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babydollmarauders · 7 months

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OUT — JACK HUGHES

jack hughes x fem!reader

summary: in which everyone has been wondering about the hair tie on Jack’s wrist, and they finally get the answers they were looking for

notes: THANK YOU MADDY ( @thatintrovertedwriter ) FOR THIS IDEA!!! I’M OBSESSED WITH IT!! not proofread and written while heavily sleep deprived

a relationship was never part of my intentions when i accepted my job offer.

in fact, any sort of love was pushed to the far corners of my mind. my focus was on showing everyone that not only men can be equipment managers in the NHL.

i had gone through so much rejection. countless teams citing that they decided to go in a different direction, and hiring a male for the job instead; and though most of the staff would try to deny that my gender was a part of it, there was always that one guy that had no problem with admitting they didn’t believe that a woman had any place in the NHL.

as if the job was hard. as if i couldn’t hand players sticks just as well as any man could.

but then the New Jersey Devils came into play. they had heard some talk about me and were the first team to reach out to me. they offered me the job, and i eagerly accepted. i felt i had something to prove. my gender doesn’t diminish the performance of my job.

so most of the 2022-23 season, i put all my focus into my job. i was amicable with the players, making sure i knew any superstitions or things i shouldn’t do with their equipment, but i never let it pass into any real level of friendship.

and then Jack Hughes happened.

when he got injured and had to sit out for a few games, i was put in charge of keeping him company. for four games my job description changed from handing players new sticks, to babysitting a twenty-one year old, and i wasn’t happy in the slightest.

it felt insulting, and apparently Jack felt the same way. somehow in those four games, we went from sitting across the suite from each other, to bonding over how stupid it was that i couldn’t do my actual job, to forming a friendship.

and in a matter of weeks, our friendship blossomed into something more.

it started with him coming back to my apartment after rough games, watching movies and letting off steam by joking around and playing drinking games. then along the way, we stumbled into bed. one hookup turned into two, which turned into another, which turned into a date, and finally by the end of the season, he was asking me to be his girlfriend.

it took me a week to finally tell him yes. an entire week of struggling with the decision. wondering if, if i start a real relationship with this player, am i proving all those men who told me i had no place in the NHL, right? but ultimately, i decided that my happiness was worth more than someone’s opinion of me, and i told him yes.

***

jackhughes

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subbanator 🚀

user83 is he wearing… a pink hair tie on his wrist?

user45 where?

user83 it’s on the same wrist with his bracelets

user16 omg you’re right

user02 is his hair even long enough to put up?

user77 @/user02 apparently

user91 what if it’s a girlfriends? oh my god

brendan.brisson Same time next year

***

i’m running late.

i’m running late and i’m rushing.

i’m running late, i’m rushing, and i’m contemplating breaking all rules of the road to arrive to work on time.

nothing is going right for me today.

i was supposed to have the morning off, so i didn’t set an alarm, but then i woke up to find six missed calls from my boss and a text asking if i could come help get equipment ready for practice because one of the other equipment managers came down with the flu.

then, i had to deal with getting yelled at because i didn’t have my ringer on and therefore, woke up after practice ended and didn’t come in and help.

then, i tipped over my brand new bottle of cold brew and had to spend almost an hour mopping my kitchen floor and wiping down the counters to get rid of the stickiness.

then, at the last minute as i was stepping out the door to head to the arena, my hair tie broke. and now i’ve spent the last fifteen minutes scouring my apartment for a new one, only to come to the conclusion that i have to leave now or else risk being yelled at for a second time today.

i give up entirely on my search for a hair tie, accepting my fate of wearing my hair down and rushing out of my apartment so fast that i almost forget to lock up behind me.

when i finally make it to Prudential Center, i’m able to clock in just before i’d be considered late, and i have absolutely no extra time to search for my boyfriend amidst the chaos of the season opener.

instead, i set off straight to the equipment area, working in tandem with my colleagues to make sure every players gloves, pads, and everything in between is ready, before i put each players gear into their respective locker room stalls.

i stack pucks in a high pyramid at the bench, ready for warm-ups, and line sticks up against the glass behind the bench, all set to be handed out when needed.

amongst the frantic running around the arena and getting things ready, i lose track of how many times i’m adjusting my hair; flipping it over my shoulder and tugging it out of my face.

finally, i get a split second to breathe, pulling my hair up in a makeshift ponytail with my hands as i stand outside the locker room, on standby in case any of the players need me.

“hey.” i instinctively drop my hands at the sound of someone talking, my shirt falling back down to cover the sliver of my abdomen that had shown when they were raised.

at the sight of my boyfriend, i sigh in relief, his chuckle reaching my ears as his arms snake around my waist.

“i scare ya?” Jack teases.

his helmet hits against my back, as he holds it in one hand. he’s all geared up, ready to hit the ice for the first game of the season, and oddly enough, i can’t help finding it incredibly attractive.

“just a little.” i huff, and a wide grin spreads across his lips. i smack his chest, but all that it hurts is his padding. “don’t be mean! i’ve had a bad day.”

his smile drops into an exaggerated pout, and he leans down to press a kiss to my lips.

“i’m sorry, baby.” i hum in acknowledgment, waving it off when he asks if i’d like to rant.

“no, it’s okay. i’ll rant later.” i assure him. “after you win your game.”

“our game.” he states, and i roll my eyes.

he’s made sure to never let me forget how much work i put into the team’s equipment and gear. citing that they wouldn’t be able to win without my help.

in his eyes, it’s as much my wins and losses as it is his.

“right.” i nod, patting his shoulders. “in that case, i’m gonna be very upset if you lose our game.”

his head tips back, laughter pouring past his lips, and it sounds like a melody in my ears.

“i’m confident. we’ll win this game.” he assures me, finally letting go of my waist and backing up. “if we don’t, you and i will never hear the end of it from Larks.”

ahh yes, Dylan Larkin. the Red Wings captain and Jack’s friend, whom i met over the summer while visiting Jack at his lake house.

“go!” i shoo my boyfriend off as the rest of his teammates begin pouring out of the locker room, heading off to line up, ready to hit the ice for warm-ups.

waving to the guys, who smile back at me in return, i head out to behind the bench.

as the guys warm up, i double check the bench stock of smelling salts, tums, stick tape, skate blades, and whatever else the guys may need during the game, before standing idly by.

finally, the game is underway, seven minutes left in the second period, and my boyfriend has already gotten a penalty in first for ‘roughing’.

i’m watching my boyfriend skate around the ice as i tend to his teammates, anxiously holding my breath as the clock winds down.

Jack zips across the ice, and i’m gnawing at my lip as he gains control of the puck. but before i know it, he’s just scored his first goal of the season.

a small smile splays across my lips, attempting to contain my excitement as he skates past the bench, bumping fists with his elated teammates before taking another lap around the ice.

Luke turns his head to grin at me, but he’s sidetracked as i’m interrupted by a teammate.

“y/n, can i get some salts?” Timo asks, and i nod, spinning around to grab some, my hair whipping in my face as i do so.

i let out a frustrated groan, turning back around to hand the little packet of smelling salts to number 28.

“you okay?” Timo questions, his brows threading together and i nod.

“it’s my damn hair.” i huff as he moves down on the bench, making room for my boyfriend and his line mates who now join on the bench. “i usually wear it up, but my hair tie broke and it’s getting on my nerves.”

wordlessly, Jack absentmindedly sheds his gloves off, pulling something from his wrist before holding it out to me where i stand directly behind him.

my lips part in surprise as my eyes lock on the pink hair tie that’s pinched between his index finger and thumb.

my hair tie.

“oh.” i breathe out, plucking the hair tie from his grasp. i smile, immediately pulling my hair up into a high ponytail. “thank you, love.”

he turns his head just enough to spot me, beaming back at me for a moment before turning back to focus back on the game that’s about to restart.

i lean forward a little, my hand lightly resting against the padding on his back, but he must feel the slight pressure because he leans back a little to show me he’s listening to what i have to say next.

“congratulations, babe. i’m proud of you.” i speak lowly, only for him to hear, before i stand back again, as though the interaction never happened. both of us focusing back on the game that takes place in front of us.

***

Jack lays beside me in my bed, absentmindedly scrolling through his social media, nodding along as i rant about my day.

“…but seeing you in the box was a plus.” i finish off my long winded ramble, effectively gaining his attention back at my teasing.

he locks his phone, tossing it to the side as he looks over at me.

“what was that?” he asks mockingly, raising an eyebrow. but before i can repeat myself, his fingers are working against the bare skin of my stomach.

my abdomen tightens as i laugh, squirming and trying to get away from his touch.

“stop!” i cackle, attempting and failing to push his hands away as he tickles me.

“no, say that again!” he chuckles, maneuvering his body now to straddle my legs so that i can’t run away, even if i wanted to. i shake my head wildly. “say it again! what was that? i don’t think i heard you right! cause it sounded like you just said the highlight of your day was seeing me get penalties!”

“that’s not true!” i squeal and he momentarily ceases his attack, tilting his ear towards me as if he’s listening closer.

“i said they were just pluses.” i defend myself, quickly following up, “the highlight of my day was finding out you wear my hair tie on your wrist.”

he looks down at me with a smirk, obviously quite proud of himself.

“stole that from your apartment.” he announces with pride.

“when?” i laugh, reaching up to cup the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to mine.

his hands now rest on either side of my head, holding himself up.

“the second time we hooked up.” he murmurs, dipping down to press a kiss to my lips. “you had complained that day when you forgot you hair tie at home. i never wanted you to be uncomfortable again, so i took one when i left here that night.”

i blink back at him in surprise, my heart thumping loudly in my chest, whooshing in my ears.

“are you telling me, you’ve been wearing that hair tie on your wrist, for the past seven months, just in case i ever needed it?” i ask.

“mhm.” he hums, his nose nudging against mine as he nods, the corners of his lips quirking up in a soft smile.

“i’m so in love with you.” i whisper, pulling him down to capture his lips in a kiss.

his lips slot against mine, his tongue slipping in to tangle with mine in a deep and sultry kiss, before he pulls away.

“oh good, because apparently our interaction tonight on the bench?” he pauses and i furrow my brows, nodding for him to continue. “yeah, apparently that happened while the camera was on me.”

a gasp slips past my lips, and he cringes slightly, nodding his head.

“yeah, we’ve been outted.”

we both let that sink in for a moment, pondering what our relationship will be like now that everyone knows. fans certainly analyzing our every move now.

but despite that, we can finally go on dates in public, and post each other on our social medias without panicking that we may have accidentally posted on our public stories instead of our close friends ones.

“i think i can live with that.” i finally break the silence, and he grins.

“yeah?” he questions, pressing a kiss against my lips, and i nod against him.

“yeah.”

#jack hughes #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes imagine #jack hughes fic #jack hughes blurb #nj devils #nhl imagine #nhl fic #faithlynn’s writings <3

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darlingmbappe · 1 year

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The Loneliest [2] | Kylian Mbappé x Fem Reader

[Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Epilogue]

Summary: The transition period after calling off your engagement has broken both you and Kylian. He needs to have you back, but you can’t handle having your heart broken again.

Warnings: pure angst, heartbroken reader, heartbroken Kylian, cussing, lots of crying. I switched perspectives between the reader and Kylian. — English is not my first language —

Kylian had racked up quite a large amount late fees the following month after your breakup. He never used to have issues going to sleep at night or waking up to go to training before this, but he just let himself scroll through his camera roll for hours on end.

He would emerge himself in that reality, smiling, giggling whenever your digital image did something goofy. He remembered which outfits he helped you pick out, fixating his thoughts on the ‘K’ necklace that he gave you shining around your neck in every frame. Then, due to the fault of a notification or a car alarm going off, he would snap back into the reality of his new life.

These are just memories now. He wouldn’t be able to take your picture again, hear your grainy morning voice, make your coffee so perfectly that you’d hum in gratitude.

Achraf knew about the breakup, but Kylian asked him to keep it hush since he didn’t feel like talking about it most of the time. Some nights, though, he finds himself on the phone with his mother without thinking about the fact that it’s past 2 o’clock in the morning. She (of course) picks up every time, being there for her little boy with a broken heart, her own heart breaking with the thought of you not coming around anymore.

Today, he made it to training just on time, barely smiling at the PSG camera crew that follows them around. Usually if somethings bothering him, football is his medicine. He goes out, distracts himself by making goals and perfect tackles, but it wasn’t until you were gone that he realized he needed you there to bring it all together. He hated how codependent he had become, sometimes subconsciously wishing he’d never met you at all. Maybe then his heart wouldn’t feel like it was being ripped out piece by piece.

“Okay, seriously?” Glatier grunted, blowing the whistle after Kylian had missed yet another easy goal. “Kylian!” He called over. Kylian cussed under his breath and jogged over to the frustrated coach, his teammates just as frustrated with him for his performance recently. “What the hell is going on with you? Where’s your head at?!”

Kylian looked at his feet, hands resting on his hips. “Sorry, coach.”

“No, not ‘sorry’, Kylian. You’ve been somewhere else for weeks. I need you to explain yourself before we start benching you.”

Kylian bit his cheek, still focused on the pitch under his feet, begging his body to suck the lingering tears back in. He looked up at his awaiting coach, nodding. “There’s no excuse, coach. I’m right here, I’ll do better.”

Glatier looks at him apprehensively, expecting to hear how the pass wasn’t placed right or some other bullshit that Kylian used to blame his shortcomings on, but notes that something is definitely off with the star player. “Alright, then.” He says, keeping eye contact, blowing the whistle twice, sending everyone to do a different drill.

Kylian sniffles as he runs back toward his team, Hakimi pats him on the back upon seeing his glossy eyes.

You had been a mess yourself, occupying yourself with your own job. Coworkers started calling you a hard ass once you decided to take charge of the group meetings, having to have control of something ever since your love life vanished. They were also oblivious to the fact of you and Kylians breakup, feeling as if the news was better off left to his PR team.

You’d settled nicely into the hotel life, enjoying complimentary breakfasts and free valet parking, but finally found a move-in ready apartment close to the office. It’d been a nightmare having your entire life packed into your car, taking up every ounce of room you had in there. There were times you convinced yourself that you were fine, but realized it was just a lie every night when you popped a sleeping pill and craved looking into Kylians eyes. You resorted back to his Instagram so often, clicking the same post every time.

The night you left, Kylian posted something for your birthday. At first, you ignored the notification, deleting the app altogether. That lasted about an hour. You redownloaded it once your curiosity took control of your body, having to know what the hell your newly-ex fiancé tagged you in. You assumed at some point he��d take it down, but it’s been thirty four days and it’s still the last thing on his feed.

You laid in the neatly made hotel bed, your fingers doing their own thing, rereading his caption until you heard your heart crack — like it did every time you found yourself here.

@k.mbappe: To the love of my life; you’re the best things that’s ever happened to me. Sometimes I can’t even believe how lucky I got. Getting to know you and getting to love you was the biggest privilege of my whole life. I hope this year gives you everything you need. I will love you always. — Ky.

You think back to the night that photo was taken a lot. It was at Neymar’s New Years Eve party, a few months before he proposed. Kylians hand was permanently attached to your waist. He looked at you every time something funny was said, wanting to laugh with you. He bragged about your accomplishments to everyone there — as if anyone in the room wasn’t more impressive than you, seeing models and athletes around every corner. At some point, you’d lost him and the clock was ticking down, five minutes until midnight. As you turned down a hallway, you heard his voice coming from one of the rooms.

“She’s the one.” Kylian stated, a giggle following right after. You never meant to eavesdrop on him but now you had to — back pressed against the wall as you tipped your ear closer to the open door.

“Man, she’s awesome.” Neymar’s voice responded.

“I know. I can’t ever stop smiling.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s creepy.” They both laugh, you bit your lip to keep yourself from squealing. Neymar continues. “You deserve someone great like her.”

Kylian pauses, you wait for him to say something. “What if I fuck it up?”

You feel your heart tug at his insecurity, but stop yourself from running in there and kissing him until the silly thought leaves his head. “You won’t. I can tell that she loves you a lot. Just, show her how you feel about her every day and you can’t fuck it up.”

The lull in the conversation gives you time to skip into the room. They both look at you and smile, Kylians eyes shining with love as you make your way to sit on his lap by the window.

“There you are.” You kiss his crinkled cheek. “Been looking for you. It’s almost midnight.”

He hums and pulls you closer to him.

“Aww!” Neymar teases in an exaggerated tone, standing from his place and whips out his phone, snapping a candid picture of the two of you. “What a cute couple.”

You quickly closed the app, throwing your phone far away from you on the bed.

“Fuck that.” You cried, stuffing your face in the mattress to collect your tears. You were so angry at him, but you wanted to talk to him. Slap him. Kiss him. Make him regret everything.

Your feelings have never been so crossed in your life. Of course you knew ending your relationship would be hard, but not debilitating. You didn’t expect to have to find new ways to not think about Kylian. How are you going to do this forever? Will this crippling coldness ever leave you alone? The signs all point to Kylian, but you don’t even know if he’ll be up to talking.

Blocking his number was an easy decision. While you were confident that you made the right move at the time, it doesn’t feel that way anymore. You reached back and grabbed your phone, settling down and wiping any remaining tears from your face.

The amount of times you’ve unblocked Kylian probably has broken some sort of record. You’ve been to really low places in the past few weeks, but the fake it ‘till you make it mantra somehow found it’s way into your system, hearing it buzzing in your ears like an annoying fruit fly.

Clicking the unblock button was simple. Trying to find something to say was beyond difficult.

You typed and backspaced and typed and backspaced until you were ripping your hair out. It was either too weird or too forward, but all of it was too scary.

Almost half an hour had passed, still trying to manage some sort of communication with him. Everything felt wrong, maybe today wasn’t the day. Just as you were about to reblock him, your phone buzzed.

Kylian: hello?

Shit. Of course he decided to text you right when you unblock him.

While you were freaking out about this turn of events, Kylian was holding his breath. When he saw the three dots appearing and disappearing on his phone screen over and over again, he felt like he struck gold. He just needed some way back into your life. And although small, this was an opportunity he couldn’t ditch out on.

You stared at the message, trying to take deep breaths. You should be chill. You’d texted Kylian a gazillion times in your life, but considering the circumstances, panic seemed fitting.

“Okay, (Y/N). Pull it together.” You mumbled to yourself, clearing your throat.

(Y/N): hi

You sent the message quick with no time to think twice. You facepalmed, now overthinking those two little letters. You waited impatiently for his reply. He was taking too long for your liking, but the time displayed at the top of your screen hadn’t moved. Not even a minute passed before he said something back.

Kylian: so you decided to unblock me?

Kylian: how are you?

He didn’t give you a chance to really respond to his first question, so it was easy to ignore it. But the second question had much more weight behind it.

How are you? Really?

You were tempted to type back ‘like my soul was sucked out and repeatedly backed over by a semi truck full of loaded diapers’, but that seemed like a bit much.

(Y/N): I’ve definitely been better.

You waited again, wondering if you should ask him how he’s doing, too. You saw the typing bubbles, but they disappeared. Once, twice, three times until he finally messaged back.

Kylian: did you want to talk?

You sighed, throwing your head back and staring at the ceiling. Fuck. Why did he have to ask that? Of course you wanted to talk — but this seems like the beginning of a very slippery slope. Going back to him was exactly what you wanted. You wanted to take him back and hug him and kiss his stupidly plump lips until you couldn’t anymore.

At the same time, you’re so vulnerable right now. You knew that taking him back this quickly would definitely cause an issue; whether it just be second guessing yourself or realizing you were wrong, and leaving him twice was something your heart absolutely could not handle.

Kylian: im sorry if that was too forward

You didn’t realize how long you were lost in thought for. You looked down at the message taunting you in your lap, sighing.

You: no, it’s fine.

You: when are you free?

You didn’t know it, but Kylian, Hakimi, and Ramos all jumped up and cheered when you sent that message. They shook his shoulders around in excitement, all too invested in the young couples relationship.

“Vamos!” Screamed Ramos, hugging the group.

“Okay, okay, shut up!” Kylians smile wrinkled his eyes shut for the first time in forever, sitting back down on the training bench.

Ramos happened to walked by when Kylian was crying to Hakimi, which Kylian was super embarrassed about, but Ramos was a genuinely good friend of the two of you, so now he felt personally affected by this breakup.

“Come on, quickly. What do I say?”

“That you are free tonight. Dios mío.” Ramos tusked like it was the most obvious thing in the world… and it was.

Kylian: tonight after training?

Kylian: I can pick you up, we can go get some dinner?

(Y/N): how about I just meet you at the training center?

There was no way you’d allow for this to be a date. If you let him wine and dine you, your heart would melt into a puddle that spelled out his name.

Kylian: perfect, cant wait

Kylian: I’ll see you later

You smiled down at your phone, putting a thumbs up to his last message and shut it off. Allowing your smile to finally spread across you face, you breathed out a giant huff that weighed down your lungs.

The happiness passed quickly, your mind remembering the way he was before. Aloof, distracted, snappy… You we’re still holding onto the old Kylian. The one that took you on spontaneous picnics, the one who would pull over on the side of the highway on his way home and hand-pick you a bouquet because the wildflowers looked pretty, the one that never forgot to kiss you goodnight, even if he was already asleep when you crawled in next to him.

The expectations for tonight were all over the place. Your mind raced with the possibilities of how it would end. Would you lower you walls for him again? Are you even capable of that? He hurt you down to your core, his actions broke you down into an insecure shell of yourself.

The end of the day came, and by now, the word had spread to the rest of the team about the breakup. Glatier patted Kylian on the back in sympathy, giving him a wise coach speach about life and love — one that didn’t really help Kylian. It was actually rather confusing. Nonetheless, he thanked his elder, mentally noting it’s best if he just sticks to coaching football.

Neymar was shaken by the news, having taken a liking to you early on in your relationship with Kylian. When he asked Kylian what was bothering him so much lately, he breathed out a heavy, “nooo!”. Comforting his teammate felt nostalgic for them both because their own relationship went through a sort of breakup at one point.

Kylian felt the end of the day inching closer and closer. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he saw you. It was important for him that he doesn’t say anything to scare you away. He wants you to see that he’s sorry and that he’s ready to prove it to you. He wants to make you laugh, make you remember that he is capable of making you happy again.

Kylian smelled better right now than he ever did after practice. He scrubbed like a maniac, fixing his hair with precision, shaving and applying after shave. He finished off with some cologne that Verratti suggested, a cool jacket that Kimpembe let him borrow. He drew the line when Sergio came for his eyebrows with tweezers, doing a nervous final check in the full length mirror. Breathing deep, he opens up his messages.

Kylian: im almost done :)

Kylian: let me know when ur here

He watched the screen, waiting for you to respond with anything. The three dots popped up again, halting his breathing when your message appeared.

(Y/N): I’m here. Come meet me by the maintenance entrance.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was rushing out of the locker room with anticipation taking over his veins, his knuckles turning white against the material of his duffle bag. He felt like he was going to throw up from nerves, but the good kind of nerves — the kind he has before an important match.

Where you were meeting him was his little hidden area. The maintenance crew got an upgraded break room with a patio, so no one ever came out this way, leaving the picnic tables open for when he needed a sneaky break. He brought you out here multiple times when you came and visited, always insisting on making out before he would go back inside.

This door always got stuck. He remembers having to shoulder it every time. He prepared himself, stepping back before lunging his body forward. Next thing he knows, he’s landed on the cold cement, letting out a loud “oof” when he went down.

“Oh my god!” He heard your sweet voice from a distance, looking up and seeing you, sideways from his position. The wind was already knocked out of him, but wow, watching you running in his direction took his breath way. “Are you okay?”

He got himself up when you approached him, he brushed himself off cooly. “When the hell did they oil that door?” Kylian points.

You stare at him before you let a small laugh bubble out, immediately getting Kylian to join in. He scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed by his less than cool entrance, but mentally checks off the make her laugh box in his head.

Damn, he looks good, you thought to yourself. You kept it at bay, but you noticed how he cleaned up extra nice, tugging at your heartstrings. You can’t lie, you also spent way too long on your appearance.

“Hello,” he smiles, raking his eyes adoringly over your frame. He didn’t even notice himself inching closer to you, but you did. It made you hot under the collar just being around him again. You’d been away from him longer than a month before, but this was hard.

You gulp. “Hi.”

He set his duffle bag down on the picnic table. You had his full attention, every word he’s wanted to say to you just on the tip of his tongue. You made your way over to the bench and slowly sat down, him following suit, sitting a little closer than you wanted him to.

You scooted away slightly. “Let’s talk.” You say. He nods, turning his body toward you. “I have to be at work soon so I can’t stay long.”

His leg bounces. “Can I start?”

“Okay.”

His gaze locked on your delicate hands, wanting nothing more then to hold them tightly. He breathed deep, his nerves felt electric in his veins. “I know I don’t deserve a second chance. I fucked up and realized it too late. I should have noticed, but I didn’t. And I’m so sorry for that. For everything.” His words were slow and gentle, his eyes not knowing where to look as they bounced from your eyes to you hands to your lips, then back to your eyes again. “I’m miserable without you. I miss you. I miss you so fucking much, (Y/N).”

You sigh. “I miss you too, Kylian. Believe me, this hasn’t been easy for me, either. But, I’m not here to get back together with you. I can’t let myself do that.”

“Why?”

“Because…” You really wished you planned this talk out better because right now, you were letting your emotions run on autopilot. Yet, you kept your logical side steady on the breaks in case your heart decided it needed his comfort more than it needed peace. “Because, Kylian. I just can’t.”

You felt the anger inside of you rising to the surface. You stood up and began pacing. Kylian stood too, but his feet were frozen in place.

“You know, I didn’t even know you still loved me until I was leaving?” You stated, facing his ashamed demeanor. He opened his mouth to respond but you didn’t let him. “You made me feel like shit. For months. You drove this… this weird insecurity in me that was never there before. I couldn’t even talk to you about it because you’d just spin it on me. Do you know how shitty that feels?”

His head hung low, guilt overriding his every sense. For whatever reason, he had high expectations for how this was going to go, and it’s already not at all how he thought. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry. You never deserved that.”

“You’re fucking right, I didnt.” You snapped, brows knit tightly in anger. “Why did you change? What happened? What did I do to you that made you so angry at me?”

Kylian opened and closed his mouth, stuttering. “I…” Seeing the tears gloss your eyes brought his own forward, but he bit them back. “… I don’t know. Nothing, you did nothing wrong.”

You stared at him, sighing. You ran a hand over your cheeks once you felt some stray tears run down your face. Nodding, you sat back down, Kylian cautiously joined you further down the bench. His elbows were on his knees, eyes facing the pavement. Silence used to be comfortable with Kylian. You two could sit together for hours and not say a word, and it would feel so natural. Now, the air was thick with tension, every depressing emotion running full speed inside your loud mind.

“You remember that benefit dinner we went to in November? The one held by that super rich Fortune 500 guy?” You asked softly, breaking the silence. “That week was when I started doubting if we were even good together anymore. You hadn’t payed attention to me, touched me, listened to me in weeks. I thought it was me. That I was somehow fucking up everything we had.” Kylian listened through the sound of his pounding heart, not daring to look up. He could hear in your voice how deeply upset you were, he couldn’t take the look on your face. “I tried talking to you about it that morning. I was going to ask if you wanted to take a break… have some time to ourselves. Instead, you just turned it into a fight about me leaving the dishwasher open, or some shit like that. I ended up apologizing to you.” You chuckled, but it really wasn’t funny.

Kylian remembered, having been stressed about his difficult new physical therapy sessions. He took out his frustrations on you unfairly, but he didn’t realize that he was doing that until it was too late.

You continued. “I dressed up so nice for you that night. I wore that gorgeous blue dress you got for me, heels that absolutely killed my feet, I got my hair and makeup done by real professionals… I thought maybe I could at least get you to want me again. But, all night long, you pretty much ignored me. You only smiled at me when other people were around and you didn’t want to look like a dick. I loved it, though. It felt like the old days, when you would actually smile when I was around.”

His lip quivered, still not being able to lift his head toward you. You wanted to keep going, but knew what you were going to say next was going to hurt him and it was never about getting even. You didn’t want to put him through what he made you feel. Reluctantly, you knew you had to tell him. You had to do it for you.

“That whole night, you kind of ignored me. I had the thought that you wouldn’t even notice if I disappeared… so I did. I was on the balcony for like, an hour. All by myself. Watching you from the outside to see if you started looking for me, and you never did.” You paused to take a breath, fiddling with your thumbs. “I didn’t think I would ever tell you this, but what do I have to lose, right?” He looked up, eyes red. You looked away. “It wasn’t on purpose, but… that night, Erling Haaland and I had a great time.” You locked eyes with him when he shifted, his whole demeanor changing from apologetic to full protection mode.

“What? What do you mean?” He attempted to keep his voice clear of obvious anger, but you knew him too well.

“No, no. Not like that.” You clarified. “He came out there for a breather and saw me. I don’t think he knew who I was or that we were together—”

“Bullshit.” He mumbled, but you ignored him.

“We just laughed and talked about the last season. Nothing happened, I wouldn’t do that to you.” You weren’t going to mention how he asked for your number at the end of the night because that would send him into a spiral. “Look, I’m not telling you this to be cruel, or anything, but it’s just an example of how alone I felt… that I would spend an entire night talking with Erling Haaland of all people. He payed more attention to me that night than you did for months. It made me remember how much fun we used to have. It made me realize that you might not be that person for me anymore.” Your voice wobbled and Kylian squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his tears back in with a sharp and deep breath.

He couldn’t believe you never told him about this, but reminded himself that he wouldn’t let you. He was too cold, too defensive.

“I promise you, (Y/N) — even if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get you back.” He swore through his wavering voice, still attempting to hold back his cries. You saw his twitching face, surfacing your own emotions.

You couldnt hold it back anymore, placing your face in your palms, letting the sobs go freely. “You’re a stupid fucking dickhead, Mbappé.” It was vulgar, but it’s just what shot out of your mouth.

Kylian knew he deserved that and more, just nodding at the new nickname, beginning to let himself cry as well. “I’m gonna change. If you let me show you, I’ll never stop proving to you how much I love you.” He grabbed your hand, tightly grasping it and kissing your knuckles.

“I think…” you sniffle, watching Kylian as he squeezed your hand in his, resting it on his face. “I think I need more time, Kylian.”

Immediately he nods, scooting closer to you. “We have time, baby. I’ll wait for you to be ready. I don’t care how long it takes.”

You and Kylian continue to cry, together. This kind of vulnerability is what you’ve been craving from him, this is the kind you had before.

“Kylian, I can’t handle having my heart broken again.” You choke. He holds you close now, forehead resting on the side of your head.

“I won’t ever be that person again.” He promised, sniffling. “I’ve never hurt this badly before. I’m not putting either of us through this torture again.”

You nod, wiping your tears and trying to calm down a little before standing up, leaving Kylian sitting alone on the bench.

“If I’m even going to entertain the idea of getting back together… we’re starting over completely. Right from the start.” You point, feeling yourself stop crying and using your sleeve to get rid of any proof that you were an absolute trainwreck.

He nods, standing up. “Okay. I can do that.” It looks like a burst of good energy just shot it’s way into his body, but the nervous demeanor stood above it, cautiously watching your every move.

“This doesn’t mean we’re getting back together. I need to know it’s the right decision. It’s too hard.”

“Of course. I’ll do anything.” You can tell Kylian is holding back from hugging you by the way his feet tap toward you, his body swaying in your direction.

You look him over, breathing in the crisp air. “Okay.” You check your watch, noticing you’ll be late if you don’t leave in the next five minutes. “I have to go now.” You say, nodding an awkward goodbye to Kylian; hugging felt like it would be weird… a handshake even weirder.

“Wait.” He stops you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder and quickly pulling it back. “Am I allowed to ask you on a date now?”

You chuckle, a real one this time. “Um. Let’s wait a couple of weeks. I need some more time to process all of this. Besides, I’m moving on Friday so I’ll be pretty busy unpacking, so…”

He’s taken aback, quirking an eyebrow and trying to not looked too freaked out. “Wait… moving? Where?”

“Some place I found. It’s fine… close to the office.” You honestly didn’t love it, but it was cute. It had character. “The hotel life was getting too expensive.”

“Let me pay for that–”

“No. Non-couples don’t do that.” You say, checking the time again, walking backwards toward you car. “Look, I really have to go. Wait for me to text you, alright?”

He nods, watching your figure disappear in the dark parking lot. “I will.”

He didn’t take his eyes off your car until it was out of his sight, turning back the way he came in.

The time has come for him to cheer, celebrate, tell all of his friends… but he won’t. He might’ve managed his way back into your life, but he’s nowhere near out of the woods yet. Everyone knows how embarrassing early celebrations are, especially when they they miss the goal in the end. He’s not making that mistake. He’s just grateful for the new opportunity to prove to you that it’ll be worth it… that he’s worth it. You’ll be treated better than ever… as soon as you’re comfortable with him again.

So, no celebration for Kylian Mbappé… not counting the giddy grin and small fist pump he did when he was alone in his car.

He couldn’t stop himself. He really couldn’t.

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hanjisick · 2 years

Text

. . COFFEE SHOP SERIES.

downtown, hidden in a strip of small businesses, every local’s favorite coffee shop could be found. one step inside, and it’s easy to tell why. the walls were covered in vines and paintings, small knickknacks and vases, a few plants here and there. a dusty record player sat on the wooden shelf for the eight boys to dance around to all day, singing along as they cleaned dishes and served warm cups of coffee. which drink would you choose?

CARAMEL MACCHIATO. BANG CHAN. as the owner, he is a busy man. when he isn’t sorting through bills, he is working at his beloved coffee shop that he started from scratch, flashing his charming smile at every customer, always taking the time to listen to their stories. the elders who came for a simple black coffee loved him, and the teen girls squealed at his kindness. but the only person he wanted was you, the one who knew him like the back of your hand, his childhood best friend.

AMERICANO. LEE MINHO. some wonder why chan had hired him from how much he stood out compared to the rest of the energetic boys. he isn’t as talkative as the rest, choosing to quietly prepare coffee the exact way he was told to. but late at night, when there were barely any customers, he could be found dancing around to the music on the vinyl as he cleaned, a soft smile glowing on his face. nobody saw this side of him except for his coworkers.. and the girl who brought in her cat one day.

COLD BREW. SEO CHANGBIN from a distance, he looked quite cold. he wore a tight shirt, showing off his intimidatingly large muscles, and at times he was very focused on his latte art, trying to master it just as well as hyunjin had. but anybody who chatted with him would immediately realize just how much of a softie he was. which is why when you showed up with tears in your eyes, needing of a sweet treat from their bakery, he couldn’t help but try to comfort you.

CHAI TEA. HWANG HYUNJIN. he was always around the shop, whether he was working with his hair in a ponytail, chatting away with whoever was nearby, or sitting at the bar, painting their newest wall decoration with a cup of tea at his side. when you showed up by his side one evening, he expected you to ask for his number. “do you paint all of these masterpieces?” when he turned to you, he found passion in your eyes, not for him, but for art. that’s what caused him to fall for you.

ESPRESSO. HAN JISUNG. he worked the evening shifts, which meant dealing with college students hoping to pull all nighters. his energy was perfect for the job, platform boots squeaking across the wooden floor as he sang purposely off tune to the music into the late hours of the night. he handpicked every album, completely in charge of the music selection at the shop, something he was quite proud of. so when you grabbed his attention to compliment his music taste, he was over the moon, ready to ramble for as long as you’d let him about the current tracks.

COOKIES. LEE FELIX. “are the cookies any good?” you innocently questioned, staring at the cute plastic containers full of baked goods, specifically the heart shaped chocolate chip cookies. “well, i baked them myself, so they better be good.” “i’ll buy one and see for myself.” usually the freckled barista wasn’t nervous at comments like these, but your gentle eyes made his heart flip in ways that he didn’t quite understand. “i’ll take two more cookies and a mocha, please!” felix couldn’t help but smile wide, recommending you to try the muffins as well.

CAPPUCCINO. KIM SEUNGMIN (coming soon) seungmin worked the early morning shifts with a pep in his step that nobody else in the shop seemed to reciprocate. his energy seemed to light up the whole shop. people swore that he was the perfect person to start your day, singing along to the vinyl records as he started up the just-as-tired machines. “what can i make for you today?”

LATTE. YANG JEONGIN. (coming soon!) he was everyone’s crush. perhaps it was the way he dressed so nicely, his fluffy hair that always seemed to be a mess, his long fingers pressing buttons and washing cups. maybe his dimpled smile, or the way he sung along to music shyly, only when seungmin was doing the same. “i really like your voice,” he heard you say, a red tint spreading to his ears. “you could hear me?” “everyone can. you’re amazing.”

#skz #han jisung #bang chan #skz smut #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids imagines #stray kids oneshot #stray kids blurbs #stray kids seungmin #stray kids fanfic #yang jeongin au #lee minho stray kids #skz changbin

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somerandomg33k · 16 days

Text

I just got paid today. About $2100 in net pay. Typical for about 110 to 120 hours of work over two weeks. So $375 into the joint account I share with my brothers that I live with to cover for my portion of rent and bills. And I will put another $375 next paycheck. $700 towards the Chase Amazon credit card. $200 to the bank credit card. $150 to my friend Lynnaquinn, good enough for groceries this week for her and her spouse, hopefully. And $250 for Johanna to get her out of the red and have enough for her phone bill, hopefully. Accounting for the $106 payment for my PC, and all other future charges covered on my two credit cards, I pretty much have $383 left in the checking account today. Or will once all of other the charges go through. So yea, just got paid $2100 and it is almost gone.

And still want to spend a little money on myself. Spending $100 for vbucks just to get more Fortnite skins, even after owning 573 of them. And after already spending $6000 on Fortnite in the two years I have been playing it. Getting myself a frozen pizza just because as well.

But yet, part of me just wants to instantly give Phoenix the $380. Because they are also really struggling. They expressed they can't keep going on like this. Been like this for years for Phoenix.

Another Paycheck that once I instantly get it, I need another one. I don't have enough to make sure my friends have a comfortable life. I don't have enough to get my teeth fixed. Haven't been to the dentist in years. And I emotionally broke down at the suggestion I should focus on myself and take care of my credit card debt. But that also feels impossible.

I hate budgeting. So I am really really bad at doing it. I just feels like not spending money at all. When Fortnite players, like my friends, talk about "saving vbucks" there is no such thing as saving vbucks. All saving vbucks is is simply not spending vbucks. Not getting the skins you want in the item shop.

The only way I see making any dent into my credit card debt is not giving money to my friends in need. Not spending as much money as I do. Or working as much overtime as I can. 12 hours days 6 days a week. Or any combination of the three, or all three. And when I do work 12-hour days, I have like 15 fifteen minutes in the morning, all used to get dressed and leave for work, and then whatever time I give myself when I come home for the evening, which is maybe two hours at most. And no more because I shouldn't stay up beyond 2 am.

I don't know how much more I need to earn at my job to feel whole. Or to feel well. Maybe double what I make now. But how fucking likely will that happen for someone without a college degree in this economy.

But I fucking hate thinking like this. I hate being concern with money. I hate getting pay over $2000 and it is still not enough. I hate that my friends are in poverty and will probably just never get out of it. I hate there is no end in sight for this cycle. I hate the fucking system that we live in. And hate how there are many people that will defend Capitalism. Or believe, "You just have to vote for the right people to be our benevolent dictator. And they will improve the system. #VoteBlueNoMatterWho." I hate feeling powerless to end of this misery. And I have other friends and family members that are suffering too..... I just feel..... bleph.... meh .... urg.....

#anti capitalism #capitalism #poverty #work #over work #money #no money #lack of money #debt #credit card debt #poor #broke #vent #rant #powerlessness

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asinfullangel · 8 months

Text

9 Wheel

“Try your luck, but remember that the house always wins in due time.”

What could be fun when you are on vacation in the city of sin beside relaxing in a pool or off doing some shopping. Why not try your luck at one of the slots or gaming tables, we talk all sort of payment and if you’re lucky double your winning. Just remember when to stop and pull away before you lose it all… thought, we got to make a living too and your misfortune becomes part of someone’s paycheck.

So then, what do you see happening when a few buddies out having fun on their little bros trip do when they or someone accidentally bet too much on a game of roulette? I’ll tell you of course. These men arrive in town to enjoy the weekend to themselves and possibly get lucky with some chicks. The group’s treasury/the one in charge of their party funds may have a little gambling problem and one dealer could see this clear as shiny gold. So with a little help from a server (and a share of the pull from this guy) this man was separated from the group over to the dealer’s table without a notice from his mates.

“Welcome, welcome lucky guests to our little oasis and city of sin. I don’t suppose you feel lucky because lady luck may just bless you, but don’t let such a blessing get to your head.” A few flicks and twists of his hand were enough to keep this unlucky man's eyes on his hands then to the cards that appeared like magic. “Care to play and see if you win big or lose a little too much? I promise my game of roulette is fair in luck and fortune.” The dealer flick around with a chip between his fingers before a roulette mable appeared in its place. The man had some cash out and the dealer made the exchange from cash to chips quickly. His bet was placed along with others that soon took notice his table was open. The cash and chips came pouring in, players left and right getting some luck or misfortune from the wheel while the man of interest was on a roll.

It was maybe an hour before one of his buds felt like they were missing something (hint, it was when one of them asked for some more cash). A few phone calls later led them back to the hotel they checked in this morning to find their bud still at the same table, a few chips shorter than when he began. (Now you are caught up and now to finish off his losing streak.) “Sir, I do suggest you withdraw your chips before the house claims the last of your chips.” His friend was trying to pull him away, but he already placed his bet and the roll went rolling… “Sorry sir, no luck. I suppose you are all out of luck.”

The bros were halfway into dragging him away from the table (most likely to fuck his ass and literally once in the hotel room), but the dealer chime in with a stack of cash now on the table. “I suppose you don’t wish to try your luck with our new full refund spin policy.” They halted and turned back to face this blond hair dealer. “You’re bud did spend quite a lot that I’m sure you would enjoy to have back, every last dollar he practically threw at me. Just note that if you fail then he’ll be in debt to us.” He sent the ball rolling and spinning the roulette as if his eyes were tempting this desperate man to take the deal… The dealer got a yes and heard had a bet. The wheel spinning slower by the seconds with the ball bouncing between the allies till… “How sad, I guess that greedy Mammon had his eyes on your wallet today. Now then, secretly.” Fingers snap then one tall giant of a hunky secretary guard came up behind the group and ate them debtor in a few gulps right there & in front of the group. “Sorry boys, cousin policy, but don’t be afraid to try your luck and spend a few. Otherwise I hope you don’t mind that we keep your bud for a while, I know the guard and I are going to work him in until his debt is paid off.” The men had to walk away seeing that they can’t do much now. The dealer took a break to spend some time with the security guard and his new guest (as his tail wiggle happily in his pants).

#male vore #male vore prompts #vore prompts #voretober #by me

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heyjudemunson · 2 years

Text

Freaks to Lovers - Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2- POOL PARTY

or read here!

ch1 - The Hellfire Club ch3 - Memories ch4 - Insomnia ch5 - Princess Leia

Eddie Munson x female!reader

fluffy/angsty

2.8k

tw: reader in bikini but I will tag per chapter as tw appear!

a/n: (lol if you read ch 1 before 07/23/22 i did minor edits but reread if ya want!)

pic from tudum.com

authors note: (lol if you read ch 1 before 07/23/22 i did minor edits but reread if ya want!)

"No!" Dustin throws his hands up in the air and tosses his head back. He rolls a 4 causing his bard not to be able to trick the ogre looming over the party. Mike mutters a small shit under his breath and Gareth shakes his head.

Eddie sucks in his teeth, "Ooh, looks like you might anger this ogre. Shall you roll again? Maybe try playin' him a song, hmm? Bard?" He props his elbows on the table with his fingertips touching just in front of his face, eyes narrowed with a devilish grin.

The players of Hellfire are unbelievably predictable- Dustin always plays the overly charismatic bard.

"Don't do it, man. Lemme try to cast a spell. I can put him in a trance and we can hurry past 'em." Jeff stands up pointing to his chest. Jeff is the wizard who casts spells at every single inconvenience. No matter how small.

"I dunno. I mean, I still have some health. I could roll again and try to actually charm the ogre with a song?" Dustin ponders out loud.

"I have arrows. I'll shoot him!" Gareth shouts. Gareth is typically the stoic fighter with a manly weapon of some sort.

"No! Let Jeff cast the spell!" You throw your hand out toward Jeff to your right. "It's the best option we have. Arrows aren't gonna do shit here!"

Others nod in agreement. You are the group's shapeshifting cleric. Though, shapeshifting doesn't seem to be the best move to get away from this ogre now that he's angry. He's got the party trapped in a cave, ready to kill and eat anything in his path while guarding the only exit to their escape.

"But I can try t-" Dustin is cutoff by Jeff rolling his own die across the table.

Everyone silences to watch it bounce once on the tabletop before falling to the floor. Mike, the druid, dives after it, trying to see the score, falling from his chair to the floor with a thump in the process. Jeff leans fully over the table to look as well, but slides the board with his hands making everyone's figure tumble over, which in turn shifts the board into Eddie's binders and notes, causing them to sway and fall from their stance.

"Aw, come on guys!" Gareth shouts. In all the chaos, the binders also cause his soda to spill down his shirt and into his lap when he leaps up.

"'Kay, let's just take a break?" Eddie lets out a harsh huff, clearly frustrated, picking up the notes that he worked so hard on for so long that scatter to the floor.

You let out a breathy sigh before standing. You stretch your limbs a bit, pulling and leaning to release the tension that has built in your muscles over the past few hours.

Then, an idea pops in your head so you walk over to your bag, and dig around a moment before pulling out your bikini top. "What if we take a swim break?"

The guys spin their heads in your direction. "Right now? It's like, two in the morning!" Dustin shoots a disbelieving look.

"Well, it is spring break. No rules, remember?!" You twirl your top in the air around your finger with an arched brow.

"But what about the game?" Gareth asks while patting his shirt with bunched-up paper towels.

"We can't stop now!" Jeff says, placing his die back on the table next to his fallen wizard. He's probably the most honest player here. He twirls his die until he finds the number it landed on, setting it on the table.

"We're so close! If we can figure out how to defeat the ogre, then we-" Lucas, the barbarian always trying to take charge, starts.

Lucas is another member of The Hellfire Club who joined the campaign only a couple of hours ago. He's on the basketball team, so he had practice right after school today. Which makes no sense to you, but then again, you never really cared for sports to begin with, let alone keep up with their practice schedules.

"Fellas, the lady has spoken." The Dungeon Master smirks at you. Your face grows warm with a flush and you are begging that no one notices. "Let's swim!"

"It's already so late. I'll be dead if my parents wake up," Mike slumps down in his chair, thinking of the dire consequences he'll no doubt face if we do wake them.

"No rules, Wheeler, remember?" Eddie mimics you and ruffles the boy's hair. The rest of the group mumbles, begrudgingly setting their figures and books back onto the table and digging out their swimsuits from their things.

"It'll be fun. I promise," you pat Gareth on the back, who is still trying to dab the soda from his clothes. He responds with a faint yeah, yeah that makes you roll your eyes.

You know they'll enjoy a short break from the campaign. It's Spring Break for crying out loud. Who doesn't want to swim during Spring Break? Besides, there's no way any of you could stay away too long. You've all been too eager to play this round the way Eddie has hyped it.

Ever the gentleman, Eddie slightly bows and waves his hand, motioning for you to change in the basement bathroom first -since ya know- ladies first and all. You hold your towel in front of you as you step out the door to put your clothes on top of your belongings. Assuming the guys are going to all change at the same time, you hurry up the steps and sneak out the backdoor quietly. You round the corner of the house to the pool when you're met with a surprising scene- you guys won't be alone tonight.

Nancy, Robin, and Steve are already lounging in their swimsuits around the pool. Robin and Nancy are relaxing on the reclined seats with Steve on the edge of the water, his feet dangling in the deep end. Steve is nursing what looks like his second beer bottle of the night animatedly talking to the girls. Robin has a sly smirk, snickering to herself while Steve, who you assume, is talking about his latest adventures of getting dates and girls. You know that at least half of what he's saying is made up- he's only trying to make Nancy jealous. The three of them weren't super close to you, but you've been around them enough times -because of Mike being Nancy's brother- to know better. You'd have to be blind to not pick up on how thick Steve is laying it. It's almost pathetic but very endearing to see him try to win her back. Though it isn't working.

Nancy notices your arrival and stands to greet you.

"Figured you'd be asleep."

"Figured you'd still be fighting wizards or monsters or whatever."

You let a smile ghost your lips. "Had to take a break. It got... chaotic in there for a sec."

"Isn't it always?" Nancy returns the smile.

"Yeah, true. Especially with that bunch." The both of you let out a light giggle as you jab your thumb behind you. You follow Nancy back to the pool chairs and hang your towel on the back of the one Robin is resting on.

"Hey," Robin and Steve say simultaneously. Steve tips his bottle towards you and then back to his lips.

"How long you been out here?" you ask.

"A couple of hours. Maybe more. It's hard to tell with this one talkin' the whole time. He makes time go slower, somehow. Like a time bandit or somethin'." Robin raises an eyebrow and points accusingly at Steve.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm the only one sayin' anythin'!"

"You don't give anyone else a chance to say anything! Dingus," Robin mumbles the last part but you know Steve still heard because he rolls his eyes and tosses his hand out.

You let out a light laugh with Nancy again when you hear the back door open and immediately feel eyes on you. The slight flush from earlier creeps back across your cheeks. You turn slightly to see the guys in a flock making their way to the pool. However, you see Eddie in the back of the group staring in your direction. Or staring directly at you? It's hard to tell in the darkness of the night. Though you could still make out his beautiful brown eyes in a rainstorm at midnight. Stop that.

But why is he staring at you? Watching you just stand here talking with Nancy and her friends?

Oh, Nancy is in a bikini. The most amount of skin the Hellfire boys have probably seen in the real world, outside their nudie mags.

You don't blame him, though. Nancy looks great in her bikini and Robin in a one-piece with green shorts over it. The two of them are almost matching, both wearing suits covered in abstract pastel florals. You had opted for the tried and true suit you've had a few years now- plain navy blue. It wasn't anything fancy, but it did give you a surge of confidence every time you wore it.

You swallow harshly, forcing your attention back to the group in front of you. You almost feel silly for assuming that Eddie would be checking you out when the other two girls are right here. You notice that Nancy narrows her eyes slightly at you. Oh god, can she tell what I was thinking? Her eyes flicker between you and the guys scattering their towels around. She lets a small smile pull at her lips before engaging you again.

She asks about your spring break and eventual graduation plans, leaving that small moment behind. She had already known your spring break plans, thanks to Mike, but she was always good at making everyone feel included in any conversation. Maybe the two of you could actually be friends. You shrug at the mention of graduation. She's on the path to college, having already sent out so many applications to all the top schools in the country. Who knows what you'll do or where you'll go? It hurts thinking that you could potentially leave your friends and Hellfire behind. Again, you never really pictured a future without your best friend. But also never imagined one with him like that.

You're so engrossed in the conversation by now, that you don't notice the slapping of feet against concrete getting increasingly louder until it's too late. Arms wrap around you forcefully, eliciting a panicked yelp from you. Someone is picking you from the side awkwardly and throwing both your bodies into the pool with a splash. You resurface, wiping your hands over your face and eyes, coughing slightly. Once you get centered again and breathing normal, you see that classic shit-eating grin you've known for years.

"What the fuck, Munson?!" You shout, remembering you need to be quiet so as not to wake Wheeler's parents. "Seriously, what the hell?" you whisper-scream. Your eyes flicker up to the second story, checking that no lights click on.

Eddie just laughs at your demise, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. You try to tread water but it's awkward and you suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious. That's when you realize his hands are still secured on your waist, holding you in place in the water, your faces mere inches from each other. Eddie's hair is slick to his face and neck, curling on the ends. His chocolate eyes searching your face, taking in all your features. You are very aware of your own hair stuck to your face, too, so you try to run your hand over your face and through your hair, wiping away any excess water again. Though it's not really helping your case, there is nothing attractive about slicked-back pool hair.

Eddie gets this glint in his eyes you've never seen before.

Well, that's not true. You have seen that look before.

He had that same look when he first spoke to you all those years ago in 8th grade. That same look when you played a couple of campaigns. That same look when you said you would join The Hellfire Club. And when you said goth-y looking rock stars were definitely your type, before he ever revealed to you that he was in a band- Corroded Coffin. And when he shared a joint with you for the first time. When he shared a joint with you every time. When you managed to defeat one of his campaigns. When you stood up for yourself earlier today, well yesterday technically, at school. When you laugh at his jokes, no matter how stupid. When you seem to be the only one that cares about him. When you smile as he calls you one of his pet names. When he-

You feel that same flush creeping over your cheeks again thinking you see that glint every damn day. You knew that look all too well. When had you come so accustomed to it that you stopped noticing it? Had you stopped noticing it? Or did you relish in the fact that only you seemed to get that look from Eddie? Stop that.

You swear that he was watching your lips. His eyes flicker up to meet yours again as he bites his bottom lip and opens his mouth to say something, but he's interrupted before he can speak.

"No rules!" Dustin shouts with his arms straight up, fists in the air, barreling towards the spot of the pool you're wading in.

"Wait--!" is all you manage to get out before you're back under the water again.

You pop back up in time to hear Mike hiss Dustin with his brows furrowed, trying to shush his friend. Nancy and Robin are giggling as Hellfire member after member also cannonballs into the pool, splashing you each time. Steve slips off the edge to join in as well, everyone laughing.

Once the water's calm, if you can consider it calm at this point, you notice that you are actually able to tread water this time. You scan the pool for Eddie, but he's on the opposite side, dunking Lucas under shouting something unintelligible. You sigh to yourself, swimming to the ladder. You sit where Steve had occupied beside the girls earlier to watch everyone. You prop your elbows on your knees and your head in your hands.

You don't even have a single second to think before Nancy asks, "Soo.... what the hell what that?" She slips her feet in the water, Robin joining on the other side of you.

"Yeah, seriously, I thought he was about to eat you the way he was starin'." Robin nudges your arm.

You sit up straighter, letting out a small huff. "Uh, what? Nothing! He ju-just threw me in the pool, 's all."

"Okay, sure. That was nothing, all right." Nancy teases. "He hasn't been watching you the whole time you've been out here, either."

"Oh, yeah, well what about you and Steve? You can't tell me there's nothin' there, either." You shoot her an incredulous look.

You want to turn back, to see if Eddie really is watching you. Before, you thought he was admiring Nancy in her suit, but now after that moment in the pool.... you're not so sure. There's that flush again. They're gonna think I have a rash.

Nancy scoffs, "Oh, there's definitely nothing there." Her soft smile says differently.

"I mean, you only talk about Steve every freakin' moment we're not around him," Robin says.

"Shut up!" Nancy playfully smacks Robin's thigh. "I'm just... weighing my options, 's all."

"Sure," you say sarcastically.

"Weighing between Steve or No Steve?" Robin arches her brow. The three of you share a knowing look before bursting into a fit of giggles again. Oh yeah, you guys are certainly going to be friends.

You're thankful that, although they were teasing you, they weren't teasing in a hurtful way. They weren't saying anything bad about you. Bad about Hellfire. Bad about Eddie The Freak. You don't feel like they see you as an outcast like the rest of the school does. Or, freak-adjacent. It's honestly a huge relief. Yep. You're friends now whether they want you or not.

You turn your attention back towards the boys, your eyes meeting Eddie's immediately. He quickly glances down, just barely licking his bottom lip again. He shakes his head lightly and tosses the foam football that landed beside him. Mike must've tossed it in earlier in all the chaos.

You're starting to think that maybe, just maybe, there is something to what Nancy said.

#eddie munson fic #freaks to lovers #eddie munson x female!reader #stranger things fic #eddie munson x reader

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talldecafcappuccino · 2 years

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checking for a fever + mutual pining 💜

Ahh I know you already saw this, but thank you for the prompt!! Sorry it took so long. Also, I need to double check the formatting at some point because I may have posted this to ao3 while in an Uber 😂

---

Rebecca’s steps slowed as she entered the empty locker room.

The player cubbies were neat and tidy with fresh towels lined up along the far wall, a sure sign that the team was long gone. She spotted Ted’s desk through the window to the coach’s office and checked the time, swearing quietly under her breath.

She knew Ted was ending training early so the boys could get ready for the gala, but had hoped to catch him before he left. Unfortunately her final planning meeting with Higgins went long and Ted appeared to have “flown the coop” as he was wont to say.

Her heels clicked as she walked into his office and the overhead lights buzzed tunelessly. There was no smile awaiting her when she stepped through the door, no cheery greeting bouncing off the walls. She frowned and adjusted her purse higher on her shoulder, suddenly self-conscious about being there at all.

It's not like she needed Ted for anything. All the details for the evening had been sorted. Besides, they would see each other in a few short hours. He’d run the auction while she worked the room like the well-oiled machine they’d become this season. She was just . . . disappointed. That’s all.

She peered over the top of his desk as if he might be crouching behind it, feeling silly the moment she did so. She shook her head and smoothed her coat with both hands as if to brush away her embarrassment.

Ted had left and that was that. There was no reason to feel put out about it, not when she still had a complicated chiffon to arrange and an expensive dress to pour herself into, not to mention–

“Heya, boss.”

She spun on her heel, her legs crossing at the ankles as she took in the figure in the doorway.

“Ted,” she breathed, the corners of her mouth tugging upward.

He lingered in the doorway with his backpack over onne shoulder and slid his hands into his khaki pockets with that soft, crooked smile.

“Well how about that, I was just up in your office. We must have criss-cross, apple-sauced our paths along the way.” He chuckled, eyes crinkling at the corners.

That’s when she noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes and his flushed face. Her own smile faltered. “Ted, are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Didn’t sleep all that well last night. Probably too excited about tonight, kind of like a kid the night before Christmas, you know? I’ve never emceed an auction before.” Then he swayed on his feet and his shoulder bumped against the doorframe. He turned and gave the frame an apologetic salute. “Pardon me, ma’am.”

She raised her brows at that. She’d seen him just this morning and he appeared perfectly fine. Maybe a little tired, but they all were. It was tough planning an event like this, even with the extra hands this year.

“I guess I’m not feeling a hundred p, if you know what I mean,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I got this headache that’s kind of like if a jackhammer and a woodpecker joined forces with, I dunno . . . a solar flare? Started about halfway through training. I don’t want to blame Beard, but he was humming Danger Zone for about an hour while the boys ran defensive drills. But I also keep shivering which is weird considering I don’t even feel cold today and I’m always cold.”

Rebecca frowned and dropped her purse on his desk, pushing back her coat sleeves as he continued to ramble.

“Like this one time I went camping with my boy scout troop and I was put in charge of the campfire and—

She stepped into his space and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, shutting him up instantly. Warmth radiated from his forehead like he’d been out in the summer sun and not the crisp January air.

“Right. You have a fever,” she announced. “You’re burning up.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, his forehead shifting underneath her hand. “Burnin’ up, burnin’ up for you baby,” he sang, a delirious smile on his lips. read the rest on ao3

#eightforyou #ask #prompt #ted x rebecca #tedbecca #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso fic #ted lasso

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banannabethchase · 11 months

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Set the World Alight: Chapter 12 - also on AO3

It was going to happen eventually. Somebody was going to be cruel. But Matt's almost astonished at how many more people are kind. And violent. She didn't expect to be so giddy about the violence.

Warning: there is overt, explicit transphobia in this chapter by a side character. The transphobia is dealt with the way it should be: with fists and zero mercy. Please be cautious with yourself <3

Tuesday, March 11th

Matt

Matt slogs out of bed to make it to school, miserable and tied and so exhausted she doesn’t even know how to process it. Hours of trying to fix the broken sink, only for her dad to decide to call the plumber in the morning, have stolen her sanity.

“Why,” Nick mumbles, chugging his large iced coffee when Matt comes downstairs, “are we forced to exist as high school students?”

“Because the world hates us,” Matt mumbles. Her eyes are half shut as she sips her coffee. “Now stop talking before I remember we have a game this afternoon. I don’t think I’ll survive until then.”

They drive to school in near silence, a quiet Spotify playlist singing Ingrid Michaelson songs, and they shoot each other drowsy waves as they go to class. Matt was barely able to pick a normal outfit this morning, so focused on staying awake, that she pulled on dress she and Willow had picked up at Target over the weekend. At the very least, she’s comfortable.

Matt yawns her way through all of her classes, glad she’s pretty much at the point of coasting.

“You look dead,” Britt says. “What’s wrong with you?”

“The water pipe in our garage burst last night,” Matt mumbles. “Nick and Dad and I were up until, like, one in the morning fixing it.”

“Can’t you hire somebody to do that?”

Matt laughs. “Not when your dad is Matthew Jackson. He had all the materials and tools and whatever and insisted we help him. My mom was in charge of towels. And then he still couldn’t fix it.” She yawns again. “Oh, god, I’m gonna suck today.”

“You won’t,” Britt says. “Because, if you do, Athena will kill you.”

“Thanks for the support,” Matt mumbles, and she drains her energy drink.

Nick

Nick yawns as he starts the warm up, dropping his bags next to the bench as he gets dizzy.

“What are you doing?” Mox calls to hm. “We’ve got, like, an hour before the game starts.”

“If I sit down, I’ll fall asleep,” Nick says. “Last night we were all up really late at home.”

Mox frowns. “Yeah, Matt cut the goodnight call off because of – I think she said something with the sink?” Nick nods and yawns again.

“Water pipe busted.”

Mox winces. “That blows.”

Nick and Mox practice passing and shooting hoops as the other players walk in, and, finally, the other team. They’re from the town over, so Nick sort of knows them. Which is unfortunate, because some of them are real dicks.

“Heads up,” Nick mutters to Mox.

Mox glances over and rolls his eyes. “Oh, great. Them.”

The cheer team comes in next, dressed up for the game. Mox gets immediately distracted.

“I’ll – talk to you during the game,” Mox says, sending Nick a quick, concerned look. “I don’t trust these guys.”

Nick watches at Mox jogs his way over to Matt, pulling her in close and whispering something in her ear. And then he sees the people he was worried about on the other team.

The previous year, one of the guys on the team from Granville whispered some pretty horrible things about some of the players. Racist things, homophobic things. Small town white America horrible kind of things.

Nick has a sudden wash of realization of what might happen when they lock their eyes on Matt.

“Hey,” Nick says, yanking Cole’s arm, “keep an eye out for that kid with the weird bleach blonde hair.”

Cole follows his gaze. “Oh, shit. I remember that guy.” His gaze goes hard. “Want me to kill him if he does anything?”

“You?”

Cole shrugs. “I mean, me and Kyle could take him out, yeah?”

“We’ll just see who gets there first,” Nick says, tone dark. “I’m too tired for this. If he pulls anything…” Nick trails off, letting the threat hang in the air. He can’t shake this feeling of wrong.

“Don’t worry,” Cole says, clapping him on the shoulder. “If they pull anything, we’ve all got each other’s backs.”

Nick tries to smile. But it won’t come.

Matt

“Mox,” Matt says, beaming up at him. “Hi. What’s up?” There’s some sort of tension behind his eyes, something tight that worries her. “Everything okay?”

Mox frowns. He doesn’t nod. He doesn’t shake his head. “Hopefully,” he mutters. “Just. If anybody says anything to you, tell me. Okay?”

“Oh, right,” Matt says, sighing. “This team.” She looks over Mox’s shoulder. “They’re the ones who were being awful about Willow last time, right?”

“Among other things,” Mox says. She can see something behind his eyes. “Just…don’t go anywhere alone, baby. Alright?”

Matt nods. She’s never seen Mox like this before. Never seen him any type of anxious. It’s almost scary.

Adam, giant backpack over his shoulder, makes his way to the bleachers. She watches his expression shift as he checks his phone, and he slides down to the bottom of the bleachers. He doesn’t pull out any books. He doesn’t even have his phone out. He’s sitting, arms folded across his chest.

She’s not used to feeling a room fool of worry, is the thing. She’s been wary at the grocery store, at the mall, at the movies. But she’s never felt an imminent threat before.

“It’s going to be okay.” She exhales, practicing some of the grounding techniques her therapist has taught her over the years. “It’s going to be okay.” Matt’s on her way to the other cheerleaders, though, when it happens.

“Oh, shit!” The tone is mocking, attention-grabbing.

Matt glances over at the person shouting, confused. She twists the ends of one of her French braids in her fingers. It’s not exactly that she knew this was going to happen. It’s not even that she knows that tone of voice is directed at her.

But you can’t fight a gut feeling.

“I told you, Alex,” says the guy who spoke. Matt can’t help but notice the poorly executed trendy haircut on bleached blonde hair. “This is the team with the tranny on it.”

Her entire body goes cold.

Matt moves to step up to him, but four things happen at once:

Adam half flies across the court toward the guy who spoke.

Jamie’s a whirl of French braids and rage zooming past Matt from the cheer bench

Nick’s jumped off of the bench behind Matt

And four, Mox, moving faster than Matt’s seen anybody move, pulls his fist back and slams it into the kid’s face.

Matt is not into this. She is not into the way Mox shakes out his hand, like it’s nothing, like he’s done this before.

“Talk louder,” Mox snarls, looming over the kid, laid out on the ground. “I fuckin’ dare you.”

Adam skids to a stop next to him, shoulder to shoulder. Then Nick, then Jamie.

It’s pretty much mayhem, the next couple of moments. Matt steps in to trip a guy, sending him to the floor. Somebody throws a punch at Mox and hits him in the nose, but Mox laughs and headbutts him so hard he falls to the floor.

The adults, stupefied for the first moment, rush in soon after. Matt’s a little smug at the way the guy she tripped is half crying on the ground, holding his face. Adam’s flattened a guy with one move with his forearm, and Mox has taken on two of them at once and gotten a bloody nose for the effort. Matt has to force herself not to climb him like a tree. Jamie has the bleach blonde kid in a headlock while Nick stares him down, hand twisted in his hair, and Matt’s never felt so safe in her life.

“Break it up,” Coach Gunn says.

Coach Rayne comes up to Matt and checks her face, her arms. “Are you alright, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine,” Matt says, even though she’s shaking a little bit. “I’m fine.”

Coach Gunn is peeling Jamie and Nick off of the bleach blonde guy, and Matt stares him down. He blinks first.

“That’s what I thought,” she says in her prissiest voice as she tosses her braid over her shoulder.

The other coach comes over. “Jesus Christ, Marcus, this is strike three.” He nods at Gunn and grabs his player by the shoulder, spinning him around. “Get your ass on the bench. You’re removed from the team.” He looks over at the other three. “And y’all are on this ice.”

Matt follows his gaze to the three on the ground, looking miserable. The other players come over. Matt doesn’t want to be that person, but he thinks he spots a few of them smiling at him, including a boy with what may just be a rainbow necklace.

“Thank you,” says one of the other team. “We’ve been wanting to do that to those four for, like, years.”

Mox lets out a great laugh, one Matt wants to hold in her pocket for the rest of her life. “You insult my girlfriend, you go through me.” He stares everybody in the room down . “Warning to everybody, I guess.” Mox turns and walks toward Matt, pulling her in and kissing her so hard she forgets her own name. When he pulls back his smile is soft and gentle. The one he saves just for her. “You hear me? Nobody messes with my girl.” He presses a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Matty.”

Matt’s heart is beating so fast she can’t catch her breath, is so into this guy she gets to call hers she can’t think. “Okay,” she manages to say. For some reason, she feels like she’s going to cry. It could be because of the slur she had to hear, it could be because of the violence she witnessed. But she thinks it’s because of the confession of dedication she just heard from Mox, and she’s pretty sure she knows it now.

“Yeah?” Mox asks, smile reaching his eyes.

Matt nods and leans in again. Mox starts kissing every ounce of sanity out of Matt, and she’s happy to let it happen, despite the blood, despite the violence. Nick clears his throat, and Matt pulls away.

“Um,” says Coach Gunn, frowning. “Now, I think I’m legally required to, like, yell at you about that. Or take you out of the game, since you technically threw the first punch. Though it was definitely deserved.” His eyes follow the kid being taken out by his coach. “And to get you checked out by a doctor or something.”

“Oh, no,” says the referee, “no, this game isn’t happening. You just had an all-out fight on the court. I’m calling this one a forfeit on both sides.”

“Forfeit?!” says the kid who yelled about Matt, twisting around in his coach’s grip. “They started it!”

“They did not,” says the ref firmly. “You used a transphobic slur. What did you think was going to happen?”

The kid opens and closes his moth a few times, clearly baffled at the consequences of his actions, and Matt allows himself to feel a little smug about it.

“I’m fine, Coach,” Mox says, dabbing at his nose. “Shit, I’m really leaking like a faucet, aren’t I?”

“Kind of,” Matt agrees as they make their way backstage to the trainer’s. She looks down at her uniform, the white stained nearly pink. “I have blood, like. Everywhere.”

Mox grins. “Makes you look badass, though. Kind of warrior princess, you know?”

Matt leans in and kisses Mox again. She touches Mox’s face, wiping some of the blood where it’s slowed to a trickle out of his nose. She doesn’t care that it’s staining her cheer uniform, that it’s ruined her makeup, that there’s blood in her hair. “I like that idea.”

They make it to the trainer’s room.

“Mox, you��ve always bled like a stuck pig,” Doc Sampson says, a little laugh behind it. He dabs at Mox’s nose. “Matty, you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s not my blood.”

Doc Sampson raises an eyebrow. “You fought?”

“No, it’s mine,” Mox says. “But after, I had to kiss my girl. They were being jackasses. Had to show them who was the lucky one here.”

Matt watches Doc’s face carefully, prepared for shock or horror or disgust, with the way the day is going. But, instead, Doc just smiles.

“My little girl is trans, too,” he says. “She’s in third grade. Maybe…Maybe the two of you could get ice cream? Talk?”

Matt nods. “Yeah. I. I think that would be cool.”

Doc nods and tends to Mox.

“Do you know where the other guy is?” Matt asks. Mox keeps a hand on hers, fingers intertwined. She squeezes it. “Are they bringing him in here?”

“Absolutely not,” Doc says, shaking his head. “They have their own trainer. They can work in the backup room.”

Matt smiles. “Thanks, Doc.”

Doc nods. “We protect ours, right? Nobody messes with the kids, mine or my athletes.”

Doc and Matt are quiet while Mox chatters on about stories when he’d broken bones in the past, Matt’s fingers still entwined with Mox’s. It feels casual now, safe, like Matt doesn’t have to watch her back or turn around every five seconds to make sure no one is on their way to hurt her.

“Alright,” Doc says, “I’ll grab you some more gauze from the back before you leave, just in case your nose starts bleeding again. Don’t bump it!”

“I’m not gonna bump it,” Mox says, rolling his eyes. “Matt, please don’t bump my nose.”

“I’ll do my best,” Matt promises.

They’re left alone, finally, after everything. Matt hops off the bench and starts pacing the small distance she can manage while still holding Mox’s hand. She doesn’t realize how hard she’s gripping his hand until she sees him wince for the first time.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice shaky.

“Don’t worry about it, baby,” Mox says, voice soft and gentle. “Are you okay?”

Matt nods. She’s not going to cry, she doesn’t think. She doesn’t feel the urge. “I’m okay,” she says.

“I’m so sorry you had to hear it.” Mox reaches out with grabby hands, and Matt steps into his space, burying her face into his chest. “That guy’s an ass and the worst person in this building, by far. I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Matt mumbles into Mox’s chest.

Mox sighs, tightening his hands around her, burying his now clean face into her neck. “I should – I should have hit him before he started talking. You shouldn’t have had to hear him say that – that word.” Mox exhales again, then leans back. He smiles down at Matt, adjusting her hair where it poofed out of her braids.

Matt doesn’t even think before she says what’s next. She just knows she has to say it. “I love you.”

Mox’s eyes widen. “Really?”

Matt nods, unsure that she meant to say it now, but sure. No matter what, she’s sure. “I do.”

“I love you, too,” Mox says, smiling. “But you already knew that.” And what can Matt do but lean in and kiss him again?

Nick

Nick is a little unsteady, trying to get his breathing under control. He’s never been in a fight before. He’s always known it was a possibility, that kind of hatred, toward his friends and Matt for being who they are, but he didn’t expect it so blatant. He didn’t expect it to come to his sister first.

“Are you okay?” Adam asks. He rests a hesitant hand on Nick’s shoulder. “You’re kind of shaking.”

Nick’s quiet for a moment. He watches the other coach go off on the boys that had backed the transphobe, half dragging them away from the court and out the door toward what he hopes is the extra trainer’s room. It’s a comfort that the coach is showing them no sympathy, but it doesn’t feel like enough. “Matt shouldn’t have had to hear that.” He looks up into Adam’s clear, bright eyes. “We shouldn’t have had to do that.” Suddenly, he feels tears well up in his eyes. “Why did that have to happen?”

Like it’s automatic, like it’s happened a million times and it’s what’s expected of him, Adam pulls Nick in. He gathers Nick in his arms, holds him to his strong chest, and they stand there, just breathing. Nick cries. He cries and shakes and mourns the day he should have had, and Adam holds him silently. He doesn’t even think about how there were probably people there waiting, people there watching. People who can now see how effected he is by all this. And he doesn’t care.

Adam is making calm shushing noises, stroking his hair.

Nick pulls back a little, looking up at him. “Are you using your scared animal voice with me?” he asks.

Adam flushes pink. “Um. Okay, yes, but I thought it would help, and it did! You’re not crying anymore.” He reaches out and, with a callused thumb, gently brushes the tear away from Nick’s cheek. “Hey. You good?”

“I’m good,” Nick says, only half aware of the way he still has his arms wrapped around Adam’s waist. Like this is how they always stand. “Thanks for joining ranks with us to kick that guy’s butt.”

Adam smiles. “Of course. Thanks for texting me heads up beforehand. I was ready.” He reaches up and tucks Nick’s ponytail back over his shoulder. “Nobody messes with my best friends, right?”

The two of them help the other girls on the cheer team clean up their bags and everything. It’s slow work, though, everyone recuperating from the stressful events.

“I would have killed him,” Jamie says as she takes off her basketball sneakers and throws them in her bag so hard they bounce. “You hear me? I would have killed them if they’d let me.”

“We know, babe,” Britt murmurs, rubbing Jamie’s back. “It’s okay.”

They talk, a little. But it’s clear they’re all killing time, waiting for Mox and Matt to come back.

“You guys can go,” Nick says, doing his best to mimic a smile. “I mean, you don’t have to. But I’ll take care of her. And Mox, too.”

“And me,” Adam says. “I’ve got them, too. Don’t forget about me.”

“No one would forget about you, Cowboy,” Cole says, clapping Adam on the back. “Good work.”

The crowd dissipates quickly, an unseasonably warm March afternoon now open to all of them, and Adam bumps the back of Nick’s hand when they’re alone.

“You good?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah,” Nick says, “I mean – I guess, yeah.” He fidgets again, bumping Adam’s hand. “I just want to make sure Matt’s okay, is all.”

“I’m not asking if Matt’s okay, Nicky,” Adam says. He steps in front of Nick, tilting Nick’s chin up to meet his eyes. Nick’s heart races. “I’m asking if you’re okay.”

“I –” Nick exhales again and can’t stop himself from falling into Adam’s chest again, hugging him close. A few moments pass while Adam rubs his back, and then Nick pulls back. He’s close to Adam’s face, and if he leaned in. If he admitted what he really wanted –

Somebody clears their throat, and Nick and Adam jump away from each other.

“Adam.”

Nick turns to see Mox and Matt. Mox looks focused, determined. Matt just looks confused.

“Yeah?” he asks hesitantly. Nick hates the way Adam tenses, like he’s getting ready to be fought. “What’s up?”

Mox looks to Matt, who, still confused, just shrugs. Mox walks up to Adam and Nick doesn’t even have a chance to step in.

Mox throws his arms around Adam’s shoulders, hugging him close. “Thank you, man.”

Adam throws a bewildered look over Mox’s shoulder to Nick. Nick can’t do anything but shrug, befuddled beyond belief. “For what?”

“Coming to back me up,” Mox says, stepping backward. “Um, earlier. You didn’t leave us high and dry.”

Adam nods, slowly, like he’s not quite sure what’s going on. “Of – of course I’d step in. Nobody messes with Matty, right?”

Nick looks over to see Matt beaming. She seems to be seeing something in the moment Nick just can’t yet.

“I’m sorry I punched you back in middle school,” Mox says. “I mean, I know it was a while ago, but I never apologized, which is shitty. I, uh, I think you’re a pretty good dude. I get it if you don’t want anything to do with me, but I just wanted you to know, like.” He shrugs. “You’re a good person, and I appreciate that.”

Adam looks bewildered. “I – okay. I mean, yeah. We don’t really have an issue now, right?”

Mox shakes his head. “Not unless you think we do, that is.”

Adam smiles. “Cool, I. I’m glad we’re good.”

“Can we get lunch or something?” Matt says, sneaking up beside Mox and slipping her hand into his. “If we don’t have a game, we can get food or something.” She blinks. “We could always go to – ”

“No Sonic,” the three boys say all at once.

Matt stares at them, blinking. “How did you all know I was gonna say Sonic?”

“Because they have cherry limeades and popcorn chicken, and those are your favorite things together,” Mox says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “And then you complain, every time, that they didn’t give you enough extra cherries.”

“I don’t –”

“You definitely do,” Adam says. “Every time we have an option to get food, you always say Sonic and then you always complain about the cherries.”

Matt turns to Nick.

“Don’t look at me for help,” he says. “They’re right.”

“You three suck,” Matt says, pouting.

“Let’s Taco Bell or something,” Mox says. “I want a crunch wrap.”

Matt and Mox are in front as they get to parking lot, their hands swinging between them. Nick looks over at Adam quickly, fast enough he doesn’t think Adam can see it. And begins to wonder how long he can fight this off.

Adam’s quiet, too, and Nick wants to ask, wants to say something, wants to bring it up. But he’s too scared.

#MoxMatt #MoxMatt high school AU #wtf i like wrestling now???#in which sara writes #This chapter gave me hell because I didn't want it to happen but it kind of needed to? Which sucks. But.#If there's anything I need to fix or tag for please let me know!

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genevalentino · 3 months

Link

#DeepStateSwamp #Two-tieredjustice

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indigo474 · 4 months

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31:00~~2/10/24~~

I ran my 2nd 5 k today and managed to run 3 minutes and 26 seconds faster than last time.. l'm not even sure how that is possible.. it must be the hills. i am so proud of myself and again amazed. a tiny tiny voice tells me i could have done better.. maybe... Madison came wiht me for support. I saw people there alone so next time I wont bother her to come with me, unless she wants to of course. I wish i had someone to celebrate with. i'm thankful for Maddy.. I'm thankful for a lot but still wish i had someone. i thought a lot today about how my divorce was/is the single best thing that has ever happened to me. I thought about how i hate hate hate how people say ohh sorry for your divorce. I thought about how it would have been a shame for me to not be the person i am today and how much i have learned and grown and healed. i thought about how i wish i had left sooner .. i dont let myself go too fr down that trail. I left and thats all that matters.. all these great things. Me- i dont know if i will ever be use to this life and these feelings of happiness.. when i laugh, i laugh.. joy. i did not have that or feel that for a lot of years and the last thing i wanted was to really feel anything because none of it was any good and now.. now.. peace. Peace.. and love. Madison is sweet to me. she knows i eat an apple a day and when she shops she has been making sure to buy apples. when we lived in our apartment she would always make sure to leave the outside light on for me.. i hate walking up to a dark house.. ptsd from Chatham. If he turned the automatic light off i knew i was in trouble. sooo.. i guess i'll keep running..

I am not a game player. Its just not my natural state. Pam has issue. Deep seeded trauma from her childhood.. its so obvious to me. the way she talks and her need to be liked and seen as cool and the way she tries to manipulate the people around her. She's smart but not intelligent. So, whatever.. i'm not friends with any of them.. there's one supervisor i kind of like, she was my first supervisor when i started.. and she is weird. None of it matters. I'm working from home tomorrow. I didnt get nearly enough sleep last night. I didnt want to get out of bed this morning. i tried to be nice to my Mom this week, i was being kind and supportive and she can not accept love because she does not love herself . she hates herself and doesnt think she deserves kindness or love and that is not my problem. do i love myself enough to be able to receive love?

I spoke to my manager in regards to the very important meeting she missed. She claims to have wanted to be there but it was thrown together last minute and she was not made aware of the time. Drew was in charge of the timing. Drew is always in charge of the meeting times and he sucks at it. I pretty much said that to her but in a professional way. its taken a year but his scheduling skills infuriate me. people pretty much do what benefits them. Drew has a attitude about people leaving work at 5.. he feels we should all stay later. He is late to work everyday and it benefits him to stay later so misses the rush hour traffic. ive stayed late in the past to accommodate him. I'm not doing that anymore. I get to work early almost every day. I am not staying later than i have to. I feel like he doesnt value other peoples time. he's called me 2 x in 2 days while i wasn't work.. he called me today while i was in walmart talking nonsense.. i got a new rep who is a total idiot. he never should have made it out of training and Drew is acting like he's been on team for a long time and what am i going to do about him. He's been on my team for less than 20 hrs- he was on Drew's team for 90+ days- how and why did this guy become my problem when he has been a problem all along.

I'm going to read the Bhagavad Gita- maybe finish it. I have been sleeping a little too good.. through the night good. the funny thing about work is none of it matters.. we can all be replaced tomorrow and that place would still go on. I shouldn't let it stress me out. i woke up with my period today. silence is beautiful. You're doing a great job April.. keep going! Good night

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benefits1986 · 6 months

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Osaka x Mamba

In the face of the greatest rigodon in the millennial's material and immaterial world, bakit natin ginamit na reference and Gen Z and Gen X? Why not, right?

Was not able to squeeze in siesta during lunch break and still slept super late, and woke up at 3:14 AM today. Bakiiittt?

Work has been more manageable the past days and weeks to be honest, pero bakit? Saktong may bago na namang akong pimple na 'di ko sure if dahil ba siksik ng sisik si Vici sa head pillow ko, or may iba pang underlying factor kasi kakatapos lang ng time of the month na ugh na ugh, thanks malalang period headache. Wagas na wagas na, putok na putok pa, na ayoko na lang mag-overthink kasi 'di biro 'yung period headache ko. Sabi naman ng ating progressive OB, just take mefanamic acid or paracetamol in anticipation of the headache. So, pati headache, inaanticipate na natin ngayon.

In between Tamagochi checks and pabebe, three people have been reaching out and sharing their stories about the great rigodon. Lahat millennials and mala-journal po ang ganapan nila. Okay. Listen-listen syempre tayo with late replies madalas. Minsan, kahit sagarin ko 'yung good vibes + maldita vibes ko para makalma sila, super valid naman kasi ng feelings. :D Opak. Validation, baby!

Syempre, I try to be as honest, as unfiltered as I can. Andun na ako sa phase na gusto ko na rin mag-hustle as an empathic listener na up to 47USD per hour ang puwede mong i-charge. HAHAHAHHAHA. Ewan ko ba bakit 'yung algo ko, weirdo pero spot on. Imagine, effortless siyang task for me tapos ang laki pa ng ROI as laway lang ang puhanan. Mabilis ko ng matutupad ang aking mga gusto at maiiwasan ang mga hindi ko gusto. HAHAHHAHAHA.

As always, lagi ko naman ding sinasabi na, hindi madali pero nakukuha talaga lahat sa dasal at move lang ng move, onti-onti. Honestly, may mga times na gusto ko na lang gumawa ng GC kasi mala-templated na responses ko, hindi dahil sa gago ako, pero kasi, andami ko ring ginagawa at puwede na talaga silang magpakawala ng feelings sa GC tapos mas ma-feel nila na hindi sa alone on this journey.

Tawang-tawa nga ako kasi 'yung isa sa kanila is from biz continuity na condo levels in BGC ang pay grade. 'Yung recent prices ha. Hindi 'yung mga 10 years ago. Sana all. HAHAHAHA. Sabi niya, okay 'yan. AI is the future sa akin. I'm like, gusto ko lang talaga maging donut seeking peace of mind. LOL. So, saang banda pumapasok sina Osaka and Mamba so early in the morning? Kahit fan na fan ako ng duality and I live and breathe it, times are changing na talaga. Stark contrast and birds of the same feather sina Kobe Bryant and Naomi Osaka as poster people ng millennials na nasa gitna ng rigodon season sa lahat ng panig ng mundo.

Meron pa ring gender divide pero actually, as a ex-radical feminist, na seeking gender fairness, in fairness naman sa akin, I guess my character formation na tayo. HAHAHAHA. How so? Ke babae ka or lalaki ka, ngayon, EQ over IQ na talaga ang dapat weapon of choice. Sabi nga ni second dad na OG boomer and bomber, 90% EQ and 10% IQ naman kasi talaga kahit anong form of work. Lalo ngayon. Lalo sa mga susunod na kabanata.

Siguro, kailangan ko pang mas ma-widen 'yung bias ko kasi malimit akala is 'pag feminist ka, kaaway mo ang sangkalalakihan. Hindi naman kasi ganun lens ko. Parang lang. CHZ. Dapat siguro mas pinuhan ko pa para magkaroon ng common ground.

Nga pala, lahat ng 3 tao na nabanggit ko, mga XX sila. HAHAHAHAHA. So ayun na nga po. Ibalik natin ang gaze muna kay Naomi and Mamba. Parehas lang naman silang Ikigai players pero 'yung timelines nila, obviously iba. Syempre, tanggalin muna natin ang sports adver and marketing dito kasi, baka 'di na matapos 'tong hanash ko. Totoo rin naman kasing kaya may sudden shift sa female even sa sports brands like Nike is because women are more likely to have disposable income and are more emotional. :D Opak. Saka mas maganda na rin ang stance ng babae sa workspace, though needs improvement pa talaga, to be honest. LOLOLOLLOLL. Paki add po "time of the month" leave saka single pet mom insurance. HAHAHAHAHA. And Shein funds. Daming gusto talaga. LOL.

Pero, hindi rin biro ang pinagdaanan ni Kobe. As in. Compared to the macho Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman and the rest na papogian ang moves, iniba ni Mamba ang takbo, ang pace, and face of the game. Ako lang 'to. Siguro kasi cutie din siya lalo na 'pag naglalaro na. LOL. And, in his career, medyo na-turn off talaga ako nung nagkaroon siya ng lamat sa sexual harassment.

Dito ko siguro unang narealize na 'di naman lahat perfect PERO 'di rin dapat na pinapapalampas ang mga shit na ganito. Dito rin ako medyo na-cringe, kasi iba talaga pa rin ang standards 'pag ang lalaki nag-fuck up versus sa babae. SIGH. Even 'yung agenda setting, kitang-kita e. View the details here:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-01-26/what-happened-kobe-bryant-sexual-assault-case

Enter Naomi Osaka. In her documentary sa Netflix, I'm like, bakit sobrang lala ng agenda setting and framing dito? WHYYY? She could have been in a way better light kasi parang may strong vibe na victim or pa-victim kaya 'di kagandahan reviews. To think na she's but letting her heart and fart out? Perhaps kasi, dahil sa galawan ng career aka KPI niya. LOL. Hahahahaha. Si Mamba, derederecho lang. Walang patid. Walang sorry. Walang busina. Rekta pa rin. Si Naomi, may moment of uncertainty kung papalo pa ba siya. Kung itutuloy niya pa rin ang laban. Sabi nga ni dad, at the end of that day: naggawa ba or hindi naggawa; and more importantly, ano ba ang puwedeng gawin para matawid.

Thankful ako na 'yung Venn Diagram nito dalawang icons na 'to, pasok naman sa duality ko. I think na while I wear my heart on my sleeve, dahil nga batak ako sa mga alpha males and feeling alpha males pati lalo sa nanay kong dragon, hindi ako madaling ma-offend and kaya kong makipagsabayan, kahit bigwasan pa 'yan at pektusan. Kahit lumpuhan session pa 'yan na walang tulugan. Kung baga, malimit nga, tinatanong ako ng mga nagoopen up ke XX or XY na paano ko 'ti nawi-wing? 'Di ko rin super sure, pero siguro dahil pinipili kong i-balance out ang EQ and IQ kasi 'di naman ako magaling. I mean, saks lang, but I bring out who I am and who I am not sa kahit anong table na uupuan, tatambayan at aalisan ko.

'Di siya madali kasi lampas one decade na 'to bago ko ma-ire this morning. I guess, it's all about coming together, healing together and being better together mala Jack Johnson... na 'yung vinyl sa Batulao house ko na papatugtugin first time para naman, pak. :D

'Di madaling maging tao ke XX or XY ka. Syempre, based ito sa mga walang filter convos ko in the past years with a ton of people. XX feeling na okay, need kong maging career woman pero dapat okay 'yung family life ko lalo kung may anak at asawa ako. XY naman, bilang simpleng nilalang... babae, bahay, business, boobs na sapat lang saka bomba sa work. Tapos na. Okay na. Saka feeling nila in general na dapat provide kung provide na natatawa na lang talaga ako kasi, madalas, naawa ako sa levels ng yearning nila to be a "good" or "decent" provider. Easyhan niyo lang din kasi, XX and XY. Easy. Sabi nga ni dad, problema ng generation namin is masyado kaming maraming hanash pero at the end of the day, overcomplicated lang ang lahat. Isa sa mga litanya niya sa work horses niya is 'wag pagurin ang asawa sa bahay. Alagaan, mahalin. 'Wag daw tumulad sa kanya na dahil too complacent siya na kaya ni mom lahat, ayun, deads. HAHAHAHAHA. Umamin din sa wakas ang Hudas. LOL. Huy. Umamin na nga. Atoned his sins na nga e. Bumabawi na nga sa'yo e. :D May mga times na naiiyak pa 'yan si dad kasi dami daw niyang kasalanan sa nanay ko. Sabi ko naman: Dad, parehas lang kayong delulu ni mom. Ginalingan niyo naman kaso... boomers kayo e. HAHAHAHHAHA. Masyadong traditional mindset and 'yung roll out, sobrang ugh. Pero ganun talaga. Iba na generation ngayon.

Mas pinipili nga mga XX at XY maging single kasi, syempre, HAHAHAHHA. Why not nga ba? Seriously though, dahil sa generational trauma, generational curse (hindi sumpa as in MMK levels), childhood traumas at iba pang triggers. Totoo naman. Guilty ako diyan, pero, siguro, 'pag nahanap mo 'yung tao na patuloy mong pipiliin kahit sarap talagang iuntog, it may work. Bayannn. Bakit ba tayo nagwo-work? Para sa better future and para sa healing ng inner child. I guess, ang important is ma-define kung ano ba ang better future. How does it look like? What does it feel like? Anong essentials and non-essentials.

I still stand firm na mahirap maging babae, lalo ngayon... sa workforce, outside work kasi andami talagang hanash and cancel culture. 'Pag single ka, anong mali sa'yo? 'Pag may relationship ka, 'di ka na priority masyado kasi may chances ka na unahin ang pamilya mo. LUL. Hahahahahaha. Even sa plants and manufacturing, mas gusto nila babae lalo tomboy, kasi raw less chances of getting pregnant. Hahahaha.

Pero I stand firm din na there's something powerful in women who try to rock the boat and sail the boat. Shattering stereotypes and breaking barriers in their own style, baga. Need lang talaga ng full support, 24/7. HAHAHAHAHA. Puwede namang 18 hours para may downtime. CHZ.

Ano bang secret sauce ko? 'Di kasi ako tumitingin masyado sa gender e. Duality nga 'di ba? Ego, bias and verbal and non-verbal cues lang baon ko. Then ano bang intention ko given 'yung intention nung kung sino mang ka-interface ko.

So, ano nga bang intention ko? Ano rin bang intention mo?

Check ko na muna labada ko then try ko ulit muna matulog ng onti. Ayoko munang mag-melatonin or mag-take ng mga paganaps. O baka sundutin ko na lang muna 'to ng 1 bott ng wine tonight. LUH. Eto na naman ba tayo sa sedation season? Sakto naman, Paskong Pasiklab na rin. May good alibi, always.

Actually, ang gusto ko lang naman sabihin: Kelan ba best time mag-leave? Saka saan ako pupunta lalo sa New Year's Eve? Hahahahahahaha. Magandang umaga, madlang people!

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