#yellowjackets van palmer x reader

[xetlynn]

Scars and Faint Memories

Vanessa Palmer x fem! reader!

chapter one-> chapter two

••• in which [name] [last name]’s team has just won their last game meaning they’re heading to nationals! But unfortunately there’s a teammate who is slacking due to being a freshman and lacking experience. And there’s talk of freezing her out. And not even moments later a freak accident happens where her bone is now sticking out of her leg leading to arguments and tension within the team before their flight to nationals.

warnings: underaged drug and alcohol use. Things that happen in yellowjackets.

2021

The clock was ticking irritatingly slow, the sun shining brightly through the window and to you it was as if it were to purposely agitate you while you typed away on your computer. Attempting to finish the project your boss had asked of you last minute… as usual. 

You felt your knuckles tense as you grew more and more annoyed with today. It was going by incredibly long and excruciating, your eyes sauntering down to the little corner of your screen, only a minute has passed since you last checked it. “[Name],” a voice speaks from behind you, startling you out of your daze. “Yes?” You spun around, trying to force a smile upon your lips but it was no use. It just looked like you were constipated. 

“Break time.” It was your boss's secretary, the very same lady having an affair with him behind his wife’s back. Your typical story of a unleashed married man being in power. You walked in on them once and was given a raise along with additional paid time off to keep your mouth shut. “It’s only 10:30.” You respond dryly, you usually take your break around 11:15. This was taking you off schedule and you didn’t like it. 

“Mr. Isik  needs you around your usual break time. Sorry.” She apologetically bows her head, her eyes averting yours as normal ever since you saw her bare body on display on your bosses desk. “Mm, okay.” You sigh deeply, standing up from your spot. Grabbing your tote bag before heading into the employee break room. A few typical stares came your way by the same people everyday. You worked with them, you have been for years and still they can’t leave you be. 

You sit down at one of the many tables, making sure it’s against the wall and you can be alone. You get out your earbuds, putting them in to play music. Drowning out the noise of your fellow coworkers that indulge in their own food. 

Pulling out a sandwich out of your lunchbox, you lean back against the chair as you take that first bite. Finally not having to be right against a screen. Closing your eyes to get the peace they needed. 

The peace wasn’t satisfyingly long enough though, it was time to get back to work. Time to go back to typing away. Sucking in a breath through your teeth, you fling your bag over your shoulder and head back to your cubicle. You’re stopped before you can even reach it though, your boss standing in front of you with a nervous smile. “Heyy, [Last Name]!” He booms, only earning an awkward stance back from you, your face straight and bored. 

“Yes, Isik?” You roll your eyes, leaning on your right leg. “I need you in my office for a little, okay?” He says in a more inquisitive tone, which makes you raise a brow. “Uh, sure.” You follow him to his office, he opens the door to show a woman standing there with a pad of paper and a pen. “What is this?” You clutch onto your bag.

This was all too familiar the same confident expression on the person’s face, ready to question you over a traumatic event that happened to you as a child 25 years ago. “This is-”

“I’m Jessica Cruz…”

1996

Out on the field, you’re staying in the back with Lottie. Watching as midfielder, Taissa is expertly moving upfield with the ball.

Negotiating through the defenders on the other team. Kicking the ball in a perfectly-aimed pass to your captain, Jackie who connects and taps the ball just past the Goalie and into the net. It went quiet for only a second before your ears were rudely attacked by screams of your teammates. 

Lottie jumps into the air, clinging onto you even through the sweat that covered the both of you. A rare genuine smile erupts on your face, holding her back. You glance back to your goalie who runs and jumps the two of you.

“C’mon let's join them!” She screams, gripping the both of you and the three of you run to the crowd excitedly. Your Gold and Blue team high five, hug and cheer as you guys have just qualified for the U.S. Girls’ National Championship!

You scan the group of girls for your best friend, once your eyes spot her she has already done the same, jogging up to you. Taking your hands and the two of you jump up and down. “We did it!” She laughs ecstatically and you nod your head grinning. “I can’t believe it!” You breathe out. Your chest was tight with the joy you felt. 

The two of you walk with one another, linked by each other’s arms down the field. You were searching around the crowd on the bleachers for your family. Hoping that for once your mom was sitting there with your younger siblings. Natalie knew the drill, her steps slower so that you can scan the area.

Unfortunately only seeing your little brother and sister cheering for you alone. Your mother behind the gate taking a phone call from her newest personal phone she bought instead of getting you the new cleats you begged for. 

You’re 18 though so… you obviously ended up working for it yourself. 

“Can you grab my stuff for me?” You quietly mutter out, the bleach blond nodding her head. Squeezing your wrist twice before jogging off to the locker room.

You head over to your siblings with a forced smile, opening your arms. “Hi my little ones!” You beam, they reach over to grip you into a sticky hug. Their small arms embracing you. “You were so cool out there, [Name]!” Theo, your 9 year old brother exclaims with a bright look in his eyes. 

You chuckle. “One day I’ll show you to be just as cool.” You ruffle his hair. “Me too, right?” Tilly, she’s 6 with her front two teeth missing. Just as cute as your brother. You scrunch your nose. “I thought you didn’t want to play soccer?” 

“Oh… Well you can still teach me to be cool too.” She sasses causing you to laugh, not noticing the girl who was walking up behind you. Your siblings did though, the redhead put her finger up to her lips.

Motioning for the young ones to not give her away. Theo gave a small nod and Tilly tried hard not to give it away with her little giggles as you continued to talk to them about their chores they had to do tonight. 

“If we get them done, you guys can help me with something fu-” 

“Boo!” A hand slams down on your shoulder, your body jolts, along with a small high-pitched noise leaving your mouth. “Holy shit- Van?” You hold your chest as Theo and Tilly burst into laughter, feeding the girl’s ego in front of you. “Sorry, it was just too good not to.” She apologizes, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Right, whatever.” You playfully roll your eyes. 

“Is there something I can do for you?” You tilt your head to the side. It wasn’t meant to be rude by any means. You and Van just weren’t close. Of course being on the team together for four years, the two of you have had to spend a lot of time with one another but you kept to yourself unless absolutely necessary. Well, Natalie, your best friend was an exception. 

“Oh uh, I was just coming over to say that aerial duel you got us was fucking sick.” She tells you truthfully and your face heats up. “That- that was nothing,” you nervously chuckled. “That second block you did was crazy, the dive you did- seriously I think that’s a huge reason we got ahead.” You stammered. This is why you kept to yourself. Your social anxiety controlled every aspect of your life when you talked to literally anyone. 

“Pshh, I’m talking about you right now. You were seriously amazing, don’t downplay it.” Van gently hits your arm with her fist. “Right, thank you. I mean it though. It was really cool.” You nudge her back. Then the both of you awkwardly stand there, not knowing how to end the conversation. “Sissy, mom wants us to hurry. She has to get back to her computer.” Tilly tugs at your jersey, and silently you thank her. 

Practically praise her for cutting this weird moment between you and your teammate. “Okay, tell her that Nat is getting my things from the locker room. I’ll be right there.” You tell the two who nod their heads and scurry off to your mother. 

“Want to walk with me?” You hear beside you and you look to still see Vanessa standing there. You figured she would’ve ran off after Tilly interrupted you guys. “Oh… sure.” You shrug your shoulders. 

The two of you walk side by side, quietly. Watching your teammates either entering the school building or talking with their family members as well. “They’re cute.” Van says and you hum. “Yeah, thank you.” You smile to yourself. You loved your siblings with your whole being. “I think I’m blanking on their names, I want to say the girl is Tilly?” 

“Yeah, Tilly- Well, Matilda but you have to call her Tilly or she won’t respond. And Theodore or Theo, he doesn’t really care what you call him.” You inform her,opening the door to the school building, allowing her to go in first. 

“Oh, how cute. Your names oddly fit so well.” She comments leaving you a little confused. “Is that a good thing?” You question, this time she’s opening the locker room door for you. “Yeah-”

Before she can continue though Natalie is shoving your duffle bag and backpack into your arms. “Sorry [Nickname] I got caught up in… something… oh hey Van?” She glances between the two of you and you smile softly. “It’s alright, she’s waiting for us. Let’s go.” You swing your backpack over your shoulders. 

“Right,” Natalie huffs. 

“Bye Van, thanks for walking with me. See you!” 

“See ya, [Nickname].” She teases you to which your face turns warm just like before. But instead of saying anything you grab onto your best friend and hurry off. Not wanting to hear your mom lecture you for “taking your time.” 

“I didn’t know you were friends with Vanessa Palmer?” Natalie snickers, poking your side to which you shove her away. “I didn’t think I was? She just came up to me after the game! She’s never done that before.” You explain, wiping the sweat from your forehead as you push through the metal and glass door. 

“Hm, weird it’s almost the end of the season and school. And now she wants to be your friend?” Natalie raises a brow to which you shrug your shoulders. Arriving at your mother’s car and the two of you climb. 

“Hey, sweetie. How was the game?” Your mom gruffs out, lighting a cigarette while beginning to drive. Your mood deflates a bit at her question. If she actually paid attention she would know how the game was. “We won.” You curtly answered while staring out the window. 

“Oh congrats you two! That means Nationals next, huh?” She smacks a hand down on your thigh, excitedly shaking it. “Yup, I heard Lottie’s dad might be paying for everything.” You sigh out and Natalie agrees. “I heard the same thing.” 

“I’m the only freshman who got asked, you know. And now it doesn’t even matter. It’s so unfair.” Allie pouts to which you roll your eyes at the younger girl's antics. You stand beside Taissa after she helped you paint a bee on your face for the pep rally. Shauna and Natalie share a small exchange of looks. “My dress was gonna be amazing.” Allie continues her idiotic complaint. 

“At least you can wear it next year.” Van comments and you hum in agreement. 

“You don’t get it Van, ‘cause nobody asked you.”

You scoff at her words. “What a weird thing to say.” You murmur, pushing past the group into the actual locker room. You made sure you were loud enough to be heard as well. 

Van follows after you with a very subtle smile placed upon her lips. “It didn’t hurt my feelings, y’know.” Her voice speaks as you're tying your tennis shoe against the bench. “You’re better than me then. I would’ve brought up the fact that we’d most likely be perfectly fine without her even on the team anyways if the prom is that important.” You boredly look up to the redhead who snorts out a laugh. 

“That’s a little harsh.” She sits beside you and you purse out your lips. “A little. But it’s the truth, is it not?” Your eyes meet with hers. You watch as she takes a deep breath as if she had just lost it. She nods her head. 

“Now, our next act needs no introduction. So let’s all just make some noise for your New Jersey State Girls’ Soccer Champions!” Vice Principal Berzonsky announces you guys as Music Factory blares from the speakers. The crowd boredly cheers. Your team is jogging out on the court, you hear Misty cheering the loudest. The weird girl who became the equipment manager since she didn’t make the team. 

It seemed to have made the other students build in their own applause with the wooden bleachers beginning to rumble. 

You stand between Lottie and Natalie, feeling a sense of pride and appreciation. It was like a wave of adrenaline has hit you. Hard. A feeling that doesn’t come around much to you. A feeling you soak up with your fellow teammates. Turning your head to look at the girls who have been with you through it all. 

2021

“I’m Jessica Cruz, it’s wonderful to finally meet you [Name] [Last Name].” She shoots out a hand in your direction and you glare down at it without moving your own. Your boss feels the tension in the room.

“I’m gonna give you two some privacy! I’ll be doing some stocking checks.” He announces, leaving the room before there were any objections, shutting the door behind him. 

“Do you remember me?” Jessica asks and you let out a dry chuckle. “This is a new low, Jessica Cruz. Should I get a restraining order?” You look her up and down apathetically. 

“No need for that, I just want to offer you something more than anyone else could ever do.” She leans against the large wooden desk and you plop your bags down on the chair ahead of her. “Offer away, wouldn’t change a thing Sweetheart.” You motion for her to go ahead, hands on your hips. 

“7 figures, to sit with me and write a book about your side of the story. Your story of what happened to you out there. Seven figures.” She thinks since you're in the corporate business this is how she can get you. 

How sorely mistaken is she? 

“I made that all by myself in my twenties. Hit me harder, Jess.” You wave at her, same expression. 

She lets out a little snicker. “You’ve made seven figures? I find that hard to believe-”

“I’d watch your next few words.” You warn her, reminding her of why she’s here. “What if I told you the others did speak?” She has a smug expression, an expression you were tempted to… Anyways. 

You break out into a small grin trying not to laugh. “Right.” You gave her a large smile this time. “I’m gonna get back to work now.” You say condescendingly, “thank you for wasting my time.” You swing your bag back over your shoulder. “Wait- wait.” She reaches out for you, you back away before she can touch you though. 

“I can seriously offer you anything, you can be anonymous. Get your story out there. I’m sure one of the others had done something back then. We can work something out.” Jessica didn’t seem like the type to sound desperate but it sort of intrigued you. 

“Who do you think did me dirty? Since you know it all.” You raise your brows, waiting for her reply. It was only getting humorous for you now. It was typical of reporters. To try and get you to speak, give them a sliver of what happened to you guys out there. Especially after getting back home 25 years ago they were like weeds that kept popping up out of nowhere.

“Well, I heard you were close with a few back then. Now… you’re all alone. You blocked everyone. But I have a feeling something pushed you to that point. Vanessa Palmer seems to have the most distaste for you.” 

Your heart drops to the sound of her name. A name that was almost foreign to you now. Your eyes advert to another area. “Seems like I’m right.” She lowly chuckles. 

“Doesn’t matter, I’m not the type to speak ill of others.” You step to the door. “Truly thank you for making my day a bit more interesting. Hopefully I never see you again though.” You swing the door open and rush to your cubicle before she tries to stop you again.

And at the end of the day, as you sit on your couch in silence. You find yourself thinking about the redhead that that woman had mentioned earlier in the day. You feel sick to your stomach. 

Your eyes trailing upward to the pictures on your wall, filled with her face. Pictures you couldn’t get yourself to take down fifteen years ago. Feeling anger seep through you, you go to grab a pillow but a phone call interrupts what you’re doing. 

1996

Shauna and you were walking beside one another as you’re on your way to practice.  Noticing Natalie, Taissa and Lottie the two of you head over. “This is what we’ve been working for all season. You really want to take that chance?” Tai questions, you scrunch your eyebrows confused.

“Yeah. ‘Cause I’m not a fucking asshole.” Natalie crosses her arms with a stern look on her face. You link your arms with hers. “What’s happening?” You mutter out. “Yeah, what are you guys talking about?” Shauna quizzes. 

The three glance towards Allie, flirting hard with seniors and juniors on the other side of the courtyard. “Allie.” Lottie speaks. “What about her?” Shauna asks. 

“Did you black out at States? She totally choked.” Taissa reminds the girl and you purse out your lips. “She’s a freshman, Tai.” Natalie stands up for her, which kind of surprises you. “She’s a liability.” Taissa argues. 

“I mean that is true but… we can probably help her.” You attempt to stand behind your best friend.  Taissa scoffs at you. “You’re her number one hater during games and now you think we can help her?” 

“That’s different, I do that with all of you guys when you’re slacking.” You point at her and she sighs knowing that you’re not lying about that. 

“What do you want to do about it?” Shauna butts in now. Natalie and Taissa share a glance with one another. “She can’t screw up if she doesn’t get the ball.” 

“You want to freeze her out?” Shauna frowns and you do the same. “We’d basically be a man down. At Nationals.” Natalie brings up to which you hum. 

“At least we’d know what we’re working with.” As much as you want to agree with Taissa right now, you know it’s not the best decision. “I don’t know, Tai. She kinda sucks, but… it doesn’t feel right.” Lottie steps in on Natalie’s side. 

“That’s because it’s bullshit.” Nat spits. 

“Oh yeah? What’s your plan, then?” Taissa snaps in an irritated tone. “I dunno, play like a fucking team and win? It’s worked so far.” Natalie exclaims, gripping onto your arm now. You allow it, beginning to zone out due to the arguing. Not knowing what to do to push it in another direction. “Everything works until it doesn’t.” 

“And for the record, you smell like a wino. [Name] make sure your best friend gets her shit together.” Taissa steps a little closer and you furrow your brows. “You know what? Fuck this.” Your best friend storms off, letting go of your arm. 

“That wasn’t cool, Tai. I also don’t think this is a good idea. The others wouldn’t agree to this and you know it.” You say before following after Natalie in a hurry. Not hearing what the other three have decided on. Feeling incredibly disappointed in your teammate’s choice of words against Natalie. 

“Okay, circle up!” Coach Ben Scott whistles as he jogs onto the field. The girls all gather up to him. “JV’s gonna help us out with a little scrimmage today. Coach Martinez had to take care of a family thing. So grab a pinny from Misty and let’s get started.” Ben explains and as the girls begin to do as told, Laura Lee speaks up. “Excuse me, Coach Scott? Shouldn’t we say a prayer first?” 

 A few girls' eyes roll but you smile softly in her direction. You don’t mind Laura Lee’s religiousness, it’s sweet. She’s polite and respectful about it. She just wants the best for others. 

“It’s just a scrimmage, Laura Lee.” He starts but based on her expression in return he lets out a sigh. “Sure. Knock yourself out.” The team then forms a circle, heads bowed and hands joined together. 

“Heavenly Father, let our efforts be fruitful, so that we may perform in ways glorious to you… May our hearts remain open and our bodies safe from harm. In your name we pray, amen.” 

Due to this Scrimmage you’ve decided to play goalie on the other side. You’ve been observing everyone, especially Taissa and Allie. It’s not going in Taissa’s favor due to Natalie stopping it every time. 

Taissa gets annoyed further, taking off her red pinny and throwing it aside. Jackie steps it but obviously it’s all inaudible to you. 

They begin to play and Taissa is now pressuring Allie. Allie jumps for a header and Taissa instinctively juts her foot out, catching Allie’s ankle as she comes back down. 

All the way on the other side of the field you can hear the sickening, almost deafening snap to Allie’s leg which causes her to collapse. Everyone runs to the girl. She cries out, Lottie screams. 

You head to Van who was throwing up, You make sure her hair is out of her face. “Shit,” you mutter, making sure to avoid looking at the girl on the grass. “C’mon.” You tell Van once she calms down a bit. “Let’s get away from here.” You frown, helping her stand up straight as she wipes her mouth. 

“That was a lot of fucking blood.” She comments and you hum in response. “Did you see that shit?” 

“Yup, bone out the body and everything.” You huff, opening the door to go into the locker room. “You’re not affected by it?” She asks and you sit her down and go get your water bottle. 

“Nah, I’ve seen worse.” You mumble, handing it over and she raises a brow. “You could’ve just gotten mine, ya know?” She asks and you shrug. “I saw you have it with you out on the field so I don’t think so.” 

“Oh,” Van’s shoulders fell. “Mhm, just drink. You were out in the sun and then threw up. I’m sure you’re extremely dehydrated.” 

Van goes to say something but then the door swings open, the others coming in. “Holy shit that was so gross!”

“That was insane!” 

A bunch of girls comment and you press your lips together. Plopping down beside the redhead. “This water just tastes like vomit.” She cringes and you chuckle. “I might have a granola bar, hold on.” You head back over to your locker, digging through your backpack. 

But once the Seniors entered the locker room they all grew quiet and on edge. You wanted to laugh at it but instead ignored everyone as you handed your granola bar over to Van, sitting back down with her. “Thanks,” she whispers, opening the wrapper and taking a single bite before drinking the water again. 

Taissa sat by herself, everyone avoiding eye contact except for you who was observing everyone. Finding humor in a horrible situation. What you didn’t notice was the person beside you staring at you. Practically burning a hole in your face. Witnessing the curvature of your lips each time you found something funny in your head. Making her want to laugh as well. It was such an awkward situation. 

“I know we’re all worried about Allie. But I really think we need to focus on the positive right now. It might not be as bad as it looks.” Jackie’s voice cuts through the tension, earning everyone’s attention now. 

“You could see her fucking bones, Jackie. I’m pretty sure it’s exactly as bad as it looks.” Natalie interjects and you nod your head with a sorry expression towards your captain. “Oh god. I think I’m gonna puke again..” Van holds her stomach and you rub her back. “Focus on something else.” You quietly tell her. “Try to picture something you enjoy.” 

“I mean, we’re still a team. And we still have each other. And…” Jackie tries to recover and give hope to everyone but it seems to be a fruitless attempt. 

“And we have Jesus.” Laura Lee helpfully says and you bite your bottom lip trying not to let out a laugh. “This wasn’t exactly a big win for the power of prayer, Tammy Faye.” Lottie scoffs. “The Lord works in mysterious wa-” A bang of a locker cuts her off. Your eyes shoot to your best friend who had been the one to do it, stalking out of the room. 

You then finally let go as you can’t hold it any longer. Your chest shaking as you laugh silently, you had to bend down because of it. “Hey, you okay?” A hand lands on you, only making you laugh harder. 

“I- I’m fine!” You wipe your tears. “Sorry, sorry.” You take a breather. The sudden empathy you had gained had dispersed just as easily. “You’re seriously laughing right now?” Shauna questions and you nod your head. 

“This is so stupid!” You giggle. “Everyone is upset. I can clearly see that.” You stand up. 

“But it doesn’t matter, we’re going to kick ass at nationals. Yes it’s unfortunate what happened to Allie. But there’s nothing we can do now!” You laugh out. “Nothing!” You throw your hands up. 

Taissa and Van were smiling up at you, trying not to join your giggle fit. 

You turn to Van. “I gotta go though. Finish the water, you can give it back whenever. I have more.” You grab your bags. “Make sure to drink more too, don’t want to be too dehydrated.” You winked, heading out of the room. Leaving the others kind of curious about your reaction you just had to everything. 

As you weren’t even thinking about it. Just making sure you head to your moms car before being lectured about taking so long. 

“You ready for tonight?” Natalie’s voice sounds over the phone line and you smile. “Yes, I’m ready to let loose before nationals.” You groan, keeping the phone up to your ear with your shoulder as you do your mascara. 

“What are you wearing?” She asks. “Mm trying to get in my pants are you?” You joke. 

“Possibly.” The both of you laugh. 

“But seriously, what you wearing, miss caregiver?” She repeats and you let out a gasp. “Oh don’t even!” You roll your eyes even though she can’t see it. 

“What? That you totally have a random thing for Vanessa Palmer!?” She cackles at your antics and you let out a large breath of air. “I don’t have a thing for her, oh my gosh.” You hide your face in your hands. “I was just helping her out!” You defend yourself. 

“Right, right. Let’s see you do it again tonight too.” Natalie comments and before you can say something again she speaks up. “Now please just tell me what you are wearing.” She’s the only person who knows about you being… gay. Liking women and such.

You felt lonely with the thoughts in your head. Thoughts that only kept getting louder and louder. You had to tell someone and so you went to your best friend. Even though you didn’t know her stance of homosexuality you knew her love for you. You knew she’d understand and stay. 

“Okay, okay. I’m just wearing that one outfit we bought at the thrift store with tights.” You stand from your vanity. “Oh! Jackie said that Jeff can pick me up. I don’t need that ride anymore.” You say absentmindedly while fixing one last thing with your fit. 

“Really? You’re gonna third wheel with Jackie and Jeff?” 

“Well Shauna will be there. So not really.” You knew either way you’re going to be witnessing something and become a third wheel but you didn’t mind it. You could ignore it. 

A honk outside interrupts your next sentence. “Oh, speak of the devil. I’ll see you at the party. Love you!!!” You wait for her to say it back before slamming the phone down and rushing downstairs with your tote bag. 

“Bye mom! I’ll be back tonight!” You say loud enough for her to hear but not too loud to wake up your siblings or be heard in her phone call. You scurry out the front door and wave to the three in the car.

His headlights were so bright though you couldn’t even see them inside of the vehicle. Jeff rolls his window down. “Wow, I’ve never seen you without jeans on.” He commentates and you smirk. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get used to it.” You climb into the backseat with Shauna. 

“He’s right, you look so hot right now!” Jackie contorts her body to look back at you. You scoff out a laugh, “thanks, so do you.” You plop down and buckle up immediately after. Clicking the button then doing it a second and third time. 

The ride was smooth, almost a little boring. Shauna kept eyeing you, wanting to ask about your reaction from earlier. Your reaction to Allie’s bone being out of her body. And all you could do was laugh. It had to be a nervous thing right?

You stared out the window, not paying any mind to the glances. Just wanting to let loose with your best friend. 

You aren’t really close to the other girls. Sure they’re nice and they look up to you in sport. But outside of it, you feel out of place. Jackie used to try to be your friend in the beginning. Attempt at winning you as someone close like she is with Shauna. But it never worked. Your social awkwardness won. After two years she finally gave up. 

Sometimes she still offers things like tonight. Making Jeff give you a ride to the party tonight since she overheard you talking about not really having one with Lottie. 

“Alright we’re here!” The car halts into park, and you unbuckle your seatbelt- once this time. Everyone climbed out of the car. You wiggled the handle three times before shutting the door.

“I’ll see you guys, thanks for the ride Jeff!” You patted his shoulder before going into the crowd of people. Knowing exactly where your best friend will be.

“Nat!” You call out, pushing through a few people to get to Goth and your best friend who stands by the bonfire. “[Name]! C’mere, try this.” Goth shoves a cup in your hand and you raise a brow. “What is this?” 

“Just try it [Nickname].” Natalie snickers and so you do but immediately regret it right afterward. Spitting the liquid out. “The fuck is that?” You rub the drink from your chin, scrunching your face in disgust. 

Before they can answer, Smartass is running up to the both of you. “You guys, my cousin hooked us up.” He huffs out of breath, your eyes flicker between him and Natalie, confused by what he meant. “You got it?” 

“Got what?” 

Smartass grins, holding up several tiny squares of paper printed with the anarchy symbol. “I have six words, my friend. Lucy in the sky with Diamonds.” 

“That is, like, literally the least efficient way to say that.” Goth scoffs and you giggle. Natalie snatches one of the tabs from his palm. “Dude. Don’t you both leave for the Olympics or whatever tomorrow?” 

“Yeah. We do.” She gives them a look, almost daring them to say something else as you hold yourself. A little uncomfortable but you stay to make sure your best friend is safe. Not knowing what else to do. Yeah you plan on drinking, maybe a joint later on but not shrooms. 

You watch as she takes a hit, passing it to another and you glance around. You were beginning to second guess yourself on coming tonight. This isn’t really your scene and if you wanted to let loose you could’ve done so alone and in your room while listening to music and painting. 

“I’m gonna go find Lottie.” You tell Natalie, saying your quick goodbye to the other two. “I’ll meet up with you in a sec.” Natalie calls after you, you don’t even turn around to acknowledge it. Knowing she most likely will forget that statement. Or probably already did if the drugs hit. 

It was strange, it was loud, people were talking and dancing but you felt the opposite. Quiet and lonesome even in the crowd. Gently moving past bodies that didn’t even realize you were there. Your eyes scan the area patiently. “[Name]!” You hear beside you, your eyebrows furrow and there’s Taissa. Waiting in line for a beer.

“Hey, Tai!” You wave, meeting up with her. “Want a drink?” She offers for you to wait with her which catches you off guard. 

It shouldn’t because Taissa and you used to be close in middle school before going separate ways entering high school. “Would love one actually.” You curtly laugh, bumping into her arm as you stand with her. “You know what I did earlier wasn’t on purpose, right?” She asks and you look at her with a concerned expression. Her own face showed remorse and fear?

“I would hope so.” You chuckle, her lips fidget upwards a little bit but not by much making you suck in a breath to get serious for her. 

“Tai, I do not believe you did that on purpose. It was a freak accident.” It was something you truly thought, why would Taissa purposely break a girl's leg. “Thank you.” She sighs, her arm looping with yours.

“I guess I needed reassurance.” She mutters. “We all do sometimes.” Your hip bumps hers and she lays her head on yours. 

“I admire your resilience, Tai. It can’t be easy knowing you fucking cripled someone today.” A voice speaks from behind the both of you, your heart drops at the callus words that come from Shauna. “Cool. Good talk.” Taissa begins to move herself from the situation before it escalates. You grab two drinks for the both of you. Going to follow after. 

“Just admit you did it on purpose.” Shauna folds her arms and you step between them. “Shauna you’re drunk. Knock it off.” You warn her.

“This isn’t about you, [Name]. Step out of it.” She attempts to move you but you stand still with a now scrunched face. “Shauna, stop.” You feel people watching now. “You’re a sociopath.” Shauna points to the girl behind you. “Hey, Shauna, take it easy.” Van comes over, putting a hand on Shauna’s shoulder who only shrugs it off. 

“Good news, you guys. We don’t have to worry about the Allie problem anymore. Taissa fixed it for us.” She’s on a roll tonight, and you were getting frustrated. “What’s she talking about?” Laura Lee comes up to the group. You hadn’t even noticed your other teammates were showing up. 

“She’s talking about Taissa’s little plan.” Natalie joins and you want to cover your face. This is not what you guys need. An argument before nationals. “Please. Since when do you give a shit anyway? Don’t you have a bong to hit or a dick to suck or something?” Taissa snaps and you watch as your best friend’s face contorts. 

“Hey. Don’t talk to her that way.” Shauna stands up for Natalie as you stand there frozen. It was getting too much. Too much confrontation.

“Oh, fuck off, Shauna. I don’t need you to defend me. Last I checked, you were fine with the whole freeze her out strategy.” Natalie shuts the drunken girl down. 

“Seriously, what are you guys talking about?” Laura Lee chimes in once again. “Shut the fuck up Laura Lee!” The three who had been arguing all shouted at her. 

Your chest tightened at the loudness of their tones. Everyone starts to fight, all yelling at once. Everyone interrupts one another. You stay silent, not knowing how to calm the situation. Thinking calmly, you were normally level headed. Taking a deep breath you drop your drink that hadn’t even gotten sipped on. Using your pointer and middle fingers on both hands and whistling loudly. Scaring the group.

Noticing Jackie also coming into the scene. “Alright, ENOUGH!��� You yell, the two of you thrusting yourselves into the middle of everyone. 

Jackie crosses her arms, glaring at everyone while she stands beside you. “Yellowjackets, with me.” She orders, stomping off into the woods with you practically connected at her hip. “What the hell happened?” She whispers and you just look at her before looking ahead. 

The team stands around as Jackie paces in front of them. You are standing still, sizing everyone up with disappointment. Even towards your best friend who definitely felt it radiating off of you. 

“I don’t know what the fuck that was, but I do know that it’s over. We’re about to go to Nationals, you guys. Nationals!” She exclaims. “And based on what I’m looking at right now, we might as well not even bother getting on that plane.” 

She pauses as she thinks for a moment, going back to your side and pursing out her lips. “Alright, everybody line up.” She directs but nobody moves. 

“She said to line up!” You express with irritation, everyone is surprised by your tone, and by reflex they do as told. “I’m going to talk to you like adults. Is that okay with you?” Jackie asks, causing everyone to smile at Coach Martinez’s catchphrase. 

“Coach is always telling us that you can’t win without three things. Talent. Trust. And Respect. I mean, Coach also talks a lot of bullshit, but I’m pretty sure he’s right about that. So here’s what we’re gonna do. I want each of you to go down this line and say one nice- true- thing about every other girl on this team.” Jackie does her speech and it leaves the others confused on if she’s actually serious. Exchanging looks with one another. 

“What is this, fucking Girl Scout camp?” Taissa is the first to speak up and you roll your eyes trying not to laugh.”[Name] and I will go first.” Jackie looks at you and you boredly do the same. “[Name] you are weirdly mysterious, I think everyone can agree-”

“I thought you were supposed to say nice things.” You look her up and down to which everyone laughs at. Even her. 

“I’m getting there.” She giggles, “you’re mysterious, I feel like I know almost nothing about you. But somehow you’re the most comforting. Even when you’re laughing at the fact that a girl's bone was out of her body today.” She tells you truthfully to which you smile, slightly amused thinking back to earlier in the day. 

“Jackie, you’re incredibly persistent and true to yourself. I respect that.” It was short but it meant a lot to the girl in front of you. Her eyes seem to light up at your words and she grins. “Do you want to continue or should I?” She quietly asks and you shrug. “I’ll give it a try.” You wink.

Heading right to Taissa. 

“Tai- Taissa… Miss Turner if you will-” “Oh my god, shut up.” She laughs and you scrunch your nose with a smile. “You are incredibly headstrong, you fight for what you believe in and it’s very influential. I love it.” 

Moving onto the next, which is Laura Lee. “You’re very sweet, keeping to your faith even though others push you down. You don’t let it get to you, and I admire that heavily.” You take her hand gently to which she grins at you. “Thank you, [Name].” She rubs the back of your hand with her thumb. 

“Lottie Matthews.” You look up at her, grabbing her shoulders. “You are a breath of fresh air. I enjoy the talks we have on the field while we’re getting ready. You’re so comforting sometimes I think you could manipulate me into something crazy.” She rolls her eyes but mouths a thank you as you move to the next person- your best friend. 

“Nat, I don’t think I have to say much I haven’t said already. You’re my fucking ride or die even if I’ve done something so fucking stupid.”

Natalie blows a kiss at you and you catch it to place it on your heart very dramatically. “Shauna, you might be the most interesting person I’ve ever met. Do I know specifically why? Not really but I know you’re amazing and I think that’s a good part of it.” You say. Shauna is giving you a look that’s almost unreadable but then she laughs. 

“I could say the same thing about you.” 

“And lastly, Vanessa Palmer.” You sigh out, cheesing ear to ear. “Say that like it’s a bad thing.” The redhead nudges you. “It might be, you never know.” You joke causing her to gasp, gently slapping your arm. 

“Okay, okay, I will say you’re probably the funniest person ever. Your film knowledge is also impeccable. I know that when I need a good laugh I can come to you.” 

“You seem to laugh pretty easily, but I’m glad I’m up there as the funniest.” Van says and you press your lips together trying to prove her wrong but you can’t help the little snicker that escapes. “Yeah, it’s not hard to make me laugh.” You beam. 

As you go back to stand with Jackie you hear the others start to shyly say nice things to one another. You glance to see Jackie proud of herself for this idea. She heads over to Shauna and you stand by yourself. Observing the others, even though the argument got you here you were glad for the outcome. 

Your eyes flicker over to Natalie who’s complimenting Lottie. “Lottie, you never talk shit unless someone really deserves it. Also, I really like your pilgrim hat.” She then starts to giggle before staring off in the sky. “Um. Okay?” Lottie is definitely not wearing a hat. You grab your best friend's arm. 

“You want to stay the night tonight?” You ask her and she looks over at you confused at first but then lights up excitedly. “Yes, sleep over!! [Name] where’d you get that tattoo?” She suddenly grabs your wrist and you shake your head. You knew tonight was going to be long. Definitely not letting loose like you had hoped. 

You sit Natalie by the fire and drop beside her, letting her lean her body on you as she’s on a trip. Not seeing the pair of eyes on the both of you. The pair of eyes that have a ping of jealousy within them. 

You close your eyes, leaning your head on Natalie’s just resting there. 

You don’t know how much time has passed but you know you somehow fell asleep and Natalie woke you up by muttering “Misty.” You grumble, stretching out your body. “Misty? What?” You ask, severely confused. 

“I swear I saw her, over there?” She points to an edge of darkness of the woods. You squint your eyes but see absolutely nothing. “Just part of your trip.” You rub her back. “Let’s go, we gotta find someone to give us a ride because I’m sure Jeff did not wait for me.” You stand up, shooting a hand out to her. She takes it, lifting herself up. 

2021

A knock on your door sounds and you groan. Who the fuck could it be? You peer through the peephole, and your heart sinks at who’s there. “Shit.” You mumble before swinging the door open. 

“Shauna?” You furrow your brows and she smiles awkwardly. “Hey, I tried texting you but it went straight to voicemail.” She rubs the back of her neck. The two of you lived in the same vicinity so it’s not a rare sight. Of course the two of you still talk occasionally.

“What’s up? Something going on with Callie?” You move so she can come in but instead she just stands in front of you. 

“Come to dinner with me?” She tilts her head and you check the watch on your wrist. The time read “10:15.” 

“You’re lucky it’s my day off tomorrow.” You grab your jacket from the hook along with your keys. Moving out of the house to shut the door right behind you. 

“Who are we meeting?” You cross your arms as she drinks a cup of coffee. The door chimes, cutting off your question and the two of you look up to see Taissa. She slides in the booth across from the both of you. “Are you kidding me?” You tense up, getting irritated. “[Name]-”

“No, Shauna, I can't believe you.” You push at her to move but she doesn’t budge. “Get up or I’ll climb over, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me we were meeting with her.” You spoke with venom mixed in your voice.

“[Name], please.” Shauna pleads with you, as you’re about to get up and climb over the booth. You glare down at her then peep over to Taissa who has an anxious expression. “Just twenty minutes.” She whispers. 

You let out a huff of air. “Twenty and after that I better not see her again.” You plop back down in the seat. Taissa doesn’t even say anything to you, looking right at Shauna. 

“A reporter approached us today.” Shauna slides Jessica’s business card across the table. “She said she was with the local paper, but I googled her, and she wasn’t credited in any bylines. Anywhere.” Shauna explains the situation. On your way over here you had already told her your experience at your job. 

“These people come out of the woodwork every few years, on some anniversary or another. You know that. There’s no reason to think this is any different.” Taissa tries to reassure the both of you and your eyes stare at her face. Angrily taking in her features. “I can think of a few. I thought we agreed. Say no more than we have to, stay out of the public eye.” 

“Shauna…” 

“I saw you on fucking television, Tai. If someone’s digging… we’re all fucked. Take care of it.” She orders and Taissa looks over to you who boredly nods. “Take care of it.” You repeat. 

“Have either of you talked to Nat?” Shauna suddenly asks and you frown. “She’s in rehab.” Taissa answers. “Again.” You add in. “And there’s still no sign of the others?” 

“No. Not for months on my end.” Taissa’s eyes then flicker over to you who shrug. “Haven’t heard from anyone except for Misty who creepily knew about my mother passing.” You say. 

“Then we’re fine. As long as nobody does anything crazy, we have nothing to worry about.” Shauna takes both of your hands. You bite at your bottom lip. Nervous about this sudden Jessica Cruz. 

After the three of you talk, you only add in to be an asshole towards Taissa. You guys exit the building.

“Oh, I gotta use the bathroom real quick. I’ll be back. Here’s the keys.” She hands the keys over to you and you tiredly take them. The two of you watch as she walks back into the Diner. 

“You know I’m sorry [Name]-” you shake your head before she can continue, putting a hand up to stop her. “I don’t want to hear it, Taissa.’ You tell her, walking over to Shauna’s van. “It was a mistake, I promise. I would never intentionally-”

“Taissa, please. Stop it.” You sternly say, putting your foot down. “I don’t want to hear it. I really, really don’t.”

“I’m over the situation but I cannot and will not find it in my heart to forgive you right now. Who knows. It might change but at this moment. In this age of life I want you to fuck off so hard.” You were smiling, hating this feeling of being confronted. “I just- I miss you, [Name].” She admits and you lick your lips trying not to laugh. 

“It will pass.” You open the passenger door of the van and climb in. Slightly slamming it shut causing the woman to jump. She stood there for a moment before her shoulders dropped, feeling defeated and heading back to her own vehicle. 

1996

“Are you sure everything is going to be okay while I’m gone mom?” You question as you are walking both your bags to the front door. You hear your mom snort in disbelief. “Of course everything will be okay. I’m the adult here.” She says defensively and since you’re facing away you roll your eyes.

“That’s not what I meant.” You murmur.

“I just help out with dinner and I know you don’t like cooking.” You partially lied. You’ve been helping with your younger siblings for years ever since your father passed away when Tilly was only six months old.

“We’ll be fine, [Name].” She comes over and plays with the necklace you wore around your neck. The charm given by your father a year before he passed. 

A dragonfly, he always called you his little dragon bug. It was a weird nickname but when you were little the two of you went fishing and that’s what you called every big bug. Freaking out when a dragonfly landed on your shoulder. 

“Sissy!! Don’t leave yet!” A little voice screams as she comes down the stairs and you move away from your mom. “Tilly Billy! I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye!” You crouch down to her level and she jumps at you with a tight embrace. “I’m going to miss you so much!” She cries out making you jut out your bottom lip. 

“Awe, Tilly I’ll be back in 4 days. Don’t you even worry.” You ruffle her hair and she pouts. 

“That’s still so long.” She pulls away and you see tears actually falling down her little face. “It will go by so fast, I promise.” You kiss her cheek and then you hear more little steps coming your way and you look over to your little brother who was rubbing his eyes tiredly. “Will you get me a souvenir?” He asks and you let out a laugh. 

“Yeah, what do you want Theo?” You pull him into a hug after standing back up. 

“A magnet.” He grumbles tiredly since he had just gotten up. “Alright, I’ll get you, your magnet.” You kiss the top of his head, then hear a car honk outside. 

“That’s my ride, I’ll see you guys in a couple of days!” You give Tilly one last tight embrace and then kiss your mom’s cheek goodbye. “Be safe, [Name].” She says and you give a tight lipped smile before leaving, shutting the big wooden door behind you. 

Stepping onto the plane was a weird feeling, Lottie’s parents are definitely rich. “Hey, you’re here.” Natalie pokes her head up from her seat and you hurry over to her. “Heyy, how are you feeling? You left like super early.” You plop down on the seat next to her. “I forgot I had to get my bags for the flight, did you see the note? And I’m definitely hungover.” She snickers, and you follow suit. 

“Yeah I saw it, you’re so romantic.” You do little air kisses. 

“Always for you.” She does it back. 

You unzip your backpack and take out a walkman to show to her. “If you want to listen to anything during this flight.” You grin. “Beautiful.” She claps her hands and you nod your head. 

And as everyone gets on the plane and you all sit quietly, the air pressure makes it hard for you to hear one another to begin with. Well for you it makes it extremely harder for you. Every now and then you’ll glance around at the other teammates. It was boring but the nerves and excitement of the game somehow made the time pass by faster. 

You didn’t even understand what was said by the captain every time he spoke. Of course it was probably something important because the cabin gets darker and a terrifying roar erupts from the plane. The turbulence shakes the plane so aggressively that it wakes Natalie. Her hand finding yours. 

You can slightly hear Laura Lee muttering as the oxygen masks drop down. “Shit, what the fuck is happening?” You think out loud, getting the mask on. Then helping Natalie get hers on. “Open the shade.” You mutter. “Wh-what?” Natalie panics. 

“Open- open the shade.” You reach over and shove it open. Seeing silhouettes of the mountains extremely closer than they should be. Then getting closer. And closer until the plane finally makes impact. 

[therealantlerqueen]

[cherrynailsgrl]

she died alone.

she really died alone. You all were horrible with her this season and she literally was practicing how to apologize in front of a mirror with tears in her eyes and trembling lips.

she took care of others all the time and no one taked care of her; she was out of the psychiatric and one week later she’s dead.

rest in peace Charlotte Matthews. The peace you never got alive. Love you.

[errriiie]

The last practice before nationals

poly!yellowjackets x fem!reader minors DNI, all characters are 18 y.o

TW: smut, gangbang extra tags: porn with plot, praising, bodyworship, sharing is caring, fingering (r! receiving), oral (r! receiving), oral (r! giving), little bit of spanking word count: 5.1k not proofread english is not writer's first language! you've always been so nice and sweet to Yellowjackets, the one and only soccer team in your school, Wiskayok High. But you also were naive and innocent enough to constantly overlook the fact that every single girl on the team wanted your attention. And when, the last day before their nationals, they finally decided to make things clear between you and them.

When Coach Martinez first introduced you to the girls, they weren't too impressed. Average hair, average eyes, average height. Nothing special or anything to look at more than usual. You weren't even, roughly speaking, a full-fledged part of the team. At least that's what Taissa said. She was always like that - confident and sure of her opinions, even if they were somewhat offensive.

But you didn't mind, and even agreed. You were just an equipment manager, and you only became one because your mother and father were very close with Coach Martinez and asked him to find you a place out of old friendship. Of course, the coach made up a different story for everyone about how you came to be on the team - but every time you remembered the truth of your presence here, you wondered if you had the right to wear your signature yellow and blue bomber jacket. You felt ashamed, even though you didn't act like someone who got in because they got a pass. You were responsible, punctual, but you didn’t forget about empathy and responsiveness when communicating with girls. Over time, you began to be noticed by more than just Misty Quigley, who shared the same position with you.

Misty Quigley herself wasn’t too bad. Well, she was… weird. But you decided that everyone had their own cockroaches in their heads and she was just trying to make friends this way.

"You know, if we ever run out of food, I’ve always wondered what human flesh tastes like. I mean, they say it’s like pork, right? Maybe we should start taking notes just in case." Misty once said while you were cleaning up the cones after practice. You looked at her with wide eyes, full of confusion.

"Excuse me? Misty, this is a little weird…" You awkwardly continued to do your job, while Misty burned a hole in you with her gaze. Misty tilts her head slightly, her expression shifting from playful to earnest.

"Oh, come on! I was just joking… mostly. But think about it—survival is all about adapting, right? It’s just a thought experiment! Besides, we’ve got to keep our spirits up somehow. Want to talk about your favorite horror movie instead? I promise I won’t suggest cannibalism this time!”

But Misty didn’t always say such creepy things. She could talk about history, especially about Roman emperors, about her experience in first aid and medicine in general, about her interests, of which there were quite a few, but no one except you, apparently, wanted to listen to her. You didn’t understand the reasons and were patient with her. Misty immediately began to appreciate this - she did not throw away potential loved ones. Then Natalie Scatorccio appeared. Natalie did not have much experience with love, including the manifestation of care towards her. You didn't know anything about her, except that she lived in a van and was an extremely good and promising soccer player. But the more Misty shared the good news about your "endless love and care", trying to brag that she had such a tasty morsel and not the rest of the team, Nat couldn't help but become interested in you. People who lack love often don't quite realize how much they subconsciously want to find it.

She caught you after practice once and started talking to you. Nat herself didn't understand why she wanted to come back to you more and more every day - was it your manner of speech or how brightly you smiled at her after silly stories? She wanted to blush under your gentle gaze, and her heart beat strangely when you waved at her after she made a good pass to the other team members. But of course it wasn't always like that. The more attached she became to you, the more she focused on looking into your unexpectedly deep eyes, rather than at the ball.

"Natalie, don't you want to start playing properly? What are you constantly distracted by?" Lottie narrows her eyes when Natalie refuses to pass the ball to her and tries to dribble the ball to the goal herself, but hits the wall.

"Forget it, Lots. I'm just having a bad day." Natalie waved it off. It was odd that for someone having a bad day, she was smiling so stubbornly and persistently in the wrong direction. Lottie couldn't help but realize that she was looking at you. Perhaps you needed to have a heart-to-heart talk.

So, Charlotte Matthews quickly became next.

After practice, she caught you doing your job as you were supposed to, and called you out on it. She was annoyed, but more curious about your relationship with Natalie. You were blushing and apologetic, and it was hard to deny that you weren't to blame for Nat's deteriorating performance.

And then Lottie discovered that your shy face was extremely hard to get out of her head. Inadvertently, you began to talk after and before practice, Lottie sharing some details about upcoming parties at her house and inviting you. You, of course, refused. Your parents expected you to be decent, and Lottie didn't like rejection and didn't know what rejection was, being a rich girl. So she made it her goal to get you at least once. Or twice. So trying to get under your skin, subtly courting you, and trying to get through to your difficult parents was already routine. Including giving expensive gifts.

"Tai, have you seen the new hair clip in Y/N's hair? Those things cost a lot of money, I tell you, I saw it in the window of that expensive jewelry store." Vanessa was amazed at the new accessory you now had.

"I didn't really pay attention to it, to be honest. What do you… mean? Do you want one like that? I didn't think it was your style." Taissa chuckled, and Van rolled her eyes.

"Haha, very funny, but that's not what I mean… Hey, Lottie! Does Y/N have a rich mommy and daddy like yours?"

Lottie, passing by, chuckled, clearly filled with pride. "Not really. That was my gift. Y/N is very nice, you know. You shouldn't have doubted her, Taissa."

Then Taissa Turner and Vanessa Palmer appeared. They were already in a relationship and were amazed to see how quickly you changed the team's attitude for the better. And yet, from the very beginning, you were a black sheep for Taissa. Van, however, did not treat you with great disdain. She preferred to give people a chance to prove themselves first, and only then draw her own conclusions. However, they quickly liked you. Taissa was surprised that you had previously attended law and jurisprudence classes, and these topics interested her greatly. Van was pleasantly pleased with your taste in films and comics. You complemented their couple with something that they could not complement each other with on their own, after all, no relationship can simply be perfect. It was a matter of time before they both wanted your attention more than was possible. Van often invited you to her home to read or watch something, and Taissa loved to discuss social issues with you. You turned out to be more than either of them could have thought.

"Tai, I'm sorry, but I've already taken up Y/N's time for the evening with myself." Van smiled tenderly at Taissa.

Taissa raised an eyebrow in surprise, seemingly hoping for something. "Damn. How did you manage to come to an agreement with her faster than me? Maybe you'll take me with you?" she said with awkward hope. "Of course, I don't understand a damn thing about your conversations, but still…"

"No way, babe. You'll steal her attention again." Van shook her head.

"Why do I keep hearing everyone talking about Y/N from every corner of the room?" Jackie folded her arms in displeasure as she found herself next to the couple. "I understand that she's new and all that… but what's so unique about her? I swear, we won't get to nationals like this."

Jackie Taylor was annoyed by your popularity within the Yellowjackets. She could see the effect you had on the girls - they were going crazy trying to get a piece of you. She wasn't interested in you at all, but she had a feeling that if she didn't get a little bit closer, they would dethrone her and make you the team captain and even make you their mascot. She had to do something, and fast.

One day, Jackie stayed with you after practice, kindly offering to help you clean up the equipment. When you both walked into the warehouse, she almost pinned you against the wall, demanding answers to her questions.

"Y/N, I can see something's going on. I understand that you want to be friends with everyone, sure, but… we're trying really hard to get to nationals. And you're being way too… outgoing, you know? You need to stop. For the good of our team, as captain, I'm asking you to…"

"Your hair looks great today. Even after playing so hard." You blurted out, unable to contain your genuine respect. "Oh. Sorry. Keep going."

Jackie froze, her combative attitude seeming to completely falter. "You… you think so? Finally, someone sees how much I work on this hair, trying to get it just right every morning! I use powder and hairspray literally all the time, and no one has even bothered to compliment me… until you, of course."

Jackie took pity on you after that. Not when you were willing to spend hours shopping for clothes with her, stealing your clothes and trying on what she told you to try on, making you her model. No one had ever shown such steely restraint with Jackie Taylor, and every time she put on your makeup, it was so hard for her to resist the pounding of her heart and the strange desire to cover your lips with hers. But there was a catch to being with Jackie. The amount of time you spent together didn't sit well with Shauna Shipman. She was the only one who showed no interest in you at all. She didn't care about you, and that was surprising. She never, not once, approached you. You doubted she even knew your name, although considering Jackie told her everything, your name was the only thing she knew about you.

And the fact that you were a real suck-up. That's what she called you when she decided to have it out with you.

"What do you have with Jackie? Do you think I can't see how you're trying to pull the wool over her and everyone else's eyes?" Shauna narrows her eyes, looming over you. "What is it about you? Are you such a good suck-up?"

You felt hurt, but even more so, you felt a seething injustice. "I don't know what you're talking about, Shauna, I was just trying to be friends with everyone. It's not my fault they saw something in me."

Shauna snorted, unsure of what to do with you. "Well. Fine. Just stay away from Jackie, okay? And you'll be fine." Shauna had already turned away from you, about to leave. She adjusted her backpack, but a book fell out. You quickly picked it up.

"You dropped…" You looked at the cover, sighing in surprise. "Pride and Prejudice? That's my favorite book!" You exclaimed, surprising Shauna. She rolled her eyes, simply taking it from you, pretending not to care, but in reality, she was even a little impressed. You were left standing in the hallway, not quite sure what you did wrong.

And then you were surprised when Shauna came to you wanting to discuss the book, as if nothing had happened. Perhaps she was so eager to discuss her interests with someone that she decided to choose the worst option of all - you (Jackie, as expected, did not like reading books at all). You liked to read in your spare time, and Shauna was pleased that you had read a lot of female writers from the 18th and 19th centuries. She sometimes shared her thoughts on them with you, but the main thing was that at one point she made you a playlist of songs named after you. You were flattered and too busy enjoying the gift to notice how much Shauna blushed as she tried to hold your hand.

You didn't even know it would be like this. It seemed like almost all the girls on the team were literally tearing you apart. You'd never received so many gifts, compliments, and, it seemed, hints? Of course, you were pleased. You were a girl, after all. And you suddenly had little free time. Sometimes you spent time with two or even three girls at once a day. Of course, sometimes this led to conflicts between them, but they never dragged you into it. You were untouchable.

But you didn't expect that they would all decide to fix it in one day.

Despite everything, training for Nationals continued. Luckily, the Yellow Jackets team still managed to get their game together and win the filtration game that determined their participation in the competition. Everyone, of course, was incredibly happy. As were you for your favorite team.

There was just one thing. Your parents forbade you to fly with them. You begged as much as you could, but they were adamant. They wanted you to stay home and use your free time from your team to good use, studying and preparing for college. You shed so many tears in front of them, almost begging, but nothing worked. Sometimes you wanted to curse your parents.

Tomorrow, everyone was supposed to fly to Nationals. You entered the locker room, terribly dejected. You were immediately noticed, and the girls were insanely worried. Lately, all of them had been very attentive to you.

"You don't look well, Y/N," Natalie said, her smile from earlier quickly fading.

"Are you okay? Do you have a headache? Maybe a stomach ache?" Misty jumped up to you as if your life depended on it.

"Get away from her, Misty. Y/N might need some space." Vanessa shook her head, and was just as concerned about you.

"I-it's okay…" you sniffed. "It's just… I couldn't convince them. I did everything I could, I begged as hard as I could, and they still refused me. You… you'll have to celebrate your victory at the nationals without me." your eyes sadly looked around at everyone. The shared sadness touched every girl present.

"Y/N… I'm so sorry." Lottie took your hands in hers, looking at you sadly, but Jackie quickly jumped up to her.

"How so? Do they not care at all that you want to fly with us?" she snorts, angry at your family. Being spoiled by her own parents, she did not understand this attitude, especially towards you.

"At least you will be here when we return." Taissa tried to find the positives, although she was disappointed too.

"It does not make much sense, she will not be able to share the joy of us taking the first place in the moment." Shauna said, shaking her head. There was silence between all of you. You were so upset that you didn't even notice how all the girls were looking at each other meaningfully and nodding silently. Suddenly Lottie ran a gentle hand down your cheek, took your chin.

"Don't be so upset, Y/N," Lottie said softly, looking soothingly into your eyes. "You know… in all this time that you've been part of our team, we've grown attached to you. You've always been so kind to us. I think we can come to an agreement and find a way to thank you properly."

You were very embarrassed, and suddenly you felt a little awkward. "I was just being myself, you don't have to do anything for me." You, of course, felt pleased. But you were surprised when you felt hands behind you, and out of the corner of your eye you could see blonde strands of hair, and then you heard the familiar voice of Nat, who decided to come up to you from behind.

"Don't be such a shy princess. Why don't you let us comfort you?" she almost purrs in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. It felt… oddly pleasant, like a wave of excitement had washed over you.

"I, um… I don't know… how are you going to do that?" you ask. You can already see and feel Misty wrap her arms around your right hand, stroking it, looking at you in awe.

"You see, Y/N, you have some kind of influence over all of us." Lottie continues. Jackie glares at Matthews, apparently annoyed that Lottie is in charge. While she's busy burning a jealous hole in someone else's body, Shauna approaches you, her hands stroking your neck, and you shiver, vaguely aware of where this is all heading.

"We feel an irresistible… attraction to you. It's hard for us to share you between us. Haven't you noticed how hard we try to please you?" Lottie asks, genuinely concerned. "And you still wouldn't give in to any of us. We tried to figure out what you wanted, but we failed every time. So we thought you'd have to try each one before you figured out which one of us you wanted to be with."

Your brain was already running out, and now that Van's hand was stubbornly touching your thigh, and Taissa was holding your waist, whispering something in your ear, you completely stopped thinking. You were surrounded by a crowd of girls with whom you spent all your free time so happily, and they were trying to get you all the time. Was it all of them? Each of them wanted you to be their girlfriend? These thoughts left you shocked and you didn't even know how close or far from the truth it was. You, of course, dreamed about them. About each of them at least once, though about some more than others. But for you it was not serious, you did nothing! Did they really want it that much?

You yourself do not notice how you let out a quiet sigh when Shauna kisses your neck. She does it roughly, as if she is having difficulty containing the desire that is accumulating in her. Shauna is silent, examining, analyzing and suppressing in herself, and then explodes like a time bomb. And now she wants to explode at any moment.

Misty's hand undoes the button of your pants in irritation, and Van and Taissa pull them down. You are brought back to reality, and you feel panicked. You were definitely not prepared for being undressed.

"W-wait, there's no need to go anywhere-" you break off with a groan. Nat, still standing and supporting you from behind, bites your ear, licks it, makes your sensitive earlobe wet. You sigh at the newness of this strange, disorienting sensation.

"Don't worry, sweet thing. Everything is going to be just fine." Natalie purrs, and you can't tell if she's stoned or not. Your pants are thrown to the floor. And then your panties. You are naked for all the girls, and they are looking at you so mesmerized, like this is the best thing they've ever seen in their lives. Even Jackie and Lottie, standing behind you, are watching you in awe.

This time, Van is first. Her tongue touches your already wet cunt, and she circles it, tasting you. You moan, and Natalie tugs your hair a little, exposing more of your neck. Taissa gives you a couple of loud slaps on your ass, interested in seeing your reaction. You shudder and your hips jerk, because you like it. Misty's hand goes under your shirt and gropes your breasts, pulling your nipples almost painfully, while Shauna leaves wet marks on your collarbone from her mouth, wanting to leave marks on you that will definitely last until their collective return from Nationals.

You are so turned on, and you feel stimulation from all sides. Your hand wants to reach for Van's red head, to press it harder, but Nat, watching you like a hawk, pulls you back.

"Let her do it herself." She whispers in your ear. You nod frantically, it's best not to argue with them. A few more movements of Van on your clit, her skillful tongue, which had probably done the same with Taisa before, could easily bring you to orgasm. You moaned more actively, your chest moved a hundred times more intensely, and then she pulled away.

"She's ready, Lottie." Van said, wiping her mouth. It was hard for you to understand what was happening, and you just whined, saddened that you were not allowed to come. For a moment, everyone broke away from you. Everyone was listening to Lottie.

"We'll help you after you help us, Y/N," Lottie says with a smile that sounds like she's some kind of prophet. "We've been waiting so long to get your attention. We think we deserve to come first. But I promise you won't regret it."

You nodded at her, mesmerized, but you felt like this wasn't quite the Lottie you knew. She was so mysterious, and you couldn't tell what was on her mind.

"Get away from her, all of you." Lottie commanded. "And you, Y/N, sit on your knees, please. Put something down so it won't hurt her to sit on the floor."

Van and Nat dutifully laid out their own jackets so your knees wouldn't hurt from what you were about to do. It was a pleasant moment of care. You obediently settled down on your knees in front of Lottie. You were literally being eaten with their eyes, and you were ready for what was to happen.

Lottie was already reaching for her shorts, but Jackie spoke up. "Sorry, Lottie… but I'll be the first." She said, raising her chin high. Jackie's voice was filled with nervous confidence, and she tried to withstand Lottie's and the other girls' piercing gaze. "I'm the captain of our team, and I want to be the first one to do this. What made you think you could lead?"

Lottie was silent, and you couldn't even understand what she was thinking right now. Then she nodded, and her voice was cold. "Okay. Be the first. But don't ruin it too soon."

You didn't understand the meaning of the words, but Jackie frantically replaced Lottie, pulled down her shorts, and the taste of her cunt quickly imprinted on your tongue. You didn't know what Jackie really wanted to achieve by this - to let you fuck her first or she just felt depressed because of how Lottie quickly took control and everyone, even Shauna, was ready to obey her. In any case, you didn't mind. You devotedly licked her pussy and tried to watch Jackie's reaction, just to please her. In your fantasies, you tried many times to make Jackie as good as you could. In your mind, Jackie was not the type to give - she liked to receive more, and if she had to be on top in your fantasies, she was so gentle and timid, afraid to make an extra move, that it only excited you more. But here she was — trying to have your whole mouth, like she had been fantasizing about it for so long that you were almost dizzy with the realization. Your drool and her juices were running down her thighs while she moaned, and the others were watching, some daring to stick their hands down their own shorts. A couple of minutes passed and Jackie came convulsively, sitting down on the bench. Now she wouldn’t object. She had no strength.

Shauna was next. She was never patient, not with what she liked - her hand grabbed your hair (no one protested, everyone decided she deserved it for scoring the final goal during the nationals qualifiers) and she pulled herself roughly-gently towards her vagina. Your eyes rolled back and you almost got lost in her thick dark pubic hair, but fuck, she was delicious and you were ready to continue as long as it took. You even forgot how to breathe sometimes - Shauna was a little rough, muttering something harshly under her breath and moaning, repeating your sweet name. She came quickly and took a step to the side, pulling up her shorts and retreating to the bathroom, apparently to rethink something.

Then there was Taissa… and Van. They were both allowed near you at the same time. You were dumbfounded, not knowing how to cope with taming two pussies at the same time, but you didn't even have time to wipe the saliva and cum from your mouth, as the red vagina was in your mouth. You had to change one pussy to the other every 15-20 seconds, trying to lick both like never before. You were forbidden to use your hands, but they both frantically encouraged you as best they could, while your tongue circled their clits, and the dirty noise filled the locker room, already filled with heat and languid sighs.

"You're holding up great, Y/N… Come on, help Van a little…" Taissa whispered, tearing you away from her pussy, because you stubbornly did not want to stop. However, upon hearing her order, you quickly set to work on Van, drawing a sigh of excitement from her, and ten seconds later, an orgasm. Taissa followed.

Then there was Nat. You licked your lips, ready to receive her. You were surprised that her pussy was shaved, maybe she was getting ready and wanted to please you? This thought caused a sweet warmth in you. And Nat's pussy tasted sweet too. You sucked on her clit, wanting to please her in a way that no guy had ever done. Natalie moaned surprisingly softly, and it excited you so much that there was almost no dry spot left in your panties. She let you use your hands, and you held her by the hips, because she was shaking while your wet tongue caressed her tender folds, and the hot air from her nose came straight to her pubis. Needless to say, Nat came quickly, but for some time she did not want to leave your mouth? Misty didn't even ask your permission. Her head was wrapped around yours, her fingers tangled in your soft hair, and she was holding you to her bushy pussy like she was dying without it. You were taken aback, but that didn't stop you from wanting to please her, even if her actions were met with disapproval from the other girls. No one wanted to be played with more roughly than the rest. You licked her, trying to please her as much as possible - Misty looked like she was not easy to please, but she was whispering so sweetly in your ear, praise and advice, that your arousal literally flowed out of your panties.

"Yes, t-that's it, Y/N… That's just perfect, oh, you're so beautiful. You're just an angel, a little perfection." She muttered selflessly, her glasses falling to the tip of her nose as she came loudly in your mouth.

You were exhausted, but Lottie was still there. She was the last one. You looked up at her, tired, sluggish, and excited. She gave you a quick smile, but there was undisguised triumph in her eyes. She had you after all. Did we mention that Lottie hated rejection and not getting what she wanted?

Lottie lifted your chin, gently stroked your hair and tidied it up, wiped the tears of pleasure from your eyelashes. She let you dive into her pussy yourself, start licking it yourself, as if you were in some kind of licking contest and were going to take first place there. She let you keep glancing at her, watching every movement of her moaning mouth and trembling hands, just to please her. Your heart was beating so fast and it was so hot and you wanted to please her so much, plunging your sweet tongue into her pussy over and over again, that you had a hard time holding on. Lottie took the longest, savoring every second and apparently holding herself back. Eventually she pulled your head away from her, pressed her pussy to your forehead and came, covering you even more with her wetness. You were all for it.

"You did well, Y/N. You love us so much, you were ready for everyone." Lottie said tiredly. She nodded to the girls, and they sat around you. "Now you've earned a reward, huh?" You nodded vigorously, needing release. You were so wet, and almost whining with excitement. Your head ended up in Shauna's lap, and Nat, Misty and Jackie quickly found themselves at your feet. Misty nibbled on your calves and thighs, often not hesitating to do it quickly and hard, while Jackie, on the contrary, licked them like a kitten, gently nipping at the sensitive skin. This crazy contrast made you breathe quickly and roll your eyes, and all for the sake of Shauna watching this cute picture. Nat touched your pussy with her tongue, her two fingers slid inside your wet cunt - after such a long abstinence, taking two fingers at once was not at all difficult. You moaned, letting them all work on you while the others watched. Natalie's tongue was trying so hard to please you, playfully sucking and pulling on your clit, playing with your labia and purposely quickly driving her fingers into you, wanting to bring you to the peak and play on you like guitar strings.

"We love you, Y/N, such a gift for us." Jackie purrs, watching Natalie fuck your helpless pussy.

"You're the best!" Misty agrees with a smile, biting you and licking it slobberily.

"All that's left is to cum." Shauna says calmly, not hiding her smirk, constantly keeping her eyes on herself. "Come on. Nat's mouth is waiting for it."

As if on cue, you spill into Natalie's mouth with a loud moan. Everyone exhales relaxedly, and Natalie cleans your pussy with her tongue. "You're just sweet, princess." She smirks at her own abilities.

You let yourself sink into the girls' arms, catching your breath. You don't know yet that later they'll help you get dressed, each of them will kiss you on the lips, and you'll tell them to talk about it after Nationals. In the end, you still can't seem to choose one. You love them all, and you're waiting for them to return to Wiskayok, safe and sound, with victory in hand.

[misayani]

⌗ 𝒴ellowjackets women when you give them 'fuck me' eyes while in a conversation with the other girls

౨ৎ jackie taylor, who wouldn't notice it at first. especially when she's talking about something and she does not want to be disturbed. when she finally notices though, she's stunned. she'll blink, glance away, then look back again at you to make sure you're actually looking at her like that. she's flustered as hell, but she'll wait until the conversation ends then she'll take you for herself. 

౨ৎ lottie matthews immediately knows. it's almost like she could feel it when you're staring at her?? her pupils dilate and her breathing slows while she stares back at you like she's daring you to keep looking at her like that. there's just something with the way her lips part, like she's savoring the fact that you need her. she gives the softest smirk and moves closer without a word. no words are exchanged, all you know that she's leading you somewhere quiet to take care of you <3

౨ৎ unlike jackie, shauna shipman would notice it as soon as you give her those eyes because she's always staring at you. she'd break the eye contact quickly and act like she didn't see anything. minutes go by and poor baby can't help but check you out—from your legs, to your thighs, to your stomach, and then your neck. but she snaps out of it and shakes her head, trying to stop her brain from going places. (it has already gone there)

౨ৎ natalie scatorccio smirks the second you give her that expression. she leans back in her chair, arms crossed, looking at you up and down with eyes that read try me. she also spreads her legs apart as if she has something growing between them. she doesn't say anything, but she's already imagining her hands under your clothes. she has already decided what she's going to do to you the second you're both alone and it's filthy. 

౨ৎ if you give taissa turner those eyes, she'll raise a brow like really? her lips part slightly, her tongue will run along the inside of her cheek while she boldly checks you out (will smirk when you squirm under her gaze.) she leans back with her hand resting on her thigh, imagining how it would look wrapped around your throat. keep looking at her like that, then you'll find out exactly how mean she can be.

౨ৎ van palmer catches your look and their whole body reacts—as if you had just flipped a switch inside them. they'll grin but it's not one of those playful ones, it's one of those 'i'll fuck your brains out later don't test me' typa grin. they tilt their head, lips parting as if they were already eyefucking you. it was obvious to the point jackie noticed, and then look at you both with a confused expression, 'what the fuck?'

౨ৎ sweetheart misty quigley is surprisingly bold. her expression visibly lights up and then she's basically beaming at you. no shame, no hesitation, she's already scooting closer to you. all smiley and thrilled, like you just told her a secret only the two of you know about<3 she's definitely planning something.

𝒾. MISA'S THOUGHTS i need to chill with the smut and write angst or fluff so pls send requests plspls im sweet i promise

[wlwxreader]

Not a Crush

not my gif

Jackie Taylor x fem!reader

Summary: despite what the entire team thinks, Jackie doesn’t have a crush on you. So why does it make her skin crawl when she sees a guy trying to flirt with you?

Warning(s): jealous!Jackie, possessive!Jackie, oblivious!reader, pre-crash!Jackie, Nat being a little shit, simp!Jackie

Word count: 2.6k

Masterlist: tba

No matter how much the team teased her about it, Jackie Taylor did not have a crush on you.

Did she like your soft smile? Yes. Could she spend days on end listening to a recording of your cheerful and sweet laugh? Why, of course. Did her heart stop whenever you looked at her a second too long? Maybe, but it was only because she thought you were beautiful —in a platonic way.

She did not like you. She didn’t think of you every night before she went to bed. Nope. Not at all. And Nat could shove her own words up her ass, because she sure as hell wasn’t a simp for you.

Yeah, as if.

“Hey,” you waved your hand in the air as you walked towards the field. You had just changed into your football uniform, and looked around. “Is everyone ready for practice?”

“Yeah,” Nat said, stretching her arms. “We were waiting for you for like, I don’t know, ten minutes.”

“You’re the last one. You know what that means,” Van smirked at you, and if it wasn’t for Tai’s presence next to them, you would have walked over to smack them in the face.

“Gotta run for ten minutes around the field,” Lottie said in a singsong voice. You narrowed your eyes at her.

“I’m gonna get you, Matthews,” you threatened with mock anger.

“What’s going on?” Jackie, who had been talking to coach Ben about something, asked. Her smile grew a little bigger when she noticed you within the other team players, and you swear you heard Nat and Shauna giggle to each other.

“Y/N was last,” Nat said. “She has to run for ten minutes.”

“Okay, fine—”

“That won’t be necessary,” Jackie said. Her voice, always soft and bright, was commanding. She wasn’t the Jackie who played around anymore, she was captain Jackie, and everyone in the team knew it.

“What?” Van asked, offended. They looked between the both of you, mouth ajar. “That’s not fair! It’s a tradition you started, Jackie. Last one has in the field during practice has to run while the others train. Y/N was the last one today.”

“Enough, Palmer,” Jackie gave them a stern look. “Y/N was late because of me.”

You gave her a surprised look, taken aback by her lie. You should not have been bewildered, though— Jackie always had your back no matter what, using her easy charm to cover up for your slip-ups

“Making out before practice?” Nat asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Jackie’s cheeks turned a bright red color, but she didn’t dare to look at you. Instead, she clapped her hands together a few times, and everyone around sobered up.

“Divide yourself into two teams,” Jackie raised her voice. “Whoever team wins, gets to rest while the others run a lap.”

Everyone groaned, looking around to start to form the groups, trying to be as equitative as possible.

“Shauna, you’re captain of team green. Team blue is my team,” Jackie called, and the brown eyed woman nodded, wasting no time to craft the perfect team in her mind as she looked at everyone in the field.

“Okay, cool—”

“Y/N,” Jackie interrupted her best friend. “You’re on my team.”

“And in her heart,” whispered Nat.

Thankfully, neither Jackie nor you hear it.

If Jackie did not like you, she obviously also didn’t feel any ownership over you. She wasn’t jealous, she wasn’t possessive; there was no point in being those things, as you were both just two good friends.

But sometimes, someone would walk up to you and Jackie forgot her inner mantra, throwing it out the window of her mind. The person would smirk and lean in close, feigning they could not hear what you were saying, and Jackie would feel something dark and uncomfortable burning inside of her.

Sure, you weren’t hers, but that didn’t mean anyone had the right to talk to you, so obviously trying to flirt it was painful to observe.

They didn’t have the right because— because— well, because she said so.

“Hey, Y/N,” Jackie said, walking up to your locker. 

Her voice was high-pitched, and you turned to look at her. Anyone else would have thought nothing of her tone, but you knew her; it was the same voice she used when she wanted to be rude but knew she couldn’t.

“Hi, Jackie,” you said, completely forgetting about the man who was talking to you about the chemistry test you both had next week.

Jackie walked with purpose, and she stood in front of you. She wrapped her arm around your shoulders, pulling you into her body. You sighed in relief; it was starting to get cold, and her warmth was welcomed.

The woman smiled when you rested your head on her shoulder, and big green eyes twinkling as she started the man down.

“What were you talking about?” she asked, even though she wasn’t interested in the least. She knew how men were— she suffered their unwanted advances on the daily. It was all an act to get you on their bed.

“Oh,” the man said, clearing his throat. “We were discussing the next chemistry exam—”

“Well, I hope you study hard. Bye.”

You barely had time to close your locker before Jackie was pulling you away from that man.

“Hey— Jackie,” you complained, pulling your books closer to your chest. “What was that for?”

“That boy is a womanizer,” Jackie said through gritted teeth. “He just wanted to get in your panties.”

“You think?” you asked, turning slightly to look at the boy, who was leaning against your locker and staring at you. When he saw you looking back, he smirked and waved. “I think he just wants help studying.”

“You’re too naïve,” the blonde said. “He has tried that same trick with half the school.”

“Really?” you whispered conspicuously. “I thought he was just being friendly.”

Jackie shook her head, leaning in to kiss the side of your head. Her arm was still around you, and it made you walk awkwardly. You still didn’t complain.

“Boys are never friendly just because, Y/N,” she said. “They only got one thing on their mind.”

“Kissing?” you raised an eyebrow at her.

Jackie’s laugh could be heard all around the halls, a melodic sound that carried you out of the building.

“Every year it gets colder earlier,” you complained, shivering slightly.

“Are you cold?” Jackie asked, finally pulling away. You almost moaned in complain at the lack of warmth on your side, but before you could voice your discomfort, a weight was placed on your shoulders.

You looked to your side to see Jackie’s team letterman jacket resting over you. You smiled, putting your books in one hand to put the sleeve on.

“Thank you,” you said, with genuine gratitude. Jackie shook her head, simply reaching over to grab your books so you fully put on the jacket.

“Wanna hang out in the field?” she asked. Once you had the jacket on, she wrapped her arm around your shoulders again, because she wanted to but most importantly, because she could.

“The one time we don’t have to train, and you still wanna go over there,” you rolled your eyes, but followed her steps when she changed course.

She laughed again, turning to look at you. With bright big eyes, and lips pulled into a tight smile, you thought no one would ever be as pretty as she was.

As you walked, Jackie peaked behind you and saw the same man, looking over with frowned eyes. As she heard you talking about your day, she raised her arm enough for everyone to see the back of your jacket, where Taylor stood proudly over her team number.

She’s wearing my jacket, not yours. Dipshit.

To say she was ecstatic at his scolf was an understatement.

Yeah, she thought, let everyone know she only wears my number. Let everyone know she’s mine.

That time, she didn’t try to correct herself.

“I think Jackie has a crush on me.”

Van, who was tying up their cleats, stopped suddenly.

“Uh?” they asked, blinking a few times.

“I—” you cleared your throat, your cheeks suddenly turning red. “I think she might like like me.”

“Oh, shit,” Van said, rubbing their face.

“Did— did I say something wrong?”

“Yes!” Van let go of the laces, irritated. “You weren’t supposed to find out until November. You just lost me ten bucks!” they groaned. “Thanks, buddy.”

“What?” you gave them a puzzling look. “Wait— you have bet on me?”

“No,” Van waved their hands around. “Not on you. On your inability to see what’s happening right in front of your face, to be exact.”

“Okay, rude,” you said. “I’m not that oblivious.”

“Oh, no. Of course not,” Van said. Their tone was laced with sarcasm. “You joined the team two years ago, and only now you have realized.”

“Wait, she has liked me for two years?” you asked in a whisper.

“Duh,” Van gave you a long look. “Jesus, you’re a lost cause.”

“Screw you.”

“What made you realize?” Van asked, with genuine curiosity. They put their feet back down on the ground, leaning over the bench to look at you.

“She, um—” you looked around, making sure no one else was in the changing room. Feeling guilty over spilling such deep secrets, you moved over and sat down next to Van, so no one else would hear. “She kind of lied, the other day. So I wouldn’t have to run around the field.”

“She always lies,” Van scoffed.

“Jackie never lies,” you said, firmly. You gave the redhead a look, one that would have been threatening if it wasn’t coming from you. “She’s an honest person.”

Van chuckled. “She will lie to save your ass,” they said. “Because she’s the fattest crush on you.”

“Fuck,” you whispered.

After practice a week later, instead of going back to the changing room with the rest of the team, you grabbed Jackie and pulled at her hand, forcing her to move toward the bleachers. She went willingly, allowing you to take her wherever it was that you wanted her to be.

She would walk through fire if it meant holding your hand.

In a platonic way, of course.

“Jackie,” you said in a serious tone. You took a deep breath, and stared into big green eyes who looked back with passion. “We need to talk.”

She frowned her eyebrows, quickly picking up on your mood swing. “What’s wrong?” she asked, moving closer.

Jackie’s hand rested on your waist when she saw you starting to pull away. She hated it; hated whenever there was distance between the two of you. She wanted you close to her always, holding your hand and laughing with you.

“I think— I think you might be interested in someone.”

Jackie gave you a puzzling look. Her, being into someone? Not a chance.

“What are you talking about, Y/N?” She asked, as confused as she has ever been.

“Don’t make me say it, please,” you moaned, like a petulant toddler. “This is embarrassing.”

“Well, I can’t read your mind, can I?”

You looked away from her, incapable of looking into her eyes as you spoke.

“I think I might like someone, too.”

Jackie froze at your words. Her jaw dropped, eyes open so wide it looked like they might jump out of their sockets.

“You…” she gave a bewildered look. “You like someone?”

You nodded, and her hand tightened on your waist, as if she needed some support to keep her from falling over.

“This can’t be happening,” she whispered, closing her eyes. You gave her a concerned look.

“Jackie—”

“Is it that boy from the locker? The one who kept trying to flirt with you?”

“No. It’s—” you cleared your throat. “It’s not a boy.”

“Oh, no,” Jackie blinked away the white spots that were starting to form on her vision. “Nat? Tai? Or—” she gasped, looking at you accusingly. “Don’t tell me it’s Shauna.”

“Why would it be— No! It’s not Shauna.”

“It’s not?” she gave you a look. “Thank god.”

“It’s you,” you whispered.

“Me?” Jackie asked, trying to make sure she had heard you properly. “You like me. Me.”

“Yeah. I like you, Jackie.”

She leaned in close to you, looking at your lips. You closed your eyes, preparing yourself for her kiss. Instead, you felt her weight over you, literally on you.

“Jackie? Oh my god!”

Safe to say, it took the Yellowjackets over a month to get over the little spectacle you and coach Ben had pulled off when Jackie fainted.

You had wanted to keep it a secret, of course— Class Queen and captain of the football team, fainting because a girl had confessed their feelings to her? The rumor would be too juicy. But you also couldn’t control yourself when Jackie fell on top of you, eyes closed and mouth open, and it took you approximately ten seconds to take all the information in before you were screaming for help.

The help came in the form of Ben, who had come over running. He frantically looked at the team captain, laying on the grass as you fanned her with your hand, and he ran back inside to get Bill’s help.

It didn’t take long for the girls to come out of the changing room, and soon enough they pulled the pieces together; your conversation with Van they had told the entire team (which had led to Tai waving around fifteen ten dollar bills around the showers), your nervous attitude over practice, the tension they had felt before they left the two of you alone…

“Holy shit,” Nat said, smirking as you tried to wake Jackie up. “She fainted. She actually fainted.”

The story soon spread, faster and more explosive than gunpowder around fire. Soon enough, Jackie Taylor’s untaintable reputation got washed away by the new knowledge that she was a hopeless romantic.

Two months later, people would still whisper about Jackie whenever she walked down the corridors of Wiskayok High School.

“You think you will still be Class Queen after… what happened?” you asked, taking notice of how many students were staring at the two of you.

“Of course,” she smiled that charming smile you loved so much. “I’m Jackie Taylor, baby. This highschool would be nothing without me.”

“You’re too full of it,” you rolled your eyes.

She wrapped her arm around your waist, pulling you in close to her. She kissed your cheek, smiling.

“It doesn’t bother you?” you asked once you reached your locker. “Y’know, everyone still talking about it?”

“Let them talk. They aren’t mean, anyways,” Jackie said, raising her shoulders. You gave her a look; she would never notice just how many people thought ill of her. She thought too kindly of the world, but that made it two of you. “As long as it makes them talk about how you’re my girlfriend, I don’t care.”

You put the books you no longer needed back into your locker, and once you closed it, she pressed you against it.

When her lips pressed against yours, you stopped worrying about the whispers and the teasing from the team; Jackie was right.

Let them talk.

[dillydally6969]

CROWNED² .ᐟ 𝓝AT SCATORCCIO

♱ fighting situationship!nat for the antler queen title, but her crown’s slowly slipping…

♱ cw; yj s3 spoilers, harsh language, angst, f!r, manipulative!shauna, pt. 1 linked at bottom

you remembered the first time nat kissed you.

it was on one of the very first hunting trips, when travis came down with some stomach bug after eating some raw bear meat. you and nat were left to continue your duties alone, and honestly you weren’t complaining.

nat was careful, kissing you like you were something delicate.

at first, the two of you would go further than you would route and just make out against a tree. but then, on a foraging trip you and jackie went on (in attempts to encourage the captain to help with chores she could actually do), you found a little creak behind this wall of bushes.

the next time travis was occupied with brother duty, you would bring nat to this haven, shielded from everything that was your tragic reality, shrugging off your--actually one of ben’s oversized--jacket and laying it on the ground for your lady.

the blonde would laugh at you, her sweet grin paired with that cute dimple of hers, and you swore you had never heard a more heavenly sound.

“you couldn’t wait to bust all this chivalrous shit out, huh?”

you shrugged, admiring the way her lips curved as she turned. her side profile was sculpted by the greek themselves, and you found your smile growing slowly as you ran your gaze.

“i wanted to do something nice for you. away from the others.”

she felt your intense eyes fixed on her, her chest tightened as she gulped. “really? you did all this for me?”

you noticed her hands quivered slightly. you reached out, fingertips dancing across her knuckles lightly. you held her hand up, weaving your fingers into hers.

“i wanted to see you smile,” you whispered, “worth it.”

her cheeks flushed, her eyes widening before she turned away with a scoff. “oh my god, you’re such a freak.”

you giggled at her comment. you fixed the loose blonde tufts sticking into her face, cradling her warm cheek in your hand. you tugged her close, glancing down at her plump, pink lips as your teeth sunk into your own.

“just your type, hm?” you whispered against her lips.

“mmh, i don’t know… wanna find out?” she teased, before leaning forward to press her soft lips against yours.

you sighed, pulling her close. sitting up, you threw a leg over her lap, straddling her before both hands reached up to clasp her jaw. her mouth moved into yours feverishly, hungry and needy. her slender fingers anchored your hips, your body pressed flushed against hers.

“oh god, i love you--!” she gasped, but the way she pulled back told you she was just as stunned by the sudden confession as you were.

when you don’t respond, she began stammering.

“sorry, i--i was just caught in the moment. fuck, i’m so stupid.”

“no, no, nat, stop.” you grabbed her face, kissing her forehead, then her nose, then lingered on her lips. when you pulled away, you rested your forehead against hers. “i love you too.”

you can’t remember the last time she told you she loved you.

you can’t remember the last time she showed she loved you.

it’s been about competing with nat ever since she took over lottie’s title. you missed her. god, you missed her so much.

you would give anything up if it meant getting to just let her lull you to sleep with her deep voice without her spewing nonsense about the logistics of keeping morale high.

“y/n--y/n!” a single clap in front of your face seemed to do the trick, slapping you out of your daydream.

you glanced up, met with tai’s curious expression.

“hello? you’re the one who suggested a trial, what the fuck are we supposed to do?” she jeered, hands on her hips as she looked down at you. “what’s going on, man? you’ve been spaced for like an hour.”

sat at the table, you looked at your untouched dinner, pushing the bowl away from you.

“nothing, i’m just tired.” you muttered in reply.

“okay, whatever--coach has been sitting with the ducks and deers since sundown. what do we do now?”

you raised an eyebrow. “why aren’t you asking nat? she’s the antler queen, she’s the one in charge, not me.”

tai crossed her arms, sighing. “nat hid the fact she knew where coach was, you think she’s gonna make this a fair trial?” you gulped, knowing she had a point had never felt so bitter before. “i trust you’ll make this just and impartial, and so do the rest of us, so will you please get this shit going?”

you looked past tai’s body, spotting nat sitting by the fire.

her nail-beds bled from her fervent picking, her eyes grown cold and still as she stared at the roaring fire.

you stood, nodding towards tai. “gather everyone. it’s coach’s judgement day.”

as the taller scurried off to round up everybody, you watched the blonde from afar. slowly, you sauntered over, taking a seat beside her with a deep sigh. “you’re mad at me. you’re doing that gwyneth paltrow sulky thing you do.”

the blonde didn’t move a muscle. her cheekbones popping as she contained the violent sob that threatened to escape her.

“i’m not mad at you. i’m disappointed in your decisions.”

you scoffed, resting your elbows against your thighs. “come on, nat, you’re being unfair.”

“i told you my feelings on the matter, and i thought you understood.”

“look, i know you think he’s innocent, but there’s just--!”

“i thought you were different. i trusted you to make the right choices, but this,” she scoffed, “whatever circus you think you’re running here, i don’t want any fucking part of it.”

“oh my god, when will it be enough for you?” you snapped, startling her. “y’know, i say yes and do what you tell me to. i hunt this and gather that because you want me to. i was the only one in your corner when nobody was and this is the kinda treatment i get? i do something i believe is right once and you’re ‘disappointed’? holy shit, get over yourself, natalie, i’m not your fucking minion, i am my own person too.”

staring back at you, her lips parted, waiting in bated breath for your next words.

you ripped the bandana from your belt where it was tucked, tying it again over your head. you stood, snarling down at her. “maybe if you weren’t so obsessed with being the fucking chief, you would actually see what i’m trying to do.”

oh, that stung. that stung bad. she hated getting yelled at, it triggered some bad feelings for her, but coming from you? it just made her want to cry herself to permanent slumber.

the others had begun gathering around the fire, per tai’s instruction. from a humble distance, shauna mentally noted the way your conversation with nat had ended.

“y/n?” tai called, squeezing to the front. “well?”

“it should be two-thirds.” nat sighed, standing to the side as you helped tai and some others create a table for the jury at the centre of camp, where the fire was supposed to be.

“two-thirds? that’s bullshit, it should be majority rules!”

“that’s more than fair, shauna,” nat hissed, “if you’ve ever, actually picked up a law book, you’d know criminal trials are supposed to be unanimous.”

“i’ll bash your skull in with a law book if you don’t--!”

“enough!” you yelled, slamming a hand against the wooden surface beneath you. all heads snapped towards you, including those preparing the judge’s chair from afar. “i’ve never known anybody more problematic. the two of you will be on your best behaviour for this trial, or you’re spending a week alone in the pits until you get along.”

everybody seemed rather taken aback by the aggressive edge to your outburst. you caught nat’s eyes, of all the pairs trained on you, and your jaw locked.

“i don’t care how important your roles are here, i don’t care what title you hold, i will cover all of it if it means we don’t have to hear the two of you fight.” you snarled, crossing your arms. “i’ve proposed this trial as a way to keep things fair. nat will get her will for coach to have a chance to be proven innocent, and shauna will get hers to prove him guilty. two-thirds is a middle ground, so that’s how we’ll let the jury rule. settled?”

the two of them reluctantly nodded. you exhaled shakily.

“good. neither of you are allowed anywhere near the stands, ‘cuz world war three will stir.”

a hand shot up from behind nat, you tilted your head to see tai’s determined expression. “i’ll run the prosecution no problem. the question is, who will defend coach scott?”

everybody deterred their gaze away from yours upon that query. you scanned the crowd, watching them awkwardly tousle around to avoid being called upon.

your eyes landed on a certain curly blonde taking minutes.

“misty’ll defend him.” you announced. everybody looked over.

“what? why’re you all looking at me?” she stammered.

“‘cause he’s your boyfriend?” van commented. she stifled a snort, “in your mind, at least. right?”

tai swatted her in the arm, and upon a stern look from you, she rescinded her snarky attitude.

“that’s not funny. and i’m not defending him.” she shook her head, glinting down at her notebook. “he’s not the ben i knew.”

“you have to, misty.” nat’s sharp response drew attention to her standing amidst the group. she cleared her throat, recognizing the snap back may have come off a little more pressing than she had intended. regaining her authority, nat held misty’s gaze. “i know how you feel. it sucks that he left, but you’re his best chance at a fair trial… maybe his only chance. if you can’t prove he’s innocent, he’ll lose anyway, but if you can… misty, you’ll save his life.”

you could hear it in her voice. she was desperate.

you wondered when along the way you became the one the girls turned to over nat. you could barely remember the times when she was actually respected as their regent.

you’ve called out more disrespect towards her in the last week than you ever have pre-crash. and that’s saying something.

shauna was blood-thirsty, desperate to satiate her hunger for chaos. this was the closest she could get to bloodshed, and she had her fangs dug into the coach, unwilling to let go.

she was so blinded by her bloodlust, it clouded her rationale.

you knew nat had a heart of gold, how she deeply believed in the coach’s innocence unless some sort of evidence compelled her to accept otherwise.

but in a way, she wasn’t being fair either.

and knowing she used to be the most prudent person you’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, stung. along with perhaps one of two of those who still adore nat, you might be the only ones left who honor the fact she was still queen.

“great, then it’s settled.” you clasped your hands together. “tai will prosecute and misty will defend. nat will be the judge, and the rest of us will make the jury.”

“nat? she’s gonna rule him not guilty without even listening,” shauna argued, resting on her arms against the table across from you. “she’s got her head so far up her ass, she won’t hear anything besides the fact that he’s innocent.”

“she’s the antler queen, shauna. do i have to remind you of your place?” you sneered.

“i hate to say this, but shauna has a point.” tai agreed, her hands on her hips. “i’m not saying nat shouldn’t be judge, she should. but i think you should be judging as well.”

you scoffed with a tiny smile, “thanks, but it’s not my place.”

“why not? it’s your trial.” van reinforced her girlfriend’s proposal. “who else thinks y/n should be a judge?”

one by one, hands shot up in vote of your crowning.

little did you know this gesture would foreshadow your fate.

“that’s pretty much two-thirds. that’s a fair majority, right?” she said before nat could protest. the blonde could not go against the people’s word. it was democracy that brought her to her dominion, after all. “great. let’s get this ball rolling.”

you knew the more your influence grew, the more your relationship with nat deteriorated.

when the others had gone to prepare their arguments and statements, the two of you were sent back to your hut to change into some robes akilah and robin had thrown together.

the silence was deafening. enough for you to regret the way you left things before you left for the hunt.

as you slipped on the cream gown, nat stood by the archway.

she had her hands on her hips, peering out towards the girls scrambling in groups for this little event. you tied the rope around your waist, sighing deeply.

“i’m sorry.”

the blonde looked down, swallowing thickly. though, she stood still, unwilling to turn and face you.

“i’m sorry for the things i said. i was angry, and it wasn’t the most respectful way to talk to you.” you continued, “but i don’t want us to be like this, nat. i hate how separated we’ve been.”

she didn’t respond, but you’ve learnt to read her like a book.

in most cases, she would shut down emotionally, growing quiet or distant, unsure of how to respond to things that pierced her emotionally. her body language would immediately reflect discomfort; avoiding eye contact, crossing her arms, or falling into a tense posture.

you knew the thing that scarred her most was having her own self-worth question. when she felt undervalued and insecure.

she resented herself when she felt like that. so, so much.

so, you were always careful with your words, the way you treated her. so, this gradual fallout wounded her greatly.

“tell me what you want me to do,” you begged, “i’ll listen.”

her head turned just the slightest, studying you out the corner of her eye. “i don’t want to dictate you, y/n. i do that enough to everybody else, and i hate it.”

“you’re tying my hands, nat, what am i supposed to do?”

“i asked you to back off, and you didn’t. you’re defying my orders and challenging me in front of everybody. i never took you for somebody who had such a craving for power, but if you want to be queen that bad, you should.” her voice shook, like she was holding in some pent up tears. “of all the people i thought would fight this hard to get coach executed, you were the last person i hoped would come to.”

“i love you, natalie. but you only love me when it’s convenient for you.” you stated, “all we do is argue anymore, fuck, i can’t even remember the last time i talked to you about anything else other than this stupid ritual, cult shit. you hear what you want to hear and get mad--do you see how this isn’t fair?”

she sucked in a breath, shaking her head. “i don’t think we’re in the right headspace to talk about this.” she grabbed her robe, along with the headpiece akilah made from a buck skull. “im gonna change in lottie’s hut.”

there she was. running again. she doesn’t even want to fix this.

you scoffed at her dismissive attitude. upon noticing nat storming from the hut, shauna glanced up from the jury table, suddenly uninterested in her journal.

you were facing the tiny mirror strung up against the hut’s wall, fixing the uncomfortable diadem of wolf fangs.

“you’re really letting them collar you with freak-show jewelry like you’re nat’s fucking guard dog?” shauna asked, leant against the doorway of the straw cone. “come on, i thought you were better than that wilderness bullshit.”

“i’m not in the mood, shauna.” you grumbled back.

“you run the show better. why do you let her fucking treat you like that?” she challenged, stepping in.

“i said to back off, shipman, i don’t want company.”

“why? just admit you don’t mind getting walked all over if it means you get to grab some ass,” she sneered, her arms crossed. “it’s so obvious you’re a sucker for nat, ‘cause if you didn’t, you would’ve put her in her place by now--”

you grabbed the collar of her grey shirt, slamming her up against the wall. you exhaled sharply through your nose.

“watch your fucking mouth,” you hissed through gritted teeth, “another snide comment and i’ll shove your head through this fucking wall.”

“that’s it,” shauna smirked, what used to be for eyes with soft edges turned vindictive, like she had you right where she wanted. “that’s the kinda power nat is lacking.”

you realized you idiotically walked straight into her trap.

you let her go, eyes squeezing shut with your eyebrows furrowed. you pinched the bridge of your nose, your head pounding at the sound of her taunts.

she was taking advantage of your feelings for nat.

“fuck, do you ever take a day off?”

she crossed her arms. “what do you think you’re fucking doing, y/n? i get that you guys are fucking, but you don’t have to baby her. nat’s been a shitty fucking leader and all she does is spend her time droning over me and mari like we’re the problem.”

“you are the problem. the two of you act like fucking kids, how is that nat’s fault?” you bit back.

wow, maybe you did sound like her guard dog.

“they voted for you to be a judge, they want you--even lottie with her crazy crap. why are you denying the inevitable? ‘cause you love her?” she scoffed in laughter, as if the mere thought was joke enough. “don’t kid yourself, she can’t give less of a shit about you. she’s got other priorities, right? she cares more about getting coach off than you these days.”

you sneered. “don’t say something you’ll regret.”

“does she deserve to be the leader?” she smirked. “she only got it ‘cause lottie spared her fucking life. the respect you say she’s owed wasn’t earned, you run laps around her.”

she began backing away at the snarl you threw her way. “if you don’t do something, you’ll be the one regretting shit.”

loyalty was a visage in the wilderness… survival came first.

“all rise.” van called, awaiting everybody to stand to their feet. “the people versus benjamin scott, on charges of arson, and multiple counts of attempted murder. jury verdict requires a two-thirds majority.” she turned to her side, gesturing towards the hut you and nat shared. “the honourable judges, y/n and natalie, presiding.”

you watched the way things worked carefully, how the power dynamic shifted as things moved along. you sat by nat in the seats you had dug from the plane’s ruins, the robust gavel akilah had crafted snug in nat’s hand as the antler queen crown hung heavy on her head.

as tai stood to give the opening statement for the prosecution, you couldn’t help but look back at the blonde beside you.

you thought back on the moment you had decided to overthrow her to be queen. you had never been one to reach for power, it wasn’t exactly something that enticed you.

though, even before the crash, it was apparent power loved reaching for you; you were deputy captain of the yellowjackets with jackie, despite other more viable options like shauna (who was jackie’s best friend and the fastest midfielder wiskayok high school had ever seen), or tai (who’s been an important member long before you joined the team). somehow, the name drawn to lead the yellowjackets to the success the team saw before the crash was yours.

you weren’t anything like the other leaders this team had seen.

jackie was a picture-perfect leader when she was needed to be. in suburbia, in civilization when order was her friend. the moment the team succumbed to the chaos of the wilderness, she was chewed up and tossed aside until she served the team one last time after her death.

lottie was such a spiritual guru with manipulative undertones to her preaching. she preyed on vulnerable beliefs, surfacing to guide when all things seem lost. she provides explanations, a sense of justification to console those troubled.

nat was a perceptive ruler. she observes, provides support when needed but does not drive things herself. she believed in sustainability, and that came from learning from mistakes everybody was inevitably going to make. her morals kept her from succeeding in leading a group as savage as this team, where most things necessary for survival thrusted her into long episodes of riddling guilt and remorse.

the thing was, you never considered yourself a healthy combination of all three of them, but the others would.

one thing you knew nat was blinded to was the obvious uprising of shauna’s ruthless nature. she’d brush it off as the brunette being brash, lashing out because of her inability to deal with her grief. but you knew it had perverted into something far worse. you had only seen the tip of the iceberg.

from the way she sat to the way she would verbally oppress everybody who crossed her path, you knew the fuse was burning short. you don’t really understand why shauna was one to listen to you, not when she ousted jackie to her death, beat lottie to a pulp with her bare fists, and passively threaten to harm nat every chance she had. she would never disrespect you, and you were eager to know why.

even now, in a moment of instability surrounding the hierarchy you lot have built, she was chomping off one leader at a time.

and nat was next. you needed to get her out before she gets hurt. and this was the quickest route to ultimate serenity. what harm did it do to knock her off? it was to keep her safe, right?

the thing was, your intentions seemed to only be clear to you.

“objection! relevance, your honour--s.” misty argued.

you held your head with your fingers, snapping out of your own field of thoughts. nat seemed to be driving so far, by the way everybody was fixed on her instead of you.

“sustained. misty isn’t the one on trial,” nat said, unwilling to eye you as she spoke.

tai rose an eyebrow, almost scoffing at the blonde’s reply.

“y/n?” she called, tone enough to shed whatever credibility nat should have in her authority. like tai wanted to hear it from you, because just coming from natalie wasn’t enough.

when you finally made your debut statement as judge, the whole court fell silent in anticipation of your words.

“uh, yeah. sustained. insulting the representation is not building your case, tai.” you insisted. you nodded towards misty, urging her to take her seat. catching sight of tai’s eye roll, you cocked your head sideways, clenching your jaw. “i suggest you get to the point of your argument with coach as the focal point, before you’re asked to surrender your time to the defence.”

your heard nat’s deep sigh, watching as she fiddled with the antler queen crown resting on her head. she took the headpiece off, setting it aside.

your hand instinctively went to adjust the fanged diadem clasped around your forehead. it hung high, a prideful reminder you were the protector of what was yours; contrary to the shameful way nat always shed her crown.

when she realized you were staring, she met your eyes briefly, before gesturing towards the standing prosecutor.

it was like she was practically yielding over her rule, all command she had over the team delivered to your hands.

tai scowled, but accepted the statement.

as she continued her interrogation, nat had to butt in to keep the peace. many times tai was asking leading questions, which swayed the way mari’s answer shaped the case for the jury.

you sat silent, knuckles against your temple.

it wasn’t until the very end, beyond the coach’s heartfelt speech at a last attempt to sway the jury, a vote was held.

involuntarily, you met shauna’s smug expression from across the camp. her words echoed in your head like a broken record, it felt like you were ghosted by what you knew was right.

as nat stood, gavel in hand, she slammed it against the table twice. “alright… good job, you two. all those in favour of finding coach not guilty, raise your hand.”

only her and misty seemed to find the coach innocent.

your heart sunk. the sight made you sick to your stomach. deep down, you felt your guilt gnaw at your insides. hungry.

“guys, come on, you can’t find him guilty if you have any doubt at all.” she scoffed, but the jury remained resolute.

“i think there’s your answer,” lottie stated. “he dies at dawn.”

“what? did any of you even listen to what went on during that trial?” nat’s voice rose, the slight rasp surfacing as she strained in hopes of keeping her utter horror at bay. “you’re telling me all of you believe he did it, beyond reasonable doubt?”

“bullshit, she’s not even on defence!” shauna barked.

“nat,” you gasped softly, reaching out to caress the small of her back. you could sense she was displeased with how this verdict had turned out. you could tell she had some sort of hope in your friends that they would make the right decision.

“you’re willing to kill him over suspicion? he’s missing his fucking leg, for fuck’s sake, how do you think he escaped a dozen of us without any help?” the blonde pleaded, “come on, what the fuck are you all thinking?”

“nat!” you warned, standing abruptly. you grabbed her arm, turning her towards you. “the trial’s over.”

“don’t fucking touch me,” she hissed, jerking away.

the rough gesture made your chest hurt. like she had just stabbed you straight through the heart with her words. you shook your head, your expression softening as you stared between her shaky, teary tawny eyes. “a decision has been made, and you need to honour that.”

“and i have the right to beg for mercy because this is taking an innocent man’s life we’re talking about here.” she sniffled, tears streamed down her cheeks.

“majority rules. we had a trial and he lost, that’s it.”

“so that’s what we do now? we decide life or death by roleplaying?” her lip trembled, head shaking slightly as her eyes stayed wide. “you’re fucking evil.”

she pushed past you, hands reaching to wipe her face clean of her salty tears. she knocked into your shoulder harshly, leaving you, glossy eyed with a clenched jaw standing before the jury.

“so, your honour,” shauna tipped her head, eyes blinking shut for a moment. she was courting the crown--and the new face that now bore it. “what do you say we do now?”

looking over their expectant faces, the fanged diadem suddenly felt heavy.

your breath hitched, and with a newfound sense of liability, you straightened, puffing your chest.

“keep him in the pen. we bid him goodbye at sundown.”

an; again lmk if ya’ll like this cuz im thinking of making it a series… i love nat sm like this trope has me in a chokehold

happy reading xx

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[mirrored-muse]

ɢʟᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sɴᴏᴡ | ɴ.s

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 846 (ʙʟᴜʀʙ)

sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: ʜᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀɪᴘ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ: sᴛᴜᴄᴋ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴀᴛ.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ɴᴀᴛᴀʟɪᴇ sᴄᴀᴛᴏʀᴄᴄɪᴏ x ғᴇᴍ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴀ/ɴ: ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʙᴇ ɴɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ғɪᴄ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ.😭

The wind rushed through the trees, carrying the sharp flurries of snow that stung against their skin. Natalie moved ahead, her bow slung loosely over her shoulder, scanning the vast land in front of the both of you for any sign of movement. The snowfall had started light that morning, just a light dust covering the already frozen ground, but now it was relentless, swallowing your tracks as soon as you made them.

Behind her, you trudged forward, snow crunching loudly beneath your feet, shivering as you wrapped your arms around yourself. Hunting with Natalie was never easy, but you hadn’t expected the storm to escalate so quickly.

“Anything?” You called out, barely able to hear your voice over the wind.

Natalie shook her head, eyes still locked on the trees ahead. “Not yet.”

You weren’t sure what you were asking about, hoping for a deer, a rabbit- anything you and Natalie could take back to the cabin.

After a few minutes, the wind begins to shift, sending an avalanche of snow and ice swirling around you. The cold cut through your clothes, through your skin, chilling you straight to the bone. You could barely see, immediately looking over at Natalie for direction, your breath coming in short, panicked gasps.

“Shit,” She muttered. “We need to find cover. Now.”

You nod eagerly, barely able to feel your limbs. Snow blurred your vision, your fingers too numb to even pull your coat tighter around you. You forced yourself to continue to move forward, relying on Natalie’s silhouette ahead of you to guide the way.

Natalie grips your wrist, fingers ice cold against your skin, pulling you forward, guiding you to the shelter she’d spotted.

“There.”

A cave. It was small, more of a hollow carved into the side of a rock formation, but it was shelter. Without hesitation, You stumbled inside alongside her, collapsing against the frozen ground as the storm raged on outside.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. Sitting beside each other trying to catch your breath as it came in short, uneven puffs, visible in the dim light. Nat pulled her knees to her chest, trying to warm herself, while You ran a hand through your snow-damp hair, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

“Could’ve been worse,” Natalie said finally, though there was a hint of a smirk at the corner of her lips.

You let out a breathless laugh. “Yeah? How?”

Natalie shrugged. “Could’ve been a bear in here.”

That shut you up fast, and Natalie let out a tired laugh, nudging her knee with yours. “Relax. We’re fine. Just gotta wait it out.”

You simply nod, trying to ignore the way your heart pounds a little faster than usual either from the cold or the way Natalie was looking at you, you weren’t sure.

The girl shifted beside you, her warmth pressing against your side. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make the freezing cave feel a little less unbearable. You could hear her breathing, slow and steady now like she was trying to keep herself calm.

“You still awake?” she asked after a moment, her voice quieter than before.

You hummed in response, too exhausted to answer.

She was silent for a moment before she let out a soft sigh. “This storm fucking sucks.”

A tired smile tugged at your lips. “Tell me about it.”

You turned your head slightly, just enough to see her face in the dim light. Snow clung to strands of her bleached hair, melting into little droplets that ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were darker in the cave’s shadows, but they were focused on you now.

Slowly, carefully, she reached out, brushing a stray piece of hair away from your face. Her fingers were still cold, but her touch was gentle.

“You’re shaking,” she murmured.

“So are you,” you whispered back.

For a moment, neither of you moved. The storm still raged outside, the wind howling through the trees, but in here, in this tiny cave where it was just the two of you, everything else felt distant.

Then, before you could overthink it, you leaned in.

Natalie met you halfway, her lips cold but familiar, soft despite the bitter wind and exhaustion weighing down on both of you. The kiss was slow, and unhurried, like neither of you wanted to waste what little energy you had left. But there was something else, too- something desperate shared between you.

When you pulled back, she rested her forehead against yours, exhaling shakily.

“We need to stop almost dying every time we go hunting,” you murmured, trying to lighten the moment.

Natalie huffed a small laugh, her breath warm against your lips, pulling you in closer, tucking you against her like she was afraid to let go. You let yourself sink into her warmth, ignoring the ache in your limbs, the cold still biting at your skin.

Out there, beyond the cave, the storm was still strong.

But in here, with Natalie’s arms wrapped around you, listening to her steady heartbeat, you felt safe.

For now, that was enough.

[vevobly]

What about YJ adult or teen hcs for them with a partner who wears their heart on their sleeve, like just can't lie to save their life and also has the worst poker face in all history. I think itd be interesting to see who takes advantage of and who nurtures someone so emotionally transparent all the time

Yellowjackets With Heart On Their Sleeve Reader! [Peri-crash] (1)

A/N: I have a drafted work in progress headcanon post that's very similar to this, so I made this take place during peri-crash because that work took place pre-crash. Also to avoid confusion, Laura Lee's and Jackie's, can either be interpreted as it taking place before their deaths or their deaths never happening at all.

Jackie Taylor:

Jackie absolutely loves that you're open with your emotions—until it makes her uncomfortable. She enjoys being adored by you, but when you expect the same openness from her? She struggles bad. Whenever things get too serious with you guys, she'll deflect. Oh, you're telling her this really big heartfelt confession? Yep, she's gonna start joking or rolling her eyes at you. But you notice the way she looks at you when she thinks you're not watching, how her fingers linger a little too long when she fixes your hair. She's used to controlling how people see her but with you? She feels exposed, vulnerable and a little foolish.

In the wilderness, it's hard for her to keep her usual composure. So, she ends up envying how you don't try to hide your emotions. Sometimes, it even ends up with her lashing out at you for it. Feeling frustrated that you can be vulnerable when she feels like she can't be. But despite all of that, you're the only warmth she can find comfort with. She holds your hand when no one's looking, squeezing it a little too tight when things get bad. She'll never admit it or how much she needs it from you. But she'll melt into a literal puddle whenever you reassure her that it's okay to be scared, that she doesn't have to be perfect out there.

With the crash comes Jackie being very clingy to your affection more than she realizes. She hates being cold, hates being hungry, and hates feeling helpless. But at least your love for her is a constant. Something familiar in this world that's suddenly unrecognizable. When she wakes up shivering in the middle of the night, she reaches for you. She doesn't say anything, just merely tucks herself against your side and lets you hold her like she's something fragile. You don't complain, you never do. Why? Because this is the least you can do for her, be her anchor. So many things are changing, but this? This is something you hope never changes.

Shauna Shipman:

Shauna isn't sure she deserves the way you love her. You're so open, so willing to let people see exactly how you feel and that terrifies her. You'll tell her that you love her, and she'll just hesitate before saying it back like the words might choke her. But she does love you. So much it makes her stomach hurt. Ever since the crash happened, she's been really clingy to you. Watching you almost always since then, being close or just near you. It feels like if she ever turns her back on you for a second, you'd disappear and never come back to her. And she wouldn't know what to do with herself if that happened.

She doesn't always know how to reciprocate, but her actions will speak for her to you. Small yet such meaningful things, you know? She'll share food with you, press against you for warmth, and hold onto your shirt when she sleeps. The first time she lets herself break down in front of you, she is embarrassed. But you just hold her, and for the first time in a long time, she feels safe. You're the only thing keeping her grounded in all of this. And she will be damned if something terrible ever happened to you here. Things change out here, but this? You and her? She hopes it doesn't.

After the crash, your love for her is a big comfort. But it's also a huge liability. She needs you, but she doesn't know how to need people without resenting them for it (*cough cough* Jackie—). There are nights when she will just hold onto you like she's afraid you'll disappear, her breath shaky against your collarbone. And there are mornings when she will barely look at you while pretending those nights never happened at all. You make her go weak in the knees but she can't let you know. She can't let you see her like that. Or else, you might think she's weak and leave her.

Taissa Turner:

Taissa has always been drawn to strength, determination, resilience, and the kind of control she prides herself on. So your emotional openness should make her see you as weak. But it doesn't. It makes her ache instead. She tells herself she doesn't need your affection. But then the crash happens, and suddenly, needing you isn't a choice. It's an instinct. Tai respects your emotional openness but she does not always know how to handle it. She's so used to pushing forward, keeping her emotions controlled, and not being vulnerable that it catches her off guard when you somehow manage to get through her and let out parts of her she locks away.

She gets really protective, watching over you like a hawk whenever things get dangerous. If someone ever tries to take advantage of your kindness, she'll be the first to step in on that. And although she becomes hyper focused on survival, during the very few quiet moments you guys get to have together with each other, she lets herself have you. She grips your hand when she thinks no one is looking, her fingers cold and a bit shaky. When she wakes up with dirt under her nails and blood on her skin, when she doesn't remember what she did in the night—she turns to you. Your voice is the only thing that manages to snap her back to reality.

It's great that you are the way you are because when Tai feels like breaking apart under everything that's going on, you just manage to swoop in time and reassure her that everything will be fine. It's because of you that she can somehow still keep pushing through after everything that's happened so far. She knows she leans on you more than she realizes but refuses to acknowledge it. Now at night, when it's just the two of you, she's able to be soft. She'll whisper these quiet reassurances, hold you close, press her forehead against yours, and breathe you in like you're the only thing keeping her tethered. You're her only light in this place of darkness.

Van Palmer:

No doubt, Van loves how open you are with your emotions. She even teases you about it at times. It's honestly one of her favorite things about you. When you tell her you love her? She'll just grin and say "I know" before pulling you in for a kiss. And when the crash happens, your honesty with your emotions helps her cope. She jokes around to keep everyone's spirits high, but when things get bad, she'll turn to you. Just knowing you'll tell her the truth instead of sugarcoating it or saying a lie in return.

She makes it her mission to keep you laughing even in the worst moments. She needs to see you smile because your smile reminds her that there's still something worth holding onto despite everything being seemingly grim right now. If you ever break down? She'll be right there with you to pull you into her arms and to tell you "it's okay, babe. I've got you." while you're at it. She loves you so much. And while her jokes can keep everyone's spirits up, there's something tight in her chest when everyone is laughing and she just looks at you. She's terrified of a lot of things. But she's more terrified this place is going to break you before it breaks her someday.

When the wolf attack happens, when she wakes up bandaged and barely breathing? She sees the look on you and hates it. Hates how scared you are. Hates that she did this to you. "Hey," She'll rasp, voice wrecked and yet she's smiling. "Still pretty, right?" She means it as a joke, but at the same time, it's a real question. You just look at her, and Van hates it. Hates how you aren't laughing. Hates how you aren't even in the slightest bit smiling at all. But then you shake your head and just proceed to fuss over her. "I could get used to this," She'll chuckle, and you'll just narrow your eyes at her before kissing her. She's fine.

Natalie Scatorccio:

Natalie isn't used to being loved the way you love her. She's used to people usually leaving or worse, hurting her just because they can. When you first tell her you love her, she flinches, and then she waits. As if your words are just a joke, a prank that you'll soon admit to and take back. But you don't. And Nat can't decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for her. Because with the way you are, there's no room left for her to doubt that your words aren't true. She wants to believe otherwise, but she knows you and how you are. When you say something, you really do mean it sincerely.

When the crash happens, she pretends to be annoyed when you tell her just how much she means to you. But if anyone looked closely, they would see the way her expression softens. The way she grips your hand a little tighter. In the wilderness, you're one of the only things keeping her from completely shutting down. Your ability to love her so openly reminds her that maybe, just maybe, there's still some good left in this world despite everything she's been through before and after the crash. She worries about you being too open, too trusting at times. She doesn't want you to get hurt, and if she has to be the one to protect you, so be it.

One night, you whisper "I love you" into her hair and she doesn't say anything. But the way she exhales slowly, just before she starts pressing herself closer to you that night says enough. She might never put it into words, but her actions tell you more than enough. She loves you too. And she'll be damned if she let the wilderness or whatever the hell it is do something to you. Nat lets you trace the scars on her arms, lets you kiss the bruises on her ribs, but she never asks for it. Because asking means wanting, and wanting means losing. And Nat? Nat would rather die than let herself lose you at all.

Lottie Matthews:

Lottie watches you like she sees something in you that no one else does (it's eerie and very romantic at the same time). Something important. Something sacred. Before the crash, her love was gentle. Soft touches, dreamy smiles, and forehead kisses that lingered. But after the crash? After that, her love practically becomes worship. She tells you the wilderness wants you. That your love isn't just love. It's a gift. A sign. And you're scared, but when she looks at you like that, it's hard to remember why. This is still Lottie, your girlfriend. Despite everything, you still love her more than anything.

For Lottie, she finds your emotional openness as something beautiful. I mean, she's always been sensitive to her emotions, and yours? It just shines so brightly that she's drawn to you like a moth to a flame. She constantly reassures you that your emotions are valid. That you should feel deeply because the world is hard enough without bad people trying to snuff out your light. She finds you being the way you are as something that makes you special. Your love for her is a source of comfort. Not just for her, but for the others too. While you being open emotionally could be a weakness to most people, it's a strength to her and the wilderness.

She makes sure you know how much she cherishes you. Constantly holding you close, whispering soft praises, and running her fingers through your hair to soothe you whenever things get bad out in the wilderness. She might have changed a bit (that's an understatement) after the crash, but she's still her. She's still your Lottie after everything. If anyone tries to hurt you, she will step in one way or another. The wilderness is cruel, but she will not let it take away the warmth that you bring to her. It can take and take whatever it wants, it just can't take you no matter what. And if it does, Lottie wouldn't know what to do with herself if it ever happened.

Laura Lee:

Laura Lee admires your emotional honesty. She sees it as a strength, proof that you have a good heart. And encourages you to express your feelings always, reassuring you that there is completely nothing wrong with being vulnerable the way you are to many others. "God gave us emotions for a reason" She told you once with this soft and gentle smile. After the crash happens, your presence is the only source of comfort for her amongst other things. She prays for the both of you, holding your hand tightly whenever she starts to whisper for protection and guidance out there in the wilderness.

Laura Lee loves you with an earnestness that makes your chest hurt. She believes in you the way she believes in God, fully and without hesitation. Your love is something pure, something untouched by whatever darkness is creeping into the lives of everyone with you guys in the wilderness. "This place can't take what's in your heart." She holds your hands between her, leaning down to kiss your knuckles softly before pressing her forehead against yours. She often reminds you that your love is good, that even in the wilderness, it's important to hold onto kindness. And that no matter what happens, you guys will have each other always and forever.

You're scared. She's scared. Everyone is scared. But despite all of it, at least you guys have each other. Whenever you feel like breaking down because of everything that's happening, she's there for you always. Running smooth circles on your back as she reassures you as best as she can that everything will be fine and that you guys along with everyone else will be found and then brought back home sooner or later. You can't tell whether you believe her or not, but it's nice to be comforted and to hold onto someone's words during these times when it seems like nothing will be better. In the wilderness, she's your shield. Your guiding light.

Misty Quigley:

Misty adores how expressive you are. She's never had someone openly love her the way you, and it makes her feel special. She clings to every bit of affection you give her, smiling so wide when you say you love her. Just practically vibrating with happiness when you hold her hand. But after the crash, her attachment to you becomes even stronger. She'll do anything to keep you safe, whether you want it or not, it's not really a problem. This girl doesn't plan on losing you now or ever. If anyone tries to hurt you or take advantage of your kindness, Misty will take care of it. She won't let anything happen to the one person who makes her feel truly loved.

Misty loves you in a way that's too much—too intense, too desperate, too Misty. Before the crash, she always tried so hard to be what you wanted. To be the kind of person you chose instead of tolerated. And with the crash happening after, she doesn't even have to try. She saves lives. She's needed. And you need her. She does everything for you. Gets you extra food, gives you the warmest blankets, and makes sure you're safe. When you jokingly call her your hero one time, she beams. She doesn't care if you mean it or not. She just needs to hear it from you. Not Jackie, not Shauna, not Tai, or anyone else. Just you.

Misty constantly reassures you that you're important almost to an annoying degree. She's always telling you that you're the best thing to have ever happened in her whole life. And if that means keeping you by her side forever... well, she'll make sure that happens. Whether you want it or not. She will make it happen. She'll make sure that no matter what happens out there in the wilderness that the two of you will make it out alive together and not without the other. Misty won't let herself be found and rescued unless you're there with her. Because nothing would be complete without you there.

[anjoscent]

[xetlynn]

Scars and Faint Memories

Vanessa Palmer x Fem! Reader

chapter one<- -> chapter two-> chapter three

•••The plane as crashed, and as the teens fight to get out, they then have to quickly fight to aid one another. Their only sense of comfort being Misty Quigley, the fact that Coach Scott is partially alive and [Name] with her levelheaded realness.

warnings: descriptions of injuries ig

1996

Screams erupt all around you, raw and terrified. You let out small whimpers as you watch everything around you.

The demonic roar of the engine failing echoing and shouting in your head. Not letting you ignore it. You feel someone grab your other hand and your wide eyes look to see Taissa who has tears streaming down her face. 

And as the plane finally makes its impact with the ground your hands somehow let go of the two girls. Natalie and you are buried in carry-ons and equipment from the overhead bins. Holding weight down on the both of you.

You attempt at getting your seatbelt off first. Trying to drown out your best friend’s cries as you struggle. 

“Here, here!” Taissa shoves off some of the mess on you, making it easier for you. “Thank you- thank you.” You choke out, the adrenaline in your body going rampant. Unclipping the belt before getting up, the girl who helped you has already moved away to help with the door. “I’m stuck- [Name]!” Natalie sobs and you shush her. 

“I’m here, I’m getting you out!” You tell her, grabbing the bigger things and throwing them in any direction. “I can’t get my, my leg!” She grunts and you look to see the heavier equipment in between her leg and the chair in front of her. 

“I got it, I got it!” You mutter, pulling with all your might and finally getting it out. 

Natalie shoots up after unhooking her belt and you move out of the way. “Go, go, go!” You scream, pushing her towards the door and doing the same with a few other girls.

“C’mon, c’mon!” You have them run before you, you look behind you to see Vanessa yelling and crying for help, fire bursting behind her. 

“Help! HELP!” She weeps, and you run over to her. Jumping over the stuff in the aisle. “Shit- I gotchu! Fuck it’s the seatbelt?” You furrow your brows, not knowing what to do to get it unjammed. Van cries, wriggling to get out.

“Please, please don’t leave me!” She says and you look up at her, scared. “I won’t, I promise!” You crouch down, the fire getting closer. Making it extremely hard to focus with the heat. 

Another body comes and you look up to see Shauna. “It’s her seatbelt!” You inform her, and Shauna pushes you back to try but she can’t get it either.

Jackie comes over and grabs Shauna, trying to do the same with you but you shrug her off. “We can’t leave her!” Shauna disagrees. “We have to get out now!” Jackie says. 

“I’m not leaving her!” You argue, crouching back down, looking around for something sharp or anything. Van cries harder, trying to wriggle around again.

You don’t even pay attention to Jackie wrestling Shauna away from the situation. Getting out of the plane.

“Stop moving real quick!” You tell the redhead who whimpers but does as told. 

You finally get the belt unjammed, unclipping it and you take hold of her hand, running as fast as you can away from the fire. 

To the other end, luckily right before a burst of flames come towards you both. “Shit, c’mere!” You pull her into seats to be protected from the heat. 

You hold onto her, to protect her from any more burns. Earning hairs on your arm being singed off, hurting like a bitch.

Tiredly you sit there for a moment, still not letting go of the redhead but leaning back in the chair as the fire has calmed down a bit. Not being near you at least. 

Your head falling against the cushion. “Holy shit.” You murmur to yourself, your body ached as the adrenaline was beginning to fade away. “You- you didn’t leave me…” Van pants and you huff. “I promised.” You remind her, she looks up at you and smiles. “We almost died.” 

“Yeah.” You breathe out a laugh. “Let’s get out of here.” You stand up, her doing the same thing, leading you guys out. Not even paying attention to the fact that you were both still holding hands. 

Getting out you hear screaming by Coach Ben and you follow it. Injured girls surround the area, also hearing Javi shouting for his dad. You had forgotten that Javi and Travis came on this trip with their father- your guys’ coach. 

“There was nothing we could do-” You come across Jackie trying to put her arm around Shauna but she twists away, uncomfortable.

“Jesus… Coach.” You glance around them, still not announcing you or Van still being alive. But seeing Coach on the ground with a crushed leg. 

Van rushes you in front of everyone. “Surprise.” She boredly announces the both of you and you awkwardly stand there. It was intense and shocking to Jackie. Before the three of you can get into it, Taissa launches at the both of you. Putting you both in a relieved bear hug.

“Thank god! I couldn’t find either of you! Scared the shit out of me.” She pulls back and you purse out your lips. “Sorry.” You mumble. “My seatbelt was jammed.” Vanessa explains. 

“You’re both okay though?” She checks both of our faces and you subconsciously hide your arm that was burning excruciatingly. And luckily for you something else caught their attention before they could even notice. 

A loud thwack! Emits from where Coach Ben is lying. You guys turn around to see Misty  with an axe. You forcibly make Van face the other way so she can’t even process what just happened. “What? The? Fuck!?” Natalie loudly exclaims as the curly blonde unbuckles her belt and kneels down. You watch in terror. 

Misty creates a tourniquet, looping it around Coach’s thigh and tightly pulling it. “Help me move him.” Misty orders. 

“What just happened?” Van’s eyes pool with tears. “C’mon let’s move away from here.” You ignore her. 

“What the fuck happened!?” She asks again and you shake your head, Taissa was right behind you guys, almost stumbling from what everyone had just witnessed.

“Misty did the right thing.” You say simply, sitting the two down.

“I’m going to help her out. Take a breather. Taissa stay with Van. She’s squeamish with this stuff.” You tell her and she nods up at you. Standing over her friend as you run off.

 

2021

“I never understood what happened between you and Taissa.” Shauna speaks up from the silence and you curtly hum. “Not much to understand.” You adjust yourself so you're resting against the door of the van. Fixing the seat belt so it’s not digging in your skin. “One of those things you refuse to talk about?” Shauna sighs. 

“I’m surprised you don’t know what it is.” You shrug. “She seemed to have a big mouth at the time.” You roll your eyes in irritation thinking back to yours and Taissa’s big blowout argument years ago.

“Must’ve said something horrible then.” Shauna pulls into your driveway and you see a familiar car parked beside yours. Making you squint slightly.

“That car wasn’t there before?” She points out and you look over at her then back at the car. “It’s my sister?” Unbuckling the belt but almost pre-cautiously. “Your sister? I thought she was down in Florida?”

“Yeah I thought so too.” You open the door. “See you later, call me in the morning.” You tell her and she nods her head. Observing the car ahead. “Will do, goodnight!” 

“Goodnight.” You shut the door and hurry to your front door, getting out your keys to unlock it.

Opening the door slowly, knowing that the car besides yours is definitely not your little sisters. “Natalie?” You call out, taking off your shoes and there she is. Sitting on your kitchen counter eating an apple. “The fuck?” You drop what's in your hands to rush over to her. She laughs, standing up.

“I was wondering why you weren’t home.” She exclaims as you pull her into a hug.

“Oh you know, Shauna and Taissa.” You roll your eyes, pushing off of her to look at her face.

“Taissa?” She raises her brows causing you to laugh. “Yeah, I wasn't told until we were at the diner.” You scoff, grabbing her apple and taking a bite of it. 

“They let you out of rehab?” You ask, leaning against your counter and she gives you a look. “No, I snuck out.” She sarcastically replies and you playfully push her. “You know what I meant.” 

“Yeah, I know. I got out earlier today. I still gotta do something tonight though. Think someone’s blackmailing me. Only person I can think of is that crazy ass bitch.” She takes back the apple from your hand, finishing it off. You tilt your head to the side. “Misty?” You raise a brow. 

“Who else?” She grabs her purse and begins to walk to your front door. You follow behind her. “Want me to come with?” You ask, kind of hopeful since the two of you rarely see each other anymore. “Nah, I got some things to do that I don’t want you involved in.” She shakes her head, your face drops without realizing and she gives you a sad smile back. 

“Trust me, when I’m done you and I need to spend some time with one another.” She grabs your hand to give it a small squeeze. “You’re my number one.” She reminds you and you smile. “If you need a place to stay, don’t hesitate to call me Nat.” You point a finger in her face. 

“You know I will.” She says before leaving you, shutting the door as you stand there. As quick as she was there she was gone. That’s usually how it goes with Natalie and you never minded it. 

Everyone coped differently after the crash. You don’t feel like going back to that headspace though. 

1996

“Hey, [Name]...” A voice quietly speaks from behind you, you turn around as you were helping Mari with her burn on her thigh. Using the sleeve of your sweat to hide your own. “Yes?” You peer up at her, crouched down. “Can you help with something?” She asks nervously, her fingers fidgeting with each other.

Her demeanor is different than before. She’s been giving out orders to everyone and with you, at this moment it seems like she can barely even say hi. “Give me a second, I’ll be right with you.” You nod your head firmly and she quietly thanks you before heading back over to Coach Ben. “You okay, Mari?” You stop pouring the water, closing it before putting it beside her. She shrugs her shoulders. You knew it was a redundant question but still. 

You knew everyone was scared, worried about what was going to happen to everyone. “I’m okay, it’s uncomfortable.” She answers, wincing when she moves her leg a little bit. “Understandable. Make sure it’s about to breathe, better than getting constantly covered. I’ll see if I can find my bag. I keep a little first aid kit.” You pat her good leg as you stand up. Heading over to Misty. 

“Like this. Got it?” Misty looks up at the two girls behind her after she had just torn a long strip from a t-shirt. Taissa and Natalie nod, and the little blonde hands the shirt over to Tai. “As many as you can. And fast. We’re gonna need to change the bandages soon. And then hourly after that.” She directs. “If he even lives that long.” Natalie comments and you come over, slightly nudging her with a shake of your head.

“Don’t say that.” Misty sharply replies, both you and Natalie blink at her. The poor girl has taken control, barking orders to everyone to keep them busy as she’s still in shock. Everyone else is but they’re all different. 

“Just… keep ripping those up, okay?” She moves on, standing up and smacking her hands together to get the dirt off.

“Alright, [Name]. Can you come with me?” She motions and you hum, stepping behind her. 

“Do you think you can get a few others to gather wood for a fire?” She crosses her arms and you give a confused expression. “I- I mean I know I can, but I just… I want help. Giving orders.” She explains slowly and you glance around at the other girls as you think.

“I’m worried about Coach Ben and I would just appreciate not having to focus on telling everyone what to do.” She says. 

“I got you Misty, don’t worry. I’ll get some of the girls to gather wood and I’m going to get others to help me look around the plane for our things.” You tell her, hands on your hips as you let out a breath.

“Thank you.” Her deep brown eyes look deeply in yours and you stick a hand out. “We’re a team.” You remind her and she gapes down at your hand before beaming. Taking your hand roughly.

“Right.” 

“Alright,” You clap your hands as you stand in the middle of where everyone is. “We need to get moving. It looks like we’re going to be here for the night so we need to build a fire.” You loudly explain for everyone to hear. 

“Akilah, Mari, Van and Melissa. Can you go look for sticks? Branches. Anything for the fire. Make sure they’re dry, not too new. Wet wood is difficult to catch fire.” You point to the four, they get up from their spots. Mari limping a little. “Yeah.” “got it.” The four agree, heading off to do as told. 

“Okay anyone who can walk or feels comfortable enough we need to search around for our bags. Get them all together. I see a few already did but somebody might have something to help.” You tell them, already making your way toward the plane that was just on fire. A hand reaches out for your wrist. Stopping you. 

“Are you sure you can go in there?” It was Jackie and you furrow your brows. “Yeah, if no one else will, someone has to.” You say simply, pulling your arm to your side. “I mean, I’ll come with.” She grabs onto your arm once again, walking in the plane with you that’s still warm by the fire that was once there. Some things are still slightly caught on fire or extremely hot. 

You walk to the back of the plane where Van was sitting, where the both of you had almost died together not even hours ago. You try to see if there’s anything of hers you can scavenge. You know her bag was near Taissa’s but her backpack is what you’re searching for. 

“Hey, when I… left Van earlier and stuff. It wasn’t personal or like-” “I know.” You cut her off as she was picking up her and Shauna’s bags. “I was scared, I didn’t know what to do…”

“I understand, Jackie.” You tell her earnestly as you find Van’s bag extremely burnt. “I thought you both died.” She mutters but it was loud enough for you to hear. “Well, we’re alive.” You smile over at her and she rolls her eyes. 

“Taissa thought you guys were dead too, she screamed for you guys. Did you not hear her?” She asks, moving to another area to pick up a few more backpacks. 

“No, I can’t speak for Van but I know I couldn’t focus on anything other than getting away from the flames. All I heard was Van crying, really.” You try to think back but the only thing that echoed in your head were her sobs. The crackling of the fire. The smell of plastic burning. Your arm. 

“Oh…” Was all Jackie could muster out. The guilt got to her, In the same breath she went back and forth. She was protecting her best friend. Protecting her from becoming a dead body. Even if it meant leaving another person behind. 

You moved around, picking up bags. Luckily even finding your own. “C’mon, I’m sure others found our suitcases. We can come back for more later.” You pat your friend's side as you walk past her. 

“Right behind you.” Jackie murmurs, the two of you coming out and placing the bags down. You open your bag and grab the first aid kit you knew you had. “Mari, I have some burn cream!” You call out as she was walking with a bunch of sticks in her arms. “Sick!” She grins, dropping the wood in a pile. Sprinting over to you. 

“I’ll put it on you. Don’t want to use too much…” You crouch down, eye level with her burn on her thigh. “Thank you, this is a life saver.” She says and you wave as if it’s nothing. You open the tube but then look down at your dirty fingers. “Hold on.” You stand back up, grabbing a water bottle and rinsing off your pointer finger.

The others watch as you go back to the brunette, their eyes fixated on you specifically.

“Hopefully it heals fast.” You comment as you put the cream on your finger, crouching back down and then gently smooth it over the burn. 

Mari winces, almost letting out a small groan at the feeling. “I’m sorry.” You scrunch your nose, putting a little more on the burn before looking up at her. “All done.” You rub your finger on your jeans, putting the tub in your pocket. Noting to remember to put it on your own arm later. 

“Bleeding’s slowing down. But we need to disinfect it somehow. Maybe something from the bar cart?” Misty speaks. “There wasn’t one. I mean, it was just soda. It cost less that way.” Lottie sheepishly says. “Seriously?” Taissa scoffs.

“Rich people are fucking cheap.” The girl responds in defense. “Maybe somebody brought some contraband…” Laura Lee mentions and everyone, even you turns to Natalie who had just walked up with Taissa with fresh bandages for Coach. “Um, okay. Wow.” Natalie huffs and you try not to smile. “Well, did you?” Misty quizzes. 

“Yeah, obviously. But I stashed it in my bag, and [Name] didn’t find it somehow.” She frowns. “You guys. What about this?” Van says from behind, picking up a bottle of Seabreeze Toner.

“Hey. That’s-” Jackie catches herself, pressing her lips together. “A good idea, Van.” 

You watch Van give her a dark look, handing the bottle to the captain of the soccer team. Jackie looks over at you as she cringes and you give an apologetic look before following after the redhead. 

“Hey, where you going?” You question as you catch up to the girl who sighs loudly. “Sorry, I’m just feeling a type of way towards Jackie…” She grumbles, plopping down on the ground in front of all the bags. You stand over her. “I mean, you have every right to feel that way. But she was scared.” You’re not necessarily defending Jackie’s actions but you do see why she did what she did. 

“I was scared! I was terrified.” Van snaps, refusing to look up at you and you place a hand on her shoulder. “It was scary Van, you could have died. Everything you feel- the anger, all of it. Is valid. I promise.” You sit down with her. “Why don’t you feel any anger? Aren’t you scared? You seem so… weirdly calm?” She questions, finally glancing at you. 

You suck in a breath. “I am scared.” You say. “Terrified.”  You stare off at the plane that sat there. When you guys should be in Seattle. When you should be getting off that plane and going to a hotel. Is anyone looking for you guys? Is the airport tracking you guys down? 

How long will you guys be in these woods for? 

2021

You lay in bed wearing a red lace lingerie set. Your eyebrows furrowed as you stare at yourself in the mirror. Checking yourself out. You take your phone from the bed to take pictures of yourself, trying to pose in good angles. Normally you’d never do this- wear fancy lingerie. Well maybe years ago. But now?

Never. 

You practically swore to celibacy after being single for so long. The occasional hookups but you never felt it was worth it to dress up for someone you were only using for your own gratification. But here you are. Buying and wearing underwear for a hookup you’re supposed to see tonight. 

You finally take a picture you like, staring at your screen with a smile. But as you stare at it longer you begin to see how prominent your scars appear in the photo. Your eyes bouncing from each scar. From the one that goes down your thigh. The rather large burn scar that’s on your left arm. And then the one that goes from the middle of your stomach to your side. Looking deep and ugly. 

“Shit…” You sit down on your bed. She’ll see it anyway in person, you tell yourself. What does it matter that it’s in the picture? You subconsciously find yourself rubbing your thigh. Feeling the bumps of the scar. 

You huff, going to your texts and just sending the picture with a small message about how excited you were for the night since she should be on her way to your house in thirty minutes. In reality this felt like nothing new. Nothing special. Just sex with a rando. 

There were a few times with your hookups that it would happen a few more times. Nothing more than two weeks. If you sensed them getting too attached you cut it off. It’s not that it was them. You were sure if you were more emotionally mature you’d feel the same but instead you cut that from your life. The option of having a life filled with love. You gave up on that a while ago. 

Your phone dings, pushing your negative thoughts away. 

It was your hookup, Kania. Flirting with the normal disgusting dirty talk you have before sex. You grab your robe, throwing it on and heading to your living room to turn on the music. Along with setting the candles up. Wine on the coffee table. 

As you’re getting everything ready you place your phone on the coffee table face down. Trying to make sure you have everything for the night. A knock sounds at your door and you go to answer it. Fixing your hair along with making sure the robe is tightly on. No chance of falling open… just yet. 

Opening the door with a smile. The girl stands before you, just as superficially pretty as she is on her dating page. “C’mon in.” You move out of the way allowing her in. “Nice place, very cosy.” She looks around and you nod, quietly thanking her. “Is that Roxette?’ The girl suddenly questions and you gasp with wide eyes. 

“You’re into her?” You were hopeful but then when you look at her face she seems to be quite the opposite with Roxette. “Mm, I mean my mom was super into her… You have anything newer?” She tilts her head and your shoulders drop. Way to make you feel old. 

“Yeah, I have like… Arctic Monkeys?” You look through your cd’s. Shauna’s daughter Callie would come over with her sometimes and gifted you the cd’s telling you that you have to keep up with the music times. 

“Oh they’re good, put them on.” The girl plops down on your couch while observing your home. You press your lips together in annoyance as you change out the cd. And as the girl behind you is looking around her eyes stop at the pictures on your wall. Pictures of you and a redhead. You guys kissing, pictures on the beach together. Out on dates. 

“Uh, so… how long have you been doing these hookups?” 

You turn to her with a confused expression. Chatting before sex? Not unusual but not your favorite start. “Couple years, I don’t do relationships.” You say, stepping over to her, you follow her eyes over to your wall and you let out a deep sigh. “She’s dead. I promise I’m not in a relationship.” You place a hand over your heart and the girl’s mouth goes into an ‘o’ shape. “Yeah…” You were lying but she doesn’t have to know the real reason why you keep photos up of your ex girlfriend. “Oh… I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be, c’mon stop with the chit chat. That’s not why you came over here, is it?” You smirk, picking up a glass of wine and offering it over to her. She nods her head, taking the glass which gives you some sort of relief. You had no interest in some stranger digging in your past. “Right.” You pick up your own glass, taking a rather large drink of it. 

Setting it back down as she sips on it, seemingly nervous. You untie your robe. No exchanging words, you were antsy and ready. You didn’t want to wait any more. Kania almost chokes on her dry drink, placing it down immediately at the sight of your chest and the way it’s encased with the red lace. 

You snicker at her reaction, pulling her into a kiss. Holding her face with both your hands as you deepen it. 

Your mouths moving together in sync, you hear her little moans underneath you as you get onto your knees on the cushion. Not even unlocking from her. Kania’s hands finding your waist and pulling you into her lap. 

Making you straddle her. 

Grinding your hips down to get some sort of friction. Getting excited as this was leading to what you’ve been needing. 

And as it was getting to the good part you hear your phone buzz on the glass. The sound wasn’t on luckily so you decided to ignore it. Continuing to make out with the pretty woman. 

But as it doesn’t stop for the next two minutes, Kania decides to pull away from the kiss. “You should probably get that.” She chuckles and you groan, throwing your head back. “Yeah… probably.” You stand up, snatching the phone up and answering the phone without looking at who it is. 

“Hello?” You crossed your arms, feeling your own skin underneath the laced bra, holding yourself with the one arm. “[Name], it’s Misty. Can you meet us at the bar near my house?” She spoke and you furrowed your brows. “Misty? How the fuck did you get my number?” 

“I’m with Natalie, say hi Nat.” You hear the phone get passed and you hear a small “heyy” from your best friend. Your face drops. “Why the fuck am I meeting you?” You put your weight onto one leg as you ask. “It’s important, I promise. Just meet us. Do you remember where my house is?” 

“I know what bar it is. The Dive Bar. I’ll be on my way just give me a second.” You sigh, hanging up the phone without saying goodbye. You look at Kania. “I have to go. Sorry to cut this short.” You head to your bedroom. Roughly taking off the robe. “Want me to wait here until you get back?” She asks, following after you. 

Watching as you throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. “No, I’m sorry but just go home. I’ll call you whenever I’m free.” You tell her shortly. Going back to the livingroom to blow out all the candles. “Um… alright. I’ll make sure my ringer is on then.” She jokes and you give a polite smile as you grab your keys and wallet. 

“Bye, Kania.” You open the door for her. “See ya.” She exits and you let out a breath. Wanting to punch something. The one night you want to fuck someone. The one night within months. 

Entering the bar you’re automatically embraced by the blonde girl. “[Name]! It’s been a while.” She exclaims and you give her a tight-lipped smile. “Yup.” You let her drag you to the bar counter. “Oh you got us drinks!” Misty happily points out to Natalie, sitting down beside her as you sit on the other side. Natalie pushes one cup toward you then picks up the whiskey and slugs it. Chasing it with the beer. 

“I can’t believe I’ve never been in here before. It’s so… edgy!” Misty quickly moves on and you take the whiskey you were given like a shot. Downing it quickly. “So why am I here?” You fold your arms, smacking the glass down on the counter. “Someone’s messing with us.” Natalie says, showing the card that has the symbol on it. 

Your heart drops seeing it.

“Did you not get one?” Misty asks and you shake your head. “No.” 

“What have you got?” Natalie eyes a manilla file folder in Misty’s tote bag. The blonde pulls out her file, setting it on the bar with a proud manner. “Well. If I’ve learned one thing in the citizen detective community…” 

“The… what?” Natalie glances over to you who shrugs with a small amused look. Motioning to the bartender to get you another whiskey. He nods his head, grabbing your glass to replace it. 

“Citizen Detective. We’re like private investigators, except nobody hired us or asked for our help. We work together online to solve cold cases. You know, disappearances, murders. It’s super fun.” She explains and you lick your lips. Hoping this night won’t be too much longer. 

The bartender gives you your drink and you thank him. This time not downing it like the one before. “Anywho! There are really only two questions that matter in any case: who and why. If you get one, you can usually figure out the other. So I’ve been asking myself, "What does the person who sent those cards want?” 

“To scare us? To mess with our heads? To remind us of-” She pauses before speaking in a lower voice. “What happened out there? It’s obviously a threat.” Natalie reaches out, taking Misty’s file folder. 

You get up, going over to Nat’s side to also look at what’s in the folder. Various articles and magazine covers of the Yellowjackets about your disappearance, the rescue and then random press. Shauna and Jeff's local wedding announcement. Callie’s birth certificate. Taissa’s campaign flyer for state senate. A brochure for Natalie’s rehab clinic, a business card for [Name]’s job. Then another business card. For Jessica Roberts. 

“Who’s Jessica Roberts?” Natalie asks and you scoff out a laugh. “That bitch.” You murmur. 

“That depends on who you ask. She claims to be a reporter, but as far as I can tell that’s a lie. She’s been sniffing around. Claims to be peddling a book deal. But-”

“How could she know about… you know…” Natalie cuts her off and you also look to the blonde for answers. “Maybe someone talked.” Misty shrugs. 

Natalie picks up Taissa’s campaign flyer. “You didn’t start collecting this stuff a week ago. You’ve been keeping tabs on us. Why?” With this question Misty blushes, looking at the both of you with a sudden vulnerability. “You guys are the most important people in my life.” 

It's a weird sentiment, one that you can’t help but stare at her for admitting. Natalie then spots something else in the file. Seeing a photocopy of a man’s new hampshire drivers license. You then turn to see her face grow pale. “You found Travis?” She asks and you let out a small gasp at the sight of the man. 

“Oh, yeah. Talk about somebody who didn’t want to be found.” Misty widens her eyes, grabbing your whiskey and taking a sip of it without asking. You rub your best friends back, not knowing what else to do. 

“Here you go, ladies.” The bartender sets three glasses down on the table. “From the gentleman in the back. Three shots of and I quote, “the cheapest shit you got.” Says it’s your drink of choice.” He makes eye contact with Natalie who could care less. But Misty and you look over with delight to see a man approaching the three of you. 

He doesn’t take his eyes off Natalie, you awkwardly stand there. Knowing exactly who he is. Finally Natalie looks up after you nudge her a couple of times. 

“Hi.” Kevyn speaks. “Hi,” Natalie repeats. 

“Wow. It really is you…” He breathes out. “Hi!” Misty beams and he turns, just realizing that she’s there. “Hey, I’m-” 

“Kevyn. It’s Misty. Misty Quigley from third period Spanish.”

“Misty, right. Of course.” He cut her sentence short, obviously only wanting to speak with Natalie. He gives you a small wave and you let out a laugh. “Man, Natalie Scatorccio. I really wish I had a killer line right now. In fairness, I’ve only had, you know, twenty years to come up with one…” He babbles on. 

“It’s good to see you.” Natalie says. “Yeah, yeah, you too.” He then looks between the three of you. “Sorry, is this a bad time? I feel like you’re in the middle of something…” 

She gives him a tight smile. “Right. Got it. Well… I don’t know how long you’re in town for. But just in case, I’m gonna leave this. Somehow I don’t think you’re gonna use it, but if you maybe wanna maybe get a drink another twenty years from now, you’ll know how to reach me.” He takes out a business card from his wallet. And you observe the emotions that stew off from his face, the embarrassment and longing for Natalie. Setting the card down without saying anything else. Not even looking back. 

“Holy shit.” You laugh and Natalie hits your stomach. “Dang. If somebody had told me goth freak Kevyn Tan would grow up like that…” She trails off. “Didn’t you three used to be friends?” 

“Yeah.” The two of you say.

Natalie slams down her shot then turns her attention back to the license. Supposedly a John Garcia. “Are you sure this is him? Travis?”

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea, Nat…” You say and she shushes you as Misty nods. “Is this a cell or a landline?” 

She shrugs, not knowing. Natalie folds the sheet of paper. “Natalie, please. Don’t do something stupid.” You tell her as she stands up but completely ignores your words as she walks out. 

You peer over to Misty who pockets Kevyn’s business card, slipping it into her purse. You down your shot along with the rest of the whiskey. “I came here for her to leave.” You glare at the counter. “I left my hookup. For this.” You mutter. Misty looks over at you with curious eyes. “You had a hookup?”

1996

You had sent Lottie, Van and Lauri Lee to go see if they can find bags or anything else in the woods. Not far but see what fell from the plane during the crash. Giving them something to do. 

“Javi! Stop!” You hear Taissa shout as you are sitting with Nat and Akilah. You look where everyone else was to see Javi attempting to go into the opening of the plane. Towards the still smoking fuselage. Javi turns back, startled, almost losing his balance but resumes on what he’s doing. 

“Dad! DAD!” He screams and you shoot up, heading to the kid as Taissa tells Natalie to go find Travis. 

“Javi, that’s not safe bud. Please get out of there.” You follow after him, Taissa right behind you. “I have to find him.” He musters out, not even giving you the time of day. “I know, I know but he’s not in here. I promise.” You place a hand on his shoulder. “Well where would he be?” His voice cracks, breaking your heart. 

You frown, wishing you could give him the answers. “I don’t know, bud.” You mumble, Taissa stays silent, her eyes on the ground. “Why is nobody else worried about him?” Tears fall from his face and you glance back to Tai who seems panicked. Not knowing how to help. “We are, there’s a lot happening Javi.” You breathe out. 

“Here, let’s get out of this hot ass plane. I will go help you look for him. But once it starts getting dark- we have to come back here.” You grab his hand telling him and he looks up at you, hope filling his eyes. “Okay.” He nods. 

“Okay.” You smile, pulling him into a hug, he clings onto you tightly. 

“Let’s go bud, this smoke is starting to give me ptsd.” You nudge him and he lets out a small noise you assumed was supposed to be a laugh. Taissa snickers, letting the kid get out first then slinging her arm around your shoulder. “If you need me, or anyone else, just call my name.” You tell her, keeping up with the boy who was waiting patiently for you to hurry up. “Okay, will do.” 

You jog up to the boy and motion for him to lead the way. 

It was quiet between the two of you, every now and then the both of you will shout for Coach Martinez. You had a very grave feeling about what happened to him. You didn’t think you were going to find him alive but you kept searching with Javi. Not wanting to put that thought into his head. 

Unfortunately you guys haven’t even been out more than an hour when a blood curdling scream emits and your heart sinks. “Javi-” You grab onto him, the both of you running in the direction of the scream. 

“You see the girls begin to gather around one tree. “What happened!?” You yell, still holding onto Javi who is gripping onto your arm. “[Name]-” Shauna comes to your side when you finally look up to see Coach Martinez on a branch. You gasp, smacking a hand over your mouth. Javi distraught, slowly lets go of your arm but you pull him into your arms. Shauna on the other side of him. “Dad… Daddy.” He cries as your mouth hangs open in shock of the sight. 

“Holy macaroni, is that?” Misty and Natalie show up together. “He’s got to be dead, right?” Nat looks to the group, her face obviously filled with the same feeling as everyone else. Shauna throws her a what the fuck look, nodding to Javi and you. 

“Alright. Who has the best arm?” Jackie asks. “What?” Lottie steps in. 

“We could, you know, throw something at him and see if he moves.” She explains herself. “You want to throw rocks at Coach, who fell out of a plane?” Taissa repeats what she’s comprehending. You grimace at the idea. “I didn’t say rocks. Someone’s shoe, or whatever.” Jackie defends. 

“Oh, well, that’s a fuck-ton smarter. You’re on fire today, Jackie- no, wait, that was supposed to be me and [Name].” Van deadpans at the girl who holds herself. You sigh, rubbing Javi’s back up and down. “What?” Taissa looks between you, Van, and Jackie confused on what the redhead is talking about. 

“Guys, stop. We need a plan here.” Shauna jumps in, leaving you alone with Javi as she joins the group. “We could lower him with ropes?” Laura Lee offers. Everyone stares at her. As if saying “What ropes?” 

“Vines, then.” She continues. “For fuck-sake, Laura Lee, we’re not going to Tarzan him out of a tree.” Natalie snaps. “You got a better idea?” Jackie rebuttals. “Than shoes and vines? Sure. Let’s just cut the fucking thing down.” Natalie shrugs. You look down at Javi who should not be hearing this. 

It reminds you of your little siblings. He’s older but his vulnerability, his childness is similar. He’s so young and he was just in a plane crash and his dad is dead on a tree. God, you wonder how your siblings are right now. 

You wonder if your mom will tell them how your plane is missing or has crashed. How will she do so…?

How would they react? They’re so dependent on you. 

“Dad.” A voice speaks from behind everyone and you look to see Travis. He’s out of his fugue state. Screaming out for his dad. Bolting for the tree and beginning to climb. It’s almost inhuman how fast he’s shimmying up the trunk. The girls yell after him but it falls on deaf ears. 

He’s advancing toward the dense branches where his dad is. His body bent in a grotesque way. The boy creeps closer to him, onto thinner branches. He looks down and unfortunately the wood begins to quiver under his added weight. Javi calls out for Travis but still holding onto you. Hiding his face in your body every now and then. 

Misty gets the other girls to do their best tying blankets together to create a tarp to catch Coach or Travis. 

Travis inches closer but from down below all the girls heard was the branch starting to break. “Travis get back!” “Get back!” They yell after him, hurriedly he does so and not even seconds of him getting to safety the branch breaks. Thudding with the ground. 

You force Javi to look away by hugging him closer to you. He lets out a whimper. You also grab onto Van who was closest to you. You hadn’t even noticed her walk to you. She hides her face on your shoulder. “Shit.” She mutters. 

Everyone is silent, no one making a peep. Frozen in place, holding onto one another as they got their answer that their Coach is dead. The only adult they have is Coach Ben and he’s knocked out, missing a leg. 

You walk backwards with Javi still in your arms. Holding onto him and getting him away from this scene. Van was tripping after you, trying to peer her eyes away from the fallen branch that took Martinez with it. 

Javi’s body wracked with sobs and you try to comfort him the best you can. Letting him cling onto you, cry on your shoulder as you sit with him. Van stayed with you for you. Watching your facial expressions with the young boy. Your maternal instincts that went into action automatically without a second thought. 

Later in the day a few of the girls sat with you when they felt worked out. Asking you questions and you answering swiftly. They found comfort in you. The younger ones at least. The seniors see you as a friend. An equal but watching how you are with the freshman. With Javi, it’s making them a little envious. 

Javi falls asleep beside your body and you stare down at him sadly. His hair messily in his face. If he was your little brother- or sister, you would have moved it out of the way.

They begged you to play with their hair before they went to bed. Every night. Now it’s just mainly your sister who does so. Theo says he’s too old for that. 

The younger girls were also laying around you, falling asleep or talking amongst one another. You look to Van who’s still beside you. Picking at her nails. “He’s sleeping.” You whisper. 

“Want me to watch him for a bit?” She asks and the corner of your lips twitch upward. “I’d appreciate it. I’m just going to get my stuff. I think I’m going to stay near him.” You stand up from your spot, stretching out your body. Hearing all the pops and cracks. Accidentally rubbing your left arm against your side. Your nostrils flare a bit at the pain. 

You were also going to care for that burn you forgot about. You’ve been so distracted you didn’t even remember to put the cream on it. You also note to put more on Mari’s thigh. 

“Can you grab mine as well? I found my suitcase before… Coach.” She stammers and you nod your head. “You sure? You don’t have to stay, I’d understand wanting to be around your closer friends.” You motion to the other seniors. She shakes her head. “I’d say we’re closer than all those fuckers. Almost dying a second time together.” She reminds you and you snicker. “True.”

You make it to where everyone is, a little breathless. “Javi fell asleep. Van’s got her eye on him.” You announce. “Where’s Travis?” Natalie asks and you shrug. “I haven’t seen him. Want me to help you look?” You offer as you pick up your things along with Vans and her eyes fall to what you’re grabbing. Noticing it. 

She smiles a little bit without trying to make it obvious. “Nah, I got it.” 

“It’s going to be dark soon. Shouldn’t we maybe… make  a fire?” Akilah speaks up and Natalie lifts up a lighter, flicking it.

“We have the wood [Name] had us gather.” Mari comes up and you smile. “Let’s make a spot!” You clap your hands. 

“I do not want to touch any dead bodies, but we have to get them out of the plane so we have somewhere to sleep.” Jackie suddenly says as she shivers. “Fuck. I almost forgot- I mean, I still can’t believe they’re all…” She doesn’t say the word. Everyone takes in their grief. The enormity of what happened. 

“We can’t sleep in there. It’ll be way colder.” Misty looks at the charred husk of the fuselage. “Yeah, like that makes sense…” Jackie scoffs. “Misty’s right. It’s the law of thermodynamics.” Mari stands up for the blonde. 

“How about the Law of Getting Eaten by bears? Ever heard of that one?” Jackie sarcastically comments and you laugh. “The crash was pretty loud. I doubt there will be bears or any animal near here for a while.” You assure her and she glances at you for a second.

“If we take turns keeping the fire going, we should be alright.” Taissa chimes in offering another idea on the table. 

You notice Misty looking between Taissa and Mari, thankful. You also see Jackie throwing Shauna a look, feeling ganged up on. “It’s just for a night.” Shauna makes a face. “Whatever. You guys do what you fucking want.” Jackie storms off and you roll your eyes. 

Heading back to Van and placing the stuff down. “We’re going to be getting a fire started.” You inform her, she hums. Looking up at you. “I’m going to let him rest for a bit but then have him move once we have everything done.” You reach a hand out for her to take. 

“Mm, good idea. He’s out like a light.” She says, taking your hand and standing up. “I know I’ve been bringing it up a bit. But thank you for helping me. Staying with me when you could’ve ran with Jackie and Shauna.” She squeezes your hand and you wave it off. “I promised you I wasn’t going to leave you. Can’t break a promise.” You smile. 

The girls gather the dead bodies, putting them in an area and covering them with a banner for the Yellowjackets. You heard the sobs from your spot as you sat with Javi at the fire. Along with Jackie who sat a little bit away from you. You had set up a spot for all the girls. Even tried to do so for Travis but he insisted on being away from everyone even if it meant he was going to be cold. 

You have been aiding people with their injuries with your first aid kit. Even if it was small you were still checking in on anyone and everyone. You kept the kit right next to you.

Slowly the girls were coming back to the fire the later it got. Van plopped right next to you on your left side since Javi was on the right. She nudges you, accidentally hitting your burn. 

You let out a small yelp but immediately cover it up with a weird noise then a cough. The redhead gives you a look but you try to avoid her gaze, turning your head to see some snacks you found.

“Hey, you want these?” You murmur and she looks at the bag of corn nuts. 

“I mean, if you want to share. Sure.” She nods. It was relieving that she didn’t question you further. 

“I’m sure the plane has an emergency transmitter sending out a distress signal. They’ll be here to rescue us by morning.” Shauna attempts to give hope to everyone. 

“Still, maybe we should conserve some food. In case they don’t come until later in the day.” Jackie comments, looking at you and Van eating from the little bag. 

“So you wanna save the corn nuts?” She glares, defiantly popping another bite into her mouth and you stop chewing on the one you had. Feeling a bit awkward. Jackie looks at you, hopeful you’d understand what she meant.

“A singular bag isn’t hurting anyone. I don’t think you meant badly by what you said Jackie but let’s hope they find us in the morning.” You give her a sympathetic smile and she attempts to do it back but instead just frowns. 

Javi is back to leaning against you, staring at the fire as you had your arm wrapped around him. Your hand rubbing up and down his bicep. It was a quiet agreement between the both of you. You were now his comfort person. You were now the person he was going to run to when he’s upset or scared. 

And you didn’t mind it. 

“You okay, Laura Lee?” Taissa speaks up, earning the attention from everyone. “This is all my fault. I did something really bad.” Her eyes shine with guilt and sadness. “I kept screwing up at my piano lesson last week. And Mrs. Brophy kept yelling at me. Sharp. No, F sharp. F sharp!” She mimics her piano teacher. “She kept saying I needed to practice more, but I did practice. I swear. And I just… I called her a bad word. Just in my head, but God heard me. And how we’re being punished!” She breathes out,

Everyone exchanges a look. “What did you call her?” Taissa asks. 

“Cunt.” Laura Lee shamefully whispers. 

And the absurdity of it all makes everyone erupt into laughter. Even Javi. The release of Laura Lee’s shameful action leads to others. “I steal shitty clothes from the TJ Maxx near my house.” Lottie blurts out and this time eyes were on her. “Then I return them and get store credit I never use. I have thousands of dollars in TJ bucks.” She admits and more laughter carries on. 

“I used to sneak down after everybody had gone to bed and watch the Color Of Night so I could pause it on Bruce Willis’s wang. I mean, Jeff’s not bad, but damn.” Jackie says to the group. “That is definitely why we crashed.” Taissa jokes. And since everyone is having too much twisted fun, no one saw Misty heat an axe in the fire before walking away. 

“I started that rumor about Becky Colgate getting her dog to eat her out with peanut butter ‘cause she got a better grade than me in Trig.” Mari says and you gasp while also laughing with everyone else. 

“What about you, Shipman? Any secrets big enough to crash a goddamn plane?” The attention goes to the brown-eyed girl. “Remember when Randy took us to that party in Holmdel?” 

“Where that trashy girl was a bitch to you about drinking her Zima?” Jackie raises a brow. 

“Yeah… I found her bedroom later and peed on her pillow.” She tells and everyone loves it, laughing in delight but it’s quickly cut short but an agonized scream.

Everyone shoots up, running over as Coach Scott passes out from the pain. Misty had cauterized his leg. “It was the only way to stop the bleeding for good.” Misty says, remorseless.

2021

“Can you please just come with me?” Natalie breathes, carrying a duffel bag and you cross your arms in front of her. “I mean I’m here aren’t I?” You roll your eyes and she smiles.

“Like back in the day.” She comments and you scoff. “Yeah, ride or die but this is… something.” You bite your tongue from what you really want to say. 

“You left me at the bar with Misty last night.” You add and she laughs. “I had a hookup before going to that bar, you know. And I cut it short for your ass. And you left me!” You complain and she just ignores you, walking to her Porsche with you behind her.

You had driven over because she offered you coffee. So far no coffee and you don’t even think there’s a plan to get any. Another disappointment you had to live with. 

She throws her bag into the trunk as you get into the passenger seat of the car. Natalie hops in, sticking the key in and turning it. Nothing happens. You give your best friend a look as she tries it again but it still won’t start. 

A car honks beside you and the both of you look up to see Misty pulling up in her periwinkle blue Fiat. 

“Everything, okay?” It was muffled since Natalie’s window was up. Natalie looks over at you, both of you sharing a look before she rolls the window down. “I was getting coffee and saw you both.” Holding up a cup of coffee and pointing over her shoulder to the coffee place next to the motel. You look at it with raging jealousy. 

“Engine trouble?” Misty asks. 

“Looks like it.” Natalie answers. “You going someplace? I’m actually off today. Tomorrow, too. Just saying.” She gives unwarranted information. “Where you two going?” 

“We were actually thinking of taking a little trip up north.” Natalie tells. “To see Travis? Aw, but your car! Well, I had some errands to run, but I can take you if you want. We can make it a road trip!” She offers. “I actually have my car we could use…” You say and the two look over at your beat up car that’s over 20 years old. A car you refuse to get rid of due to how attached you were. “Juno runs pretty good for her age.”

Natalie looks back to Misty. “We’ll take your car, but I’m driving.” She points and you huff in annoyance. 

You get out of the Porsche and Natalie grabs her duffel bag as you climb into the Fiat’s back seat. Natalie and Misty walk by each other so Natalie can drive. Misty pulls out two more coffees and offers it to the both of you after getting into the car. 

“Why’d you buy three?” Natalie questions. 

“Oh, I usually always buy things in twos. So that way I always have enough to share but today just felt like I should buy three. And man, my feeling was right!” She beams, you could care less about her dumb excuse, taking the coffee that you’ve been desperate all morning for. 

Natalie starts the engine and pulls out, Misty continues to talk about things she buys two of.

Taglist: if you want to be added lmk!

@caught-the-feels

[therealantlerqueen]

[cherrynailsgrl]

Callie braiding Lottie’s hair, Lottie’s eating popcorn like she is a teenage girl with her friend and they both having an sleepover.

This scene already have a special place in my heart.

[lacyscabinet]

CALLING ALL YELLOWJACKETS FANS

If you wanna watch season 3 but don't have a paramount+ account here you can find links to watch yellowjackets on streaming, all of these are safe and easy to use, just beware of the sketchy ads as always!!!!

EDIT : I REBLOGGED THIS POST AND ADDED A LINK, EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE IT AND WATCH THE SHOW!!!

HERE you can watch season 1 and 2 but I know as a fact that they'll upload season 3 soon soooooooo

https://yuppow.com/tv/yellowjackets-73981

Same thing goes for this one!

https://goku.sx/series/watch-yellowjackets-73981

IF YOU LIVE IN ITALY/CAN SPEAK ITALIAN THIS IS PROBABLY YOUR SAFEST BET!

Here!

I'LL KEEP UPDATING THIS AND AS SOON AS I SEE SOME WEBSITE UPLOAD SEASON 3 I'LL MAKE ANOTHER POST!!!!

[returnofeternity]

nothing to say except i need that butch destroyed. 18+

· · 𓃦 · ·

first of all. that gif. coming home from work and seeing van drinking on the kitchen table, manspreading, and in that glorious white shirt of hers. all you wanna do after your horrible day is drop to your knees and rub your face against her thighs as she cradles your head and coos at you. she knew you would need something to cheer you up after work, so she reaches over and cracks open a beer from the box she's been drinking from, and sets it on the counter before unzipping her jeans to pull out her strap. you immediately get to sucking but she has to pull you back with a laugh, telling you to take a drink first. both of you getting very tipsy and very horny very fast. van ends up cracking open 3 more bottles for you and praises you for taking it so good. pouring it down your throat with her hand forcing your jaw open, closing it for you and telling you to swallow it like a good girl.

she gets adventurous and starts fucking your mouth with the bottle, tracing the tip along your lips before easing it inside your mouth. slapping the tip of the bottle on your tongue while she jerks her strap. pouring some of it on her strap and having you clean it off for her. or, even better, it's an ejaculating strap, and she pours her beer into it so she can get you more drunk.

sucking her fingers while rubbing your cheek on her thigh, looking up at her like she's your god and you need to please her or you'll die. need to chew on them a little. her fingers are just so hot, especially with those rings on, and you get so desperate your mind just blanks. you almost fall on top of her as you get on her lap, shoving her hand down your pants and begging for her to do something. i think vans the type to keep moaning about absolutely drenched you are, and of course it's all because of her. her breath keeps hitching when she hears your wetness as she slams her fingers into your cunt. she loves it.

[dillydally6969]

PLEASER .ᐟ 𝓢HAUNA SHIPMAN

♱ though you were the antler queen, shauna seemed oddly comfortable bossing you around

♱ cw; slight!nsfw under the cut, harsh language, f!r, boyfriend!shauna, natstoryline!r, shauna would’ve been nicer if they just let my girl lezz out :/

“loser says ‘what’.” mari hissed in her ear in passing.

shauna’s head snapped back, but before she could spit back, you were quick to pounce to your feet. “knock it off, mar!”

the butcher brushed past you, charging at mari.

tackling the raven-haired girl to the ground, shauna held mari’s arm against her back. she held up the bandaged fist, leaning down to whisper through the struggle, “say one more fucking word, and it’ll be your whole fucking arm.”

“jesus--!” you barked, surging to split the two writhing on the ground. “enough already!”

tai and melissa lunged to grab shauna by her arms. you held mari, shoving her behind you. you caught the snarl on the brunette’s face, holding up a hand, gesturing for her to calm down. “what the fuck, shipman?”

“your pet is being a bitch. maybe you should string that leash a little tighter.” she spat through a clenched jaw.

“did you just call me a pet--?”

“okay, enough!” you stepped to place yourself just in the centre, between the two of them. “you guys want me to play the warden? fine. starting tomorrow, both of you are on house arrest. i don’t want to see either of you out of your huts and anywhere near each other. did i make myself clear?”

shauna jerked out of her guards’ grasp, rolling her eyes.

you raised your eyebrows, hands on your hips. eyeing between them when you got no response. “am i clear?” you repeated.

mari nodded, exhaling shakily. god, was she relieved.

if it weren’t for you, she was sure she would’ve been in store as next winter’s rations by now.

as you watched mari stroll off, you drew shauna’s gaze.

the butcher stepped towards you, her rough hand latching unto your arm harshly. her lips brushing against the helix of your ear as she growled, “hut. now.”

you let her drag you off to her hut, indifferent to the looks of question a couple pair of eyes flashed your way.

“what?” you scoffed, hands on your hips. “what is it?”

“what’d you mean ‘what’? you totally steamrolled me out there.” she barked, “are you fucking serious?”

ah, it might be appropriate to mention; you and shauna had a rather… complicated relationship dynamic.

her and jackie used to be a package deal. you wanted jackie, shauna came with. one couldn’t, and wouldn’t, go without the other. but after the crash, the bond between the two grew estranged, and eventually, shauna sought solace in the one yellowjacket that had yet to turn their back upon her.

she was desperate. she was pregnant. you were there.

you were there to say the things jackie wouldn’t, the ones she hopelessly needed to hear.

“i can’t have you and mari stirring up a storm around here anymore,” you sighed, “tension’s high and morale’s low, the last thing we need is some petty playground beef.”

“you’re gonna walk out there and let us go, warden.”

her little acts of rebellion were what she needed, so you let the first couple slip. but you were deeply regretting letting her get away with them, because now she won’t stop.

your authority meant little to shauna, and you need an urgent revamp to remind her just who was put in charge.

“no.” you replied. you swore you saw steam from her ears.

“no?” she replied, her lips curling into a vindictive smirk, her eyebrows still deeply furrowed. “did you just say ‘no’ to me?”

you crossed your arms, swallowing your nerves.

“yes, shipman. i said no.”

“stop fucking calling me that.” you were quickly pinned to the wall, shauna’s hand around your neck. a stunned gasp escaped your lips, her fingers etching her mark into your skin. “here’s what’s gonna happen. i’m not gonna be on house arrest, no, but mari will be. you’ll make sure that little pest stays out of my lane, and you won’t shame me like that in front of everybody again. do you understand?”

you let out a small whimper, nodding frantically.

her grip on your throat tightened, your pulse racing against her fingertips. “use your words.” she ordered, her breath grazing the burning tip of your ears.

“yes.” you managed, squirming beneath her.

“yes, ‘what’?” she asked, you knew just how to appease her.

“yes, shauna.” you breathed, feeling her warm palm creep up your shirt and caress your waist. “i understand.”

“good.” she hummed, her hand on your neck gliding smoothly up the curve of your neck to grab your jaw. her dull, doe eyes peered down at your lips, her own parting as her chest heaved with each quickening breath.

“wait, is that shauna?” gen questioned, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes for a closer glimpse.

melissa’s head snapped towards the back of camp, where they watched the butcher sharpen her knife. her shaggy hair parted to the side, and her flannel sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

“isn’t she supposed to be on house arrest?”

“right, ‘cause shauna’s the most obedient person we know,” melissa scoffed, “she’s probably violating her probation just to piss y/n off for putting her in time out--here.”

the blonde led the other towards your hut, where you were in a meeting with nat and tai about the logistics of camp.

upon the two shielding any light pouring through the arched opening of your private hut, all three pairs of your eyes looked up at the two standing amidst your doorway.

“y/n, can we talk to you for a second?” melissa asked.

you raised an eyebrow, you lips parting in hesitance. you glanced back towards tai and nat sitting on the cushions before you. you scoffed softly, a polite smile across your lips. “i’m kinda in the middle of something, ladies.”

“it’s kinda urgent,” gen added, her grimace evident.

you sighed, but after a quick nod of approval from tai and an indifferent shrug from nat, you gestured for them to continue.

“we think… shauna’s plotting something.” melissa’s voice fell to a hushed whisper at the end, “she’s either planning on jumping you or mari, we don’t know which.”

the hut fell silent for a moment.

you paused, rescinding your though before speaking. “what?”

“uhm, shauna? the big raging monster who’s been biting people and shit?” gen cocked her head. “she’s dangerous.”

“what makes you say that--? the killing part, i mean.” your eyebrows furrowed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

on top of lottie’s supernatural bs, conspiracies were too much.

“she’s not in her hut, she’s strutting around camp like she didn’t fucking assault mari.” melissa’s thumb pointed outside.

“uh,” you stammered, “i, uh… lifted the punishment.”

“what?” tai hissed, “are you batshit? you can’t just let shauna get away with treating mari like a chew toy.” she shot forward. “this is exactly what we were just talking about, y/n, soon enough, she’ll actually believe she can get away with anything. you’ve gotta put that ban back right now.”

you groaned, “look, i talked to shauna after and she knows what she did was wrong! it wasn’t like mari didn’t light the fuse, it’s not fair i punish her.”

“isn’t that why you punished them both in the first place?”

you sighed, rolling your eyes before glaring at the italian. as if mentally telling her, ‘not helping, nat!’

“what you did was nice and just. now that you’ve got shauna running free and mari serving time, you’ve tipped the scale again.” tai crossed her arms, “you’ve gotta set your foot down with her before she actually does do some damage.”

you held your hands up. “okay, okay! i’ll talk to her.”

you shuffled up, scurrying between melissa and gen, who made way for you. the two disperse as well, eager to catch the drama of your confrontation. as you disappear from their view, tai and nat share a mutual look of skepticism.

“how much do you wanna bet they’re fucking?”

tai sneered at nat’s prompt. “oh, come on. like y/n would ever.”

the blonde chuckled, shaking her head. “dude, think about it for a second, it’s so fucking obvious.”

“see, i actually like y/n, so i wouldn’t wish this upon her.”

“really?” nat scoffed, “how does two weeks of chores sound?”

tai narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. after a brief pause, she slapped nat’s hand harshly in a shake, sealing the reward.

when shauna saw you approaching her, the first thing she could see was the hickey peeking out of your shorts with every stride you took. her heart swelled with pride.

she smirked to herself, setting her knife down, bracing herself for whatever excuse of a scolding you were about to give.

“shipman, get back in your hut!” you yelled harshly.

taken aback by the alternative approach, she scoffed. “what?”

“you heard me.” you spat, grabbing her arm and yanking her up. your hands planted on her chest, nudging her backwards towards her hut. “i don’t want you out of here until the sun comes up tomorrow morning.”

“the fuck?” she grabbed your wrists, “hold on--!”

“no, you listen to me.” you hissed, “people are starting to notice me cutting you slack, i want you to take this punishment and think about how you can control your anger issues.”

“hey! have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”

you shoved her straight into her hut. she fell back into the cushions making a bed, watching as you stood over her with your arms crossed. you clenched your jaw, foot stepping straight between her legs and down against her chest when she tried to stand up. she snarled.

“stay down.” you ordered, “and stay here. i’m warning you.”

shauna didn’t flinch. she cocked her head aside slightly, one brow arching, that slow, maddening smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. replacing what once was that menacing scowl, you were--as twisted as it sounded--beginning to miss it. “i was hungry,” she said with a newfound softness, tucking the knife in her hand back into her belt without breaking eye contact. “didn’t think the queen would mind her butcher feeding herself. thought you’d have better things to care for.”

you let your foot dig into her chest just more in warning, trying not to let your face betray how your skin lit up every time she challenged you like this. “i didn’t ban you from eating. i banned you from leaving this hut after you attacked mari.”

"banned?" shauna snorted, but not before dragging the tips of her fingers across your ankle, slow and deliberate. “i was exempted by your majesty, remember? besides, mari’s a mouthy little bitch. it was time she got dealt with.”

you watched her face contort from one of annoyance to one of calculated seduction. “that’s not your call.”

she stopped, turned to face you fully. you could see it then--how much she loved this, the push and pull, the crackle of tension between rule and rebellion. the knowing you could yell at her all you wanted, but still submit the moment she touched you. she chuckled, the sound made your stomach churn. she grabbed your leg gently. “and you think it’s yours?”

you gulped, but held your ground, heart pounding.

you could only stand and watch as she moved your leg effortlessly, propping herself up so she could be facing you just one breath away. she smirked, the lines under her eyes creasing as she nodded, urging you to answer her.

“I’m the one wearing the crown. not you.”

she laughed--quiet and mocking, eyes flicking to the stupid necklace akilah had made you with an antler pendent.

“you’re right. you wear it,” she murmured, chuckling lowly. “but you don’t know what to do with it.”

you rolled your eyes. “just stay in the hut, shipman.”

she crossed her arms. “yeah, right,” she whispered, stepping even closer, so she could grab your waist, pulling you into her. “are you done with your little act? got that out your system?”

wow, were you really that disrespected as a leader?

“watch it,” you hissed, “before you make me do something both of us don’t want.”

she stared at you for a long second, eyes dark and daring, and then, she smiled. “okay,” she said, grabbing the side of your hips. “you’re the queen. i’ll stay right here.”

a bad feeling riddled you as she stared back at you with a submissive edge, but it felt like the crown was starting to fit.

dinner was thin that night--rabbit, again, stewed with dried berries in a dented pot that hissed softly over the fire. you sat a little apart from the others, still-full cup of stew in your hands, watching the steam curl and vanish into the cool spring night. shauna was across from you, expression unreadable, chewing slow like nothing had happened. like she hadn’t spent the last hours testing your chair, leaving her mark in the crown.

tai dropped down beside you with a grunt and handed you a wooden bowl. “the queen gets extra treats. eat up.”

she said casually, elbows resting against her knees.

“says who?” you scoffed, staring down at the bowl of jerky.

“says me. you’ve barely touched that thing of stew, so you’re obviously not into it.” she nodded towards the dented cup you’ve been toying with for the entirety of dinner. “i got some leftover jerky from the shed. you need to eat something.”

“ah. thanks.” you didn’t answer, picking at the food, though you weren’t hungry. tai, of course, didn’t drop it as she should.

“y’know if you ever need someone to lay it on shauna, im happy to help,” tai muttered under her breath. “she’s been out of control lately, and you--” she paused, eyes narrowing as her gaze flicked to the collar of your shirt. “what the hell is that?”

you froze, jerking away as her fingers reach your neck.

tai reached out before you could pull away, brushing her fingers against the edge of the bruise that peeked out above your neckline--a deep purple mark blooming just below your collarbone. “that’s a hickey,” she announced, just a tad louder than you had hoped. you quickly shushed her.

“it’s not,” you lied, stiffly tugging your coat closed. “it’s probably just some tick bite i got from the lake.”

tai scoffed. “oh, come on, if anybody here knows what a hickey looks like, it’s me. lemme see that!”

you clenched your jaw, avoiding her eyes. “tai, it’s not--!”

“you liar!” she squealed, your collar tugged down to your collarbone with her fingers. “who in the hell is our lovely y/n l/n screwing around here?”

“shh!” you hissed, “can you keep it down! it’s not a hickey!”

“getting some isn’t a crime, y/n. just tell me who it is.”

“does it matter?” you scoffed, “it doesn’t change anything.”

“of course it matters,” tai replied, nudging you with her elbow. “you’re the antler queen, if there’s another potential antler queen or king around here, i need to know.”

“there isn’t,” you snapped, a little too fast. “let it go, turner.”

tai raised an eyebrow at the defensive edge to your tone, but didn’t press further. she held her hands up. “you’re the boss.”

when she stood to leave, most likely to share her findings with van, you pulled your coat tighter and adjusted your shirt, making sure the bruise was well-hidden now. from across the fire, shauna was watching again--eyes half-lidded, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she toyed with her knife. like she knew tai caught you, and she liked it.

you rolled your eyes, but still, your stomach fluttered. you hated her for that. almost as much as you hated yourself.

you don’t remember exactly when everything fell into a deep pit of insanity, but you caught yourself standing amidst wave after wave of chaos and hysteria.

the camp was loud; panicked voices overlapping, boots crunching as people circled and recircled the same patch of forest clearing like mari would suddenly reappear if they just looked hard enough. but she didn’t.

and god, did you wish she’d just pop up like her mari self and say, “sike! you guys should see your faces.”

her spot at dinner was still untouched, her blanket rumpled.

and everyone knew it wasn’t like her to wander off this long without making some drama about it first.

“she probably slipped and fell into a ravine,” van offered unhelpfully, arms crossed and voice too chipper. “or she’s hiding as some crazy trick to get us worried.”

“she was being a brat all day,” nat added, adjusting her hair-band. “but even mari wouldn’t play games like this.”

then misty’s voice cut through the murmur like a blade. “so we’re really not gonna talk about the fact that shauna was the last one to threaten her and then mari’s suddenly gone?”

all heads turned towards the butcher. she didn’t flinch.

Just be leaned against the post of the meat-drying rack, arms crossed, her expression calm but simmering.

“oh, please,” she scoffed, “if i wanted to get rid of her, you wouldn’t even realize she’s missing.”

“jesus,” misty gasped, clutching the coach’s jacket like pearls. “are we hearing this? she just basically confessed.”

“you better watch your mouth, quigley,” shauna snapped.

the shouting started to swell again--tai stepping forward to place herself between shauna and misty, nat’s hand twitching near the knife in her pocket, lottie getting involved with some wilderness preaching. you needed to tame the fire--and fast.

you let it go for a few seconds, long enough to watch how quick everyone was to turn on each other.

it uneased you, as it has unraveled under your rule.

“enough!” you yelled at the top of your lungs.

everybody froze, their voices ceasing. you looked around, your voice more steady than you felt. “we’re not turning on each other right now because mari can’t afford it. what happened to her isn’t important, finding her is our priority. so until we find mari fucking ibarra, i don’t want to hear another accusation.”

“but--!” misty chimed. tai eyed you skeptically.

“i said enough,” you repeated, your tone final. “no one’s guilty until we know. that’s how this works.”

silence stretched. the group shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other, but no one challenged you.

shauna gave you a cool stare, cross-armed and watching.

“we need to split up,” you announced, “cover as much ground as we can before it gets dark. now, nat and i will lead two parties. i want travis and akilah to lead their own as well. find yourself a group, spread out into even numbers, and find her.”

you waved for nat’s gun, she reluctantly handed it over.

“now, who’s coming with me?” you slung it over your head.

sending people into the woods, half-fed and directionless, wasn’t a plan--it was a risk. realistically, mari had been gone for the better part of a day, and most of the team weren’t exactly well-fed. still, only few of you knew the woods. the others could barely tell north from their own footprints.

you weren’t sure who you were hoping would join you, exactly. but you were sure you needed more than the rifle for security.

especially cuz you were queen; antlers are prone to predators.

wordlessly, you felt a presence loom over your shoulder.

shauna had stepped across the quad to stand beside you.

her antic got a few side-eyes, but no one said anything. they knew shauna was one loyal son of a bitch, especially to her newYou could feel Tai’s stare burning into your side, but you kept your gaze on Shauna, steady and unreadable.

“good luck keeping an eye on that one,” gen scoffed.

“hey.” you called, glaring at the girl. “one more word, and you’re on bucket duty ‘til winter.”

behind you, shauna shot misty a smug smirk. taunting her.

how could you, of all people, their sacred leader who always put the team’s wellbeing first defend a sadist as cruel as shauna? it made no sense, how you were always flying to her rescue, even when she didn’t quite deserve it.

the woods were quiet in that eerie, smothering sense. branches creaked, the wind stirred dry needles along the ground, but there was no sign of mari.

just the trees, serene silence--and sexual tension.

“really? are you still stuck on that whole ‘i’m the queen, listen to me’ thing?” she scoffed, you could hear the smirk. “come on, i didn’t take you for such a boring old dictator.”

“drop it.” you ordered, hand tightening around the gun strap.

“why’re you so worried about her anyway?” shauna scoffed behind you, her tone dry, “maybe she finally realized no one liked her and ran off into the trees to make it dramatic.”

you stopped in your tracks, turned. “can you not be such a heartless asshole for five minutes?”

she blinked, taken aback. “wow. thought sex would fuck the annoying mom voice out of you.”

you exhaled sharply. “you’re literally the worst person ever.”

shauna followed, boots crunching loudly, deliberately. “you chose to be alone with me, l/n. why’re you whining now?”

“i wanted to make sure you wouldn’t come back alone and i’d end up finding misty dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“you sure that’s the only reason?” she teased, a flicker of heat in her voice. she leant in, kissing your jaw. “mari’s been out here this long already, what’s another hour or so?”

you shoved her. “god, do you ever take anything seriously? she could be dead, for fuck’s sake, and you’re horny?”

she furrowed her brows, her hand on your hip slipping down. “what do you want me to do? cry about it? hold your hand and whisper that everything’s gonna be okay?”

“can we just… not? please?” you snapped, louder than you meant to. “i’m already so tired from managing a dozen people’s every move seven days of the week, i don’t need you giving me more problems, okay?”

a beat of silence. the wind rustled above.

she stepped in close, too close, the sharp scent of smoke and pine clinging to her--well, your--clothes. “then let me help.”

you opened your mouth to mutter out some poor excuse, but she kissed you before you could answer. hard and fast. her hands gripping your hips like she could wring control out of your body if she just held tight enough.

you tried to pull back. “shauna--!”

she kissed you again, slower this time, and your resistance melted like snow against skin. her fingers slid beneath your shirt, palms hot even through your shirt, grounding you and overwhelming you all at once.

“you’re swamped, right?” she murmured against your neck. “i want you to relax… let me help you with your duties.”

perhaps you lacked respect for your own place, but god help you, when shauna touched you like that--like you were the only thing she could still claim as she rages at the world--you felt like something she needed, something that made her human again. and who was a queen who didn’t serve her people?

even if this version of shauna only lasted when she wanted.

so you let yourself melt into her arms, backing into the trunk of the nearest tree. her lips trace the dip of your neck, tongue wet and hot against your skin. her hands melded around your hips just right, before she met you for another quick and needy kiss.

the moment you stepped back into camp, the shift was obvious. it felt like they knew you wasted the better part of the day letting shauna devour you whole instead of searching for your missing teammate.

your hair mussed beneath your bandana, and your cheeks still hadn’t cooled from the sharp burn of shauna’s hands.

you didn’t meet anyone’s eyes as you set the rifle down by the fire. your lips were swollen, your jacket half-zipped, and every inch of you screamed touched.

you tried to act normal, clearing your throat.

“so… anything?” you glanced around the circle, and perhaps it was your brain overthinking, but you caught some suspicion.

shauna, unlike you, looked like she just went for a nature walk.

she strolled in behind you, chin high, the usual tension drained from her shoulders and replaced with something looser.

she stood behind you, sneer looming over your shoulder like she was your guard dog. nobody looked your way as she glared down every single person around that circle, her hand on the small of your waist. “are you guys fucking mute? answer her.”

“uh, no.” nat reported, gulping. “nothing south of camp.”

“no sign of her up north either.” travis added.

you glanced over at akilah, a hopeful glint in your eyes.

alas, she shook her head regretfully. you could only let your eyes flutter shut as your heart sunk to your stomach.

“okay, uh… good effort, everyone.” shauna slipped in as everybody waited in bated breath for your reply. you could only sigh softly, you hand flush against your forehead. “we try again at the crack of dawn. the moment the sun rises, we’re setting out. just get some sleep and save your energy for tomorrow.”

everybody gradually disperses from that dismissal.

you caught the “since when was she in charge?” from gen.

hands on your hips, you remained standing in the middle of camp as everybody retired to their huts. loitering behind you stood shauna, who had her arms crossed.

“you need sleep, l/n. no use worrying, it won’t help mari.”

“i can’t believe this happened because i was too distracted. i should’ve kept an eye on everybody.”

“oh come on, people should be able to look after themselves.”

“y’know, if you had just listened to me and stayed in your goddamn hut, none of this would be happening.”

shauna knocked her head back. “really? this again? will you give it a fucking rest already?” she began sauntering towards her own hut, before you grabbed her hand.

“shauna, stop walking away from me when we’re talking.”

“you listen to me, y/n. when i tell you to drop it, you drop it.”

taken aback by her assertive tone, you felt your hand slip from hers. you glanced around to see if anybody had heard, and you were glad to see nobody had a head out from their huts.

“i know you’re stressed about this mari situation,” lulled into a gentler tone, she continued, “and when i find that little bitch, i’ll beat her sorry ass to a pulp. but right now, you’ve gotta stop wasting energy yelling at me and relax.” she squeezed your shoulder. “the girls need you at your best, so why don’t you go get some shut eye. i’ll handle everything for tomorrow.”

maybe you have been preoccupied with the wrong things.

“okay.” you sighed, “you’re right. i need to just relax.”

by the time you had undone your hair and changed into a more comfortable set of clothes, it was well into the night. the wind had calmed, but the cold still crept through the gaps in your walls like it owned the place.

you were curled up on the narrow cot in the antler queen hut, shamelessly more spacious than the ones surrounding it.

you stared at the warped ceiling straws, trying to will your body to forget shauna’s mouth, her voice, her weight pressing into you like a promise. you should be thinking of a game plan to find mari, to worry about your friend, but all you could think about was a certain butcher with a nasty attitude.

then a gust circled your hut, and you turned to see the curtain pushed aside before a figure stepped through the arch.

you didn’t have to see her face to know it was her. no one else would dare sneak into the queen’s hut after dark--not unless they wanted to be exiled by lottie, or worse. shauna didn’t say a word as she slipped inside and draped the blind shut behind her. her boots barely made a sound as she crossed the floor.

she didn’t ask. just slid beneath the furs beside you, cool fingers brushing your arm before she settled in close.

her hand found your waist. her nose nudged the back of your neck. she sighed--like she had finally come home.

“…shauna?” you whispered, not moving, not even turning to face her. “i thought you were making plans for tomorrow.”

“shh,” she muttered quickly. “just go back to sleep.”

but you felt your heart race at her body heat mingling with yours. the way she was clinging onto you right then, thigh flush against yours, her breath soft and steady in your hair. shauna--the girl who’d rather gut a bitch before admitting she needed help--wasn’t here to start something rough or fast?

it was so odd to feel it; her need to lay beside you to sleep.

you didn’t say anything. you reached back and linked your fingers with hers, dragging it to hold in front of your chest.

outside, by the dead firepit, nat leaned against a splintered beam, her arms crossed. tai stood beside her, eyes narrowing at the faint light glowing through the cracks of your hut. the two had gathered to talk about ben’s situation, but watching shauna sneak across camp to the queen’s hut was something neither of them could ignore.

“oh my god,” tai muttered, “first the hickey, now this?”

“told you,” nat said, grinning like the smug bastard she was.

“no. no way. y/n is so--” tai scoffed, her arms crossed. “that’s why the bitch never gets punished. fuck, now i gotta do your chores for a month?”

nat shrugged, smug. “hey, if anything, i should’ve bet higher. you were never gonna win that one.”

tai cursed under her breath while nat laughed.

tai could not believe her eyes. for a moment, she was certain she was still asleep and this was some fucked up nightmare. but van’s sarcastic comment proved otherwise.

“someone got her vibrator working again.” van scoffed.

shauna, stirring what smelled like a hefty feast for breakfast. she pointed at the stack of rusty and misshaped plates. “help yourselves, it’s berry sauce with deer bacon.”

from your hut, you awoke to the commotion from outside. getting up sluggishly from your bed, you moved the bedsheet curtain out of the way, to be met with everybody emerging from their huts, and shauna… smiling?

“are you assholes just gonna stand there? mari’s waiting.”

van and tai shared a look of skepticism. the redhead, proving herself to be most daring of the bunch, risked losing a finger to poke the bear. “shauna, are you… well?”

and then, as if to conceal it, the butcher cracked a smirk.

“careful. your voice is so grating it’ll scare mari out of hiding.”

it silenced. van scoffed. “was that a joke? from shauna? oh my god, we’ve all been drugged in our sleep.”

you could hear misty let out a confused little laugh, like she didn’t know whether to be scared or amused. to be fair, the brunette was threatening to kill her just yesterday. tai stared openly, mouthing what the fuck at nat, who squinted at you, then back at the girl. like she was saying, i told you so.

“well,” you cleared your throat, stepping to stand in the light. “thanks for making breakfast, shauna. everybody should eat up. we’ll get more time to search for mari today.”

shauna filled a singular plate, strolling over to hand it to you personally. “enjoy, my queen.” she purred, smirking.

as everybody settled, you sat across camp with her.

watching your every move closely,

“she’s smiling?” melissa whispered, her arms crossed as she leant against the table. “i can’t remember the last time shauna wasn’t trying to kill someone with that permanent scowl.”

“no, no--joking,” van murmured, sounding halfway between impressed and alarmed. “shauna made a joke. did she put shrooms in the stew last night, or is this actually real?”

“yeah,” travis added under his breath, joining them. “since when does she talk to anyone unless she’s pissed?”

as they broke down the girl’s odd behaviour, the two of you sat isolated away from the team.

“i have an idea on how to punish mari when we find her.”

when. that’s ironically, rather optimistic for her.

“punish--? shauna, she could be half-dead and bleeding right now for all we know.” you scolded, picking at your berry sauce.

“it’s mari. she probably just ran off for attention.”

you were about to make some argument in protest, but you knew better than to bicker about something so trivial with shauna of all people. you just nodded, urging her to elaborate.

“since she loves running so much, let’s give her a reason to run.” her smile was… sinister, almost. sinister, but genuine, and that was probably what scared you most.

it was the way she sounded so excited talking about it.

“what’re you saying?” your tone came out fearful, hesitant.

“don’t you hear it?” she grinned, “the cards are calling.”

an; omg this took so long cuz my fuck ass school is throwing a million things at me at once… i want to update more and i promise yall there’s a lot of drafts waiting to be posted! ily :)

happy reading xx