#this is about Rowan's bff

[murmel-malt]

Did you ever work on a character and just stopped and stared in horror when their actions revealed themselves to you?

You're fleshing out their quirks etc and then are just hit with the stupid shit they will do? You did not plan for this, this character just suddenly has a mind of its own.

[charincharge]

I Don't Want To Wait, seventy-one

rowaelin high school bff au masterlist

TW: College admissions. Sorry if you’re going through this now! Also, I went through this a longgggggggg time ago, and I know this isn’t exactly how admissions works, so apologies for creative liberties. I was supposed to post this before Aelin's birthday, but I missed May 3. Just by two days, though, so not too shabby! Okay, lets go. Final stretch, my loves.

“What do you mean you don’t want to celebrate your birthday?” Rowan scoffed. “Ace, you love your birthday.”

Aelin stretched her arms overhead and reached to touch her toes, ignoring the way her boyfriend stared at her with his usual hawklike intensity and instead leaned into her shins, helping relieve the ache from sore and overworked muscles. Dance practices had been relentless on her body, especially with the spring showcase just a few weeks away, she seemed to be in perpetual knots always.

Well, she guessed she couldn’t just blame dance on that. She was having a hard time with everything at the moment. While her friends were smiling and laughing at their last few weeks of high school, Aelin was feeling an acute sense of panic. The weeks following spring break had melted away faster than she could process, gone in the blink of an eye, filled with an onslaught of dance practices and AP exam prep and constantly checking her inbox for that little email notification from Wendlyn. And not nearly enough Rowan, who was spending all his free time with his lacrosse team. Not only that but everyone around her seemed more excited than ever with the prospect of leaving Orynth right around the corner, but with each passing day the knot in her stomach grew tighter. Everything was a ~last~ —and she was having a hard time enjoying that. She didn’t want any of this to be her last. Why was everyone excited that time was moving so fast? Why couldn’t she just freeze right here in this moment. In this limbo things were stressful, but they were still fine. Without knowing what her fate held.

College acceptances had come rolling in, one by one, her friends grinning wildly as they opened their emails. But Aelin’s inbox remained woefully empty. So, she wanted her boyfriend to forgive her for not feeling particularly celebratory, but then again, she hadn’t discussed any of this with him for fear of making him feel guilty about it.

As she breathed into her next stretch, she turned her torso to look back at Rowan, who was still waiting patiently for her response.

“My birthday last year was a disaster,” Aelin finally replied, completely ignoring the real reason she was feeling less-than-enthused. “How quickly they forget.”

But Rowan just rolled his eyes. “That was an exception. I have a feeling that no one is going to get arrested or go to rehab this year. Usually your birthday is all you can talk about for months. Are you really telling me you haven’t planned anything? For your eighteenth birthday?” he asked. “It’s in less than a week.”

Aelin shrugged, leaning to the other side and groaning as she stretched out a particularly tender muscle.

“I just don’t want to do anything this year,” she said. “The spring dance show is in two weeks, and I’ve been practicing every night. So, for my birthday I just want the night off.” She paused. “Is that really so bad?”

“No…” Rowan said quietly, picking up his phone and furrowing his brow. She’d know that face anywhere. He looked concerned.

“What?” she snapped and immediately regretted it when she saw Rowan’s face. He didn’t deserve to be the receptacle of her stress or ire. All he wanted was to make sure she had the birthday she wanted. Her sweet, sweet Rowan. “Sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I’m just…”

“Tired?” Rowan filled in, and she nodded and lifted her arms above her head, extending them out for him. He swooped in quickly and helped her to her feet, enveloping her in a warm and comforting embrace. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered into her hair, and she could feel her tension melting away with each one of his butterfly kisses.

Aelin finally looked up at him, and his worried green eyes were staring back down at her. “I’m so tired, Ro,” she admitted as she squeezed him against her tighter. “The idea of doing something big for my birthday just seems like so much work.”

“It’s just a big one,” he replied softly. “I don’t want you to regret not celebrating.”

“And I appreciate that,” she said, letting herself melt into his chest fully. His heartbeat helped center her, and she rued the day that she wouldn’t have it there for her at a moment’s notice. “But I just want to hang out with you, eat too much chocolate cake and maybe go to sleep early.”

“So I should tell Lorcan to cancel the surprise trip to the strip club?” Rowan asked. Aelin’s head shot up, and her boyfriend’s answering smirk was telling enough.

“You almost had me there,” she said.

“He tried,” Rowan laughed, “But I shut him down pretty quickly.”

“What kind of strip club are we talking about?” she asked, causing Rowan’s worried expression to disappear, as she intended. As Rowan explained how he had to talk Lorcan off the ledge, Aelin took out her phone and needlessly refreshed her phone over and over. But her inbox remained unchanged.

. . .

“Stay calm and vote Manon and Elide as queens for prom!” Dorian shouted while shoving a rainbow flyer into a passerby’s hands. “A vote for Manon and Elide is a vote against The Man!” he continued, causing Aelin to snort into one of the crown-adorned cupcakes Maeve had contributed to the cause. Dorian had taken it upon himself to run point for Manon and Elide’s prom queen campaign and had recruited Aelin to help him during their shared free period. Not that he needed the help. Orynth High had rallied around the pair of women, and there was no doubt as to who would sweep the vote, but it was still something that Aelin could do without that horrible nauseous feeling taking over her entire body – which might have been helped by the fact that Dorian was also still waiting for a college acceptance email, and so the pair of them were happy to use lifting up their friends as a distraction. Or at least use it as a reprieve from constantly refreshing their email. He’d received a few rejections and was pinning all his hopes on one last college.

“A vote for Manon and Elide is a vote for equality!” he shouted, offering up his own plate of cupcakes to a nearby freshman, who accepted it readily.

As if they’d heard their names called, the pair rounded the corner, hand in hand, smiling softly at each other. Manon pulled away for a second as she tied up her newly dyed turquoise hair into a messy bun, causing Elide to sigh dreamily. Aelin watched as they slid their fingers tighter as they came back together and leaned into each other’s shoulders. They’d both received their acceptances to Perranth, a small liberal arts school nearby, earlier this week and the pair hadn’t stopped smiling since. Aelin was happy for her friends; honestly, she was. But that didn’t stop her stomach from churning with jealousy at the fact that they were going off into their post-high school future together.

“Oooh, are those Maeve cupcakes?!” Elide asked, eyeing the funfetti confection in Dorian’s hand. He lifted the plate, offering it up, and Elide wasted no time in grabbing it and shoving half of it into her mouth.

“Sooooo good,” she mumbled around a mouthful of crumbs. Manon rolled her eyes at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm and used one of her long nails to brush away a bit of frosting from above her lip. Unable to control herself, she swooped down and kissed the spot she’d cleaned, as if to make sure it was completely free of sugar.

“And I thought Rowan and I were disgusting,” Aelin laughed.

“You are,” her friends all said in unison, not wasting a single beat.

Aelin flipped them all off, burying her face into her own cupcake instead as Manon asked Dorian for a status update on his polling info. She was taking this extremely seriously, and it kind of warmed Aelin’s heart to see her cold friend use her ruthlessness for good. Well, for Elide’s good.

Though they were deep in conversation about numbers and which cliques were voting for whom, Dorian stopped and gasped loudly.

“What?” Manon asked, and Dorian opened his phone and showed it to them.

In bold at the top of his email inbox was a brand new email, waiting in bold from Anielle University with the subject: Dorian Havillard, Application Status.

“Oh my god, OPEN IT!” Manon shouted as she reached for the phone, but Dorian clutched it to his chest in horror.

“NO!”

“No?” Aelin asked, raising a brow in his direction.

“I can’t open this in the middle of the hallway,” he hissed. “What if it’s a rejection?”

Aelin’s chest panged with sympathy. She knew how hard Dorian had worked this year with volunteering at the hospital and all his APs to get into the college of his dreams. Aka, one far away from his father. Anielle was as far as it got, and it was a great school, too. Not to mention it was the last one he was waiting to hear from.

“Do it when you’re ready,” she said. “Don’t let these college admits pressure you,” she continued.

“Ah, fuck it,” he said. He closed his eyes tightly as he pressed the bolded link. He took a deep breath, and cracked an eye open before shutting it again. “I can’t look. Someone look for me.”

“Give me that,” Manon grumbled, pulling the phone out of Dorian’s white-knuckled grasp. As a wide smile appeared on her face, Aelin’s stomach clenched further. She knew what that look meant. “Look yourself,” Manon said, handing the phone back to Dorian, whose eyes were still clenched tightly closed.

He blindly groped for the phone before Aelin shoved it into his wandering hand. “Congrats,” she whispered, knowing what the email would say without even seeing it herself.

Dorian’s eyes shot open, darting across the screen as that very same smile she’d seen on all her friends one-by-one ripped across his face.

Aelin tried to smile back as Manon and Elide crowded him with high fives and hugs and lifted celebratory cupcakes into the air and cheersed them together. Aelin refreshed her own inbox, but there was nothing there. Of course there wasn’t. At this point she was just assuming that she would have to reapply to colleges next year and maybe do community college locally for the year. That would be fine, though. She’d continue to teach dance and maybe volunteer at the hospital some more. Get some real-life work experience. Plus, she’d have time to drive out to Wendlyn and see Rowan on the weekends, if he still wanted her to do that, of course.

“Still nothing?” Elide asked Aelin, having noticed her quiet smile.

Aelin shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll get the rejection soon,” she laughed. “I just wished they’d do it sometime soon and put me out of my misery.”

Elide reached across the table and squeezed Aelin’s tense shoulder. “I know this is going to sound patronizing, but I mean it. If they reject you, it’ll be their loss.” She paused. “Have you talked to your mom, asked her if there’s anything she can do?”

Aelin physically blanched at the mention. “No. Not since the interview debacle.” She cringed more, realizing that her mom would most-likely be calling her on her birthday in just a few days, and she’d be wondering what Aelin’s status was. And Aelin would have to admit that she as a disappointment, just as she always assumed she’d be.

Yet another reason why she would not be in the mood to celebrate turning the big one eight. She’d need a full day to recover from whatever her mom said to her. She tried to remember if Evalin had ever forgotten her birthday before. She was pretty sure she had. And those years had hurt, had made her want to celebrate her birthday even harder. But she wasn’t sure if talking to her this year would be worse than not hearing from her at all. I guess only time would tell.

Instead of wallowing in her feelings, Aelin joined the celebratory cupcake party, drowning her feelings in Maeve’s delicious buttercream frosting, and hoped yet again for a single email to arrive and put her out of her misery.

. . .

Three days later, Aelin woke up to a small nudge against her nose. Then a soft kiss to one cheek, then to her other.

“Five more minutes,” she groaned, causing the offending kisser to laugh against the soft skin of her neck as his kisses trailed down toward her shoulder. “I’m serious, Buzzard, fuck off,” she said, but it lacked any real vitriol. After all, the man of her dreams was kissing every inch of her skin as thoroughly as he could while still being gentle enough to rouse her from her dreams with ease.

“Happy Birthday, Ace” he whispered as his lips ghosted over hers.

She finally cracked her eye all the way open and couldn’t help but smile widely at the sight of Rowan kneeling beside her bed, a sparkling glint in her best friend’s eye as she came to life beneath his gaze.

“Eighteen years old,” she whispered back, her voice still hoarse from hours of sleep.

“I know you said you wanted chocolate cake,” he said, “So I considered making you my poor attempts at breakfast cake again,” he laughed, reminding her of the day she’d woken up on her sixteenth birthday and resolved herself to kiss her best friend within that year. How far away that birthday now seemed, even though it was a mere two years ago. They were different people then. They hadn’t known how much they’d go through, how much life they’d live together to come out of it in this moment on her birthday again. Together. “But I decided to do you a solid and just bring a chocolate fudge cake for breakfast. Because you’re a grownup now. And grownups eat chocolate fudge cake for breakfast.”

She loved that despite their long history that Rowan still rambled when he got nervous with her. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him close, kissing him thoroughly. Her tongue slid between his lips and he groaned in response, kissing her harder and letting himself fall on top of her, despite still being on his knees.

“Maybe my first act as an official adult should be having morning sex with my boyfriend,” she mumbled against his lips, tugging him closer. He kissed her back, but shook his head and pulled away, causing her to pout sadly.

“As much as I would love that, your dad is downstairs.”

Aelin closed her eyes and stuck out her hand, revealing a thumbs down. Rowan laughed heartily, and she loved the way it made her feel dizzy.

“But we can eat some cake first,” he said, handing her a fork.

“Thanks, Rowan,” she said in a rare moment of sincerity between the two, not joking at all, and she loved the way his cheeks colored with a dark pink as his head ducked.

“I love you,” he simply replied. And though Aelin had dreaded the approach of this day, she relished in the fact that this boy – her best friend – loved her. For right now, that was good enough.

. . .

“Happy birthday, baby,” Rhoe said, enveloping Aelin into a warm hug.

Aelin quirked a brow up at her dad, who was not usually this sentimental, but she accepted the hug regardless.

“Shut up,” he said, chuckling softly as he pulled back. “It’s the last time I’m going to be with you on your birthday morning, and I deserve a hug. As a reward for getting you to eighteen at the very least. I think I did an okay job,” he said, looking her over.

“You did more than okay, Rhoe” Rowan said, pouring a large cup of coffee into Aelin’s favorite mug and then handing it to her. “You did amazing.”

“You’re already forgiven for waking me up too early,” Aelin laughed, but accepted the coffee nonetheless. “Mmmm, hazelnut,” she said, appreciating that her household had made her favorite flavor, despite not loving it themselves.

“DID I MISS IT?!” Lorcan asked, his voice breathless as he burst his way into the kitchen.

“Missed what?” Aelin asked, looking around at the empty kitchen.

“The gifting of porn and cigarettes, obviously,” Lorcan said with a wry smirk. But Aelin just rolled her eyes.

Her dad narrowed his eyes and looked at Lorcan with disdain. “You’re so lucky I like you.”

Lorcan’s grin only widened in response. “Happy eighteenth, slugger,” he laughed, handing Aelin a pile of scratch-off lotto tickets. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

Rhoe’s lips curled into an unwitting smile as he wrapped his arm around Aelin’s shoulders, tugging her close once again.

“Dad?”  

“Lorcan is being an absolute idiot, like he always is.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I know you’re still waiting for official replies, but no matter where you end up next year…” Rhoe began. “I’d like you to be able to come and visit as much as you like.”

He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Aelin. “Happy birthday, Aelin.” He looked around the room. “From all three of us.”

Aelin looked at the men in the room, staring back at her, before processing that the thing now resting in Aelin’s hand was a key. Not just a key. But a car key.

“SHUT UP,” she said, her eyes widening. “SHUT UP!”

“I will not,” Rhoe said, but he couldn’t help but smile.

Aelin sprinted for the door before anyone could stop her, and she was practically crying as she reached the driveway where a dark green sedan waited for her.  

“She’s old, but we gave her a pretty good makeover,” Rhoe said, apologetic. But Aelin knew how huge a gift this was.

“You guys did this?” she asked, and Rhoe nodded.

“One of my crew members was ready to retire it for scraps. It’s a got a fair amount of miles on it already, but we replaced all the important parts. New alternator, air filter, battery, breaks, headlights… pretty much anything that wasn’t up to code from 30 years ago.”

“Dad…” she said, running her hand over the shiny fresh coat of paint. “That must have been really expensive…”

But Rhoe simply shook his head. “It was less than I thought it’d be. The whole crew helped out during their down time, and these two bozos put in a fair amount of labor on some overnight shifts.”

Aelin’s gaze shifted to Rowan, who was pushing the toe of his sneaker into the gravel of their driveway.

“I might have lied a few times about being too tired after lacrosse to come over. Sorry,” he said, tucking his chin into his chest, and Aelin was suddenly buzzing with an warm feeling in her chest. The knot that had been there, tightening for weeks, suddenly loosened. Love. That’s what this feeling was. Just the sweetest, most incredible feeling. To be cared for like this by the people around her. So overwhelmed, she couldn’t help herself; she corralled the three most important men in her life together and widened her arms around them into a giant group hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She made sure to say it three times, thanking each one of them.

“Well,” Lorcan said. “Don’t you want to get in?”

Aelin squealed, throwing herself into the driver’s seat and adjusting the chair to her particular height. She breathed in the pine scented air freshener they’d hung on the rearview mirror and smiled. It was perfect.

The car was old, that was not a question. But that only added to its charm. The seats were a comfortable worn-in fabric with a pattern that reminded her of the old Terrasen airport carpet, with its greyscale geometric patterns. The dash was covered in a faux wood pattern that she recognized as being trendy decades ago, but it just made her love it more. This car had history. She’d seen things. She was well-traveled, and Aelin couldn’t wait to give her a brand-new life and explore even more. She knew they’d have many, many adventures in this car. Overhead, there was a sunroof, which she immediately opened to let in the mid-morning light, and she couldn’t help but tilt her chin into the light and let the glow warm her skin.

“You didn’t have to do this,” she finally said, lowering the window to look at her dad, who was more than pleased with his own handiwork.

But Rhoe simply scoffed at that comment. “So, are you driving us all to breakfast or what?”

Aelin grinned as Rowan pulled up a playlist titled, “A-ight-teen” and connected it to the clearly refurbished stereo system.

She laughed as the first song came on loudly – Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman – causing Rowan to grin widely, a grin that he reserved solely for her. Their matching smiles morphed into guffaws as Rhoe and Lorcan folded their hulking, tree-like bodies into the backseat, squeezing into the cramped sedan with no complaints.

“To Maeve’s?” Aelin asked.

“Yes, Jeeves,” Rhoe said in a ridiculous fancy accent, causing them to break into laughter again.

. . .

“SURPRISE!”

Aelin literally jumped as her friends popped up from behind the counter of Maeve’s. She glared at her dad and Rowan, who had clearly planned this, despite her specifically telling them she hadn’t wanted to celebrate her birthday with a party. I mean, had she known she was going to see more than just Maeve she would have at least put some makeup on!

As if reading her mind, Rowan wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered, “You look beautiful.”

She frowned but accepted the compliment and a long kiss. As they parted, Aelin was swept into a number of excited hugs from all her favorite people. Manon, Elide, Dorian, Chaol, Lysandra, and Aedion circled around her, and she gasped as Aedion stepped in, surprising her with a bear hug and lifting her off the ground. They were causing a bit of a ruckus, especially with Lorcan making his own rounds saying hi to everyone he hadn’t seen in a few months, so Maeve quickly ushered them all out to the back patio where she’d set up a special table, and Aelin couldn’t help but moan with pleasure at the plates stacked high with all her favorite breakfast foods.

“…stuffed French toast, maple cured bacon, cinnamon rolls with extra frosting…” Maeve started listing, pointing along the table at the overly filled table.

“Anything for someone who doesn’t want to go into diabetic shock?” Rhoe laughed.

“Cheesy scrambled eggs, potato hash, bagels, and toppings for breakfast tacos,” she said, pointing out all the savory options on the table, too.

“Yummmm,” Aelin groaned, her eyes practically rolling back into her head with pleasure at her first bite of French toast, despite having a chocolate cake appetizer barely an hour earlier.

“I think she’s fine with the surprise,” Rhoe snorted, elbowing Rowan, who practically jumped out of his chair, tearing his eyes away from Aelin’s mouth.

Manon cackled with glee. “As if we would let the birthday queen not celebrate her birthday. It’ll probably be the last time.”

A round of awwwws went around the table, but instead of the tightening Aelin would usually in her stomach, her panic was abated by Rowan’s fingers lacing with hers beneath the table. He squeezed, as if to silently say, I’m here and I know and I love you. And Aelin let the familiar feeling of his callused finger pads calm her quickly. As he drew circles on the back of her palm, she couldn’t help but think at how different this birthday was from the one only two years ago – the one where she’d planned to tell Rowan her feelings and chickened out. She remembered the way he’d simply sat in the corner, watching her socialize, and she wondered what would have happened if she’d told him then – would they still have ended up together? Or did they need to go through… everything in order to get to where they needed to be today.

Looking at the way he made conversation with everyone from Lorcan to Lysandra, something shifted inside her. This man would one thousand percent have rather been alone with her all day, but he also knew that – despite her protests – she did actually want to celebrate with her friends. Because he knew her. Fully. And that’s when she knew without a doubt that regardless of what happened between them two years ago, ten years ago, or ten years from now, Rowan would always be with her, silently loving her and helping her be her best self.

Aelin gulped, that knot that had abated earlier suddenly tightening in her stomach again. She had been so panicked for so many months about every moment being the last, progressively becoming more stressed as each of her friends discovered what their future held, while she still didn’t. But what was shockingly clear all of a sudden is that she did know what her future held. I mean, sure, she didn’t know where she’d end up or what she’d end up studying or exactly what her life would look like, but she knew that Rowan would be there by her side no matter what.

She almost laughed at herself. Wasn’t that what he’d been saying to her over and over and over? Why did it take until this moment to make her believe that?

“Presents?” Maeve suggested, and though Aelin nodded and smiled through each one, her mind was elsewhere, thinking about what she needed to talk about with Rowan tonight. Her stomach flipped – although she wasn’t entirely sure that couldn’t be blamed on the copious amounts of sugar she was consuming and her never-emptying mug of coffee.

“You okay, Fireheart?” Rhoe asked, nudging her ankle from across the table.

“Yup,” she answered, forcing a smile back onto her face and actually meaning it for the first time in a while. “Too much frosting,” she laughed, patting at her overly full stomach. Rhoe simply returned her laugh and handed the plate of frosted cinnamon rolls to the other end of the table where Dorian accepted it eagerly. And though she continued to open her presents and bask in the love of her friends and family around her, Aelin couldn’t wait to get Rowan alone.

. . .

“Did you have a good birthday?” Rowan asked, fluffing the pillows on the ground as Aelin gathered a warm quilt and pulled it over their makeshift bed. It’d been months since it was warm enough to go up to Maeve’s rooftop, but it felt like the perfect place to end the day.

“It’s not over yet,” Aelin said, snuggling into his side.

Rowan looked at his phone. “You’re right. You have ninety more minutes to celebrate. How do you want to commemorate your eighteenth year of life?”

Aelin raised her brow. “You think I brought you up here just to talk?”

Rowan snorted and pulled her closer. “You’re a menace. Come on, talk to me. I’ve seen your brain working a million miles an hour all day.”

Aelin looked up. “How do you do that?”

Rowan shrugged. “Do what?”

“Read my mind,” she said. “It’s spooky sometimes. I feel like you know things before I say them out loud allllll the time.”

Rowan chuckled. “I wish I could read your mind,” he said, tapping the side of her temple gently. “Now, come on. Tell me what’s going on.”

The words were on the tip of her tongue when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She’d been so distracted all day that for the first time in weeks, Aelin hadn’t spent every minute of every day refreshing her inbox.

She froze, and then her heart took off in a gallop, racing until she felt shaky with adrenaline. Sure enough, as she pulled the phone up, it was lit up with an email alert from Wendlyn University. Re: Aelin Galathynius Admission Status.

“Oh fuck,” Aelin whispered. Rowan’s eyes darted to the screen, and he shot up, sitting up too quickly and knocking Aelin off him.  

“Are you gonna check it?” he asked, but even as Aelin clicked into her inbox, she couldn’t press it. The email that would tell her whether she and Rowan were going to end up at the same school for the next four years. And then, suddenly, she knew what she had to say. And she had to say it before she opened up that email and revealed her fate. Because her fate could only be one thing. One person, really.

She placed her phone down and looked Rowan straight in the eyes and said with as much conviction as she possibly could, “I think we should get married.”

[quinniester]

okay i was given this prompt to draw so now i’m able to yap about lister and bliss’ friendship for a bit,,

i feel like bliss is like… the only person that can get lister to shut up and listen to her talk for hours. she talks about everything and anything and he’s fully informed the entire time and interested in whatever she’s saying. jimmy and rowan actually think it’s incredible she’s able to keep his attention this long, as well as keep him quiet. and he’s so fully on board!!! he’s nodding mhm mhm yep yep mhm every time she finishes a sentence.

they are so definitely bffs. i love them. ♡︎

prompt by: @savannahwiththegreenest-eyes

[mynameismckenziemae]

She’s a Fire-Chapter XV

Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x OFC/Reader (no use of y/n)

Hotter than Hell

(previous chapter here, next chapter here)

Warnings: mutual masturbation, pretending to be into your BFF to tease your men…so queerbaiting I guess? Sending dirty pictures, unintentional orgasm denial, etc.

Three days pass in radio silence and it’s killing you. Sunny does her best to keep you distracted but she works 12-hour shifts with virtually no phone access.

10 PM on Thursday, you finally get a text.

Bradley: Hey, sweetheart. Sorry to text instead of call, but I’m sharing a room with Bobby and it’s lights out, so we’re both stuck in here. How’re you?

You laugh, knowing what he’s hinting…Please don’t turn me on right now.

Rowan: It’s okay, I understand. I’ll send you my dirty pictures next time. I’m good, just missing you. How are you?

Bradley: Can’t fucking wait. I haven’t gotten off since we left. They’ve been running us ragged. I’m so tired. Bob doesn’t cuddle like you. He’s all ‘Get off me…’ Why are you hard?’

Rowan: LOL, why do I feel like you’re not kidding though?

Bradley: …

Bradley: Kidding. Seriously, Sunny would kill me if I touched Bob (and didn’t let her watch).

Rowan: Wow…same though.

Bradley: Oh yeah?

Rowan: Definitely. I’d be ticked if I missed you getting dicked down by Bob. 😏

Bradley: No, it’d be the other way around. I’d be doing the dicking-downing or whatever.

Rowan: Not a chance. 😂

Bradley: Wow.

Bradley: Damn it, times up. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we talk again. Love you, see you soon.

Rowan: I love you too, get some sleep.😘

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Even though Bradley keeps a tidy home, you spend Saturday doing a deep clean. You find some photo albums in the attic when you bring a box of your things up, not sure yet if you want to donate it yet or not.

Tears fill your eyes as you flip through the photos. There’s one of Carole holding teeny-tiny Bradley in the hospital, tired but glowing. The next one has the tears spilling over—Nick’s holding him, terrified but excited. You laugh at the one of Bradley on his first birthday, frosting all over his face and curly hair, grinning at the camera.

Your smile falls a few pages later when you see Bradley alone in front of his dad’s coffin, saluting. You turn the page, a wave of nausea hitting you imaging your own child in the same position. The next photo is at least a year or two later and you swallow your sob, knowing Carole was probably so devastated and overwhelmed trying to take care of herself and Bradley that capturing memories with pictures wasn’t even a thought in her mind.

You decide that’s enough for now and put everything back where it was and head back downstairs to finish cleaning.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sunny picks you up on Sunday for brunch and wedding discussions. She and Bob picked a date next fall back in Minnesota when the leaves should be at their peak color.

Sunny snorts as you show her your conversation from the other night with Bradley about her and Bob. “Agreed. Bradley would definitely be the one bottoming.”

After eating and a few drinks, you both decide to shop off your slight buzz (in truth, neither of you wants to go back to an empty house).

“Ooo, let’s stop here, I want to pick something pretty up for under my bridesmaid dress for Jake and Nat’s wedding,” Sunny says, opening the door to a fancy lingerie boutique.

You laugh, but follow her in. Never should’ve let Sunny have that second tequila sunrise.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Maybe shopping wasn’t a good idea, you think as Sunny tosses items at you to try on.

There are only two fitting rooms and one is occupied so you share the vacant one as it’s roomy enough for two, and the girl at the counter barely looked up from her phone when you walked in.

It’s pretty in the dressing room; walls painted a dark burgundy, accented with a baroque chair and flattering lighting.

“You know what would be fun? To send the boys some sexy pictures of us together in here. I’ll put this little robe on for the ones we sent to Bradley and you can for the ones I send to Bob…?” Sunny asks in a whisper, checking her reflection in the mirror.

Apparently, tequila does more to Sunny than make her clothes fall off. But…it’s not a bad idea. Bradley would lose his mind.

“I like the way you think” you whisper back with a wink.

Sunny wears white, while you’re in black

You take a few photos of her alone; your favorite is her kneeling, eyes closed and your manicured thumb is pressing on her bottom lip. She then does the same for you.

“Go bend over that chair, arch your back, look over your shoulder at me….yeah like that, bite your lip now. Perfect! Bradley is going to die. Look at that butt!” She whispers excitedly, showing you what she snapped.

Next, you set your phone on the shelf and hit the timer for the ones of you together.

You put on your robe and then start behind her, one hand on her lower stomach, the other skimming her cleavage, eyes half-lidded on each other. You step around to her side, hands still on her body as you press your lips to her neck. A few more positions and then you switch; you drop your robe as she dons hers.

You start off the same way, her hands skimming over your body, she takes it a hair further and puts her fingertips in the tops of the lacy underwear, “Hey, buy my dinner first.” She snorts, causing you to laugh.

You take a few more, lips almost brushing in a near kiss before turning to her side and rotating you around, so your ass is to the camera. You bite your lip to not laugh as she squeezes a handful of your ass. “I’m straight but your ass is making me question things.” She whispers before delivering a hard open hand smack to your cheek.

“Jesus, Sun,” you whisper, trying not to laugh too loud, “You’re gonna get us kicked out!”

“Nah we’re fine. Wait, don’t move. I’m gonna take a picture of my handprint.”

You can’t help but laugh, and let her, knowing Bradley will like it.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

You both end up buying what you had on for your impromptu photo shoot and a few things more. The girl at the counter didn’t comment on the fact that you were both in the same fitting room for 45 minutes; you weren’t sure she even noticed.

You two sit in the car and go through the pics, giggling as you send them to her.

“I’m not sure I should even send these…” Sunny laughs as she pulls out of the parking lot.

“What?! Why not? It was your idea!”

“I’m kidding. I’m so sending them. I may regret it though when I can’t walk the day after Bob gets home.”

You laugh. “Same.”

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Later, you smile as you hit send, hoping you don’t have to wait too long before you can talk again.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

“Your 2 hours start now!” Cyclone yells.

Bradley heads to the common room, giving Bob privacy in their bunk room for the first hour. His phone is vibrating nonstop, incoming messages all coming in at once as it powers on.

Sitting on a chair, he pulls out his phone and scans the room—nearly empty save for a few others scattered around.

Rowan: Dirty pictures as requested, featuring a special guest.

What the…oh my fucking God, Rowan, he thinks as he clicks on the first picture of you, his cock hardening in an instant.

He slowly flips through them, looking you over in pretty lingerie, nearly swallowing his tongue as he sees one of you bent over the chair, looking at him so innocently over your shoulder, worrying your lip between your teeth.

He discreetly adjusts (palms) himself as he finds the first one with your “special guest”.

It’s his oldest friend clad in a silky robe. Sunny’s a beautiful woman, but he’s never been attracted to her.

There is definitely something attractive about the way she’s touching you though, skimming her fingers over your breasts. Holy shit, her fingers are almost in your panties.

He groans at the next one but covers it (poorly) with a cough. Sunny’s got a handful of your perfect ass. You’re looking at each other’s lips like you’re about to kiss.

His cock twitches and precum leaks as he swipes to the final one. A close-up of Sunny Girl’s handprint on your butt, the red a stark contrast to the pale skin.

40 minutes later he realizes he could’ve been talking to you this whole time.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

You reach for your phone as a text comes through.

Bradley: Your pictures had me so distracted I forgot I could text you for the last 40 minutes.

You laugh as you type a response.

Rowan: Sorry?

Bradley: Don’t be. You are the most breathtakingly beautiful, sexy, gorgeous, hot, woman I’ve ever seen.

Bradley: Sorry, that wasn’t even remotely smooth, lol. I don’t even know what to say. All the blood from my head is in my dick, which is gonna fall off soon if I don’t get to jerk off.

Rowan: Lol, thank you. You’re always smooth. 😉Wait, you still haven’t been able to? It’s been almost a week.

Bradley: No. Shared bunk rooms, shared showers, shared fucking everything. There’s always someone around. We have phones until 9 so Bob’s in there now, we’re gonna switch at 8.

Rowan: 11 minutes and you’ll be able to. I’ll even let you watch me.

Bradley: I can’t fucking wait. Is the vibrator charged? I want to see you use it.

Rowan: Yep, charged it after I used it last night.

Bradley: Oh, don’t even say that. I’m gonna end up jizzing in my pants.

Rowan: Again? 😬

Bradley: Ha. Ha. So fucking funny. 🙄

Rowan: I thought so. ☺️

Bradley: I’m heading back, I’ll call you in a few.

Rowan: Can’t wait.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

A red-faced Bob is coming out just as Bradley approaches the door.

“Sunny send you pictures too I take it?” Bradley asks.

“Yeah. Never thought I’d be okay seeing someone else touch her but…Jesus Christ,” Bob says, running his fingers through his hair. Bradley’s never seen him flustered like this.

“Yeah, I hear ya,” Bradley says, slapping him on the shoulder as he walks into their room, locking the door behind him.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

You answer on the first ring, grinning when you see his handsome face and bare chest.

“Poor Bob looked like he was put through the wringer” is the first thing Bradley says, smiling when he sees you.

“Hey, it was Sunny’s idea…after we had tequila sunrises with brunch” you laugh, “I wore a robe for the ones she sent to him, just like one she wore” you assure him.

“Eh, I wasn’t worried. We share everything else nowadays.” He jokes, winking at you.

“Oh yeah, Sunny and I talked about it and she agrees, by the way. You’d definitely bottom if you two were to get together.”

He scoffs, offended. “Whatever.”

“Sorry babe, you just give off that submissive vibe” you tease.

“I’ll show you submissive.” He says, changing his tune, “Get naked. Now.”

“Yes sir,” you reply sarcastically but oblige.

You set your phone on the nightstand and strip quickly before flipping back on the bed.

“Good girl,” he says lowly, and a shiver crawls up your spine. “Now tease those pretty nipples for me. Yeah, like that. Pinch ‘em too…good.” He tells you, his voice rough. You can hear he’s starting to touch himself too.

“I wanna see all of you, baby, please?” You ask, still playing with your nipples.

“Yeah, hang on,” he says, setting this phone above him so you can see more of his stomach and his hand stroking his erection.

You sigh as you watch him. Out of all the things you’ve done together, this is the first time you’ve watched each other masturbate.

“Your body is incredible Bradley,” you say, fingers now circling your clit. You pick up the vibrator from the nightstand, turn it on, and replace your fingers with it. “God, just look at you.”

He groans, hating and loving your words. He’s so worked up from not cumming in a week, especially after getting off at least twice daily in the 10 days before deploying.

“Row, fuck, I’m sorry but I’m close already. I want you to get there first. Can you do that?” He pants, cheeks ruddy as he fists himself.

“Yeah, I’ll try,” you say, pushing two fingers in and pushing the vibrator setting higher. “I can’t wait to have you inside me,” you whine, curling your fingers and finding your G-spot.

“I’m almost there-almost…I-I…” you can’t finish your sentence as your orgasm hits you, whimpering as you do. It feels so good but it’s not the same without him here.

You notice he’s quiet you catch your breath, not yet able to open your eyes. “Bradley, did you cum?”

No response. You open your eyes and your phone is black. You pick it up and turn the screen on.

The call was disconnected.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

“Row? Can you hear me?” Bradley pants, so so so close as the screen going black.

“Are you still there? Fuck!” He growls, picking up his phone to call you back. But it’s no use. ‘No service’ is all that comes up when he tries.

He hears frustrated voices in the hall, so he’s not the only one affected. He looks down at his throbbing erection and sighs before pulling his pants back on, hoping to find out what’s going on so he can call you back.

Bob is about to knock as he opens the door.

“Something was detected on sonar, so they cut the phones early. I got a text out to Sun before mine went, I’m sure she’ll let Row know.”

“Thanks, man”, he says flopping back on his bunk, reciting the flight manual in his head to get his cock back under control.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

A/N: I hope the queerbaiting doesn’t offend anyone—if you read Sunny’s story, you’ll see that she (like Rowan) gets off on teasing her man and loves turning him on at inappropriate times (can you tell I like it too?) I am pro-LGBTQI.

Tagging:

@its-the-pilot

@dizzybee03

@sweetwhispersofchaos

@shanimallina87

@blindedbythelightt

@getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth

@lexixstewart

@phoenix-rising-starbird-one

@mrsrobertfloyd

@charmedkim

@k-k0129

@bellaireland1981

@ingoaliesitrust

@hookslove1592

@amiets2

@nero4te

@eli2447

[sageandred]

~My Last Minute, Heartbreak High Wishes for Season 2 ♡♤☆

the Bug Boys saw this on an artpiece, don't wanna take credit, or the asshole BoyFriends-Spider x Ant truly, the only Spider ship that makes sense 2 me; HH pIz say no to the het ship with a yt boy who bullies the ethnic protag Spider and Ant could be the bffs to lovers plagued by toxic masculinity pipeline I've set my mind on at this point. Each of them is gonna like the girl swapped version of the other; it's not over for me until HH officially crushes my dreams. Let their slowburn start at the end of the season, pleeaaaassse!

Still, I wanna see Ant and Harper play out. New of me, but I guess I have a love for a badass girl and a pathetic man.

I'd like to see Quinni have a girlfriend that's good for her with a significant main character at some point (I don't want them to just bring in a recurring character that doesn't have a storyline outside of being her gf). S/o to user for this specific scenario. The trailer shows a shot of Harper and Quinni partying together, which isn't abnormal seeing as they're friends, but it could happen.

I can't help but want Malakai and Amerie together. I just love them! I want Malakai to explore his sexuality, which it looks like is happening. Don't know what to make of Rowan, but I'm super intrigued by the concept of a triangle with ex lovers/fwb both liking the same guy

but I also want the show to explore Malakai's trauma, hinting at it in certain scenarios and letting him deal with it; I can't imagine how with the scenarios he's seemingly set in (Amerie/relationship things; Rowan/his sexuality; Harper), there isn't at least an undertone of his own individual exploration of his trauma and communicating deeper feelings that come up

I have no clue what Sasha's storyline will be, but I saw a clip of the cast talking about her redemption, and I'm interested to see where it goes.

So excited for Darren and Ca$h's storyline. I want to see how they navigate Darren's "hypersexuality" and Ca$h's asexuality and character exploration in both.

Some solo friendship dynamics like Ca$h & Amerie, Quinni & Malakai, Quinni & Ca$h, (Malakai & Ca$h would be interesting to see)

Doesn't have to be a ton, but I'd like to see the parents pop in every once in a while (I liked how they did in season 1- Quinni's dads at the beginning of her centric episode, Amerie's mom popping up every so often, Darren's dad). It should feel like they have parents and a life outside of the high school. And please give me more of Ca$h's grandma

[sanriosratz]

i accidentally read the tag “source: eminem” as ‘tw: emotion’

Troubled teenager Patrick, about to take his own life: his house is a broken home. There's no control, he just lets his emotions go.

Basically being adopted into his bff/crush's family: Sing with me, sing for the year. Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear

[grapecaseschoices]

TAGGED BY @indorilnerevarine to do some MCs on this lovely picrew! [I was going to do my newest babus, my disenchanted mcs too but then I remembered I already did them here; so focusing on my OTHER brainrot with the Infamous kidlets]

Tagging: @galpal95 @ava-du-mortain @aylaaescar  @mt07131  @quinnorion  @narrativefoiltrope @wayhavenots @griffin-wood  @roxaro  @amlovelies @sun-teas @mistyeyedbi  @thee-morrigan   @thelittlestspider  @yes-prisoner  @karolinarodrigueswrites  @straightuppotato-art  @sunshineandviolets @sustainably-du-mortain @sohmiya @ice-knife @icanmakewords @eatingyarn @brother-genitivi @serenpedac and anyone else who wants to do this! [as always NO pressure <3]

[left to right; then top to bottom: Ori, Lala, Alana, Josnel, Hiyam

Summaries below:]

Ori Zhou: lead singer of Gains; will one day juggle during a show and thus giving a heart attack to Orion and causing Iris to roll her eyes to Mars as Rowan dies laughing and Devyn is left fretting over their expired bandmates; Victoria's unintentional sidekick and untentionally learning from Gina what they put Orion through; just wants his BFF back ... definitely made the wrong choice in choosing bus buddies. Lala Sandoval: lead singer of DramaWhore; exasperated and fond of their "little" brothers' antics [Rowan and Seven; but five seconds away from dropkicking the latter] and fond as well as smug about pushing Orion's buttons; lowkey fascinated by the way the new drummer makes them shiver and is looking to get under August's skin. Alana Carita: lead singer of Promised Promises; songwriter and guitar player; has the queerness TSwift fans wish TSwift had and with similar aesthetics; "whether you come as a lover or an executioner --" levels of going through it with Seven Lawless, nothing like realizing you've been in love with your EX-BFF AFTER she it makes clear that she hates you and you realize that you [REDACTED] her life ... just sapphics in love stuff; but at least she can have quiet moments with Rowan and August's hand to hold. When romance sucks, friendship will be the saving grace. Bethany Josnel Coleman: lead singer of The Notations; piano player and singer who is wondering if he should go back singing for the church choir -- he was prepared for drama, but come on!; Aren't they really here for the music? Is tired of having his ex-bf glare holes in his head almost as he is already tired of [REDACTED], take your own advice and leave him alone Seven; at least he finds some moments of peace with a certain loyal fan and her hot cute dad ... moments that most definitely won't be happening again!! [Totally unprofessional and dangerous to blur such lines ... right?] Hiyam Vinke: lead singer of the Vespas; triple threat: but according to ex-Seven that's because they're Obnoxious, Aggressive, and a POS; TEAM BLAKE BURN THIS SHIT TO GROUND [but away from my meteoric rise to success]; in it to WIN and NOT the sentimental hogwash that includes realizing that her parents neglect really DOES hurt her because her annoying fan and her dad keep rubbing their joy in her face [and because there is no Seven to buffer that emptiness] --- that is UNLESS said hogwash comes in the form of Orion's smile, heart-to-blergh-hearts with Rowan, .... and maybe one Victoria Valentine.

[emmie1459]

I hate it when a book is all about found family and you get attached but then the so called found family split up at the end

Like… WTAF!?!?!

I just spent this whole series attached and you’re telling me my found family is breaking up to go on their own adventures?

Fuck no.

Who wants that shit?

Not me.

The Crows must stick together.

Why tf did Aelin and Dorian and Fenrys not all stay in one place. Like Ik dorian and aelin are respective king and queen, but like… join the land or some shit idc just STAY TOGETHER. Don’t even get me started on Fenrys because he should just be aelins bff with Aedion and annoy Rowan and lorcan.

[natelawtism]

LITTLE INFO ABOUT ROWAN BC I LOVE MY SELF INSERT!!

His closest friends at SSB are Alicia and Missy. I know it's said that JB is "acquaintances" with both of them, but screw that Alicia and Missy are Rowan's bffs. Those are his ride-or-dies. He floats around cliques to keep his reputation up, but he always finds himself hanging out with Missy and Alicia.

Even though in canon the two girls don't hang out- i think it's fun to think of them as a trio. A little group if you will. An unexpected group of friends!

I love the idea of the three of them sitting down to eat lunch together. Talking about whatever, calling about whatever. They definitely have a 3 person gc that they use almost every day! I think this is influenced by the fact Missy is literally my fave behind Nate and I love Alicia so much. I could see the three of them kind of having a dynamic similar to the mc, Sawa, and Mine in amnesia! But Alicia simply isn't interested in boys (or dating at SSB in general. Both Missy and Rowan ask why she hasn't found anyone, and she says all the options at SSB are bad lol.)

Missy and Rowan talk about boys- or more specifically, Missy talks about boys, Alicia and Rowan find out the gossip about her newest boyfriend or why she broke up with her ex, and Rowan talks about his crush on Nate. Which both Alicia and Missy judge him for (and tease him about. Many a time they've gone "really? Him?")

When the two girls found out about Rowan's crush on Nate, Missy said she thought it was sweet (and was also like "at least someone wants him!") And Alicia asked him to please reconsider his choices. But Rowan was adamant! Missy told him to go for it, even though she was pretty sure Nate was straight, because who knows? Nate never ANNOUNCED he was straight! Rowan has a chance! Alicia thought that was a bit mean, and was also not sure Nate was attracted to *anyone*, but kind of wanted to see how this played out. Eventually when Rowan and Nate started dating, the two were surprised, but ultimately very happy for their friend. But Alicia still asks him to reconsider from time to time. She can't help it.

[derpyfangirl]

Do you think Turo and Sada knew/were friends with other Pokemon professors?

I think at least they had a friendly relationship with Sycamore, seeing as Kalos is neighbors with Paldea and Mega Evolution is similar to Terrarestilizing(?).

Maybe Professor Juniper as well- she's around the same age as well.

Maybe Sada discussed ancient/prehistoric Pokémon with the Rock type gym leaders, like Brock and Roark (let her be bffs with Rock and Ground type Gym Leaders okay?)

Did Turo talk with Electric and Steel type gym leaders about the technology they used in their gyms?

As they were Champion rank Trainers, did they know the other Region Champions?

If yes, then I feel like Arven maybe spent time with all these people when he was young, before his parents split and his mother/father became consumed with their research. That the other professors had no idea what they were up to, or that they were neglecting their son. Because I doubt Oak and Elm and Birch- fathers and grandfathers themselves- would be okay with Turo and Sada just leaving their kid to his own devices. Hell, it seems like Clavell (a Pokémon researcher and Sada/Turo's friend/mentor in a sense)- with what little he knew of the situation- wasn't okay with it (why he left Arven all alone despite possibly knowing what was going on is something for a separate post).

 I feel like Oak, being the most senior after Rowan, would lose his shit, seeing as he not only raised a kid, but possibly raised his grandkids (we never see Blue and Daisy Oak's parents, and it's implied Daisy raised her brother, at least partially. Oak could've neglected them, but seeing as Blue eventually starts studying to be a Professor, possibly to replace his grandfather, I'm not sure as he seems to admire Oak, only resenting him as a kid/teen). Elm and Birch, who canonically have kids- hell one of them is your rival's dad!- likely would've lectured them, scolding the one who left for ditching their son with their partner who was becoming progressively obsessed with Paradise to the point Arven raised himself. And if they were friends with Gym Leaders and Champions?

They'd be ripped to shreds. Hell, Bryon and Roark- two Sinnoh leaders- are father and son! Norman is your dad (not necessarily a good one, but still)! Alder has a grandson! Leon has a little brother who he possibly raised (haven't played SW/SH, only getting this from the wikis/my own mind)!

TLDR; Turo/Sada possibly had an entire support network of Professors at least to turn to but didn't and instead left their son home alone

Sorry this got outta hand and I went on a tangent.

[rikki-roses]

Fluffy February Day 19: Shadow

SWTOR

Time period: Rishi during Shadows of Revan

Pairing: Setra Rowan and her bff/body guard/hunting buddy/token grandfather Qyzen Fess. Brief mention of early Setra Rowan/Theron Shan.

Bit more hunting and archaeology fluff today. Calling it Space Weed for now because idk if there's an in-canon name for it - Setra uses it medicinally and for Jedi rituals, both in combination with the Force. Also TW I guess for reference to drug use.

This is a zhaboka, since I can't remember if I've posted it before:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Setra had always been at home in the shadows. Ever since she was a child, studying as a Jedi youngling with her twin sister, she'd felt comfortable enveloping herself in the shadows and the Force so that she could sneak around and study in peace. That skill had come in handy as an adult when Qyzen started to take her hunting with him, allowing her to ambush their prey.

She allowed the shadows to envelope again her as she, Paws, and Qyzen stalked the star'kla along the beach. She held her zhaboka at the ready, her dualsaber left behind with Nadia; it was frowned upon (by both the Jedi Code and Trandoshan hunting customs) to hunt with it, so she relied on her ancestral weapon instead.

They hadn't initially planned on hunting the beast, but this beach was a popular tourist spot (and one that Setra and her crew had already visited off-duty), and the locals at Raider's Cove had placed a generous bounty on it after their own efforts to drive the star'kla away had failed.

A bounty, her crew pointed out, that Setra could use to bribe the pirates into giving her some of the relics they'd dug up so she could conduct actual research on them, and send back to Tython for proper caretaking (after ensuring that they didn't currently belong to anyone living, of course); the Jedi did not have many Rishii artifacts. Setra might even be able to set up a proper exhibit with them. Not to mention that any extra could be used to replace Setra's personal alcohol and Space Weed stores.

And so, she, her nexu, and Qyzen waited in the shadows. While the star'kla hadn't taken notice of them, Setra still played it safe and called on the Force to wrap around them, further disguising their approach. They waited and tracked for hours, until the star'kla stopped, hunched over, and started to eat some unfortunate creature.

Qyzen gave her the signal; with a whisper, hand sign, and pat on Paws' rump from Setra, the nexu took off across the sand, getting the attention of the star'kla. Once distracted, Qyzen rushed in with a roar, Setra hot on his heels, bare toes digging into the sand.

It was a short fight; they had struck before the beast fully realized they were attacking. Setra got the kill, climbing up the beast's back and driving one blade of her zhaboka into the base of the star'kla's skull. Jumping back down to the sand, they made quick work dismembering the star'kla for easy transportation back to Raider's Cove.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the end, they traded for more than just the bounty; various pirates and hunters wanted various parts of the star'kla beyond what Setra and Qyzen had claimed as their personal trophies. Setra had tried to hide their little excursion from Lana and Theron - she hadn't exactly told them that she liked to hunt, since it was unusual for Jedi to do so - only for Jakarro to bust her when the Wookie discovered he hadn't been included in that day's antics.

While Lana had been mildly horrified when Setra showed off the giant tooth she'd claimed, Theron had been impressed, immediately inspecting her zhaboka and asking about her technique. Setra was all too happy to go into detail, immediately launching into an impromptu lesson on her weapon's history and use. Neither one of them noticed Lana smirking as they stood together, or when Lana dragged a nosy Jakarro away "to help her with an important mission".

For once, she didn't miss the shadows when she and Theron went to stargaze on the beach that night.

[charincharge]

I Don't Want To Wait, sixty-seven

rowaelin high school bff au masterlist

AN: WHOOPS, I disappeared for two years. (Legit the last chapter was posted in May 2022!). But I’m back and have written… a lot of the rest of this fic, so we’re just going to post weekly (or even twice weekly!) until we’re finished. And I hope you’re still out there, anyone, to enjoy it. Quick recap for a previously on IDWTW. Aelin and Rowan had sex! It was great. Then they walked in on Rhoe and her dance teacher Petrah having sex, which was NOT great. Aelin never wants to go back to dance again. We returned to school. Senior second semester is going great. Busy for Aelin, who is still trying to work her butt off re: APs and grades. Less busy for Rowan, who is already recruited to college for lacrosse. Aelin and Lys had a huge falling out, but have slowly rekindled their friendship now that Lys is sober and working on her shit. Elide and Manon came out! They’re running as homecoming queens! Dorian and Chaol haven’t DTRed and are taking a break. Last we left off, Aelin texted someone to help retrieve her lacrosse hoodie from the dance studio after hours. But who? Keep reading to find out. Also, I have been gone for so long that I have NO idea who is still in the fandom or reading Rowaelin fic. Please reblog to spread the word! Taglist doesn't seem to possible anymore, so please share! Love you all and missed you all. Comment, message, meme, gif, whatever. Let’s go, team.

Aelin watched with wide eyes as Lys lowered into a crouch and removed a bobby pin from her hair. When she’d texted her friend to help with her mission, she hadn’t realized that Lysandra was a bona-fide expert at breaking and entering. 

“It got boring in rehab,” Lys said with a small shrug, as if that explained her masterful lock-picking.

“Good to know,” Aelin said, chewing her thumb nervous and glancing over her shoulder at Rowan, who waited patiently in the jeep — aka, their getaway car. She didn’t think they’d actually need one, but this whole thing was such a thing, she figured it was probably safest to have a getaway car. What if the cops were called about the break-in, and they had to run? 

Aelin almost chuckled at the thought of Orynth’s elderly Police Chief trying to run after them, but it hadn’t stopped her from telling Lys to dress all in black and meet them at the dance studio at eight. Luckily, Rhoe was at the station overnight, so he couldn’t see their ridiculous antics. But, after all, this mission was serious. She tried to refocus on Lys, who was finagling with a pin in the lock, taking her sweet time. A rush of panic ran through Aelin. What if they got caught? What if this got put on her permanent record? What if they got arrested?

BZZZZ. Aelin’s phone vibrated in her hand, making her jump with surprise. 

“Gods,” she muttered under her breath, causing Lys to chuckle under her breath.

“Tell your buzzard not to worry, we’re almost there,” she said, twisting the pin again in a different direction. Aelin sighed at the reassurance. She knew that Rowan had to be feeling her nerves as well. Although maybe not quite as much. She wasn’t usually concerned about being a rule follower, but every step of the way had made her feel more and more stressed out. Which might have to do more with her overbearing boyfriend watching their every move than anything else. Couldn’t he just sit there and look cute and not worry? She looked at his text and shook her head. She should have known it’d be impossible. He was the biggest worry wart of them all.

Are you sure no one’s in the studio? It looks like the lights are on upstairs. Rowan texted from the front seat, his view of the studio probably better than theirs. But Aelin had spent too many years of her life at this studio. Despite her churning stomach, she knew they were fine.

Last class ended an hour ago. They always leave the lights on for the cleaning staff, but they get Fridays off, so they’re on until Saturday morning. It was part of my class schedule to turn the lights off. We’re good.

She looked over her shoulder after sending the text, and watched as Rowan threw a thumbs up in her direction. She couldn’t help but laugh at how silly he looked in his oversized black hoodie with the hood up. Despite completely disapproving of her decision, he showed up ready for the assignment at hand. 

“Tadaaa,” Lys sang out quietly as the lock clicked open, the door popping ajar. 

“Honestly, when I asked you to help me break into the dance studio, I figured we’d be throwing a rock into a window or something,” Aelin whispered, even though there was absolutely no reason to whisper at all. Aelin had timed it purposefully, so she wouldn’t have to run into … anyone. Okay, she really didn’t want to have to talk to Petrah. She’d avoided the studio (and Petrah) for so many weeks following the revelation that she’d been involved with her dad, and she had no intention of breaking that now. So, they’d had no choice but to break into the studio under the cover of darkness.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Lys said. “The door upstairs has a lock, too, right?” 

Aelin nodded. Annoyingly, there were three doors they had to break open — the building door, the door to the second floor, and then the dance studio entrance. Thank god Aelin had her locker key, so that wasn’t a worry.

“So, why are we doing this again?” Lys asked as they trudged up the long stairwell to the second floor. She tried not to flinch as the rubber-covered stairs squeaked beneath her shoes. “Not that I’m not happy to help,” she continued. “I just thought that you started dancing again and loved it?”

“Ugh,” Aelin groaned. “I did.” Aelin paused for a beat too long, causing Lys to flip her dark curls over her shoulder to get a better look at Aelin. 

“But?”

“It’s…complicated,” Aelin sighed as Lys crouched down in front of the second floor door.

“Well, this is going to take a minute,” Lys laughed. “Tell me.” Aelin was going to refute again when Lys’s voice changed, softer. “Unless you don’t want to…”

Aelin nearly smacked herself. She’d thought this would be a ridiculous, fun (and pretty low-stakes) way to hang out with Lys again, and here she was totally ruining it by keeping things to herself again.

“No, it’s not like that,” Aelin reassured her as she continued to work on the lock. “It’s just… horrifying.”

“Well now you can’t not tell me,” Lys snickered, but Aelin recognized the slight trepidation in her friend’s green eyes. Still nervous to push things. Aelin bit the bullet and let it out in a whoosh.

“Oh my GOD.” Lys’s nose crinkled, and she fell to her knees completely as her shoulders shook with laughter as Aelin told her story. “I mean, we all knew Rhoe fucked,” Lys cackled, causing Aelin to smack her friend’s knee. 

“EW! That is my dad,” she said, fake heaving.

“He’s a hot, hot firefighter daddy, though,” Lys said, her eyebrows wiggling.

“I swear to god I will vomit straight on you.”

Aelin tried to be serious, but Lysandra’s smile pushed them both over the edge into a fit of giggles. They laughed and laughed, releasing the tension that had been hovering around them like a thick blanket all night, officially removing all traces of formality. Unable to help herself, Aelin reached out for her friend’s hand, squeezing her fingers gently and was relieved as Lys squeezed back. They weren’t healed, per se, but they were healing, and that was the most that Aelin could really ask for right now.

Taking a breath and wiping the remnant tracks of tears from her cheeks, Lys pushed herself back up to her knees. “Second lock?”

“Speaking of my family…” Aelin started nervously, but forged on, curious. “How’s Aedion doing?” 

To her credit, Lys didn’t even lose pace as she unlocked the next door with ease.

“I know you want me to reply with something equally scandalous, but there’s nothing going on between me and Aedion,” Lys replied succinctly. “We’re friends.”

“Okay,” Aelin said, not completely convinced, but chose to respect her boundaries and believe her words. 

The pair fell into an awkward silence as they headed down the hall toward the studio door. Just one last lock to get through — and then she’d never have to return to this place. A part of her heart panged at that thought, that she’d be leaving Orynth and this studio behind and not really getting to say goodbye to it. But running into Petrah was NOT an option.

“Hey, isn’t this the studio?” Lys asked of a propped open door, a gentle music wafting from inside. Aelin’s stomach sank. Had someone stayed late tonight practicing? It was a plus that they wouldn’t have to break into yet another door, but she really didn’t want to risk running into anyone. “I thought you said it was closed.”

At the same time, the pair noticed the schedule on the door, showing the company’s new rehearsal schedule. Their rehearsals now went until nine on Friday night, meaning that Aelin had shown up in the middle of a packed studio, instead of an empty one. And one where Petrah would surely be. She contemplated turning right around, but Lys had already opened the door too far, leading them into the studio lobby where the company was on break, milling around and refilling their water bottles.

And at the front desk, Petrah’s eyes widened with surprise upon seeing her. “Aelin!”

She should have guessed breaking in had been too easy. Had the doors even been locked? She knew Lysandra had gotten through them too quickly! Grumbling, she stepped out of the shadow and into the lobby toward Petrah. She couldn’t run away anymore, so she had no choice but to say hello to the woman who she’d been studiously avoiding for weeks. And by the look on Petrah’s face, she knew it, too.

“I’ll go grab your jersey,” Lys whispered, leaving her to fend for herself. “See you downstairs!”

“Traitor,” Aelin mumbled under her breath as Lysandra all but ran into the locker room, excusing herself from the awkward conversation that surely lay ahead. She wanted to run, but her feet were stuck, watching Petrah approach nervously.

“Aelin,” she said again, taking a deep breath. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you….” But Aelin cut her off.

“I don’t want to talk about it!” she said, ready to slap her hands over her ears, lest Petrah talk about her dad in any less than completely formal way.

Petrah’s deep pink lips curled up on one side in amusement, but Aelin watched as she took another deep breath and shook off whatever she’d been about to say. Instead, she watched as her smile fell into a wistful expression. “We’ve missed seeing you around here,” Petrah said.

Aelin’s eyes shot to the open doorway of the studio where the company practiced, all jetes and pirouettes and well-supported port de bras. She had missed dancing. She really had just gotten back into it when she let it fall away. Petrah must have seen her expression because she smiled faintly and let her delicate hand fall to Aelin’s shoulder.

“You could join the class. Dance it out,” Petrah suggested.

Aelin couldn’t tear her eyes away from the dancers. She watched the emotion pour from them. That is what she needed. But as Lysandra held up her jersey and trailed down the stairs in the periphery of her vision, Aelin shook her head.

“I can’t tonight.”

“I understand that it might be strange to spend time with me after what you overheard…” Petrah trailed off as blood pooled in her cheeks, filling her usual pale complexion with a deep blush. “It was completely casual. It’s only happened a handful of times, and we both know it’s not serious. I’m not trying to replace your mother, or anything like that, it’s just… an occasional stress release, and oh my god, I am sorry I didn’t mean to say any of that.” Aelin cringed at the words. She wanted to stop Petrah, but the woman couldn’t be stopped even if she wanted to. “Please don’t give up dance because of this,” Petrah pleaded. “You have such a gift, Aelin, and I would be filled with regret for the rest of my life if I knew I was the cause of you walking away from it.”

Aelin took a breath, the comforting scent of chalk and worn leather infiltrating her senses and calming her down as she figured out what to reply to Petrah. Of course she wanted to dance still. It was undeniable, the way her body pulled her toward the studio, the way a sense of calm settled through her despite her initial discomfort upon seeing Petrah. She thought about her lack of free time and her constantly building stress as the semester went on and how badly she wished she could just dance it out. That release of emotion centered her, and she knew that she was feeling off kilter without it. Making time for dance had improved her life drastically — it'd kept her sane as the rest of her semester spiraled out of control — and she wanted it back. So, so badly.

She was on the verge of agreeing to join the practice when there was a crash and loud shriek from the studio. When the shriek morphed into a choked sob, a churning nausea overwhelmed Aelin. She watched as Petrah’s face morphed into one of horror as she sprinted into the studio. Sure enough, one of the dancers was on the floor, cradling her ankle, cheeks red and involuntary tears dripping down her skin, while another dancer attempted to help her stand. The girl hissed, crying out in pain and sat down again.

“Call an ambulance,” someone ordered, and suddenly there was a frenzy, a rush of dancers looking on in terror at the injury in front of them. Aelin stood with her back against the wall, not wanting to be in the way, slinking out of sight while so much was going on. It felt like a sign from the universe that Aelin shouldn’t even think about wasting her time with dancing. Like the gods warned her that she had way too much going on to even consider it.

With Petrah distracted, Aelin slipped out, trying to gain control of her waging feelings. She slid into the backseat next to Lys, her mind reeling and unable to get the image of the crying dancer out of her head. So caught up in her own thoughts, she didn’t even hear Rowan call out to her, until red and blue flashed behind them. He swung his head over her shoulder, his mouth agape in horror as he stared at his unusually quiet girlfriend.

“Ace, what did you do? Are those the cops?!”

Aelin shook her head, the horrible feeling of nausea persisting in her gut as Rowan drove away from the studio.

. . .

It had been days since Aelin had received a text from an unknown number, and she still hadn’t decided what she was going to do.

I thought you should know we’re holding an emergency dance company audition this Tuesday at 5pm. Please come, Aelin.

Aelin chewed her sandwich thoughtfully as she pulled up the text again. The audition was merely hours away, but she was still on the fence.

“You still haven’t made up your mind?” Lysandra asked, glancing at Aelin’s phone screen. Her former — maybe current — friend had started joining them at the lunch table in the last few days since their late night break in, continuing to heal and thaw what had broken between them.

“I keep telling her to pro con list,” Rowan said, letting his fingers trail across the back of her neck and kneading the tight muscles there with his strong grasp.

“Mmmm,” Aelin mumbled, leaning further into his touch. “Con. Time spent without you.”

“Pro, something to do while I’m at lacrosse practice,” he countered as his fingers massaged a particularly tender part of her neck. She angled her head so he could have better access, but he took it as an invitation to let his head drop to her bare skin and press his lips against it, causing her body to light up. As she leaned toward him with another light moan, Dorian slammed his tray down on the table with a loud thwack.

“Get a room or get outta here,” he complained, tossing a fry at the still-intertwined pair.

“Someone’s got their panties in a bunch,” Aelin laughed as she tossed the fry back at the offender.

“My panties are perfectly smooth, thank you very much,” Dorian quipped. “Some of us would just prefer not to bear witness to your foreplay.”

“Pro,” Rowan whispered into Aelin’s ear, his lips ghosting against the tickling skin there. “I really love watching you dance.”

“Pro,” Aelin whispered back. “Increased stamina, muscle strength, and flexibility.”

Aelin glanced up at Rowan, who was already staring back at her with a fiery intensity. Her eyes glanced down at his mouth, which was curled into a satisfied smirk. His throat bobbed with a slow swallow, surely thinking of all the way those fitness benefits could be put to good use. She leaned in slightly, her lips a hairs breadth away from his when another fry hit her cheek. Aelin whipped her head around, rubbing at the salty spot where the food had made contact with her face.

Dorian was the picture of innocence, eyes wide as he chewed his own fry.

“Con,” Lys interjected. “Increased horniness.”

“Literally didn’t think that was possible,” Dorian said with a snort. “So, what are we pro-conning?” he asked, popping another fry into his mouth.

“Orynth Dance Company is having an emergency audition after an injury, and Aelin was personally invited to try out,” Lysandra explained.

“But I don’t really have the time,” Aelin started. “It would require actual rehearsal time. Like, a lot of nights. Not just an hour long class. Plus, I’d have to see Petrah every day. And I have to knock this last semester’s grades out of the park if I want to even think about getting a scholarship anywhere, plus I have a million AP exams to study for coming up, and that’s not even considering keeping up with hospital volunteering and going to your games and having any kind of semblance of a social life and…” she trailed off, her stomach finally settling as she came to the conclusion she knew she was going to come to all along. “I can’t join the dance company.”

Rowan frowned and reached for her hand. “Are you sure, Ace?” His hand wrapped around hers in a comforting squeeze, and she knew he was asking seriously. “We could make it work. I could help you study, we could bring out your color-coded schedule again to make sure we could fit everything in.”

“I know,” Aelin sighed, squeezing back. “But, I’m sure.”

But as the afternoon ticked by, Aelin couldn’t ignore the swirling feeling of guilt trying to pull her under. She was so distracted by the approaching time that she completely zoned out through all of AP Lit, startling when the period ended and Dorian poked her side.

And as five PM approached closer and closer, she found herself growing more agitated and even snapping at Rowan at one point. It wasn’t his fault; he had to head off to lacrosse practice, but Aelin had found herself so worked up that she had thought maybe he’d want to help release some tension.

“I’ll come right over after practice,” Rowan promised as he twined his hands around her waist.

“But you’ll be all sweaty and gross,” Aelin replied with a frown.

“I thought you liked when I get sweaty,” he laughed, nuzzling his nose into her hair. Aelin sighed, knowing she was being petulant, but she couldn’t get out of her own head.

“Only when I’m the one doing it!”

She tried to push him away, but Rowan’s grasp on her was iron-clad, too tight for her to even think about prying him off her. “Ace,” he lowered his voice. “I would love nothing more than to skip practice and be with you, but you know this is the only thing I need to do this semester to keep my place at Wendlyn.”

“Because Wendlyn’s more important than me?”

“I think you need a snack,” Rowan laughed, but Aelin didn’t find that funny at all.

“Sorry my blood sugar problems are amusing to you,” she said, stiffening within his grasp. She felt Rowan sigh deeply and watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his brows up the way she loved so much.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “You know that’s not—”

“I know,” Aelin replied quickly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

Rowan raised a single brow as if to tell her he knew exactly what had gotten into her, and so did she.

“It’s not even four yet,” Rowan said. “You could still go.”

But Aelin was nothing if not resolute. She’d made up her mind, and it was completely logical. And she was sticking to it. No, she’d head home and, yes, get a snack, and dig into her lit homework. Maybe Dorian would be willing to give her his notes from the class, seeing as she couldn’t remember a single thing that was discussed earlier.

She forced a smile and shrugged her shoulders back. “Nope, you were right. I need a snack. I’ll head to Maeve’s and see what she’s got for me.”

Rowan grimaced. “She closed for the afternoon, actually, while they put in a new stove, but she should be reopened by the time I’m out of practice.” Aelin shivered as Rowan let his fingers trail in small circles up and down her back. “Why don’t I stop there on my way to your place after practice? Cheeseburger and brownies?”

“And then orgasms?” Aelin asked, causing a loud snort to erupt from Rowan.

“You want to have sex after cheeseburger and brownies? That feels dangerous.”

“Well, we could have sex first, but reheated cheeseburgers are pretty garbage,” Aelin replied, loving the soft smile that appeared on Rowan’s face. It was the one solely reserved for her. When she was being particularly ridiculous or annoying, it was like he couldn’t help but love her more, and the small curve of his lips let her know that.

“You’re right. Cheeseburgers first,” he paused. “Then sex, then brownies?”

“Deal,” Aelin said as she reached her hand out to shake his. But he instead grasped it in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles lightly.

“I love you,” he said.

And though Aelin wanted to roll her eyes, she took a moment to relish the fact that her best friend in the whole world loved her. And would do anything to make her smile. In fact, he’d succeeded in getting her too distracted to think about the auditions and…

As soon as she thought about them, her smile faded again.

“Just go,” he whispered, but Aelin shook her head.

“Have a good practice. See you in a few hours.”

She kissed him and sent him off, hoping to pour herself into her studies. But even with her book open, Aelin digested none of what she was reading. She kept looking at the clock, distracted. Even as it passed five pm, knowing that she was missing the auditions, she still couldn’t focus. And her mood started to plummet.

It plummeted even further as she received a text from Rowan saying that their coach needed him to stay behind for a bit after practice and that he’d be later than anticipated.

She tried to read more, and when that didn’t work, she attempted to do some math equations, but she couldn’t get her brain to work. She knew what she needed. And it was to dance it out. Despite everything, that was still her best coping mechanism. When a second text from Rowan came in, apologizing for being even later, Aelin had had enough. She couldn’t just sit here and wallow. Instead, she wrote a note for whoever would get home first – her dad, Lorcan, or Rowan — and began walking.

She didn’t even know where she was walking until she ended up at the dance studio. It was unlocked, but empty. She couldn’t remember if there had been an end time to the auditions, but it seemed completely deserted. No one was sitting at the front desk, and the lights were eerily dim. This is what she’d expected to walk into last week when she’d stolen back her lacrosse hoodie, and she was even more annoyed about it somehow.

Instead of focusing on that, though, she went straight for the first open studio and turned the lights on. The fluorescent bulbs overhead flickered on, illuminating the wooden floors beneath with a warm yellow glow. She toed her sneakers off and padded barefoot to the corner of the studio where the massive (and ancient) stereo system was stored. She pulled her phone out and connected it, pulling up one of the old playlists Rowan had made for her and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her. Her feet took off, working in sync with the rhythm reverberating through the bare floor. Next, her arms spread, stretching out and shaking off the stress of the last few weeks.

For the first time, she really let herself feel it. The worrying and wondering what the future would hold. She knew Rowan was destined for Wendlyn, but she had no idea what she would do if she didn’t get in, too. He’d assured her that they’d stay together and figure it out, but who really stays with their high school boyfriend? She knew they weren’t like everyone else – they were special – but it didn’t stop her from thinking about it and wondering. When it came down to it, that’s why she really couldn’t bring herself to audition today. She couldn’t risk spending less time with Rowan, not if this was the last few weeks of their relationship.

Whoa. Where did that thought come from?

She ignored the small tear that pooled in the corner of her eye, letting it drip down her cheek as she spun in time with the music. How could she doubt her and Rowan’s relationship after all this time? She knew in her soul that they were destined to be together. She couldn’t imagine a world where she didn’t wake up and see him every day. But there had been a small slice of fear since they first kissed, and it had ebbed and flowed with each passing day until it was now a gaping chasm in the pit of her stomach. The idea that she could end up elsewhere without Rowan was a real, actual problem. And the timeframe was closing in on them. What if this was the end of them? How would she ever recover?

Her hands reached overhead and then she let her body collapse to the floor in a graceful fall, letting go over the overwhelming sensations of fear that had been swirling and threatening to paralyze her. She arched her back and her neck released, the tension that Rowan had tried to knead attempting to relax and letting gravity pull her down, down, down.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Rowan. She did. More than anything. She just didn’t trust this world. She didn’t trust that everything would work out the way it was supposed to. I mean, just look at her dad. He’d thought he’d found the love of his life, and she walked away like it was nothing. Walked away from Aelin.

She didn’t want to cling to Rowan, to be the girl who changed her whole life just to be with a guy. She wasn’t that person. No. She was Aelin fucking Galathynius, and she could live life fully on her own. But she wanted to be with Rowan. Wanted the whole package. Saw their life together. And wanted more than anything for it to become a reality. But what if that future disappeared? What if it was cut short? What if they drifted apart. What if they tried to do long distance? Last summer while he was at camp was only two months and it was pure torture. It caused a rift so big between them that she wasn’t sure they’d overcome it. And yes, of course they did. But… to do it again? And for four years?

Her emotions threatened to choke her as she continued to dance out her frustrations, stomping and spinning and leaping, hoping against all hopes that the answers to her anxieties would appear if she could only dance long enough. She left every feeling, every worry, every gnawing anxiety on the dance floor, letting it tumble out through her moving limbs.

She didn’t know how long she’d been dancing when she opened her eyes again and refocused at herself in the mirror. She didn’t recognize the girl she saw there. She may not have come up with any answers, but she felt better. Raw, red eyed, red cheeked, and breathing hard, Aelin felt totally exposed. Which is why she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice cut through the silence, over her harsh exhale.

“Practice starts next week.”

The director of the company stood in the darkened doorway of the studio, arms crossed and lips pursed in thoughtful approval.

“Oh, I wasn’t—”

“I know you weren’t,” she said with a formal smile. “But we’d still love to have you. If you want.”

It wasn’t necessarily the answer she had hoped to reach, but something about this moment felt like the universe trying to reassure her. That things do work out the way they’re supposed to.

“Yeah?” she asked, feeling somewhat hopeful.

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she said.

A wide smile crossed the director’s face. “Welcome to the Orynth Dance Company,” she congratulated her.

Aelin didn’t know what had overcome her, but she couldn’t help but run over to her and throw her sweaty arms around her neck in a giant hug.

“Thank you.”

Right on cue, Aelin’s phone buzzed with another incoming text.

Cheeseburgers en route. See you soon. Xx

. . .

As anticipated, the cheeseburgers were exactly what Aelin needed to rejuvenate herself, but Rowan was totally right that there was no way to be sexy after housing a half pound of meat and cheese.

“I’m so stuffed,” she said, patting her extremely full stomach.

Rowan snorted. “Why don’t we take a post-dinner break and watch something?”

“Only if it’s Housewives!” Lorcan shouted from the kitchen where he was cooking dinner for him and Rhoe, who were properly affronted that Rowan hadn’t brought them cheeseburgers, as well.

Aelin sighed and chuckled softly as she let herself slump over onto Rowan, who was already pulling up Housewives onto the television.

“You are such an enabler,” Aelin laughed.

“It’s easier than dealing with him being pouty,” Rowan smartly replied.

Aelin was about to agree when they were interrupted by an unusual ring tone.

“I’m sorry,” Rowan said, sitting up suddenly. “Is that your… home phone?”

Aelin genuinely couldn’t remember the last time that had rung. Usually she and her dad were both contacted on their cells. They really just had a home line because it was part of their internet package. She couldn’t even remember who had that number.

“Uh, phone’s for you Aelin?” Lorcan shouted from the kitchen.

Even weirder?

“Who the hell would be calling this late on a Tuesday?” Aelin whispered. Rowan’s brow lifted.

“Why don’t you go see?”

Curious, Aelin pried herself off the couch and headed to the kitchen where Lorcan was standing with a spatula in one hand and the phone in the other.

“Who is it?” she whispered.

Lorcan shrugged, simply shoving the phone forward. Helpful.

Aelin cradled the phone against her ear and took a deep breath. “Hello?”

“Hello!” A deep voice rang out over the phone. “Is this Miss Aelin Galathynius?”

“Um,” she cleared her throat. “Yes?”

“Excellent!” the voice boomed, causing her to pull the phone away from her ear slightly. “My name is Xavier Forul, and I’m a local alum of Wendlyn University. I’d love to have you in for an interview some time in the near future. Whenever you’re available! I know you’re a busy senior with a lot on her plate.”

Aelin’s heart took off, beating faster as his words unfolded.

“Interview?”

“Yes,” he continued. “It’s my favorite part of the process. As a former Wendlyn man myself, I get to sit down and speak with young promising applicants to see what their goals and ambitions might be and how they might become part of the Wendlyn world.”

Aelin glanced at the silver-headed mop peeking out above the couch and exhaled slowly. This was it. The universe reassuring her. She felt it with every fiber of her being. She could dance, she could nail her classes this semester, and she’d get into Wendlyn and be with Rowan.

“Wow, thank you so much for reaching out,” Aelin began, her autopilot pilot voice taking over. “I’d love to meet with you.”

As Xavier explained the details of the interview, Aelin’s hope buoyed. She’d been waiting for a sign from the universe, something to tell her that she and Rowan were going to work out and be fine. If a personalized phone call on a landline that hadn’t rung in more months than she could count, inviting her into the home of a University alum wasn’t a sign, she didn’t know what was. And Aelin began to hope for the first time that everything was going to actually work out.

~*~

[rainbows-and-shadows]

Rainbows Tinted Pink: A Rainbow High Swap AU Story

Chapter 1: All Sunshine and Rainbows

Ch1 - Next

Everyone knows Bella Parker and Amaya Raine’s stories at Rainbow High.

Bella was accepted at the start of the year, like any other student. Unfortunately, she was expelled halfway through her first term, after sending an unauthorised picture of her runway set for an internship application.

Amaya, on the other hand, was not accepted until later on in the term and was kept on the waitlist for enrollment. She arrived on the day of Bella’s expulsion, taking her place at Rainbow High.

But what if it was the other way around? What if Amaya was the one who was accepted first, and Bella was the one kept on the waitlist?

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

“I texted them a zillion times!” Skyler Bradshaw anxiously glanced at her phone again. “I even called them! Neither of them are answering!”

“This is it people!” Violet Willow announced on her live stream. “For real! Our first Rainbow High test, our big runway show! And we have no runway!”

“I need to find a happy place,” Sunny Madison panted, trying to calm herself down.

“We need to find Bella,” Ruby Anderson replied, wondering where she and Jade Hunter had got to. “She and Jade are full-on missing!”

“Neither are active on their socials either! Not anywhere!” Poppy Rowan groaned, running her fingers across her headphones.

“I can’t believe this!” Skyler cried. “Our first big test, our first runway show! If we don’t have a runway set, we fail! We’re getting cut! Booted! Axed! Dead! Ahhhhhh!!”

“This never would have happened if Amaya was still here!” Sunny shouted. “Never, ever, ever!”

As if that wasn’t enough, the intercom crackled to life with an announcement from Ms Wright.

“Thirty minutes to showtime. Everyone must be in their places in thirty minutes!”

All five girls screamed in terror. They needed to find their set, and missing teammates, fast!

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

Most would assume their doom is set in stone. However, their story didn’t start this way. Going back to the beginning, we see a completely different tale.

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

Two girls burst through the doors to Rainbow High, Violet Willow in luxe purple, and Sunny Madison in vibrant yellow.

“Hi hi from Vi Vi!” Violet announced, on a livestream. “If you've been following me, you know what's up! We’re stepping in for day one at Rainbow High! The number one visual arts high school anywhere! So who's ready to check it-”

She cut off, staring down the hall in awe. “Woah. Do they go here?”

“No,” Sunny guessed. “Maybe?”

Down the end of the hall were three students, two girls and a boy, with an air of superiority about them.

The girl on the left, dressed in black, had beautiful rainbow eyeshadow and perfectly manicured black nails. The boy on the right, in silvery grey, had deep blue eyes and spiky light purple hair. And the last, the girl in the centre, wore a stunning multicoloured outfit, with bright lavender eyes and long lilac hair, sparkling under the light.

Each of them had lanyards around their necks, with name tags reading ‘Avery’, ‘Ainsley’ and ‘Aidan,’ followed by the title of, ‘Junior Prefect.’

“I’m sorry,” Avery smirked at the duo with a friendly manner, raising an eyebrow. “Were you staring at us?”

“No!” Violet protested.

“A little,” Sunny added simultaneously, pinching her fingers together.

Violet remained unfazed, deciding to introduce herself to the trio.

“Violet Willow. I'm shooting my online reality show, The Vi Life. I'm sure you’ve heard of it.”

“Um, no. Sorry,” Aidan answered. “And you can't film anyone here without their permission. Rainbow High’s really strict on that.”

Violet opened one of her bags and pulled out three purple clipboards and pens. “Permission forms. I have five hundred thousand followers across all social media. I'm a platform, for real!”

“Hi! I'm Sunny Madison!” Sunny jumped closer to Violet, resting her hand on her shoulder. “Violet's BFF from forever. Can you believe we both got into Rainbow High? We're like talent twinsies!”

“Right, except, maybe not twinsies,” she brushed Sunny’s hand away. “I'm a Digital Media focus, and she does Computer Animation.”

“Wait, I know your names,” Avery realised. “You're on our floor. We're three of your Junior Prefects, the upperclassmen in charge!”

“And when The A's are in charge,” Aidan began.

“Avery Styles, Aidan Russell, and Ainsley Slater,” Ainsley cut in, gesturing to herself and her friends.

“You never know what'll happen,” he finished.

“You'll find out though,” Avery assured them. “Your dorm rooms are through there, and up two flights. Later!”

The trio turned to leave, heading to another group of first year students.

“Woah. Hashtag Rainbow High goals!” Violet said in awe

“You heard them,” Sunny exclaimed, bounding down the hall with her bags. "This way, come on!”

Violet grabbed her suitcases and followed her friend over to the lifts.

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

“What do you think the dorm room looks like?” Sunny wondered as she bounced down the hall, Violet just behind her. “Oh, it'll be so fun living together and not just down the street!”’

Sunny spotted a gold placard outside a room with her name engraved on it. “Ah, I found it!” she squealed before listing off the other names.

“Skyler Bradshaw, Sunny Madison, Amaya Raine, Poppy Rowan, and- oh! That‘s it. No Violet Willow,” her face dropped in confusion.

“I don’t get it. We requested the same room! And the form said ‘Rainbow High honours requests’!”

Violet rubbed her arm guiltily. She’d never told Sunny she’d never sent in her room request form, but she knew the truth would break her heart.

“Oh, you know what? After I filled out the form, I gave it to my mom. I bet she forgot to send it in,” she lied.

She hated lying to Sunny and loved her to bits, but she also wanted to branch out and meet new people. She shifted closer to the doors with her name on the matching placard, along with Ruby Anderson and Jade Hunter above it.

“Oh look, they put me over here,” she sighed with feigned disappointment.

“It's the worst, I know, but at least we’re just across the hall from each other! And if we each meet new people we can introduce each other too, that's more friends for us both!”

“I guess,” Sunny sighed, frowning.

“I'm so sorry! I'll tell my mom she messed up big. Let's unpack and catch up later?”

Violet slipped into her dorm, leaving Sunny alone in the hallway. She shut the door behind her, a little sadness in her eyes.

“What's up? Scared to meet your roommates?”

A girl in green grinned at her manically, her dark, graphic makeup and long metallic eyelashes adding to the creepiness of her look. Violet jumped back and yelped.

“Hah, fire!”, a red-haired girl high-fived the girl in green. “Hey, you must be Violet! I'm Ruby, and that’s Jade! We’re your roommates, and if it makes you feel better, Jade got me with the makeup too!”

“Because my makeup skills are so good, it's scary!” Jade made a claw with her hand. She paused, finally getting a good look at Violet. “Hey, you look kinda familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”

“Well, I am Violet Willow,” she grinned. “Digital Media focus and star of my online reality show, The Vi Life!”

“Oh, that’s where I know you! You’re all over my social feeds!” Jade pulled out her phone and opened Instagram. “You’ve done tons of sponsorships with some of my favourite brands!”

“Influencer street cred! Selfie’s going on your account. Hold this!” Ruby tossed Violet a red and white high-heeled sneaker. Violet stared in awe at the tiny black details, carefully spray painted on.

“You painted this?

“Custom kicks! It's what I do. Well, one of the things I do. Perks of being a Mixed Media focus, I guess! Now come on you two, bring it in!” yup

Ruby pulled Violet closer, while Jade wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders.

“Say ‘own it’!”

“Own it!”

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

Sunny closed her dorm door with a sigh, only to be met with an enthusiastic girl with brilliant white hair grabbing her hands and pulling her into the room.

“Hey! You must be Sunny! I’m Amaya, and that’s Skyler and Poppy! We’re your roomies!”

She pointed to the other two girls, a girl in orange sitting on the sofa and another in blue on the armchair across. Amaya sat Sunny down on the sofa, next to Poppy. Her disappointment was immediately replaced with her initial enthusiasm.

“Hi! It’s so nice to meet you all! So, I'm Sunny, I'm a Computer Animation focus, I'm best friends with Violet Willow from the Vi Life, and I have my animation series called ‘Hi Hi Kawaii’! It just hit a hundred thousand subscribers last month!”

“Jamming! I’m Poppy, Music Composition focus,” Poppy continued. “I love pretty much any style of music, but pop is definitely my favourite genre, and I also have synesthesia, which is like a blending of senses, so for me, it means I can see what I hear!”

“Amaya, and I come from a town about this big,” she pinched her fingers together. “I love fashion design, and all my friends back home say I ‘speak fashion.’”

“Wait, you're a Fashion focus?” Skyler asked Amaya. “I’m a Fashion focus too!”

“No way, samesies!” Skyler and Amaya giggled and high-fived each other.

Sunny smiled, sinking into the sofa. She may not be living with Violet, but it already seemed like she was going to be great friends with Poppy, Skyler and Amaya.

As she was lost in thought, Amaya was showing Skyler some of her designs on her phone. She then got up to grab her phone off the kitchen counter and saw it was almost time for their orientation.

“Hey, guys?” she called, heading to the door. “Our first-year orientation is in ten minutes. We should get going.”

“Coming, Skyler!”

The new roommates hurried out of the room. Just then, one of their phones dinged. They all checked to see who had got it

“Oh! It's mine,” Sunny announced. “Remember how I told you about my best friend, Violet? She just posted!”

She clicked on her notification and saw Violet's post, her selfie with Ruby and Jade.

‘Just met my awesome new roomies! @ruby-red @green_eyed_monster can’t wait to share my #rainbowhigh journey with you!’

“Aww,” Sunny frowned, sighing.

“She can still be your best friend, even if she meets new people,” Skyler consoled her.

“I know what'll make it better. I dare you to be sad when you listen to this!” Poppy pressed play on a song called ‘Turn Your Colour Up’.

“Whatever your colour,

You got a look that hits you right!

Just like no other,

You got the hook so amplify it!

Turn your colour up,

Turn your colour up, yeah!”

The girls danced through the halls smiling and laughing. By the time they reached their orientation, Sunny’s dismay had disappeared.

The room was packed with their fellow first years, each sat in groups of seven or eight. A strict-looking woman in a luxurious black and purple outfit saw them at the door and approached them.

“Good morning, girls. I'm Miss Wright. Names please?”

“Oh, Amaya Raine, Poppy Rowan, Skyler Bradshaw, and Sunny Madison,” Sunny smiled.

“Ah, Runway Group 1-4. Please sit over there with the rest of your group,” she pointed to a table up front, where Violet, Jade and Ruby were sitting too.

The girls quickly headed over to them, excited to meet the rest of their group. They were about to start talking before Miss Wright silenced everyone and began addressing them.

“Good morning first years. I'm Lou Wright, your headmistress. Welcome to Rainbow High.

Here you will learn the tenets of Glam: grit, love, action, and moxie! I’ve put everyone into their runway groups, which are also your advisory groups. The team that will make or break you these next four years.”

“You have been accepted to this school based on your talents and accolades in your respective focuses, and I expect all of you to show what got you here at every opportunity you get.”

“However, not all of you will make it to the end of the year, or even the end of the semester. Our rules are strict, and if you break even a single one, we will not hesitate to punish you, whether it be detention, suspension or expulsion.”

Everyone recoiled at that, only for Miss Wright to shock them even more.

“And the first challenge you will face: our first-semester runway fashion show. Fail that, and you can kiss Rainbow High goodbye!”

Miss Wright pushed up her sunglasses with a cool look.

“Now, each runway group will go and meet their advisor for further information. Group 1-1, to Room 85. Group 1-2 to Room 114. Group 1-3, to room 120. And Group 1-4 to Room 101. Any questions?”

“Uh I’ve got a question about our dorm,” Ruby asked, raising her hand. “There are four bedrooms in ours, but only Jade, Violet and I are here. Is there going to be another person joining our group?”

“Oh, no Miss Anderson. It is just you, Miss Hunter and Miss Willow in your dorm. We leave a number of rooms available for any transfer and exchange students, or any changes to the attendance during the year,” Miss Wright concluded, and opened the door, gesturing for them to leave. “Now, you are dismissed.”

And with that, the newly formed runway groups filed out, and headed towards their designated classrooms.

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

“They're gonna kick us out of Rainbow High! Our lives are all over!” Sunny cried. “Oh, this never would have happened if Amaya was still here! Never, ever, ever!”

🌈🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🌈

And that's the beginning of this tale. Nobody could have predicted what was waiting for them, but they had no doubt it'd be the most incredible and intense journey of their lives.

————

AN: Thanks so much for reading! I was inspired to write this fic by @stellar_comet on Instagram, who made a Character Swap AU of Amaya and Bella, go check them out. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the story or my AU. See you next time!

[cuartist]

Just finished reading my graphic novels from the library…. Did not intent to pick two books with queer protagonists (grabbed the ojja wojja from a pride stand tho)

I really enjoyed both though. Graphic novels are truly my bestie.

Anyway quick pitches on both of them bc I want to talk abt them:

The Ojja Wojja a horror mystery or whatever: largely narrated by an autistic 8th grade girl who loves fantasy and sci-fi and fiction and her queer bff and they accidentally/on purpose summon a demon and deal w the repercussions. It’s age 10+ so was very light and fun. Sooo good.

Look Again: a memoir about the time the author found a dead body while walking her dogs & unraveling the trauma that came from that and doing a little exploration with art. Covers heavy subjects but wasn’t super dark.

I checked these out yesterday and have finished both already I love. Comics. Also both are published within the last couple years.

Next on my list: book I bought at the queer book fair, also to see if I can borrow the other one I was considering buying from Rowan since they have it

[dotthings]

Never forget that Rowan and her hateful bff's once trolled my tumblr just for sharing direct quotes from Jensen and Danneel to talk about how spn and the spn universe is about love and how for them it's not about exclusion. And accused me of being delusional. When I was working off direct quotes.

[murmel-malt]

1, 8, 14, 22, and 25!

End of the Year Asks

1. Song of the year?

According to Spotify it’s Song of the Caverns by Clamavi De Profundis but that doesn’t feel accurate. At the same time I literally cannot think of any song that I have continuously listened to throughout the year and not just on repeat for a month before moving on to the next. But thinking back to what has remained on my mind since hearing it I would say My Sails are Set from Netflix’s One Piece Live Action series.

8. Game of the year?

A tie between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Coral Island. BG3 scratches my itch for Dungeons & Dragons but Coral Island is my cozy farming sim for winding down and watching the insanity that is german youtuber drama.

14. Favorite book you read this year?

Unfortunately I haven’t managed to read any books this year. My brain is just incapable of focusing for extended periods of time lately. But I will seize this chance to tell you about my all time favorite book called Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman, which is essentially a collection of different concepts of the passage of time, dreamt up by a fictional Albert Einstein. I read one of the chapters for a literature course in uni and immediately had to buy the entire book.

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

Extremely unspectacular but the christmas market in the city I live in. I wasn’t able to go since I moved here (thanks to corona and scheduling issues) but this year me and two friends managed to organize ourselves and went together. I had the non-alcoholic version of Glühwein, consumed way too much greasy christmas market food and generally had a great time with my friends.

25. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one.

Since I answered with Rowan in a previous ask I'll go with her bff Lorra Lynderly. Lorra is basically the devil on Rowan shoulder and a certified bitch. But she is also extremely loyal to her family (and Rowan). Even her sisters to which she otherwise does not have the best of relationships. It's this typical sibling thing where only you are allowed to be mean to/make fun of your siblings; anyone else is getting their ass kicked. And in the Lynderlys' case, poisoned and/or stabbed.

Thank you for the ask!!💕