#(i think she was joking) and after i took out a chunk she said she meant just put an indent so i tried that too and that's why it's mismash

[vraska-theunseen]

DID YOU ALL KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO WHATEVER UOU WANT WHEN YOURW MAKING ART ISNT THAT WILD

#alex talks #this was a piece i didn't really know what to do with so i put the holes in at first and then someone im in class with suggested i bite it #(i think she was joking) and after i took out a chunk she said she meant just put an indent so i tried that too and that's why it's mismash

[actually-safer-to-kiss]

Dinner Time

Summary: Reader makes Spencer his first homemade dinner after getting out of prison, and they both realize he's got some adjusting to do.

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader

Category: Hurt/Comfort

Content warnings: Eating, mentions of weight loss, hurt Spencer, ambiguous ending

Word count: 1k

Spencer sat at the small table in your kitchen. You set it up with funky-patterned napkins, an extra big spoon, and a used candle lit in the middle; the whole shebang. You prepared his serving of your vegetable soup, the meal he requested to celebrate his arrival home. “Are you comfortable?” You ask as you hover over the stove.

He nods and picks up his napkin, observing the pattern and weight. “Where did you get these?”

“Your mom found them when we were shopping. She said they reminded her of your socks. Isn’t that sweet?”

He blew air through his nose before saying “Wow.” He rubbed his thumb along it, following the vivid stripes. You didn’t want to tell him how she teared up when she spotted them. How she held the set close to her chest made you feel sorry that she remembered without help.

“She took it as a sign you were coming home.” Half true. More like you convinced her it was. She asked you to buy them for that reason, to celebrate. “And now here we are.” You beamed as you say the words.

“That’s wonderful.” He looked up at you and smiled. You saw it in your peripheral as you opened a pack of oyster crackers. You knew he wanted to thank you for making time for her. He wanted to, but you insisted the thank yous were enough after he said it the fifth time in 24 hours. You flashed him a brief grin as a muted response, and he appreciated it.

“Alright,” You held the bowl carefully, mistakenly filling it to the brim. Due to the sheer joy of having him home, safe, and innocent (in the eyes of the law), you almost didn’t notice he had lost weight. The first time you saw his spine after getting out of the shower, you didn't even think it was possible for him. “Extra potatoes, per your request, mon amour.” You emphasize your terrible French accent which makes him chuckle.

“Merci, mon amour.” His flawless accent almost ruined the joke.

“Okay, show off, so happy you're home.” You sneered, and his smile was even wider. You grab your own bowl and sit by his side. His elbows somehow naturally find their way to the table, boxing in his soup like he was cornering prey. Spoon in hand, he dipped in the hefty bowl. Then he shoveled in some of those extra potato chunks with some tomato-y broth. Hungry, you thought, as he leaned over the bowl, steam gliding over his rough stubble. He took a second and third bite, despite his mouth being nearly stuffed.

You didn’t say anything at first. You didn’t want to imagine the food he had to eat or meals he might have skipped because of poor quality (or other reasons). As he chewed hastily, for a moment, it gave you hope he'd gain weight quickly.

But then he reached out for his water to drink like he needed to soothe something too spicy.

Or something too hot.

“Honey?”

Bite four, five, and six. He chewed.

“Spencer.”

“Hm?” Bite seven, eight —

You put a hand on his arm and Spencer’s head immediately turned to you. It made you pull back, not touch him. His face was red and his mouth hung open, similar to a dog sticking its tongue out to cool off. “Spencer. You can let it cool.”

He swallowed, not chewing enough, and it pained him. “I can’t. I want to finish before bed.” His tongue barely touched the roof of his mouth as he spoke.

“Are you that tired?”

“No.” His eyebrows furrowed at the question, looking just as confused as you. “We only have 30 minutes for dinn—” And somehow his face of realization was even more upsetting to witness. There's a silence, brief but heavy as his whole face fell and he covered his eyes with one hand. “I’m sorry.” He sniffles.

“It’s not your fault.”

"I'll… take my time." He leans on his elbow and looks down at his meal, staring, waiting for the steam to stop. It was seconds later that his eyes were lined with tears again.

You were afraid to ask the question. “How’s your mouth?”

“It hurts.” He bites his lip as tears trickle.

You drop your spoon and scoot your chair closer to his. You ask him to sit up straight and drink water. Once he’s done that, drinking as much (or as little) as he can tolerate, you gently press his face into your shoulder. Tears collect on your skin, but you keep him close and encourage him to let it out.

And he does. His chest caves with every sob he's locked away for two months. His arms wrap around your waist, the first time he's touched you since he’s been home, apart from the delightfully suffocating hug you trapped each other in when he was released. And for a moment, you’re hit with the reality that the Spencer you’re holding has changed. His survival instincts are still active, you're just now noticing it.

You still hold him as he heaves. You rub his back to let him know you’re still here, but you stare at the blank wall in front of you. Your head is spinning, running through therapists to call and books to read that could help you. To help Spencer. Because that’s what he needs.

Spencer pulls away for a minute to look over his soup.

“It’s still there.” You say, and wipe his tears with your thumbs. “No one’s taking it, I promise.”

“It’s going to get cold.”

“I’ll heat it up again, don’t worry.”

Spencer looks down at you as you hold his face. The dark circles around his reddened eyes were prominent, and you brushed the mess of curls off his forehead. Tiredness isn’t enough. He’s scared. From what he’s seen or become, you don’t know. But his stubble pokes your skin and you realize that you don’t know what to do. As you look at the man you love, you wonder how much you can do to help. You hope you can help.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid comfort #spencer reid angst #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid/you #spencer reid/reader #spencer reid self insert #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid oneshot #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid fandom #spencer reid blurb #criminal minds #criminal minds self insert #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fanfiction

[pedriscroquettes]

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄. PEDRI

summary. you’d always claimed pedri as yours while he always found you as a disturbance to his life. here’s the timeline of your relationship.

warnings. angst, fluff, asshole!pedri, kind of annoying reader(?), virginity mentions, and a love triangle?

a/n. this goes out to all the delusional girlies like me. gif by pedripics

september 2007

the look of horror on your teacher’s face contrasted your calm demeanor. you thought she was overreacting when in truth she was not. you were too calm for what had just happened to you. doña rosy’s son had just cut off a huge chunk of your hair and was currently running around the class displaying it like a prize. the fact that you weren’t as upset as you should’ve been shocked your teacher.

the reality of it is that you thought pedro was cute and somehow instead of crying about your loss of hair you were rather flattered about it. you were quite literally insane for thinking that somehow this demonstrated that pedro liked you. at least that’s what your older cousin would say.

“boys are mean because they like you.” her words echoed in your mind.

soon the two of you along with your parents and pedro’s older brother fer were in the principals office. your mother was in shock and couldn’t believe that you’d have to start your hair growth process all over again. meanwhile, pedro’s mom was full of embarrassment and of course both father’s couldn’t help but laugh at the scene in front of them. after all you were both just kids who didn’t know better.

“well it seems your daughter isn’t too upset about the events that occurred therefore i have no reason to suspend pedro.” the principal decided.

“what? he cut off a chunk of my daughters hair! it will take months for it to grow back! surely there’s got to be some form of punishment for him?” your mother yelled.

“but mom i’m not mad at him.” you tried to tell her but she wouldn’t listen to you.

“fine. pedro is designated table cleaner after lunch for the rest of the month and no recess for a week.” the principal sighed.

“but mrs. dominguez we play football during recess hour i can’t miss it!” pedro whined.

“you should’ve thought about that before chasing your classmate with scissors and almost leaving her hairless.” she scolded him.

on the way out of mrs. dominguez’s office pedro’s parents couldn’t stop apologizing for what he had done. meanwhile, all you could do was stare at him. he was the cutest boy you had ever seen, given that you were only six and didn’t know any better obviously. it didn’t take long for him to notice your glare and he began to approach you slowly. you lifted your shoulders thinking this was finally going to be the moment he declared his undying love for you like men did in the movies. you stood there stupidly with a smile plastered on your face.

“i should’ve cut off the other side of your hair if i knew you’d stop me from playing football. i hate you.” he told you before chasing after his older brother.

any other girl would’ve started crying, well more like any other smart girl. they would’ve realized he meant what he said but not you. you simply thought he was bluffing that he still wasn’t ready to confess his feelings. so, you simply brushed it off and picked up your book bag. you couldn’t wait for saturday, the day your family always went to his parents restaurant to have dinner. maybe he’d confess then.

october 2013

the humid hot air of the island almost made you turn around and go back home but your foolishness made you continue your walk. it took you almost fifteen minutes to make it to the local football field but alas you had arrived on time for kickoff. you sat next to fer, someone you had somehow gotten close with the last few years. it also helped that he was pedro’s brother and allowed for you to be close to him.

“why are you here?” fer turned around to face you.

“geez, didn’t know i was such a bother to you.” you joked.

“oh, come on! i like you my brother hates you which is why i’m so surprised as to why you’re here.” he looks back onto the field spotting his brother.

“pedro doesn’t hate me he’s just too scared to confess his feelings for me.” you playfully hit fer on the shoulder.

“yeah, okay. just don’t give him too many children i don’t want to take care of too many kids in the future.” he jokes.

the both of you chat for a bit catching up on your day to day when all of a sudden the ball hits the back of the net and the local crowd, which consists purely of parents and siblings, goes wild. you notice it’s pedro who has scored as he starts running towards the area you and fer are located and blows a kiss to the crowd. like the delusional girl you are you pretend it’s meant for you. no, you know it is because you’re still stuck on the idea that pedro is devotedly in love with you.

the referee blows the whistle and tegueste takes the win with a score of 4-1. you immediately follow fer onto the pitch to congratulate his younger brother and find him chatting with his teammates. pedro immediately goes up to his brother and starts thanking him for coming as their parents couldn’t since it was a busy night at the restaurant. you get ready to tell him how well he played but as soon as he sees you he walks away.

you’re supposed to be embarrassed but somehow you think he’s the one who is. you think that he’s too nervous to be around you and that’s why he left so suddenly. you’re about to walk back home when one of his teammates stops you.

“hey!” he seems excited to talk to you.

“hi.” you greet him back.

“i’m xabi, does your brother play here?” he asks curiously.

“uh no. my friend does. pedro.” you explain.

“oh! pedro! he’s great! he’s going to be good i think. do you go to-” he’s interrupted by pedro himself.

pedro is too quick and silent you don’t even notice that he’s been sneaking up on you until he’s standing right in front of you. he’s staring at you with a devious smile on his face and you wish you knew what he was thinking.

“you know what we usually do after a win?” pedro asks you.

“we grab the buck-” xabi is once again interrupted.

“shut up xabi.” pedro turns around to shut xabi up.

“we usually grab the bucket of water and pour it on all the scorers but today i proposed that we do something differently. i think you were our lucky charm and that’s why we should pour it on you.” his smile somehow grows wider.

you’re flattered at first but then realization hits you. the dress you’re wearing is too cute to end up drenched. most importantly you didn’t want to get sick. your smile falters when you see his teammates approaching you with the large bucket of ice cold water.

“no, pedro please.” you beg.

he tries to hold you still but your instincts kick in and you immediately kick his ankle. he lets go and you immediately start running. you don’t realize it but he starts chasing after you. you’re about to cross the street when he grabs you from behind and pushes you against the wall. he has a smirk on his face again. you panic not wanting to get soaked. you try to kick him again but this time he doesn’t budge and you’re about to give up when suddenly an idea pops up in your mind.

you grab his cheeks and kiss him.

“what?” he’s confused.

you can’t help but smile at the way his cheeks turn pink but you don’t have a lot of time so as soon as his grip on you loose a you take a run for it. you arrive home exhausted and out of breath. you dramatically fall on your bed with a smile on your face excited that at your wedding you’ll be able to tell all your guests about today.

november 2019

it had been around a year since pedri, as they now called him, left the island in pursuit of a football career. it had also been six months since you gave up on the relationship you had hoped to have with him and it had been approximately three weeks since you had started seeing xabi. something you would’ve only thought would happen if pedri had stopped existing. fer told you to be more optimistic about xabi and that he actually liked you because he would’ve never pranked called the local pizzeria and sent forty pizzas to your house.

the three of you were currently gathered at the beach alongside some of pedri’s friends patiently waiting for him. fer had told you that he would be staying for a week before going back to preseason with las palmas. being the kind person you were you had organized a welcome back party for him with the help of fer. you’d paid for the food, drinks, and the cake that would be delivered later that night.

fer watched you carefully decorate one of the wooden tables with all the snacks and drinks. it was so obvious you still cared about his brother and it somehow made him mad that his brother never reciprocated your feelings. even though pedri didn’t owe it to you to feel the same way it just made him mad that he had always treated you bad for no reason. you had never done anything wrong to pedri prior to his teasing so fer always wondered where his brother’s hatred for you came from.

fer doesn’t have much time to wonder about his brother because said person was already making his way towards him. he’s about to run towards him when he notices somebody else behind him, a girl. he quickly turns around to look for you but you’re too distracted with making sure everything looks nice that you don’t notice pedri or the girl with him. it’s not until everyone starts greeting him that you notice his presence. you don’t expect him to talk to you so you stay back with xabi and that’s when you notice the girl next to him.

you’re surprised at yourself for feeling jealous and hurt because you thought you had finally moved on from your stupid childhood crush. xabi’s arm wraps around your waist at the sight of pedri as if the midfielder’s presence threatened him. you turn around facing the beach not wanting to see pedri and his girlfriend, you assumed that’s who she was. you’re too entranced by the waves to see the look he sends your way and more specifically the way he glared at xabi’s arm around your waist.

who did he think he was? just because he was named after one of the greatest spanish players of all time he was some hotshot? pedri mentally scoffs at the fact that his old teammate had finally been able to ask you out. he had practically drooled over year since the first time you showed up to his games. he grabs alba’s hand in spite. alba was just his friend but felt the urge to rub her in front of your face. he didn’t know why he felt so mad at seeing you with xabi or why he was also upset that you weren’t looking at him in admiration anymore.

“xabi! it’s been so long.” he greets your boyfriend.

you can smell his cologne, the one fer had bought for him last minute when he had visited his younger brother in las palmas. it was intoxicating. you finally turn around to face him and it’s like primary school all over again. you mentally slap yourself for still feeling flustered around him especially after all the damage he’d done to you. the girl he brought offers you a smile and you can only giver her a weak one back not knowing how to feel. xabi treated you so well yet he wasn’t pedri.

as soon as he’s done speaking with your boyfriend he walks away as expected. you don’t feel embarrassed nor angry anymore but rather relieved you don’t have to face the feelings you thought you didn’t have anymore. you took a step back fixing your skirt and making sure your appearance was okay. xabi notices how you fidget. he always does. he notices the smallest things and you hate that you can’t reciprocate how he feels to the max.

“he’s an asshole.” he whispers making sure the two of you are the only ones who hear.

“xabi, come on.” you whine not wanting anything to break out tonight.

“what? it’s true! he’s treated you like shit since we were kids and he still does it now. he didn’t even say hi to you when you planned this whole thing.” your boyfriend claims.

he’s right but you’d never stop making up excuses for the man you’d probably love for the rest of your life.

“i mean i did annoy him every single day of his life until he left. he doesn’t owe me anything.” you replied.

“yeah, you were like 10 with a little girl crush on him so it doesn’t give him the right to act like that. he should just tell you that he doesn’t like you and leave it at that. he probably doesn’t even know that you help out doña rosy at the restaurant, or that you helped fer with his exams, or that you had convinced the principal to not take away his recess time to play football! it’s not fair to you!” xabi exclaims.

“you’re right but i just don’t want to fight him. not today. so promise me you won’t start anything?” you beg him.

he scoffs but then offers you a weak smile himself.

“yeah, okay but if he pulls some messed up shit tonight i can’t promise i won’t beat him up.” you both laugh at his words.

the two of you are unaware that you’re being watched by said asshole and that he’s gripping his cup to the point that the sofa starts dripping out of it. he starts looking for his brother leaving alba alone. in fact he completely forgets about alba when he can only notice how infatuated you are by xabi. what did xabi have that he didn’t? besides compassion and kindness since pedri clearly had the looks.

“when did they start dating?” is the first thing he asks his brother.

“wow, not even a i missed you or how have you been?” his brother scoffs.

“i missed you so much.” pedri pretends to care. “now answer my question.”

“why does it matter? you hate her?” fer continues to pour himself a drink oblivious to the fact that his younger brother is completely losing it.

“so? doesn’t mean i can’t ask about her?” pedri scoffs. “plus, look at him he’s such a loser. she could do better i guess.”

“better like who? you? please, don’t make me laugh. you’ve treated her like shit your entire life just because you knew how madly in love she is with you and now you’re interested? now, that’s she moved on with someone who cares about her? she is doing better. now go attend the guest you brought. it’s bad manners to leave her alone.” fer taunts his younger brother.

“fuck you.” pedri was always determined on having the last word.

on the way back towards alba an idea forms in his mind. it doesn’t take long for him to get everyone together. he brings an empty bottle and places it in the middle of the circle everyone had formed. the midfielder had decided to play spin the bottle with his old friends.

“so, here are the rules!” he speaks up. “when it’s your turn you spin the bottle and you get to ask them truth or dare. but if you ask a stupid question for truth i’ll skip your turn. now, who wants to go first?”

the game starts out light and fun but as the game goes on it becomes more intense and interesting. fer had somehow ended up skinny dipping with the girl next to him and an old friend of yours had confessed that she was the one who gave your old principal food poisoning with the cupcakes she had made. before you know it, it’s pedri’s turn. you stare at the bottle intently hoping it doesn’t land on you but as if the universe heard you it lands on you. the smirk he has on his face reminds you of the one who always had when he was about to do something to you.

“truth or dare?” he asks.

“truth.” you decided to go for the lighter option.

“is it true that you lost your virginity to xabi?” his first question takes you by surprise.

“what the fuck pedri?” xabi yells at him.

“shut up xabi and let her answer.” pedri glares at him.

“i don’t understand why that’s any of your concern-” you start.

“just answer the question and we’ll move on.” he urges.

“no.” you reply simply wanting to get this over with and go home.

fer is about to spin the bottle before pedri stops him. he looks back at you with a sly grin. your stomach churns and you start getting a bad feeling.

“wait, i’m not done. is it also true that you’ve had a crush on me since you were five and thought we would end up together even though i find you repulsive?” pedri started ranting.

you feel everyone’s eyes on you and soon you feel your eyes brim with tears. you don’t know why he’s suddenly putting you on the spot when you hadn’t spoken to him in a year. you’d thought he would’ve left you alone now that you were with xabi.

“well, don’t be shy now. come on? do you think about me when xabi kisses you or touc-” you don’t let him finish because you slap him, hard.

“maybe i was a pathetic little girl then who had no self respect but i do now so don’t ever talk to me like that again. i don’t care if you’re a future football star or the future prince of spain you have no right to speak to me like that. go to hell pedro.” you pick up your things getting ready to leave.

you take out thirty euros and hand them to fer.

“for the cake delivery. he should be here at 9.” is the last thing you say before you walk away with xabi closely following behind.

“what the fuck is your problem? did you just come back here to say all that bullshit to her?” fer confronts his younger brother.

“she shouldn’t have been here in the first place. she’s like a parasite.” pedri scoffs.

“without her i wouldn’t have planned this! she paid for everything and spent the whole day decorating this for you! she helps mom and dad out at the restaurant now that we get tourists there almost everyday. she helped me pass my exams and most importantly all those gifts i gave you when i visited where picked out by her. so, go to hell. i don’t wanna see you for the rest of the night so go home.” fer let’s him know.

pedri stands there in shock not knowing what to say. suddenly he feels horrible but he doesn’t want everyone else to notice so he picks up his shoulders ready to go home.

“oh and stay away from her. she finally found someone who cares about her and i don’t need your jealousy ruining that. xabi is going to play for girona next year and he’ll take care of her. i don’t need you fucking up anything else.” is the last thing his brother tells him.

you wake up to loud knocks on your door. you notice xabi isn’t next to you anymore meaning he’d probably left for training already. you yawn before slowly making your way towards the door. you don’t even check before opening the door something you regret when you see who’s on the other side. it’s pedri but now he’s rocking a black eye.

“your boyfriend paid me a visit last night.” is the first thing he says to you.

“shame.” you reply.

“huh?” he questions

“shame he didn’t get the other one as well.” you cross your arms.

“okay, i deserve that.”

“look pedri you have five minutes to tell me why you’re here before i call your parents and tell them you’re harassing me.” you say.

“i came to apologize. i was out of line last night and i fucked up. in truth i think i realized that i was jealo-”

“don’t pedri. you’ve had twelve years to tell me that you liked me or had a crush on me and instead you spent every single one of those humiliating me. maybe i was annoying but i have never disrespected you. now, leave. i’m happy with xabi and you’re not going to ruin that.” you interrupt him.

“but-”

“leave. we were never meant to happen. xabi is my person and i hope you find yours. hopefully someone nice and not full of hatred like you.” you slammed the door closed in front of him.

that day you call in sick for work and the day after that and so on until you heard news that pedri had gone back. his parents didn’t even question your absence after fer had told them what happened. you cried the first two days and then spent the next few days with xabi. in the span of those days he had asked you to move with him to girona and you didn’t even hesitate before accepting. maybe if you moved you’d loose all memories of the brown eyed boy you had once worshipped.

present day

the adjustment to barcelona wasn’t hard. the few years you were in girona were enough to learn catalan easily so you could communicate with almost anyone. the only problem was getting used to your new job at fc barcelona as a physical therapist. most of the players at girona barely stopped by opting to have surgery and recovering with their own staff. but at barça it was different, you were always busy with injured players as well as recovering players.

xabi and you had parted ways roughly six months ago when he transferred to roma. you couldn’t make the move not wanting to be too far from your home and you were surprised that he understood and took it likely. it was a rough breakup but not because he treated you bad or anything but because he had cared so much and now you felt alone. like you were missing your best friend.

you had stopped keeping up with pedri so you had no idea where he was now and had even stopped talking to fer to which he understood why. he wasn’t mad but he was upset that your friendship had failed because of his asshole brother. alas you shake your thoughts away when a knock on your office door interrupts you.

“come in!” you pick up the file that had been dropped off earlier about the player you’d be seeing today.

the door opens but you’re too engrossed by the files to notice who it is. you’re halfway into the summary of his injury until you notice you don’t even know who you’re treating. when you see the name up top your mind goes blank. you almost walk out the door at the sight of pedro’s name. you spend a few minutes panicking before remembering you’re being paid to be a professional so you gently get back into that mindset and set the file down.

“so the process of your recovery will include-”

“so, you’re just going to pretend that we don’t know each other?” pedri asks you.

“for the remainder of the time that i will work here? yes. now shut up and let me explain how your recovery process will go if you want to play again this season.” you scold him.

he just scoffs and shuts up.

“i assume the medical staff has already told you that you need to apply ice packs to the injured area several times a day as well as taking pain medicine?” you ask him.

“yeah.” he replies staring at the roof wanting to avoid your glare.

“okay so, as part of the healing process i’ll advise you certain gentle hamstring stretches to strengthen you and when the pain begins to subside we’ll move on to harder strengthening exercises. we’ll start working on them on tuesday. i believe that’s all so unless you have any other muscular issues or problems please let me know now.” you reply as stiffly as possible.

“are you and xabi still dating? i mean i assume you’re not or else you’d be in roma. unless you’re doing long distance but i doubt it, it never works out. he’s probably cheated on you by now.” pedri simply starts blabbering nonsense.

“don’t really understand why any of that concerns you.” you turn around to type up his file to the database.

“because you’re too good for him and quite frankly i don’t think you should be with him.” he stands near your desk.

“who should i be with? the asshole that let everyone back home know i was a virgin? don’t make me laugh pedro.” you look up at him to meet that same mischievous smirk from twelve years ago.

“i’ve changed.” he admits.

“good for you pedro. there are plenty of other people in the sea that you could go after. unfortunately for you i’m not one of them. so please be professional and leave me alone. i have to see gavi in an hour so i have to get ready for that.” you urge him to leave.

“please, gavi isn’t even in need of physical therapy he just thinks you’re cute.” pedri laughs.

“like you? at least he’s professional and doesn’t throw soup all over me when i approach him for lunch.” you give him a smile.

pedri steps back realizing how much of a bad person he had been to you. he couldn’t even remember all the things you were accusing him of. he suddenly feels bad for that night at the beach where he had humiliated you in front of everyone just because he thought you were too good for xabi. when in reality he was perfect for you.

“look i’m really sorry for what i did to you. for all of it. i’m not the same person i was at the beach four years ago. and you don’t owe me anything but i’d really like to take you out to dinner and make it up to you.” he begs.

“pedri, you constantly made me feel insecure about myself, humiliated me, made me wear a bob cut so short i might as well have gone bald, and bullied me for my whole childhood so a simple i’m sorry isn’t going to cut it. now, get out of my office please.” you point towards the door.

pedri simply sighs in defeat before making his way out of your office. but he doesn’t give up because as soon as your sessions with him start you’re met with flowers on your desk, links to random memes he finds on the internet, and invitations to all the fancy and expensive restaurants in the vicinity. although what finally makes you give in are the coldplay tickets he offers you.

“what the fuck, pedri?” you jump up at the envelope on your desk. “i can’t possibly accept these? they’re like the best seats as well? oh my god.”

“yes, you can and you will. my recovering process is going much faster than expected because of you and you always mentioned how much you loved the band growing up. please take them.” he urges you.

you don’t know what comes over but you’re suddenly that little girl trying to cross the street and you grab him by the cheeks. you kiss him without a second thought but this time he kisses you back. it’s a short but meaningful kiss.

“i should buy you coldplay tickets more often, huh?” he teases you.

“oh, shut up.” you blush.

he slowly creeps up next to you and wraps his arms around you before removing a strand of hair from your ear.

“in five years when we get married i’ll tell our guests about this.” he whispers into your ears.

a sudden rush of heat is felt near your cheeks and you can’t believe that six year old girl inside of you has won. you stare in awe at the midfielder, not the one you hate and despise but the one you’ve learned to love. the one who will cherish you for the rest of his life. he kisses you with so much fervor and passion you forget to breathe. his hatred for you the hatred that had never existed is now replaced by adoration and love. and you smile once again at the thought of telling this lifelong story to your wedding guests.

#pedri imagine #pedri x reader #pedri fic #pedri fanfic #football imagine #football fic #football fanfic #ash writes

[ghostbite0]

How did everyone else find out about the baby situation? Did the blood demon art (...I'm assuming that's what it was; on second thought I can't remember if you specifically said that's what happened) take a while to set in and they were already back at HQ, or did the kakushi find them and bring them back?

Also what were the other hashira's initial reactions?

thats still to be determined-- i have yet to really iron that part out. i was thinking the three had JUST returned from their mission when the blood demon art took effect

Alternatively, the three are hit with the blood demon art, and Sanemi and Giyuu's crows go to get help. Since Gyomei is closeby, he is the first to find the three. After reeling over these three tiny babies, he takes them back to the headquarters, where they inevitably face the rest of the Hashira!

what were their reactions...? great question!

Hashira Reactions:

Shinobu: she couldn't help but giggle at their situation, but she quickly looked them over and ensured they were healthy physically. after they found some fitting clothes, she began to endlessly tease the boys-- particularly Giyuu, because, of course, she would tease Giyuu. she kept joking about how cute they were and how they should leave them like that, which was followed by Sanemi trying to throw something at her but failing miserably. Giyuu reluctantly lets her hold him, and then it turns into Giyuu not letting anyone aside from his closest friend, except for Gyomei. Gyomei's wonderful. Rengoku, too.

Tengen: similarly, Tengen cracked up. at first he was more confused and taken aback than anything, but once he knew for certain they were okay, he began joking around alongside Shinobu. he vocally brainstormed what kind of outfits to put them in, resulting in all three babies shrieking/whining at him. he claims Sanemi right off the bat and learns the baby is super ticklish. He spends a good chunk of the interaction tickling the little guy whenever Sanemi gets frustrated or angry. at one point, Sanemi pulled on his hair, so he tickled Sanemi nonstop until the baby could babble strings of reluctant apologies

Gyomei: he's really conflicted due to his backstory revolving young children, but his caregiver instincts take over, and he fawns over them. being the one to find the babies, he's the first to hold and comfort them, so of course, being as paternal as he is, he gets attached. once he took them back to the other Hashira and explained the situation, Shinobu began checking their vitals and what not, and he would continuously pipe up to ask how they were. this was soon followed by him bringing up how they needed to get the babies fed and taken care of-- which, again, had all three in distress/embarrassed

Rengoku: His big brother instincts go CRAZY. Similar to Gyomei, he automatically begins fussing over them and asking a lot of questions to make sure they're alright—though Rengoku asks the babies directly: "Are you okay?" "How old are you?" "Which demon did this to you?" "Are you hungry?" "What kind of food do you guys eat?" "Or are you still nursing?"... that sort of thing!

Muichiro: oh he thinks the situation is hilarious. he's completely monotone and stoic during the first encounter, but the second he's with the three babies, he's teasing them. he talks to the babies as normal and will just calmly ask, "Do you need a nap?" and says things like, "You're fussing an awful lot. Maybe you need a bottle."

he's basically a little shit. however, he does ease up later when he realizes Obanai, in particular, is having a really hard time, and his soft spot for him becomes evident. Obanai always looked out for him, so he wants to look out for Obanai! he becomes his main target in the teasing but is also obviously Muichiro's favorite. Muichiro will ruthlessly tease Sanemi, though. he thinks its funny

Mitsuri: she was in TEARS the second she saw the babies, and Tengen had to hold her back from rushing over and scooping them up. she thinks they're adorable and is already scheming with Tengen on how to dress them up, and what to buy them, and what not! once she was given the okay, she darted over and fussed over the three like they were actual babies-- only to be mortified when she was informed they all maintained their memories. she was flustered for a while, but once Obanai began to get really distressed, she jumped back into action. she would end up cradling him and kissing his little head until he calmed down, and of course, everyone just gave them knowing stares. Obanai was very embarrassed. Mitsuri interpreted this as Obanai getting fussy again, so she just returned to snuggling him.

feel free to ask more questions or send in hcs and what not! i love this au oh so very much...

#askbites #tiny 21 trio au #demon slayer #kny #not artbites #deaging #agere #kny agere

[misscinnamonroll16]

Brozone diner au: the day John Dory took off part seven

holy fuck seven?!? this is the last one tho

The two of them had a playfully stare off when they heard the front door open, they both looked up before going up front to see which brother had arrived. It was Floyd, waving good morning to them as he sipped his coffee. It wasn't long after before the other two arrived, John going in the back to retrieve the cake while his brothers drank their coffee and prepared for their shifts. John Dory hid the cake behind his back for as long as he could before revealing it to his brothers. Just like Bruce, they all were practically drooling, equally excited to get a piece. JD knew his words would fall on deaf ears until they had a piece of cake, he quickly cut it and served it to them. While they ate the fluffleberry cake, John started talking. “I made this fluffleberry cake as a thank you gift for you guys for forcing me to take a day off. I understand it's because you care and I work too hard. But I only do that because I care, I just have a bit of a hard time showing it. I figured this would get my point across.” " You're such a fuckin sap.” Clay teased before stuffing a large chunk of cake in his mouth. " God dang it Clay, he was trying to be nice, don't be a jerk. That was lovely John. Thank you for the cake, it tastes just how grandma used to make it.” Floyd said, smiling softly. Branch made a noise of agreement as he licked his plate (he really liked the cake), the brothers laughing at him a bit. " Geez Branch, no one's gonna take it from you.” Bruce joked before remembering the box of stuff. Bruce went into the back, to the office, and grabbed the box of stuff. Bruce brought the box back up front and placed it on the counter. “What's this?" Clay asked before peeking in the box. “Well, ask good ol’ sentimental John over here. He got it all.” Bruce said, nudging JD's shoulder. John blushed a little before speaking, scratching the back of his head nervously “It's just some stuff I found yesterday when I went back to Grandma's old pod. I thought you guys might like it.” The other three looked into the box, seeing the items John had picked. Clay pulled out the book, tearing up a little. Floyd cooed over the picture of him and Branch. Branch looked close to tears seeing his favorite old plushie, giving it a squeeze. It pulled at John's heart strings to see his brothers happy like this. “If this is what happens when you take a day off, I think you should take more days off." Bruce teased, nudging John Dory again. “Yeah right, then who'd be here to keep you guys in check." JD joked, the mood felt light and soft. Soon it was time for them to open the diner to the public, putting the cake away and their items with their stuff. The shift went by without a hitch, except for Poppy coming in to bother Branch especially when she saw his old plushie. The diner felt more alive and comfortable, maybe John Dory should take more days off. 

@bzjohndory

#trolls #brozone #trolls floyd #trolls bruce #trolls john dory #trolls clay #branch trolls #fluff with angst #just like the tiniest bit of angst #jd being a softy #idk how to write #idk how to tag this

[ateriblewriter]

A Little Bird (m.m)

Mason smiled at her, a happy lovesick look on his face. She looked so perfect to him. He had been pinning over her for a couple of months now, to concerned with not screwing up their friendship to make any sort of move on her.

But the other night, while they were out celebrating their most recent win, her brother mentioned something about her liking him like that. And in a weird way her brother kinda gave him his permission to ask her out, an opportunity he wasn't about to pass up.

So there he stood in the kitchen of his friends' house, watching as she sat the kitchen table reading her book. Her back was facing him, but he knew from the amount of times he watched her reading, that her brows were furrowed and nose scrunched in concentration.

This was his moment, his opportunity. She was right there.

Placing the caffeinated drink and muffin he had gotten for her in her line of sight, Mason wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leaned in his lips hovering right behind her right ear.

"Hi Annie" his lips brushed against the soft skin. He felt the tension in her shoulders slip away as she slightly reclined into his arms and tilted her head back so she was looking at him upside down.

"Hello Mase." Annie Zegras said while setting her book down. It was some cheap romance book that was dry and missing the point of the genre. She was glad for the distraction that the cute boy brought, although it was probably only temporary, he was most likely here for her brother. "What's this?"

"That is a blueberry white mocha and savory muffin from that place around the corner that you like some much." He rattled off her regular order that she got from the shop. Trevor may have mentioned it to him at one point in time.

"Oh my god. How did you know that was my favorite." Annie's eyes got a little brighter as she dove into the breakfast Mason brought her. She took a chunk of the muffin and offered a piece to him, but he declined. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. But seriously how did you know?"

"A little bird told me that." Mason sat in the chair her to her, watching her being so happy at the small gesture. She was so pretty.

"And does that little bird have a name?" Annie closed her eyes and took a sip of the warm drink, savoring its flavor before looking over at Mason again.

"Of course not! Birds rarely have government names." He shook his head at her, his curls falling back in his face.

"It was T wasn't it?" Annie laughed at his joke, a sweet sweet sound to his ears. "Oh by the way I think the guys are upstairs playing some video game or something like that."

"I'm not here for them. I'm here to see you." Mason admitted. His heart has pounding in his chest. This was it. "Annie, I want to, um, would you like to ..." he breathed.

If only he get his words out, but the cat got his tongue. He couldn't form words. God, she was going to think he was weird and never speak to him again.

"Yes" She whispered as if she were reading his mind. A smile graced her lips as she repeated her answer to to his non existent question. "Thursday night, after the game, it'll be late, but I think I can get us a reservation somewhere."

Now it was his turn to seal the deal with a nod and mumbled yes. Mason grabbed her hand, giving a little kiss. Annie blushed and when he let go of her hand, she rubbed his cheek with her thumb. They were both smiling like crazy at each other.

It was a date.

Let me know what y'all think

prompt #1047 from @creativepromptsforwriting

#mason mctavish #mason mctavish x oc #mason mctavish x reader #nhl imagine #nhl blurb #nhl imagine #mason mctavish x zegras!sister

[tapejob]

hockeyblr linguistics - a preliminary analysis

hey all! as some of you know, i sent out a hockeyblr lingo survey a few days/weeks/something ago. as of today i finally have the free time to tackle it. big thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey, and without further ado: a kind of hasty, barely technical, preliminary analyses of hockeyblr lingo!

this dataset features around 21 main questions, with a sample size of around 673 respondents. partial responses were also combined in the final dataset because i got tired of waiting. obligatory disclaimer on response bias due to the nature of an online survey, etc etc.

i'm dividing this analysis mainly question-by-question, but also organized somewhat by themes/section. while we're mainly covering vocab + pronunciations, there's also sections looking at connotations/sentiment associated with words, and hockeyblr behavior patterns. it is very late at night, please bear with me if i get anything wrong.

section i: vocab + pronounciation demographics

Q1: vocabulary associated with the hat trick*

*as anon and multiple respondents have mentioned, this specific question contains a typo that may have affected data collection. the original question posed was 'what do you call three goals in a period?', which caused some confusion. though i think this data is enough to get the gist of it, this is something to keep in mind. i spent some time cleaning the 'other' responses and incorporating any '3 goals in a GAME is a hatty' responses into the other points, but i apologize for the confusion, haha

'hatty' as a casual reference seems to dominate the preferences. the other two spellings of hat trick seem to be less popular, but still present in the sample. in addition, 2 respondents brought up using 'HT' and/or 'H-T' as shorthand.

it is curious to note: in 'other' responses, at least 12 separate people brought up that they would use 'hatty' and 'hat trick' interchangeably (while only 1 person brought up they would use 'hatty' and 'hattrick', and no one mentioned 'hatty' and 'hat-trick' as pairs).

Q2: What is the title of the player that guards the team's net?

'goalie' seems heavily favored, while 'goaltender' and 'tendie' come after. given that these three terms are most likely to be derived from each other (goalie from goal, tendie from tender), it's understandable: goaltender is the official position name in ice hockey. yet it's curious how 'goalie' is so much more preferred, compared to say the hatty vs hat trick.

i bring this up anecdotally because i remember talking with a friend of mine not in hockey (but into other sports), and she laughed a bit incredulously when i said 'goaltender', like i was making a joke. 'what a weird name, tender, haha,' she'd said, and i got. extremely confused for a moment because i had been so used to it being common vocab.

Q3: What is the term you use to reference who calls the game?

as also mentioned in the other section, there are a lot of people on the ice with a lot of different titles (ref vs linesmen) - how much of this data captures the people who care and specify (mentioned in the others responses) vs those who just call everyone ref (also mentioned in the others responses)? something to consider in the future. in addition, 'zebra' surprised me as a somewhat common term, given that i rarely see it used on my dash.

a big oversight on my part was forgetting to put 'refs' as an option - that's why the 'other' chunk seems so large here. below is an expansion on the 'other' responses:

Q4: How do you pronounce the term for the period played following a tie at the end of the 3rd period?

this question sort of combines pronunciation and vocab in one. once again, shorthand seems to be favored (specifically the 'OT (oh-tee)' pronunciation, though there were still respondents for the other pronunciation). interestingly, more fun terms were also reflected among a decent couple people in the 'other' section, shown below in the figure.

shoutout, also, to the respondent who called an instance of overtime 'instant victory'.

Q5: How do you pronounce the term that references when your team gets to play with an extra man on the ice due to a penalty from the other team?

interestingly, this is one of the questions where the shorthand wasn't favored (powerplay over pp). also, as @bisexualingmaliciously brought up: terms like man advantage, commonly favored during announcing, aren't as widely favored, while pee-pee (wouldn't be caught dead on air if they can help it) is considerably larger of a chunk. shoutout, also, to the respondent who pronounces pp as 'puh'.

in other responses, 'poplay' was also brought up as a term. another respondent made a specific distinction that powerplay was used for speaking, but PP for typing - this gap might be something to consider in the future.

Q6: How do you pronounce the term that references when a player gets a goal into a net that a goaltender has been pulled from?

'empty netter' as a term falls into a somewhat shorthand purgatory (with the full term as empty net goal, and true shorthand as ENG). it's similar vibe i assume as calling hat trick -> hatty -> HT. also, unlike PP and OT, ENG pronunciation is slightly more varied (not by a lot, but a little).

within 'other', 5 respondents also cited 'empty net' as their term. obviously this might not be favored due to the confusion (empty net as the event of not having the goalie in the net, vs empty net as the goal on that specific empty net). yet in the sentence 'crosby got the ___', why do the majority of us prefer empty netter over empty net (which, i do recall instances of announcers using as well)? does the 'er' ending roll off the tongue better? expansion on other response data below:

another note: a respondent made a specific distinction that empty netter was for speaking, while ENG is for typing.

Q7: "The other team is coming to our __"

i do think it's interesting that the sort of stadium/localization for the playing field is built off the materials surrounding the sport. 'turf' and 'field' are pretty widely used for field sports, and we have a similar reflection when put into the context of hockey: arena, rink, ice.

'other' distributions also reflect sentiments on 'house/home' -- rather than home turf, our home ice -- or calling out the specific territories. however, there were also a couple responses stating that they would never phrase or say anything along these lines.

Q8: How do you describe a situation where one team is playing 5 players on the ice, and the other team is playing 3 players?

There's a huge preference for '5-on-3' rather than '5v3' as a term. However, something interesting to note: from the 'other' responses, there was one respondent who used '3-on-5', and one who uses '2 man advantage' and '2 adder' interchangeably.

Q9: How do you describe a situation where both teams have 5 players on the ice?

Here, though the number-on-number format is still a large chunk, 'even strength' gains a closer ground (despite '2 man advantage' not having a similar effect on the previous set, even if both terms seem to be contextually linked). in the 'other' responses, there was one respondent who simply cut the term into simply 'even', and also 2 respondents who called this 'normal'/'a normal situation'.

Q10: vocabulary associated with dick trick

*this specific question contains a typo that may have affected data collection. the original question posed was 'what do you call four goals in a period?', which caused some confusion. i went through the same data cleaning procedures, but given this is a 'lesser known' sort of term, it's harder to guarantee that confusion is accurate or reflective.

The majority seemed to have 'dick trick' down - an interesting term, considering that it's not technically an official hockey term, but was popularized from thornton's quote and definitely isn't said on-air.

'other' responses vary: there is a great amount who expressed confusion over the term or called it simply '4 goals' (may be influenced by the question wording, as mentioned). others seemed aware of the reference ('joe thornton special'), or had a different term ('gettysburg hat trick', 'poker', spin on the word hatty).

Q11: What do you call the area that players sit in during their penalty?

more variation in this response - it seems roughly equally divided between 'the box', 'penalty box', and 'sin bin'. within 'other' responses, the sentiment surrounding the box revolved around either playful/childish terms, or those that involve connotations of punishment or crime.

some respondents also remarked that their language around the ox will change based on the situation: for example, 'Time out or prison depending on severity' and 'juvie (if it’s a rookie) crimes corral'.

Q12: What do you call a player whose role is often aggressive and expected to fight in defense of their teammates?

'enforcer' and 'goon' seem to be the heavily favored terms -- however, commentary from 'other' respondents also mentioned that a few believe the terms to be dated, corresponding to historical roles that no longer have a place in the game.

a few responses also called this role 'rat' adjacent, 'bad/big boy', or a similar term referring to the size of the player ('the tank', 'the muscle').

Q13: What do you call a player whose role is primarily situated on defense?

'd-man' as a shorthand holds a large portion of responses (once again, a similar middle ground shorthand format). however, of the 'other' responses, there was a group who also referred to this position as 'defender' and 'defense', as well as one respondent who specified a 'dman' without the hyphen from the multiple choice.

Q14: What do you call a player who often seeks to agitate opponents and draw penalties?

'pest' and 'rat' seem to be the big terms here, with very little surprise. there is however, a plethora of other nicknames available in the 'other' responses

the sentiment towards this player role also seems much friendlier in comparison to other role questions (multiple references to positive endearments, nicknames, or players).

Q15: Which of these terms do you (commonly) use?

this particular question was multiple-response for a reason - i want to take a deeper dive on these associations later. for now, it's interesting to note that specific shot terms, often finisher acts (e.g. 'slapshot', 'one-timer') are somewhat more used than those involved with skills (e.g. 'toe drag').

section ii: connotations/sentiment association

Q16: Oldest age of a baby ___ ?

here are some violin plots on that specific question (which i loved). though this stat has somewhat been alluded to in literature before (the so-called primes/development curves of each position), it's nice to see it in numbers.

a 'baby goaltender' can essentially be older than that of the other 'baby' positions (however, with greater spread - indicating that there was potentially a range of responses in terms of goaltender age). an old baby prospect is the youngest of them all, with the smallest spread.

Q17: Your "national broadcast" refers to:

evidently, regionally based associations come into play here. within the 'other' distribution, there is a range of responses, from those who have never heard/used the term 'national broadcast' before, those not in the US/Canada, to those who define it as anything outside of their local broadcast (no association with any particular brand). there is also a healthy amount of illegal stream usage.

Q18: What do you call it?

this question was deliberately a bit vague, relying on respondents to know the context through the answer choices. even so, 'narrative' won out overwhelmingly. how did this term come about, and why do we all specifically associate so much with it -- choosing it over other terms such as sports magic or story?

on the flip side, 'other' spouted multiple responses who were unfamiliar with the term. so how did that 77.56% suddenly and undeniably understand the term and its connotations? what part of the hockeyblr bubble has assimilated this particular figure of speech for us?

Q19: What does the above term mean to you?

this question was a free response, aiming to look at the sentiments and connotations associated with the term, and received around 342 responses. responses varied from snippets of poetry, objective definitions, confusion from those who aren't familiar with the term, and also a few associations with rpf.

i did a sentiment analysis on the dataset per response, and graphed the positive, negative, and neutral sentiments on a 3d scatterplot.

though a majority of responses featured generally positive-neutral sentiments, there was variation and the addition of negative sentiments in the set as well. looking at a violin plot of the compounded sentiment (combining the positive, neutral, and negative)

though the majority falls neutral in sentiment, and an average skews towards positive, narrative sentiment continues to vary.

in addition, topic modeling was done on the dataset, split into both negative and positive topic models. 10 topics were each generated from the lda models. from the positive topic model, the following topics were generated (terms, with their corresponding weights)

'0.033*"dreams" + 0.033*"perseverance" + 0.033*"strength" + 0.033*"maths" + ' '0.033*"hopes" + 0.033*"finesse" + 0.033*"feats" + 0.033*"essence" + ' '0.033*"peoples" + 0.022*"interactions"'

'0.054*"fun" + 0.053*"used" + 0.051*"happen" + 0.034*"talent" + ' '0.033*"family" + 0.026*"numerology" + 0.026*"moments" + 0.026*"improbable" ' '+ 0.026*"golden" + 0.026*"sids"

'0.167*"story" + 0.054*"win" + 0.048*"season" + 0.040*"team" + ' '0.025*"beyond" + 0.022*"g" + 0.019*"adds" + 0.019*"case" + 0.016*"underdog" ' '+ 0.016*"neatly"'

'0.099*"hockey" + 0.081*"way" + 0.056*"magic" + 0.052*"it" + ' '0.046*"definitely" + 0.040*"fan" + 0.037*"terms" + 0.026*"thing" + ' '0.025*"much" + 0.023*"special"

'0.067*"cup" + 0.059*"team" + 0.039*"whats" + 0.034*"uplifting" + ' '0.034*"bonding" + 0.027*"us" + 0.026*"dynamics" + 0.024*"theme" + ' '0.016*"intricate" + 0.015*"overarching"

'0.059*"storyline" + 0.058*"player" + 0.056*"lore" + 0.048*"career" + ' '0.047*"emotional" + 0.034*"satisfying" + 0.032*"team" + 0.026*"goal" + ' '0.024*"beloved" + 0.023*"important"

'0.100*"tale" + 0.055*"one" + 0.050*"thats" + 0.043*"on" + 0.039*"sport" + ' '0.036*"reason" + 0.024*"cant" + 0.024*"supreme" + 0.024*"pornography" + ' '0.024*"define"

'0.056*"luck" + 0.040*"friendships" + 0.036*"the" + 0.034*"put" + ' '0.025*"words" + 0.025*"stoned" + 0.025*"research" + 0.025*"figure" + ' '0.025*"ur" + 0.025*"playoffs"

'0.059*"current" + 0.037*"trying" + 0.033*"theyre" + 0.030*"creates" + ' '0.030*"cohesive" + 0.030*"life" + 0.029*"guy" + 0.021*"urban" + 0.021*"ppl" ' '+ 0.021*"gay"

'0.047*"pekka" + 0.023*"kisses" + 0.023*"nashville" + 0.023*"must" + ' '0.023*"mika" + 0.023*"juuse" + 0.023*"letang" + 0.023*"hugs" + 0.023*"kane" ' '+ 0.023*"chis"

read through them. i think i cried when i did. it's like.... that's the narrative, huh.

section iii: hockeyblr behavior patterns

Q20: How would you tag a post about Mitch Marner?

this question aimed to look at how users tagged players -- though i tried to pick a player that could be looked on mostly ambivalently, i obviously failed badly. for that i apologize.

though the #[first name] [last name] format that most player tags use seem to be the most common, there are an evidently varied amount of responses regarding the player in question. people either hate mitch or love him, 'other' responses included responses from 'i would not post about him/i have his tag blocked' to variations of 'minch/affectionate nicknames', to a response who didn't know who he was.

other tagging styles mentioned included specific player tags for only players on user's followed teams, or exceptions for specific players. also used was the #p:[name] format for players.

Q21: How would you tag a post about the Toronto Maple Leafs?

as opposed to the full name variation for player marner, 'leafs' as the shorthand name wins out over 'toronto maple leafs' as the full team name.

however, this is also dependent on cultural context - the leafs have always been referred to as the leafs. does this tagging etiquette extend to teams such as columbus (would you tag it cbj, jackets, etc)?

conclusions/future considerations: i hate writing this part in real academic papers so i get the choice to half-ass it on my fake no effort one. hockeyblr is fascinating, and you know - why do we tend to say the things we do? there were a few questions i posed in this dataset that would be interesting to pursue if i or anyone else had the time or the time (good god). and considering how unique we are as a niche, how does hockeyblr compare to a different dataset with similar questions? something to consider.

anyway, i hope you guys learned something from this huge post. if you read through all that, you're the greatest. thanks again for reading, hope you enjoyed this not-at-all-academic study.

#hockeyblr #hockey #nhl #tj talking code #this post was. way too much work for someone who was supposed to be having an off day

[viarayy01-blog]

Inside The Heart - Chapter 1

viarayy01

Summary:

//A human glamrocks au that involves Evan and Cassidy learning to accept the love of others, even if it’s scary//

Cassidy slammed her lunch tray against the table with a sneer. Evan jumped at the sudden noise but relaxed after catching Cassidys eye.

“You okay?” Evan asked tentatively, his voice just barely loud enough to be heard over the bustle of the lunch room as Cassidy mumbled to herself. Her crop top ruffled at the neckline as she sat.

She scoffed angrily and glared into the boy's soul. “Do I look okay, Afton?” Her hand reached for the thin plastic fork that came with the school lunch and she stabbed her dry chicken sandwich so hard that the prongs bent into a curve. Evan swallowed and made himself small.

Cassidy sighed and released the fork from her grip. “Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you.” Evan neatly folded his hands on the rickety table and nodded.

“It’s okay. So, tell me what’s up? You're usually not this angry before lunch.” Cassidy gave him a look and he metaphorically retracted the statement.

She shook her head angrily and threw her hands in the air. “It’s that Cassie girl. She tried to partner up with me in English class for our project.” Cassidy’s stomach burned just thinking about it.

Evan took a bite of his sandwich. “Did you say yes?” Cassidy started to laugh hysterically and held her hand over her face.

“Hell no! Like i’m gonna work with that prissy brat on anything. Could you imagine?” Evan drooped slightly and folded the edge of his napkin.

“She’s not so bad you know.” Cassidy wiped the gleeful tears from her eyes and caught her breath.

“Dude. Tell me you're kidding.” When Evan didn’t respond or give her a “just joking” sign, her gaze sharpened. “Evan, buddy, she’s a terrible person. Plus, she hangs out with Gregory, who you know is bad news.”

Evan knew there was no denying that. Gregory was known all through their middle school for getting into fights and causing trouble with Cassie. After enough punches and bloody noses, Gregory and Cassie were separated from each other's classes and monitored 24/7. Cassie had ended up in the majority of Cassidy’s classes and Gregory to Evans.

Even with the split between Cassie and Gregory, all four of them had one period together, science. When the two had walked into the science lab side by side, Cassidy let out an audible groan that was loud enough to get everyone’s eyes glued to her. Her face flushed to an extreme red but she didn’t apologize.

Evan had to admit, it must have been lonely to be separated from your best friend. Part of him felt pity for the pair of trouble makers. He couldn’t imagine being at school without Cassidy there by his side.

“That’s what I thought. Anyway, enough about priss and pissed, lets eat.” Cassidy said. She stared at the school lunch with detest and pushed it aside. Evan ripped his sandwich down the middle and slid her a half. “Thanks Ev.” He made a “mhm” noise and ripped the crust off the remaining chunk of his sandwich.

Cassidy chowed through her half for a moment before her eyes lit up. “Oh, I totally forgot!” She said, mouth full. “I'm not going to be here tomorrow. Just thought I’d give you a heads up.” Evan stopped eating and blinked a few times.

“What? Why?” He asked quickly, trying his best to not seem desperate. If Cassidy noticed the panic in his voice or the watering near his tear ducts, she didn’t say anything. She just scoffed and placed her sandwich down.

“Family stuff. My mom is… whatever. I don't really wanna talk about it.” She bit her lip and pressed into the soft white part of the bread with her red nails.

Evan did his best to keep composure and not break down into tears. “Oh. Okay. You’ll be here the next day though, right?” Cassidy’s snarky grin returned to her face and she giggled.

“Don’t worry Ev. You're crazy if you think you can get away from me that easily. It’s just for tomorrow.” Evan laughed a bit as well.

“Darn it.” He said, snapping his fingers. “I really thought I'd be free from your wrath.” Cassidy lunged over the table and socked him in the arm, hard enough for his sandwich to slip out of his hands. “Wait! Wait no! Don’t attack me nooooo!!” He teased, ducking out of Cassidy’s way as she went for another blow.

“You’ll never be free from my wrath.” Cassidy said solemnly. She shook her punching hand out and fell back onto her seat. “I’ll be haunting you forever Evan Afton. Even in death.”

“I sure hope so.” He replied quietly. He finished off the rest of his sandwich before the bell rang and quickly cleaned up the rest of his lunch. Everyone stood up from their tables and began moving down the rows of tables to rush to class. Cassidy swept her food off into the garbage bin and reached down to pick up her backpack that was leaned against her seat.

She swiftly flung her head upward and shoved her skull into the person behind her. Their heads clashed with a thud.

Evan looked at Cassidy as she blurted out a few curse words.

“What the hell! Watch where your goi-“ Behind her, Cassie was rubbing her cheek with a pained expression. Cassidy stopped dead in her tracks and immediately backed away. Her own hand rubbed the back part of her cranium where their heads had met. “S..sorry.” She mumbled. Her hand reached for Evans and he quietly hid behind her, snagging her hand in the process.

Cassie winced as she felt around the slowly forming bruise on her face. To her left, Gregory stood furiously with his arms crossed. Evan didn’t even realize he was there.

“You better be. Why don't you watch where you're going next time.” He bit, heat practically radiating off him. Cassie pulled his arm and rolled her eyes.

“Easy Gregory, she said sorry. It was my fault too. Sorry, Cass.” She gave a nod to Cassidy, who was still frozen stiff in front of Evan. The two moved away in the sea of students, leaving Cassidy and Evan in the mostly empty lunch room. Before he was completely out of sight, Gregory locked eyes with Evan and made an effort to look as pissed as possible. Cassidy’s hand closed tightly around Evan’s.

“Bitch.” Cassidy whispered.

— — — — — —

Evan did his best to squeeze through the crowd of students standing in front of the exit doors as Cassidy plowed forward as fast as she could. If he wasn’t holding her hand, he would’ve definitely been left behind.

Once they had maneuvered their way through, Cassidy released his hand and instead gripped the straps of her backpack. “Who does she think she is? Calling me “Cass” like we’re all buddy-buddy.” She said to herself as she began to move out onto the sidewalk. Evan did his best to keep pace with her as she paced down the concrete. “She’s the one who bumped into me, anyway! Why should I apologize?”

They made it around the block and were approaching the neighborhood where the Afton’s lived. Everyday after school, Cassidy would walk Evan to his house and then run off to her own home. No matter how many times he offered to return the favor and do the same for her (it’s not like he was eager to get home), she always refused. He didn't really know where she lived, but If she was willing to walk him all the way home from school and then bolt to her own house, he couldn’t imagine it being far.

“It’s bad enough that she talked to me in class. This is even worse. She completely embarrassed me!” Cassidy tucked her hands into her sweatpants pockets and furrowed her brow.

Once they reached Evan’s house, Cassidy marched up to his house and stood on the porch. She leaned against his front door and slid her feet along their purple entry mat with her combat boots. Evan took note of the lack of cars in the driveway and stood at the bottom of the porch staircase.

Evan murmured to himself. “Technically you’re the one who hit her in the face.” Cassidy glared at him. “With your…. head.” He blinked at her a few times before refocusing his gaze to the grass. He could imagine the look she was searing into his skull.

It was quiet for a moment before Cassidy spoke up.

“So you're defending her now?” She snapped. Evan flinched. All of his previous confidence was completely lost. She stopped leaning against the door and met him on the top step. “Why do you always do that? Why can't you just agree with me? Is being on my side really that bad?” Her voice cracked. Evan looked at her cautiously before stepping off his stair and standing on the grass.

When he didn't respond, she clenched her fist. “Some people don't deserve a second chance, Evan. Or even a first chance for that matter. Some people should be hated. I hope you figure out who deserves that treatment soon.” She kept her gaze on him for a moment before pummeling down the staircase and shoving past him.

Evan was left standing at his front door, alone. He fished through his backpack for his house key and shakily slid it into the lock.

“I’m home..!” His voice wavered as it rang against the wallpaper of his home. When nobody answered, Evan threw off his shoes and bolted to his bedroom. Tears clouded his vision as he slammed his door shut and hid underneath his blankets. If mom were here, she would have scolded him for not changing out of his school clothes before laying in bed. She would’ve sat on the edge of his bed, asking him what was wrong. She would’ve known what to say. But his mother wasn’t here, she was gone, and Evan was completely by himself.

Well, somewhat by himself.

At the foot of his bed, something crackled on like a radio. “Did he scare you again?” The voice said, cool and sharp. Evan came out from under his covers and eyed the stuffed animal that sat at the foot of his bed.

“N-no. He’s not home yet. And he hasn’t done stuff like that in a few months”

It made a ‘hmm’ noise before continuing. “He will be hiding again. You need to be brave.” Evan wiped a stray tear from his cheek and held the Fredbear plush close to his chest.

“I know. I’ll try to find him quickly.” He said, almost automatically. Evan cleared his throat. a low humming sound came from the center of the plush. “I got in a fight with Cassidy today. She just blew up out of nowhere and went on and on about second chances and first chances and— and that I'm never on her side. Is that true? She sometimes says these things about people th-that I don’t really think is true. I dunno’.” He sniffed and waited quietly for a response from the bear, having nobody else to ask about his predicament.

“She is correct.” It replied. “But she is also not someone worth listening to. She is a reckless and unempathetic person. She is not a true friend. You only need me as your friend.” Evan sighed and placed the plush on the floor next to his bed. He was used to hearing about how Fredbear should be his best and only confidant, so much so that he had noticed how often the bear repeated his phrases.

“Perhaps this is a sign. She doesn't know what is best for you. She does not know what he does to scare you. But I do.”

Evan uncomfortably looked into the glowing eyes of his “friend.” Something in his stomach twisted in a way he didn’t like.

“I..I don’t know. Let’s just.. Micheal is going to be home soon. I-I’d rather not be awake when he arrives.” He kept his eyes locked on the plush until its eyes flicked away from him and dimmed, the bright white pricks diminished. A single click came from the yellow toy and the silent hums stopped.

Somehow that always works…

“I think I'm getting way too old for stuffed animals…” Evan murmured to himself before kicking off the covers and crawling underneath. He wiped his eyes and curled up against his mattress. “One problem at a time, Afton.” he whispered, before quickly drifting off to sleep.

— — — —

Cassidy had slid over the top of the spiked fence as carefully as she could, but by the end of her climb she came out with a few new holes on her shirt. Still, no injuries, no problem.

The brown gravel that led up to her house shuffled beneath her feet, illuminated by a dim light that shone through the ornate windows of the building in front of her.

Mothers house.

Father's house.

Home.

It had already gotten dark thanks to the early November time change, so that made sneaking in and out through the window both easier and more difficult.

For one, it was much easier to go unnoticed in the dark. With her newly died black hair and deep red shirt, it was like she was invisible. But on the other hand, the lack of sunlight made it impossible for Cassidy to see the protruding ledge on her windowsill, leading to her face being pressed against the hardwood floors of the bedroom halfway through her climb.

“Ow…shit..” She groaned. Two head injuries in one day, somehow a record for her even with all the late night excursions she had been taking recently.

As if on cue, the back of her head flared up in a flash of heat and throbbed. Pushing herself off the floor, she rubbed the back of her head and rolled into bed.

She was hoping her headache could be slept away.

But to do that, she would have to stop feeling guilty for what she had said to Evan after walking him home.

Some part of her was happy that she didn’t have to see him tomorrow.

“Cassidy? Are you in there?” Said a voice that accompanied a timid knock. Cassidy stayed slumped over in bed and opted to not respond. A few more knocks followed before the door clicked open.

The person pushed her shoulder a couple of times before tugging Cassidy up and off of her bed.

“I was calling your name! Why didn’t you answer?” Cassidy slowly opened her eyes and was met with her mothers face staring back at her. A face that was very similar to her own, the only extreme difference being the golden hair that framed the woman’s face.

“Ever heard of sleeping?” Cassidy replied. Her mother made a frustrated noise and started to swipe her hair away before the wind got to it first.

Cassidy cursed at herself mentally and followed her mothers gaze. “Your windows open? Any particular reason?” She asked.

Cassidy sat up to get a better look. “Just wanted a nice breeze.” She said simply in return. Maybe she would buy it?

“With all these new holes in your shirt the wind is really going to get to you.”

Shit.

Cassidy looked down at her clothes and let the light do all the work. They were definitely tattered, but nothing too remarkable. Kinda cool in her opinion.

Unfortunately it didn’t look like her mother thought the same.

After looking her daughter up and down about 3 or 4 times, she turned away to walk towards the window.

“Well, it’s too late to have this open now. If you're hot, get a glass of water or something.” The windows slammed shut and the lock latched into its socket.

“Kay. What time are we leaving tomorrow?” Cassidy asked without looking at her mom. She hummed quietly in response as she tugged at the curtains that outlined the window.

“Early. And we won’t be back until late. So don’t stay up too long. Goodnight.” She said. Cassidy slumped back against her covers and waited until her mothers footsteps had rounded the hallway before flinging upwards and running to her window.

With one flick of her finger, the lock jutted out of place and the wind swung the glass open. She let her legs hang outside the window and tugged at the holes in her shirt.

“Night, Evan.” She whispered into the dark.

The wind said nothing in response.

#fnaf #fnaf fic #fanfic #inside the heart! au #fnaf cassie #fnaf gregory #fnaf cc #fnaf evan #fnaf cassidy #five nights at freddys #fnaf au #fnaf crying child #the crying child #my writing #multichapter #multi chap fic #something i wrote to pass the time :)

[birgittesilverbae]

Once she's wrapped practice up, Beatrice pulls Ava aside. "Beatrice Zhang," she says, holding out her hand. "Mary mentioned she'd like me to teach you contact?"

"Ava Silva." Ava grins back as she shakes Beatrice's hand. "Mary said that if she had to do it it'd end with one or both of us in tears or traction."

Beatrice tilts her head in acknowledgement. Not exactly promising. "I'm free for 6AMs on Saturday and Sunday," she continues.

Ava made a face. "Seriously?"

"Summer sessions are Monday to Friday mornings, I work 9 to 5, and I have club training and night class in the evenings. Add to that rep team practice and club games on weekends, and morning sessions are all I can do for you. Unless you'd rather we ran 10PM sessions in the dark?"

Ava shakes her head swiftly. "No, no, I can swing 6AMs all week. I can do it. No problem."

//

"You're late." Beatrice knows it's stating the obvious, but a vindictive part of her wants to really hammer it home. After all, she's waking up an hour earlier than she usually would on a weekend just to sit here on the bleachers by the rugby pitch and wait for a tardy student.

"Sorry, sorry." Ava props her bike up against the bottom bench of the bleachers and unbuckles her helmet. "Got doored by some asshole. I'm here, though." She makes a dramatic leg. Her chin is scraped.

Beatrice moves without thinking, takes Ava's chin softly in her hand, peers into her eyes. "Did you hit your head?"

"Just bruised my pride."

"You've got road rash on your chin, Ava. Potential head injuries aren't a joking matter. Did you not do baseline ImPACT testing with the soccer team?"

Ava shrugs. "If someone took a knock, Duretti would just tell them to walk it off."

Beatrice has to take a few calming breaths to keep herself in check. "Okay. That's– Fine." She scrubs a hand across her face. "We're not practising today. I'm taking you to Urgent Care."

"Bea, it's not a big deal. Happens all the time, promise."

"That's an even more discomfiting statement, Ava."

"Okay, yeah, that's fair."

Beatrice slings her bag over her shoulder and grabs Ava's bike, pushing it along beside her by the handlebars. "Let's go," she says over her shoulder when Ava neglects to follow.

"Why do you care?" Ava asks, still standing by the bleachers.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You barely know me, you don't seem to even tolerate me half the time, this is taking a chunk out of your day."

"If your teammate needs a ride to the hospital, you take them."

"Teammate?!" Ava exclaims.

Beatrice exhales forcefully. "I misspoke. If your perpetually tardy student needs a ride to the hospital, you take them."

#myfic #mywn #hooker au #warrior nun #ava x beatrice #idk if I'm gonna longfic this so eh

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

Hello!! I was wondering if you could do twdg Louis (and anyone else you'd like) where their s/o is immune to the bite?

Please and thank you 💖💖

(Heyo! Just finished it so here ya go. Enjoy!)

THE BITE

"Hey, Y/n!" Louis called out, popping his head into your guys' dorm room door. "Yeah?" You asked, looking up at him from the floor as you tied your shoes up.

"There's some walker's on the fence, care to join me, M'lady?" He joked, pushing the door open fully to see him with Chairles over his shoulder with his other hand in his jacket pocket.

You laughed a bit, nodding your head and standing up off the ground. "I would be honored, sir Louis." You joked along, him tipping the edge of his fake hat at you.

You picked up your knives off the nightstand, joining him as he held his arm out to you. You raised an eyebrow at him, looping your arm through his as he smiled.

"And we're off." He said, guiding you down the hall, down the staircase and outside the admin building. 

"Just in time." Vi looked at you both, raising an eyebrow at you both as she saw your arms.

"Do I wanna know or is it another dumb lovey dovey couple shit thing?" She asked, you and Louis looking at each other before proudly nodding your heads as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, we do our thing and you do whatever it is you have with Miss Clementine." You stated, walking past her as she froze.

"I heard my name?" Clem askes, confused as she walks up and joins you guys. "Oh, nothing." Louis waved her off, her growing moe confused as she looked at Vi who avoided eye contact.

"Okay, let's get out there and not die!" You sarcastically smiled, turning to them and opening the gate before running out to the yard.

"Right back at ya." Vi followed after you, it was usually you and Vi back to back when outside. 

You both worked well together and Louis would do his own thing and Clem was being the badass herself usually.

You took out a walker with your knife, turning around and kicking another's knee in before stabbing it in the head. 

You looked to the right and saw Louis knock one over the head, Clem setting off a trap that trapped a walker to a tree with a log.

You felt yourself being grabbed, turning around quickly to see another walker trying to take a chunk out of you. You pushed it off, kicking it into a tree as it was impaled by a sharp tree branch.

"Y/n! Look out!" Vi called out, catching Louis and Clems attention as you turned around and yelled as you were grabbed by a walker.

"Shit!" Louis called out, the walker pushing you down onto a shark rock and some glass. 

You felt blood begin to trickle down your arm but you paid it no mind as you struggled with the walker on top of you and a new pain introduced itself in your leg.

'Must've fallen the wrong way.' You cursed under your breath, most likely a sprain now.

You then felt the walker go limp, pushing it off of you to see Clem standing over it as she held a hand out to you. "You okay?" She asked, you taking her hand.

"Yeah, all good." You said, standing up before wincing as a throb of pain came from your ankle. "You okay, babe?" Louis asked, joining your side as he checked your arms.

"Probably a sprain, I'll be fine." You waved it off, Louis nodded before throwing your arm over his shoulder. 

"Well, we cleared it so it should be good for now. Let's head back." Vi said, beginning the walk back to the school. "Okay." Clem nodded, you and Louis following them.

"Do we have a first aid kid in our room?" Louis asked, looking at him. "Think so, why? I'll just wait till Ruby gets back from the run." You said.

"No, I'll help you." Louis stated. "Do you know any medical information?" You retorted. "Enough to keep you alive." You nodded your head, you all arrived back at the school gate. 

"Eh, I'll take it."

Clem held the gate open for you both, Louis thanking her before helping you back up the stairs, into the admin building and back to your guys' room.

"There ya go." He said, helping you sit on the bed after he helped you through the door. 

"Thanks." You watched as he looked around the room, finally finding the first aid kid under the bed.

"Took you a while." He waved his hand at you, sitting on the bed and placing your leg in his lap. "Nonsense, I take no time at all." 

"Sure." You laughed, shaking your head as Louis rolled up your pant leg. 

"We'll have to disinfect your arm too, don't want it getting infected." He stated, not looking up but laughing as you groaned.

You hated the burn when you had to disinfect your wounds that came from the hydrogen peroxide.

Louis began wrapping up your ankle. "I am so good at this, Ruby should worry about me taking her job." He smirked, bragging as he finished up wrapping your leg.

"Yeah, she's really worried." You smiled, Louis winking at you before moving beside you to get your arm.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at you confused as he held up your arm which had your sleeve rolled up. Your eyes widened, you forgot about that.

He started taking off the bandage. "It looks pretty old, want me to change it?" He asked, moving it as you tried to stop him. "Louis! No!" You tried to take your arm away but it was too late.

Which lead you to now staring at your boyfriend wide eyed, your arm in his hand as he stared shocked at the old scarring walker bite on your arm.

"Y/n…" he trailed off, his hand shaking as he dropped your arm and stood off the bed. "Is that a fucking bite?" He asked, slowly and quietly as he looked at you on the bed.

You winced as you saw the small tears gather in the corner of his eyes.

 "Did that happen today? Shit…I tried to get to you sooner! This is all my fault!" He began pacing the room, his hand covering his mouth.

"No! Louis, just calm down." You stood up, taking his arm and stopping his pacing. "Calm down?! Y/n, you've been bit!" He exclaimed.

"I know that, Lou!" You placed your hands on his shoulders. "Look at it." You said, him looking at you as if you're crazy. "What?! Why?!" He asked, shocked. "N-no, Y/n, I can't-" 

"Louis. Just look at it." You said, holding up your arm as he hesitantly looked at it. "What?" He asks, confused. "It's old, Lou. It's scarring. I'm not gonna turn, I don't know how." You state.

"Y/n, everyone turns when bit! It's the way you most definitely go out!" He argued, nothing making sense as he tried to find reason.

"Yeah, I know. But I haven't, if it was fresh it would be bleeding and all gorey. But I'm fine, it's faded." You explained.

"But how?" He asked. "Nobody is immune to this shit. How can you be?" He asks, you shook your head as you sat back down on the bed. "I don't know! But what I know is that it's old and I'm fine!"

He stopped for a minute, looking around. "Does anyone else know?" He asked, you shook your head. "I don't go around telling people I was bit. Now do I?"

"Okay, if you're telling the truth- which I hope you are! We have to see." He stated, sitting beside you as you looked at him confused.

"See? How?" You asked. "We wait for a few days. See if you're fine, then go from there." He sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, if you're fine with that, Louis." 

You shrugger, you both falling into silence as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. You leaned your head against his shoulder, him placing his chin on top of your head.

He really hoped what you were saying was true, because if not, he would lose you. And that was one of the few things he was terrified of.

                                 …

Over the next few days Louis stuck to you like glue. Wherever you were he was there, doing chores, going on small runs, going out the fence or eating dinner he was beside you.

He wanted to make sure that even if it wasn't true he would be beside you if something happened. But as the days went by nothing did.

You weren't tired, you didn't sweat like people did when they turned. 

And when he looked into your eyes they were still the (h/c) color he loved and not clouded up like they usually would be.

He walked to your guys' room, opening the door and peeking his head through. "Y/n? Walker Y/n? Lovely soon-to-be wife who I hope is still alive-" 

"Still up and kicking, Louis." You cut him off, sitting up from the bed as you heard him sigh and open the door.

He sat on the bed, beside you as he looked over at you. "So you're immune. That's…incredible." He smiled, laughing as he tackled you in a hug which sent you to laying on your back with him laying on your chest.

"That's good because I felt like I was going insane." He sighed, you laughing as you patted his back.

"Yeah, well, buckle up because you and me are in it for the long run." You smiled, Louis chuckling, hearing your heartbeat under his ear which he was grateful for in this moment.

"Yeah, I'll never complain about that."

#twdg louis #twdg louis x reader #louis twdg #louis x reader #the walking dead game x reader #the walking dead game #twdg clementine #twdg violet #violentine

[loganthrives]

RimWorld: Anomaly Part 2

I have another story to tell.

Spoilers below for a couple entities and a couple mechanics from, I'd say mid to late game?

A looong time ago, I got a call from a nearby colony begging to drop something near me with a reward for accepting the delivery. I'm down to clown, and it was a pretty good reward, so I said sure, why not?

That's not alarming at all. It says I can bring it to a holding platform to learn more, so-

Oh.

Great. Anyways so this motherfucker is an agent of pain, even moreso than this neat ball that I've found a few times now.

In the mean time, I have another obelisk to poke a-

-aaaand there goes Johnston's arm.

And stomach.

A few things happened after that. First we had to fight the darkness, then we had to avoid red rain so that we wouldn't fight each other, and we sent the mad ball out a couple of times, and things were actually going pretty good for a while, until the Revenant escaped containment.

So, it is no joke when one of these things gets free. First off, its like the other baby sightstealer thing except it doesn't automatically uncloak to attack. It leaves smears on the ground to indicate where its gone, but unless you have some kind of splash damage weapon like grenades or launchers, you can't reveal it or do damage to it because it is truly invisible.

Cue me panicking and building a couple EMP launchers and grenades, juust to have handy.

Another thing that happens is when it attacks and hypnotizes people, it drops a chunk of its own flesh? And you can study it to learn how to hunt and fight it.

First one gave me a longer trail to follow. Second one let my colonists hear it when its nearby. Third one finally decloaked it once we got near it.

But that meant that three colonists were downed to its hypnosis.

Wish I had screenshot this moment, but when you finally kill it (it takes a LOT of damage before going down, and I had brought basically everybody out to hunt it, so be ready with all of your best pawns), it destabilizes into a pile of revenant goop and returns to its spine only form. Which you can recapture, and it reforms again basically right away. Giant pain in my ass, but apparently regardless of the fact it regenerates it released all four of my colonists from hypnosis.

... I wish the story ended there. The story does not end there.

Time passed. Checking my logs, I killed the revenant on the 8th of Jugust, 5504. We had a third new obelisk show up the next day and are studying it.

And suddenly Johnston's fighting herself. Wait, what?

Its actually wild how much of an exact copy hostile Johnston is. Here's original Johnston:

And here's copy Johnston:

They have the same tattoos, the same favourite colour, the same fleshy biomass arm and stomach, they're even both showing up as married to the same man - the only differences are that one of them is naked and not part of my faction.

Check it out - copy Johnston's even got the same mood modifiers. Honeymoon phase, turned down by a different guy, likes her bedroom and thinks the dining room is impressive? Just absolutely bonkers to think of. This Johnston has never even seen the dining room!

Fun little notification - both were injured enough in their fight that they were both downed, and they both got back up at the same time, putting this on my screen:

So, what to do with a violent duplicate out here to steal your man? I did the only rational thing that I could think of.

I took her prisoner and recruited her.

I've got a kind of ranching-focused colony right now so another pair of hands to milk, shear, and look after animals isn't bad, you know? Copy Johnston still thinks she's married to Lorell, but if I click on Johnston from his social tab at least it goes to the correct Johnston. So at least he knows which side of his bread's buttered.

Not that this dude hasn't married, dated, or hooked up with 1/3rd of the colony. Bisexual highmates in a pro-polyamorous colony are wild.

I kind of wish there was more to the mood modifiers for copy Johnston. Like, she's got a high opinion of Lorell because of modifiers original Johnston had when she was copied, including a modifier to her opinion of him because they had done some lovin' recently? That's messed up, right? Wouldn't it mess her up too, emotionally? I have to wonder.

Also, is Johnston still looking like a word to y'all or no?

Twinsies! Seriously, its SO uncanny.

I keep looking for differences or signs that she's not quite human, or that recruiting her is going to come back to bite me in some horrible way later down the line, but so far so good.

Anyhoo, I don't think I have enough space left in the post to talk more on the Revenant or the trials it put me through, so I'll save that for part 3?

Also, I didn't honestly expect the last one to get notes like it did (not a ton, but better than my posts normally do), but if anyone's invested I'd be down to introduce more of my colonists and tell some other stories that I think up? Let me know what you think!

#rimworld #anomaly #anomaly spoilers #tw: body horror #tw: hypnosis #homewrecking #technically?? #also if someone wanted to add image IDs for screen readers I would love you forever #I'm screen clipping the text boxes but they're so narrow I actually can't add alt text #the button for it overlaps with the one to delete it lmao #also I'm bad at describing things and have no spoons

[iamstartraveller776]

A/N: In jest, @averbaldumpingground challenged me to write all 20 prompts from this fake dating list. Well, joke’s on my friend, I accepted the challenge. I’m doing 500-word ficlets for each, using different fandoms/ships.

Another Modern/Non-Magical AU for this ship. (I know. Shocker.) To be clear, despite the gif, this is not a Punisher AU.

Trigger warning: mentions of cancer and treatment

16. “I guess we don’t have to pretend any longer.” “Maybe we can just tell the truth from now on.” —Shadow and Bone/Darklina (ao3)

THAT WHICH BLOOMS IN STILLNESS

Alina met him at the wake. She’d gone outside, needing air untainted by alcohol and laughter and tears. Grief was a vise in her throat, squeezing at the loss of her childhood friend. Squeezing, too, at thoughts of her own mortality.

“You alright?”

She looked up at the man whose features she vaguely recognized. Kirigan. She’d heard of him, the captain who headed the most decorated special forces team. Genya’s fiancé served with him, spoke about his tactical brilliance, his absolute commitment to the mission, to those under his command. Mal had mentioned him too, said he was a soulless machine that would get the job done no matter the cost. But in the moonlight, what she saw was just a man with concern written in his furrowed brow.

“I’ve had better days,” she admitted before taking a sip of the tepid beer in her hands.

He nodded solemnly, joining her at the edge of the deck. She was grateful he didn’t offer flimsy platitudes. He listened to her silence. Then listened when she broke it. Stories about Mal. Confessions of loneliness, of feeling untethered. Especially when her body had become its own enemy and the cure was beyond reach for a starving artist like her.

The next afternoon, she received a text from an unknown number. I think I can help.

An officer of the court served as a witness to their nuptials where she learned his first name. Aleksander. Marriage certificate in hand, next was a trip to base. More signatures. A camera flash, then she had a spouse ID. She moved into his townhouse that weekend; he gave her the master bedroom despite her protests.

He was gone most of those early months. Genya took her to her appointments, sat with her after work most nights. But then radiation turned to chemotherapy, and Aleksander didn’t leave anymore. Held her hair when she emptied her stomach. And when her hair came away in chunks, shaved her head and his. Made her soup. Read her books. Opened up to her in the quiet hours of twilight—about his first love, Luda, an interpreter who died in a bombing. The toxic mother he’d cut out of his life. Never knowing his father. What he sacrificed for duty. He fell asleep next to her when the words ran out.

He was her roommate. Her friend. Then, as the disease abated and he turned the spare room into a small studio for her, she realized he’d become something more. Something she wasn’t supposed to want.

Then came her final appointment. Six months of clean labs and scans. Officially cancer-free. News worth celebrating, but her stomach sank instead. It was over. All of it.

“I guess we’re done pretending now,” she said.

“Yes,” he murmured. “Let’s not pretend anymore.”

There was an ache in his unblinking gaze that made her chest tight. She kissed him before her courage could falter. His hands grasped her jaw, pulling her closer.

And she was finally home.

~FIN~

ETA: my amazing friend @vesperass-anuna wrote a companion piece to this: too in love to let it go. Please read it! It's incredible!

#sab #darklina #aleksander x alina #aleksander morozova x alina starkov #my fic #modern non magical #darklina fic #darklina fanfic

[separatist-apologist]

Neon In The Nighttime

Summary: It's the end of the word as we know it. A west coast baker and the drummer of a metal band team up in Boston, MA thinking they're one of the last few people left alive after a viral outbreak turns those infected into blood hungry monsters.

Their destination: Los Angeles, California- the last place Lucien's eldest brother was living while gearing up for a presidential run. Lucien is desperate to escape the memories of his past life and what he had to do when his wife, Jes, became infected. Elain wants to try and reclaim the fractured pieces of the life she remembers before everything went to hell.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Read on AO3

She woke to the sound of wet hands slapping against the glass. Lucien was awake in an instant, pulling his seat back up as he fumbled with the keys. They’d been found by someone infected, pounding frantically against the window with those red rimmed, sightless eyes.

Elain nearly threw up in the seat well at the sight of the creature just outside. Flesh hung in bloated, rotting chunks from a broken, skeletal frame. One eye was wholly gone, plucked out so nothing but bleached bone remained. The jaw had come unhinged, leaving only the top, toothless half gaping in a silent, horrific scream.

Lucien screeched out of the sleeping spot on the side of the road along a long stretch of trees where more of those creatures—because they weren’t human, not anymore—shuffled and ambled toward them. 

“Do they just go on forever?” Elain gasped, gripping her thighs as she tried to catch her breath. “They don’t eventually die?”

“Oh, God,” Lucien whispered, his golden skin ashen. “Oh, God.”

He didn’t stop, and to their credit, neither of them threw up though she suspected they both wanted to. Lucien drove through Pennsylvania and into Ohio before he ever spoke a word.

“Have you ever been to Cleveland?” 

She almost laughed. “No. Have you?”

Those eyes of his clouded over. “For a show, a couple times. It’s not that bad, you know.”

“It’s Ohio,” she joked. Lucien offered her one of his half-smiles, the closest she’d ever gotten to a true one in the forty eight hours she’d known him. 

“Come on,” he said, pulling into the empty city. 

“Are you going to give me a tour of all the midwestern cities?” she asked, hoping that he might. Elain was half afraid that Lucien would find Eris and he’d leave her. How did she ask a stranger to let her live with him for the rest of their lives? She hadn’t quite figured it out in her head, but she knew she needed to make sure he understood she was asking as friends.

Platonic roommates was a thing, even in the apocalypse. 

“No,” he said, shooting her a sly glance. “But I know a place we can get some actual sleep.”

That was a relief. Lucien had dark circles beneath his eyes and she knew she hadn’t fared much better. Sleeping in a car was uncomfortable in the best of circumstances but knowing there were infected lurking in the woods all but guaranteed Elain was never going to get a good night's sleep again. Maybe not until they were further out west in the desert, where she thought it would be harder for a rotting corpse to amble about for a year. 

Lucien took them straight into the heart of downtown Cleveland. Whatever it had been before seemed a paradise to what it had become. More of that sewage smell wafted through the air while nearly all the buildings had been broken up and covered in layers upon layers of black spray paint and new growing vegetation. 

“I heard a pundit say once that humanity was the real virus,” Lucien told her, glancing at curling ivy. 

“I don’t think that’s true,” she responded. She’d heard that, too, declared so snidely over the radio while she’d been on her way to New York. “I think that’s a cop out.”

“Oh?”

“It didn’t have to be like this,” she whispered, hating the emotion in her voice. Lucien glanced over, knuckles white from where he held the steering wheel. “There were so many chances to turn back, to be better. To do the right thing. So many people tried, and I think it was greed that got in our way.”

“That’s still humanity—”

“No, that’s like, a couple power hungry assholes who decided the rest of our lives and the world itself was worth risking. I don’t think their behavior is some sweeping indictment of humanity as a whole. Do you think that?”

Lucien seemed to contemplate that. “No,” he finally admitted. “I don’t.”

“They sold us all out for money,” Elain said, her heart pounding in her throat. “And I hope they suffered for it.”

The leather groaned beneath his grip. “So do I.”

They didn’t say another word as Lucien wound his way up through a parking garage. He’d had to get out and break the bar to keep out interlopers while Elain watched. Lucien looked strong, so it didn’t surprise her how easily he’d taken it apart. No, it was the rage that flitted over his features. How the muscles in his back shifted beneath the long-sleeved, green shirt he wore and how when he’d looked back to the windshield, there’d been satisfaction etched on his features.

Gone, just as quickly as she’d found it, but still it was there. 

“This is as safe as we’ll ever be,” he said, unfolding a tarp from the backseat in an attempt to hide the gas cans in the cab. “We’ll sleep here tonight and make tomorrow a long day.”

“Fine by me,” she agreed. “Tell me about this place.”

Lucien made his way toward the stairwell, ignoring the elevators that no longer worked. Elain couldn’t help but walk to the pried open doors and peer into the gloom. Lucien waited by the stairs, his expression tight. 

“Careful,” he warned, as if she might jump straight to the bottom. It had been a long time since Elain had felt that suicidal. She offered him a polite nod. 

As they made their way down, Lucien spoke. “This place belonged to a friend of mine. He was from Ohio and I guess living in Cleveland made him feel like he hadn’t sold out. He was out in Los Angeles more often than he wasn’t, but he had this place and when I came through, he let me use it. I don’t think he’ll mind.”

Elain wondered if Lucien hoped he’d find his friend. Walking through the lobby of the building, she kind of hoped they did, too. Like Boston and Erie, Cleveland was miserably empty and gloomy to boot. The sunless sky made everything seem worse—gray and dull, a miserable existence along a muddy river. 

And still, lives had been lived here. Snuffed out thoughtlessly, and still pieces lingered. Elain found a stuffed brown bear laying face down in the stairwell and a discarded show in the once clean, open lobby. We were here, those things seemed to scream. Don’t forget us. 

Elain picked them up and Lucien didn’t say a word about it. As far as companions went, she was beginning to think she’d lucked out. Though sad, Lucien was at least friendly. He made her think of George and his assertion that killing was nothing like he thought it would be. Nothing like he’d seen in movies. Lucien, by that same logic, was nothing like the action heroes of the post-apocalyptic shows she’d used to watch. Though there was a gruffness to him, there was also compassion and kindness. He cared, deeply if she had to guess which made it easier to exist beside him.

She didn’t feel as though she needed to bottle so much. Maybe he felt the same, too, since he’d brought her here. What Elain wanted was to be his friend, to have that connection with another living person again. How awful to crave that desperately and find yourself stuck with someone that openly refused to indulge in any emotion but rage?

“Lucien,” Elain panted when they’d reached the tenth floor and were still climbing up. “How much—”

“Five,” he breathed, wiping sweat on the back of his shirt sleeve.  “I didn’t think it would be so bad.”

“We can’t do this on foot,” she wheezed, clutching at the metal rail to help take her up.

“Of course we can,” he replied, though he didn’t look as though he believed his own words. Elain certainly didn’t. They did make it to the fifteenth floor, gasping for air and dragging their legs behind them. Lucien pulled open the heavy door and with some unknown strength, managed to break into his friend's apartment while Elain kept her cheek pressed against the yellowing wall. 

Elain stumbled in behind Lucien, surprised by how normal it looked. Like they were merely renting it for the weekend. Behind her, Lucien managed to get the door to close, though it didn’t lock like he so clearly wanted it to. 

Gold records hung in black framed glass pictures on the wall, denoting the success of a metal band named Spring Reign. Leather furniture and sleek technology told Elain this had been someone with money and taste, given how orderly and nice everything was arranged. 

Pictures were hung along a shelf on the walls of the man who’d owned this place. His tan skin and green eyes were made paler with the make-up he used around his eyes, and his long, blonde hair seemed as though he’d made it stringy looking on purpose. There were photos of him with other celebrities, with politicians, and one that Elain pulled from the wall to look at closer.

It was two photos, side by side. The first was Lucien, a dark haired brunette, and a beautiful, red-haired woman. Sweat soaked and grinning in front of a burry crowd of screaming people. Lucien held a pair of drumsticks in one hand, his other casually flung around the redhead. It was clear the man who owned the apartment had taken the picture and kept it, Elain supposed, because they were friends.

The other was far more domestic. In some unnamed living room, Lucien and the blonde man held middle fingers up at the camera. Lucien sat beside a curly haired brunette woman lost in some forgotten conversation with the redhead from the previous photo. 

“That’s Tamlin,” Lucien said from behind Elain. With careful fingers, he pulled the picture from her grasp to look. “And that's Jurian—he played bass—and Vassa, she sang, and was our lead guitarist. We headlined for Tam and he took this picture of us. I didn’t know he’d kept it.”

Elain waited, watching how Lucien’s thumb swept over the smiling woman sitting beside him.

“And that’s Jes.”

“Your wife?” Elain asked, though she knew. “She’s beautiful.”

He nodded. “Yeah. She was…I met her when I was a fucking loser in high school. She was…” he trailed off, lost in memory. “She could have done better. Sometimes I wish she had.”

“Lucien,” Elain whispered, taking the picture from him when it looked like he might throw it against the wall. 

“It was our first big solo tour. All our shows were sold out, we had a huge following and for the first time everything was going right. And I could have brought her with me but…”

Elain waited as Lucien drew a breath.

“I didn’t want her there. I wanted it for myself and I knew if she came she’d hate it. She didn’t like the crowds, all the girls…” 

“Lucien,” Elain said patiently, looking up at the tortured man in front of her. “There was no way you could have known.”

“I was in Atlanta when they shut down the airports. If she’d been with me—”

“She still could have been infected,” Elain reminded him gently. “We didn’t know how it spread back then, or how fast newly infected people were.”

Lucien was staring at his hands, his eyes wide with horror. Elain could piece it all together. His wife had probably gone out in the early days and been attacked. And Elain could imagine she’d taken herself home to clean up the wound while trying to decide if it was worth going to the emergency room or not. Unaware she only had an hour—and that no matter where she went, she was already doomed.

And Lucien, who’d returned after days of trying to get home, to find her gone, but still alive. Elain swallowed.

“Did you—”

“Yes,” he whispered, still looking at his callused hands. Elain took them in her own. 

“She was already gone  by the time you got home. You didn’t…you didn’t hurt her. She couldn’t feel it. And she didn’t know it was you.”

His eyes found hers, wide and glassy with unshed tears. “How do you know?” he asked.

She didn’t want to relive it. Elain had spent months trying to forget George and the tunnel and everything that happened in the aftermath.

“I was in the Chesapeake tunnel when…” Lucien’s eyes widened. “The man in front of me was attacked. We thought it was drugs. Just someone on a bad trip who’d decided to walk through oncoming traffic. His name was George.”

Lucien didn’t take his eyes off her face.

“It’s a long walk back to the beginning,” she whispered, half lost in the glowing orange. “And with every step, he was getting sicker. I think he must have realized at some point. I think he knew what was coming, could feel himself slipping. He gave me his gun before he attacked me, and when he…when…he begged me to kill him.”

Lucien’s skin had grown pale, eyes practically bulging. 

“It was like that the second time, too,” Elain told him, closing her eyes. “Once you're infected, you have an hour or less before you’re gone and the virus takes over. You saw this morning. Our bodies are dead, we’re gone, but our brain is still alive. You didn’t hurt her, Lucien. If anything, you gave her a merciful death. Don’t you think she’d forgive you, though? If she knew what you were doing, don’t you think she’d have wanted you to end it before she hurt you?”

A tear slid down his cheek. “If we’d been together—”

“You didn’t know,” Elain said firmly. “None of us did. And I know this probably doesn’t make you feel better, but I’m glad you survived. And somewhere, I think so is Jes.”

He blinked, losing another tear despite how tight he clenched his jaw. “The time we had…sometimes I think it was enough. At least…at least we had it. It keeps me going, thinking about her, about before. And when you said…”

He drew a shuddering breath.

“Maybe you’re right. And maybe the word doesn’t have to be so ugly all the time. I think…when you said humanity isn’t a virus, that she wasn’t. And the love we had wasn’t, either. It was enough.”

Elain turned the picture over in her hands, popped off the little cardboard backing, and slipped it from the frame. 

“All we can do is go forward,” she said, offering him the photos. Lucien took them, his eyes locked on her face. “That doesn’t mean we have to forget. And that doesn’t mean the love we felt meant any less.”

Swallowing hard, Lucien nodded his head. “Was there…did you—”

Elain’s laugh was more scoff than anything. “I was engaged. I wish I could say he mourned me like this, but I don’t think he spent even a minute wondering about me.”

“His loss, then,” Lucien replied flippantly, tucking the photos in his back pocket. “I’d miss you, if you left.”

Elain didn’t want him to know how much that meant to her. Truthfully, she didn’t think anyone had missed her. In the scrambling aftermath, Elain was certain she’d never been anything but an afterthought. A last minute, “Oh and Elain, what happened to her—”

And that stung. Knowing everyone who had ever loved her likely had written her off as the first to die and likely hadn’t displayed even a fraction of the remorse that Lucien was still grappling with. 

“Good,” she said, forcing herself to remain light. She tried to dart away, but Lucien’s hand shot out, catching her elbow in warm fingers.

“I mean it. I…” He swallowed again. “Thank you. For coming with me.”

“It was self-serving—”

“Take the compliment, Elain.”

“Promise me you won’t abandon me if we find your brother.”

Lucien’s smile made her heart thud with hope. “What happened to competing cults?”

“Exactly,” she reminded him. “I’d let you be my equal but your brother would make you subservient.”

Lucien chuckled. “Come on, Elain. Let's see if the water still works.”

And for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, Elain felt as if she could breathe again.

LUCIEN:

The water did work, and once they let it run, it was mostly clear. Cold, though neither of them had expected it to be hot. He let Elain bathe first, listening to her shriek beneath the frigid temperature in Tamlin’s once glorious shower. There was soap, at least, which was more than he’d had in a long time. While Elain showered, Lucien went to the fridge. If there was one thing he could count on, it was alcohol. 

Tamlin’s apartment was drowning in it. Bottles covered in dust were half filled with tequila and rum and though it was warm, there was a whole shelf of shitty beer sitting in a fridge that had contained nothing else. Tamlin had never been the vegetable type. 

Warm beer was fine with Lucien. He popped the top off one and took a long drink like a starving man. Fuck, but a little alcohol might help dull some of the pain radiating in his chest. Seeing that picture of Jes had been a wrecking ball against his heart. 

“Did Tamlin have a girlfriend?” Elain’s voice called from the hall, echoing in the silence. What he wouldn’t have given for just a little electricity. Some music, some television—a distraction from his constant thoughts.

“Probably,” Lucien called back. “He was certainly popular with them. Why? Did you find something?”

“Clothes!” she called back with a giddiness that made him smile. Lucien couldn’t believe someone had left this woman behind. No one was looking for her? That felt impossible. The only reasonable explanation was whoever it was that wanted to find her hadn’t been able to track her down after a desperate, frantic search. There was something special about Elain Archeron and the way she could see the ugliness of the world and find all the beautiful pieces anyway.

Elain sauntered out, combing through her thick, golden brown curls. 

Lucien grinned at the sight of her. “No more St. Patricks Day clothes?”

No, Elain had found a black bodysuit that had likely been worn for bedroom purposes. It looked good on her, though. Tight against her lithe frame so it hugged right against her skin while the fabric pulled in places to give her a defined, almost hourglass sort of shape. 

“Do I look like an action movie heroine?” she asked, pulling the strand of her wet hair into a long braid.

“Is that what you’re going for?” he asked. She did, he thought, minus all the gear those types seemed to wear. A sanitized, prettier version of an action heroine. No one would have believed a face like hers was capable of the sort of violence those movies demanded.  

Elain wiggled her hips with a smile. “Yes. Maybe if I look terrifying, I’ll feel like it, too.”

Lucien merely shrugged. “A sunbeam masquerading as starlight?”

Elain’s lips parted, eyes wide while Lucien instantly regretted saying such a thing. What had possessed him? Unable and unwilling to take it back, Lucien stepped away so he could shower, too.

“Good luck with that,” he said, poking her in the ribs before vanishing down the hall. She didn’t call after him nor did she say he’d made her uncomfortable. Lucien reflected that he hadn’t been wrong, either. Elain exuded light. It was her great tragedy, in his opinion, to exist in a place that no longer valued that sort of softness. That had stolen it from her in order to ensure her survival. 

Lucien took his time in the frigid water, careful to keep his mouth shut given the metallic tang that filled the glass space. Elain had been right—Tamlin had a lot of soap.

Deodorant, too. God, he’d forgotten how good it felt to slather it beneath his arms and not worry that he reeked to high heavens. Lucien intended to take it—and the spare he’d found in a closet—with him.

He assumed Tamlin wouldn’t care if he stole some of his clothes. Just as Elain had done, Lucien shrugged on a pair of tight black jeans and a matching t-shirt, short sleeved to show off his tattoos, which was a thing he still stupidly cared about. He ransacked Tamlin’s closet, taking everything that had been left behind.

It wasn’t like Tam was ever going to use it again.

Lucien returned, threading his own fingers through his hair to give himself a dutch braid that matched Elains. She’d dug out a lot of candles, from where, Lucien didn’t know. He followed the trail of them and the mingling scents into a room that made his throat tight.

“Look,” Elain said, holding a coconut jarred candle in her hands. Lucien was certainly looking—not at her, but at the room she’d found. Tamlin’s studio, once upon a time. All untouched, from the guitars on stands and the fiddles on the wall, to the box where he’d recorded vocals and the drum kit against a glass window.

“I found this,” Elain added, walking toward a tower of records. Pulling out a plastic case, Elain found a CD—The Exiles. 

Lucien could have wept. “We can listen to it in the car!” she said brightly. “Also, your friend was a big fan of Taylor Swift, so if we get bored—”

“We won’t,” he breathed, taking the CD out of her hand. Of course Tamlin would have bought one in every form he could get his hands on. Lucien bet he had the record, and a digital copy, too. 

“I found sticks,” Elain told him softly, nodding toward a cup on the windowsill. “If you wanted to play, I’d listen. I’ll even scream that I love you, if that helps.”

Lucien choked on his laughter. “Would you flash me, too?”

She rolled her eyes, still grinning. “I don’t believe that ever happened.”

“Oh, it did. Mostly to Vassa, but still.”

“Well, if Vassa were here I might reconsider,” she said, plopping in a leather chair. The mixing board was dead, a monument to the money Tamlin had once had and the dreams he’d so carefully cultivated. Lucien would have given anything to step into the recording box and hear his own voice—to manipulate the vocals, the sound of the drums, the guitar. Anything that might shake him from this nightmare.

Elain waited expectantly, hand outstretched. He handed her his record, thinking of the blood, sweat, and tears it had taken to make it in the first place. 

“Play The Grey for me,” she said, looking at tracklist printed on the back. Lucien smiled.

“I wrote that, you know,” he said, reaching for the sticks. A thin layer of dust coated the kit, but for the most part, the set was in perfect, gorgeous condition. 

“Of course. I’m actually a secret Lucien Vanserra fan,” Elain told him. “I had a poster of you—”

“Shirtless, I hope,” he said with a relish, flipping his sticks between his fingers. He didn’t have to look to see her roll her eyes. Lucien could practically hear it. Still, it felt good to tease her a little.

In his head, he could see it all so clearly. That last show in Atlanta and the hum of the crowd. Vassa tuning her guitar just off stage while Lucien stretched out his muscles and Jurian gulped down water. They hadn’t known it would be their last show together, didn’t know they needed to savor it.

He hadn’t told either of them goodbye. He’d just left in his desperation to get back to Jes. He didn’t know what had happened to Vassa and Jurian, but he hoped they’d gotten the hell out. That they were somewhere safe, and they didn’t hate him too much.

Lucien looked up to find Elain watching, his record still held in her delicate hands. Hands that were just as blood stained as his own. She smiled that bright, sunny smile and Lucien thought if Elain could find joy in this terrible world, maybe he could, too. And maybe, despite everything, there was still a place for musicians and bakers. 

Closing his eyes, Lucien counted in his head, just like he’d always done. Vassa started, and Jurian followed just behind, thrumming softly. Building into Lucien’s furious beat. Lucien had forgotten how it felt to lose himself this way. To give in to the ache in his arms, to lean into the pain because it felt good. Nothing in Lucien’s life had ever made him feel like playing music did. He still remembered when his mother had brought home that drum kit, desperate to find something that might focus her rowdy son. Lucien had taken to it like a fish to water and that it been the end of things. While his father groomed Eris to be a great politician, Lucien was left to run wild. 

The music in his head ended, dragging him back into the candle lit darkness with Elain. She had her head propped on her hand, watching him with bright eyes. “Teach me,” she asked. Jes had said the same thing, once. Lucien had blown her off, unwilling to share. There would be time, besides. He’d always thought so. 

“Come here,” he said instead, breathless and exhilarated. There was no such thing as time anymore. Every moment had to be selfishly seized lest they lose it forever. If Elain wanted him to show her how to play and he brushed her off, he’d never get another chance. Tomorrow they’d be back in the car, and though they’d have things to listen to, they wouldn’t have this.

Lucien yielded the stool to her, hovering just behind. She inclined her head to look up at him and for just a moment, Lucien was struck by how genuinely beautiful she was. He’d forgotten, having grown accustomed to her presence, her face, but just then, as he handed her his sticks, it was like he was seeing her for the very first time. 

“Now what?” Elain asked, unaware of his thoughts. Lucien reached for her wrists. 

“After me.”

#oops I forgot about this #elucien

[fics-by-em]

Amorous Facades - Chapter Fourteen

A wild night out leaves the lives of Jamie Tartt and Ophelia Adams more intertwined than they ever would have imagined.

Will their decision to try and use the situation to their advantage work out in their favour or will they realize that they should have cut their losses when they had the chance?

———-

previous chapter

———-

Note: I managed to map out a huge chunk of the next few chapters this week and I'm so excited about all the fun (and dramatic) things heading Jamie and Lia's way!

Just a little note though, sometimes it's kinda hard to tell how much time has passed between episodes and events in the show so while I will be sticking fairly close to the show if some things don't match up with the timeline properly then please just go along with it and suspend your disbelief!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts about this chapter! :)

———-

Travelling with Jamie was far different than any way Lia had travelled in the past.

The first class plane seats on a decent airline, the sleek black car that took them to the private boat that took them to the island of Capri where their five star accommodation was waiting. It was all far more luxury than Lia had ever experienced and it didn’t escape her notice that the constant and sincere way she thanked every person who helped them along their journey had Jamie chuckling with amusement. She just wasn’t used to being so doted on and almost felt guilty every time someone carried her suitcase or opened a car door for her. She felt like royalty and it felt entirely undeserved.

However, as she looked out at the view of the ocean from their hotel room, she found herself starting to think that it was a lifestyle that she could get used to.

“This view is actually breathtaking,” she gushed as she heard Jamie walking out of the bathroom. “This whole place is amazing.”

“Yeah, it’s a nice hotel,” Jamie agreed as he came to join her on their little balcony. “But there’s gotta be some perks to being a professional footballer and getting to stay in places like this is definitely one of them.”

Lia smiled as she glanced at his face for any hint he was joking, but when it appeared he was serious, she snorted out a laugh.

“Jamie, I think the perk of being a professional footballer is that you get paid to play a game that you love, a game that most people just play for fun.”

“Okay, yeah,” Jamie smirked. “But being pretty fucking rich is definitely another bonus.”

His honesty had Lia shaking her head in amusement as she rolled her eyes at his brag.

“Well, I have to admit that it’s nice to see how the other half live,” she confessed. “I’ve never been so spoiled in my life.”

“Get used to it, babe,” Jamie murmured, slipping his arms around his waist as he pressed his chest against her back. “You deserve a little princess treatment.”

All hint of a joke had left his voice and the sincerity to his words had Lia pausing for a moment.

“You really think so?”

Her question hung in the air between them as she felt Jamie shift away from her as if he’d recoiled, but Lia didn’t dare look at him and after a moment of somewhat stunned silence, he answered.

“Course I do,” he assured her. “Don’t think I’d pull out the stops like this for just anyone, do you?”

“I thought maybe this was just the way you always travel,” Lia shrugged, turning to face him as she leaned her back on the railing. “Or to keep up appearances. Jamie Tartt wouldn’t make his wife travel in anything less than first class.”

“Nah, I’ve been triyn’ to impress you.”

His admission was said with a smug smirk, but it pulled a laugh of disbelief from Lia’s lips.

“Oh, please,” she giggled. “You’re so out of my league, I should be the one trying to impress you. Children all over England idolize you and women everywhere fantasize about you. You’re rich, talented, and incredibly fit. I’m constantly struggling to keep up with you.”

Jamie’s chest puffed up a little prouder as he took in her shower of compliments, but he was quick to shake his head in disagreement.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he insisted. “I’m the one who’s out of their league. You’re fuckin’ amazing, clearly more than you think. You’re so smart and way more fuckin’ fit than I am. Not to mention how almost sickeningly sweet you are, always putting other people first.”

His words had a soft smile sliding onto Lia’s face, but as her fingers fiddled with the buttons of the open shirt he was wearing, she found it suddenly hard to look him in the eye.

“I thought you didn’t like that I’m a bit of a people pleaser?”

She felt Jamie tense as soon as the question left her mouth, but after a moment of hesitation his fingers slid under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his.

“I never should have said that,” he told her firmly. “I was just jealous. Being nice is so easy for you, you always do what’s best for everyone around you without a second thought.”

“Not always,” she protested. “I didn’t do that the other day, did I? Katie came to me asking for help and I kicked her to the curb because she wouldn’t change her whole life just to suit me.”

Her voice was hardly more than a murmur as she reminded him of the events that had unfolded the week before and even she could hear the guilt dripping from her words.

“Uh, don’t think that’s exactly how it happened, love,” Jamie gently argued. “She came to you with some pathetic, weak apology and then didn’t even wait for you to forgive her before she wanted your advice without actually doing anything to make up for what she did to you. Standing up for yourself doesn’t make you any less of a good person.”

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Lia had to admit that his outlook on the situation did make her feel a bit better.

“Well, that’s a very insightful way to look at it.”

Her teasing tone had Jamie’s shoulders shaking with a chuckle before they lifted into a shrug.

“Had to learn something from all that time I spent with Dr. Sharon.”

His brief stint in therapy was something he’d mentioned a few times over the months they’d spent together and was always something that had intrigued Lia, but she wasn’t sure if they’d reached a point in their relationship where it wasn’t too personal to ask about so she didn’t push it.

“Well, I know you’re right,” she admitted. “But it’s hard. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but I feel awful. I feel like I let her down, like I’m being selfish. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m just being dramatic and that in a few years I’ll look back and regret throwing our friendship away over something that maybe isn’t the big deal that I’ve made it out to be. I’m just…sad.”

“I know you are,” Jamie confessed. “I’ve seen it all week, you’ve been all mopey every time you think I’m not looking.”

Lia felt her cheeks heat up at Jamie’s keen observation. She’d tried to put on a brave face and had thought she’d done well, but she did tend to retreat into her own head when she thought he was busy.

“I didn’t think you’d noticed,” she mused, looking up at him sheepishly. “I always forget you’re not as self-absorbed as everyone says.”

“Nah, at least not when it comes to people I care about. I’ve been worried about you.” Even though Lia didn’t want to cause him any stress or concern, it warmed her heart that he considered her someone he cared about, but before she could comment, he continued. “But anyway, this holiday is supposed to be taking your mind off all that.”

“Sorry,” Lia murmured, letting her hands slide up his chest and over his shoulders. “I’m not trying to bring the mood down.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Jamie assured her, dipping his head down to press a few gentle kisses against her neck before letting his lips hover below her ear. “But if all that shit is still on your mind then clearly I’m not doing a good enough job at distracting you.”

“Hmm, I guess not,” Lia smiled, leaning into his body. “Do you have any other things to try?”

Jamie’s grip tightened on her hips and he leaned back enough to look her in the eyes as his trademark smirk slid onto his face.

“How about I drag you to that bed and keep you there until you’re so thoroughly satisfied that you can barely even think straight?” The way Jamie’s voice had lowered and his accent had thickened gave away his growing need and it immediately had a heat pooling between Lia’s legs as he continued. “And then, I’m gonna take you out for dinner and parade you around until every man on this island is jealous of how fuckin’ lucky I am to have you.”

A blush rose in Lia’s cheeks, but as Jamie cupped her bum and lifted her up to settle with her legs wrapped around his waist, she eagerly agreed by stretching down to capture his lips in a kiss that she hoped conveyed just how lucky she felt to have him .

——

“You know,” Jamie started as he rubbed sun cream across the skin of Lia’s back with his hands dangerously teasing the strings of the bikini she was wearing. “Some Europeans like to sunbathe topless.”

She could hear the smirk in his voice without even glancing at his face and a snort of laughter slipped from her lips.

“Well, unfortunately for you, I don’t.”

“Bet you’ve never even tried it,” Jamie protested. “Can’t think of a better place than somewhere so private.”

“The boat is private,” Lia clarified, referring to the yacht that Jamie had hired for them for the afternoon. “But the ocean is not. Any of the people on any of those other boats could see me, not to mention the hordes of tourists up on the cliffs.”

“No one’s even paying attention,” he insisted, his tone bordering on whining as he snapped the lid shut on the sun cream with a pout. “It’s not like they’ve all got binoculars.”

“They might, and Keeley warned me about paparazzi around here since it’s such a popular spot for celebrities, like yourself.”

“I’m not a celebrity.”

Jamie’s face gave away his displeasure for that title, but Lia simply shrugged.

“I don’t think it would have made the news that we got married if one of us wasn’t famous and it certainly isn’t me”

“Okay, yeah,” Jamie relented. “But no one’s that bothered about me, I doubt anyone’s looking at us at all.”

“It’s a risk I just can’t take,” Lia insisted teasingly despite her unwavering stance on the matter. “Besides, I’m sure the captain of this boat doesn’t want to see that.”

“Oh, I bet he does.”

The cheeky grin on Jamie’s face had a blush rising in Lia’s cheeks, but she simply rolled her eyes before leaning back on the lounger she was resting on as she tried to wrap her mind around the extravagance of their afternoon activity.

Jamie had hired an entire yacht just for the two of them. To be fair, from the many other boats scattered out on the ocean, it did seem like it was the thing to do in Capri, but it was so much more lavish than anything Lia was used to. She’d protested at first and tried insisting that finding a beach would be just as good, but Jamie was undeterred and determined that they deserved a little luxury and while it was a bit uncomfortable to begin with  - because of the running tally of cost in Lia’s mind and the feeling of being so out of her element - it didn’t take her long to relax. Floating on a beautiful blue sea with an amazing view made it hard to deny that the cost was worth it and the privacy it gave them was an added bonus.

Lia had thoroughly enjoyed the little bubble they’d been in since they’d arrived the day before. It wasn’t like they didn’t spend almost all their free time together already, but there was something different about being on holiday and having literally nothing else to do but enjoy each other’s company. There was no list of things to do running through her mind, Jamie wasn’t fretting about his training schedule or if he was doing enough to stay in shape during the off season. They had nothing on their minds but each other and Lia found herself almost giddy from having Jamie’s undivided attention.

The thought had warning bells going off inside her head, but she found them dangerously easy to ignore. He seemed to be going out of his way to impress her, but in some ways it was all for nothing because she was beginning to realize just how completely he’d already worked his way into her heart. The way he constantly made her laugh and seemed to thrive on putting a smile on her face, the way he was always so genuinely interested in hearing about her day even when she was complaining about something she knew there was no way he could really relate to, the way he showered her with support and sincere compliments, and his incredibly endearing cheeky nature. It all had her quickly falling head over heels and had her worries about Jamie using her and breaking her heart slipping from her mind.

Despite the unconventional way their relationship started, Lia was fairly certain that it was the healthiest relationship that she’d ever been in.

“Do you want me to help you put your sun cream on too?”

Lia asked the question as Jamie took off his shirt, but he quickly shook his head.

“Nah, I’m gonna work on my tan a little bit first.”

“That’s a bad idea, Jamie,” Lia frowned. “The sun feels really strong today and there’s no shade here.”

“Alright, Mum, calm down,” Jamie teased. “I’ll put some on in a bit, just wanna get a little vitamin D first.”

“Well, don’t come whinging to me when you get sunburnt.”

Very maturely, Jamie simply stuck out his tongue in response and Lia giggled as she shook her head at his stubborn nature.

“I’ll put some on before we go for a swim,” he assured her, pausing before he added, “Do you like to swim?”

The silliness of his question had a smile sliding onto her face, but she didn’t point out that she probably would have mentioned her dislike of water before agreeing to spend all afternoon on a boat if she had one. Instead, she simply eagerly nodded her head.

“I love it,” she shared. “I’ve always loved the ocean. One of my dad’s favourite stories to tell is about the time he took me to the beach for the first time when I was about two. Apparently I just ran straight towards the water and he didn’t interfere because he assumed I’d stop when I got close enough, but I just ran right into the waves with absolutely no idea how to swim.”

The story had a snort of laughter falling from Jamie’s lips.

“Must’ve scared the shit out of him.”

“Oh, definitely,” Lia agreed. “But he put me in swimming lessons right after that and then every summer he made sure that we spent at least one weekend at the seaside.”

“Just one weekend?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “But it was enough, and it was always special. I’m sure he would’ve liked to go more often, but he always had the bookstore and had to work. I think I mentioned that I spent most summers in Manchester with my aunt.”

“Oh, yeah, you did,” Jamie nodded. “It’s funny, really. Wonder if we ever crossed paths without even knowing it.”

“I doubt it,” Lia smiled. “I think we ran in very different circles. Unless you were secretly a massive nerd who spent most of your summers at the library.”

“Uh, I was not,” Jamie confirmed with a look on his face that screamed ‘duh’. “I spent most of my summers playing football or, you know, waiting for my dad to come around.”

His admission caught Lia slightly off guard. His dad was a very sensitive subject and not one that he willingly brought up very often which made it a topic that she wasn’t particularly well versed in how to handle.

“Did he come very often?”

“No,” Jamie scoffed. “Used to get my hopes up, but he hardly ever showed up and when I got older I realized that it was disappointing even when he did.”

There was a bitterness in his voice that made Lia’s heart ache.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “You deserve better than that. Have you heard from him lately?”

“Not since Wembley,” he admitted. “But I’m not bothered, at least he’s not chasing me up for money or tickets now.”

“It’s okay if you are bothered,” Lia gently assured him, hoping she wasn’t overstepping. “Even if you’re better off with less contact, you’re allowed to be annoyed that he’s so useless.”

“It’s not worth it,” Jamie shrugged, despite the weak smile that slid onto his face at Lia’s description of his dad. “I’ve got my mum and Simon, and now I’ve got you. Don’t need to waste my energy on someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

He sounded very sure of what he was saying, but there was something about his demeanour that told Lia he wasn’t as nonchalant about the whole situation as he was trying to seem and Lia leaned over to press a kiss against his cheek.

“That’s a good attitude to have, but I’m always here if you ever do feel like talking about it.”

“I know, babe,” Jamie smiled, letting his hand catch the back of her neck and stopping her from pulling away so he could capture her lips in a kiss. “But if you don’t mind, I’d rather think about other things right now. Like how fuckin’ hot you look in that bathing suit.”

A blush rose through Lia’s cheeks, but as she slipped out of his grasp, a smirk slid onto her face.

“Yeah? Do you think it’ll still look alright when it’s wet and clinging to me?” Lia asked, feigning innocence despite knowing the answer to that question. “I’m going for a swim so hopefully it will and I guess you can find out when I come back since you still haven’t put any sun cream on.”

With that, Lia strode off to the edge of the boat, but she could see Jamie scrambling to grab the bottle of sun cream out of the corner of her eye as she gracefully dove into the sea.

——

For the rest of the afternoon, any drama from their lives was as far away from their minds as it could possibly be. Mostly because it seemed like the only thing either of them could think about was how badly they wanted each other.

From the moment Jamie joined her in the sea, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her and the way he used the slight coverage of the water to hide his wandering touches from any possible onlookers had Lia caring less and less about the captain of the boat watching them. If she had been a bolder person, she would have thrown herself at Jamie the second they climbed out of the water, but she used all the self-restraint she could to keep herself under control until they got back to their hotel room. However, once they were finally alone, Jamie became suddenly aloof.

“What time did I say our dinner reservation was?”

He asked the question as he scrolled through his phone absentmindedly while Lia sat on the edge of the bed. She was stunned into silence for a moment before she answered.

“At seven, so we have about two hours to kill.”

“Perfect, that gives us enough time to shower and get ready.”

His priorities left her feeling completely baffled. He’d seemed as desperate as she was when they were out on the yacht, but now suddenly he was more interested in dinner than he was in her? She was practically vibrating with arousal and was sure that her damp bathing suit wasn’t the only reason for the wet patch she was probably leaving on the bed so the thought of Jamie not following through on all the teasing he’d been doing all day had her feeling a little panicked.

“Or,” she started, keeping her voice steady as she tried to appear as nonchalant as he was. “We could do something else.”

“Like what?” Jamie was clearly trying to sound sincere in his ignorance, but the smirk he was battling to control gave away that he knew exactly what he was doing. “We’re going to a fancy place, think we’d better wash all the sweat and sun cream off before we go.”

“I agree, but we could do that after.”

“After what?”

“After something more fun.”

“I mean, we could, yeah,” Jamie shrugged. “But what do we really have time for?”

Knowing that the clock was ticking and their time was slipping away as Jamie played dumb had Lia quickly growing impatient with his little game.

“Jamie,” she whined, crossing her arms in a huff. “You know what I’m talking about!”

Unable to keep the charade up any longer, Jamie barked out a laugh that had Lia’s pout deepening.

“I know, babe,” he admitted. “Just wanted to see if you’d actually say it. You’re adorable when you get all shy and embarrassed.”

“Am not…” Lia’s weak rebuttal was murmured almost under her breath, but his teasing inspired a flash of confidence as she lifted her eyes to meet his. “Now, are you going to come over here or should I just touch myself while you shower?”

“Okay, that is definitely something I wanna see,” Jamie informed her as he finally started making his way towards the bed. “But we can save it for some other time.”

“Hmm, that’s good,” Lia smiled as she scooted back up towards the head of the bed as Jamie crawled over her. “Because I’d rather be touched by you and I was worried that I’d have to start begging.”

Her words had a growl rumbling from Jamie’s chest as he dipped his head until his lips hovered over hers.

“That’s also something I wanna see,” he informed her. “But m’not sure I’ve got the patience for it today.”

Almost as if to prove his point, Jamie didn’t wait for her to comment before he captured her lips in a kiss and after the long day of teasing, the relief that Lia felt almost matched her arousal. She let her hand slide up to the back of his neck - partially so she knew he couldn’t pull away and partially because she’d already grown quite fond of the sounds he made when she teased the hairs there - and briefly wondered if she’d ever get tired of kissing Jamie. His strong jaw in contrast with his gentle lips, the expert way his tongue caressed her own, and the hint of growing desperation in every movement. Usually, it was an activity she was happy to embrace for hours until her lips were swollen and sore, but there was an urgency between them that evening that had her quickly deciding that they were both wearing too many clothes.

Her hands moved down low enough to tug at the collar of his shirt and Jamie immediately took the hint as he reluctantly pulled back and raised himself up to sit back on his heels until he could pull his shirt over his head. The sight - despite being one that Lia had spent most of the day ogling - had her biting back a moan. It was no secret that Jamie was in shape. The hours of training and hard work put in at the gym gave him a body that he had no shame in being proud of and it never failed to impress Lia. The sculpting of his abs and chest and the strong biceps bulging on his arms left her amazed that someone as toned and beautiful as Jamie actually belonged to her .

“Like what you see?”

Jamie murmured the question with a smirk as he caught her staring, but she barely had time to be embarrassed before his hands were trailing up her thighs and under the light sundress she was wearing to cover her bathing suit.

“I do,” she admitted, lifting her hips so Jamie could push her dress higher. “You look like some kind of statue, sometimes I find it hard to believe you’re real.”

Just before Jamie pulled her dress over her head, Lia saw the grin that her compliment had put on his face and she smiled at the sight, having quickly realized that praise was something Jamie desperately loved.

“Well, I am,” Jamie smirked at her before dipping his head to trail kisses along her neck until he reached her ear. “And I’m all yours.”

His words and the feel of his breath against her skin as he spoke had a shiver running down Lia’s spine as a whimper slipped from her lips. Encouraged by the sound, Jamie sucked and nipped at her skin until she was writhing beneath him and pressing her hips up against him as if she was desperate for any kind of friction between her legs. She briefly wondered if she should try to rein it in - if it was a little pathetic to be acting so needy - but when she felt Jamie tugging at the strings of her bikini top with his teeth she lost all of her already minimal self-restraint.

“Jamie,” she gasped, arching up against him as the strings of her top came loose. “Fuck, I want you so bad.”

“I know, babe,” he assured her, his amusement clear in his voice as he nuzzled into her neck. “But I’ve gotta make sure you’re ready for me.”

“I am,” Lia insisted with no hesitation. “I’ve been ready all afternoon.”

Jamie chuckled at her eagerness, but the deep rumble of his chest only added to her arousal.

“Alright, but maybe I still wanna take my time,” he pointed out. “Since you insisted on keeping your top on all day I’ve got to appreciate the view now I have the chance.”

To emphasize his point, Jamie leaned back as he pushed the damp material away to give him a better look and Lia’s protests died in the back of her throat when his fingers caught one of her nipples, pinching and teasing it as he watched her closely. She gave into the sensation - letting her eyes flutter shut as whimpers of pleasure slipped from her lips - but after a moment of indulgence, she regained her focus.

“What if I get on top?” The suggestion immediately caught Jamie’s attention because while their sex life had been fairly active since it began, that was one common position they’d yet to try. “That way you could still enjoy the view and we’d both get what we want.”

Jamie watched her as if he was either trying to process her idea or waiting for her to rescind the offer, but after a moment of thought he quickly rolled onto his back and lifted his hips to slide off his bathing suit shorts.

“I like the way you think.”

Lia smiled and wiggled out of the rest of her bathing suit as well, but felt a flicker of nerves when she glanced over at Jamie. He was stroking himself as he reached into the drawer of the nightstand - where he’d placed the condoms for easy access - and the sight of him leaking in anticipation onto his belly had her biting her lip to hold back a moan, but the self-conscious part of her brain was threatening to take over. She didn’t have much experience being the one on top and she was suddenly terrified that she would be disappointing. The thought of Jamie having such an unobscured view - a promise she’d used to entice him only moments before - was intimidating considering she knew that her body wasn’t up the model standard he may be used to. He’d never seemed anything less than impressed by the way she looked, but as she straddled him she found herself feeling rather vulnerable and exposed.

And as he held himself up so she could line up and sink down on him, she began to panic about what exactly to do next. She had done it before, but was definitely out of practice and had never been particularly accomplished in the skill. Despite the pleasure she felt from the familiar stretch and the impressive depth that the new angle allowed Jamie to reach, Lia was distracted by the thoughts racing through her mind as the anxiety had her frozen in place. So much so that Jamie quickly noticed.

“Are you alright?”

The question snapped her out of her thoughts as she furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Yeah, of course, why?”

“Uh, because you were moaning and screaming a moment ago just from me kissing your neck, but you just slid onto my cock without making a sound. Couldn’t look more bored if I’m honest.”

Lia cringed, knowing she’d been caught and fumbled to cover her tracks.

“Feels great,” she assured him, shifting her hips and sucking in a sharp breath as she rubbed against him. “I was just focused on making sure I could take all of you.”

Jamie wasn’t fooled.

“You always do, babe,” he insisted. “What’s going on?”

“I just don’t want to disappoint you.” Lia shrugged, keeping her eyes fixated on Jamie’s chest to avoid his gaze. “I don’t have much experience at this, I’m worried you won’t enjoy it.”

Her cheeks burned so deeply as she spoke that Jamie’s hand felt cool against her skin as he lifted her head and forced her to look at him.

“I’m already enjoying it,” he assured her. “Whatever feels good for you will feel fuckin’ amazing for me, trust me.”

Again, Lia found herself feeling a little astounded by his gentleness. It was such a contrast to the cocky side he showed the rest of the world and the reminder had her anxiety beginning to ease.

“You think so?”

“I know so, babe,” he insisted, letting his hands settle on her hips. “You feel so fuckin’ good already and you’re gorgeous. Probably wouldn’t last long even if you just sat there.”

His reassurance had a smile sliding onto Lia’s lips as she felt her confidence rising enough to have her comfortable experimentally moving her hips again. The shiver of pleasure even the smallest movement sent shooting up her spine was all the encouragement she needed to give into the sensation and push her worries aside. Jamie’s firm grip remained on her hips and she took comfort in the knowledge that he would guide her if she faltered, but appreciated the way he let her lead as she settled into a steady pace.

“Just like that,” Jamie murmured. “Fuckin’ hell, what a sight.”

Jamie’s eyes raked over Lia’s body and she was surprised by how empowering she found it as her earlier panic began to fade. His response was so clear and so genuine that it was hard not to feel like she was every bit as beautiful as anyone Jamie had dated before. He was admiring her like she was a gift that he was trying to commit to memory before it was taken away and it made her feel irresistible. Spurred on by her newfound confidence, Lia continued bouncing her hips, but as the pleasure began to build inside her she found herself struggling to focus on her rhythm. 

Her movements stuttered as her eyes fluttered shut and she took a moment to revel in how good she was feeling. Jamie, however, seemed to have taken over her impatience and she felt his hands slide from where they rested on her hips up to her lower back, silently instructing her to lean down towards him. She followed his lead, but as her chest rested down against his and he pressed his hips up - sliding him even deeper inside of her - he took advantage of the gasp the action earned and slid his tongue into her mouth.

Distracted by the overwhelming sensations, Lia was grateful when she felt Jamie plant his feet on the bed behind her, anchoring himself enough that he could take over the movement. His hips snapped up against her at a pace that she was sure was much faster than hers had been as his desperation seemed to be winning out. But she wasn’t about to complain. As his arm slid across her waist to hold her in place as he thrust up towards her, sliding so deep it felt like he was hitting spots she didn’t even know existed, Lia was quickly heading towards her peak. She moaned into his mouth as she clung to him, the position leaving her feeling helpless to do anything but ride out the pleasure until - after a few more thrusts - she felt the coil tightening in her stomach snap as she felt over the edge.

Her mouth slipped from his as she let out a strangled cry of his name, feeling herself clenching around him as if her body was trying to keep him deep inside. He was undeterred as he fucked her through her release, but it didn’t take long for him to fall apart as well. He thrust up inside her as he spilled into the condom, earning a whimper from Lia that was drowned out by the groans coming from Jamie until he lowered his hips, panting to catch his breath. 

The feeling of affection that washed over Lia was a common one in those moments when they were coming down from their highs. She felt so emotionally connected to him - so cared for and taken care of - that she would have happily laid there placing kisses on his chest for hours, but a thought dawned on her that had her reluctantly climbing off of Jamie far earlier than she would have liked and sitting on the edge of the bed.

“As amazing as that was, we’re running a bit behind now for dinner,” she pointed out. “Do you mind if I shower first?”

“Or,” Jamie smirked from where he lay still sprawled out on the bed. “We could shower together, save a little time.”

Lia laughed as she stood up before leaning down to steal another kiss.

“I wish, but something tells me that wouldn’t be much of a time saver.”

“Probably not, but it would be fun.” Jamie shot her a wink that earned another giggle before he added, “But sure, yeah, you can shower first.”

Lia murmured her thanks and blew him one last kiss before hurrying off to get ready before her earlier neediness made them late for dinner.

——

“I can’t believe we already have to leave tomorrow…” Lia’s wistful musing was shared as she stared out over the ocean from their dinner table in the extremely fancy restaurant Jamie had booked for them. “This place is gorgeous, I think I could stay here forever.”

“Well, I have nothing going on until the pre-season training starts in a couple weeks,” Jamie pointed out. “You’re the one with commitments and a job that needs you.”

His words were teasing, but a knot formed in Lia’s stomach as she mulled it over.

“To be honest, I probably could have taken a few extra days if I’d thought to ask,” she admitted. “Things have been slow at the bookstore lately, we barely need two staff members there most of the time.”

“Is it really that bad?”

It was a concern that had been on her mind, but the way her admission had the smile falling from Jamie’s face had her regretting bringing it up and putting a damper on their nice evening and she tried to soften the truth a little bit.

“At the moment it is, but it’s not particularly unusual,” she insisted. “Summer is always slower. People are outside more and reading less. Libraries have more activities for kids because of the school break so people go there more than buying books. Usually once the autumn comes and the weather changes things pick up again and Christmas is usually a busier time, but it would be nice if we had more steady business.”

If she was being truly honest, she would have shared that there were times in the last few months that she was really worried that they’d even make it until the Christmas season, but they were hanging on just enough that she hadn’t given up hope yet. And even with her sugar coated explanation, Jamie looked concerned.

“I’ve let you down, haven’t I? When we started this whole plan, I promised to help promote your store and I’ve done fuck all to do that.”

“It’s fine,” she assured him, sipping her wine and shrugging her shoulders. “There’s not much you could do to promote us really.”

“What about a football night with the team? I could make all the lads come and we could sign shit for people.”

It was a very sweet suggestion and Lia flashed him a genuine smile for his desire to help.

“That’s a nice idea, but it wouldn’t really work,” she gently informed him. “It wouldn’t make much sense unless one of you has a biography of some sort for people to buy or some other reason for being in a bookstore. Otherwise it would be too obvious that I’m just using you to get people in the door, people would probably hate me for that and my dad would be too embarrassed to accept that kind of help.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Jamie nodded, but his furrowed brow told Lia that he was deep in thought until he spoke again. “What if you talked to Keeley about it? Building reputations up is, like, her whole thing now. Maybe she could do some of that pro-boner shit that lawyers do.”

The phrase Jamie used had Lia choking on her drink as she laughed.

“It’s pro-bono,” she clarified. “Not pro-boner!”

“Mines better,” Jamie smirked. “But whatever it’s called, maybe she could help you. Get you on as a sponsor for Richmond or something, like she did for that app.”

“I dunno if books will appeal to football fans as much as a dating app,” Lia pointed out. “No one will be at a match, enjoying the afternoon while secretly pondering which novel they’re going to start when they get home.”

“You never know,” Jamie shrugged. “But even if that doesn’t work, she might have some other ideas for you.”

“That’s true,” Lia agreed. “Thanks for the suggestion, Jamie. You’re smarter than you look.”

She was clearly teasing, but his chest puffed up from the praise.

“Yeah, I know, no one gives me enough credit,” he smirked. “But hey, I have another idea for you.”

His eyes had lit up and an eager look had slid onto his face as Lia prompted him to continue with a somewhat suspicious, “You do?”

“If it’s no problem for you to get an extra day or two off work then maybe you could take a couple days off at the end of August to come with me to the big gala that Rebecca’s hosting for Richmond.”

“I can definitely do that,” Lia smiled, feeling a flicker of excitement in her belly at the thought of being included in an event so big and getting to attend with Jamie. “But wouldn’t something like that be in the evening anyway?”

“Yeah, but it’s a big deal. We all get dressed up all fancy for it so you’d probably need a day to get ready,” he explained. “And then usually there’s quite a bit of drinking happening so you might want the next day to recover.”

“That makes sense,” Lia giggled. “I would be happy to join you. If you give me the date when we get home, I can tell my dad right away.”

“Perfect.”

Jamie reached out to take her hand that was resting on the table before lifting it up to place a kiss against her skin and Lia wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. The picture perfect moment of sitting on a balcony with an amazing view and sharing it with someone who was quickly becoming so very important to her had her heart feeling very full and made any worries from their lives back home feel very small and insignificant.

-

next

#jamie tartt fic #jamie tartt fanfic #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt #jamie tartt x ofc #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso fanfiction #amorous facades

[ilyasorokinn]

this is not a new concept but dating cale helping out another wag during a game with her kids and when he meets you in the tunnel after the game you’re bouncing a sleeping child in your arms and the relationship is still kinda new but he kisses you and starts cooing at the baby a little bit and maybe the parents/his teammates are like “aw uncle cale and auntie y/n” and it’s the first time it truly feels like your lives are entwined like that if that makes sense

AUNTIE Y/N AND UNCLE CALE

this makes me want to cry also he just won the norris, so this is perfect.

tw: kids/children (landy's kids)

being one of the younger members of the group, you were often tasked with watching the children, and you didn't mind. you and cale would often spend nights babysitting different players' kids.

at games, you spent a good chunk of them with a baby in your arms. after the game, baby lucas was asleep in your arms. you were talking with his mom as she kept her eyes on linnea.

cale came out and his eyes immediately ran around the room for you. he spotted you with the baby in your arms and a smile on your face.

he made his way over to you and set his bag down next to yours. he wrapped his arms around your waist and he kissed your cheek. he looked down at lucas and smiled, rubbing the baby's arm.

lucas' eyes opened slowly as he started to wake up, "good morning, little man." you smiled. cale reached forward and tickled lucas' stomach, causing the baby to giggle.

"awh, look," mel cooed, "auntie y/n and uncle cale." she whipped her phone out quickly and took a picture of the three of you, "have you guys thought about kids?"

"i love kids, i do, but i also love being able to give them back." you joked.

later that night, you were getting ready for bed while cale waited in bed, "have you thought about our future?" he asked out of the blue.

"like tomorrow or like in 5 years."

"5 years."

"well, yeah." you nodded, "you and me, a house, a few more dogs maybe."

"what about kids?"

"kids?"

"yeah." he nodded, "i know you said you like being able to give them back, but what do you think about them in a couple years?"

"maybe in a couple years, but not now." you smiled, sitting down in front of him on the bed, "until then, i'm fine with me, you, and sophie."

"me, too."

taylor's dilf day!

#cale makar imagine #cale makar imagines #cale makar x reader #cale makar fic #cale makar blurbs #cale makar #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl fic #nhl blurbs #nhl #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #hockey fic #hockey blurbs #hockey #colorado avalanche imagine #colorado avalanche imagines #colorado avalanche blurbs #colorado avalanche fic #colorado avalanche #taylor writes #taylor writes: hockey #taylor's blurbs #taylor's dilf day!

[hbnjhgv]

Reasons why modern Aot characters would be grounded and what their punishment would be (also what the Aot vets would do for punishment)

Eren: He definitely got into a fight at school and the office called his mom to pick him up early. He didn’t get suspended but his mom was pissed and yelled at him. After they argued she decided to punish him with no video games for a month. Also his mom had him clean the bathroom/ toilet for a month.

Mikasa: Another fight. She got in a fight with Annie but it was a really bad fight. Annie had bruises everywhere, cuts, a black eye, and had to get stitches on her lip. Mikasa had like 3 bruises, a cut on her hand, knee, elbow, and shin. Not really bad cuts though. Annie was suspended for 3 days and Mikasa was suspended for 1 week. If Carla was punishing her, she would have Mikasa grounded for 3 weeks and have her do all the laundry. (She never punished Mikasa as hard as Eren when it came to fights since she almost never got into fights)

Armin: He got grounded because in math class he said “you know no one actually likes you. You’re just a jerk who so insecure about your self that you try to prey on people weaker than you. Also you’re overall just asshole who everyone hates. That’s why you’re girlfriends cheating on you with (the assholes best friends name)” all because he made Eren cry when they called him a ‘fucking looser who should just k*ll themselves cause he has no friends and is gonna be alone for ever.’ And that same day Armin fought someone ‘cause while he was trying to beak up a fight Eren was in and the other person took a swing at him, so he grabbed a textbook out of his backpack and hit the guy on his head with it knocking him out. Armins parents punished him by not allowing to study at the library or at school for a week (he’d be at the library or school since he couldn’t focus with his dad and grandpa watching National Geographic really loud) but his grandpa would bring Armin snacks when he’d be having really late study nights in his room.

Sasha: She was grounded for starting a food fight by throwing an apple at Jean but missing and hitting someone else then fighting the person she hit and ended up pulling out a huge chunk of the persons hair since she pulls hair when she fights and didn’t know the girl had extensions attached to her hair and she had weak hair so when Sasha pulled a handful of her extensions she also pulled out a handful of the girls hair. Her parents grounded her and made her help her dad clean his truck that he hasn’t cleaned in 10 years and is so gross they’ve found a dead rat in there one time and the occasional animal remains from hunting.

Connie: He made a teacher cry when he made a ‘yo mama’ joke saying “yo mama so fat she gave Dracula high cholesterol.” Not knowing that the teachers mom died a month ago from a stroke caused by her weight. He got suspended and his parents grounded him for 3 weeks and didn’t allow him to go out with friends and made him play with his younger siblings when they would ask him to.

Jean: He got in trouble for leaving the class he had right before lunch and the last class he had before school got out, early every day for a month so he could get to Mikasa before Eren and hang out with his friends as soon as possible. His mom didn’t punish him that hard. Just no video games and no going out with friends for a week.

Historia: She’s never suspended or in trouble but got grounded by her parents for a month because she got a B on one of her tests. She also wasn’t aloud to hang out with Yumir at school and since she already couldn’t hangout with her after school she was pissed she couldn’t hangout with Yumir during school. (She still hung out with Yumir at school but only during passing periods)

Yumir: tbh idk what to do for her since I don’t think she has parents if she did I don’t think she’d have good parents and i don’t think they’d pay attention to her at all so she never gets grounded. But Historia being grounded and any detention she gets is punishment enough in her mind.

Reiner: He got into a “small” fight and broke the kids nose so his parents where yelling at him and decided to make him do everything for them such as clean, cook, fix the fence they had in the backyard, fix the window, etc. for a month and not let him take a break. They also took his phone so he couldn’t really vent to his friends, his mom would manipulate him to make him think what she’s doing for him is good,and every time Reiner would have a break down his mom would make his dad peel himself off the couch or away from his work with a beer in hand and yell at Reiner saying “THIS IS MY FUCKING HOUSE AND YOU NEED TO MAN THE FUCK UP AND NOT BE A FUCKING PUSSY! YOURE BEING AN ANNOYING PEICE OF SHIT AND RUINING THE QUIET PEACEFUL NIGHT ME AND YOUR MOTHER WANT! AND FIX THE FUCKING FENCE! I DONT GIVE A SHIT THAT YOU JUST FIXED IT! IT BROKE SO FIX IT AGAIN!” (His dad threw his hammer through the fence after he accidentally hit his hand while nailing something) Needless to say that month his mental health went 📉

Bertolt: tbh he’s probably such a good kid he never gets grounded. The most he gets is a “time out” and screamed at by his dad.

Now here is what I think the Aot vets would do for punishments

Erwin: he’s the typical “go to your room” and does nothing else kinda guy.

Levi: if you piss this man off he will stack up your chores and be extra picky deciding if something’s clean or not. He doesn’t yell he’ll just go “does this look clean to you? No. It’s not clean. Keep going.” Until it’s spotless. And if you only have like 4 chores he’ll stack it up to like 7 or 8 chores. He doesn’t really do much else.

Hange: Just sends you to your room. If you get in a fight though they’ll definitely be asking for the details, pictures, videos, and want to know all about it.

Miche: doesn’t really do anything and sees the stuff you do as a learning experience or if it’s something like you having detention or getting suspended he just says “well you needed a break from school anyways. You’ve seemed really stressed so i guess it’s good you don’t have to go to school and can rest.”

#aot #attack on titan #aot headcanons #attack on titan headcanons #attack on titan hcs