#will our boys ever talk to each other. all signs point to no

[bookshelfdreams]

Once again, as it so often is with ofmd, it is about violence.

Ed is capable of violence and it makes him feel monstrous. Killing his father was a defining moment in his life, something that became a core memory: The darkest, scariest part of himself, but also one that has protected him and been immensely useful. No matter how much he hurts himself with it, how much it chips away at his soul, he's willing and able to do horrible things. This is the price we pay for violence: When you kill, you die as well.

When he met Stede, a man he thinks is fundamentally incapable of the kind of violence that's slowly destroying Ed, it gave him hope that he, too, could move beyond it. That a life full of comfortable and beautiful things was not only possible but attainable; if Stede can sail the seas with his ridiculous toy ship full of books and soft fabrics, have a positive culture of open communication and constructive feedback, then fuck it, why can't he?

To him, Stede's incapability for violence is a positive thing; it might be Stede's greatest strength. But what Ed doesn't realize is that Stede's life, too has been profoundly shaped by violence, how intimately he is acquainted with it - from the other side. Stede has only ever been a victim of violence. Where the moments that replay in Ed's head (the lovely little motage at the beginning of 02x06 for example) are moments where he enacts violence, the moments that define Stede are ones where violence is done to him. We see him splattered with blood, picking flowers: we know what follows is humiliation, verbal and physical abuse, that Stede was unable to protect himself from.

So of course, to Stede, his lack of talent for violence becomes a character flaw. Something that makes him weak, pathetic, cowardly. When he finally learns how to wield violence, how to use it to protect himself and others, it's empowering. He revels in it, the small moments (I did a punch!) and the bigger ones. For the first time in all his life, he's not a victim anymore.

Ed does not know this about Stede. To him, Stede is fragile, someone not yet tainted by violence the way he is. Ed feels protective of Stede, and it's that perceived innocence that I think is a big part of it. All he sees is Stede descending down a path of violence and piracy he has walked already and cannot go down again; the last time he did, it literally made him suicidal. He can't follow, and he can't watch Stede destroy himself the way Ed did, either.

So he leaves.

And Stede, who feels like he has finally grown into a better, more capable version of himself, someone who is able to see hurt and fight back against it for once, doesn't understand this at all.

Both these viewpoints are ones that ofmd wants to validate: Violence is a terrible beast that will eat you whole and spit out your bones AND Violence is sometimes necessary, and even good. It's a delicate balance to keep, and 02x07 doesn't quite manage to do so. But despite the awkwardness, the bones are still there; we end on Roach and Fang (two characters very capable of and good at violence!) having their cute little self-care spa day. This is the future ofmd wants us to believe in: a world where we can chose care and tenderness over battles.

[itsthecline]

WHERE’D ALL THE TIME GO?

CHAPTER ONE

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ new summer , new camp , new people. you were beyond ready to take on the next few months , but you had to get through your first day before that comes.

word count 7.7k

warnings profanity , mentions of underage drinking , sexual innuendos , mentions of a cult.

CAMP JESSAMINE was going to be your permanent summer camp , you decided. just the drive to get to the campground was a perfect time. your best friend , taylor , was with you— with some persuasion , and the weather was perfect. the windows to your car were rolled down , stereo to the highest volume as it pumped out the tune of your favorite songs.

you and taylor were the type of people that listened to very specific songs that would only ever make the best coming of age movie soundtrack. it was something very special to the two of you ; romanticizing your lives through music.

as you turned onto the driveway before the parking lot in front of the administration building , two weeks by grizzly bear was playing. taylor reached over , twisting the volume knob to lower it as she took in your surroundings.

“this looks much better than skyline ridge did,” she pointed out , leaning out the open window just a bit.

you laughed at the welcomed diss on your old camp. “i don’t think that’s a tough standard to beat , but i do agree. this is a lot nicer,” you replied , rolling to a stop in the gravel lot. there were several cars already parked— some of the staff showing up to help orientation along.

the radio cut silent as you killed the engine before you reached over and grabbed your tote bag. “we need id’s and..?” taylor trailed off , looking through her own bag.

“just our id,” you reassured her, “lets go check in.”

you both clambered out of your car , not having stood on two feet for several hours. your heart was pounding as you made your way to the front door. it was decorated with a banner above shouting, ‘welcome to camp j!’

with one hand clutching taylor’s , you push the door open and step inside. there’s a line of tables with staff members behind them , helping some new staff members sign in and get instructed on where they’d be bunking for the summer. you were silently praying that taylor and you would be close to each other if not paired up.

“hello! welcome on in , guys!” it was a blonde girl , probably your age , waving you two over. her hair was the perfect amount of curled and flowy for it to look naturally effortless , and her smile was practically blinding you as you walked her way. she looked like the human embodiment of sunshine. “hi , what are your names?”

“y/n,” you answered before clarifying, “y/l/n.”

the blonde didn’t even need to look down at the clipboard in her hands before letting out an excited squeal. “ah! you’re my newbie!”

taylor laughed for a moment before covering her lips with a hand. “and me? taylor mcmahon?”

“ooh , you’re with cleo,” sarah— if she was wearing the proper name badge, answered with a smile, “she’s one of my best friends. our cabins are actually pretty close to each other , too. she’s probably in the dining hall right now getting our dinner set up for tonight , but i’m sure you’ll meet her soon. actually , i’m almost done for my shift of signing people in , so if you wanted i could bring you guys around. introduce you to cleo and kiara. she’s another one of my friends who works here.”

while sarah talked and got papers ready , you could feel a good summer coming in your veins. you and taylor were paired up with two best friends and wouldn’t be staying that far a part , and the girl you were paired with seemed plenty nice.

“i think we’d love that,” you smiled back , picking up a pen and filling out the small sheet handed to you. meanwhile , taylor’s eyes were elsewhere.

“who is that?” without looking up , you know she found a boy to ogle from across the room, “and can he be my newbie?”

sarah chuckled for only a moment before she cut herself off. “oh,” she spoke , eyes landing on katherine’s latest find. “that’s—“ you didn’t really listen to who it was , focusing on your form to get it out of the way as fast as possible.

any allergies? no. any food allergies? no. any health conditions that require medication? no. favorite color? green. favorite drink? probably coffee? you finished filling the blanks before slipping the branded pen into your pocket.

“here you go,” you cleared your throat , handing sarah the slip of paper before picking up your bag from the floor, “anything you need to give me?”

sarah grinned , noticing you wouldn’t be a newbie newbie , just someone who hadn’t been to camp jessamine before. “just your name badge , some t-shirts , the cabin key , itinerary , and list of campers!” it was all handed to you in a packet , badge and lanyard laying on the top of it, “let me grab taylor’s and we’ll head over to the cabins.”

taylor took her own packet and lanyard , slipping the blue loop over her neck with a smile. “you know what , y/n/n? i think you were right : this will be a good summer.” her eyes were still trained on the guy at another set of tables.

looking at him now , you could actually scan over him. camp jessamine t-shirt a half size too small , making his arms budge out of the sleeves just a bit ; buzzed hair ; beyond tall ; perfectly tan skin. “you can have ‘im , babe,” taylor started, “i’ll take his friend.”

your eyes shifted ever slightly to the right , taking in the dark skinned boy that just entered the building , immediately going to his friend and dapping him up. “i don’t date guys from camp , tay. that’s like rule number one.”

“you guys ready?” sarah’s voice cut through your conversation.

“let’s go!” taylor beamed , hooking her arm in yours.

leading you back outside through a different door , sarah began her tour. “so we were just in admin , and that is the gymnasium,” she pointed across the way at another bigger building. it had an outside court as well , giving away its title. “over here is the dining hall , so we’ll stop in for cleo.”

she was smiling the whole time , as if this was some paradise , and you couldn’t help but hope that’ll be you next year. “how long have you been a counselor here?” you wondered , looking all around you all while following sarah through the grass.

“forever,” she simply answered, “i think my first actual memory is from this camp. i went every summer growing up ; a lot of us did. the next move was to obviously start working here,” she continued to explain , slowing her pace just a little for you two to keep up. her eyes noticed how you and taylor were trying to take everything in. “and here we are!”

ever the welcoming committee , sarah opened the door and let you walk through. “sare , who you got with you today?” a boy spoke up , heading your way. she quickly kissed him on the lips before ‘presenting’ you and taylor to the few others in the dining hall.

“y/n , taylor , this is john b , cleo , kiara , and pope,” she introduced everyone , pointing at each of her friends, “guys , this is y/n and taylor. y/n is my bunk buddy , and cleo you get taylor!”

“alright , come here , girl! let me check you out,” cleo hyped taylor up before pulling her in for a hug, “i’m not the newbie anymore , y’all.” the last bit was directed to her friends.

you all laughed at her words , knowing almost all of you had felt that feeling before. “were y’all headed to the cabins?” pope had asked , breaking up the chuckles.

“yeah,” you nodded, “sarah wanted to stop and grab cleo before we settle in.” as you answered , your eyes took in the group , sizing them up in a way to get your read on them.

“yo! new chicks just came in and they are hot! saw ‘em with sarah getting—“ two swing doors opened , a guy walking backward through them with boxes in his arms. when he turned and saw the three extra people in the room , he quickly shut up. “hi there! uh— there’s actually like , i don’t know , four other sarah’s who work here,” he lied , stumbling over his words as everyone laughed.

“right , okay. well , that’s jj,” sarah groaned , clearly unimpressed despite her giggles, “j , this is y/n , my roommate. and this is taylor , cleo’s roommate.”

the blonde swiftly flipped his hat to be facing backwards after putting the boxes down on a table. “nice to meet you , ladies,” he smirked , reaching his hands out crisscrossed for you to both shake. being polite , you both meet his hands , shaking them with smiles.

“nice to meet you , jj,” taylor smiled , catching the fact that he was perfectly your type ; catching that fact that you were blissfully aware that he was perfectly your type.

“hi,” you managed to speak , cheeks flushing bright and ears getting hot, “well , we gotta go— gotta go get , um , unpacked,” you stuttered , pointing to the door and stepping away, “sarah?”

your new friend was grinning ear to ear watching you drown , but she quickly came to your rescue. “see you guys later,” she chuckled , coming and grabbing your shoulders before pulling you away. she led you out the front door and to one of the several golf carts. “so that was something.” sarah couldn’t help herself but laugh a little when you were alone.

“i’m going to kill myself if i talk like that all summer,” you joined in on making fun of yourself, “is everyone that volunteers here that hot?” you questioned , thinking back to the guy you saw signing people in.

“yeah , that’s a perk for sure. something in the water on the cut made those pogues fine,” sarah agreed , turning the golf cart on whenever you threw your bags down in the back.

“okay , first of all : what’s the cut? and secondly , what’s a pogue?” you asked , turning in the seat as sarah took off in the direction of your cabin. neither one of those words seemed too endearing.

sarah looked back at you and took a deep breath. “well , we’re all from this island : kildare. on said island , there’s the nice neighborhood which we call figure eight. then there’s the not so nice neighborhood which we call the cut,” she explained as you listened intently, “all of them are from the cut , sparing kie. she’s a born kook.”

“so if you’re from the cut , you’re a pogue , and if you’re from figure eight , you’re a kook?” you recalled , still not entirely understanding the classist labels.

“it’s dumb , but yeah,” sarah nodded simply.

you took the answer for what it was and focused ahead of you. you could see the cabins now. they were set in five half circles , three cabins in a group. in front of them was a fairly large fire pit with handfuls of chairs littered around the area.

“which one are we in?” you questioned as sarah slowed to a stop.

“we’re in cabin number six! cleo and taylor are going to be in four , and kie is in five,” sarah answered , grabbing one of your bags to help you inside.

“these are nice,” you gaped , stepping into the cabin. there were six bunk beds , three on either side of the building. a bathroom in the back , and another door next to it.

“our room is back here,” sarah announced , moving through the cabin towards the last door, “ta-da!”

you set your bags down at the end of the bed that was still available and looked around. sarah had set up her side of the room already , fairy lights across the ceiling , posters on the wall , and her bed all done up.

“okay , these are really , really nice , dude,” you echoed yourself , amazed at how much more money is clearly put into this camp than your last.

sarah waved you off, “eh , it’s whatever,” she laughed, “just kidding. it’s actually insane how fancy this camp is. even i can admit it.”

“my last camp was an actual dumpster fire compared to this,” you admitted , starting to unravel your bedding to make the room seem homier, “packed cabins , shitty food , bunch of old people for camp counselors. jessamine is an upgrade.” sarah sat down on her bed and listened to you with a smile. she liked you already , that wasn’t hard. “and you all seem actually nice too. that’s another perk on top of how hot you guys are,” you continued with a laugh.

jj. you hated you were still thinking about him. that’s not how you ever want your summers to be. summer flings were not on your list of things to do in your twenties. you wanted to completely focus on yourself and getting to where you wanted to be in life. no blonde surfer boy was going to change that.

“so… you’re still picturing jj in that pretty , little head of yours,” sarah read your mind , holding back a cheesy grin when you turned to her.

“i don’t date boys from summer camp,” you simply said , going back to making your bed. the two of you stayed in silence until you had finished setting up your bed and unpacking. you fell into the mattress with a sigh.

sarah’s position on her bed matched yours , completely sprawled out and exhausted. “i feel like this is the first time i’ve gotten to just chill in like a week,” she huffed , staring up at the ceiling.

“yeah , me too,” you agreed, “me and taylor were on a road trip just before we came here , so i’ve been cramped in my jeep for way too long.”

“wait— how old are you?” sarah questioned , sitting up on her elbows to look over at you.

“nineteen. almost twenty,” you answered , copying her actions, “you?”

“twenty…” she replied with a smile, “which means i’m no longer the baby of the group , so thank you for that.”

“it’s okay. i’m used to it,” you mused, “youngest daughter of six. taylor is older than me , and most of the friends i’ve ever made have been too. nothing new to me.”

it was true ; you were quite used to being the ‘baby’ of whatever group you were around. you grew up that way. as much as you hated it , you did get away with a lot more. such as doing what you’re currently doing. your dad was pissed when he got the email you sent him one morning. it was the day you officially packed all of your things and left home. he had decided you were to be a doctor— what kind? he didn’t care , but a doctor nonetheless. you , however , wanted to travel and experience everything you possibly could while snapping pictures and showing the rest of the world. not exactly an easy thing to come to a compromise on.

that was two years ago.

“well , i hated it. the guys would make fun of me all of the time,” sarah laughed now , it not being as sore of a spot for her, “but that makes taylor… twenty?”

“—one,” you finished for her, “she’s like my best friend and big sister all in one.”

“don’t you already have five of those?” sarah recalled , furrowing her perfectly groomed eyebrows.

you looked away for a moment , fairy lights catching your eyes again. “technically , but i don’t really think blood is what makes family,” you shrugged , pushing yourself to sit up entirely, “show me around some more?” it was an obvious attempt at changing the subject , but it worked.

“wanna see the ponies?”

AFTER ABOUT two hours of sarah showing you around the camp grounds , you found yourself back in your cabin. it was nearly three , so you still had some to yourself before the counselors’ meeting started up before dinner.

you hadn’t seen taylor since you split up at the dining hall , so you were by yourself since sarah had to help with some administrative duties. with your free time , you made the decision to start setting out the things you brought for the girls you’d be mentoring for the summer.

daisy.

amber.

noah.

celeste.

miranda.

kylie.

the first thing on the list was making the covers for their journals. you had pressed three-d stickers on the front , spelling out all of their names. you set the books down on the dressers , pairing each with a disposable camera and pack of pens.

in the bathroom , you had set up a box of essentials. twelve teenage girls in one cabin? it was needed. you hung up a cuter shower curtain , laid down a better floor mat. you were happy with the way everything looked so far , so you moved back into the living area. you set out the mini projector you brought , coloring books and markers , card and board games , bracelet making kits. you were just making the cabin more lived in with plenty of things to do.

you had your headphones in , listening to your own music while you got everything set up. lost in your own world.

“excuse me!”

you jumped , hand clutching your chest as someone pulled one of your headphones from your ear. “holy shit! wow! sorry,” you breathed out , turning to face the person who disrupted your jam session.

“no , i’m sorry,” he replied with a chuckle, “i’m looking for sarah. last i heard she was here , but i guess not.”

“oh , yeah. she went to admin,” you answered , pulling the other headphone out and draping the wire across your shoulders, “i can tell her you stopped by…”

“rafe,” he finished for you , reaching a hand out, “i’m sarah’s brother. cabin seven.”

you nodded with a smile , reaching your hand out for him to shake. he took your hand in his , engulfing it entirely. “y/n. sarah’s roommate. cabin six,” you replied, “just do you know.”

“won’t forget it,” rafe assured you , taking a look around the room, “i like what you’ve done to the place,” he added as he inspected the hanging plant you had hung up.

“i think it’s good for campers to live in a cozy place while they’re away from home,” you explained it , hands coming behind your back as you rocked back and forth on your feet, “i don’t know— it might be dumb.”

“nah,” he immediately dismissed you. he shook his head and looked at you again with a soft smile, “s’cute. see ya around , freshie.”

your eyes trailed after him as he left the cabin , most likely in search of his sister. “see ya , vet!” you called after him , smile still gracing your lips, “jesus , something is in the water around that island.” somehow , rafe looked even better up close than he did when you first got a glimpse of him earlier.

“so you met rafe?”

another voice pulled you out of your thoughts this time. taylor. “thank god,” you sighed , moving to the bedroom and flopping on your now made bed. taylor laughed to herself , following in suit and cuddling up next to you. your arm draped over her stomach , holding your friend close.

“what’s going on , bug?” she asked , dragging a loose lock of hair out of your face, “talk to mama.”

“i think i miss my sisters?” you hummed , staring off at the wall lazily, “which is ridiculous. most days , i would rather go back to cult skyline , but i don’t know. sarah and i somehow brought that up for a moment , and i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

“okay…” taylor nodded, “do you want my advise or or me to just listen?” god , she knew you so well.

you just sighed deeply , letting all of the air in your lungs leave your body. “i just wanna sit here for a second. take a minute before the kids get her in two days,” you shrugged.

the two of you laid in bed for a while— you weren’t sure how much time had passed until your phone started going off to let you know it was nearing five. you groaned , reaching over a sleeping taylor and grabbing your phone to shut your alarm off.

“tay , time for the meeting,” you spoke , nudging her awake. she groaned , stretching out her body as she came to. “let’s go meet everyone else.”

“yeah , yeah. i’m coming,” she promised , pushing herself up as you did the same.

despite taking the golf cart to the cabin , the walk back over to admin wasn’t all that bad. cleo had met up with you , formally introducing herself to you. it wasn’t long before you were sat around another fire pit the camp had with the rest of the camp leaders.

“all right , everyone! how we doin’?” the woman still standing clapped her hands together , and you recognized her as marsha , the person you were communicating with before you got to jessamine. everyone applauded , hooting and hollering in excitement. “okay , okay. so to start summer off , i just wanna go over a few rules. i know— i know , boring rules. boo. however , once i get them out of the way , all of the fun begins so…”

“she’s just like meagan,” taylor leaned over and whispered to you , referring back to one of the administrators from camp skyline.

you chuckled under your breath before facing back to marsha as she continued. “… no letting kids have sex , no letting kids do drugs or drink alcohol , no letting kids sneak out around camp by themselves in the middle of the night , and finally : absolutely no fraternization between counselors!” she made it a point to shout the last rule louder than the others, “cameron , maybank , i’m looking right at ya both , okay?”

the boys smirked to themselves , a few other guys patting their backs. you were sat somewhere in between them , getting a chance to look at both. jj was laughing with john b , smacking each other back in forth in argument as to who was the bigger camp slut. they agreed on the blonde.

and rafe , he was with his friends you hadn’t met yet. they were dapping him up , congratulating him on his many conquests over the years.

“now that we’ve all agreed on not fornicating on property , let the games begin!” marsha smiled, “you all know how this works. for you newcomers , you’ll pick up just fine. get with your cabin mate and check your emails. scavenger hunt begins… now!”

everyone shot out of their chairs , finding their partners if they weren’t already sat with them to start the game. when you got to sarah , who was only a few chairs away , she already had her phone pulled out with the email pulled up.

“okay , so this is what we do every year on the first night of camp,” she started , handing you her phone to look at the list, “winner gets to have their cabin get their meals before everyone else does for the first two weeks. it actually gets pretty intense.”

you laughed , handing the phone back to its rightful owner and smiling. “let’s win then.”

“alright! i like you a lot , miss y/n/n,” sarah replied , bumping your shoulder with hers. she started walking , so you kept up with her. taking advantage of the golf carts , sarah plucked the keys out of the cup holder and started one up. “we gotta start at the end. marsha thinks we don’t know , but she puts the list in order of location. the further down the list , the further it is from home base.”

“sounds like we’re going to come out on top then,” you commented, “drive faster.”

“back to the ponies we go,” sarah nodded , pushing her foot down on the gas pedal.

you sped off , passing several counselors that were on foot , including rafe. he was with the boy from check in that taylor was checking out and another blonde.

“sare , you know that shit’s practically cheating,” rafe yelled at his sister , causing her to slow down to a complete stop.

“really?” sarah feigned innocence. her big , brown eyes practically sparkled as she looked at rafe.

you leaned forward to look past sarah and at the guys standing next to your cart. “i don’t think marsha ever said that it’s not allowed,” you chimed in , pretending to think back in time, “so we’re gonna go win real quick , and we’ll see ya when we’re passing you in line for dinner.”

it was almost despicable how sweet your smile was compared to your competitive words. rafe eyed you up and down , not bothering to hide his gaze. “sounds like sarah’s already rubbing off on you , sweetheart. better get away from her before it gets worse,” he joked, “have you met kelce and topper yet , honey?” his hand pointed back to his friends , who were impatiently waiting for rafe to shut the hell up.

“no , she hasn’t,” sarah answered for you, “and also screw you. have fun losing again this year!”

with that , sarah hit the gas and drove you away from her brother. her hand flew up , waving bye as she laughed along with you. “god , please don’t take anything that boy says to heart,” she advised , looking over at you with a serious expression all over her face.

“what do you mean?”

“well…” she started, “y’know how marsh called him and jj out for being camp’s biggest whores? she’s not kidding. i love jj , and i love rafe , but those boys can’t keep it in their pants to save their lives. and they’ll say pretty much whatever to get into someone else’s. that includes sweet talkin’ you like rafe was trying to do with his ‘honey’ and ‘sweetheart’ and shit,” she continued explaining, “just be cautious.”

you nodded slowly , taking her words as gospel. every summer camp ever has one or two counselors that fuck like rabbits , but it was your luck that you found them both attractive here. good thing you had your one rule. no dating boys from camp.

it was simple and definitive.

it was clear you and sarah were going to finish before the rest of the counselors by the time you got to the last scavenge point on your list. it was at the fire pit by the cabins in plain view. sarah took a quick picture of you standing next to the fire and holding up the medallion that was placed on the bricks. finally , you were able to hop on the golf cart and head to home base.

“so there’s this party the counselors do every first night of camp , and i think you should come,” sarah spoke up as you steered your way passed the others.

“there’s not a party on the itinerary,” you replied , already having the next few days memorized.

she laughed at you gently , patting your thigh. “babe , it’s not exactly something marsha knows about,” she explained, “it’s , like , a right of passage for the leaders to get drunk off their asses before the kids come. i mean , we usually have kick backs on the weekends , but this welcoming party is much different.”

“different how?” you asked , furrowing your eyebrows, “party’s a party.”

“well , it’s bigger. every single leader comes to it. hangouts on the weekends are usually split up amongst us and our little groups , so this one is the party.”

“yeah , sure. i mean , it would be dumb to miss out on it,” you chuckled with a shrug , pulling up to the administrative office you had been in hours and hours ago.

the blonde let out an excited squeal , yanking you into a hug before hopping off the cart and running into the building. you stayed still , waiting for her to come back out. “first in line , baby!” she shouted , raising her fists into the air as soon as she stepped out the door.

you cheered and laughed with her , turning the golf cart off and getting out. “i love you , sarah cameron,” you confessed , pulling her into a hug.

it was only one day , and you were convinced she might be your person. she had divulged you into all of her stories and drama and didn’t feel the need to hide anything from you so far. she gave you space when you wanted it earlier. she was good. “i love you too,” she replied with a smile, “lets go gloat!”

AFTER SARAH rubbed the win in her brother’s face , while you stayed back and watched it , you met up with the pogues. thankfully , taylor was still with cleo. you immediately pulled her to the side.

“okay , you’re pulling me,” she grumbled , stepping along with you.

“there’s a party tonight,” you stated.

“yeah , there’s one every year. they were just telling me about it,” taylor shrugged, “we going?”

“well , yeah , but on top of that rafe was flirting with me,” you blurted out , cheeks rosy from the thought of the interaction before and after the game.

taylor nodded slowly , glancing back at your new friends before looking in your eyes. “what about jj ‘perfect for you’ maybank?” she asked , nodding to the blonde boy , who was trying to wrestle with cleo.

“no , no. that’s the point. i don’t want anything to do with either of them,” you groaned , dropping your head back for a moment, “so i need you to cockblock if anything happens.”

“all summer? why don’t you just put on a frickin’ chasity belt?” taylor whined.

you rolled your eyes. “just for tonight. hopefully , rafe will catch on , and leave me alone. as for jj , i’ll just be his friend.”

“just lead him on?” taylor corrected you, “he was already bothering me about you. asking me all sorts of questions.” there was a smile in her words , trying to push you to go for it like she always did when it came to the cute boys at camp.

“not happening,” you simply stated , shaking your head, “just cockblock this once , and i’ll , like , suck your dick or something. i don’t know , just help me. because my roommate’s brother giving me slutty eyes and smiles the three times i’ve met him is not on my agenda , taylor. especially after sarah told me he’s kind of a douchebag.”

“okay , okay. you’re so uptight,” taylor agreed, “and now that you mention it , cleo and kiara were saying the same sort of things ‘bout him , so fine. i’ll cockblock.”

just as you two finished up , jj called out to you. “ladies , c’mon! dinner time!” he waved you both over. taylor sent you a look before jogging to catch up with the rest of the group. you headed that way , noticing jj stayed behind in wait. “i see congratulations are in order,” he smiled at you , walking in step with you.

“it was all sarah , really,” you smiled coyly.

he was cute. taylor was right about that. his unruly blonde hair shoved under a beat up , red cap. combat boots pires with a cut off tee. you hated that you were so obviously eyeing him. even more when he said something again.

“you can take a picture you know.” there was a smile evident on your face , eyes gentle as he looked at you like you looked at him.

you just blushed , walking a little faster. “dinner smells good!” you commented , opening the door and rushing in to find sarah or taylor.

you all went through the line , shoving yourself in between the girls so jj couldn’t talk to you. sarah and kiara led you to a table , and you were able to eat. you didn’t even realize how hungry you were until you were sat down.

“cleo , i think i’m in love with you,” you groaned , taking another bit of the sandwich.

“girl , this is nothing,” kie cut in, “you should’ve been here last year. she went all out!”

“i was trying to make a good first impression,” cleo shrugged with a smile , like her cooking skills were mediocre and not something you’d dreamt of before.

“so…” john b started, “taylor told me you guys used to go to some camp in tennessee?” his question was directed at you.

you nodded , covering your mouth as you swallowed the oversize bite you just took. “mmhm,” you hummed, “skyline ridge.” you answered.

“how come you came here?” pope asked this time.

“turns out it was a baby cult,” you admitted , feeling your ears turn hot at the statement. it was kind of embarrassing how you didn’t realize until after. but who’s to blame you? you were a kid. “like , it wasn’t obvious until you left , you know?”

“kinda like the kooks!” jj pointed out with his fork.

taylor shook her head, “no , it was a little more established than your classist island drama , jj.”

“yeah , it was bad , but who cares? we’re here now,” you smiled simply.

soon enough , you all finished your meals and split up yet again to get ready for the not-so-secret secret party. sarah and you were alone again , trading clothes and trying to find a good outfit for each other.

“hey , so i know we just met and all,” sarah began , shyly twist a skirt in her hands, “but i could tell there was something bothering you when we were getting dinner. everything okay?”

god , she was so sweet.

you paused , adjusting the shirt you had switched into before looking at her. “taylor’s convinced i should get a boyfriend this summer. specifically jj , and i’m just , i don’t know , that’s just not for me.”

she nodded , perching on the edge of her bed. “why not?” it was an innocent question.

“i don’t stay in one place too long ever. i think summer camp is the only place i’ll stick around for longer than a few weeks,” you answered , sitting on your bed to face her. clothes were scattered around the both of you , but your eyes locked and it was all left behind. “ever since i ran away , i haven’t stopped to look back. there’s no reason. i travel the world and do my own thing. boys just drag ya down,” you think you explained it well enough.

“i think the right boy could lift you up , if you let him,” sarah philosophied with a sneaky smile, “on that note , i’m gonna go meet up with john b. i’ll see you at the party , y/n/n.”

you waved goodbye , watching her walk out the back door and skipping over to cabin eight. you took a deep breath , mulling over all of the options your friends had been giving you all day.

by yourself , you finished getting ready. to be completely honest , you didn’t know if you wanted to go as much anymore. it was dark , and you didn’t know your way through these woods enough to go alone. you could easily just cozy up in bed and read a book.

a knock at the door pulled you out of your thoughts. you rushed over , opening the wooden slab as you poked your earring through its hole. when the door opened , it revealed none other than rafe. “hey,” he greeted you , waiting for you to invite him in before he moved. he watched as you put another earring in.

“hi,” you replied , moving to the side to let him come in away from the bugs, “looking for sarah?”

he let out a chuckle , nodding his head. “yeah… she said she’d go on a beer run with me,” he explained , shoving his hands into his pockets after closing the door.

“she left for the lake , like , twenty minutes ago,” you grimaced , continuing to get ready while rafe stood in the cabin area. you shrugged on a crocheted cardigan and stood in front of him. “how do i look for my first party?”

his deep blue eyes scanned over your figure , taking their time to drink you in. your legs were exposed as you wore a pair of shorts you obviously cut yourself. the bralette-esque top sarah let you borrow covered hardly anything. the cardigan was your saving grace for any modicum of modesty. his fingers found his lips , rubbing them almost in an attempt to physically stop any nasty comments from flying out.

“you look real good , freshie,” rafe complimented you, “uh— i’ll let you get to the party. see ya,” he stammered out , reaching for the door handle.

“oh , well i can go with ya. since sarah ditched you,” you offered up , promptly getting him to stop opening the door. you don’t know what changed in the last minute for you to go from wanting to stay in for the night to wanting to join the camp whore on a beer run , but it was already offered.

“if you wanna. i mean , it’s just a beer run , so it shouldn’t take long,” rafe nodded, “i’ll have you back to your little pogues in no time.”

“you guys and your kooks and pogues,” you rolled your eyes , running back into your room to grab your phone and camera, “you do realize you’re all nobodies outside of that little island , right?” you questioned him , brushing past his body to slip out the door.

“you wouldn’t understand,” rafe sighed , following you outside before taking the lead to his truck.

“try me,” you pressed. you were walking passed everyone— going against the grain. you both waved to a few of the people who said hello first , and then your eyes lock on jj’s.

he was walking with pope and kiara , but his eyes were trained on your movements and who you were with. and you don’t know why , but your heart actually stung a little bit when you saw him tear his eyes away from you , going back to talking to his friends like nothing happened.

nothing did happen.

it’s a beer run with a fellow camp leader. big deal.

“so?” you nudged rafe with your elbow, “what’s this big thing between kooks and pogues my tiny mind just don’t understand!” you were being theatrical , and rafe chuckled a little bit before shoving you a little in the direction of his truck that came into view.

“it’s always been that way. the island was always the rich and the poor,” he began to explain, “but i think right now is the most polarized it’s ever been. i mean , we’re getting into fights all of the time. jj got arrested for sinking topper’s boat a couple of years ago! it’s all eye for an eye back home.”

rafe stopped to open the passenger door for you before moving around and climbing behind the wheel. you buckled up and looked at him. “you know that saying though?”

“hmm?” he hummed.

“if it’s always eye for an eye , eventually everyone is blind?” you mused , waiting for him to pick up on it.

“okay,” he rolled his eyes now, “you don’t get it.”

“no! hey , don’t pout,” you pointed at him when he focused more on the roads than the conversation , which usually you’d be grateful for a responsible driver , but you can only assume he usually isn’t. “it’s not me making fun of you as much as it is telling you there is a big , big world out there that doesn’t give a damn if your from the cut or the loop or whatever the fuck you call it.”

“figure eight,” he corrected you , fixing his pouty lips into a smile as he glanced at you again.

“whatever— do you have a fake? if not , i do , so we can get the beers,” you changed the subject.

and he laughed at you. “baby , i don’t need a fake id.”

“oh , well , okay. how old are you?” you stuttered at the nickname. what was with this man and terms of endearment?

“twenty-three.” he leaned over and gave you the biggest , toothiest smile.

“old man,” you scoffed , pushing his head away from you, “you should be old enough to realize that—“

“that the stupid generational rivalry is pointless. yeah , yeah,” he finished for you, “just let me buy you some drinks for the party and be happy about it,” he joked.

“oh , i don’t drink,” you shook your head.

that’s what got him to look at you fully. “shit— sorry , i didn’t mean to offend you. it’s just , i don’t know , you offered to come with me , so i guess i just assumed,” he rambled off as you started giggling.

his brows furrowed in confusion , not understanding what was funny or why you were laughing at him. “i’m kidding , ray,” you laughed , patting his head gently, “of course i drink. why else would i have a fake , doofus?”

with the relief that you weren’t actually making fun of him , rafe was able to laugh along with you. he did take notice of the nickname you gave him , though. “ray,” he whispered.

“like sunshine , ya know? it’s an oxymoron,” you explained, “and it could easily be an actual nickname for you , so it’s perfect.”

“ray like sunshine,” rafe echoed with a nod, “how exactly is that an oxymoron?”

you looked at him with a sly smile. “you’re not exactly cheery.”

“uh uh!” he argued back, “i can be cheery as fuck!”

you let out a belly laugh , tilting your head back , and rafe thinks he’s met his maker when you do. “i would looooove to see you be anything but flirty with me or grouchy with sarah. truly , i’d enjoy it,” you remarked , shifting your seat a little.

“there’s a lot you haven’t seen from me yet,” rafe remarked , proving your point of only ever being cheeky or grumpy.

“exhibit a,” you pointed, “i’m gonna start keeping count.” the two of you chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot ( of what you assume is ) the closest liquor store to camp.

“c’mon , honey. you’re mrs. rafe cameron if anyone asks,” he included you in his little scheme as if it was a necessity to this beer run. he hopped out of the truck , opening your door once again for you to slide out and land on the ground. “after you,” he smiled , opening the business’ door.

“okay , my ray of sunshine husband,” you playfully scrunch your nose , walking into the store. he was already trying to be ‘sunshiney’ after your comment.

you paused when you stepped in , waiting for rafe to drag you through the store as you’d never been. “follow me,” he simply said , grabbing your hand like he’d done it all his life , like you weren’t two total strangers. it was that moment that made you realize you were starting to break your own rules. well , maybe you didn’t realize it realize it , but in the back of your head? you did.

he lead the way to the back cooler , stepping inside and grabbing a case of beer and one of the seltzers. “you want anything specific?” he looked over to you , seeing you standing in the door way , holding yourself tight at the temperature change. “c’mere,” he gestured to himself and opened his arm.

despite yourself , you moved quickly to him and snuggled into his side. his hand ran up and down your arm , trying to warm you up. “grab whatever you want , and we’ll get outta here.”

your hand reached for a case of ciders , but you paused to look up at him for approval. he nodded and grabbed it before you could and ushered you out of the cooler.

“id please,” the cashier spoke monotonously , looking at you and rafe like you were idiots.

“marco , i literally come here every year. we have this conversation every year,” rafe groaned , digging in his pocket for his wallet.

“and up until two years ago , you were just another jessamine shit head underage drinking,” marco joked , nodding to you, “id , hon.”

“oh—“ you started , but rafe cut you off.

“hey , she’s good,” he nodded , sending marco a message you couldn’t quite read yet, “mrs. cameron isn’t old enough yet. she’s just along for the ride. right , baby?” he continued with his lie , wrapping his arm around you again and squeezing you tight.

marco rolled his eyes , knowing rafe was going to slip him a crisp if he just processed the purchase. “have a good night , y’all,” he grumbled. you muttered a small reply , waving meekly as rafe set a hundred dollar bill on the counter. he tapped it once before grabbing the cases of drinks.

you held the door open for him this time , seeing as his arms were full. “m’lady,” you jested , even bowing before him as he walked through the exit with a scoff.

“shut up,” he chuckled , shaking his head. he set the drinks in the back seat and opened your door. “git on up,” he tapped your back before closing the door— only after making sure nothing of yours was in the way.

rafe wasn’t too sure why he was being all gentlemanly with you. maybe it was because he wanted to prove you wrong when you said he was just a flirt or a grouch. maybe it’s the way you were someone that didn’t know him yet , and he could be someone else for once.

hell , wasn’t that what summer was for?

the drive back was calm. you and rafe just chatted , asking each other questions and really listening to the other one’s answers.

you couldn’t help but think to yourself that maybe everyone else had got it wrong. rafe had depth. you listened to the way he talked about his work , his aspirations , his ideologies. he wasn’t just some camp whore you were so easily labeling him earlier.

“you know what , hubby?” you hummed , hand out the window , surfing the air. your head was rested against the seat , but you turn to look at him with a smile on your face.

“what ever is on your mind , dear?” he replied , goofy smile matching yours as did his tone. the ongoing joke between you two made you giggle before continuing.

“i think you might be one of the most complex people i have ever met,” you confessed genuinely , sweetly almost. and like it wasn’t the best , most heartfelt compliment anyone had ever given rafe , you turned forward again , closing your eyes to just feel the wind passing you by.

rafe held back a grin to himself , mimicking you and just focusing on the road to give you a quiet rest of the ride back. the peaceful kind of quiet rafe didn’t even believe existed.

a/n here it is! please let me know if you hate it or love it or have ideas!!! also: tea me posting this earlier than i expected:)

taglist @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @viennafantasies @cnnamongrl @embersfae @enchantingexile @urbrunettebombshell @wearemadeofstardust0 @psychicnatural @ecstqzy @ssqra @st4rkeyl0ver @shincidios @xoxo-ada @lmaolmaos @lilyhyperfixates @courta13

[wingedjellyfishflight]

Harem in Reverse

"You're soon to be 26, Your Royal Highness. You must put together your harem soon or risk being married off to whomever the regent chooses for you." You sigh, nodding in agreement. Choosing a direct husband would be against the rules, and frankly, you weren't interested in interviewing for the perfect man. Choosing many for their adherence to various qualities, though. That would be a good choice. "Shall I put forth a call for certain attributes? Strong arms? Large chest? Impressive intellect?"

"No, I want to review the troops this week. I will find my consorts among the best our nation has to offer." The advisor looks stunned.

"Your Royal Highness, those are rough men. They do not have the breeding or training to handle you gently as a consort should. They are-."

"Advisor Williams, I know what attributes I am looking for. Schedule me to review the best of the troops, then. If none catch my eye, then I will consider others." The advisor nods, frustrated at not being heeded, but knowing they must follow a direct order.

The following week, you are almost nervous while getting ready, the beginning of butterflies in your stomach. If you weren't so tired, you're sure it would be worse, but the night before was yet another attempt on your life. They are becoming more frequent and more violent now.

Sighing, you hurry to the courtyard where your mount, Rosebud, is waiting. A gift that you feel had been meant to be another threat on your life. The mount was no ordinary horse or pony. Instead, it was the largest draft mule you had ever seen. If you had treated him like a horse, you're sure the thing would have stomped within minutes. He was a vain creature who had to be sweet-talked and treated with utmost respect before he would agree to do much of anything. He was covered in whip and spur scars, telling anyone that he was difficult to force submission from, despite their best efforts. Not that you thought anyone could force an animal born of a mammoth jack donkey and a Shire horse to submit physically. You loved each and every scar, the signs of his stubborn nature on display for all to see.

"Hello, sweet boy." You greet him and let him snuffle you over, waving off the over eager stable hand. "May I ride you today? I am to inspect the troops." He blows a huff of air and turns his head away. You slide your hand along his proud neck and across his withers to the saddle. Checking it over, you deem it done well enough and climb on his back. Your legs spread wide across his broad barrel. Your advisors turn away, knowing that you will refuse their most strident pleas to ride sidesaddle.

"Let us inspect the troops." With that, the company is off at a quick walk to the parade grounds. Your group of advisors and the personal guard that you only marginally trust join the General and his entourage at the front of the formation. You strongly dislike the General. He is somehow the worst mix of ass kissing and condescending.

"The army is excited to be inspected this morning, Your Royal Highness." You barely manage to cover your snort. There is no way they are happy to be here standing in the sun to be inspected on your whim. You move from company to company, looking over the men and pointing out individuals to be inspected, but seeing none you would consider as consort. Reaching the special forces, the rabid dogs as your advisors refer to them, the General is incensed to see that the leader of one is missing.

"Where is the Captain? This is not an optional inspection!"

A man steps forward, "He was injured in a skirmish this week and is still confined to the hospital, General Argus." Looking over the group, you see several still sport bandages and healing abrasions. You nudge your mount closer, his ears perked forward in a match to your curiosity. The General apologizes to you for the disrespect of the men for not appearing but is cut off.

"Your Royal Highness. Escaping the hospital took longer than predicted. For that, I sincerely apologize." You turn, seeing a man limping toward the formation at a quick pace. This must be the Captain. As he falls in, you dismount your mule, resting your hand on his broad neck. Your personal guard hurriedly surrounds you, standing much too close. Rosebud takes exception to being crowded, ears flattening against his head. He strikes out like a snake. His teeth click just shy of the nearest man, who stumbles back yelling and unsheathes a sword. Without a thought, you draw your own ceremonial dagger.

"Touch one hair on Rosebud, and I will gut you." Everyone around you freezes before slowly backing away. "I will not be crowded by your incompetent forms when I am here to inspect the troops." They retreat from your anger, not wanting to risk you calling for their death. Rosebud drops his head, relaxing, and you absentmindedly rub his long ear the way he loves. His lip twitches and his eyes half close for a moment before he pulls away. You step forward, and Rosebud matches your pace, keeping his shoulder just behind yours. It took months to build up a relationship with him, and now he is putty in your hands most days.

An advisor tries to signal you to stay back, but you ignore them, your eyes on the men, looking for the best of them. You memorize the name of the Captain and another likely candidate, signaling Advisor Williams to your side. He groans but carefully walks to you, eyes locked on the increased alertness of Rosebud.

"I will have an audience with this Captain Price and Colonel König. As soon as the men are dismissed. In private." You walk forward and give a cursory inspection to the man who had spoken on the Captain's behalf. His uniform is impeccable, you are happy to see. You don't want them punished on your behalf. The smirk on his face beneath his mask sends a thrill through you. Another man who is not cowed by your station. That is important in advisors. Lieutenant Riley, his uniform says. You nod and mount Rosebud again, rejoining the pack of advisors to inspect the remaining troops. No others catch your eye.

Walking into your State room, you signal for everyone except the two soldiers to leave. While unusual, they are compelled to do so by your haughty glares and Advisor Williams guiding them away, barring the doors behind him and standing guard. Sitting in your throne, you drag your eyes over the men. Colonel König is wearing his customary face covering, and Captain Price has the cover he is well-known for in his hands.

"I have a proposal for you both that I want you to carefully consider. This proposal will not be spoken of again if you decline and it will not leave this room." The men perk up, and you see heat in their eyes as they consider one of the possibilities of your words. "I need advisors who are not advisors." That throws them off, and you see the Colonel shift uneasily. "These advisors would be the closest of any man or woman to me. They would teach and protect me with their very lives. My life is under threat and has been since the King and Queen died, my uncle taking over as Regent. I need advisors who will help me oust him and take my rightful place on the throne without contest and without raising his suspicions. Thus, I need men who will join my harem." You pause, savoring the way their faces change as they process this.

"Your Royal Highness, are you asking us to find you men to join your harem? That is most unusual, but we will do our best." You shake your head at Captain Price.

"Yes, but not in the way you are thinking. I am asking the two of you to join my harem and to advise me on the best men to round out such a harem. To be advisors and leaders in removing the despot from his fake throne. To be my lovers, spoiled in every way and to guard me from all attempts on my life. I want you both, and I trust you to choose others and to bring them to me for approval. If you decline this position, we shall never speak on it again."

"Yes, I would be honored to be chosen for your harem, Your Royal Highness." Colonel König does not hesitate to agree. He feels he has loved you from afar for years, and this is an opportunity he will not squander.

"I would be as well, Your Royal Highness." Captain Price is confident that declining now would be a mistake, and he is not a man prone to mistakes. "I have a few men in mind that would be good additions. They are a bit of a package deal." You nod, expecting as much.

"Their names?"

"John MacTavish, Simon Riley and Kyle Garrick, Your Royal Highness."

"I have two in mind that would be good choices as well. Hiro Watanabe and Kim Hong-jin. They are foreign, but good, loyal and strong men, Your Royal Highness."

The smile you bestow them with is almost a surprise to the men. "Then, I wish for you to gather your men and their belongings. You will join me tonight, my consorts."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness." The men bow and leave, stunned at the way this meeting has gone. You order Advisor Williams to prepare the harem quarters and pack your own belongings secretly. It would be folly to live apart from the men who will be your new private guard and you would be lying if you weren't excited to see under those perfectly done uniforms.

[thissying]

"A wunderkind," said Niki Lauda when Limburger Max Verstappen (18) won his first Grand Prix in Spain on Sunday. Her wunderkind, thought Sophie Kumpen (41), at home in Maaseik in front of the television. Two hours later the phone rang: "Wow. Mom. Actually unbelievable, huh."

21 May, 2016

Sophie was at home on Sunday when it happened. All alone, on a chair, in front of the television. "I've been in the pit box at enough races to know: I actually prefer to watch in the living room. You can't see it better anywhere else than on television. I have a fixed ritual for it. A candle on the table. Smartphone in hand. And that chair." (points to one of the dining room chairs)

"Of course, if I had known in advance that Max would win his first Grand Prix, I would have gone along. During those last two corners I was sitting in my chair cheering. When Max crossed the finish line, I cried. I didn't even cry at his birth. They were tears of relief, I think. He was finally able to show what I always knew he could do."

What role does genetics play? So far unclear. But this much is certain: if Max drove the competition away on Sunday - and was also a bit lucky with two top drivers dropping out - it was mainly a matter of years of training. "Max has been working towards this for fourteen years. He was four when he started karting. Jos and I practically lived on the circuit at that time. People sometimes think that we pushed Max. That's not true. It came from him. Once that happened, there was no stopping him. And honestly? I understand that. It was the same for me. That kick. That adrenaline. That quickly becomes addictive."

Sophie once lived in the same world as Max does today. She was successful in karting, and Jos had made it in F1. The couple lived in Monaco and bathed in wealth. But the divorce, in 2006, turned that life upside down. Max was eight, his sister Victoria six. It was decided: Max would stay with Jos, Victoria with Sophie. And while Jos focused on his son's career, Sophie looked for a job in Maaseik.

"A very difficult time," says Sophie. "I didn't see Max a lot then. He quickly started to achieve international success and he was abroad a lot with his father. I found that incredibly difficult. But I also knew: if we really wanted to pursue Max's big dream, he would be better off with Jos. I had to flip a switch for that. There were many nights when I lay in bed crying. Out of sadness, for the child I missed so much. I really had to let go of Max. I was often very afraid that I would lose him. Now that he is eighteen, I have the feeling that all that is changing. He visits me more often, shows up unexpectedly at the door more often. 'Mum, let's go shopping in Hasselt.' Max recently had to get his driver's license. He had to drive for a few days with a supervisor. He said: 'I want to do that with you, mum.' I am increasingly getting my place as a mum back. That feels really good."

"The contact with Jos is finally better again, too. Everything has fallen into place: Jos has remarried and I am also doing well. When Max won on Sunday, Jos called me from Barcelona. However, we hardly ever call each other. But at a moment like that you know: this is our child. And then it is nice to be able to share that emotion with each other and to be able to cry together. I am glad we had that phone call. It felt good to be able to do that. For Max as well."

"After the divorce, I started working for the OCMW [social welfare centre]. I believe that things in life happen for a reason. I see a lot of poverty. I see the underclass of society. I think it's good that I can show Max that. We talk about it. I want him to know that there is another world than his. That's good to keep his feet on the ground. As a mother, I'm sometimes afraid that he'll start to float. I think it's my job to prevent that. I often say: 'Max, don't get too big for your boots, boy. Be nice to people, be nice to the fans. If there are twenty fans, don't sign five, but twenty autographs.' Max knows that, how important that is. And he does that with a smile. Deep down he is very down to earth. Max is a very down-to-earth guy, actually. He now has a Swedish girlfriend - someone who also races. When those two visit: it is really very relaxed. Something to eat, a game of cards, a chat. Max really likes 'normal'. He recently got a sponsorship contract with Puma. He said: 'Mum, then I'll get a new pair of shoes!' I thought that was nice of him. That he could be as happy as a child with a new pair of shoes."

It's been a madhouse since Sunday. Both in Monaco and in Maaseik. "Even I've been overwhelmed all week. I've received 1,500 Facebook requests. The phone didn't stop ringing. Journalists called from America. It really can stop now. Just because Max has won once, doesn't mean he'll keep winning. We all have to stay level-headed about that. Things have been going really well for Max for a year and a half now. There will be a dip at some point. We better prepare for that. I always impress that on Max. 'Think carefully and enjoy it, because it could all be over tomorrow.' He then says: 'Yes, mum, I know.'"

It can never end more suddenly than with a crash. Last year Max came close to that. It happened in Monaco. His car: straight into the tire barrier. Sophie was watching. "I remember thinking: please, get out of that car. And he did get out of that car - unharmed. Maybe that won't happen one day. Or he will be seriously injured. From the moment your child puts on a helmet, you know that it can go wrong. Look at Jules Bianchi, last year. That crash was so hard that he was brain dead. They had to pull the plug. We talk about that. What if something like that ever happens to Max? At least we'll know that it happened while he was doing what he loved to do."

"When I light candles, that is why. So that everything goes well. But you do take into account that it could be different every time. I find the start especially difficult. After two or three laps that improves. When they're all driving behind each other. Should I tell Max that he's not allowed to race? That wouldn't be fair. I've done circuits myself. So who am I to stop my son? Fortunately I know: Formula 1 has become increasingly safer in recent years. Less and less can go wrong."

Sophie - an interior designer by education - was 21 when she said goodbye to top-level sport. "Jos and I saw each other so little that I chose my marriage . Now I sometimes think: 'What if?' When I chose Jos, I said 'no' to a top offer from Formula Opel Lotus. What if I had said 'yes'? I was good at the time. Although I also know: then I wouldn't have had Max and Victoria. The dream that I had to put aside myself, Max is now realizing in my place. That feels good. The sacrifices were not in vain. Because sacrifices: we all made them. Victoria too. Our whole life has been about Max. Sometimes I feel bad for Victoria. I can feel quite guilty about that. It must not have always been easy for Victoria to stand in the shadow of her brother. My daughter works in haircare now. Two weeks ago she put highlights on me. She is one of the best in her class. I am incredibly proud of her - just as proud as I am of Max. But sometimes it gnaws at me: Victoria was very good at karting as a child. What if Jos had invested as much in her as in Max? She could have gone very far, because I think she is better than me. I would have thought it was fantastic. If a woman does well in motorsport, that is still more impressive than when a man does it. Only, it turned out differently. And now that she is sixteen, it doesn't have to be that way for her anymore. She is happy the way she is. People often ask her why she is not like her brother. But then I think: let her be herself."

"Especially now that Max is getting older, he realizes those things. He knows that his sister sacrificed everything for him. They get along very well. Max will always take care of Victoria - a mother senses those things. They once made an appointment, laughing. Victoria had wanted a Louis Vuitton handbag for a long time. 'But I won't get one from mom,' she had told Max. And so Max said: 'When I score my first points in F1, you'll get one.' The day Max scored those points, he took Victoria into Düsseldorf. They bought the bag together. Victoria has been lugging her Vuitton everywhere ever since. That makes Max happy, I can see that. The bag has emotional value for him too: it symbolizes those first points."

She: employee at the OCMW. Her son: 'rising star' in Monaco. "Does Max earn a lot of money? A lot, yes. But he has a manager, who helps him manage that. That's good. Max recently missed his plane. He immediately booked a new ticket. I, with my salary, wouldn't be able to do that. But I'm glad he can, and still manages to be careful with his money. On Mother's Day, he suddenly showed up at the door. He had a surprise. He knew I was looking for a new small car. He took me to the dealership that day and bought me a car. He said: 'Mum, for everything you've done for me.' I can see him doing that for his sister someday. She recently wanted to see him drive in Bahrain. Then he said: 'Your ticket is ready, sister.' It's nice that he does that. He doesn't have to. But it's his way of giving something back." On Thursday, Max was on Belgian soil for 24 hours: the moment when Sophie could finally hold him. "I asked: Max, you're coming, aren't you? He said: 'Of course, mom. Will you cook me something nice?' I made carpaccio, a salad and some pasta. And for dessert: his guilty pleasure. Top sports always means dieting, but what is one Kinder chocolate? There are always some in the cupboard for him."

Next week Max faces his next challenge: the Monaco Grand Prix. Sophie is going to watch and is bringing a few family members along - motorsport is in the Kumpens' blood, Sophie is the niece of racer Anthony Kumpen. "Max sets the bar high. He crashed in Monaco last year. There was criticism about that. 'Wasn't he too young?' He thinks he has something to prove now. And I know: he doesn't necessarily need his mother for that. But I do enjoy being there for him."

"And. Uh. It gives me the chance to also go and see his apartment. I decorated it at the time. Going to have a look. Whether that young man of eighteen hasn't made a mess of it." (laughs)

[hazzabeeforlou]

i had a question and i hope that it doesn’t sound rude. do you feel ashamed being in the fandom and being a shipper at 32? i ask because i am 27, and have been in the fandom since 2012, off and on. i haven’t rly been in it actively for the last two years or so, but when i want to come back, i feel embarrassed. i also don’t think i could handle the stress of it tbh! lol. i hope you are well <3

I was going to answer this yesterday but then remembered I had a 7 hour drive today and didn’t want to stay up later than I already was. Because I’m an adult, with (now one) previous multiple jobs, a pet, rent, vehicle, three post high school diplomas, and student loans, and there are many things in my life I get ashamed of, like when I answer “you too” when a cashier tells me thanks for shopping or when I let a whole bag of celery go bad in my fridge without ever cleaning or eating it. Shame? At my tax dollars funding death weapons and family members voting for strong men? Sure. Latent homophobic internalized shame from my upbringing? Yeah, sometimes.

But life is too fucking short to be embarrassed or hold shame about a FANDOM. Listen, I “ship” Johnlock, or Merthur, but Larry wasn’t a ship for me it was a discovery of queer joy. Like I’m so sorry but baby Larry was real. 100%, actually, seriously legit, like how else do you fucking explain any or all of that. We watched two boys fall in love with each other and okay we don’t know the devil or the details but we have how many albums and interviews, jokes made by media personalities etc, plus the fact that now, this many years later, their solo stuff is still haunted by a nauseating back and forth, these odd lyrical choices that are echoed in the other?

Yeah it’s not a ship. It’s a thing that happened, that we witnessed, and by virtue of it happening and us witnessing it something about gay love became dreamable, reachable, attainable, soft and puppy and exciting and wild. Their secret sign language and mimed blow jobs and jealous looks and touches when they thought there were no cameras, all those things made queerness not just something you saw on Glee. Not just something your parents talked about while wrinkling their nose up about ‘those people.’ It’s a generational thing, the world has moved on, we don’t NEED Larry anymore. And that’s okay. But we don’t need it because it happened. Not to be a brat but you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.

And yeah, we wrote fics about highly characterized and publicized versions of Larry, often inserting our own traumas or fantasies, creating a kind of gay mythos around this witnessed event from the periphery, from the lens of the consumer, the only lens we have. But I’m not ashamed of that. You think stories are only ever written about people that don’t exist? At some point you have to acknowledge that in our world, celebrities are the deities of our popular imagination. I could write a thesis, but before I get into the weeds, suffice to say Harry and Louis have created a world of what can be, unburdened by what has been.

Yk? Anyways. Hope this made you feel better. And hope you come back to visit from time to time. I’ll be here.

[causenessus]

love notes

part 0.3. RINNIE POO

"they don't love you like i love you."

from maps by yeah yeah yeahs, left in aichi, japan

drinking "a little" had turned into a lot, although that didn't come as a surprise to anyone. 

osamu had brought plenty of soju from onigiri miya but in case it hadn’t been enough for the nine of them–or more like since at least three of them planned to get blackout drunk–atsumu and oikawa had shown up with even more.

omi was satisfied with one cup he hadn't even finished, listening and talking to a slightly more tipsy akaashi who was ranting about the stupidity of some of his most recent assignments. kenma was nowhere to be seen; he had decided after a couple drinks that it was time for him to go back home, and she couldn’t blame him.

bokuto, oikawa, and the twins were the rowdiest bunch and by far the ones who had collectively already finished off six bottles, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. she had drunk slightly more than she intended to, but she wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the four boys who were practically falling onto each other. 

at some point, she had slipped out of her chair onto the concrete below and suna had ended up there too, both of them maintaining that they were only slightly tipsy.

only slightly tipsy, but tipsy enough to make bold moves, on both of their parts. she had stretched out her legs in front of her, close to the warm fire osamu and bokuto had taken nearly an hour to get started. but it had been worth it, she supposed. perhaps she also shouldn’t have worn shorts in the middle of fall, but it made the heat of the fire feel all the more better. she watched the flames flicker and leap out as if trying to escape the barriers confining it to a pit. she had been so mesmerized by it she almost didn’t notice the hand wrapping around her legs, just under the back of her knees.

she tore her gaze away from the blaze to watch his arm pull her legs up and over onto his own. “you’re too close to the fire,” he mumbled. his hand still rested on her legs after he had moved them, and she didn’t mind his touch. instead, she took her own opportunity to be gutsy, letting her head and upper body lean against him while he began to trace circles over her skin.

at some point she’d run a hand up into his hair, tracing her own patterns lightly onto the back of his head. he responded to her touch, letting his head fall back and eyes close while she continued to stare at the ground, vision blurred and unfocused.

slowly, she tuned into the slurred, noisy conversation of the boys beside her.

“ushiwaka wasn’t even that bad, y’know, ya just had to get used to his big left hand,” atsumu’s voice is the first she hears before it’s followed by a snarky laugh from oikawa.

“oh sure, maybe for your team and loud-ass band. but not everyone’s ego relies on a stupid hand motion to make them go silent. there's no one we hated more than shiratorizawa but it’s not like we ever told anyone to boo them.”

“okay well…maybe that was the difference between your team and ours,” osamu argues

“despite my ‘stupid hand motion’ we still beat his team,” atsumu follows up, “and we had sunarin to match their crazy red-head blocker. and kita.” the mention of their old captain makes both the twins sigh, “man, he really saved our asses, didn’t he? we had a good team.”

she turns her head up slightly to look at suna, not even bothering to hide the fact that she's admiring him, “y’know, i never realized you volleyball players paid so much attention to each other. it’s cute.”

he’s still leaning back into her touch, her hand still in his hair, but he opens his eyes, looking at her from the corner of them with a smile on his face, somewhere between amused and curious, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“do you have anyone you hate?” she asks, giving him an innocent smile back.

he looks forward again, thinking for a moment before answering, “hm, probably that one kid with the swim goggles. you were there, right? our second year, during the spring high tournament? he was all lanky and annoying, wore an orange uniform…i hated tendou too, just too much energy for me.”

she sees atsumu lean forward in his chair from her peripheral. “tendou! that’s what his name was. you just hated him because he could keep up with you~”

when suna scoffs, she feels the way her skin pricks up at the sound. she can’t stop staring at him; it's been that way since the first day she saw him, and the thought sends blood rushing into her cheeks. “no he couldn’t,” suna retorts and her face only gets warmer when his eyes slide back to her once more. “you were there for our games, always had your little camera on me. could he keep up with me?”

the words get stuck in her throat and her heart skips a beat when he mentions her camera. she’s embarrassed he noticed how often she took pictures of him, and it makes her want to cover her face with her hands, being under his gaze. but before she can think of a response, she’s saved by a hand ruffling the top of her hair and she looks up to see someone standing above her, “omi?”

“it’s time to go home, it’s getting late,” he says, stepping back so that she has room to stand up.

“where’s akaashi?” she asks, slowly getting up and stretching her arms, suna following her shortly after.

“went home,” omi answers, “he didn't drink that much, so he’ll be fine, but i’m more worried about you two.”

“what about the alcoholics?” she giggles when atsumu’s head immediately perks up.

“who ya calling an alcoholic?? we’re not drunk,” he professes, but his slurred words betray him.

omi rolls his eyes at the blond’s response, “i’ll come back for them. i wanted you guys to get home first since i can’t manage all of you at once. and if one of them goes missing while i’m gone…good riddance.”

“we can’t do that!” she laughs, “bokuto’s too good for the world…and i need osamu, he’s my boss. but I guess you're right. if the other two disappeared...well, it would be okay.”

she sees the way atsumu’s brow twitches. “hey! we’re important too,” he yells, waving a hand that’s intertwined with one of oikawa's, whose nodding in agreement profusely.

“okay fine. then all of you get up,” omi orders, watching the group of boys freeze, sharing a look of concern.

it takes several seconds for all of them to successfully get out of their chairs without falling back again, and bokuto and oikawa stay holding onto each other to remain upright. she ends up linking arms with suna while omi leads the way, and he doesn’t seem to mind.

their dorm is closer than hers and they walk there first, all four of the drunkards stumbling through the doorway and collapsing onto their couch or floor as soon as they open the door.

omi gives atsumu–one of the boy’s whose opted for the floor–a pointed look and kicks him lightly, “at least get to your room. get off the floor. you’re disgusting.”

“then you’ll have to help me,” atsumu whines, turning his head to look up at his captain.

omi clicks his tongue, practically glaring at the blond before looking back toward her and suna, the both of them waiting patiently by the door for omi's instructions. he frowns at them like he’s thinking something through before he speaks, “maybe i should’ve dropped you off first, y/n. i don’t think it's a good idea to leave all five of these dumbasses alone when they’re so wasted. right now or overnight.”

“i can walk her home. i’ll keep her safe,” suna’s quick to respond and his words make her heart beat faster, but she tries to blame it on the alcohol. maybe it’s making her more sensitive to everything he says.

omi seems to ponder it for a second before he sighs, “you sure you guys can get there safely?” she nods vigorously along with suna, the both of them looking like toddlers being trusted to go play outside. “take out your phones,” he orders, and they’re quick to follow his command.

“i'll make a group chat between us three and kenma. text it if you guys need help, and one of you let me know when you get home, got it?”

“got it!” she chirps, suddenly feeling energetic. “thank you for letting us go, omi!”

he only nods with another sigh, running a hand through his hair as he turns back to look at the mess of knocked-out bodies in front of him while they close the door behind them.

the walk to her home is short and peacefully quiet, but as they cross a street, she feels him link fingers with her, keeping her from walking off too far. only their pinkies are wrapped together, but she looks at him with a surprised smile that he returns before they walk down the sidewalk, swinging their connected arms back and forth dramatically.

kenma opens the door for them when they arrive, his switch in one hand and a raised brow as suna follows her inside. “i’m going back to my room, text me if you need something,” kenma tells her before quietly disappearing around the corner.

both her and suna collapse into chairs at the kitchen island, a pulsing ache slowly starting to take over the initial buzz of alcohol in her head.

“i should head back,” suna speaks up after a brief break.

her heart drops at the sentence. for some reason, him leaving right now feels like the end of the world, “it’s late, you can stay here–in my room or on the couch. it’ll probably be easier so that omi has less to handle, anyway.”

he weighs his options for a beat before looking at her, “if you don’t mind, that’d be nice.”

“of course,” she smiles, holding his gaze, “you’re always welcome here.”

“thanks,” he returns the smile, “i can sleep on the couch.”

she tries not to let the disappointment she feels show on her face. it’s not that she wanted to sleep with him, but just sharing a room and having him there with her during the night would’ve been enough. but she doesn’t dwell on the thought. she was getting her own hopes up, taking his good nature for something it wasn’t. just because he walked her home didn’t mean he returned her feelings; any good friend would do that. she stands up from her chair, his eyes following her, “sounds good, i’ll get you a pillow and blanket and let omi know.”

prev. | m.list | next

extras <3

kenma and y/n have a very close sibling dynamic in which they fight with each other all the time but are also always secretly there if the other needs help <3

osamu and y/n were hanging out at a park putting together a plan for everyone to meet up before texting the gc to see if everyone could make it

when they were in highschool (this will also appear later lmaoo), atsumu also asked y/n to pretend to be his girlfriend because he was having problems with his girlfriend at the time and although he could've asked someone else, he did it to try and get y/n to fall for him

everyone minus atsumu and osamu pitched in to buy a quick cake and gift for the twins <3 y/n and omi both also already had aditional gifts for them because they knew the twins' birthday was coming up

while osamu and bokuto were trying to get the fire started, they accidentally set fire to a spot of grass on the ground and oikawa screamed before omi stomped it out

when y/n went to get suna a pillow she barged into kenma's room and was like "he doesn't want to sleep in my room 😭😭😭" and kenma's was just "😐😐"

I THINK EVERY DRUNK PERSON IS DIFFERENT and i just didn't feel like trying to make intentional typos or anything in yn's tipsy texts bc it felt like it'd be too much so i'm sorry 🙏

me taking every chance i get to call tsukki's sport glasses swim goggles <3

thank u to @eggyrocks once again for influencing my music taste

taglist: @0moonii @iluvmang @bluebeanbee @wyrcan @oyasumeii @froyaoya @gyuijns @nbcvs @milkteade @guitarstringed-scars @makkir0ll @mylahrins @cherrypieyourface @vivian-555 @sharkerino @r0seandth0rns @staileykout @lunavixia @thvvluvr @elliott0o0 @wolffmaiden @rockleeisbaeeee @toges-cough-syrup @cnnmairoll @ryeyeyer @hibernatinghamster @localgaytrainwreck @lemonocity @bows4life @sereniteav @madiexuberant @eclecticeggknightpsychic @phoenix-eclipses @sonicsolos @httpakkeiji @brkfclub @snail-squasher @starry-magicshop @cr4yolaas @kitnootkat @zzzlevislothzzz @iluv-ace @iluvaquaphor @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @applepi25 @twiishaa @girlkissersco @sleepystrwbrryy @encrypta

[dark-l-angel]

i’m pretty sure you’re open to requests but idk if u write for damian, if you don’t then js disregard this.

i’m gonna ask for an older damian wayne and a stark heiress (if you don’t do marvel then js a regular company heiress) where basically their families (wayne and stark respectively) have hated each other for decades so when ever the stark heiress and damian each move in with their new families they were taught to hate each other. their literally rivals in everything, vigilantism, academics, business. but something happens (idk forced proximity or something) where they both realize their not as bad as they originally thought

please and thank you 🙏🏽

Omg babe <3 loving the idea already 😍 i had fun writing this ❤

Thx for requesting by the way.. besides i got no problem to write for our little husband or any character that comes to mind so here you go..

Cat & mouse

Adult heir!Damian wayne x rival heiress!reader "rivals to lovers"

You've been the heiress of the stark family "a big family with high reputation for it's companies " so basically your name was always representing the great management, leading personality, confidence, settingp perfect deals, alongside the mesmerizing beauty, the intelligence and the genuineness since your childhood.. a perfect person for the heir as your family used to say stuff that made your cousins always jealous of you.

The problem is that, you guys have a rival.. wayne enterprises.. the wayne family have been always a sign of bad luck.. so your family would grew it's generations up on hating them.. which was the same for the wayne family as well

Not mentioning a specific heir to the wayne enterprises.. Damian wayne

He was known to be strict, unfriendly, serious and always has an intimidating aura that surrounded him.. the type that doesn't make any move unless if he knows that he's going to benefit out of it..

You both met multiple times in your childhood in some rich families/public events like weddings/galas/charity.. etc and it's visible to anyone that there's an electric sparks whenever your eyes land on each other.

Especially since you've notice how the society love him.. you have promised yourself to beat him, to the point where he'd look up to you

And here you are in your fancy office remembering all that hard work you did in order to reach this place you're in rn

The news screams your name as for the society's favorite celebrity. The social media keep publishing you as a sign of success and hard work.

But as for your rival..

You both had an event to attend.. after years of not seeing him face to face, a whole day of being in the same place with that cocky bitch ugh what a day. sorry, you & I & everyone love him 😭

So you finally got to the event.. all nice ready, sexy beautiful and dressed up.

You noticed damian wayne there.. not the same annoying thing he was.. but a mature sexy grown man talking to other guests with a winning smile.. all dressed in a black tuxedo, smooth hair slicked back, the way his veiny hand is holding that goddamn champagne glass.. had those manly features, sharp green eyes with that charming smile of his.. and oop!

His eyes met yours.. boy catched you staring at him like you're ab to devour him with your eyes. You immediately tried to ignore him, before he lick his lips and gave you a smirk. You rolled your eyes and turned back to continue talking to the guests around..

Thats was before you get bored and tired.. 4 hrs before the event end.. "*sigh* what a day, and i thought something interesting would happen.. guess I'll go home pretending sickness or excuse myself with important meetings" you mumbled to yourself before entering the elevator while texting your bff about the event.

You noticed someone else entered behind you.. whole you still at your phone not paying any attention to your surroundings.. you were about to press the button when the other person's hand land on yours.. "going somewhere princess?" you lift your eyes from your phone to meet that someone.. yes bebe..

It was damian wayne himself. aww i can imagine the expression he'll make.. omg my heart can't take this 😩 💓💘.

The elevator was large enough for a fancy luxurious place..

But DAMIAN?! was right behind you.. almost cornering you.

You promise you were able to hear your heart beat due to the silence that had fallen between you two

Him smirking down on you, and you were flustered and blushing at the same time.. but you immediately got your composure back while he stepped away from you

The awkward silence that had fallen for minutes while the elevator was going down.. gosh it took so long his manly cologne started dominating the air. While you tried to look outside the window in order to avoid him..

"You seemed so desperate to talk to me earlier. Thought i might give you a chance now.. did you lose hope?".. he said as he was eying you from behind.. a slender tall figure.. with that dress hugging your sexy curves..

"No.. i wasn't even staring at you.. i thought that ms.*a woman was speaking to him when he catched you staring at him 😂* had some plastic surgeries.. i didn't recognize her. That's all"

"So you weren't staring at me in the first place? Didn't catch your eye? Not handsome enough to you?"

"No its not like that.. i mean you look pretty nice tonight.."

He smirked

You rolled your eyes and let a laugh out.

"Heard about your company and your success recently.. pretty smart brain you got over there.. i thought you would mess it up.. instead, you impressed me actually".

You felt a wave of relief, excitement, victory and happiness wash over your body..

"You too.. believe me when i say you are the only person out there who could give me a good challenge, it's nice having a pretty tough opponent out there.."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah actually, I prefer an opponent that doesn't give up easily.. i love challenging myself, testing my limits to see how far i could go.." you smirked

He smiled for a moment taking in your pretty angelic features before saying "you know something.. it was nice talking to you actually.. i could enjoy a chat or two with you"

"Yea.. i could use that as well.. you seems like a fun guy after all"

"You wanna go somewhere instead? It's pretty boring in here.."

"Call it a date?" You said jokingly before laughing

"Why not?" He said with a charming smile "don't a pretty lady like you deserves a little fun?"

This is how i see adult!Damian, idk how you guys think of him.. but rn as his age in the comics, he seems like a kitten to me. he's adorable help 😭 💕

If you want more of this just request.. my inbox is open ❤

[wordsarelife]

DAY 21: A NONSENSE CHRISTMAS

pairing: theo nott x fem!reader

summary: you and theo are only friends.. right?

warnings: making out, suggestive

note: better late than never ;)

“this is for you” theo said, taking out a small package and holding it in your direction.

your friends had just finished unpacking their presents and the room had quieted down.

you looked at theo in confusion. “what do you mean?” you frowned. “i already got my present”

this year all of you had decided to just draw a name and exchange a present each. it was easier this way, so you hadn’t been expecting a present from theo.

theo smiled friendly and you almost lost your balance at the way he was looking at you. he handed you the neatly wrapped present. "go on" he said "open it"

your friends watched you both expectingly. you gently unwrapped the small box, opening it to reveal a delicate silver chain, which held a small star pendant

"my star-sign" you smiled up at him "it's so beautiful theo. how do you always know just the right thing to get me?"

"i just know you well" he smiled "i'm glad you like it"

"can you help me put it on?" you asked, turning around. you held up your hair. his hands were cold on your neck.

"thank you" you said sincerely and hugged him, feeling a new warmth spreading between you and your best friend.

"it's nothing" he shrugged

"don't talk it down like that" you shook your head "i love it!" it was like his eyes had captured you, you just couldn't look away from them.

"would you look at that" mattheo said, making both you and theo snap out of it. he was pointing at the mistletoe right above theo and you.

a mistletoe that definitely hadn't been there before. you send a suspicious look in mattheo's direction who just held up his hands, feigning innocence

"oh" theo scratched his neck "we don't have to"

"and let everyone think that we're scared?"

theo shrugged.

"definelty not" you answered your own question. you raised your eyebrows at theo, asking for his okay.

"alright" he nodded and you noticed the nervousness clearly displayed on his face

"we can do this" you assured him "it'll be just like hugging"

"yeah but with our mouths" theo whispered back

"nothing different, huh?" you smiled uncomfortably

"we're waiting" draco called from the couch. you turned your head to look at your friends, who were all wearing similiar expressions, like they didn't believe you would go through with it

"okay" you breathed, before your hand reached for theo's neck and you dragged him down to meet your mouth. of course you had kissed boys before, but this was different. this was theo. he was more important than a single kiss or any other boy.

there was no time for you to worry, because just when your thoughts started running, theo reciprocrated the kiss, emptying your head entirely.

he tilted his head to the side, coming impossibly closer to you.

you let your hands wander through his hair while his hands were everywhere on your body. this defineitly wasn't platonic anymore, if it had ever been. and it was far from a hug, because he had never touched your body in such a lustful way. and definitely never your ass.

theo's tongue had just entered your mouth, making your head tilt back, when there was a cough. you broke the kiss, looking at your friends.

you had almost felt victory bubble in your chest, when you noticed their uncomfortable expressions, but then you had to think back to the kiss and your cheeks quickly reddened

"woah" enzo had clasped a hand over his mouth

"yeah" pansy nodded "my knees almost gave in just looking at the both of you. i don't know how you didn't collapse, y/n"

"be honest" blaise crossed his arms "have you guys done this before?"

before either theo or you could answer, draco rolled his eyes "of course they have! no first kiss looks like that" he pointed an accusing finger in your direction

"we only thought it would be funny because the first kiss is always uncomfortable" mattheo explained

"this was far from uncomfortable" pansy exclaimed "no, actually, yes it was, but for us, not them"

you looked at theo and knew that he wanted to change the topic as bad as you did. "that's what you get for trying to embarass us"

you took theo's hand in yours. "come on"

the rest of the group hollored at your depature to the boys sleeping quarters. you were almost glad that the seriousness had been gone as soon as it had come.

"do you want me as bad as i want you?" you asked after you had closed the door behind theo

he nodded eagerly and connected your mouths. "it's so easy with you" you mumbled between kisses

"why is it so easy?" theo mumbled. you couldn't even keep your hands to yourselves.

"maybe because i wanted this for a long time"

"me too" he nodded

the rest of the night was spend in each others arms. you stayed in bed until the early morning, legs tangled and clothes lazily laying on the floor.

of course, you friends teased the both of you at breakfast, drilling for details, but neither theo or you said anything about your night together, just exchanging looks and holding hands under the table. you didn't plan on ever letting go.

taglist: @twistedhistory @bakingintheshire @mqstermindswift @taygrls @athenalikethegoddess @helpimhopelesslyinlove @prettyb1tchsblog @anonnreader777 @ahead-fullofdreams

[annymation]

The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 14- I Will Protect You

Chapter 13

"I WHAT?!" Aster exclaims, almost falling backwards from the log he was sitting on. His animation becomes more sketchy and unfinished looking.

"Umm "In love", come on, don't tell me this is one of the things you don't know yet" Hal says with a smile and one eyebrow raised.

"I- I know what it means but- Where did THAT come from? hah ha" The star asks nervously, genuinely not understanding what she's talking about.

"I mean... It's pretty obvious" Dahlia comes in and starts listing all the evidence "From the way you two talk to each other, to how you blush whenever she holds your hand, and how she laughs about pretty much everything you say, I could go on all day, point is that the signs are all there." She explains casually.

Aster's eyes widen "THAT'S what being in love is??? No- no way! I can't be in love, that's... A HUMAN THING. Wishing stars don't fall in love... Do we?"Aster asks now looking up to the sky... No answer, the stars are dead silent, but not because they didn't listen, they just don't want to get involved for now.

Hal smiles with confusion in her eyes, seeing the boy just stare to the sky all of the sudden sure feels quite weird, but she just continues saying "We may not know anything about wishing stars, buuut we know our girl Asha, and it's pretty obvious at least she loves you." She says booping Aster's nose cheerfully.

Aster's turn to look at her slowly "... You think Asha loves me?" The star is stunned, as his mind starts racing, realizing what this means "... Oh... Oh this is-"

Bazeema has both hands on her cheeks as she says in a dreamy sigh "The most romantic thing in the wor-"

Aster has both hands on his head as he says in a panicked voice "Terrible!"

(This image doesn’t really have anything to do with this scene other than it taking place in a forest, but I had to include it in this rewrite cause OH MY GOSH DO YOU SEE HOW PRETTY THIS CONCEPT ART IS?!? AAAAAAH)

"Huh?? How's that terrible?!" Hal asks, now almost looking angry at the star.

Aster starts floating in the air, "Walking" back and forth "If Asha is in love with me an-and I'm in love with her then... She's gonna be heartbroken!" The star looks absolutely horrified with this discovery.

Gabo throws his head back and laughs at that before saying "WOOOW look at you, cape! Already dreading the eventual break up before even asking her out?" Gabo sounds almost proud "Maybe my pessimism is finally rubbing off on him" He whispers to Dario.

"NO nonono! The problem is... I can't STAY here!" They explain, sounding more and more distressed "Once we defeat Magnifico and save Rosas, Asha's wish will come true! And then I'll HAVE to go!"

"Well, here's a thought then: Fight the system." Gabo says with a mischievous look, like he's trying to influence the pure star to go to the "dark side" "Rules are made to be broken. What's the worse that could happen if you don't go back to the sky, hum?"

"I would cease to exist." Aster mutters quietly, still pacing around while flying.

"... Oh..." Gabo says in a deadpan manner "So we have a Romeo and Juliet scenario on our hands" The teen says with a hand on his chin.

"Indeed, it's a tale of forbidden love." Bazeema chimes in, both hands in her heart as she sighs like a hopeless romantic.

Gabo looks at her with a bored expression and says "I meant how they both die in the en-"

Dahlia interrupts him "Okay okay let me see if I understand" She pulls Aster down by his cape for him to sit next to her "After her wish is granted you'll have to leave, and you can't come back? Ever?"

"Yup!" The star blurts out, as he begins to speak quickly "So it's best to just deny these feelings and never let Asha find out, so her heart isn't crushed into a million pieces later, right?" He asks them with a forced smile, hoping they all agree.

"... Wrong" Hal says with her arms crossed "Aster, I get where you're coming from, but do you realize that if you don't tell her, and just leave... You two might spend your whole lives regretting not saying anything?" She asks the star with sadness in her eyes, but then she shakes off the feeling and add one last comment with a sassy smile "And I'm guessing the lifetime of a star is preeetty long, ain't it?"

"... You have no idea." Aster says while looking at nothing with a distant expression... For the first time realizing he's gonna outlive Asha by billions of years. The star looks at all the teens worriedly and asks "But if I tell her, then... Won't she feel even more hurt when I have to leave?"

"Most likely, yes." Bazeema confirms quietly, looking at Aster with a kind smile "But I think, if you two won't see each other ever again, then you should enjoy every moment together like it's your last." The star's eyes widen, not because the quiet girl is speaking more than usual but because those words hit him deeply with a realization, Bazeema continues with her quiet voice full of passion "Then maybe, it won't hurt as much when you go back to the sky and she stays down here, because at least you'll both know you had love... And that love will continue, even at a distance..."

Gabo moves slightly away from Bazeema like he's scared of her "Aight' who are you and where's Bazeema? She never spoken more than two lines in her life."

Bazeema realizes for how long she has been talking and that everyone is staring at her, she blushes and covers her cheeks in embarrassment "O-oh goodness, I didn't realize I was rambling, I'm so sorry."

"No, you're right." Aster says while getting up from the log he was sitting on "I'm gonna tell her." The star is back to his cheerful and confident self, as he starts making his way to where Asha went "I may not be able to spend my life with her, but I'll love her in our last few hours together just as much as I'd love her in a life time!"

Most of the teens cheer him on as he leaves, except for Simon who has just been staring this all play out while eating his soup, with a face of someone who regrets all his life choices... Oh and also Gabo stops cheering to give one last comment:

"Sure thing lover boy, but umm remember we can't have you two kissing and saving the kingdom at the same time, and we're gonna start the plan in a few minutes so-"

Aster is already marching through the forest as he shouts back to Gabo with an ever so slightly irritated tone "I'll love her in these next few MINUTES just as much as I'd love her in a life time!"

Gabo looks pleased because he has been trying to mess with the star's seemingly infinite patience the whole day, just for fun.

All the teens now are staring at each other in awkward silence, Dahlia notices and closes her eyes with a sigh

"... *sigh*... Do you guys wanna go and wa-" She hear the sound of footsteps and when she opens her eyes again, all of her friends are gone "Watch?... Heh heh Asha, you really can't get a moment of peace, can you?" She says while getting up with her crutch, to follow them, and watch how this will play out.

We cut to Asha sitting by the river, trying to draw herself while looking at her reflection. By her side there's a black and white, hand drawn candle lantern that actually emits light. There's also some fireflies flying around the proximity of the river.

Aster comes from behind a tree and takes a deep breath (even though he doesn't breathe) and starts flying to where she is.

Asha has her back turned to him, but she can see Aster's light approaching her, so she turns to look over her shoulder with a smile.

"Hey Aster! Great timing, I was just gonna ask you to come here" Asha taps on the floor next to her to signal that she wants Aster to sit with her

"Really? Well uh... Here I am hehe" Aster does so, they float down and sit next to Asha with his legs crossed "Do you need help with anything?"

"I could use some extra light. This lantern I made is great but your hair is waaay better" She says while placing her sketchbook on Aster's leg, so she can better see her drawings thanks to the light coming from his hair. She was gonna start drawing more but instead she gets distracted and talks with Aster excitedly "Also, I gotta say, it's amazing that my pencil can actually create FIRE! This is gonna be so useful when we're breaking in the castle. If any door is locked I can just burn them, or maybe I could create a giant hammer, or or... You know?! Anything!" She smiles widely at the star, not able to contain her joy, thinking about all the possibilities.

Aster looks at her with that same dreamy look he had at the campfire, admiring how she's just so full of life and hope.

"Yeah, I know, I'm glad you liked it" He says with a smile, Aster is now looking at the water, trying to think on what to say... Should he just say "I love you" out of the blue?... That doesn't feel right. So instead he just expresses how he wishes he could be there to... Protect her "I really wish I could go in there with you all, make sure you're safe"

Asha gives him a bittersweet smile as she explains "I know, but we've talked about this: you gotta distract Magnifico here in the forest and break his staff, while we'll get in the castle, fight the queen, and free all the wishes, so you can un-curse them and give them back to everyone."

(That's it, that's their plan! Will it work? whOoOoOOo KoOoWsSs? Oh wait, I know, hehehehe)

Aster looks at her worriedly "Are you suuuure you guys can handle Amaya on your own though?"

Asha chuckles with the question "It'll be eight teens vs one lady with no powers, if anything you should feel sorry for her haha" She laughs a bit, but then her face turns just as worried as Aster's was, as she thinks for a moment and says "But, you'll be on your own... Are you SURE you can fight Magnifico this time?" She asks him looking at him in the eyes.

Now Aster is the one who holds his laughter "Pfft you mean on my own + all the plants and wild life as my army? I'll manage." Aster says confidently, but then he notices the concern in Asha's expression, so he tells her more reassuringly "Hey, I'll be careful. He won't catch me this time, I promise."

Asha smiles as she holds his hand tightly "I know, I trust you."

Aster's freckles start sparkling and his hair shines brighter with that, they hold her hand back.

Asha also seems to be blushing as she holds his hand

The 7 teens are in the background watching everything with an expecting look, just waiting for Aster to make his move.

Aster notices them staring from the corner of his eye, Asha doesn't though.

The two of them break eye contact as Asha looks back to her sketchbook, while Aster looks at the impatient teens with an angry expression that screams "IM GETTING TO IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The two teens take a deep breath and... They speak the same thing at the same time:

"... I wanted to tell you something-"

The two look surprised. Asha giggles a little as she says:

"Heh heh- okay you first-"

"No! no no no please, you go first!" Aster says, because he's honestly not ready to say it yet.

Asha takes a deep breath as she flips the pages of her sketchbook "Okay... This is gonna sound really out of nowhere but umm..." She stops in a page and takes out of the book... A sword "Wanna practice sword fighting with me?" She asks with an awkward smile.

... That's not what Aster nor the teens watching this behind the bushes expected at all...

Aster looks at the hand drawn sword and then back to Asha with a confused smile "... Eh?"

Asha lowers the sword "I know, I know, kinda last minute. But I just had the best idea!" She get's up and starts to explain while walking around with the sword in her hand "Your magic can't hurt me, and my magic can't hurt you, soooo we are perfect dueling partners to practice, don't you think?"

Aster understands now, she wants to be ready to fight the guards in case they are spotted by any... or even the royals.

"I don't remember sword fighting being part of the plan." Aster notes with a cheeky smile.

"It's not, it's just my own idea, call it a plan C" She says while looking at the sword she drew proudly.

"Sooo are you "planning" to make extra plans from A to Z? heheh" Aster jokes, still sitting down next to the river, looking up to her.

"You know, I actually might. Better be safe than sorry." She says, her smile falters a little, with her eyes revealing that she still has some doubts "I just... I gotta be ready for anything they might throw at us. I want to make sure I can protect my friends... Protect you." She tells Aster like she's letting out something that has eating her up inside.

Aster eyes sparkle with those last two words, since that's the same thing he wanted to say.

"... Well then..." Aster begins to talk with his eyes closed, reaching for something behind his back- "En garde!" He quickly creates a sword made of star dust while she wasn't looking.

The sword hits Asha, and just like how it went when Aster tried to use this trick against Magnifico during their fight in the storm, Asha starts laughing, feeling a sense of joy overtake her.

"Hhahahaahha" She laughs, hugging her sides as Aster get's up, standing in a fighting position holding his own sword "Hey! I wasn't ready!"

"Expect the unexpected, now come on! And don't you dare go easy on me!" He says spinning his sword with a confident look.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing!" Asha exclaims with a daring smile.

The two of them duel together around the clearing near the river, snickering the whole way through. Asha lands some hits on Aster, slicing his body made of star dust, but he immediately gets back together with every attack.

When Aster's sword hits Asha, all it does is make her chuckle a little, but she's landing a lot more hits than the star.

The 7 teens are watching all of this in the background, both surprised and endeared by the sight, that's definitely not where none of them expected this would go... But it is kinda romantic in a weird way.

"You're actually pretty good at this!" Aster comments as they're now both looking at each other in the eyes, with their swords pressed against one another

"Thanks! you too... But could be better tho." Asha says with a confident smirk "Good thing I'll be the one actually sword fighting hehe" She teases him

The star makes mocking shocked face "*Gaaaasp* Ooooh you did not! Alright, you asked for it!"

Aster summons a bunch of swords around Asha and makes all of them hit her at the same time, creating a huge cloud of star dust around them

Asha can only laugh as she falls on the grass

"Hhahaaahahah hey no fair!" Asha exclaims while laying on the grass

Aster is now floating with his face close to her's "Thought you said I shouldn't go easy on youuu" They smile playfully

Asha pulls him down by the cape and the two roll around the grass like two kids playing fighting, not even realizing that they're hugging. They both laugh the whole way through.

After calming down, they both lay next to each other and look up at the stars.

"So... Feeling more prepared?" Aster asks while still looking up

"Yeah, I think I can take 'em." She says, feeling reassured "*sigh* I just can't wait for all of this to be over." Her voice is full of hope.

Aster's smile slowly dissolves into a frown as he remembers he'll have to leave once it IS all over.

"... Um-hum, me too... Can't wait." They say, trying to hide their inner turmoil

Asha turns to the star with a curious smile "Ok, now's your turn."

Aster looks at her confused "Huh?"

"You said you had something to tell me, didn't you?" Asha asks, laying down on the grass next to the star

"O-Oh right! heh hehe... Umm" Aster quickly realizes he has no idea how to tell her. The star just begins blabbering nonsense without even realizing " Sooo uh I wanted to tell you- I mean- I actually didn't wanna tell you at first- Bu-but I have to t-tell you while we still have time that I... UUUH... I... I think I am- Ya know?"

Aster.exe stops working while Asha just stares at him in amusement, she never seen him acting like this before.

From the bushes where the seven teens are hiding comes Hal's voice shouting:

"Oh come on! JUST KISS THE GIRL ALREADY!"

(Shout out to @wings-of-sapphire who asked for a Kiss The Girl reference)

Aster discretely uses his magic to make several trees instantly grow in front of where the teens are hiding, creating a wall of trees, Asha doesn't notice as she sits up from the ground and looks back.

"What was that?" She looks around confused, but all she sees behind her are trees

"T-the wind, probably! heheh" Aster stammers out nervously.

Asha get's up and starts walking away from Aster "The other's may be calling us, I think we sho-"

"Asha wait!" Aster quickly gets up and grabs her hand, she looks back at him confused, but wanting to listen. Aster can only sigh as he explains frustrated " I just... I just have SO MUCH to tell you, and I don't know how to put it into words"

Asha holds his hand closely as she says "That's... Pretty unlike you. You've always been good at explaining what's on your mind" It sounds like that's something she admires about him.

"Yeah, but this is coming from somewhere else though." Aster tells her while placing his hand on his chest...

Asha's eyes light up in surprise, like she finally starts to realize what Aster is trying to tell her.

Aster ponders looking at her hand, how can he tell her all these new feelings that she showed him? Feelings that he can't even understand himself? How can he tell her what she's to him... Maybe the same way that he explained to her who she was... When they first met.

"Maybe... I can try beginning to explain this to you... In the best way I know how" Aster repeats the words that he said before they started singing "I'm a Star" on the night that Asha wished upon him.

And so... FINALLY... We get the song:

At All Cost

(Aster holds both of Asha's hands as the music begins, and we see fireflies flying around them. Asha looks at Aster expectantly, already suspecting what he'll say but still not quite believing this is really happening... That he actually feels the same way as her... And Aster confirms her suspicions as he begins to sing)

If happiness was a tangible thing It would be you If you'd have told me the feeling you'd bring I'd think it untrue

(Asha's eyes widen as she hears him, as he tries his best to put everything he has been feeling for so long into words. The star is gazing at her with a shy smile, his cheeks sparkling with golden star dust)

And people search for a wonder like you All of their lives You still amaze me after all this time

(Aster caresses her face gently as they say the line "You still amaze me after all this time", referring to how after growing up and watching her all these years, she still found new ways to impress him. Asha is now smiling at the star with eyes full of passion, confirming to him that she feels the same way, and with that, Aster begins to sing with more energy)

You pull me in like some kind of wind Mesmerized by the hold I'm in Leave you here, I don't wanna I wanna

(Aster pulls her in and starts spinning with her around the clearing, more fireflies start flying around them. Asha holds him closely as he sings the second line. Aster is hugging her as he sings the third line with his eyes showing more sadness, for he knows that eventually he'll have to leave her... And on the last line he looks at her, preparing to actually say what he has been meaning to say all this time... And only then he begins flying with her)

Love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs

Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs At all costs

(He holds her in the way one would when dancing a waltz, and starts guiding her to dance while they fly together, Asha is at first caught off guard by the fact they suddenly started floating, but as she looks at Aster in the eyes she knows there's nothing to fear, and she follows his lead. They're now flying above the trees, and all Asha can say while looking at the star is:)

Wow What's pain? When I look at you? No way I could explain you, even if tried to I'll never dream like used to do

(Asha caresses Aster's cheek with one hand as she now begins to put into words what she has been feeling, how when he's around she feels no pain, only happiness, how he changed her whole world and now she'll never see things or dream the same way) If someone tried to hurt you, I don't See how that could happen I'd fight for you in ways you can't imagine

(As she sings while still dancing with Aster and the two keep going higher and higher up in the sky. We see in the background behind her two constellations resembling Magnifico and Amable, and as she sings "See how that could happen" Asha moves her hands in a way like she's waving away some flies and the constellations behind her disappear as if the thought of them also is dismissed. And as she says the last line she boops Aster nose playfully to say how she's confident she'll keep him safe no matter what (You may hear in the distance the writer crying because she hates herself)) Felt this, no, I haven't, I hope It would be all right to stay right here beside you

(She smiles at the star brightly as she expresses she never felt like this before, and hugs him tightly as she sings the second line.) And love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs

(Aster throws Asha to the sky, making her fly even higher than him, they're approaching the clouds above them. Aster flies to her and they hold each other to once again dance their waltz) Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs At all costs

(As they dance flying upwards, they pass through the clouds when they sing the line "At all costs") If you're ever feeling like you're lost I'll come find you

(Asha is now above the clouds, she looks around noticing Aster disappeared, but as they sing "I'll come find you" Aster shows up behind her and gives her a hug from her back) Man all fronts, there's no ocean I won't swim across To be right by you

(Aster flies to be in front of her and holds Asha up, twirling with her in his arms, like this)

And not just once, here and now I swear on my response I'll remind you

(Aster let's her down and they gaze each other lovingly for a moment while singing those two lines with bright smiles on their faces) And love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs

(They slow dance on the clouds, with the moon light and the stars shinning upon them. We get a shot like this from sleeping beauty)

(And as the song slowly comes to an end, Asha starts closing the distance between them) At all costs

(Asha's face is getting closer and closer to Aster's, as she's going for a kiss, Aster is surprised at first but he slowly goes for it too... Until.)

He stops.

As the instrumentals from "At All Cost" are replaced by different instrumentals

Instrumentals we haven't heard since the end of chapter 7.

The sound of some very angry orchestra instruments starts playing on Aster's ears, only the star can hear them, and that's shown in his face as he looks very bothered with his eyebrows scrunching.

Asha is waiting for the kiss but it never came, when she's about to open her eyes Aster just pulls her for a hug instead.

They hug, both not quite sure where to go from here, but Asha smiles brightly, feeling Aster's warmth.

Asha breaks the silence as she says "This is better than all my dreams...You actually love me back." She says almost in disbelief, but in a good way, like it's hard to believe this is real.

"Your friends said it was pretty obvious heh heh" Aster says chuckling a bit, trying to tune out the stars yelling at him.

"It kinda was ha hah" She says while laughing, because looking back Aster was very much not subtle about it "But I assumed that was just how you acted with everyone..." She admits, showing a bit of how her own insecurities were actually stopping her from seeing the very obvious truth.

Aster let's go of the hug and holds her face gently to say "Nah... Only with you." They smile, looking at her lovingly.

Asha's eyes almost sparkle as she looks to the star. She takes a deep breath and says "Aster... We'll be separated for most of the plan... I won't be there to protect you, so I need you to promise me that when you find-"

"Magnifico." Aster says in a whisper, his eyes not focusing on Asha as he's looking at something behind her

"Yeah, him, I need you to promise me tha-"

"No! Look!" Aster turns her face to look what's going on bellow the clouds.

Asha looks down and sees it... There's an army of guards approaching the forest, and leading them is someone carrying a green light.

Asha gets her sketchbook and draws a spyglass, pulling it off the page, she lays down on the cloud and uses the spyglass to confirm if it is him

Like this scene in the live action Peter Pan movie

And sure enough, it is. But she notices something else:

"Yeeesh! That lightning messed him up more than I thought... He got a huge scar on his face now." Asha comments.

"HA! Nice. I'm gonna drive him nuts when I make fun about that" The star says mischievously, already planning on how he's gonna break that staff.

"Hey, this is exactly what I was gonna talk about! I need you to be careful out there, don't get cocky, and don't fall for his tricks." Asha says sounding more serious, but with worry clear in her face.

"I'll be careful, I promise." Aster reassures her confidently. He pulls her up and holds her in his arms bridal style "Now let's go tell the others we can skip the "get his attention" part of the plan- WOOHUL!" Aster jumps off the clouds.

We cut a montage that consists of Asha and Aster narrating their parts of the plan while those steps happen in real time, we see Asha drawing something while her voice says in the background

"To get from here to the castle we could use Aster's magic, but that’s too risky since his star dust is shiny. I think it's safer if I create flying objects to get us there, it'll be dark, so hopefully if we're quick the guards won't see us."

We see Asha draw a carpet, and once she takes it out from her sketchbook it becomes a flying carpet like the one from Alladin.

Then, we cut to some guards, with one of them yawning in the forefront, guarding the castle’s entrance, while above them in the background we see some dark tiny silhouettes passing by.

We cut to Asha and Dahlia already getting off the magic carpet, now they're at the center of the royal garden.

We also see Safi and Simon flying down on a witches broom, Hal wearing shoes with wings like Hermes, Dario flying on a donkey with wings, as a reference to the short "The Flying Gauchito" from The Three Caballeros (HA! I DID IT! I REFERENCED THE THREE CABALLEROS! THIS IS SUCH A WIN FOR ME AS A BRAZILIAN!!!)

"You sure got pretty creative with these "flying objects" huh Asha?" Dahlia mentions as the others start gathering around

"Heheh thanks, I decided to just let my imagination run wild" Asha says enthusiastically.

"I could tell" Gabo mentions as he lands down on the garden, and we see him riding a happy baby elephant with big ears... So yeah we straight up have a Dumbo cameo "Couldn't you just give all of us flying brooms?"

"And where's the fun in that? Brooms are way too simple to draw." Asha shrugs "Also come on, don't tell me you don't think this one turned out pretty cute" She says cheerfully while petting the hand drawn Dumbo.

"I must say, he is quite adorable hihi" Bazeema comments quietly as she's landing on the garden with an umbrella... Like Mary Poppins.

Gabo just gets off the baby elephant as he tells Asha with a smile, as in, a genuine one this time "Hehe I really don't understand how your mind works, ya know?"

"Neither do I” Asha admits casually, while magically bringing all the living drawings back inside her sketchbook “Alright, Bazeema, where's the secret entrance you told us about?" Asha asks her bashful friend.

We see Bazeema guiding them to the middle of a rose garden. They prickle themselves through the thorny flowers, with Safi sneezing a few times, until they reach a hatchway made of metal with the symbol of Rosas engraved on it.

"Such wondrous things an introvert can find hihihi" Bazeema says quietly and proudly while pointing at the entrance.

We then cut to King Magnifico riding on his horse, leading his soldiers to the forest with an wicked smile, and we hear Aster's narration of his part of the plan:

"Meanwhile, I'll deal with king Magnifico. I just have to annoy him enough to the point where he'll let his guard down and I can take that staff off his hands, and once I do, it's over."

Magnifico prepares to throw a fire spell over the woods while saying "Let's see how long they'll keep cowering in there after THI-"

Something small and round hits behind his head. Distracting him from performing the spell. The king turns and looks angrily at his guards.

"Who threw that?!"

The guards all look at him confused, not even knowing what he's talking about.

"I did!" the voice of Alan Tudyk comes from the ground

(Yeah he doesn't get to voice Valentino, but he get's to voice most of the talking animals, since he's the lucky charm of Disney and all that)

The king looks down and sees a red squirrel (That is native of the Iberian Peninsula, look it up) holding a nut, ready to throw another one at him.

Magnifico stares at the little critter for a second before he starts laughing, turning to look at the forest as he shouts "HA! What's the matter boy?! Too scared to face me yourself?! Come on out, I know you're hiding in there!"

Then they hear Aster's voice echo from the forest, it's a voice full of glee and mischief:

"Hehehe I ain't scared of you, Alan was just eager to get started! I'm just getting warmed up!"

Some of the guards look scared by the echoing voice, while the king still smiles confidently "Oh but you should be scared, or have you forgotten what I taught you last time? That you are NO MATCH for me!"

"Hmmm It's a blur, all I remember is that now you look just as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside! HAH HAHA!" The star lets out an impish laugh, it echos through the woods.

(Aster's Peter Pan side is showing)

Magnifico's scarred face goes from a confident smile to a furious scowl. He rides his horse to go deeper inside the forest, with the guards following along "WHEN I FIND YOU I SWEAR I WILL WIPE THAT SMILE CLEAN OFF YOUR FACE!" He shouts, enraged by the star daring to insult his looks.

"Good luck with that! Cause' ya know, back at that storm I didn't really have anything to work with...But now..."

Magnifico hears screams from the soldiers behind him. He turns around and sees some of them are tangled up in vines, while others are running away from wild critters, and others are trapped inside giant flowers, it's a vision of pure chaos as now the king is on his own.

Magnifico looks at all of that in shock, unaware that Aster is now floating right behind him with a relaxed and confident smile. The star let's his presence be known as he whispers:

"Now I'm in my element." The star says that like a threat.

Magnifico get's startled but doesn't let it show, as he tries to turn around but-

He's stopped by something holding his staff.

As he looks down and sees vines trying to pull it off his hands. Magnifico tries to pull it away from them with all his strength, while making his horse walk backwards, and with that Aster starts talking casually to the horse

"Hey pal, did you know the guy sitting on you tried to kill me yesterday?" The white horse gives him a surprised glance as Aster continues "Yeah, he’s NUTS, I think you're better off without him" Aster tells him warningly.

The horse glares at Magnifico, and stands up on his back legs, making Magnifico lose his balance and fall on the ground.

The horse runs away, but the king is still holding tightly to his staff, the vines are still pulling it. He let's out a furious scream:

"UUUUGHA! You really think it's gonna be THAT easy?!" Magnifico uses a fire spell and burns the vines, once he's free he turns to where Aster was... But the star is no where to be seen.

"Yoooohooo!" Aster's voice sounds distant.

Magnifico turns to where it came from, he sees a trail, and by the end of it up a small hill, there he is, Aster is waving at him, basically inviting the king to follow the trail "Well?! What you waiting for?! Thought you wanted a proper hunt! HAHAH" And Aster flies off so fast it's almost he's just a shinny blur.

The king is catching his breath seemingly already exhausted even though the fight just begun.

His expression at first shows frustration... But it slowly changes to a wicked smirk as he talks to himself sinisterly "Indeed, I was looking forward for a hunt... And your little friends just so happen to be inside our trap."

(Pretend there’s a lightning looking scar on his left eye please, not like Harry Potter, I mean like actual lightning, thanks.)

Magnifico runs to where Aster went.

So we cut back to Asha and the others, as they make their way through a tunnel that leads to the dungeons.

"You're sureee these tunnels will lead us to the dungeons, Bazeema?" Asha asks, she's leading the group while holding a hand drawn torch

"That's what my father told me" Bazeema says quietly.

(Also I guess I should mention her dad also tends to the royal garden.)

Asha nods as she looks ahead attentively "Well I hope he's right, cause' I really don't want any surpri-"

"Maaa"

They hear the familiar bleating coming from behind them, everyone turns around and it came from... Dario, as he tries hiding something inside his shirt.

"... ooooh no no no NO NO NO" Asha says, very distressed while running to Dario, already knowing exactly who's inside his shirt "Dario! We were supposed to leave Valentino with Aster's animal friends! Why would you bring him with you???"

Dario has a face full of guilt and regret as he pulls the happy baby goat out of his large loose green shirt, he lets go of Valentino and begins to explain in sign language "He gave me big sad puppy eyes! I couldn't resist it! Plus, what's the issue? The little guy might be able to help us" Dario signs that last part with a hopeful smile that his friend will agree

Asha doesn't agree at all though, as she takes Valentino in her arms

Asha scolds her tall friend while holding Velentino close to her "I promised myself I would never let him in this castle again, last time he almost got eaten by a lynx and- and what if he gets lost??"

"Asha, calm down." Simon comes in from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder "We just gotta stick to the plan and stay together, we'll be safe."

Asha notices that he sounds... Very certain about that, which is odd coming from him. But Asha thinks it's a nice change for Simon.

"*Sigh*... Yeah you're right, we just have to stay together" She turns around and smiles at Simon "I'm glad you're not so scared anymore, you seemed pretty insecure about the plan earlier today" She says calmly as she makes he way back to the front of the line.

Dario follows Asha, now walking in front of Simon. The light coming from Asha's torch is distant so Simon is more in the darkness as he says

"I just needed some time to put my thoughts in order" His voice is emotionless.

And we see his eyes glow green for a second.

But immediately after that, he winces quietly in pain, placing a hand in his forehead as if he's feeling a strong headache. None of the other's notice though, as his eyes are back to normal when he opens them again.

We cut to them now inside the dungeons, it's a dark, large and humid corridor with walls made of dark bricks, with jail cells all along the way. Safi keeps sneezing because of the humidity.

(I got this image from a deleted scene from Wish, I swear I had this plot point of them getting in the dungeons for MONTHS and I just watched the deleted scene a week ago, it’s insane how much stuff I came up with seems to be in sink with the movie’s original ideas)

"I hate this place- ACHOOOO!" The boy looks scared as he holds on to his scarf "Are we close to the exit yet, Gabo?"

"We sure are buddy, just a few jail cells ahead and we reach the exit" Gabo says confidently, he knows his way through the dungeon since, as he told his friends earlier, when he was a kid he went to explore it.

(I forgot to mention in the previous chapter but his dad is a guard, that's why he had keys to the dungeons that Gabo stole from him)

"Good, this place gives me the creeps" Dahlia says, while looking around scared

"Look on the bright side, guys" Hal chimes in trying to bring some optimism "At least there aren't any creepy inmates, it's just us and our friendly faces" the girl smiles brightly, hugging Safi and Dahlia by the shoulders.

"And also this poor fella" Gabo says, pointing at a skeleton laying down out of a jail cell, trying to reach for an empty jar of water

Like this one from Snow White.

"... HMMM oooookayy let's pick up the pace, shall we?" Hal says with a clearly forced smile this time, her eyes wide as she starts to walk faster, still hugging Safi and Dahlia so they go with her.

Dario, Bazeema and Simon also start walking faster after the others, while Asha stays still for a moment

She looks down at the skeleton and ponders out loud "... I wonder what kind of people Magnus and Amaya would keep down here... Maybe people who found out about the secret like I did." Her voice is heavy and full of concern.

"I don't like how that implies this could happen to you." Gabo says for once not sounding condescending nor sarcastic, but genuinely worried, he's also the only one that didn't walk away from the skeleton and stayed to talk to Asha "Let's, just this once, assume anything in Rosas is normal and this guy just robbed the crown's jewels or something, now come on" He says, rushing Asha to keep going.

This is probably the closest Gabo ever got to being "Optimistic"... In his own way. Asha smiles at that as she starts walking after him. Then they hear Dahlia's voice coming a few meters in front of them:

"GABO! Is this the way out?!"

Asha and Gabo run to where they are, and all six of them are standing in front of a big wooden door

"YUP! This is it" Gabo says with a huge smile

"Great! Hold this" She hands her hand drawn torch to Safi, as she gets her sketchbook and pencil to draw a key, she then pulls it out of her sketchbook

"How do you know it's gonna fit though?" Safi asks her curious

"I drew it thinking of it as the key to this door, and so-" She fits the key inside the keyhole and the door makes the clicking sound of it being opened "It is" Asha smiles victoriously

All the teens look excited, the plan is going smoothly so far.

Asha gives them one last ted talk before she opens the door

"Alright guys, after we're in the castle we'll have to be VERY careful, yes, it's just queen Amaya in there, and a crazy lynx, but still, she's unpredictable." Her voice is of a true leader.

"Oh nooo! Is she gonna throw hot tea at us or something? Hahah" Gabo laughs at his own joke

Asha begins to open the door while looking down at Gabo. "You have no idea what she's capable of. So when we're in, we just run through the-"

"KITCHEN?!" Dahlia exclaims looking shocked at what's behind the door, all the other teens except Asha are also looking at it, just as shocked as her.

Asha looks at her friend confused "What? No, we're not going even close to the kitchen, we-" Asha turns to look where the door leads to and sure enough...

She sees the royal kitchen.

"... Huh?!"

All of them go through the door. Now they're inside the dark kitchen.

A place Dahlia is really familiar with... So she knows very well this is all wrong.

"Okay... This is freaky" Dahlia says looking around the place "That door was supposed to lead to the pantry, NOT the dungeon" she says scared, pointing at the door they came through.

Asha looks around the dark room, her face becomes more and more worried "This makes no sense..."

"Maybe your magic key messed with the door?" Gabo asks Asha

"No it didn't, this isn't my magic's doing, it's-" Asha looks at the door and realizes... There's something written on it. She gets a closer look, and sees symbols written all over the door, with some words in latin too... "This is the king's sorcery... He made a trap for us..." Asha sounds terrified.

"T-that's impossible, how could he know we were coming?" Hal asks, sounding just as distressed as her friend

"H-he couldn't, I-" Asha takes a deep breath and closes the door they came through "Check the other door!"

Dario runs to the door that leads to outside of the kitchen. It also has symbols written on it, but he tries opening it anyway...

It leads to the dungeons they just got out off too.

Dario looks back at them scared.

"... There's no way out" Asha whispers, sounding more and more distressed by the second. She takes Valentino from the floor and holds him in her arms.

"What about that door?" Simon asks, pointing at another door, but this one has no symbols written on it... And he sounds surprisingly calm for the situation.

"That's just the closet we keep the pans, pots and utensils. That's not an exit…" Dahlia explains, trying her best not to panic.

"Who knows? Maybe it'll lead somewhere, only one way to find out." Simon walks towards it.

He opens it, they look inside, it's so dark in there they can't even see the kitchen stuff that Dahlia mentioned.

Asha starts walking to the door, not sure if there'll be anything at all that can help them escape, but it's worth a shot, after all they apparently have nowhere else to go.

(I just realized there's probably a window in this kitchen and these kids are just being really dramatic)

Asha turns to her friends as she walks to the door "It's gonna be okay, Aster will come here after breaking Magnifico's staff any moment now... I know he will... All we gotta do is wait and stay toge-THEEEEEERRR"

And she falls in a dark pit inside the room.

"ASHA!" All 7 teens scream in unison, and I mean all 7, Simon included, as he genuinely didn't expect this.

(Actually, Dario wouldn't scream but uuh you get the idea)

However, he is the only one that stays outside the room, while all the other six run in, but unlike Asha, they don't fall anywhere, they're simply inside a normal room with pans and pots.

"Where did she go?!" "WAS THAT A TRAP?!" "What is going on???"

All of them speak at the same time, desperate for answers, but in the sea of shouts and questions they hear one quiet question

"Simon?" Bazeema's quiet high pitched voice makes the others go silent as they all turn around and see Simon standing in the entrance.

He looks at them with genuine sadness for what he's about to do.

"I'm sorry." He closes the door with a BLAM and locks it.

...

"... W H A T " Gabo's voice comes out filled with rage. "DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"I'm keeping you guys safe, like I've been trying to do this whole time but none of you EVER listen to me!" The oldest of the group says from the other side of the door.

"Si-simon, what's going on, why are you doing this?" Dahlia asks desperately.

Simon takes a deep breath and tries to explain "... Look, I'm going to be straight with you all, I talked with king Magnifico-"

(Hahah that’s a direct quote from Wreck It Ralph, when he betrays Vaneloppe)

"MAGNIFICO?!" Gabo shouts with indignation "YOU DIRTY TRAITOR! YOU SOLD US OUT!"

"No! No it's not like that!... At least, it wasn't supposed to happen, I-I didn't mean to do it-" Simon knows they won't forgive him but he tries to at least explain he did it for their own good "I just wanted to make a deal with him, to give him the star's location in exchange of all of us not getting hurt-"

"OH SO YOU WANTED SELL ASTER OUT!?" Gabo for the first time calls the star by his name

"LISTEN! I was desperate, okay?! I knew that if we just went with this plan things could go horribly wrong, and I knew none of you would listen to me if I tried to stop you, so... I contacted him through a mirror he gave to my dad" Simon is sitting with his back on the door as he explains, sounding more and more scared "And- I- I even realized I was making a mistake... I really did! I tried to break the mirror or throw it away but- I couldn't do it- he just kept talking and talking and- UGH" Simon winces in pain and holds his forehead as his eyes once again glow green, he takes some deep breaths as he ever so slightly calms down "The point is... We made a deal. He promised that if I keep you all in here then you'll be safe. It's the only way I can protect you." Simon's face looks tired as he says those words monotonously, like he's just repeating what he has heard before.

"Then WHERE is Asha?! Or was she not included in the deal?!" Now it's Dahlia's turn to yell at him through the door.

Simon's face instantly turns worried once more as if he's snapping out trance "I- I don't know... He never said this would happen" Simon thinks for a moment "Though... I don't remember much of what he said at all..."

"Ooooooh GREAT! Magnus gave you amnesia, such a trust worthy guy HUMM SIMON?!" Gabo says sarcastically, but his voice is not trying to be funny, he is furious.

"I- I'm sure wherever she is she'll be fine!" Simon tells them... More so trying to tell this to himself.

...

We cut to Asha falling from a dark portal that opened in the ceiling of a room.

She screams while hugging Valentino tightly.

"THEEEER- OOOF" She hits the floor "Ouch... Uuugh... you ok Valentino?" She asks her goat while groaning in pain.

"MaAAaaA" Valentino doesn't sound his best, but overall he's alright.

Asha get's up and looks around to see where she is... The king's study... Right next to the wishes room...

This is actually exactly where she and her friend's planned to go, they wanted to free all the wishes by opening the tower's ceiling, so Aster could use his magic and un-curse them all, then give them back to the people of Rosas...

But her friends aren't here... She's alone.

"How did things go so wrong?" Asha asks to herself while looking around the room, she notices some broken mirrors on the walls, as she sees he own reflection "... Come on Val, I'll send the signal to Aster. Regardless if he broke Magnifico's staff or not, he gotta come here and help me." Asha walks to the wishes room, while flipping through the pages of her sketchbook, until she finds the drawing she was looking for, a firework.

She's about to reach for the firework to take it out off the page... But then she sees the light of the wishes floating above her.

She stops and looks up to them, some of them are still blue, but the majority are green.

She looks up with a bittersweet smile, and says quietly with her voice full of hope "Hang in there just a little bit longer, okay? I promise I'll save all of you."

"It's unwise to make promises you cannot keep, mi rosa."

Asha feels a chill run down her spine. As she turns around quickly with an expression of horror already painted on her face.

Queen Amable is standing a few feet away from her, she's in the study while Asha is in the middle of the wishes room.

The queen smiles at Asha sadistically, with her pet lynx right by her side.

Chapter 15

Final Thoughts

OOOOOOOOH BOY so much happened huh?!

I am going crazy, wacky even, I waited so long for us to get to this part of the story! Not just the "At All Cost" stuff, I mean like THE CLIMAX THAT IS APPROACHING AND IM JUST BUILDING UP TO IT NOW AAAAAAH.

But YEAH let's talk about the At All Cost stuff, cause like... WOOOOAH BOY I love that song, and not just because it's pretty, but because while listening to it I felt like the song perfectly encapsulates teenage love, what do I mean? Because it's all so pure and like the two voices are saying the first things that come to their minds, it feels like a passionate train of thought forming in real time, and that's what I wanted to be like for Aster and Asha, as Aster is trying to figure out these feelings he didn't even know they could have, and Asha is caught off guard but so happy to finally show what she has been feeling too. It's beautiful.

I feel like most Disney couples don't feel like... Teenage love, mostly because the guys are ALWAYS older than the girl, and like, not that there's anything wrong with that... Except in some cases *glares at Snow White and Florian's age gap* but I think it's quite refreshing to see young love being depicted like this, with the two acting awkward and even oblivious because they don't know what love really feels like... And also they're raising a rebellion so that kinda keeps them distracted.

But speaking of the rebellion... It really takes just ONE person not believing in the cause for everything to go down the drain, huh? Yeah, Simon has his own ways of protecting his friends, while Asha chooses to fight, Simon chooses to comply. And really, I feel sorry for him, you guys maybe don't, like, everyone now might be a Simon hater, and I get it, but like, Magnifico played him like a fiddle.

Simon just hoped that if the king got Aster he'd leave Asha alone, but as they were talking Simon realized that Magnifico really wanted BOTH of them, so he realized he made a mistake and even tried to break the mirror... But before he could, welp, Magnifico pulled a Kaa move, and hypnosis happens to be way more effective on people who are feeling sleepy, so really Simon had no chance.

And can I just toot my own horn here and say that I'm so proud that even when Magnifico and Amaya aren't in the scene they'tr still threatening? Because that scene at the kitchen when they realize they're trapped, meaning that Magnifico knows their plan, GIVES ME CHILLS, probably because I hate the idea of being confined in a room with nowhere to leave.

And like... Magnifico is doing this just for the lols really, the guy could've just made Simon tell him where they were and captured them in the forest, but he was like "Ooooh they wanna get in the castle to harm my wife? Well, we can't have that now can we? Here's what I want you to do-" And then proceeds to make Simon betray his friends in such a way they'll never forgive him, oh, and if Simon doesn't do it then the king implies they WILL get hurt, how fuuuun.

It's funny how Aster is just having fun in the forest, messing with Magnifico, going through his Peter Pan arc, completely unaware Asha and the others are going through a living nightmare. Oh but don't worry, he'll join the nightmare too :)

You guys might start to think I'm on the villains side or something because they always get the upper hand, but this is all part of the metaphor of them representing the struggles Asha faces in her life, and let me tell ya folks, life is hard, sometimes just as hard as defeating two villains, but no matter what they do, Asha will keep fighting, and that's what makes a hero, the lower a hero get's, the more satisfying it is when they rise... And the higher a villain rises, the harder they fall :)

See ya'll next time!

Thank You For Reading!

[shmaptainwrites]

ahhh guys it’s a part 2 to love you three! it ended up being a little more hurt comfort than i expected but still more content of our cute little family 🥹

Pairings: James Wilson x fem!Reader

Warnings: some family insecurities

Three, Four, Five

“Benny!” you spun around and shoved your hands in your pockets, seeing no sign of your son anywhere. “Hey, sweetheart, have you seen Ben anywhere?”

James shrugged his shoulders, but his eyes pointed behind the kitchen island, discreetly giving his son’s position away.

“Oh, that’s just too bad I was going to ask him what he wanted for dessert tonight,” you said in a clear loud voice, and just like you predicted, little Benjamin came running out from the kitchen almost so fast you couldn’t scoop him up in your arms when he arrived at your feet.

“Can we have ice cream?” he asked eagerly and you laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“After dinner and after we finish this project you have to do for school.”

“Dad, do I have to?” Ben whined and James gave him a look saying,

“What do you think, squirt?”

“Why don’t you want to do it?” you asked, putting him down on the couch and sitting next to him, James closing the fridge and joining you in the living room, the faint sound of your other two children playing in the room filling the rest of the quiet house.

“No reason,” he shrugged and you and James both looked at him skeptically.

“What’s the project?” James asked.

“A family tree,” Ben sighed and you looked up at James with a hint of sadness past your eyes.

Not knowing what to say initially, you let your husband take the lead of the situation as he hummed in thought, standing up from where he sat on an armchair to come join you both on the couch, sandwiching Ben between you.

“So there’s no reason you don’t want to do the project so then why don’t you do it?” he attempted to point out the fallacies in the young boy’s logic, seeing if that might speak to him.

“Cause it’s boring,” Ben said, looking up at his dad.

“So that’s a reason then, right?” James continued. “Are you sure that’s the only reason?”

“You know you can talk to us about anything, right Benny? That’s what dad and I are here for.”

Ben was contemplating his options before leaning back in the couch and softly saying,

“Derek says you guys aren’t my real parents.”

You frowned when you heard what he shared, knowing this conversation might come up eventually, but you didn’t expect kids to be so cruel so young.

“What do you think?” James asked.

Ben pursed his lips and moved them around in thought.

“I know I’m adopted,” he reflected. “But does that mean I can’t put you on my family tree? Because we’re not related?”

“Benny, we’re not related like Derek is to his parents, but we’re still related,” you wrapped an arm around him and gave him a squeeze.

“How?” Ben asked curiously.

“Well cause we’re a family,” you smiled. “That’s our connection to each other and it doesn’t matter that it doesn’t look the same way as it does in other people’s families.”

“And we have some cool stories to go with it too,” James added. “Have your mom and I ever told you about how we met you?”

“How you met me?” Ben chuckled. “No, I don’t think you have.”

“Well we’d have to go back about seven years ago,” you started.

“Yeah a time where dad’s back didn’t have issues and mom didn’t need glasses to read everything,” James added, making Ben laugh and you roll your eyes. “It was a pretty cold night, wasn’t it?”

“Snowing outside,” you nodded. “I got a call from your auntie Lisa telling me there was a small baby in the emergency room and they needed my help to make sure he was okay.”

“Was that me?” Ben asked.

“You bet,” you nodded. “So I ran downstairs from my office and when I got there I saw you all bundled up in one of the nurse's arms while they checked you up. I went over and offered to take you and when they put you in my arms I could have sworn it was magic.”

“How was it magic?”

“You know how sometimes moms and dads talk about how they feel when they hold their baby for the first time?” you asked and Ben nodded. “I felt that with you, because I think deep down I knew that you were going to be my baby.”

“It was love at first sight,” James said. “Just ask your grandparents how they felt when me or your uncle Danny were born. We felt the exact same way when we saw you.”

“So you felt the same with me as you did with Amy and Nate?”

“The absolute same,” James nodded. “We love them just as much as we love you.”

“Which is a lot,” you added with a nudge.

Ben seemed to be feeling better about the whole situation, but with a bit more thought he found himself with one more question.

“What do I do if someone says you aren’t my real family?”

“That’s a good question,” you pursed your lips. “Any ideas, Jamie?”

“You could tell them it’s too bad they think we aren’t your real family because no matter what they think it’s not true,” James said simply. “You’re our son and you’re Amy and Nathan’s big brother, nothing someone says is going to change that.”

“Change what?” Amy asked, walking into the living room from the hallway, Nathan trailing behind her.

“That I’m your brother,” Ben said.

“Yeah, no duh,” Amy rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world, making you all laugh. “Who said you’re not our brother? They’re really stupid.”

“Amy, language,” you chastised.

‘She’s right’ James mouthed in your direction and you tried to stifle another laugh to not encourage her.

“Come here you two,” James motioned for the kids to join you on the couch, picking Amy up and placing her on his lap while you helped Nathan sit next to you.

“What are we doing?” Nathan asked after a moment of silence, looking to his twin sister for answers.

“We’re trying to have a nice family moment, Nate, you gonna cooperate?” James teased and reached over to tickle his youngest son who squirmed and squealed with laughter while Ben and Amy tried to come to his aid, eventually overpowering him and tickling him right back.

“Alright, alright kids, give your dad a break, we still need him in one piece,” you put your hand on Ben’s shoulder, pulling him back a little and then moving Amy's hands away from James’ neck where she was still earnestly trying tot tickle to avenge her twin brother.

“Thanks honey,” James leaned over and you shared a quick kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” you smiled before looking at your three kids and they all knew what was coming. You and James each pressed a kiss to either side of Ben’s face saying,

“Love you three,” before moving onto Amy with “Love you four,” and finishing with Nathan and “Love you five.”

You looked over at James with a grateful look in your eyes and you both thought maybe Ben’s project could wait until after dinner and a nice big bowl of ice cream.

[genevievefangirl]

Gen's Top 100 DBDA Fics - PART 10

For all caveats/rules/backstory, please read the Master Post

Thoroughfare By: expertonhaircuts worm_pirate_ on twitter Rating: T Tags: AU - Zombie Apocalypse, AU - Last of Us, Slow Burn, Hurt Edwin Payne, Protective Charles Rowland, Unfinished Summary: “I’m Charles,” He says, determined to keep eye contact with the boy’s wide, green eyes, “Are you okay?” The boy doesn’t say anything. He just looks down and rolls up the right sleeve of his shirt, and Charles’ mouth goes dry. Logically, he knew it was there, he knew, he saw the Infected bite into the boy when Charles was under him. But somehow, as they ran, he’d convinced himself he’d saved them both. “Promise me, Charles,” The name comes as an afterthought, the boy’s voice shaking, “Promise me you’ll kill me when I turn.” // OR: A zombie apocalypse AU inspired by The Last of Us in which Edwin is immune, Charles has sworn to protect him, and together they’ve been running from their pasts whilst trying to do some good along the way. My Notes: This is the only truly 'unfinished' fic on this list in that it hasn't been updated for months at this point, but I promise you it is worth reading in it's current state. I love zombie AUs and this one is one of the best I have ever read. The first meeting between the boys is iconic and the instant connection they form is *chef's kiss*. I promise you will love it.

Touched by you By: Lemurafraidofthunder @lemurafraidofthunder Rating: T Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Caretaking, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Protective Charles Rowland, Protective Edwin Payne Summary: After a run in with an iron-happy witch, our favourite ghost detectives take care of each other and perhaps have some realisations. Featuring gentle touches, a slightly panicking Edwin and Charles who’s always gonna be ready with a soft smile for Edwin. My Notes: The boys taking care of each other after getting injured will always be one of my fav genres.

Wait, I'm Coming Too By: flowerbritts @flowerbritts Rating: T Tags: Feelings Realization, Misunderstandings, Protective Charles Rowland, Hurt/Comfort, Case Fic, FIrst Kiss Summary: Edwin was changing. Charles couldn't help but see this as strange as 'Edwin' and 'change' were usually never in the same sentence. But Charles noticed. Charles would always notice. or Charles has to use his investigative skills to solve The Case of The Different Demeanor. My Notes: Edwin's different. Charles is struggling with that. The boys talking about their feelings after the season is over is such an underrated genre of fic and this is one of the best of those.

what is Hell to a broken heart? By: imnotcryingipromise Rating: G Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Self-Sacrifice, First Kiss, Soul Bond, Protective Charles Rowland Summary: "You'd trade your soul?" the demon asks, evidently mystified but intrigued. "For his?" Charles breathes out a humourless laugh. "His is worth more than ten of mine," he submits. "But I doubt you value souls of quality. You demons want anger, yeah? And pain? You feed off it... Well I'm full of it." *** Hell returns to reclaim Edwin. Desperate to protect his friend, Charles offers up his soul instead. My Notes: Charles trying to save Edwin from going back to Hell by sacrificing himself? SIGN ME UP!

what some circumstance stole By: Chrome @catalists Rating: T Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Torture, Kidnapping, Hurt Edwin Payne, Protective Charles Rowland Summary: For a magic-user intent on siphoning pain for power, both Hob Gadling and Edwin Payne represent unique opportunities. United in dire circumstances, a man incapable of dying and a boy long dead forge an unusual friendship--and try to survive the experience. --- “When you died,” Hob said. “How old were you?” “Sixteen.” “That,” Hob said, “Is awful.” Edwin shrugged. “Life is, I’m afraid,” he said. “Can be wonderful, too,” Hob said. “I promise.” My Notes: I have never seen Sandman, but this story hit me hard. It has everything! Hurt Edwin with Charles being protective and an interesting case too! And Hob is a great POV character that I grew from not knowing at all to LOVING by the end.

what was there to complain of, but that he had been loved? By: imnotcryingipromise Rating: T Tags: Fix-it, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Love Triangles, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Charles Rowland, PTSD Summary: "Edwin!" Charles' anxious plea brings him back to the present. They are just inches from one another, the younger boy’s hands pressed to either side of his inconsolable companion's face. "Stay with me, yeah?" Charles whispers. *** Following Niko’s death, Edwin begins having panic attacks. Charles is torn between his desperate desire to console his oldest friend and his duty to the girl he cares for. My Notes: Charles insisting on giving Edwin comfort when Edwin insists he doesn't need any is such a good trope. And I love Charles running after Edwin when he runs away.

Who Would You Kill For? By: Asoftdaniel ourbluehours on twitter Rating: T Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Troture, Protective Charles Rowland, Violent Thoughts, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hurt Edwin Payne, Angst Summary: Edwins' screams mulled Charles' soul into pieces. He was unable to reach him, the iron collar a burning reminder carving his skin with the guilt. No matter how much he struggled against the choker, no matter how many threats were shouted, he couldn't stop Edwin’s tortured wails. He would make that witch pay. He would make everything alright. or the events from the last episode written slightly different– more violent and sentimental– and the aftermath while comforting away some deep scars. My Notes: Charles going ferral on Esther after she tortures Edwin is catnip to me.

Who? You mean your teammate in the Codependency World Cup? - Series By: RoseGanymede95 @oxbellows Rating: G-M Tags: Case Fic, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Edwin Payne, Protective Charles Rowland, Angst Summary: The pre-canon adventures of Edwin and Charles. In which they love each other a whole lot and neither one has any idea how to be normal about it. My Notes: Yes I did put all of Codependency together because otherwise it would have taken 5 slots lol This is highly rated for a reason, if you haven't read it yet, what are you doing??? Go read it! The characterization of Edwin and Charles is spot on and the writing itself is delightful. Everytime it updates the entire DBDA Haunt server screams about it. If that doesn't tell you all you need to know then nothing will!

Will it shine forever? By: Asoftdaniel ourbluehours on twitter Rating: G Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, AU - Soulmates, Angst, Protective Charles Rowland, Soul Bond Summary: “He is gone,” Charles choked out, wet and desperate, “I can’t feel him Crystal, he is gone.” It rang true, sucking all the oxygen in the space around them until it was painfully obvious that, even if soulmates could be separated by Death, Hell would have to try a lot harder. Even if the soul mark was gone and Charles grieved the loss of half his soul, he would wreak havoc until there was nothing left of him. Or: the soulmate au where when Edwin gets taken to Hell the soul mark and ‘soul bond’ disappears, leaving Charles uncertain if Edwin is still even ‘alive’ yet he goes down to Hell anyways. My Notes: Soulmate AUs are some of my favorites and I love this one partially because Charles not being able to feel Edwin anymore when he is dragged to Hell hit me right in the gut.

Your flickering light By: tragedy_machine @tragedy-machine Rating: T Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Protective Charles Rowland, Feelings Realization, PTSD Summary: Charles sees it happen in real time. He sees how Edwin goes from distressed to so deeply panicked it’s evident that his mind goes to a completely different place. He also sees the moment Edwin flickers and simply sinks through the floor. Edwin phasing through one floor to get to the one below wouldn’t be anything to write home about, except for the fact that they already are on the utmost ground floor. There was nothing underneath the house but a few meters of concrete, followed by rock and dirt. OR: Edwin gets triggered during an attack which causes him to disappear and a panicked Charles has to figure out how to find him before it's too late My Notes: The idea of Edwin falling through the floor due to panic has stuck in my brain from the first time I read this fic months ago. I love the moment when Charles finds him half buried in the ground. It is just so good.

And that's the full 100!

But we aren't done yet! Tune in tomorrow for:

Part 11- Bonus WIPs day!

[itstimetojellyfish]

Yo hey I just finished your Misha angst now I'm addicted have you thought about writing for Yanqing platonically because I've got some good angst for that silly lil guy but anyway what about platonic angst for Jing Yuan like say he has a biological kid and they feel like they disappoint him because they aren't fully a long life species but they have a lot of achievements they just don't have like a lot of confidence and they feel that he prefers Yanqing over them bonus points if they are already an adult because they've been carrying that thought all throughout their childhood oh oh don't forget the dead nom

Great! I actually have considered it , but I’ve been on a writers block so this is a great opportunity! Thanks for the plot!

Always in your shadow ( Platonic Yanqing x reader)

Time for some more angst no comfort!

Here we go again..

“General! When will we have our next session?” The blond haired boy sprinted beside your father as he excitedly told him about everything he’s done .

You feel… jealous…

You press your lips together as you watch them talk excitedly, telling each other about battle techniques and chess….

You suppress a sob in your throat as you suddenly grasp your chest , your heart throbbing and clenching painfully.

Wasn’t the General supposed to be your father?..

You had nothing against Yanqing , in fact , you love him as if he was actually your blood brother, you took care of him ever since Jing Yuan brought him in .

However , he’s a teen , and you’re an adult now , and Jing Yuan still hasn’t smiled at you the way he smiled at Yanqing .

You’ve done so many things… fighting Mara-struck , leading his army , doing his desk work unfortunately.

And yet..

Here you are , trailing behind them like a guard while they laugh with each other as if they’re the blood relatives, not you .

You hiccups quietly, suppressing the tears that threaten to fall upon your face , you feel neglected.

You’re no longer that social anymore , because you thought that if you made more connections…

You would finally be useful.

However , you now know what the truth is.

He loves Yanqing.

Your head short circuits when it comes to that conclusion , making you stop suddenly behind them , eyes wide with disbelief.

No… that can’t be true, your father wouldn’t do that! He loves you both equally! He always did , he definitely didn’t host all of Yanqing’s celebrations!

He definitely doesn’t spend more time with Yanqing when he asks ,when you have to literally wait for months to get an appointment!

He definitely doesn’t dote over Yanqing whenever he gets seriously injured while never visiting you !

Oh who are you kidding?

You take a step backwards before running away towards your destination , a lush green field you cultivated yourself .

You now see the signs, ever since Yanqing came into the picture , you’ve been neglected because apparently…

You’re old enough to not depend on another .

You collapse underneath a willow tree and your long sliver hair comes undone , you wish you could tear out your hair .

You wish it was mother’s color , you wish mother was still here , then she would’ve took care of you when your father didn’t .

You wish that your eye color was the same as your mothers , then you’d have something to cling onto .

You wish you had at least one person to cling onto because you’ve been alone since you were 8 .

You…. Wish …. You just wish you had someone that would love you.

As you cry silently beneath the tree , a soft rustling came from your left side , you turn your head and then see a blue sleeve push the leaves aside and a blond head pops through the canopy.

Your eyes immediately dull and cloud up.

He looks at you and then says “ It’s my fault that you look so defeated and worn everyday isn’t it?” His expression has guilt written all over it .

You sigh,” Yanqing , it’s fine . No need to worry , my prime has already passed, just focus on you okay?” You give him a strained smile .

He just stares at you , the tension between you two thick .

In midst of your staring contest, a soft creak can be heard from behind the willow tree , making your head turn , Yanqing steps closer to inspect it , looks at the stem , however , the stem wasn’t the problem.

A Mara-struck had crept up and chopped the tree, making it fall towards you two . Your first reaction was to leave , but Yanqing didn’t realize until it was too late .

Wouldn’t it be easier if he just died?

(No)

Wouldn’t it mean more attention from father?

(More like hatred)

He favors Yanqing , and others don’t like you , so it would be better for everyone , if he survived , so you did what you thought was the most logical reaction.

Push Yanqing away , and get buried underneath the tree , letting the Mara-struck slash at you until Yanqing recovers from the shock.

As soon as you felt the tree bury you underneath it , a loud crack was heard , and your rib cage felt more and more in pain as the Mara-struck stalled towards you.

While you expected Yanqing to at least help you up , he just ran after he pierced the monster .

Was a little bit of help too much to ask for?..

So, you just lay there , sobbing quietly as the pain in your rib age became more and more unbearable, silently wishing for someone to comfort you .

It didn’t take long for you to slowly loose consciousness, the last thing you heard was ,

“ I’m sorry for everything “

[denwritesandcries]

Like a Movie Scene – V.P

Pairing: van palmer x fem!reader

Summary: Van Palmer should come with a warning sign. She invades your life with her crooked smiles and stupid jokes and draws you into her orbit without even asking for permission, as if it were something destined to happen. Which, you assume, it probably is.

Word count: 7,1k.

Content: No crash!AU, cursing, mentions of homophobia (it’s the 90’s), friends to lovers, slow burn, fluff, a little angst, shitty families, LOTS of movie references, the yjs being normal teenagers.

Note: Van is a flirty little shit but also a complete loser and we love her for that.

English is not my first language.

Van Palmer should come with a warning sign or at least a 'no returns' marked on the tag of her football jerseys.

You don't think it would have done any good, though. Van draws you into her orbit from the first moment you met, like a bright and warm sun; allowing you to exist steadily in her life even though, technically, she has invaded yours.

You suppose then, that you wouldn't have it any other way.

It's likely you guys would never have really spoken to each other if it weren't for a mix-up between your practice schedules and a stupid argument between your coaches.

You see, the track team – which you were part of – always had practice right after the football team, because Wiskayok High School barely had the structure to keep both a girls and boys football team running properly, let alone a decent space for the few other sports the small-town school offered. Your practices took place on the same days of the week and one after the other, always at the same time. It was the implicit rule: from 4:30 pm the field is yours.

Coach Martínez didn't seem to care, however, because there he was arguing with your coach. Since apparently football practice had run late and the girls just needed to train for an hour and a half.

Your coach wasn't having any of it – your time was already too short without these changes –, and now both men were in the middle of the field screaming in each other's faces while poor coach Scott tried to calm them down.

“Dude.” you recognize Natalie Scatorccio’s tired and rasp voice beside you: “They could just cancel and let us go.”

You and apparently most people there, if the expressions of annoyance and crossed arms were any indication, couldn't agree more.

"Right?" You said. “Look at them, you think they’re gonna fight?”

Nat let out an amused snort, “They’re going to eat Coach Ben alive, that’s what they’re gonna do.”

You would have said something else if it weren't for a third voice coming from right behind you:

“They're gonna kiss, look how close their faces are.” It was Van Palmer, the goalie, with red hair swinging in a ponytail and a smirk on her lips. She shook her head in mock disappointment and crossed her arms, pointing with her chin at the scene, “In front of us, kids? What a lack of professionalism.”

You choke on a laugh and her gaze snaps to you, her smile widening with something like satisfaction in her eyes. The attention made you nervous. You weren't used to interacting with Yellowjackets members other than Nat, who was easy to talk to and was your lab partner as well as sharing cigarettes at parties, meaning that talking to Van Palmer was a completely new territory.

You joke back insecurely: “At least you have real coaches. Ours is the art teacher.”

That made her let out an incredulous laugh and you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel pleased about it. Like almost the entire school, you also had a crush on the Yellowjackets.

Your laughter died down just as Coach Scott ran across the field to the two mixed teams with the most genuine expression of exhaustion you've ever seen. “We decided to share the space," he says. And that's all. Your first interaction with Van: a conversation that lasted less than three minutes mocking your teachers. You would never expect it to evolve into anything beyond that.

It's strange trying to do your usual routine of running through the poorly painted banners around the pitch – which looked like it had never seen better days – with a game taking place just a few meters away from you and your teammates. The fear of getting hit in the face by a ball was embarrassing.

Yet, as you wait for the relay, your gaze tracks the girls in action. You don't know the names of most of them, but recognize Taissa and Shauna fighting over the ball at one end of the field, the confrontation seems a little too intense, which makes you a bit nervous and your eyes go straight to the nearest goal, coincidentally, is the one Van is defending.

You notice how beautiful she looks with her expression completely concentrated and hands resting on the knees, waiting to act. Shauna overtakes Taissa and kicks hard the ball towards the goal; Van grabs it as soon as she crosses the white line on the lawn.

A giggle escapes you as Shauna turns around in frustration and the ball bounces back into the field and Van and Tai share a wry smile. The goalie turns her attention away from the game for a moment to look around and you swear she's looking for something – or someone.

Your teacher calls signaling your turn and you leave your thoughts while you line up with some other teammates.

You can do your relay routine for exactly fifteen minutes before something goes wrong.

You run on autopilot, so used to it that it's practically a second nature, letting your gaze return to scanning the field with interest when one of the players tries to score again and Van throws herself against the ground to catch the ball with a stronger and clearly exaggerated movement compared to last time. You thought this would be a one-time thing, seeing as the way Jackie and Nat rolled their eyes at her from where they were off to the side blocking other girls, but it kept happening the entire time you spent running until it was time for your break.

You choke on the water you drink when you realize that Van is the one staring at you this time, hands resting on her thighs, face sweaty and red, as if she doesn't have a game to focus on.

Shit, you think. How are you going to keep your head in training now? You wonder what you would have done to get a Yellowjacket's attention so suddenly as you return to your line.

You resume your run at a pretty good pace despite the sudden nervousness, feeling a little more confident when you hear a loud “Come on guys, no one has beaten L/N’s time yet!” coming from your teacher.

And then you're approaching the curve flush with the football field, the curve that gives you the perfect view of the goal.

Van is there, of course, just throwing the ball downfield again. Van, who rests her hands on her hips and catches her breath when Coach Scott blows the whistle and tells that her team won the game. Van, who turns around just in time and sees you approaching. Van, who removes a strand of red hair from her face that has escaped the ponytail and gives you a malicious toothy smile. Van, who winks at you. Van, who makes you fall. Literally.

It's all so out of nowhere, so suddenly that your heart misses a beat and you miss a step, tripping over your own feet as if your legs forgot how to work properly, falling in the middle of the curve and getting in the way of your colleagues further back in the lanes next to your side

Shit. Holyshit. Fuck. You just fell in front of the entire football team.

One of your friends bends down next to you to help and asks what happened, you blame the laces of your sneakers that untied when you fell because any reason is less embarrassing than what actually happened.

Your knee is bleeding and one of your arms is scraped, so the coach decides to have pity and leave you on the bench until it's time to leave. You make your way there with your ears burning and your head down.

If Van had any kind of interest in you, it definitely disappeared after that.

You remain alone on the bench, avoiding looking anywhere for a long time until Misty Quigley appears at your side with things to bandage your wound and you happily let her fill the silence with whatever she wants to say for the next few minutes.

Your night is spent tossing and turning in bed over the shame you've experienced and the next day as you walk through the hallways, the possibility of the goalie talking to you again doesn't even cross your mind as the first classes go by like a blur.

And then you're at your lunch table waiting for Nat to show up to talk like she usually does when she doesn't disappear around school, but after a few minutes a head of red hair takes over your vision instead of the usual dyed blonde.

“What’s up?” Van is sitting next to you, with the same crooked smile and her cheek propped up in a fist.

“Uh, nothing much really.” You have no idea what is going on; she is sitting with you, smiling at you and talking to you. Why is she doing this? You can feel a few other people's eyes on you through the interaction.

She introduces herself, even though you already know who she is, holding out a hand for you to shake – they’re rough, you notice, with calluses adorning the fingers –, probably just so you can introduce yourself too. “I’m Van,” she says. And that’s it.

She’s been Van since the beginning. Not Vanessa Palmer or the Yellowjackets goalkeeper, just Van. She says it so matter-of-factly that it would simply sound wrong to call her anything else.

You engage in a conversation about anything and everything after you introduce yourself – just your nickname too. You assume Nat already told her your name at some point yesterday – speaking as if you already knew each other, and somehow it doesn't feel weird.

Your eyes end up focusing on a black-haired girl crying at a table on the other side of the cafeteria with another girl a little smaller than her. You don't know either of them, but you know that they are both on the main team too.

“Hey,” you point with your chin: “What’s up with her?”

Van finds the source of your attention and raises her eyebrows, “Oh, you mean Mari?”

You answer with a simple nod of your head and that's enough for Van to invade your personal space with a devilish expression and a mischievous smile.

“She had a bad break up.” Van says and you tilt your head at her.

“But was it that bad?” You arch an eyebrow, “People don’t cry in such full places over nothing.”

Van moves a little closer to you and lowers her voice conspiratorially, as if she’s telling you a very important secret: “She were dumped," and then a dramatic pause, “For the guy’s half-sister.”

"What?" Your jaw drops completely and Van nods her head.

“Lottie told me, she knows about these things.” Ahe rests her face in her hand again, “She said she caught them kissing at her last party, Mari must have known.”

“‘The fuck?” The shocked look you give her only seems to amuse her.

“Oh, she's crying right now but boy, she was mad as hell in our math class today.” Van blows an exaggerated raspberry, “I bet she'll end up coming up with an absurd plan to get revenge and burn down his house just like in She Devil if the story spread.”

It will definitely spread, you thought.

An unexpected giggle escaped your chest – you might have felt a little bad for talking shit about a girl you didn't even know later, but not now – and your gaze found Van's face again.

“Yeah.” You start, “Except she was replaced by the guy’s own sister– half-sister, whatever, instead of a famous writer.”

Her face lights up completely as she speaks, bright green eyes like those of an excited puppy.

“You like that movie?” She asks.

“I love that movie,” you correct, “It’s iconic and Meryl Streep looks good.”

"She does.”

This seems to completely cement Van's interest in you, because she continues to sit with you at lunch for the rest of the week. When Nat finally shows up, she arches an eyebrow, but doesn't question it.

You and Van get closer in a surprisingly short period of time, but the way she seems to settle into your life is gradual and your silly little crush on the goalie seems to get stronger without even realizing it. Waiting for your lunches in the cafeteria, conversations in the hallways, glances exchanged during physics class – since you sat too far away to really talk – and the exchange of silly words about movies you like.

You have the habit of going out for a run every weekend in the morning – it's not easy to keep the best time in the routines, after all – and one day you decide to change your route by pure coincidence to a longer one that ends up near one of the trailer parks in the city; the fact that Nat mentioned one day that she’s neighbors with a certain teammate has nothing to do with it.

It surprises you that Van is awake at 8 am on a Saturday, but you find her – by pure coincidence, nothing more than that – outside a sad trailer watering an even sadder small garden. When she sees you, your hair is a mess and breathing is a little out of step, and you give her an awkward wave as you catch your breath. It's the first time you've seen each other outside of school.

“You’re stalking me now, weirdo?” Her crooked smile tells you that there's no real bite behind it.

"No," You place your hands on your hips, kicking some loose pebbles on the floor with your sneakers. Yes, you liar, “I always run around here, how come we’ve never seen each other before?”

Fuck it, you think. If Van can just show up for you because she wants to, then you can do the same.

She seems happy to abandon her garden chores when you ask her to go for a walk and she agrees to make you company once there’s no running involved; a walk, because no one deserves to be running around like Rocky Balboa at this time of the morning.

You walk together side by side through the neighborhood with your shoulders brushing against each other as if you've done this many times before, Van whistling a random tune carelessly.

Talking to her when the initial nervousness passes is one of the easiest things you've ever done and you find yourself enjoying and listening to everything Van tells you. This potential friendship – maybe more. Maybe, just maybe – it's the most fun thing that's happened in your year so far.

Your walks together also become a habit after that. You just come back the next day and Van is there with a smile on her face, so you keep coming back and she keeps smiling.

You also start walking home after school. Neither of you have a car, so why not?

You crave her company and she craves yours, you stay for Van's training and she stays for yours – no one else on the teams has the energy to complain about exaggerated movements or stumbles on tracks – and then when you're ready, you head off to your ways together and it makes your heart warm every time.

Everything about Van just makes you want to know her even more; the way she gestures with her arms and declares with the utmost disgust how she keeps distance from any musical that isn’t animated – “But you only watched Cats!” “And that was enough!” –, they way she tells you about how she and Taissa are watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch every Friday, or how she makes fun of any weird thing Misty said during practice that week.

You listen and absorb everything with an stupid drunk smile on your face, letting her entwine your arms and chatter to her heart's content.

Keep talking, you want to say. I love your voice, seeing you happy makes me happy. Keep talking, keep talking, keep talking.

You invite her to your house for the first time under the pretext of studying, after she throws herself on the chair next to you with a tearful expression during physics class.

“I’m gonna fail,” she whines, banging her head dramatically against the open notebook on the table, “The teacher hates me.”

You start teasingly: “Maybe he would hate you a little less if you actually paid attention in his class.”

"I do!" Van protests. “It’s personal, he must think I’m strange or somethin’ and lower my grades for it.” She crosses her arms with a pout and a roll of eyes.

“Of course." You agree with an exaggerated nod, “And you, yourself, are strange and unusual.”

“Yes!” She exclaims, ignoring the looks she attracts, “But that’s not the point, don’t quote Beetlejuice to me now, woman, this is serious.”

“Oh, wow, okay then.” You shrug.

Van looks at you before resting her head on the table again. She seems so hopeless that you give in.

“Hey, c’mon,” you say, letting your hand rest on her hair and stroke it gently: “You can come to my house today. I’ll help you study for the next test.”

Van's shoulders tense suddenly and her head snaps up so fast it makes you jump back.

"Really?" Her eyes are wide, face as red as her hair: “I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

That's strange. Van is usually the one who makes you nervous, not the other way around.

“You won’t bother me at all,” you reply without giving it much thought, “There won’t be anyone at home anyway.”

And then there's silence, Van's face turns impossibly redder and after a second of confusion, you understand.

You just invited Van to your house. Alone. There is an innuendo there. Several possibilities that neither of you will mention, but that you both know are there.

Your face starts to heat up, so you clear your throat and stutter a confused “Are you coming then?”, because you can't let her realize what you just thought about.

Van responds with a squeaky “Okay, sure." and hurries back to her usual seat when class finally begins.

When you adjust yourself in the chair and think about finally releasing the breath you didn't realize you were holding, your gaze finds Lottie Matthews staring at you three seats away with her eyebrows raised. Shit.

Lottie says nothing, just wrinkles her nose contemplatively and faces forward, but she knows. She always knows. You feel your hands sweat and shake with nervousness at the prospect of becoming the new school gossip like Mari last month. The queer who fell too hard for a Yellowjacket only to get it wrong and ruin everything.

You shake your head. No, Lottie wouldn't do that. You weren't exactly friends, but she’s not mean, there was no reason for her to mess with you, your thoughts were just talking too loud. Plus, it's not like she actually saw anything. You didn't do anything forbidden. Friends go to each other's houses all the time. Your crush is not obvious.

That's stupid, you think, it doesn't matter. But you don't really believe it. Yes, it matters, at least in this little town at the end of the world.

You just hope you don't end up crying in the cafeteria too.

There is no training that day, so as soon as classes are over, you leave school together and make your way home. For the first time, the silence is awkward and makes you feel bad for making the invitation the wrong way. Maybe Van just doesn't swing that way and you made her uncomfortable somehow. It's a possibility; you're not exactly in the closet to the rest of the school.

Still, the way her hand brushes against yours gives you hope that this isn't the case.

When Van enters your house, the first thing she does is look around.

“Wow,” she begins. “Its really…”

“Small?” You complete, feeling somewhat conscious. Your house wasn't a trailer, but it wasn't anything compared to the houses of Van's cool friends. Definitely nothing like Lottie or Jackie.

“Empty.” She corrects.

Huh. It's true, your house was praticly always empty, not only because your parents spent as much time as they could out of it, pretending they didn't have a kid to still take care of, but also because of the lack of furniture and personality. It didn't seem like a cozy place to a family live. As a whole, it could be really lonely most of the time. Van seems to have noticed this with a single glance.

You choose to ignore the comment, suddenly thinking that this might end up becoming too intimate. In a vulnerable way.

When Van enters your bedroom for the first time, she gives the place the same curious look as the rest of the house, but her jaw quickly drops.

“You got a TV in your room?” She sounds completely shocked.

“Yeah.” You snort in amusement, “My uncle runs an appliance store, he fixed one that no one picked up last summer, so now it’s mine.”

Van still looks very impressed as her eyes roam the rest of the room. Your bedroom was, perhaps, the only place in the house where someone actually seemed to live. Posters and photos adorned the colorful walls and it seemed like every little thing in the room was directly a part of you, from an old stuffed animal on one of the shelves to the small pile of messy clothes on the chair next to the study table because you weren't planning on receiving no one to remember to put it away.

The tension from before seems to be dissipating and you can see from the expression on her face the exact moment Van notices your small VHS collection up ahead.

“Okay. That's it. We're only hanging out here from now.”

And that awkward moment passes completely.

In a matter of minutes you both are comfortable in your bed with books and notebooks spread around, after convincing Van to start studying with the promise that she could choose whatever movie she wanted for you to watch when you were finished.

Van seems to dedicate herself twice as much, eager to fulfill the agreement and the hours pass quickly as she understands the concepts you explain about the subject and then all you have to do is say that it's time for a break for her to jump out of bed with a smile from ear to ear and choose a movie.

She puffs out her chest holding the tape in her hands and proudly declares that you're watching Jurassic Park and you don't even think to question it when you return the smile and takes on the task of making popcorn.

Van ends up leaning against you throughout the movie, reciting all the lines from memory along with the characters close to your ear – she knows all of them – and your heart remains racing with blood rushing in your ears until she leaves.

The two of you keep hanging out at your house again and again, just like she said it would be. Sometimes you study or watch something together, but most of the time Van simply keeps you company while you do your chores around the house, following you around like a puppy while you cook or do the laundry. Your home has never been so fulled or welcoming.

You go home after classes and practice – occasionally with Nat in tow – and stay together until it's late and dark, every now and then you say that she could just sleep over as a joke, but she never accepts it. You gulps the pang of sadness and rejection each time it happens.

And you guys talk a lot. You've never been so delighted to hear someone blab about anything.

Van spends days talking about how excited she is for summer while helping you chop the things for dinner. She and Natalie always get jobs together and she’s dying to buy a car – “You’re the runner here, lady, not me.” –, an old dark green pickup truck. She shows you the leaflet with a smile so proud that you don't have the courage to admit that you thought the thing was horrible; she tells you about how she wears the clothes of her older brother who apparently left town as soon as he finished school while helping you fold the freshly washed clothes, some of her own included.

It's so domestic that you wonder why this didn't happen sooner, depriving either of you of a routine together like this for so long seemed mean.

One night you’re sleeping soundly when you are startled awake by a loud knock on your window and you turn to find a face pressed against the glass. You almost have a heart attack.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Van!”

She's standing there with a pout and big eyes, pointing at the lock and you consider leaving her outside for the fright she got you. One look at the alarm clock on the table next to the bed tells you that it's already past 2:00 am.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, your voice rasp and tired from sleep, letting her come in, but only because you don't want her to get a cold outside.

Van sneaks into the room, suddenly shy, playing with the hem of the oversized t-shirt she's wearing and avoiding your eyes. She gives you an awkward smile.

“I was just wondering if we could have that sleepover today?”

She looks upset. Something happend. Something that upset her enough that she decided to run to your home in the middle of the night.

“Van,” your expression softened, worry flooding your voice, “Are you okay?”

“Yep.” She clicked her tongue, still not looking at you in the eye.

Okay, you won't get anything out of it then. Van likes to talk, but not when it comes to problems like this. Problems at home.

The thing is that you and Van have a lot in common, like your dubious sense of humor and your love for movies, but are opposites in many others; the main one: where your house is always empty, hers is always full. Full of people who take away the smile that you always try hard to keep on her face.

“Okay." You sigh, taking her hand and making your way to the messed bed, “Let’s get some sleep then.”

“Oh.” She looks even more embarrassed, her sweaty hand in yours, “I can take the couch or the floor. I didn’t mean to wake you, I’m sorry.”

You let out an outraged huff. “You run to my house, climb in through my window, ask me to have a sleepover and now you want to sleep on the floor?”

She drags her feet on the floor, “...Yeah?”

You choose to ignore her answer, practically dragging her over to the bed and making her lie down. When she does, Van moves to the other side of the mattress, clearly trying her best not to disturb you, but in a fit of courage and exhaustion, you wrap an arm around her and press her against your chest. She lets out a squeak of surprise at the action.

“Go to sleep, Van.” You mumble against the back of her neck, burying your face in her thick hair.

Her body is still tense against yours, but Van allows one hand to rest on the arm you keep around her waist.

You lose count of how long you spend lying awake in silence cohabiting in each other's space, but when you wake up in the morning, Van is still asleep, her hand never leaving your arm.

You guys don't talk about it and you never find out what really happened to make her feel so bad that day, but Van shows up more often to stay the night. She never tells you when she's coming and you get scared every time when you hear the knocking on the window – you swear she does it on purpose, that little smartass.

You realize that you really love her, not just as a silly high school crush, in the middle of a hot May. When Van makes you stand in the line at the cinema ticket office for two and a half hours and miss the day of school to get tickets to watch Jurassic Park - The Lost World. Because if you saw the first one together then you should see the second one too, obviously.

You're sure you wouldn't put yourself through this for anyone else – but don't let Natalie know that.

The whole situation feels a lot like a date and you try to ignore the anxiety that washes over you as you rummage through your closet for an outfit that you think is good enough for the night. The way Van's jaw drops when she looks at you when she meets you at the front door makes the effort completely worth it.

She spends the entire movie almost bouncing in her seat with excitement and swearing at the parts that don't make sense. Because apparently the movie is also really bad, even though she's so happy watching it, and you manage to be bold enough to hide your face on her shoulder during the “scary” parts and leave your head resting there until the end.

You're not proud at all to say you spent seven bucks on a squeezy dinosaur for her on the way back, but it's your senior year, damn it, let the girl have fun with her silly toy before college.

You go back home – ‘home’ you think now, not ‘your house’. Your home. Your home with Van. – with her ranting about special effects and scenes you don't remember because you spent more time looking at her than the screen and you end up on the balcony before you know it.

“That was so good.” Van is just inches away from you, looking at you with bright eyes full of happiness; your hands are sweaty, so you put them in your pockets so she doesn't notice.

“Yeah, it really was.” You return with a playful smile, “Even though you convinced me to spend hours under the sun for it.”

“Hey!” She protests, moving impossibly closer, “What would the experience be worth without a little effort, huh?”

“Sure.” You giggle.

She's so pretty, you think. Hair down and a black jacket draped over her shoulders, looking at you as if she actually saw you. Knows you. I want to kiss her.

“You had fun today?” Van asks, unable to avoid the small tone of doubt that escapes her voice.

I want you to kiss me, you think.

“Yes,” you answer instead, “Yes, I did.”

One night Van simply comes in through your window and you don't even react anymore, leaning into her body under the covers.

“You gotta stop coming in through my window,” you grumble.

“Then stop leaving it open,” she huffs, “Someone might break in, you know that?”

You can feel her smile against your neck and you're about to fall asleep again when you hear her voice whispering:

“You’re gonna go to my games, now that we actually have a chance to go to the nationals, right?”

“Of course,” you mumble with a comforting pat of her hand on your stomach, “I’ll be the first one in the stands cheering you on. You’ll be embarrassed of me.”

Van buries her face in your shoulder, “Good.”

You get sick the exact same week that her last game until the nationals happens, lamenting the stupid flu that left you feverish and stuck at home for days.

You can't go to school and Van can't come to see you because Coach Martinez has increased the training routine as the team advances in the championship. You assume it must be really tiring because Van doesn't show up at night either. It's embarrassing the way you can't sleep properly without her.

The worst of all: you lose Van's game.

You resign yourself to spending the afternoon on the couch brooding in remorse until you hear a knock on the door.

Coming across Van's sad face with her clearly trying not to cry was not what you expected when you opened the door, knowing for sure that you would only be greeted later – probably after a victory party – with excited screams and bright little dog eyes asking for help to pack her bags.

"We lost." She says, eyes glued on the carpet.

“Oh." You say stupidly, “Oh, dear.”

Your voice seems to turn a switch inside her, because Van lifts her head to you with her lips trembling and the next moment you two are on the couch with her practically sprawled on your lap and crying. Crying hard. You've never seen her like this before.

You hear something about Jackie hitting the post at the last moment as she sobs, but what seems to make her really upset are the balls she couldn't save during the game. Like it would’ve make difference.

Comforting was never really your strong suit, you can't say you're really upset that the Yellowjackets lost, the idea of having Van so far away from you even for a few days didn't please you at all. A bad feeling in your chest told you that something could go wrong.

“Well,” you run your fingers up and down her back, “You know one good thing about this? We can go to Homecoming now.”

Her breathing hitches, but if Van notices how you say 'we' instead of 'you' she doesn't say anything.

She's on your lap, nose close to yours, eyes swollen with tears but with the same look from that night at the movies, the one that makes your hands sweat and leaves your heart weak.

Unlike the movies, however, she kisses you. Like, she actually moves forward and kisses you.

Her lips are wet and soft against yours and you tilt your head to pursue them only for her to pull away with a panicked expression.

"I'm sorry!" Van exclaims, scooting toward the door as if her skin had burned: “I’m sorry! I– I shouldn’t– I’ll see you at school.”

And then she leaves. You don't even have time to react, she runs out the door and gets into that horrible pickup truck – which she had parked in the driveway for the first time less than two weeks ago, wanting to take you for a ride to celebrate the purchase – and you're left standing in the doorway like an idiot after the car disappears from your vision, as if you were waiting for her to come back – you were.

You don't see her at school for the rest of the week. She doesn't show up in class or practice and she certainly doesn't show up at your house, Van is avoiding you and it's so obvious that you feel like crying the entire time you're there, trying to catch a glimpse of her through the halls.

Fuck. You knew this would happen, that you would screw up and make the person you care about the most hate you.

You huff in frustration, letting your head fall against the table feeling someone's gaze on you, someone who isn't Van.

Lottie Matthews isn't skipping physics class, she has no reason to be, so you shouldn't have freaked out as much as you did when you looked up and saw her towering over you next to your desk.

“Shit–” You gasp, jumping back in your seat and almost hitting her chin.

Lottie tilts her head, completely unfazed, with a look of false innocence and curiosity on her face. The look of someone in search of an information.

The vision of Mari crying at the beginning of the year comes back to your mind and a shiver with a line of sweat runs down your spine. Oh no.

“Did you guys break up?” She asks and it's the last thing you expected.

“What?”

Lottie sits next to you, smoothing her skirt over her legs, completely at ease.

“Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she starts with an anxious air, “But please do 'cause I really want to know.”

"Know what?" God, your head is already hurting from this conversation.

Lottie seems to realize that your confusion is genuine, because she stops and frowns at you.

“Didn’t you and Van break up? I thought you were together.”

What the fuck?

"...No? We’re not?”

“Are you asking me?” Lottie arches an eyebrow, also confused.

"No." You clear your throat and roll your tense shoulders, “We’re not.”

“Oh,” she doesn’t seem to know what to say after that, strangely disappointed – just like you.

The period passes with the two of you in an awkward, resigned silence and as you're leaving, Lottie follows you down the halls, attracting glances as you pass by, which was the last thing you wanted at the moment.

“What now?” You sigh.

“I think you should talk to her and sort things out.” Lottie says, “She seems so sad lately, without her usual sparkle.”

You could understand where Lottie was coming from, seeing Van upset was truly heartbreaking, but you couldn't help the bitter pang in your chest. She ran away after the kiss, not you. The kiss she gave you.

“She’s hiding from me." You admit begrudgingly, “Where else could I talk to her, anyway?”

“In the Homecoming, of course!” Lottie nods at you sagely, as if couldn't be more obvious.

“Of course.” You agree, because, the hell, why not?

The Homecoming is on the weekend, the same weekend the team was supposed to be away for the nationals, which must be why the girls are there, to try and lift their spirits.

You recognize Jackie talking excited to Taissa about something near the tables at the back of the gym, next to a grumpy Shauna with a glass of punch in a hand and the other placed on her waist – in a definitely more then friendly way –, but no sign of of Van in sight.

You end up outside with Natalie, smoking against a wall, as always happen at every party you're at together. She's telling you about how she saw Jeff and Randy with a bottle of liquor before coming in and that they would probably baptize the punch, you both talked about ratting them out to one of the teachers in charge after sneaking a few cups and you probably would’ve done that if Lottie hadn't joined you – coming from who knows where – to ask for a cigarette too.

Nat joked about how it probably wasn't like the expensive brands she seemed to prefer at her parties, but she handed one over without a hitch and the three of you sat there, looking up at the dark and starry sky for a moment.

“You haven’t seen her yet?” Lottie breaks the silence, casually breathing in the smoke.

Nat looks at you sideways and all you do is shrug, not wanting to admit the defeat.

“You should try it near the stands.” She declares.

“What are you, a psychic or something?” You scoff, but go anyway because like Van said, Lottie knows about these things.

She is there. Of course she is. Sitting in the stands staring out at the empty field, wearing a light blue suit with a white shirt and a matching shiny tie that you have no idea where she could have gotten, because there's no way her mom would have let her buy it.

Van notices you approaching by the sound of your footsteps on the ground, her head turning to watch you and for a moment you're afraid she'll run away again.

She doesn't, so you approach, trying your best not to run towards her.

“I gotta quit smoking soon,” you say, stepping on the cigarette your hand was holding and making an overly dramatic effort to sit next to her with heavy breaths, “Or I’ll end up being kicked of track ‘till year is finished.”

Van snorts, “Right, Ponyboy Curtis.”

For a moment it's like anything hasn’t changed between you both, you bet that if you tried with conviction you could almost pretend that nothing had happened. Almost.

“You ran away from me." You say.

“I did.” Van lowers her head, quietly. Embarrassed. You’re not sure of what exacly.

"Why?" You ask, because that's the question that's been running through your mind for days.

“I–” Van looks away from you, “I thought you wouldn't want that.”

“And I thought you knew how much I wanted it." You say and Van lifts her head to stare at you with wide, hopefully eyes, “What do you want, Van?”

Her jaw drops and she looks like she was expecting everything but that, her hands twitch on her thighs, as if she wants to reach you.

“You look so beautiful right now." She sighs softly before steadying her voice, “You look so beautiful that I want to kiss you again.”

"Do it."

And she does, hard and desperate, crushing her nose against yours, as if she's hungry and can't get enough; you wrap your arms around her, hands touching her with the same need.

The lack of air is too much, so Van pulls away from you to immediately start distributing quick kisses down your neck, as if it could all disappear in a second, becoming confident when you tilt your head to grant her more access and only stopping after the hiss that you let go because she bites.

“So…” she laughs nervously, “What now?”

"Now?" You’re out of breath, “Well, can we go back inside and help Nat steal liquour to screw with Jeff and Randy or…”

"Or?" Van arches an eyebrow in amusement.

“We can go home and I can show you how much I missed you.” You shrug, casually tightening your hands on her waist.

“Hm,” she pretends to think about it, “I guess I like the first option better.”

Van laughs at the sound of your offended squeal and avoids the slap you try to give her shoulder.

“Careful, baby,” she intertwines your hand with hers, “I’m gonna start to think that you love me.”

“Oh, you better know that.”

You pull her by her stupid shiny tie and kiss her when she laughs again and let Van guide you to that hideous truck staggering laughing through the crowd of students.

Yeah, you think. I wouldn't have it any other way.

[medusapelagia]

25 The soulmates program

written for @steddieangstyaugust (prompt: Soulmates ) and @augustwritingchallenge (Prompt: Scientists ) @aug-kissed (prompt: First Kiss) Rating: Teen and Up Relationship: Steve/Eddie TW: no one Words: 901

“So, in this experiment, we’re trying to determine if it’s possible to find the perfect soulmate without even knowing them. We interviewed all our volunteers and found a perfect couple. This experiment is the hardest we have ever made. Not only do the two candidates come from two very different social classes, but this is a homosexual couple.”

The audience gasps loudly.

“I must specify that one of the volunteers declared to be gay and the other was open to a homosexual relationship.” The scientists show a PowerPoint presentation pointing at some statistics, “As you can see they don’t have the same interests or hobbies, they live very different lives, but looking at the diagram you can see that they have the same opinions about relationship, friendship, and commitment. You can see that our first subject, Steve, gives very high importance to family and relationship and commitment, and our second subject, Eddie, is just a little bit under on the commitment but they have the same level of importance given to family and relationship. So they are here, after a few dates, to tell us how it worked out for them. Please welcome them.”

The two boys who get into the conference room couldn’t have been more different: one wears a shirt and a pullover over a pair of dark blue jeans, a pair of squared turtle glasses, and a very soft smile, the other is dressed all in black, with a leather jacket, a pair of high boots and some black jeans ripped at the knee revealing a huge skull tattooed on the right knee and black nail polish.

“So, Eddie and Steve, right?” The scientist asks, looking at his file.

“I’m Eddie. He’s Steve.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. So. How did our experiment go?” the man inquires with curiosity, pushing his glasses with one finger.

They both start talking at the same time, before laughing and begin a little dance of “You go first.” “No, you go first.”

In the end, it’s Steve who grabs the microphone, “Hi everyone. I’m Steve Harrington. I signed up for this experiment because I was tired of dating the wrong person and I thought that maybe someone who didn’t actually know me could help me understand what I was looking for.” he turns toward Eddie with a soft smile, “If it wasn’t for this experiment I don’t think I would have ever go out on a date with someone like Eddie. Nothing wrong with him, but as anyone can see we’re not exactly similar.” he chuckles before giving the microphone to Eddie.

“Yeah. That’s right. I would have never looked at someone like Steve to have a stable relationship. I mean, he doesn’t know Metallica and doesn’t play DnD which is like the first thing I ask everyone I date. But yeah. I signed up for this experiment to prove to my buddies that there’s no way you could find a soulmate thanks to some calculation and look at me! I’ll have to buy a lot of beers this year.” He smirks.

“So we must assume the experiment went well.”

Eddie and Steve share a look, “What do you say? Should we tell them?” Eddie asks, playing with a lock of hair.

“Tell us what?”

Steve beams when he grabs the microphone, “We’re engaged. We’re still working on the specifics, I live in Chicago he lives in Los Angeles, but yeah. We are going to get married.” 

“That was unexpected, especially from you, Eddie. Weren’t you against marriage?”

“Have you seen him? Since the first time we kissed after our first formal date, I knew I couldn’t let him go.”

“Remind us of your first date. We sent you each other's description and asked you to meet at the local mall, isn’t that right?”

Steve brushes some hair away from his face, “When I saw the description I was really in doubt. I didn’t think Eddie could have been the right person for me, but I decided to give him a chance. We met at Starbucks. Drink a coffee or two and by the time we leave the coffee shop I was already in love.”

“I was lovestruck as well. Surprised that someone so hot was still single and looking for flaws I didn’t find, so we just chatted and as soon as we left the coffee shop we kissed. I think we both tasted like burned coffee but it was the best kiss I have ever had. And so here we are. Proving that the program can help you find your soulmate.”

The audience applauds, and then Steve and Eddie leave the conference room, hand in hand, until they are far enough from the conference room they look at each other, “What do you think?”

“They totally eat up all that shit. Great work Stevie.” Eddie replies, giving him a high-five.

“You weren’t half bad either, Munson.” Steve replies with a wink, “Now let's make sure they transfer the money to our bank accounts.”

“Can believe your parents agreed to our little plan.”

“It’s their program. They want people to believe they can actually find their soulmate thanks to this program so… it’s a win-win, right?”

“Still convinced about the wedding?”

“I always wanted a big ceremony. I can give you a couple of months of my life before asking for a divorce.” Steve winks, “Now let’s go. This place stinks of stupidity.”

[rafeysbafey]

⭒𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐲⭒

⭒𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐣𝐣 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭.

⭒𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬(𝐥𝐨𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭?), 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 :|, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭

⭒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭. 𝟗𝟖𝟔

𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 tiktok

you approached the maybank household with a sigh, pushing back your hair as you made your way to the entrance. 

I would say I'm sorry

If I thought that it would change your mind

But I know that this time

I have said too much

Been too unkind

jj had gone MIA for a few days now, which wasn’t really a surprise but it was coming close to a week. he was ignoring calls and texts, and wasn’t at his house most times—so you were holding your breath hoping he had come back.

“jayj?” you called, knocking on the paint chipped door that creaked open upon on impact.

it’s not locked, why isn’t it locked?

I tried to laugh about it

Cover it all up with lies

I tried to laugh about it

Hiding the tears in my eyes

'Cause boys don't cry

Boys don't cry

you took it as a sign to let yourself in, eyes immediately wandering around the messy living room that was littered with beer bottles and trash.

“jj?” you called again, your voice slicing through the silence as a loud thud was heard around the corner.

seconds later, the missing blonde you and the pogues had been so worried about came stumbling into view.

“y/n?” he sounded surprised, eyebrows knitted together before his expression quickly morphed into anger. 

I would break down at your feet

And beg forgiveness, plead with you

But I know that it's too late

And now there's nothing I can do

“what the fuck are you doing here?” he yelled, voice bouncing off the rickety walls and attacking your ears.

you noticed a bruise on his chin, a bloody cut on his top lip with a matching one above his eyebrow.

his hair was messy with strands sticking to his forehead, dark circles under his eyes.

“i was- w-we were, the pogues, w-were worried about you,” you stuttered out, watching as he shook his head angrily, “you haven’t been answering our calls, a-and, and you just disappeared!”

“and why do you think that?” he spat, eyebrows raising in a sarcastic manor as he waved his hands around.

So I try to laugh about it

Cover it all up with lies

I try to laugh about it

Hiding the tears in my eyes

'Cause boys don't cry

Boys don't cry

“i didn’t want anyone to see me- i didn’t want you to see me!”

his words felt like a knife to the gut, scratch that, to the heart.

never in your entire friendship has jj yelled at you like that, yelled at you period. he treated you differently from everyone else, treated you differently from the pogues.

everyone knew, everyone saw. it made them want to snap and yell out, “just shut up and kiss each other!”

I would tell you that I loved you

If I thought that you would stay

But I know that it's no use

And you've already gone away

“what did i do?” you whispered, only causing jj to get more frustrated by the second. he was practically gnawing on his bottom lip, a bad habit he had picked up along with many others.

“just forget it,” he mumbled, running a hand through his tangled hair before pointing at the door.

“leave.”

“no.”

his blue eyes narrowed towards your figure, mouth opening to say something but nothing came out.

never have you ever talked to him like that, but you could say the same about him.

“what did you just say?”

his voice was thick, tongue like venom as he took a step towards you.

“you need help jj,” you said, frown etching it’s way on your face, “luke is hurting you-”

“stop it!” he practically screamed, hitting the wall next to him, causing you to flinch and step back.

Misjudged your limits

Pushed you too far

Took you for granted

Thought that you needed me more, more, more

you had never been scared of jj until now. he never gave you a reason to be.

he noticed this, eyes softly dropping and mouth slightly agape, “j-just stop it.”

his voice dropped to a whisper, his once beautiful blue eyes filled with light—gone.

there were tears, threatening to spill and flood his broken face.

“please don’t be afraid of me,” he begged, taking another step towards your small figure as you shook your head.

“i could never be afraid of you, j,” you whispered, which was mostly true. he would never hurt you, his emotions just caught you off guard in the moment.

“i’m not like him.”

“you’re not like him,” you assured, a single tear falling down his face as more prepared to follow.

he shook his head, each shake getting more aggressive as he squeezed his eyes shut, hands coming up to tug at his hair.

“i’m not him.”

“j-” your hand reached out to stop his hand from pulling at his locks, jj catching you off guard as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you into him.

you body collided with his softly, his arms wrapping around your waist as he squeezed you tightly. you stood on your tip toes to loop your arms around his shoulders, letting them find home in your neck as his tears decorated your skin.

“i’m sorry,” he sobbed quietly, breath hot against your neck as you shushed him.

Now I would do most anything

To get you back by my side

But I just keep on laughing

Hiding the tears in my eyes

'Cause boys don't cry

Boys don't cry

“don’t apologize, jayj,” you whispered, “i’m here—and i’m not leaving.”

he tried to subside his cries, whimpers leaving his lips as a result.

“you’re not leaving?”

you shook your head, fingers running through his hair as your nails scratched the back of his head, a small action you’ve learned calmed him down over the past months.

“i’m not leaving.”

Boys don't cry

[lainiespicewrites]

Electric Summer Ch 3.

AHHH I'm loving this story so much!!! Here's chapter 3! I couldn't stop writing this lol

Summary: Sy and Lainie get ready for the campers to arrive. Everyone gets to know each other. It's a perfect summer day until...the weather takes a turn.

warnings: light cursing.

Reblogs and comments ALWAYS welcome! Please let me know what you think!!

Link for Ch2

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

That night I barely slept. Buzzing with all of the energy from the day. The adrenaline and excitement and the butterflies. All of it ran through me like a high I didn’t want to come off of. But still I was skeptical. Was this the universe at play or was it just a coincidence? No, it couldn’t be. Not when all of my emotions seemed to be even stronger in his presence. And as much as I’d like to deny it, I still thought about him often. I had tried to let all of this go. But it’s like he had this grip on me. Everytime I tried to go out with someone new or go on a date. Or let someone touch me. It felt like I was betraying him. I knew that wasn’t true. I know Sy. He never really wanted me to wait forever, I don’t think either of us ever thought we’d see each other again. And if I had seen someone or been with someone he’d never hold that against me. But I just couldn’t do it. 

At some point I must’ve drifted off to a restless sleep. My alarm woke me at 6:30AM. After our dip in the lake yesterday I definitely needed a shower. After a quick morning shower and getting ready for the day. In just some simple workout shorts and a t-shirt. It was supposed to get hot today. I decided to start working on decorations for the cabin before breakfast. I remember one year our counselor made signs with  our names on them to hang over whatever bunk we’d chosen. I loved that idea. 

I went through the roster becca had given me when I’d checked in yesterday and got to work carefully drawing each name and fun summer designs on each one. I wasn’t much of an artist but I was genuinely pretty impressed with myself. 

Then I started to hang the garland letters sign I made for our door. Each year camp has a theme. And our counselors would come up with a name for our group or our cabin before we got there. It was always fun guessing and anticipating what cabin we would get. This year’s theme was classic movies. I smiled proudly to myself as I taped the string to the door after checking one last time to make sure it was straight. We were the “Pink Ladies” I may have a serious obsession with the film Grease. 

I’d decided that if we were paired with one of the boys cabins we would be the pink ladies and I’d convince the boys counselor to be the T-birds. Luckily, Sy didn’t take much convincing. We talked about it yesterday before we started going over the icebreaker games. Although he did briefly try to change my mind and talked about the boys doing a “Top Gun” theme but he conceeded when I pouted. I made both our signs last night. After about an hour of trying to fall asleep I gave up and sat on the floor cutting the letters out of cardstock. I planned on taking the sign over to him  after I figured out how to hang the fairy lights over the rafters. I climbed up onto the top bunk and started there making my way around the perimeter of the cabin. But there was still one long beam across the middle I started on the top bunk in one corner of the room but that only got me so far. I Pulled the little table in the center of the room over and climbed up standing on top of it. It was just tall enough for me to be able to toss the lights around and catch it on the other side of the beam. Just as I’d moved the table and climbed back up to start another section I heard the screen door open. 

“What are you doin?” He asked an edge of panic in his voice. Sy was leaning against the door frame watching me. 

“Hanging lights.” I shrugged, turning back to the task at hand. 

“You’re gonna get hurt,” He said. Walking over to the table staring up at me to meet my eyes. I looked down shaking my head. 

“I am not! I’m almost done once I finish this part I’m gonna climb onto the other bunk.” I explained wrapping the lights around one more time before starting to get down. I felt Logan’s hands on my waist steadying me and helping me off the table. “Thanks” I blushed turning away from him quickly it was to early for this. 

“Anytime darlin, you want some help?” He asked. I shook my head as I climbed the ladder to the top bunk diagonal from mine. 

“Nope this is the last part!” I said as I finished wrapping the lights around the beam. “Did you need something?” I asked. Looking down at him.

“Yeah you not to give me a heart attack!” He joked. I chuckled. 

“I was fine Logan!” I argued. He shook his head. 

“I was actually coming to see if you were ready to head over to breakfast?” He asked I looked down at my watch and looked back up. 

“Is it 8:30 already?” I asked. He nodded. 

“Sure is!” He smiled. I hopped down from the bunk laughing when his eyes went wide again. 

“Jesus woman,” He laughed. “Would you stop trying to get hurt!” He chided. 

“Oh so you can go of overseas and fight in a war, but I can’t do a little home decor without you threatening to put me in a bubble?” I raised an eyebrow. 

“I don’t mean you aren’t capable of doing it yourself darlin, it’s just if I remember right you tend to be accident prone.” He chuckled. 

“That was 7 years ago! I was 17, I was a little clumsy. That’s all.” I defended. 

“Sure,” He smiled. “You ready to go eat?” He asked. I nodded. 

“Just let me grab some shoes!” I slipped on a pair of vans and we headed out the door. 

I was so glad we took the time to sit down and enjoy breakfast because the rest of our morning and early afternoon went by so fast. 

We had another staff meeting about greeting campers. And meeting parents. Dealing with home sickness. A crash course on first aid. The first day’s schedule. Luckily Sy and I were with the older kids. High school age. So our day’s weren’t quite as structured. But somehow that made me more nervous. What if they just brushed us off and none of our effort was even worth it. 

I didn’t have time to think about it. At 1 pm right after lunch and after we finished. Some staff bonding games of our own it was time for check in. It was kind of a long process if I remember so I still had maybe 20 minutes before any of my campers would be there but I was still so nervous. I went and sat out on the picnic table writing down the schedule and some of the games Logan and I had talked about trying one last time to get all my thoughts organized. At one point when I looked up I saw him across the lawn standing on the porch of his cabin finally taping the sign I’d made to his door. 

Better late than never I suppose. I giggled to myself. To be fair it’s a miracle the boys cabins ever participated in those sorts of things anyway. They never were ones to decorate. And their cabins always had a certain…smell to them. I shook my head and looked up again just in time to catch his eye across the lawn. I smiled sending him a little wave. I saw him grin and he waived back. Just as I thought about walking over to chat, a young girl and what i’m guessing is her mom stopped in front of the cabin. 

“Cabin E?” The mom asked smiling. I nodded. Standing up to greet them. 

“That’s me!” I smiled. “Welcome to camp!”

“Thank you!” She said. “This is Emma,” she gestured to her daughter. 

“I can introduce myself mom,” she chided her mother. “I’ve been doing this for 4 years now.” Ah so she was a seasoned camper. She should be fun. 

“It’s nice to meet you Emma, I’m Lainie, do you need help bringing anything inside? I asked gesutring to her bags. 

“Oh I can help her!” Her mom jumped in. Emma rolled her eyes. 

“Mom I love you, but you’re hovering. I got it from here.” She assured her. The womans face fell but she nodded. 

“Alright I get it, it’s time for me to go.” she said. I gave her a sympathetic look. 

“Hey Emma no one else is here yet why don’t you go choose your bunk and get settled in, I always liked to get here early too so I could get the bed I wanted.” I told her. 

The girls eyes lit up and she nodded. She quickly hugged her mom and grabbed her bags walking toward the door. 

“It’s just two weeks mom! I love you!” she said before she walked inside. Her mother smiled sadly and looked back to me. 

“She’s so independent, I don’t know when that happened. She grew so fast. I’ll only get to do this with her one more year.” Her mother explained. 

“She’s just excited, I remember these days. I was a camper myself not to long ago. But trust me, about half way through the first week. I would start to get a little home sick. We alway miss our mommas.” I told her. 

“Thank you,” She smiled. “Sounds like she’s in good hands with you Lainie. I’d better go check on my son My husband is dropping off her twin brother Ethan. And they can both be a handful.” I laughed. 

“I know the type,” I chuckled. She smiled before heading off in the direction of Sy’s cabin. When I looked over there was a boy, and an older man standing outside talking with him. Emma’s mother joined them. The boy had blonde hair just like the girls. Must be her brother I thought.   I didn’t have much time to watch as two more campers and their family’s arrived. One whos name was Nicole she was also a camp alumn been coming just as long as Emma. It didn’t look like they knew each other very well though. Must not have been in the same cabin before. Nicole was a spitfire. Right out the gate. She walked right in claiming her bunk signing her name on the wall next to it, another camp tradition. She dismissed her parents right away as well. They stopped and talked for a bit but they’d done this before they didn’t have many concerns. The other girl  was much more timid and shy. She reminded me of myself my first year of camp. She was about a year or 2 younger than the other girls. Her name was Ryleigh. She was quiet when she introduced herself. Her mother talked to me about concerns of her being social and making friends. She was worried about her. I understood that. But I also understood the way that this place had a tendency to open people up and make them feel safe. What I told her was. I’d keep an eye on her. She’s gonna have a fun summer. I promised that. Another hour had gone by and all of my campers had arrived. I had 8 girls in my Cabin. I welcomed them all and gave them each their sign to put up by their bunks. 

“These are so cool!” Nicole said excitedly quickly climbing up to her bunk and taping it up immediately. 

“I like these!” Emma said, “Is it okay if we add more drawings or sketches to them?” She asked. I nodded 

“Absolutely they’re yours to do whatever you want with!” I smiled. “But if everyone is all settled in I think the boys are ready to meet up with us. Are you ready to meet everyone?” They were pretty excited to get things kicked off by this point most of the girls had been to camp at least once. They were ready to get the summer started. 

Sy and I had decided that we would meet up on the lawn and just sit out on the grass as a group to start things off. When we walked over Nicole immediately ran over hugging one of the boys, must be old friends. They immediately sat next to each other in the grass as Sy and I told everyone to form a circle. 

“Alright,” Sy spoke loudly getting everyones attention. “First we’d like to introduce ourselves. The boys have met me but ladies, I’m Logan, a lot of people call me Sy. I’ll answer to either one.” He smiled. I looked over and a couple of the girls were whispering to each other. I knew that face. I’d been the one making it years ago. Probably even still now. They thought he was cute. It’s so innocent those camp counselor crushes. I’d been there too. Once when I was 13 we had this counselor his name was Tanner. He was really nice and he played guitar and he sang. I was a sucker guys that were into music. I just smiled to myself, and realised it was my turn to talk. 

“We’re so excited to have you all here, I’m excited to meet all of your boys as well Sy! I’m Alayna but for most of my life and especially around here, everyone has always called me Lainie. Sy and I are so happy to be back here, we were campers ourselves but it’s been 7 years since we’ve been to camp.” I said. I stifled a laughed watching a few of them try to do the math in their head to calculate how old we were. 

“My family and I have been coming to camp since my dad was a kid,” Sy added. “I’m sure there are things that have changed since we’ve been here but there are some traditions that never wil!” He smiled. “You guys ready to kick off this summer?” They all cheered excitedly. 

“Okay,” I spoke. “Some people love this and some people don’t but there are 16 of you, there’s no faster way for us to learn all of your names and you who you are than some icebreakers.” a few of them groaned. “I know, I know we’re gonna make this as painless as possible, we were campers too remember? We went back and tried to find the games we had the most fun doing. 

“Everyone know how to play 2 truths and a lie?” Logan asked. Most of them nodded but we still explained the rules as a refresher. “But after we all guess.” He added. “We want you to talk a little bit more about one of your truths to us. Or explain why you chose that lie.” That seemed to really pique their interest. Beckett one of the boys in Logans cabin started the game. 

“Alright,” he started. “I’m a lifeguard, One time when my friends and I were on a college campus tour we played a pick up game of football with some of the college players. Or as a senior prank we stole our math teachers car.” Everyone started laughing. This kid had charisma. I could already see some of the girls eyes getting all dreamy. He was funny too. Sy was going to enjoy having him as a camper. 

“Did you still graduate?” Emma laughed. “No way you did that and didn’t get caught!” she said. 

“I graduated,” He nodded smirking proudly. 

“What position did you play?” Sy asked, talking about football. 

“In school I was wide receiver.” He answered. A few of the others went around asking questions. And then we all made our guesses. We all for sure thought he was lying about the car. 

“We got to sit in the stadium and watch them practice.” he said about the football. “But we didn’t get to play. I’d love to play in college though!” He added. The boys started laughing and the some of the girls shook their heads. 

“No freaking way,” Nicole said “How’d you pull that off, How’d you steal the car?” He smiled proudly, this guy was going to be our camp clown for sure. 

“One of my buddies TA’d for him and he would ask him to get stuff for him out of his car sometimes. So we came up with the idea that when he asked we would meet down there and move it to the student parking lot. He was a super chill guy. He thought it was funny! After he found his car anyway!” We all laughed. The game continued on. They all had a lot of fun with it. Some of them coming up with really strategic lies. Or just basic stuff they wanted us to know about them. It turned out great. It was Ryleigh’s turn last. I could see she was nervous she’d been avoiding going the whole time. 

“Uh, I’m Ryleigh,” She spoke softly. “I’m in band, uh I-I really like to read, and one time in middle school I won a rollerskating contest at our roller rink,” She was playing with her fingers looking at the ground. 

“What’s your favoirte book?” I asked her. She looked up for a second giving me a nervous smile. 

“Uhm Thousand Words by Jennefer Brown,” She said. I smiled 

“I’ve read that Its really good!” one of the girls said. I watched her face light up a little bit. 

“What instrument do you play?” Sy asked. 

“I play guitar.” She said. He nodded giving her a soft smile. One of the boys asked about the roller skating thing and a few other questions and we all guessed. 

“I don’t think you roller skate,” Ethan, Emma’s twin brother said. 

“I do!,” she smiled surprised she had fooled most of us. “I’m actually not in band. I do play guitar though! My dad taught me.” she said. 

“That’s so cool!” Beckett said. “Did you bring your guitar with you? You could totally play at campfire!” He said. She blushed and nodded slightly. 

“I did.” she said. 

“Sweet!” He smiled at her.  

Our afternoon was going really well. We talked to the kids about what things they wanted to make sure we did as a group this summer. What traditions were important to them. The boys were so excited to help Logan start planning for the prank war. At somepoint we were going to play flashlight hide and seek. That was always fun. We always set that up right after it started to get dark. They wanted to do a camp fire breakfast. We made them promise they were going to get up early to help us with it. But they were mainly just excited to hang out with their friends and do whatever we had planned. They were such a great bunch of kids. It always seemed like no matter the generation. We always reverted back to a state of innocence when we were at camp. Leaving technology behind and just being present. 

It was turning out to be a perfect first day. We had the kids make their name tags and  were playing a few more group games before dinner. But just as we were finishing up our last game it started to sprinkle. We gathered everyone up to head over to the dining hall and the sky let loose. It started to rain steadily. We all ran over from the Cabin’s making it inside just before it started to down pour. 

“Well,” Logan said from behind me making me jump, He chuckled. “Didn’t mean to scare ya darlin, but I bet they cancel the welcome campfire tonight, it’ll be way to wet now.” He said. I nodded. 

“That sucks. Some of the girls were looking forward to it. They had friends in other cabins they wanted to see. I had no idea it was supposed to rain.” I said. 

“Yeah, I was checking the weather on my way in yesterday. Could Possibly turn into a pretty rough thunderstorm.” He added. 

“Oh,” I said softly, biting my lip. I hated storms. Especially at camp. The cabins always felt so small and so thin. Like they wouldn’t hold. It was the one time I didn’t feel safe. But I played it off. “Guess we’ll be inside the rest of the evening then!”

During dinner they did infact announce that they were canceling the big welcome camp fire. It was for all the age groups at camp to welcome everyone all at once. And then each night each of the age groups had their own campfire. But we’d be doing neither of those things tonight. So much for the perfect first day. After dinner we decided to run over to the rec room. There was a pool table, and darts. Foosball, card games, board games, all of the inside entertainment we would could ever hope for. A few of the other cabin groups decided to head there too. So the campers had a lot of fun. Most of them reunited with old camp friends and made some new ones. Some of them sat down to play some pretty intense card games or board games. Some just chose to sit and talk. I was feeling really good about our first day. But then I saw Ryleigh sitting by herself. My heart broke for her. I understood how having anxiety could make these situations so difficult. I was just about to go talk with her when Sy approached. 

“She’s a real sweet girl,” He said. 

“You noticed too, huh?” I asked. He nodded. 

“Yeah, hate to mention it but, kinda reminds me of you, in our days here.” He said. 

“I was just thinking the same thing. I was gonna go talk to her, see if there’s anything I can do to help.” I sighed. 

“Not yet, give it a minute.” He spoke. I raised an eyebrow. 

“What do you mean?” I questioned. 

“Just trust me, give it a minute.” He smirked crossing his arms. I stared at him confused for a moment. What did he know that I didn’t. But it very quickly made sense. 

“No you guys go ahead and start the next round I’ll be back,” I heard one of the boys say from the table where the campers had a big Uno game going. It was Beckett I watched as he stood from the table and nervously ran his hand through his messy hair. But then his demenor switched as he put on a charming smile and a confident mask. He walked over to where Ryleigh was sitting on a beanbag in the corner doodling on a piece of paper. He plopped down next to her. 

“Whatcha doin?” He asked her. She jumped startled not expecting anyone to be there. 

“Just, sketching…” she answered.

“You draw?” He asked. She shook her head. 

“Not really but…” I stopped listening. Letting them have their own conversation. I wouldn’t want someone to eavesdrop on a moment like this if I were her. 

“How did you…?” I trailed off. Sy chuckled. His shoulders shaking with laughter. 

“He noticed her a while ago. I’ve been watching him try to work up the nerve to go over there for the last 10 minutes.” he laughed. I smiled. 

“Wait, so you think he likes her?” I asked.

“Oh, he definitely likes her. If the military taught me one thing. It’s how to be observant. He’s had his eye on her since we all met up this afternoon.” he smirked. 

“That’s so cute,” I smiled

“I was the same way with you!” He admitted. I almost choked on air.

“I never noticed that,” I said. He shook his head smiling.

“Yeah, cause you were so quiet and stuck in your own head to realize what was going on. You didn’t even realized you liked me back until the second year we were at camp together.”  He laughed. 

“You did NOT like me first!” I argued. 

“Did too, Just because you didn’t notice doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.” He smirked. I opened my mouth to argue but there was a loud crack of thunder making me jump. I swallowed hard and looked down at the floor trying to hide the panic in my eyes. 

“Still don’t like storms huh?” He questioned. I bit my lip looking up at him and shook my head. 

“Hate them,” I said. Another roll of thunder and I felt myself tense. Sy put his hands on my shoulders making me look up at him. 

“It’s arlight we’re safe inside.” he assured me. I nodded. He and I walked over and sat with a few of the other counselors talking for a bit and keeping an eye on our campers. About 20 minutes later the weather alert went off on the radio in the rec room. We were under a severe thunderstorm warning. We could hear the rain pounding against the roof. My heart pounded in my chest. And the thunder was getting closer. Louder. 5 minutes later. The power went out. 

Sy immediately jumped up to take control of the room. 

“Everybody stay calm,” He spoke softly. I heard a zipper and some rustling. He’d pulled out a large flashlight from his bag. One of the counselors walkie talkies went off. Sy lifted his to his ear to listen. 

“Okay guys, just relax we’re gonna stay here until the storm lets up. Hopefully the power comes back on. Until then weve got some lantern flashlights to set up around the room. Just keep hanging out we’re alright.” He assured them. Sy and one of the other boys counselrs went into a supply closet finding the LED lantern lights they had 5 of them and set them out throughout the room illuminating it just enough for the kids to see and still be able to play cards or board games or talk. Some of the girls were a little nervous so I put on my best brave face to go over and talk to them. 

“Are you sure we’re safe in here?” Emma asked. I nodded. 

“We’re shielded from the storm and there aren’t many windows in here. We’re perfectly safe.” 

“I hate this.” another girl said. 

“I know, it’s not fun but it’ll,” another loud crack of thunder and I jumped. My breathing shaky, “It’ll.. It will uhm…” I started but I couldn’t get the sentence out the panic starting to take over. 

The girls both had nervous looks on their face. I was worrying them. Shit. I suck at this. 

“It’ll pass soon and we’ll head back to the cabins for the night.” I heard Sy say behind me. His hand softly pressed to my lower back. “Don’t worry we’ll get out of here and right back to all the fun stuff tomorrow.” he gave them a reassuring smile. 

They nodded. And I felt Logan gently leading me away. There was a small hallway that was out of the way and he pulled me to the side. “You alright?” He asked. I shook my head starting to feel myself shaking. 

“I-I can’t I can’t do this. I, how am I supposed to help them when I’m too scared myself and, I just I hate this.I feel like I can’t breathe!” I sniffed. He pulled me into him wrapping his arms around me gently shushing me. 

“Shhh it’s alright. You’re gonna be okay.” He said, holding me to him. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” He soothed. 

“I’m sorry.” I breathed. 

“Don’t, it’s alright.” he whispered. “Just keep breathing for me,” He talked me through it. And when I calmed down we walked back out sitting on one of the couches again. I stayed quiet a moment watching the room. 

“Sy,” I spoke finally. Just as I went to thank him his radio was going off again. We were cleared to head back to the cabins. The heavy part of the storm had passed but it was still raining. We ran back and Sy and I parted on the lawn getting our campers settled. He got the boys back to his cabin and they settled in. He made sure they all made it back 

“Alright boys I’ll be right back I’m gonna go check on the girls make sure they all made it!” he told them. He ran over across the lawn and knocked on our door. I answered quickly and let out a deep breath when I saw it was him. 

“You girls alright?” he asked. 

“Yeah!” some of them answered. I smiled 

“We’re okay.” I said softly. He smiled and nodded for me to join him out on the porch. I turned back to the girls “I’ll be right back ladies, go ahead and get ready for bed, lights out is in 30 minutes!” I told them. I closed the door behind me. And let the sceen door slam shut. 

“Are you okay?” He asked after a beat of silence. 

“Yeah, I am,...Thank you for helping me back there,” I said. 

“This isn’t our first storm together honey,” He smiled. “I’ll always be there to help ya.” I blushed. 

“You’ve always been such a gentleman. You’re mama raised you right.” I smiled. 

“Nah, just with you, comes naturally,” He said. I felt my cheeks heat up even more and I looked away trying to compose myself. 

“So, was that…all?” I asked. He stepped closer to me until I was leaning against the picnic table. 

“No,” He smiled. “There’s one other thing.” He brushed his thumb over my cheek his eyes staring down into mine. I couldn’t take it anymore. We’d drawn this out for too long. 7 years too long. I wrapped one arm around his neck the other hand gently resting on the back of his head pulling him down to me. He responded immediately pressing his lips to mine. His other hand found my waist pulling me close holding me against him. All of the air left my lungs as I kissed him back with everything I had. I whimpered softly when he pulled away. 

“Shit, “ He smiled breathless. “Only took me 7 years but I uh..” He breathed “just wanted to kiss you goodnight.”  I nodded still cathing my breath smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. 

“One more for good measure?” I asked blushing. He smirked. And pulled me in again kissing me softer this time. It was slow and sensual. He leaned his forehead against mine when he pulled away. 

“A man could get addicted to that,” he said. I smiled slowly trailing my hand from his should and down his chest. 

“I wouldn’t mind.” I laughed. He chuckled and pecked my lips one more time. 

“Goodnight Darlin’” 

“Goodnight, Sy” I watched him run through the rain back to his cabin and I stood their for a moment regaining my composure before I went back inside. Just as I was about to open  the door. I heard the one of the girls say

“No, I’m serious you guys I think they’re married!” it sounded like Nicole

“Nikki, Neither one of them is wearing a ring!” Emma said. 

“Okay well dating at least, They’re like super in love! You should’ve seen them in the rec room! I had to pee and they were in the hall by the bathrooms. He was like holding her it was so cute!” 

“Aww that’s so sweet, she was definitely scared! I felt so bad!” One of the other girls, Chloe added. 

“I know, OH MY GOD! Do you think they’ll let us call them Mom and Dad? Remember last year when we had Carrie and Andrew and they were married? That was so cute they literally treated us like their kids!” nicole squealed. 

“I hope so!” Emma said “I really like them! They’re both so nice, and I really hope they’re dating if they’re not they need to be, because they’d be so cute together!” I chuckled to myself before opening the door and they’re attention turned to me but they went quiet. 

“Okay girls gossip time is over! Time for lights out!” I said. They groaned. 

“Okay but wait, are you and Logan Married?” Nicole asked. 

“Nicole do you see a ring? What did I just say? But you two are dating right?!” Emma added. I chuckled to myself and shook my head. 

“Goodnight girls.” 

“Ugh fine be like that girl,” Nicole pouted. 

“Goodnight Lainie!” Emma called. 

“Goodnight,” Ryleigh said softly. The rest of the girls settled in and I turned out the lights and climbed into my bunk. I bit my lip and smiled to myself holding in an excited. Squeal. Maybe this was still the perfect first day after all.

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

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