here. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere, okay? Shh…” I whispered softly while holding her tightly but gently, trying to comfort her. She still kept crying in my arms, one of my hands rubbing her back and my other hand caressing the back of her head and her hair. I held back tears as the sound of her cries just broke my heart.

“Y-You left me, Jer…! Why are you still here? Why aren’t you leaving me now? You…You love Belly…!” Y/N said through her drunken sobs as if she was expecting me to just walk away from her after I’ve been ignoring her all summer that she was used to being walked away and abandoned. My heart was just absolutely breaking for her even more. She didn’t deserve this at all. How could I do this to her?

“Because…Because I…I-I-I still—” I was about to respond to her that it was because I still loved her, but before I could finish, I felt her body go limp and she was breathing normally and peacefully, her eyes were closed while her face was tear-stained, and she still had mascara running down her face. She was passed out drunk in my arms.

I sighed guiltily and shamefully, and yet in relief that she was finally out cold so that she wouldn’t do anything stupid while drunk. Then, I put a hand under her legs while I put another hand under her back, lifting her up and carrying her bridal style.

I walked back in the beach house while carrying a passed out asleep Y/N through the party in the house, hoping everyone wouldn’t gossip or be concerned about it since I was already taking care of it. And also some of the kids were drunk anyway, so I’m sure some of the other kids didn’t care.

Then, I carried Y/N to my empty bedroom which only had my sleeping bag since me and Conrad’s bitchy aunt Julia removed everything from the house since she was selling it. And I hated that the beach house was being sold. It held too much memories of me and Conrad’s mom. But now that all the furniture is gone, it’s like memories of our mom are gone, too.

I gently laid Y/N on another sleeping bag that I had laying next to mine and I tucked her in, making sure she was comfortable. Then, I stood up and looked at her sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, despite that she was a drunken mess tonight and despite the mascara running down her face, she still looked beautiful to me. Then, I started to hear a girl crying coming from the bedroom next to mine. I leaned against the wall and heard Belly drunkenly crying in her bedroom. She was trying to call her mom, Laurel, for help since she had nowhere else to turn to about the situation with her having to choose between me and Conrad which is causing tension between me and my brother and also she told Laurel about trying to get the house back while everything she’s trying to do to help just keeps going wrong and she needed help. Her cries even broke my heart. A part of me wanted to go in there and hold her. I couldn’t bear to have my best friend upset like this. But, after what Y/N has been through not just tonight but throughout the whole year?

I thought about it for a moment again and I looked over at a sleeping Y/N, and I told myself again that I’m never gonna abandon her again. I’ve been focusing on Belly and putting her first all summer that I’ve been ignoring Y/N, so it’s time to make up for my mistakes and put Y/N first this time.

I slowly walked over to her and laid down in my sleeping bag right next to the sleeping bag that Y/N is sleeping in. I stared at her sleeping face again and after what happened tonight, I can’t get it out of my head. I could’ve lost Y/N tonight and it was my fault. As I looked at her with remorse, guilt, care, and sympathy, it felt as if a magnet was pulling me. I sat up and leaned forward and down, planting a gentle loving kiss on Y/N’s cheek before laying back down, getting ready to go to sleep.

Y/N’s POV:

As I was passed out asleep from being drunk tonight, I had no idea where I was at the moment. But, I opened my eyes very slightly in which my vision was very blurry and the room was dark since it was nighttime and my hearing was ringing and echoey as the party was going on downstairs. All I could see was someone’s sleeping face in front of mine, but I couldn’t tell who it was. Instead, my eyes just closed again as my eyelids just felt too heavy to be open and my head was pounding.

The next morning, I started to feel like crap. I opened my eyes slightly as the ringing in my ears started and then finally faded away. My head was pounding, I felt a bit nauseous, makeup was running down my face, and my hair was untidy. I looked around the room and wondered how I got here. I also noticed a gauze wrapped around one of my hands. I couldn’t even remember a thing about what happened last night. I could only remember that I was dancing and hanging out with a couple of girlfriends, and then I was crying for some reason, and that I took a walk on the beach. But the rest was all just a blur.

As I slowly sat up, I immediately heard a familiar voice next to me.

“Morning, Y/N.” Jeremiah said to me sleepily but with a concerned and sympathetic look on his face. I looked over at him and seeing him lay there next to me startled me and left me in surprise. What was he doing here laying next to me while he ignored me all summer? What the hell happened?

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as my head was still pounding a bit.

“Jeremiah? Wh-What are you doing here? What am I doing in…in your empty bedroom? What happened last night?” I asked nervously and in confusion, my voice slightly slurring since I was hungover, and I needed answers.

“You don’t remember?” Jeremiah asked in concern as he sat up, sitting next to me. I tried to think hard and see if I could remember anything about what happened last night, but I couldn’t remember. I looked over at him and shook my head.

Then, the moment was interrupted when me and Jeremiah heard Belly and her mom Laurel arguing in the room next door, their voices muffled until we heard Belly’s bedroom door open and close. Jeremiah helped me stand up to my feet before we both walked over to the door and opened it, only to see a crying Belly walking past us and past Conrad in the hallway. She looked behind her and glanced at us before continuing to walk away and walk downstairs. I wondered why she was upset. But whatever it was, I was concerned and felt bad for her.

Then Conrad looked over at us and glanced at me before looking at his brother as if he were encouraging him or something. Jeremiah nodded softly at him before taking my hand, closing the door behind us as we’re still in his empty bedroom. He sat us on the sleeping bags as I looked at him in confusion and in concern. He looked like he wanted to tell me something.

“Y/N…are you sure you don’t remember anything about last night?” Jeremiah asked me in concern in which I shook my head slightly before responding.

“All I remember is dancing and laughing while hanging out with a couple of girlfriends and then…I was crying for some reason, and then I took a walk on the beach. And the rest is all just a blur. And now for some reason I ended up here. What happened, Jer?” I explained all I could remember before asking him in concern about what else happened last night.

He took a deep breath while trying to find the right words to explain to me about what else happened last night. He looked as if he didn’t wanna bring up what happened last night since it would bring back the pain and heartbreak.

“Well, um…you, uh…you were pretty drunk. And…you were at the beach to go in the water to…to commit suicide, but I stopped you and asked you what was wrong, and you…admitted that you, um…saw me and Belly…almost kiss. And…you also explained to me the hell you’ve been going through ever since our breakup a few months ago and ever since my mom’s death. And…also that I’ve been ignoring you all the summer since I’ve been focusing a lot on Belly and I was too blind to see that…that you were still in my life and…” Jeremiah explained everything to me before he trailed off and paused as he could barely finish the sentence. His eyes were tearing up as he felt huge remorse and guilt for what he put me through and he wasn’t sure if he could ever forgive himself.

“God, I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m so, so, very sorry about how I’ve treated you like as if you weren’t in the room. I’m so sorry I ignored you and didn’t put you first and didn’t realize what you were going through. That’s a mistake I won’t make again. I feel like I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but…I realized that…that I also never stopped loving you.” Jeremiah apologized sincerely as a tear rolled down his cheek. As he explained everything, I started to remember a little bit even though it was still a blur. I felt embarrassed that I vented to him about how I’ve been feeling the night before and I didn’t wanna drag him into my problems. But when he said that he also never stopped loving me, I widened my eyes and looked at him in surprise.

“I…Oh my God, I feel so embarrassed for my behavior. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I dragged you into my problems. But…But what about Belly? You love her, don’t you?” I asked, unsure if he was just playing me if a part of him is gonna feel something for Belly and I didn’t want him to choose between me and her. But I was unaware that he already made a decision.

“Yeah, about that, I thought I felt something for her since…last summer when I saw her new glow up and when she first brought you to Cousins for the first time…I thought I was done for. Like, I really felt something for her, but…when I met you and bonded with you and also she’s always gonna love Conrad, even if she won’t admit it to herself…I realized I was lying to myself. I thought I liked her, but…Belly’s not like you, Y/N. You’re irreplaceable. And I’m so sorry that I didn’t see that sooner. Ending things between us was a mistake. I miss what you and I had just as much as you do. And…I don’t know if you can ever forgive me, but I—” Jeremiah said honestly to me as he took my hand. But, I was actually proud of him for finally making his decision. And I just hoped that Belly would soon decide who she truly wants, too, and I hoped it would be Conrad she’d choose because they were actually good together, even though they were opposites.

So, as Jeremiah kept talking, I immediately cut off him off by quickly leaning in and kissing him on the lips, taking him by surprise until he kissed me back. Our kiss was passionate, loving, and tender. His lips just felt so soft and smooth and he was a very good kisser. Then, we pulled away as we gazed in each other’s eyes, his bright blue eyes staring into my Y/EC.

“So…does…does that mean you…forgive me?” Jeremiah asked while he was still in shock from me making the first move and kissing him.

“Of course I forgive you, you lovable doofus.” I responded while smirking and tousling Jeremiah’s golden curls, messing his hair up and making him laugh.

“Hey!” Jeremiah whined playfully through his laughter before flipping his short golden curly hair, making it still look the same as it did before. I giggled before he smirked and tickled me on my waist as revenge from when I untidied his hair.

I squealed and laughed and squirmed around as he tickled me. Then I waved my hands up in surrender.

“Okay, okay! I give! I surrender!” I protested through my laughter before Jeremiah stopped tickling me and smirked. Then he leaned down as I was laying down on my back on the sleeping bag and we giggled again before we shared another tender, loving kiss.

I felt my heart beating out of my chest. I was so ecstatic and relieved that I was actually back together with Jeremiah! I felt as if the darkness inside me has been taken away and then the light has risen inside me again.

[igglemouse]

Just look at this little angel! I'm so happy for her and for the life she's going to have! She WILL grow up with loving and happily parents, something I did not have, and while she doesn't know how important that is, maybe someday she will.

But this morning I'm in such a good mood that its a banana pancakes kind of morning, and when you make banana pancakes they have to be made with a bit of extra excitement! It's always good to start the day on a high note and right now, I've definitely hit another milestone in my life. Honestly, I can't really imagine things being much better than they are right now.

"So, any regrets?" I ask Pascal as he comes down for breakfast, the aroma of pancakes always brings him to breakfast a little earlier than usual. I am also of course asking about the proposal because it did come out of no where, I hope it wasn't some impulsive thing.

"Why would I? I feel like, you and I, are really just scratching the surface," he settles into his seat and starts to dig into his plate. That means he has nothing more to add. He's simple and always to the point, it takes some getting used to, but I like that about him and he's right. We have not spent too much time together so I feel like there is always this potential for more with us.

"I did expect a proposal to be more hmmmm....in a more remote location than a regular park," I am teasing of course. I've come from the very bottom of the bottom and love, for me, has been fleeting and non-existent.

"Oh, were you expecting on the shore of a Sulani beach or-"

"Yes, yes, something like that!" I throw up my hands mockingly. "A girl can dream right?

He chuckles but his tone turns a bit softer, letting me know that he thought about doing something more. "I would have but...the baby, the time of year, and I really just felt like...why wait? I wanted to make a commitment to you since you've made a commitment to me, it only seemed fair."

"Y-yeah..." I'm happy he said that but...I don't know. I want it to feel like more than a commitment, I want just a little more romance, something that would make a good story to tell to Flora one day. Still, I know not to take things for granted and there is a wedding ahead of us, that certainly will be memorable and Flora will be able to witness it even if she won't fully understand it now.

I'd talk more about romance but I'm tired. That's what waking up to a wailing baby at 3 a.m. will do to you and when you are as exhausted as I am a couch looks as good as any bed. I'll take the naps I can get!

And if you are wondering why Pascal is standing in front of a mirror half naked its because he's been working on his charisma. He says that while he feels like no one can touch him on the field he worries that the team isn't always on his side. He wants to be a better leader, basically, and I guess that means he has to practice his charisma in the mirror? I won't argue with it!

I do eventually wake up because I can't sleep the day away and right as I do, or a little after waking up, I get a message from my friends! Rather one from from Marjorie who I've not seen in a little white. She wants to meet at the gym of course and that sounds like a good idea to me.

And don't worry about Flora, Pascal will be on baby duty for the night! I know she goes easy on him so I'm sure it'll be a nice and calm night for these two.

When I get to the gym I find that Marj and Sara are already into it. They offer me a few hellos but are too focused to do much of anything else and so I settle in behind them and do some light stretching myself. There is something calming about yoga although it can be very physically straining. Yeah, it doesn't look like it is but trust me, you'll be stretching muscles you never knew you even had. I do admit that I'm still not very good at it.

After the yoga we of course have to catch up which is mostly Marjorie asking me questions about motherhood. She seems really curious about it and really I'm happy to talk about Flora every chance I can get.

"We really should come over and see her this weekend!" Marjorie says and her face lights up at the idea of it. I'd love it too! I'd like to see how Flora reacts to strangers as well.

"Yes yes! Chu know, I work from home so any time is a very good time," I tell her. How is my Simlish? I've been feeling pretty confident with it lately!

"Sounds like a plan then!" Marjorie decides.

"No no no, that won't happen!" Sara suddenly jumps in. "She has a new guy that's been taking up all of her time," and just like Sara she's ready to gossip, a teasing grin on her face.

"Oh?" this is new to me, I guess I don't keep up that much with Marjorie, at least not recently. I've had a lot going on!

"Yes, really. What's his name again?" Sara asks, leaning into the desk, forcing Marjorie to answer.

"Ummm, Marcus," Marjorie admits with some hesitation. "Yes, it's Marcus."

"Yeah, Marcus," Sara is happy to confirm. "That's his name. You should see him too, he's definitely her type," Sara adds a little comfy, enjoying herself now. She's always been this way, a little nosy, especially when it comes to relationship gossip. Kind of funny considering how little I know about her own secret boyfriend.

"He's really not all that Sara," Marjorie tries to downplay it but I feel like it's a little too late. Sara has latched on and I can't help but laugh, which gets Sara attention over to me.

"Oh, trust me, you'll know what I mean when you see him," Sara continues, having taken full control of the conversation. This is usually when I have to jump into it and kind of pull her out of this mode or else poor Marjorie will always be on the defensive.

"So you meet him already?" I feel soo out of the loop!

"Mmhmm," Sara hums. "Well, he's always here at the gym, I think he works here, doesn't he, Marj?"

"Yes, he's a trainer here!" Marjorie says with pride which is no surprise to me, she's always been into her fitness.

"Yeah, he's something else too," the curl of Sara's lips tells me that isn't a good thing.

"He's a little intense to be sure," Marjorie jumps back in. "I mean..."

"I know the meaning," I come to her defense because I know how Sara can get. "Just that kind of man, very intense? Pascal is like this and I stay out of his way when he is," my simlish is not that well still but they do understand what I mean.

"No," Sara continues. "You don't get it he's-"

But she stops since apparently he's right behind me and taking the empty chair right next to me.

"Ah, so you're the girl that Pascal dates?" he says, taking a good look at me, one that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I almost wanted to correct him, I'm the girl that Pascal will marry, but I guess that would be news to Sara and Marjorie and I don't want to break the news to them in that way. "Hmmmm..."

"What?" I say a little defensively.

"I see why he keeps you private."

I'm looking over to Marjorie, you know the look, correct your guy because I have no idea what that means and I don't know if I want to. She turns her attention towards him. "Marcus, she's just had a baby so-"

"Yeah but you wouldn't use that excuse, would you, Marj?" He says to her and I'm still staring at her, wondering what she could see in this guy.

"N-no, of course not, but it's not an excuse either! She'll get back in shape I'm sure-"

"What?!" I jump back in. "My weight?"

"Ummm, yeah? You're at a gym, honey," he tells me so casually, as if he didn't just insult me. "You're a bit overweight, aren't you? How long ago did you have your baby? I believe that a woman should begin a diet routine in-"

"Chu are not my doctor!"

"No," he continues. "I'm not YOUR doctor, I'm a personal trainer, sweety, and if I were yours you'd actually be in shape and Pascal would not keep you hidden in the house and would show you off a little more."

"Marjorie!" I appeal to her because there is no reasoning with a man like this. I'm now more disappointed with her that she sits there and lets him insult me like this.

"Sorry Frida," she chimes in, a little low. "He makes good points, they are harsh but..."

Meanwhile Sara sat in between all of this, seemingly expectant of this and she has nothing to say now. The look on her face mirrors mines really and only awkwardness can follow.

And then Marcus tells Marjorie he wants to go and she apologizes one last time for his behavior and leaves with him. I'm honestly left a little a shocked and looking at Sara for answers.

"I warned you," is really all Sara could say.

"It's no worries, I've dealt with a lot worse," as you all know...

Frida Varela - Next Episode 10.2

[lewis-winters]

Hey you possibly have answered this already, but what’s your take on why Nix jumped in the lake, and the symbolism/meaning therein?

So sorry I didn't see this earlier! Here's some new bob meta for you!!

What's important here is this: the water (and to some extent, the act of swimming), is a symbol for Dick's acceptance of the end of the war, his life now that the war is over, and the acceptance of a future he can finally allow himself to dream of having.

I mean, water in and of itself is already a regular symbol or allegory for the passage of time, change, and acceptance anyway. River water eroding a boulder into a pebble. The way water carves out new paths for itself, even with obstacles in the way.

Or the ritual of baptism and how it symbolizes rebirth into a new faith/perspective, and therefore a new life.

Austria's mountain water is no different. And it's no mistake that the narrative of episode 10 has Dick swimming in the lake basically bookending the whole episode. The episode is a bit like episode 1, in that you have present day, and then flashbacks to scenes that took place a few months prior, before cutting back to the present day again, where now we the viewers, have better context for the opening scene and the character motivations of those within it.

Which, on a larger scale, also works for the whole series, ya know? It's bookended by episodes similar to each other in narrative structure, which I find to be very clever!

It is also bookended by Winnix!

Which is. Very important. To me, personally, and to the analysis of Lew's actions later on.

Anyway. I digress. Dick swimming in the lake in Austria is his baptism and rebirth.

First, the episode opens on him standing at the beach of the lake with the intention to swim, before he's approached by Nix, and they share that moment together before Dick gets in and, literally, swims into his flashbacks-- no. I'm serious. He's swimming, and then we fade into his narrative of the events leading up to Germany's surrender and the end of the war in Europe (and maybe the beginning of their war in the Pacific).

And then, when that narrative ends, Dick emerges on the otherside to Lew waiting for him at the dock. And then it gets really on the nose, when Lew shows him a photo of them together at the very beginning!

Like. Alright. Another water symbolism: Water and moving through water as a stand-in for the passage of time. Got it.

And then the Water as a tool for Rebirth Into New Life part of the symbol is further emphasized by Dick going "oh, New Jersey huh?" "yeah think about it" "I am" when just a flashback ago, he was planning on jumping into Japan. Which tells us, the audience, in so few words, that Dick is now letting the war go, and is finally allowing himself to dream of a future.

And Lew throwing himself into the water is him following Dick into that future.

Like. Think about it. Lew asks Dick for his plans for after the war on the banks of this lake, then offers him a place with him in New Jersey. Just for them to be together. Then tells Dick to think about it before answering, and literally waits for Dick's answer at the dock of this lake. Almost like he was waiting for Dick to be ready to be rebirthed into this new lease on life.

But while we, the audience and Lewis both, await Dick's answer, we're treated to flashbacks where Lew, repeatedly, says: if you jump into Japan, I jump into Japan. I'll follow you. Even if it means possible death again and again, it doesn't matter to me, so long as we are together. Ok. That's his perogative. That's what he plans on doing, and Dick isn't going to stop him. In fact, he's delighted.

But then, this is where that flashback helps supplement the scene we got at the very beginning (again, much like the narrative structure of episode 1), because then we get a moment, where Lew goes. Actually. Maybe our life doesn't have to be about war anymore. In fact, I think you and I can go home, Dick. We can go home together. I've been thinking about it. Will you?

And Dick DOES!! He doesn't just brush it off. He thinks about it so hard, in fact, that he goes through this whole journey of a baptism, to emerge on the otherside to go: Hey. You're right. And it's my turn now. This time, I'm going to be the one to follow you back home.

And Lew goes, yeah. Ok. Great. I was waiting for you, metaphorically, to come to that conclusion and choose me, just as I was literally waiting for you to come join me at this dock. Cool.

Let me throw myself into this symbol of Rebirth so I, too, might be baptised into this new life with you. We'll go together, like we always have, from the very beginning.

And that's why I think Lewis throws himself into the lake.

[vanillyechocolate]

Just another scene ( Valentines Special !! )

just an imagine for one of my fav white boys enjoy !! 🤷 🫶

LOVEEE this song !.

Pairing: Walker Scobell x GN!Reader Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day on set, and the entire cast and crew are convinced Walker and Y/N like each other. The only problem? They’re both too oblivious to see it. Naturally, this means it’s up to everyone else to get them together. But when a behind-the-scenes blooper catches something… unexpected, maybe they aren’t so oblivious after all.

Warning: MINDLESS fluff ..

The Percy Jackson set was drowning in Valentine’s Day chaos. Heart-shaped confetti littered the floor, courtesy of Aryan’s aggressive decorating skills. Leah was marching around with a toy bow and arrow, self-declared as Cupid for the day, and even the directors were suspiciously chill about people slacking off.

Y/N barely noticed. Mostly because Walker was sitting next to them, sipping a Gatorade like they weren’t currently fighting a battle against their own heartbeat.

And, as usual, Walker was completely unaware of the way Y/N kept stealing glances at him.

“Alright, lovebirds,” Aryan announced, flopping into the chair between them and slinging an arm around both of their shoulders. “What’s the plan for today? Romantic dinner? Long walk on the beach?”

Y/N choked on their water. “What?”

Walker, looking equally confused, blinked. “Did I miss something?”

Leah sighed, shaking her head. “It’s Valentine’s Day, you dummies. And literally everyone on set knows you two like each other.”

Y/N scoffed, cheeks warming. “I—We don’t—” They glanced at Walker, who still looked adorably confused, and quickly turned away. “You guys are being ridiculous.”

Aryan smirked knowingly. “Right.”

Before Y/N could argue, the director called them in for a scene.

It was a classic Percabeth moment—Percy looking all flustered around Annabeth, Annabeth rolling her eyes but secretly smiling. Unfortunately, this only fueled the cast’s matchmaking agenda.

When they wrapped, Aryan clapped his hands together. “Okay, but imagine if Walker was like that with Y/N in real life.”

Y/N huffed. “Oh my gods.”

Walker scratched the back of his neck, cheeks dusted pink. “I mean… I don’t think I’d be that flustered.”

Leah squinted at him. “You sure about that?”

Before he could respond, the director suspiciously scheduled a last-minute scene—a new addition to the episode where Percy and Y/N’s character had to hold hands and stare at each other longingly.

“You guys planned this,” Y/N accused as Aryan and Leah grinned like devils.

“No idea what you mean,” Aryan said innocently.

“Yup, totally coincidental,” Leah added, not-so-subtly winking at the director.

Walker, standing beside Y/N, nudged them. “Guess we better get in character.”

Y/N swallowed hard. Their heart was pounding.

It was just a scene. But as they took their marks, hands brushing, eyes meeting—Y/N wasn’t so sure anymore.

Because Walker was looking at them like they were the only person on set.

And suddenly, maybe everyone had a point.

Maybe they weren’t so oblivious after all.

BLOOPER REEL: "CUT! …Wait, Did He Just Confess?"

The “romantic” scene was not going well.

No, seriously—it was painfully bad.

Walker and Y/N couldn’t stop laughing. Every time they tried to hold hands and stare longingly at each other, one of them would break first.

“Guys, please,” the director groaned. “Let’s just get through this.”

Y/N and Walker nodded, biting their lips to keep from giggling.

“Action!”

Walker reached for Y/N’s hand. Their fingers brushed. Y/N looked up at him, ready to deliver their line—

And then Aryan, standing just off-camera, made the world’s most obnoxious kissing noises.

Y/N lost it. “Oh my gods—STOP!” They burst into laughter, covering their face.

Walker groaned, throwing his head back. “Dude, come on.”

The director sighed but was clearly holding back a smile. “Alright, let’s reset.”

Take 2. Then Take 3. Then Take 7 because Leah, Aryan, and half the crew had made it their personal mission to sabotage the scene with not-so-subtle coughs of "just kiss already!"

Finally, after what felt like forever, they almost got through the scene.

Walker held Y/N’s hand. Looked into their eyes. Leaned in, and—

“I mean, I do like them, but—”

Silence.

Absolute dead silence.

Y/N blinked. “Wait, what?”

Walker froze. His soul left his body.

Aryan and Leah screamed. The crew gasped. Someone definitely dropped a mic.

The director didn’t even yell “Cut.” He just let the chaos unfold.

Walker’s face went bright red. “I—I mean—I was just—THAT WAS A LINE??”

“No, it wasn’t.” Y/N’s voice cracked.

Aryan was already rolling on the floor. “OH, WE GOT THAT ON CAMERA. WE GOT THAT ON CAMERA!”

Leah wiped fake tears. “History. Cinematic history was just made.”

Walker, still flustered, groaned and hid his face in his hands. “I hate you guys.”

But Y/N… they were still staring at him. Heart racing.

Because oh.

Maybe… maybe they weren’t the only oblivious one after all.

Bonus: Later That Night…

Y/N found Walker sitting on one of the prop boulders after filming.

He looked up as they approached, still red-faced from earlier. “Here to roast me?”

Y/N huffed a laugh. “Nah. Just wanted to check if you were still alive after your, uh… moment.”

Walker groaned. “I swear, I was gonna say something eventually, but not like that.”

Y/N tilted their head. “So you were gonna say something?”

He hesitated, then sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I… like you. A lot. And I kinda suck at being subtle.”

Y/N’s heart did an Olympic-level flip. “Well, good news—me too.”

Walker blinked. “Wait. You like me?”

Y/N rolled their eyes, nudging his shoulder. “Dude. Everyone knew except us.”

Walker laughed, shaking his head. “We’re actual idiots.”

“Yeah, but at least we’re idiots together now.”

And maybe, just maybe, Valentine’s Day on set hadn’t been such a disaster after all.

⁻ ᴹʸ ᵐᶦᵍʰᵗʸ ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶦˢᵗ