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draco-kasai · 3 years

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Hero Collaboration Program

Summery: High School Hero Collaboration Program! Helping Sophomore hero students connect with others around the world! Come join us for a two-week-long trip to one of our schools for an amazing once in a lifetime experience with students of Yuuei! Only a lucky 40 students will be selected for this program. They will be split into two groups of 20 and sent to different schools to have completely unique experiences!

A/N: AKA, A very ambitious fanfic I started because even though I have another fanfic in progress my brain decided to give me an idea and I just had to do it. These are all characters I adore and I even did lots of reasurch on them to hopefuly get them down right. I also too many backstories and threw them into a meat grinder to remold them in a way that would make them fit into this universe.

I love Class 1-A, but like they need to be taken down a peg or two, and I want to see them get their asses handed to them.

Ch. 1 part 1 of 3 Program sign-ups. -->

Chapter 1 Part 2

High School Hero Collaboration Program

Helping first year hero students connect with others around the world!

What is the HSHC Program?

Our program has had a partnership with Yuuei High School for 15 long years! Their first-year students would come to our schools to interact, learn and study with other sophomore students for two weeks! - For those who don’t know, first year high school students in Japan would be considered sophomores here in the states! - A select few students nationwide as well as worldwide are selected to participate. All services and activities are offered and provided at no cost to participants or their families. This program is geared to help young heroes become (1) more informed of the educational, social, and cultural aspects available, (2) learn how to work with others they are unfamiliar with, (3) gain a better understanding of hero agencies and laws around the world, (4) assist students in successfully gaining connections with other aspiring heroes around the world their own age.

Student Participants

A total of 40 lucky students are hand selected to take part in this 16 day long program. 28 slots are open for Nationwide applications. The remaining 12 slots are open for applicants across the world! Students are to go through a long application process and in person interview. Once admitted, students will be staying within the dorms that are provided. All plane tickets will be paid for by our program. This program will take place in two schools; Marina High School located in California and Chandler High School located in Arizona.

All partners who wish to apply together must submit a joint application and answer an extra essay question. Only accepting duo teams. Bigger teams are asked to either pair off and sign up as duos, or sign up individually. The whole purpose of this program is for young aspiring heroes to meet others and form connections.

Application

All applicants are required to turn in two essays (unless a team). There is no page or word limit, 12 size text, font New Times Roman, single space. Along with your essays, please send in two teacher recommendation letters. A checklist will be provided at the end of this packet. Make sure to use it to assist you in keeping organized. Everything can be either faxed to (951-262-3062), given to school office faculty to hand to us or through mailed to 1640 Riverside Drive, Hill Valley, California.

Applicants that make it past the first stage of the application process will be scheduled for an in-person interview. A letter will be sent out within two weeks after the interview confirming whether or not you have been accepted.

Essay 1.

When you become a hero, what do you hope to accomplish?

Essay 2.

What major event in your life has led you to where you are now and your decision to become a hero?

Essay question for hero teams.

How did you meet, and when did you decide to work together as a team?

Emerald eyes narrowed as they skimmed over the packet that had been handed to them. With one last look over, they turned to face the person who had given them the packet. Bright blue eyes stared back with a large smile plastered on their lips. “What is this, Grayson?”

“It’s the Hero Collaboration Program!” Richard Grayson – Part-time Gotham Police officer and Underground Hero: Nightwing - responded enthusiastically.

Green eyes rolled skyward at the older boy’s words, “I can see that. All my teachers at school had even taken the liberty to constantly remind us about it. What I mean is, why did you give this to me?”

“Awe common, Kiddo, I thought you were smart.” Jason Todd – Vigilante: Red Hood – joked as he ruffled the younger boy’s black hair. With an annoyed grunt, his hand was swatted away, “We want you to apply for the program.”

With a huff, the youngest fixed his hair, “And why would I do such a thing?”

The oldest boy grinned wider, “It’ll be fun!”

“No.” The youngest replied with a deadpan expression as he tossed the thin packet on the coffee table in front of him.

With a click of his tongue, Jason crossed his arms over his chest. Leaning back on the loveseat, he responded, “Just apply you brat, it’s not even that bad.”

“What’s ‘not that bad’?” Another voice asked as they walked into the living room, laptop in one hand, a cup of coffee in another.

“The Hero Collaboration Program.” Jason responded as he glanced over at the sleep-deprived man as he flopped down next to him.

“Oh! They started accepting applicants already?!” Timothy Drake – CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Underground Hero: Red Robin - sat up enthusiastically.

“Yeah, but Damian doesn’t want to apply!” Dick pouts

“I’m not going to apply to a program that does not benefit me in any way shape or form.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“Wha- but it teaches you so much! Your teachers must have told you about the benefits!” Tim frowned, taking a sip of his coffee.

“They did, but I don’t have any need for socializing.”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve been six years and your only friends are Jon and Maya, and honestly, I don’t think it counts. Maya is in her last year of high school and Jon is a year below you. You need friends your own age.” Jason responded, then waved his hand about, “Even if they're scattered across the continent.”

“I thought he made friends when he was sent to that boarding school in San Francisco for two years when he was eleven?” Dick raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, Titan middle school, right?" Tim hums, "I mean, they helped him become better, I guess?"

"Honestly, I feel like that was the work of the school itself, not them. Besides, Damian doesn't even text or call them like he does Maya and Jon." Jason huffs

“You've been snooping through my phone.” Damian glares as he pulls a knife from nowhere like magic.

"In that case, how will this help him if he isn't even close to people he went to school with for two years?" Tim thought out loud.

"Well, back then it was regular school and classes. Schools don't offer more hero electives till sophomore year in high school. The program does lots of team building and training. What better way to make friends than when your life's in their hands?"

"That's a good point," Tim nods in agreement.

“Didn’t you, like, date Raven while you were over there?” Dick teased, elbowing his brother

“No. I did NOT date Raven.”

“Wha- really? You seemed so close.” Dick blinks in surprise.

"Dude, she's dating Garfield."

"What?! Really?"

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Kori."

"Oh… right, I forgot she mentioned that."

"Dude, she's your wife. If she knows you block out her rants, she's going to kill you."

"... I don't… block out her rants."

“We’re straying off-topic.” Tim hums, hiding his smirk with his drink as Damian, who proceeded to slowly stand, shoots him a glare before a hand grabs the back of his color and pulled him back down.

“Oh! Right, the Hero Collaboration Program!” Dick grins

“I think Damian taking part in the program is a good idea.” Everyone's eyes flickered over to the entrance where Bruce Wayne – Owner of Wayne Enterprises and Underground Hero: Batman – stood with Alfred Pennyworth, besides him. “This program will benefit you and help you make friends with people your own age, maybe even teach you something new.”

“Your brothers all attended the program, master Damian.” Alfred gave the boy an encouraging smile as he handed out drinks for everyone in the room, “In a way you could consider it a tradition at this point.” The younger boy took his drink silently as he pondered the words the older man had given him.

“Oh yeah, I guess it kind of is tradition at this point, huh…” Tim hummed, finishing his coffee and graciously handing the empty cup to Alfred, who shoved a cup of water in his hands.

“I joined during… what? During their third year of existence?” Dick wondered out loud as he leaned back on the couch.

“That’s correct, master Dick.”

“Haa~ I was Bruce’s test dummy to make sure the program was actually useful.” Dick chuckled softly.

“Pft seriously? Thanks for your sacrifice.” Jason smirked, making Tim let out a soft laugh.

“I suppose.” Everyone fell silent to look at the youngest Wayne, “If it’s a tradition at this point, I suppose I have no other choice but to partake in it as well.”

“That’s the spirit, Lil D!” Jason grinned.

“You’ll have fun. You’ll learn a lot, too.” Tim smiled, taking the smallest of sip of his water. With a glare from Alfred, he took a bigger gulp.

“Yes! Oh, man! I can’t wait for you to tell us about it when you get back! Maybe we should tell him stories of our experience!?” Dick energetically exclaimed as he practically bounced in his seat.

Bruce gave the boys a soft appeasing smile as they all cheered, making Damian scrunch up his face at the loud sound. With a soft sigh, he walked across the room to his office. Along the way, he gave his youngest a soft hair ruffle, making him groan.

Damian Wayne. Age 16. Seat 11. Student Rank 1. Hero Name: Red Bird. Quirk: Quirkless

Martial arts, hand-to-hand, sword, expert detective, hacker, stealth.

___

“Alright, class, make sure to think about signing up for that program! It’s a very good opportunity! You’re dismissed for lunch!” Mr. Barkin, a big man with an obvious werewolf mutation, dismissed his class.

A slim girl with long bright brown hair walked next to a beautiful dark-skinned girl with wavy black locks. The ginger hummed as she stared down at the packet that had been handed to them near the end of class, “I don’t know, what do you think Monique?”

“I think it sounds like a lot of fun! Kim, girl, this is an O.I.A.L.T. E; Once In A Life Time Experience!” Monique paused and frowned.

“That was a long one.” Kim smirks at her friend.

“Ugh, I know. Never gonna use that one again.” The girl waved her hand in the air. Both girls stopped in front of a locker, “But It still stands! You should totally do it!”

“But what about you? And – and Ron?” Kim leans against the lockers, watching as her friend opens hers to put away her books.

“Psssh~ Pu-lease, I’ll be fine! I’ve got work at Club Banana and a bunch of homework to keep me company!” The brown eyed girl closed her locker, and they began their trip to Kim’s locker, “As for Ron, well-“

“K.P!!” Both girls turn to see a blond rushing over, “Did you hear about the exchange program!? Are you signing up? Please tell me you’re not leaving me! We’re supposed to be a team!!” He cried out as he hugged his friend.

The redhead huffed softly before prying her friend off her, “Ron, so not cool.”

“Yeah I – sorry K.P I just – I heard about the program and assumed you’d sign up and leave without me.” Ron sniffled dramatically. From his pocket, a small pink rodent climbed up to his shoulder and nodded in agreement, making small squeaking noises. “See! Rufus and I would miss you…”

Monique rolled her eyes with a smirked as she gently pushed the two forward to keep walking, “You know, the program is accepting team sign ups~”

“Wait really!?” Ron gasped as he brought the packet back up to read. “Oh my god, they are!”

Kim frowns, “I don’t know, then you’d really be alone, Monique.” They stop at her locker.

“Oh common Kim. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! You have to S. I; seize it! You’re not going to be a sophomore forever, girl.” Monique leaned on the lockers with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Yeah! It’s a good opportunity to learn about other school systems! Did you see who they're partnered with K. P? It’s Yuuei High school! Yuuei! They're, like, the best in Japan! At least that's what the rest of this thing says and what Yori told me when I did that whole” Ron waves his hand in a circle as he shrugs, “seven day long Japan exchange thing during First Semester.”

“You still have yet to tell us much about that.” Kim smirks as she opens her locker, “Japan is one of those places that have schools that specialize in training hero’s, right?”

“That’s right!” Everyone looked up to the projection of a boy their age sitting at a desk, “Hey girls! Hi Ron, Rufus, Whatcha guys talkin’ bout?”

“Hey Wade. We’re just talking about Some program that’s partnered with Yuuei.” Kim smiled at the screen as she put her things in the locker.

“Oh! The Hero Collaboration Program?” Wade’s smile widens.

Kim rolls her eyes half-heartedly at her friends' excitement. “Of course you’ve heard of it.”

“Yeah! Tell Kim that She’s GOT to GO!” Monique gave her friend a glare.

“Wade! Tell us about Yuuei High School!” Ron practically begged, shoving past Kim before standing behind her again. His best friend shot him an annoyed glare.

With a sigh, Kim finally nods, “Tell us about the school.”

Wade grins and begins quickly typing away on his laptop. A few images began appearing next to him, “As you know, Yuuei High School is known as a hero school. They’re known for ranking number 1 in hero schools across Japan. Their competitor, coming in second by just a bit, is Shiketsu High School. If you ask me though, Shiketsu is obviously better, I mean, look at those uniforms! So wicked! Look at those hats and blazers!”

“Right, about Yuuei.” Kim gently reprimands when she notices her friend is straying off-topic.

“Oh, right! So, from what I’m seeing so far, I think Yuuei has an unfair entrance exam.”

“They have Entrance Exams?” Monique asked with a raised brow.

Wade nods, “Yeah. In Japan, to get into high schools, students are required to take an entrance exam.”

“Right, so, why do you think it’s unfair?” Kim raised a brow

“Well, looking at their sports festival, Just about everyone in the hero program has a “flashy” quirk. When you compare it to other hero school’s and their graduating classes, their quirks are more balanced. Um, one sec” Wade’s eyes narrowed, his pointer finger stretches out like a wire, and he connects to his computer. A moment later, his eyes turn blue and data begins to quickly rush through.

“Is it just me or is he… taking longer than usual?” Ron raises an eyebrow after four minutes pass.

“Mm, another reason to be glad our school has an hour-long lunch…” Monique hums as she leans on a leg, a hand on her hip. They watched in silence as Wade frowned and bit his lower lip. After three more minutes, the boy smirks, disconnecting himself, making his eyes turn back to normal. “Got it.” he grins as he leans back in his seat.

“Uuuuh, got what?” Ron tilts his head in confusion.

“I hacked into their system. It was pretty tricky considering it was made by the smartest being in the world, but nothing compared to me and my quirk. They had a bunch of firewalls and backups too, I think it was a lot of fun to get through.” Wade smirks as he shows them different class schedules for different courses, “I redacted all the important information, but it seems like this school also separates all of their courses. Hero course students, General Education, business, and support. They all learn different things, never interacting unless necessary.”

“That’s… different.” Kim raises an eyebrow. “Um, should you really be hacking into the system of the ‘world's smartest being’ Wade?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Kim. Hack helps make sure I’m untraceable and if Nedzu did get an alert, which I worked my way around, and somehow traces a location it’ll just lead him to random computers in a random location of Japan.”

“Wow, The support course students don’t have any combat classes.” Ron frowned, obviously preferring to look at the schedules to listening to the conversation.

“Hold up - Why does General Education have a Quirk Positivity class? This is high school? Shouldn't they have that class in elementary school?” Monique crossed her arms over her chest. Face filled with confusion.

“Right? Not just that, but the school conducts a sports festival, that they compare to the Olympics every year, that puts all the courses against one another.” Wade closes and erases the schedules, replacing them with a video reel of fights and highlights.

“Wha - why even call it a sports festival!? All they're doing is fighting?” Ron frowns before grinning as he watches one of the students punch another, “Booya! Look at that right hook!”

“Oh snap! He flipped him like a pancake!” Monique grinned as they watched the highlight reels.

“Why would they do that? Isn’t that practically advertising your quirk to all the villains in the area?” Kim rose an eyebrow

“It says that it’s done to ‘promote their students to other heroes for field studies.’ The kids receive internship requests by heroes that want to take them on. It’s dumb though because, according to this, only fifteen students from both hero classes combined got internship requests! And one of them got 4,123 requests!”

“They're promoting their students like they're the newest fashion trend.” Monique frowns, looking away from the video.

“That’s… only fifteen kids? Seriously? What about the others? Do they just… not do anything? Why can’t they all just apply like we do? I - My brain can’t process...” Rufus squeaks in sympathy as he pats Ron’s cheek with his paw.

Monique frowns in thought, “Hey, wait a minute… you said that the sports festival includes all the students, right?”

“Yeah, Three day’s worth of sports festival, one for each grade.”

The girl scoffed, “They're using the other courses to make the hero course look better, aren’t they?”

“What do you mean, Monique?” Kim frowns

“Think about it, girl, you saw the schedules. The hero course is the only course with combat training.” Kim’s eyes widened in realization.

“Duuuude, not cool! If they all had at least the same level of experience, it would be a lot better.” Ron frowns as he crosses his arms.

“Exactly! Personally, I prefer the way our school system is set up. Anyone who wants to take hero classes can take them, and if you don’t finish the credits, you’re in the academy longer. Not to mention, anyone who wants field experience could just apply and do the internships.” Wade crossed his hands over his chest.

“Wade, you're taking support course electives.” Kim smiled softly, “but you have a point.”

“Of course I do! I’m doing field study with the space center! You and Ron go every other weekend to work with the hero agency, and when vacation comes along you’ll be allowed to do more than just patrol. I just… this is just... “Wade signs, “At least I know how to fight and defend myself if anything were to occur.”

“A little worked up there huh, Wade...” Ron gave him a sympathetic smile

“Sorry.” He smiles sheepishly, “Anyway, will you and Kim be applying guys? They accept duo teams.” Kim thinks about it for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and smile.

“You know what? What the heck, let’s do it, Ron.” Kim smiles, “I think it’ll be really cool to get in and talk to other people not from around here. Make some new friends, and possible future partners.”

“Boo-ya! We’re so getting in!” Ron held up a finger for Rufus to high five.

Kim and Monique smile at one another, thanking Wade, the redhead closes her locker, “We can celebrate with Bueno Nacho AFTER we get accepted. For now, let's go get lunch before the break ends.”

“You think they’d let Rufus in?”

“Ron, I don’t know if they’d let your pet in the program.” Monique smiled

“Gasp! Pet? Rufus is NOT a pet! He is our partner!” the little rodent nods in agreement as he squeaks in response.

“Maybe we could ask when we get past the interview process. We’ll have to see, don’t get your hopes up, though, Ron.” Kim smiles softly, patting the boy's shoulder.

Kim Possible. Age 16. Seat 2. Student Rank 2. Hero Name: Possible. Quirk: Quirkless.

Kung fu, acrobatics and gymnastics, cheerleading skills, martial arts, hand to hand

Ron Stoppable. Age 16. Seat 9. Student Rank 11. Hero Name: Koi. Quirk: Karmic Luck.

His good luck fixes his bad luck. His natural bad luck places him in bad situations, however thanks to his quirk they always turn in his favor. For example, He once tripped over a rock, which caused him to dodge bird poop coming at him.

Basic Hand to hand, Ninjutsu

____

A young teen with black hair sat in a chair in their room, the red sleeves of his sweater pulled up to his elbows as he tinkered with a few things. The door to the room slowly opened to show a scrawny man with his blond hair in a beanie. Seeing his younger friend working, he walked in and waved the others in. Walking in, everyone made themselves comfortable in the room. A buff, burly man, walked closer to the teen. With a good slap on the back, making the boy shout in surprise, he greeted him.

“Hey there, little man!” He grinned widely, crossing his arms over his chest. Brown eyes blinked in surprise as he spun around on his chair to face the four adults.

“Oh! Hey guys! What brings you four here?” The younger boy asked with a smile as he adjusts himself in his seat. The adults all glanced at each other for a moment. A girl with purple streaks in her hair held out a packet to him, a small smile on her lips.

“We wanted you to apply for the Hero Collaboration Program.” Honey Lemon began as the boy began to read it.

“You’re a really smart kid, Hiro. Graduated from high school early, taking hero and support classes at the same time at the institute.” Gogo smiles.

“You’ve made awesome support weapons and during battle training you’re, like, wicked smart.” Fred praises.

“Buuuut you’re also a kid. A kid that’s friends with a bunch of adults, we want you to make some friends your own age.” Wasabi grinned sheepishly, everyone nodded in agreement.

“Do… you guys not like being my friends?” Hiro frowns, looking back up at them, dejection clear on his face.

“No!” They all shouted at once.

“It’s not like that!”

“We love being your friend, little dude!”

“You’re an awesome dude!”

“We don’t hate you!”

“We’re not trying to make you feel like we hate you!” Wasabi sighed as he ran a hand down his face, “We just want you to make friends your own age.”

“Yeah, you graduated from high school pretty early on general studies, and are now taking both hero and support classes at the institute, but you never really got a chance to make friends your age.” Honey Lemon explained.

“We already called to ask if you’d be able to apply.” Gogo smiled.

“Yeah! They said that they understand the circumstances considering your quirk and will make an exception! Of course, they said that just because they’re letting you apply doesn’t mean you will be accepted! That’s all on you, my dude!” Fred grinned as he shot the young teen finger guns.

Hiro stared down at the packet in his hands for a moment. They're not wrong. Because of his quirk, he had practically breezed through school and graduated at 11. He’s never been interested in heroics or any of that stuff, but even if he wanted to, no hero school would have accepted him because of his young age. Finding boredom in just staying home, he began to tinker with things and began to build small robots for fun - and maybe to con a few people out of their money - but he’s never pursued anything specific.

He hadn’t even thought about going into support until his older brother had brought it up when he was thirteen. After lots of hard work, he had gotten into the biggest hero school in the Tokyo prefecture, Institute for Heroics and Technology. He thought about applying to UA in shizuoka but he decided that the school was too over rated and stayed in Tokyo. He had stuck to the technical side of things, at least till his brother was killed in an explosion. It had taken a lot of convincing, but he was able to get his friends to help him take down the villain that caused it. He and his friends had become vigilantes and once they had captured the culprit he was reluctant to stop. It wasn’t long till he found himself in the heroics courses as well.

Now that he’s reflecting on it, they're right. He doesn’t have any friends his own age. Taking a deep breath, he nods, “Alright, sure. I’ll apply.”

“Really!?” Honey Lemon practically squeals in excitement.

“Yeah, besides, it says that the kids at Yuuei are participating. They’ve been through a bunch of villain attacks already, It’ll be interesting to see how they compare to other heroes in training.” Hiro leaned back in his seat, a leg crossing to rest on the other.

“Oh… Oh, no, that’s his ‘I have plans’ smirk, guys.” Fred stage whispered to the others.

“Should I be feeling bad for the Yuuei kids or the exchange kids he’ll be with if he’s accepted?” Wasabi asked, making Hiro burst into a fit of laughter.

“... Both.” Honey Lemon squeaked.

“He’s going to have fun.” Gogo smirked.

Hiro Hamada. Age: 15. Seat 13. Student rank 3. Hero Name: Zero. Quirk: Prodigy

His brain functions at a faster rate than possible, making it easy for him to process and retain information, giving him genius level intelligence.

Hand to hand, Martial Arts, builds his own support items.

_____

“No way man.” A dark skinned boy groaned as he tossed his backpack on the ground and sat himself on his desk chair, the wheels sending him back a bit.

“What? Miles, dude common. This event is for sophomores ONLY. You’re never getting this opportunity, ever again!” Another male walked into the shared room and closed the door behind him.

“Ganke I just got the hang of swinging around, the school year is going to end in a few months meaning finals are coming up, I don’t need to stress myself out more with this program.” Miles huffed in response, riffling through his backpack he pulled out his textbooks.

Sitting himself at his own desk, the boy responded as he grabbed his own things, “That was three months ago dude. The school year doesn’t even end until June, we’re barely getting into November, and this program is supposed to be fun. Did you even read that packet? You’ve been stressing yourself too much by adding so much training on top of your school work.”

“...... I can’t rest Ganke, you know that. I have to hurry up and graduate, so I can take over what Peter had left for me.” Miles let out a tired sigh as he slumped back on his chair and stared at the ceiling. “I know what happened to him wasn’t my fault, I get that, but… I just… I could have done more, you know? Like, I know he took me in for field studies because we have similar quirks, but I’ve looked up to him for so long and to be acknowledged only for it to be torn away all of a sudden… We became so close… He wanted me to take over the mantle of Spider-man and I just… I can’t let him down…”

Ganke sat in silence for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts before speaking, “I get that you want to take over the mantle of your mentor, but common man. Take a breather. We’re teenagers and you're burning yourself out. Peter wouldn’t want you to burn yourself out like this. You need this break.”

Silence fell in the dorm room once again as both boys started their homework. It wasn’t long for Miles to find himself tapping his pencil against his desk. Ganke’s words floating about in his mind. With a weary sigh, Miles re-read the packet that he pulled out from where he had stuffed it in a text book. “Your right… I do need a break.”

Ganke grinned widely and kicked off to roll over to his friend, “That a boy!” he cheered, slapping his friend’s shoulder, “Now then, let's talk support items! I've had this idea on making little nubs for your gloves that can discharge electricity for like a week now! I bet you’d like it! The trip is supposed to be in Late February, right? We have so much time! We can test them after school! You can even put them to use on the field when you do actual combat during Christmas break’s field studies!” Miles snorted at his friend's enthusiasm.

Miles Morales. Age 15. Seat 9. Student Rank 4. Hero Name: Spider-man. Quirk: Dolophanes Conifera.

Has characteristics of a wrap around spider. He can camouflage with his surroundings and shoot spiderwebs from a small hole from his wrists. He can effortlessly cling and climb walls thanks to the settles on his hands and feet. Is most active during the night. If he bites anyone, a venom is injected to temporarily stun his victim.

Hand to hand, fast reflexes, flexible

____

A raven haired boy with bright blue eyes groaned in frustration as he slammed his face on the kitchen table. His older sister with red hair frowned with worry, “What’s wrong, Danny?”

“Mr. Lancer handed out some packet for heroes and, like it sounds like fun, but it doesn’t allow trio teams.” Danny responded as he rested his chin on the table.

“Hero? I thought Tucker is in for support, while Sam handles the business aspect when you guys started your own agency?” The older sibling frowned in confusion.

Danny sticks his lower lip out in a pout, “Well, yeah but…” He sits up right, “Sam and Tucker are encouraging me to sign up, and It’s cool and all, but… I just…” The boy paused, turning over the words in his head in an attempt to organize them. His sister waited patiently for him to speak again, “I’ve never felt so… lonely I guess. Like… Tucker and, surprisingly enough, Kyle are going to be handling the Support items and any other tech-savvy stuff. Sam has Wes for business stuff, even if they do argue a lot, but I… have nobody.” The boy buries his face in his hands, “It’s stupid, I know…”

“W - what about Valery? She wants to be a hero too, right? You two were pretty close…?” His sister tries to reassure.

“Yeah, but she hates my guts now, Jazz. Remember the whole incident I told you about with quirk training?”

His older sister frowns at this. Her blue eyes looked over to the packet her brother had set aside. Taking it, she read it over silently before smiling softly, “Well, I definitely agree with Sam and Tucker that you should apply.”

Danny looks up with a frown, “But I’d be all alone…”

“Danny, the whole point of the program is to meet young aspiring heroes your own age. I'm sure you’ll make a friend or two while you’re out there.” Handing her brother the packet, she watched as his eyes roamed over the words again.

“I… I guess you’re right.”

Jazz smiles reassuringly at her brother, “Of course I’m right. Now then, let me help you fill that thing out.”

Daniel James Fenton. Age 16. Seat 8. Student Rank 5. Hero Name: Phantom, Quirk: - REDACTED - Ghost.

After turning four, his quirk, cryokinesis, had manifested. When he was 11 he was involved in a lab accident that -REDACTED- mutated his quirk. He can now turn invisible at will, walk through solid objects, fly, minor telekinesis, ghost wail, cryokinesis. He has no need to breathe, can last a week without food.

Hand to hand, night vision, stealth, enhanced hearing.

Chapter 1 Part 2

#fanfiction #my hero academia au #this story is very ambitious #i really hope you guys like this #my friends and I really made laws #and a whole school system #damian wayne #kim possible #ron stoppable #hiro hamada #miles morales #Danny Phantom #crossover fanfiction

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spaceskam · 3 years

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Pretty Little Picture (1/3)

fake dating au, pure fluff, no serious tags, just a bunch of fluff

for day 1 of @malex-cupid

ao3

When Alex agreed to this, he thought it’d be a piece of cake.

“You’re going to regret this, it’s a horrible idea,” Liz said through the phone as he walked around his room, packing his bag for the weekend. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why? We’re friends. And I’ve done musicals and stuff, I’ve acted before.”

“Okay, but this isn’t acting. This is going on a weekend getaway pretending to date your friend who you have a crush on is a bad idea,” she scoffed. Alex shook his head, looking between his plain black button-up and his plain black fitted turtleneck. He chose the turtleneck one and folded it carefully.

“I don’t have a crush on him.”

“Really?”

“Really. Trust me, I’ve seen him after pulling an all-nighter and falling asleep in his coffee. I know not to have a crush on him,” Alex said. Though he will admit, that was pretty cute.

“Sounds like something someone with a crush would say,” Liz scolded. Alex snorted a laugh. “Fine, do what you want, at least you’ll be believable with the heart-eyes and everything.”

“I do not have heart-eyes!”

Truly, Alex was sure it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. He lived with Michael already. They shared the house he inherited‒Michael needed a cheap place to live while in college and Alex wasn’t really looking forward to living alone, so it worked out‒and nothing weird had happened in the last three years. They were best friends, what would one weekend hurt?

“Alex, I need your help,” Michael had said, bursting into the living room and nearly making Alex spill his coffee. He stomped towards him, dropping his bag on the ground and flopping onto the couch with a pathetic whine. “Help me.”

“Help you with what?” Alex had asked in return, taking his eyes off his laptop to give him his full attention while he threw a little tantrum.

Michael twisted onto his stomach and rested his chin on his hands, looking up at him. Alex’s heart absolutely did not skip a beat in adoration. He wasn’t that cute.

“You know my internship? The fancy one with all the rich people that pay me to be an intern for them and actually listen to my ideas and‒”

“Yes, Michael, I know about your internship,” Alex laughed. Michael pouted just a little bit.

“Okay, so every year, the CEO takes all the interns and entrance-level employees and their partners on a trip for Valentine’s day and it’s a fun trip, I guess, but it’s really just this big, super informal interview where he and his wife sort of see if you’ll be a good fit for the company long term. Khalil said I have to go no matter what, that it’s super crucial and to make a good impression. Like, I have to go, Alex. I have to get hired for real after I graduate. Do you know how much I’ll get paid just to start? $35 an hour, Alex! I could do so much with that money!” Michael explained, exasperated and overwhelming as if Alex hadn’t heard how much money he would make if he got this job a billion times.

“Yeah, okay, then go,” Alex told him, “Sweet talk them like we all know you can.”

“I need a partner, though,” Michael said, pouting all over again, “So come with me. Please? We can pretend to be, like, long term boyfriends and, like, convince them I’d be a good queer diversity hire at the very least.”

Alex felt his cheeks grow warm at the suggestion and shifted in his spot. “Why me?”

“Because! You were raised around a bunch of bougie rich white people, you know how to act at these things! I’d ask Isobel or Max, but I don’t even wanna pretend to be in love with them. With you, I can do the whole starry-eyed thing and if we have to show PDA, it won’t be that big of a deal because, like, it’s you,” Michael persuaded, clambering onto his hands and knees before putting his head on Alex’s arm and pouting up at him, “Pretty please? I’ll buy you something nice and fancy with my first big kid paycheck.”

“Okay,” Alex agreed, not letting himself think too much about it. They spent all their time together anyway. He’d fallen asleep with Michael’s feet in his lap, he’d seen him basically naked, he’d hugged him and gotten platonic head kisses from him. They could pull it off.

“Okay?” Michael repeated, sitting up more. His smile was shining and bold and Alex had to take a breath. “Okay! Okay, so we have two weeks to pack and come up with stories and shit to tell. It’ll be so easy, they’re gonna love you, you’re so chill. Thank you, Alex, thank you so much.”

Which led to now when Alex was preparing to go on this trip. From the way Michael explained, it would be a lot of just talking and discussing with a side of couples retreat-esque activities.

“He’s apparently superfamily and relationship-oriented. I don’t know if it’s because he’s, like, super conservative or if he’s super progressive and is all for, like, living wages for family and will give people ample time off. I’m too scared to ask just yet,” Michael had explained.

Michael had also assured him that, during discussions, he could either sit with him or go talk to the other partners, whichever he preferred. He basically just needed Alex to look pretty and seem like they were totally in love. According to the way Liz spoke about them, it wouldn’t be a difficult feat.

So Alex packed his clothes and anything he thought he’d need to get by on a three day trip to some bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to look nice the whole time, even when they weren’t at formal dinners, and he was even going to flip his septum piercing. He planned to use his skills at selling himself to sell Michael as well.

“If you ever need a break, I’ll cover for you while you drive to the nearest convenience store to get a bunch of snacks,” Michael told him as he threw their bags in the backseat of Alex’s little car. Alex snorted a laugh.

“What about if you need a break?”

“Well, I plan to work for this fucker for at least the next thirty years, so my only break will be sleeping,” Michael said. Alex shook his head, going over to fix the collar of Michael’s shirt. It’d taken a bit of convincing to get him to forgo the flannels for a couple of days, but now he had a collared shirt that wouldn’t stay down for some reason. “Speaking of, are you gonna be chill sharing a bed or do I need to sleep on the floor? I don’t mind it, just wanna know if I should ask for an extra blanket.”

“Dude, we’ve shared a bed before,” Alex laughed, “It’s not gonna kill me.”

“Just making sure,” Michael said, taking a deep breath. It was only then that Alex realized that he was actually nervous.

“Hey,” Alex said, grabbing his shoulders and looking him in the eyes, “You’re going to impress the hell out of them, I’m gonna make sure of it, okay?”

“I just really want this job, Alex,” Michael said. Alex smiled.

“And you’re going to get it,” he said, “And, hey, if you don’t, this internship will always look good on your future resume.”

“Let’s just stick to telling me I’m gonna get it, okay?” Michael breathed. Alex laughed and nodded, patting him on the shoulder before shoved him gently in the direction of the passenger seat.

“You’re going to get it. Now get in the car.”

The whole ride there Alex was completely fine. This was going to be a piece of cake and he was going to show Liz that he could totally handle it. He didn’t have a crush, he wasn’t going to catch even more feelings, he was just being a good friend.

It didn’t really dawn on Alex just how stressful this weekend was going to be until they stepped inside the bed and breakfast and Michael looped an arm around his waist and tugged him in close. He knew they were going to be showing casual PDA, Alex agreed to that, but saying it and doing it in private was a whole different world to having Michael hanging onto him in front of other people.

Alex could hear his heart in his ears over the ringing, suddenly very aware of the fact that Michael was muscular. He knew he did a lot of manual labor jobs before he got that internship, but had he always been obvious about it?

Even then, Alex was able to smile through it as Michael led him up to the group of people that were already there. He was able to keep his feet under him as Michael leaned up to his ear to whisper a ‘you got this’. Alex was even stable as he shook the hand of the man whose suit was probably more than Alex’s inheritance.

“This is Alex,” Michael said, smiling over at him like he was the most important thing that ever existed, “My boyfriend.”

Well, shit.

Maybe Liz was onto something.

No, honestly‒Alex was fine.

Michael was charming, he knew that. He’d seen him with girls and guys he liked, he always laid on the charm thick and so it absolutely made sense for him to turn it on Alex. He just wasn’t used to it, that’s all. He just needed to adjust and then it’d be all roses.

“Alex, have I mentioned today that you’re my favorite?” Michael hummed as they went into their little room. Alex finally felt like he could breathe and tilted his head at him, raising an eyebrow. Michael was grinning with his back pressed against the door. “You’re incredible. They like you. Ivan laughed at your joke‒he never laughs.”

“Well, I’m glad you picked the right suitor,” Alex laughed, rolling his shoulders as he sat down on the bed. His back was facing Michael, finally, and he used it to close his eyes and count to three.

Michael was charming, simple. And, honestly, Alex was on the receiving end of it the more he thought about it. Just not in front of people. That’s what made it feel like so much. The audience. He’d never been so loudly out in front of that many people before. That’s what it was.

“The best,” Michael insisted.

The bed creaked under his weight as he crawled across it and Alex was only able to prepare himself for the weight to be draped over his back because he was used to Michael being clingy. Just… in private.

“Hey, you okay?” Michael asked after he was quiet for a second too long.

“Yeah,” Alex breathed, “I’m fine. Just never proudly stated I was into guys in front of that many people before.”

“Oh,” Michael said, pressing against his back just a little more, “Good feeling or bad feeling?”

Alex didn’t answer quickly enough.

“Alex, if you want to go home, then‒”

“No, this is good. I feel good. Just overwhelmed,” he explained. It wasn’t a lie.

“Okay, fair enough,” Michael said, kissing his temple before throwing himself backwards onto the bed, “I swear, it feels better after the overwhelming feeling goes away. None of them are gonna say shit to you either.”

Alex nodded and laid back on the bed beside him, looking over at him. They had to get ready for one of their informal discussions and dinner, but it sounded like a good idea to just lay there for a moment. The longer they laid there, the more he was able to realize this wasn’t going to be too bad. In fact, he was going to have fun with it.

In an actual relationship, he wouldn’t want to show a lot of PDA or be super touchy. But this wasn’t an actual relationship. He could just be a little extreme for the fun of it. He was going to school to perform. Why not try his hand at acting?

Bonus points if Michael got flustered.

“Okay, I’m good,” Alex said. Michael turned his head and they locked eyes, a smile on his face.

“Good,” Michael said, shifting onto his side, “But if you start feeling overwhelmed again, you can just squeeze my hand. We’re boyfriends for the weekend, so it doesn’t matter if they think it’s gay.”

Alex huffed a laugh, turning onto his side as well.

“Do they actually know you’re bisexual or is this like your coming out and you’re just letting them think what they want?” Alex wondered, “I saw a couple of shocked faces.”

“Some people know, mainly the people I talk to every day, but I don’t try to hide it. I think most of them thought I was straight until Callie was showing Emily some picture of a hot guy and I said I wanted to see,” Michael said, grinning in that way that told Alex he’d done it purposefully to get a shock out of some people.

“Oh yeah, how’d that go?”

“No one really said much, the girls laughed. Khalil breathed like a sigh of relief because they thought they were the only queer person working there,” Michael said, scooting closer, “I think there’s probably a couple more somewhere are the office. It’s a big place, there’s gotta be.”

“Mm, but we’re gonna be basically the only same-sex couple this weekend, right? I didn’t see anyone else while we were down there,” Alex pointed out. Michael nodded.

“Yeah, sorry. But only for a couple of days! It’s already Friday afternoon and we’re leaving Sunday afternoon, it’ll be fine. Plus, you got me,” Michael said, reaching out to poke Alex in the side, “I’ll make it worthwhile.”

Alex found himself smiling just a little.

“Yeah, I know you will.”

They both eventually got up and got dressed. Alex broke out the turtleneck and some relatively tight black slacks, drawing on fresh eyeliner. He pulled as much of his hair back as he could into a small low ponytail and deliberately made his bangs and everything hanging down a little intentionally messy.

This was a performance and he was going to sell it easily.

When he came out of their bathroom and into the main room, he saw Michael was in a pair of chinos and a maroon button-up that he was sure Isobel had gotten for him. He was just fastening his belt when Alex made a show of leaning against the doorframe as he whistled low.

“Well, well, well, don’t you look good,” Alex said. Michael looked up at him with a shit-eating grin, hands fumbling as he tried to tuck the end of the belt into his belt loops.

“I bet I smell better, Isobel got me fancy cologne,” he said. Alex huffed a laugh.

“Yeah, I can smell it, it’s nice,” he said, pushing off the door frame and walking closer, “You wearing real shoes, or am I going to have to publicly break up with you for wearing cowboy boots?”

Michael rolled his eyes and reached out to grab Alex by the waistband of his pants, tugging him in. Alex’s eyes went wide as he laughed at the forwardness.

“I’m wearing shoes, the fancy ones that are pointed at the end and click when you walk,” Michael said. Alex grinned and put the back of his hand to his forehead.

“I’m swooning.”

“You should.”

Michael let him go and went to go slip on his shoes while Alex went to his combat boots‒much more situation-appropriate than cowboy boots and he would stick by that. They gave each other another once over of approval before leaving their room.

“Those boots make your ass look great,” Michael said as they headed towards the elevator. Alex’s eyebrows shot up and he looked over his shoulder. Michael flashed an innocent smile. “What? You’re my boyfriend, I can look at your ass, right?”

“If I can look at yours, boyfriend.”

“I’m begging,” Michael said warmly as they stepped into the elevator. Alex shook his head and pressed the ground floor.

Because, of course, this was what it would be like to be with Michael. Flirting, banter, touching. No wonder he had so many people wanting to be with him. Hell, Alex got a decent taste of it and they didn’t even like each other like that. Though, it definitely helped him understand where all of Liz’s concerns came from.

“You really are feeling better, right? Like, don’t let me do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’ll try not to, but, you know, slap me if I do,” Michael insisted before the elevator doors could open, sincerity dripping from his tone.

Alex held out his hand as the doors opened.

“I’m fine.”

Alex was able to make that statement even more true as they started socializing and he managed to snag a flute of champagne. It tasted expensive, just like the shit he and Kyle would sneak at their parents’ parties. It was easier to loosen up when pretending that’s what this was.

“Michael, Alex!” Curtis called as he neared, a big smile on his face and a gorgeous woman on his arm.

Curtis was the CEO of Disionic, a company that specialized in doing work for other companies’ prototypes. Companies of all sorts would use Disionic to outsource their new and fancy inventions for all sorts of different things, from engine-powered toys to ad blocking apps to literal blenders, as a way to test run them and get credible feedback from engineers and usually would employ them to fix any mistakes that were made. Michael loved it, it was a constant stream of new things and it made big money.

The fact that he made a point to know all the interns' names was simply a plus.

“You two look like the perfect pair,” he said, looking between the two of them with a warm smile. Alex raised his eyebrows at Michael and offered a smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Iverson,” Michael said, nodding to the woman on his arm, “Mrs. Iverson.”

“Call me Jeannie,” Mrs. Iverson said, holding out a hand. Michael shook it firmly and Alex did the same. “So, I’ve heard about Michael, the agricultural and mechanical double major from Berkeley, but I haven’t heard about you. What do you do, Alex?”

Alex felt Michael take a deep breath, a silent ‘oh God, am I good enough that he told his wife about me?’ and he tightened his hold around his waist. Alex gave his award-winning polite smile that did wonders when he took etiquette classes back when his father thought dressing him up in a suit around other boys in suits to learn about how to act right would make him less likely to be a raging homosexual.

“I actually go to SFSU for right now,” Alex said, “Music major.”

“Oh!” she said, and Alex had already predicted her words before she said them because it’s what people always said, “That’s cute!”

“Mm,” Alex hummed, taking another sip of his champagne, “My major is piano education, but I also take vocal classes as more of a minor.”

“Oh, good, you’ll be able to do a lot with that. And it’s not that far from Michael’s school,” she said. He nodded, looking towards Michael.

“Yeah, we live somewhere in the middle,” he said.

“That’s good that he’s with someone who’s also focused, it’s a good environment to be in for a boy his age with his promise,” Curtis insisted. Michael went a little weak in his grasp and Alex didn’t have to be a genius to know it had everything to do with a grown man caring about his promise.

“I think so too.”

After moving on from Curtis, Michael was able to regain his legs and his brain and Alex didn’t have to carry too much of the weight‒literally and figuratively. They sat and had dinner, all paid for by the company, and then got back to socializing. It was honestly a bit draining, but Alex kept reminding himself it was just for the weekend and it was for Michael and also that most of the people there were winging it just as much as Michael.

“So, how did you two get together? I know Michael said you were roommates before things got started, so that must’ve been a risky move,” Alisha‒Michael’s coworker’s wife of two months who wouldn’t let either of them forget how sad it was that they couldn’t make it to the wedding as if they’d known either of them long enough to be invited in the first place‒asked. She was kind and all, but she asked a lot of questions. Alex was waiting for her to ask something that was too invasive to even justify a polite answer.

Honestly, some of them already felt too invasive, but Alex knew that was probably him just being touchy.

“Oh, I just got up the courage to ask him out one day and hoped it wouldn’t be weird. I mean, look at his face. It was impossible not to catch feelings,” Michael said. Alex rolled his eyes and leaned into his side, playing it up to the best of his ability. It helped that the champagne he’d been sipping on had made him a little more comfortable.

“Stop it.”

“I’m serious! I couldn’t help myself. I just wanted a chance to look at the stars with you and know you were mine,” Michael cooed, pressing his nose into Alex’s cheek and nuzzling just a little. Alex’s ears were ringing a bit as he turned his head to look at him up close. They locked eyes for a moment too long before Michael cleared his throat and looked back to Alisha. “So, yeah, couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

“How cute, I wish straight men were that romantic,” she cooed, just tone-deaf enough to level Alex’s thoughts, “Have you talked about marriage? I’d love to come to the wedding, it’d be so fun.”

“Not really, yet,” Alex said, pinching Michael’s hip just enough to make him jump, “But I figure one day I’ll get him on one knee.”

“What, you won’t propose to me?” Michael said, trying to put but failing through his smile. Alex cupped his ear in his hand, running his thumb gently along the curve of it. If Michael’s eyes drifted to his lips, well, Alex pretended he didn’t notice.

“Maybe I just like seeing you on your knees,” Alex said. Michael’s eyes widened.

“Oh, dear, I feel like I’m intruding,” Alisha giggled and Alex blinked out of it.

“Sorry,” he said, “Just teasing.”

“I totally get it! Me and my Tom get like that all the time.”

“Speaking of your Tom,” Tom said, sidling up beside her and looping his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him. “Emily wanted to see your ring.”

“Oh! Okay, see you later, guys! I had fun talking to you,” Alisha said, waving as she let herself be tugged off to wherever Emily and her boyfriend were.

Alex let out a breath of relief and raised his glass to his lips. Mid-sip, Michael leaned in close to his ear, lips nearly pressed against his skin. Alex focused on his drink.

“You’re gonna do something stupid like make me fall in love with you,” he breathed, leaving a kiss on his cheek before he pulled back.

“Ah, a tragic mistake many men have made,” Alex said playfully. Michael beamed at him.

“Seriously, you’re amazing, Alex. I’m so glad I brought you. You even managed to make Alisha bearable,” Michael said. Alex laughed and looked over to where Alisha was proudly showing off her ring.

“She’s not that bad.”

“You haven’t met her as many times as I have,” Michael huffed, “I was terrified when I saw her comin’ this way. She means well, but, you know.”

“The straights just aren’t as romantic, Michael, don’t you know?” he said. Michael laughed and squeezed his hip. “But are you good? You’re starting to look a little drained.”

“I’m gonna start lookin’ for a way out so we can go upstairs. My people tolerance is dropping,” Michael confessed. Alex nodded.

“Well, you’re doing really well. I almost didn’t notice.”

“Hopefully no one else will.”

“No one else knows you like I do, so I’m assuming you’re good.”

Michael tilted his head, that little smirk on his lips as he said, “You know me so well, huh?”

“I do live with you,” Alex pointed out. Michael nodded and his eyes went to the flute of champagne in his hand.

“How many of those have you had?” he asked. Alex shrugged, swirled it around a bit before downing the rest.

“Three, maybe four. Yeah, four, one before dinner, one during, two since,” Alex explained. Michael nodded.

“Feelin’ good?” he asked. Alex hummed and nodded, looking over Michael’s face easily. “I’m not a champagne man.”

“Neither am I, but this shit is too expensive not to drink.”

Michael laughed, “Guess I’ll have to taste it.”

“You will.”

Alex’s eyes drifted to his lips, not for the first time. He started wondering what he actually looked like on his knees. Then he shook that thought right out of his head.

“I’m tired,” Alex said, maybe a bit louder so other people would hear. Michael grinned.

“Okay, let’s make our rounds in saying goodnight.”

They said goodnight to Michael’s coworkers that they passed on their way to say goodnight specifically to Curtis and Jeannie. It was an absurd amount of small talk, very ‘oh, yeah, we were up early, Alex had class’ and ‘it’s a long day, want to be fresh in the morning!’ and ‘you know how it is, can’t wait to get this one alone, haha!’ It was all tragically boring and as he got closer to when he’d be free of it, Alex began to itch to get back to their room.

By the time they said goodnight to Curtis and his wife, they were basically speed walking to the elevator. Once the doors closed, Michael tugged Alex into a hug, burying his face into his neck and Alex giggled, feeling light as he draped his arms around his neck. Michael lifted him off the ground for a moment, until the doors slid open.

They made it back to their room and Alex didn’t have a moment to process anything before the door closed and Michael was closing in on him. He grabbed his face in between his hands, staring at him with the biggest smile. Alex was probably a little too drunk for this.

“You are so fucking good at this, I could kiss you. The flirting, the touching, the lines? Alex! You’re a genius, a pure genius. I knew they’d like you, but they like like you. You are so good, Alex Manes,” he gushed, peppering kisses to his forehead and his nose and his cheeks. By the time he pulled away, Alex’s face was on fire and he was smiling so wide it hurt.

“I’m just selling it,” Alex said.

“And you are doing a damn good job. I should date you more often,” Michael said. Alex nodded lamely and Michael laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling it to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I am going to go take a shower, boyfriend. You start trying to sleep off that champagne, okay?”

“Okay.”

Michael dropped his hand and turned, stepping out of his shoes on the way to the bathroom. Alex let out a breathy laugh and sat on the edge of the bed. He slowly pulled his hair down and pulled off his boots, taking a deep breath. He licked his lips and turned his head to the bathroom door, head swimming with too many thoughts as the water kicked on.

Alex changed out of his shirt and his pants into sweats and a t-shirt, climbing into bed without much thought. He tried not to think, at least. He closed his eyes and tried to lull himself to sleep.

But, when the bathroom door opened, he couldn’t help himself.

Alex peeked over the edge of the blanket and watched as Michael, dripping wet with just a towel around his waist, searched for his clothes with nothing but the bathroom light to guide him. He was gorgeous and overwhelmingly… Michael. Alex couldn’t remember the last time he wanted something so bad as he wanted to touch Michael at that moment.

At the thought, he pulled the blanket over his head, his eyes going wide.

Oh.

Oh no.

#malexcupid21 #malex #malex fic #michael guerin #alex manes #roswell new mexico #my fic #i meant to post this earlier but I just got home whoops #verse: pretty little picture

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comphersjost · 4 years

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All For You | 5 [Finale] ➸ Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk

firstly, i want to say thank you all so fucking much for the love, the support, the countless asks, comments, and reblogs on this series. this is an epilogue of sorts - mostly focusing on matty’s POV - as well as a tribute to the first part that started this all. enjoy my loves <3

4 times Matty knew he loved you, and the one time he knew you loved him.

word count: 6.8k+

warnings: some smut, not super descriptive, angst, elias and noah being little shits, lots of elaboration on events previously mention in the series :)

part one

part two

part three

part four

masterlist

The game was brutal. You curled up on your couch to watch it, your body tense the entire time. You lost track of how many times Matt fought someone on the ice, whether he went after someone on behalf of one of his teammates, or when he was being targeted. To say the least...Matt got his ass handed to him.

The game ends with the Rangers shutting out the Flames. You keep the TV on, anxious to see if Matt was going to be interviewed. He wasn’t, but you caught glimpses of him behind Mark Giordano as he answered questions in that monotone hockey voice. Matt looked like a wreck from what you saw, bruises forming on his face and hair an absolute mess.

You shake your head and turn the TV off, immediately reaching for your phone. You text him without thinking, not realizing what you did until you see ‘delivered’ under the messages.

you: i’m sorry about the game :( you: anything i can do? you: ice cream or something?

You panic when the read receipt pops up almost immediately. You'd only been in Calgary for about a month, and only hung out with him a couple of times - and that was with constant reassurance from Brady that you weren't a burden on him. Either way, there's no way he would trust you that much right?

Three short consecutive buzzes sounded, snapping you out of your spiraling thoughts.

matthew: can i come over? matthew: if that's cool with you matthew: no worries if not ik you said you haven't totally unpacked

You can't help the smile that tugs at your lips at the last text. Maybe he really didn't see you as just his brother’s best friend. You quickly type a response back.

you: of course you can !! you: and fyi i did unpack you: sorta

matthew: am i supposed to believe that???? matthew: be there in like. 20 matthew: i still gotta shower lol

you: then shower it up stink monster you: see u sooooon you: any snack/drink requests?

It takes a few minutes to get a response from him, and you assumed that he showered during that time. Over the past month Matt almost never lagged when it came to responding to texts, except for practices and games.

Your phone buzzes again, but this time it’s a Snapchat notification from Matt. You click on it and the app switches. Tapping on the red square reveals Matt, seemingly fresh out of the shower with his thumb up. That caption reads “fastest shower time on the team? yessir”, another caption underneath reading “no longer a stink monster”.

You laugh and respond to a photo of the top half of your face, typing out “yeah yeah answer my text stinky”. He opens the snap immediately, and 30 seconds later you get a text from him.

matthew: yo tbh if you have popcorn 👀👀

you: ur in luck i do!! the super buttery kind tho :/

matthew: my fave matthew: don't tell anyone on the team tho

You pause for a moment. You hadn't even met anyone on the team, only heard them in the background of the few phone calls you'd had with Matthew. Did he want you to meet them?

Shaking the thought out of your head, you react to the message with the laugh reaction and assure him you won't. He texts you to let you know he was on his way and suddenly you panic again. Matt hadn't been in your apartment since your first week in Calgary. Even then it wasn't really your apartment, it was just an empty place filled with boxes. He had helped you build all the furniture that had arrived, but since then you’d only hung out with him at restaurants or bars or coffee shops.

You don't know why the idea of him in your space makes anxiety wash over you, and you have to remind yourself that Matt is someone you grew up with. He's your best friend’s brother and someone you've known your whole life, but for some reason you still felt like you had something to prove to him.

There's a heavy knock on your door before you can pull yourself out of your head enough to make sure everything in your apartment is clean and tidy, and you almost want to scream but you figure it would be weirder than having a slightly messy living room.

When you open the door for Matt, the first thing you notice are the two forming bruises on his face. The second thing you notice is how tired he looks, his smile genuine but still not reaching his eyes.

“Hey,” you breathe out, “Come in.” He bumps your shoulder softly in a silent greeting as he slips past you into your apartment.

“The place looks great, Y/N/N,” Matt says softly, admiring the decorations and photos you’d placed around to make it feel more like home. You're glad he isn't facing you and can't see the surprised look on your face at hearing him call you by your nickname.

“Thanks Matty,” you say, your anxiety fading when he turns to smile at you again. “I’ll get the popcorn, you can pick a movie or a show or something, if you want.” You chuckle softly as he all but collapses on your couch, stretching out as you make your way towards the kitchen.

Matt’s eyes follow you as you disappear through the doorway, the sound of the microwave starting just a few moments later. If he wasn't so tired and bruised he would pay more attention to the nervousness bubbling up inside of him. It had been a long time since he really hung out with you like this - the last time he can remember was probably his senior year of high school. Brady had been gone on a class trip for one of the few classes you hadn't taken together, and Taryn was still too young for you to relate to her. So for a full week you showed up at their door and flopped on his bed, or vice versa, claiming that you were bored and were there to stay. He remembers pretending to be annoyed, but inside he was practically screaming, overthinking every little thing that he said to you.

His teammates would chirp him if they knew - Matt had known that for sure. What, a hotshot hockey playing senior getting butterflies over a sophomore girl? Oh, he would be torn apart in the locker room. That's why he didn't kiss you then. It was stupid, really, now that he thought back on it, but he was 17 then, and his teammates’ opinions were more important to him than taking a chance with his brother’s best friend.

But now you were here. In Calgary. And he was here, in your apartment.

He feels 17 again, your sweet voice floating from the kitchen asking him if he wanted anything to drink. He replies that he only wants water, and decides to take you up on looking through Netflix. He settles for a random episode of Parks and Rec when you come back to the living room, a bowl of popcorn in one hand, and two glasses of water somehow held in the other.

You make a face at him and shove his legs out of the way with your foot, placing the bowl and glasses on the table. You laugh when he groans and moves his legs out of the way so you can sit, before moving them back onto the couch to tangle with your own. Matt reaches for the bowl of popcorn as you snatch a blanket from its spot on the back of the couch and drape it over both of your legs.

“Still cold all the time, Y/N/N?” Matt teases, nudging his foot against your knee as you laugh sharply.

“Haven't changed a bit, Matty,” you throw back immediately. Your heart skips a beat when he laughs, a really, loud, genuine laugh, head thrown back and everything. You can't help but think that it suits him more than the tired smile he wore when he showed up at your door.

“You really haven't,” he says with a grin, eyes finally sliding back to yours. His hair curls over his forehead, but you can't look away from his eyes. The intensity of his stare makes you shiver, and you pretend it’s from the cold, pulling the blanket towards you more and looking away. You ignore his grumble of protest, but he lets you do it anyway.

“You haven't changed either, you know,” you say quietly. He stays silent, only shifting in his spot to get more comfortable.

The two of you fall into a comfortable silence, your eyes on the TV and his on...well his eyes are on you. He thinks back to all the times he wanted to make a move on you. Countless hours he spent beating himself up for letting the opportunities slip through his fingers because of his stupid pride.

He's not 17 anymore, he could kiss you right now. He could wrap his arms around your waist and pull you into his lap, kiss you until you're breathless and absolutely begging for him.

But he doesn't.

Not when you look like this, so comfortable and warm and here. He can't kiss you when you opened your home to him after a tough loss. He can't take advantage of you like that.

So Matt trains his eyes on the TV again, sneaking glances at you here and there as he all but shovels popcorn into his mouth so he doesn't say something stupid. He doesn't realize you've fallen asleep until he sneaks another glance at you, this time looking for just a little longer than a split second.

Your eyes are closed, cheek smushed into the cushion and your chest rising and falling with soft, even breaths. He realizes then how tired you must be, it’s nearly 11:30 and he knows you have to be up early for work. He can't tear his eyes away, can't help but take advantage of being able to stare at you without getting caught.

God, you're so cute like this, he wishes you were in his arms instead of on the other side of the couch. He wants this to last as long as possible, but your head is tilted at an awkward angle, and he doesn't want you to go to work tomorrow in pain.

Instead of taking his time looking over every inch of your adorable sleeping face, he gently untangles his legs from yours, grabbing the empty bowl and cups and heading to the kitchen. Once he's done washing them and placing them on the drying rack, he heads back to you, pausing in the doorway for one more moment to just look at you.

He finally convinces himself that he’s stared enough, it’s getting creepy now, and you need to go to bed. Matt makes his way back to you, squatting down and gently placing a hand on your arm.

“Y/N/N?” he says softly, rubbing softly up and down your arm.

“Hmm?” you hum softly, blinking slowly with blurry eyes.

“You gotta go to bed,” he murmurs, and he can't stop himself from brushing a piece of hair out of your face. “You have work in the morning, c’mon.”

You whine in protest and your eyes flutter shut again. You're too comfortable, too warm to get up now. Matt sighs, resignation setting in. He slowly peels the blanket off of you, folding and draping over the back of the couch like before, before sliding his arms underneath your back and knees and lifting you effortlessly.

You mumble something unintelligible as you bury your face in his chest. Matt says nothing as he finds your bedroom, depositing you on your bed as soft as he can, and tugging the duvet out from under you and then back over you again.

“You can't go home,” you mumble again, louder, grabbing his hand feebly before he can walk away. Matt freezes at the implication, even though he knows the thoughts spiraling in his mind are unlikely in your barely awake state. “S’late Matty, you can't go home.”

“Y-you-you want me to sleep here?” he stutters, and you nod, blissfully unaware of the rampage of emotions in Matt’s head.

“Guest bedroom’s furnished,” you slur, voice thick with exhaustion. “Don't go home. S’late.” With that, you're fast asleep again, and Matt - well -

Fuck, Matt thinks. He's fucked. And he knows it.

II.

Based on the look on Noah’s face, Matt knows he's going to get one hell of a lecture as soon as you're out of earshot. He'd finally taken you to meet his teammates, and he was really starting to regret it. He knows that you're beautiful, he'd just rather not watch his teammates stare shamelessly. He really is glad he told them warned them to keep their hands off though, using the excuse that you were his brother’s best friend and there was no way he would let those hooligans go after you.

But now that you're actually meeting them, Matt knows that they're going to call him on his shit. His team knows him better than that.

His hand is resting against the small of your back as he leads you to a booth towards the back of the bar. He slows down before he gets within earshot of the table, leaning in to ask softly, “You okay?”

You glance up at him with a nervous smile, but nod anyways. “Yeah,” you assure him, “I’m good, I just hope they like me.”

Matt laughs at that, shaking his head at your confused expression. His laugh fades as you raise an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly. “They'll love you,” he finally clarifies, “Promise.”

“Promise?” you say skeptically.

“Promise,” he confirms, and the grin on his face is infectious, you can't help but smile back at him. “C’mon,” he says, pushing you lightly until you reach the table.

“Matty!” exclaims one of the men at the table. A brunette, from what you can see in the dim light, and a face that makes him look 14. At his drunken greeting, the rest of the men and women at the table turn to look at you and Matt, making you shift uncomfortably under their collective gaze.

“Aaand he’s drunk already, this is Brady and I’s friend, Y/N,” Matt introduces you, his hand sliding from your back to squeeze your hand comfortingly. He introduces each of the people at the table - the baby-faced one was named Johnny - before nudging the blonde that looked like a Disney prince until he moved over to make room for the two of you.

“Hi,” you say, smiling shyly around the table. “It’s nice to meet you all, Matt’s told me a lot about you.”

“Hope he wasn't talking shit,” Prince Charming teases with a slight accent, flashing you a bright smile. What was his name? Elias?

“Oh he talks the most shit,” you banter, a sly smile tugging at your lips at Matt’s incredulous protest. “Always going on and on about how annoying you guys are - mmf!” Your teasing is cut short by Matt’s hand covering your mouth. Without thinking you lick the palm of his hand, laughing when he snatches it away again and off of your mouth.

“That's gross,” Matt complains, wiping his hand on his jeans.

“You asked for that,” you shoot back, elbowing him lightly when he rolls his eyes.

“You know, I’m starting to regret this,” he grumbles, fighting the smile playing on his lips, “you’re just as annoying as them.”

“Be nice Chucky!” Noah pipes up. You recognize him from the few times you’d stopped by Matthew’s apartment but had never stayed long enough to actually get to know him.

“Yeah, Chucky,” you taunt, “better be nice to me, I know where you live during the off-season too.” The table erupts into laughter at that, and you accept a fist bump from Elias.

“I like this one, Matthew,” Giordano says, “You better keep bringing her around.”

You flush at the compliment, having heard how highly Matt speaks of his captain.

Matt feels you relax into the booth, the tension in your body since your arrival finally draining at the approval from his team. He leans down slightly to murmur in your ear, “I told you they'd love you.” You smile at his words, tuning back into the conversation that had started up again.

“Matthew,” Elias suddenly says, drawing your attention away from the intense discussion about whether or not hotdogs were considered sandwiches (the group was split almost 50/50, by the way). “Let’s go get more drinks. Noah?”

You scoot out of the booth to let the two of them slip out, heading to the bar with Noah in tow, sliding back in to find yourself seated beside a beautiful blonde girl. She laughs when you say timidly, “I’m sorry, could you all tell me your names again?”

She introduces herself in a thick accent as Annica, Elias’s girlfriend, and the other girls do too, before quickly striking up a conversation. “Do not worry,” she says kindly, “I forgot most names the first time I met too.” You laugh at that, before some of the wives and girlfriends start to ask you about yourself.

“How do you know Matthew?” Brittany, Sean Monohan’s girlfriend, asks curiously.

“I grew up with him,” you explain. “Brady’s my best friend, they live across the street from my family.”

At the same time that you’re getting to know the girls at the table, Elias is slapping Matt upside the head.

“Dude!” Matt groans. “What the fuck?”

Noah rolls his eyes at Matt’s faux-obliviousness, “Dude, that girl is a smokeshow.” Noah manages to dodge Matt’s fist aimed at his arm, smirking at the defensiveness. “Just your friend huh?” he chirps, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Matt groans again, “Yes, just a friend, the hands-off rule still applies.”

Elias snorts, unconvinced, leaning back against the bar to observe you interacting with the team and WAGs. “She’s funny, and fits in well,” Elias remarks. “And Noah is right, she is a smokeshow.”

“I know,” Matt grumbles. “Don't you have a girlfriend?”

Elias throws his head back and laughs. “Annica pointed out when you walked in. Anyway, she's yours, clearly.”

“Dude.”

Matt was getting really sick of the chirping coming from his teammates. To be fair - they were right, but he couldn't let them know that. But as he follows Elias’s gaze to see you talking animatedly to the girls at the table - all of their attention trained on you - he can't help the soft smile on his lips. He's right, you do fit in well.

He wonders how you'd look wearing a jacket with his name on the back.

Noah’s voice snaps him out of his daydream. “I'm just saying man, you already look like you're halfway in love with her, so get on that.”

“No,” Matt snaps finally, before his expression drops slightly. “Besides, our parents are fully convinced that she and Brady are gonna end up getting married or whatever.”

Noah and Elias both wince at that, giving him sympathetic glances. Matt rolls his eyes, snatching half the round of drinks the bartender had deposited in front of them, and heading back to the booth, knowing that Elias and Noah were hot on his heels. Thankfully, he makes it before they can say anything else that might inspire Matt to do something stupid.

But as he slides back in beside you, watching you interact with his teammates - his family away from family - he can't help but think about how wrong Noah was.

More than halfway, Noah, way more than halfway.

III.

Matt’s lifelong habit of running away from his feelings just didn't seem to apply to you. No matter how much his feelings grew, how much they scared him, he still stayed. He still hung out with you, and texted you constantly. He still brought you to every team event under the guise of not wanting some random girl with him, and that he'd much rather have you there.

When you told him about your feelings for his brother, it stung. So Matt did the only thing he could - not run away, he could never run from you. He crushed the hurt away, pushed his feelings down down down until they were just a whisper at the back of his mind.

But then he made a mistake. He made an enormous, colossal, devastating mistake.

He kissed you.

He was wine-drunk, and so were you. Maybe that's why you let him. Maybe that's why you kissed him back. It was easier to believe that it was a drunken decision than let himself have any hope.

You'd been at his apartment for dinner, something that had become a weekly occurrence now. Matt couldn't deny that he liked this, having you to himself without anyone Brady to steal your attention.

You'd ordered in today, boxes of Thai takeout littering the counter. Matthew hadn't bothered to clean up after you were both done eating, insisting that he’d take care of it later, and for now you could just hang out. So that's what you did.

The two of you sprawled on his couch, forgoing wine classes to just pass the bottle back and forth until both of you were giggling. Your cheeks felt warm from the wine, and you felt good. You felt relaxed and at home.

You're thrown into another fit of giggles when Matt reminds you of the time Brady had fallen asleep after a game when you had all gone out for ice cream. He had ended up face planting directly into a scoop of his barely-eaten vanilla ice cream in the car on the way home, immediately snapping awake at the cold dessert hitting him directly in the face.

Through your laughter, you say “What about the time you were trying to impress - hic - that girl - what was her name, Brenna? - and then you -” you cut yourself off, laughing uncontrollably at the unimpressed look on Matt’s face. He knew exactly what you were talking about, and it was easily one of the more embarrassing moments of his life. When you can catch your breath again you finish “- and you were staring so you slipped and fell on the ice!”

Matt groans as you keep laughing, before a devious idea comes to mind. You know that look on his face all too well, your eyes widening as your laughter dies down.

“Matt-” you start as he starts reaching for you, turning into a shriek when his hands reach their destination. “Matt, no!”

His fingers finding your sides and tickling you mercilessly.

“Matt!” you gasp, squirming to escape the torture. “I’m sorryyyyy! I won't mention it again, I promise!”

He pauses for a moment, eyeing you suspiciously.

“Promise?” he asks, his hands not leaving your sides even when you nod. He hums when you promise, distracted by your closeness. The wine made his mind fuzzy, and the feelings he's been harboring for so long come bubbling to the surface.

Matt is terrified he's going to say something he’ll regret - especially with the knowledge of your feelings for Brady - so he does the only thing that will shut him up. He does what he was too cowardly to do when he was 17.

He kisses you.

A surprised moan escapes your throat, but then you sigh, leaning into him and leaning into the kiss. His hold tightens around you as he tilts his head to slot your lips together. Your hands come up to run through his messy curls, making a noise of appreciation at how soft his hair is.

Matt can't help himself, he leans back to his side of the couch, tugging you with him and into his lap. One hand leaves your waist to cup your jaw as you straddle him, his teeth tugging at your lip before sliding his tongue into your mouth. The hand on your waist comes down to your ass, a strangled moan breaking the kiss as his hand pushes you impossibly closer to Matt.

Matt reconnects your lips immediately, addicted to the feeling of finally kissing you after all these years. Through the haze in his brain he thinks that this is probably a bad idea, but fuck does he love it.

You whine needily and break the kiss, rocking your hips against Matt and making him gasp.

“Fuck,” he rasps, his hips jerking upwards to grind into you. Your eyes flutter open for a moment, shuddering at the dark look in Matt’s eyes. You think of saying something - anything - but Matt’s hand curls around the back of your head and pulls you back in to meet his lips.

You tug at his hair as he kisses you, letting him move your hips into an undulating motion against his own. Matt's mouth drags away from yours, your whine turning into a soft moan as when he kisses along your jaw and down your neck. You shiver when you feel his teeth graze the column of your throat.

Matt kisses every inch of exposed skin, unable to help himself from sucking a deep purple mark into your skin just above your collarbone.

“Matty,” you whimper, grinding down harder against the growing tent in his sweatpants. Matt decides that your whimpers and moans are his favorite sound, and vows then that he’s going to do everything in his power to pull those noises from your body. He can't get enough of you, the way your hands roam over his shoulders and through his hair and the desperate way your grinding against him. You say his name again, this time a soft sigh as he keeps kissing at your skin, the hand on your ass sliding up and underneath your thin v-neck.

“Baby,” he grunts against your skin, running his nose up along your neck. You whimper at the pet name, and Matt gets impossible harder under you. “Baby,” he whispers again, pulling back to look you in the eye. “Tell me if you want this, angel.”

You nod frantically, leaning in to press your mouth on his again.

“Please,” you mumble against his lips. “I want this. I want you.”

Matt moans at the words, wishing that it were true in every context. Instead he wraps his hands under your thighs and stands, making his way blind towards his bedroom. He tosses you on his bed unceremoniously, kicking the door shut behind him.

You look up at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, reaching for him again, aching for his touch. Matt crawls over your body and brushes the hair out of your face as he hovers above you.

“Matt,” you whine needily, wrapping a hand around his neck to pull him down to kiss you again.

As Matt strips you of your clothes as well as his own, he lets himself pretend this is real. He fucks you with brutal, merciless thrust of his hips, and pretends like this isn't going to be a one-time thing. He lets himself feel while you cry out for him and arch your back as you cum. He calls you baby and acts like this isn't a drunken mistake you’re probably going to regret in the morning.

And when you're both spent, his arms curled around you as you give him a dopey, sleepy smile - looking like a real life angel, he thinks - Matt lets himself pretend, for just a moment, that you love him too.

IV.

He hates this.

Matt hates this.

He hates the feeling of your body shaking against him, uncontrollable sobs wracking your body. Brady had left that morning for Ottawa after Autumn had reached out to him, asking to give their relationship another shot. And Matt hates him for it right now.

He hates the sound of your crying, the tears spilling onto his shirt. He hates that you feel like this, heartbroken and miserable.

Matt hates how responsible he feels for this. He was so sure that Brady reciprocated your feelings, telling you over and over again that he was positive his brother loved you too. In hindsight, he might have been projecting, but to him, it was impossible not to fall in love with you.

The thing he hates the most, though, is how selfish he is. How he can't help but think of how good it feels to hold you again.

Another sob rips itself from your throat and Matt’s arms tighten around you, pulling you so that you were flush against his chest. He buries his face in your hair, whispering “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” over and over as you break down in his arms.

He barely registers the feeling of you shaking your head against his shoulder.

“Not your fault,” you mumble through your cries, shaking your head more vigorously. “It-it’s not - it’s my fault - I thought -” You cut yourself off and bury your head in his shoulder as your bawling continues.

“It's not your fault,” he insists as one hand comes up to cup the back of your head, running through your hair in soft strokes. “It’s not, it’s not your fault, you did nothing wrong.”

Matt holds you like that for what feels like eternity, your sniffles and cries coming slower and slower until they stop. He still holds you tight, tracing patterns over your skin and running his hands through your hair soothingly. He whispers gentle words in your ear, comforting you the best he can.

Eventually you pull back slightly too look up at him, making Matt mourn the loss of feeling every inch of you pressed up against him. You look tired, sleepy, but most of all, you look sad - and it kills him inside.

“Thank you,” you whisper hoarsely, making Matt’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“What for, angel?” The nickname doesn't go unnoticed by you, and you can't help the warm feeling that worms its way through your heartbreak.

“Everything,” you shrug, not wanting to really say the truth. Matt takes it for an answer, even though you both know it’s really not, and smiles gently, brushing hair out of your eyes like he's done so many times. “M’sorry about your shirt,” you mumble, and Matt laughs at that, his head thrown back.

“I've got plenty of shirts,” he teases, thumb sliding back and forth over your jaw comfortingly. As his laughter fades, his gaze becomes locked on yours. You look like you're in deep thought, at war with yourself, and he barely refrains from asking you what you're thinking about.

“Okay?” Matt asks gently, eyes softening when your eyes focus on him again. You open your mouth as if to say something, before closing it again and nodding slowly. “Y/N/N?”

Before he can really ask what's going on, you're throwing your arms around his neck, your lips colliding with his. Matt can't help but melt into the kiss, cupping your cheek as your lips move together. He hadn't felt this in so long.

Oh, he missed this. He missed the feeling of your mouth on his. Missed kissing you until you were breathless. Missed the way you fit perfectly in his arms.

He moans gently, nearly delirious with his need for you.

A pang of guilt shoots through him, making Matt pull away even as you whine and chase his lips. You look up with wide eyes and a slight pout, before you seem to realize what just happened.

“Fuck, I’m - I’m sorry,” you gasp, scrambling to escape his embrace. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - that was fucked up - I’m sorry -”

Matt’s grip only tightens, grabbing your chin to make you face him. “Hey - hey,” he says sharply, making you stop struggling and look at him. “It’s okay, I promise, we just - you're not in the right - we can't -”

“I know,” you cut him off, “I know, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay,” he assures you again, before asking you softly, “Do you want to go home?”

You weren't sure which home he meant - your family’s house across the street or Calgary - but either way you shake your head frantically, clinging to him tighter at the idea of being alone with your broken heart right now.

“Okay,” he soothes gently, “That's okay, I’m gonna go shower, okay? You wanna change?” You glance down at your clothes - sweatpants and a t-shirt - and shake your head again.

“This is fine,” you say timidly, your voice small and sad and widen the hole in Matt’s heart.

“Okay,” he murmurs, setting you gently on his mattress and tugging the duvet over you. “I won't be long, I promise.” You nod sleepily, your eyes already fluttering shut as you acknowledge him, as he backs away slowly.

Matt has to clasp a hand over his mouth in the shower, muffling the noises out of his mouth as he weeps.

He almost wants to laugh at the irony of it all. You love Brady. You love him and your heart is breaking because of it. And so is his. And even as Matt puts on clean pajamas and crawls back into his bed beside your sleeping figure, he still feels like he might start to cry again.

But then you mumble his name, your voice thick with sleep as you reach for him. Your hands feel small against his chest as you fist the material of his shirt and tug him towards you, sighing contently when his arms slide around your waist.

You fit so fucking perfectly, Matt thinks, with your body tucked into his like this. His eyes linger on your face for a few moments, taking in the peaceful look on your sleeping face after hours of anguish and emotional turmoil. As he begins to drift off, his last thought before he falls into slumber, is how he's never been more at ease, more happy, more in love, than when he's with you.

Matt has never been in so much pain in his entire life. The moment his eyes fluttered open, still blurry from sleep, he snapped them shut again. It was too bright. Why is everything so bright? He only knows one person that keeps the blinds open when they sleep and that was - Matt’s blood runs cold.

“I like it when the sun wakes me up,” you’d said when he asked you. “It feels less like an alarm clock and more of a gentle reminder, you know?”

He didn't know, he really really didn't, especially with the pounding in his head. But he has to know for sure, so slowly but surely, he opens one eye and then the other. Matt’s heart rises to his throat when he realizes where he is.

Part of him thinks he might die on the spot. But the other part - the selfish fucking part of him - whispers that waking up in your bedroom is what he's been dreaming of for months.

But then it hits him. The pain.

Not the pounding headache, no - this was worse. This was so much fucking worse. It was worse than the day in his parents’ basement when you walked away from him all those months ago. Worse than the night he came home and found you naked in Brady’s bed. This pain felt worse than anything he'd ever felt before.

It’s excruciating. He feels like someone had punched a hole in his chest and torn out his heart. The ache in his chest surpasses the throbbing in his head.

Matt feels like he's going to cry, the desire to curl up into a ball and disappear overwhelming him and he wants to cry.

How did he even get here?

Matt doesn't remember most of last night, little snippets here and there. He remembers your Instagram post, the cutest fucking picture he's ever seen of you holding and ice cream cone and laughing, a smudge of the frozen treat dotted on your nose. He remembers grabbing a bottle the moment he got home. He remembers Noah and Elias, remembers seeing their lips moving, but doesn't remember what they said.

Before he can stop it, there are tears slipping down his cheeks. Matt is so fucking sick of crying. He's tired of feeling like this.

And he hates that he knows that it's his own damn fault.

The idea of seeing you again - of you seeing him like this - makes his skin crawl. He promised to leave you alone after the game, and he’s ashamed that all it took was an Instagram post and a little too much liquor for him to come crawling back.

The selfish part of him pipes up again. You can't help it. You love her. She's yours.

Being here, in your apartment, your bedroom, makes Matt dizzy. He needs to leave. Now.

He’s in such a rush to leave, roughly wiping at the tears on his face, he almost doesn't notice the pair of pills on the nightstand, a glass of water set on a coaster beside them. He hesitates for a moment, but decides that he doesn't want to feel like a trainwreck for the rest of the day, and downs the pills with a gulp of water.

There's clattering in the kitchen, preventing him from a stealthy escape. Matt is shocked when you don't let him leave, head spinning with exhaustion and confusion and really - just your presence. He can't stop staring at you. Even like this, in a hoodie and leggings, Matt thinks you're the most beautiful fucking thing he's ever seen.

This is too domestic. He shouldn't be here. This is too intimate. Too much.

This isn't for you. Brady is the one who should be here. Matt flinches when the thought slithers into his head, but before he can make it out the door, you're turning from the stove and practically yelling at him to sit. You sound like his mom, he thinks, but sits anyways.

When you ask him about Autumn, Matt thinks he might die. Right then and there, he wishes the floor would swallow him whole. But instead of that happening, his stupid fucking mouth moves to vomit out the words before his brain catches up. “I was sick of seeing him hurt you, I watched him hurt you for so long, Y/N, I held you while you cried and I - I never want to be the one to make you feel like that.”

This was the most you'd spoken in months, and even through the pain of seeing you again, Matt can't help but be overcome with relief. You didn't hate him. Matt feels dazed through the rest of the conversation, just barely focusing as a result of your presence addling his brain even as you snap at him to shut up. Until - until -

“..Brady and I are not together…he’s not it for me.”

Matt freezes, the words rattling inside his skull.

Not it for me not it for me not it for me

Matt shoves half a piece of French toast in his mouth, barely chewing it before swallowing and repeating your words back to him. You laugh at his bewilderment, your fingers curling around his own as you speak.

He's going to kill Brady, he decides as he finishes off the rest of his toast, immediately. His little brother is a menace and it’s finally going to catch up to him.

But he needs to hear you say it first. He needs it.

Then Matt is tugging you to stand up, and your hands are wrapping around his neck as he gets closer.

And you say it.

“I love you too Matty.”

And then he's kissing you.

Finally - finally - he's kissing you and you love him.

You love him.

Matt feels like he wants to cry again, this time for a completely different reason. The pain he'd felt this morning starts to drain away as you press yourself closer to him, hand slipping up to card through his curls. He pulls back to look at you for a moment, grin so wide he thinks his face might break. He leans in again, giving you one, two, three, four more kisses. With every kiss, Matt feels a piece of his heart returning to its place.

“Say it again,” he pleads, eyes fluttering closed as you whisper against his lips.

“I love you, Matthew, more than anything, I love you.”

And later, when you're giggling against his mouth on the couch as his fingers graze your ticklish sides and you're whispering the three words over and over and over again, he knows it's true.

He's it for you, you're it for him.

Matt loves you.

But more importantly, you love him.

FIN (for real this time)

#ta daaa #matthew tkachuk #brady tkachuk #all for you series #calgary flames #ottawa senators #hockey #nhl #imagine #smut #angst #my writing #nhl imagine #hockey imagine

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stealing-jasons-job · 3 years

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fic writer interview

Tagged by @burninghoneyatdusk and @andromedabennet — thank you, my loves ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24 (but 25 will be posted this week, if this smut scene will cooperate)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

204, 782

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Two — mostly Bellarke, but one Gendrya. I'm hoping to start posting Darklina, Zutara, Helnik, Darknik (Dark Daddy + Nina), and maybe Chenford if I ever escape the hellscape that is my Bellarke prompt list. lol

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Intertwining your soul (with somebody else): Rated E. Canonverse AU where Bellamy is heda. He's supposed to marry Gina to solidify the coalition, but him and Clarke are in love with each other. A fuckton of angst ensues. This is a WIP, only a few chapters shy of being completed! This fic is definitely my baby, so I'm really excited that the response has been so great.

But if this man came up to me: Rated T. Modern AU. Clarke and Bellamy accidentally go TikTok famous... and fall in love in the process.

Darling you and me, we can take the world: Rated E. S7 Spec where they torture Clarke with M-Cap and Bellamy finally breaks. Yk... back when we had hope for a Bellarke endgame for this godforsaken show.

The Choices We Make: Rated M currently, but it'll be E by the end. Greys Anatomy AU. This was my very first WIP posted, and it's on hiatus right now while I write my @t100fic-for-blm prompts. But I still love it and can't wait to be able to dedicate more time to it eventually.

Whatever may come, your heart I will choose: Rated M. The post-S7 AU we all deserved with the perfect dash of angst, a good bit of fluff, and a happy fucking ending. Oh, and a jab or two at Jason for funsies.

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to! Usually, it's in batches, but some slip through the cracks. But just know that I love every single comment I get, and I am so very happy anyone deigns to read my shit. lol

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably the original ending for @wreck-jroth-club. After some debate with the broader group, I decided to add an extra chapter that was a continuation of the final chapter that actually ended happily. But originally that fic had a very bittersweet ending.

I've flip-flopped a lot on whether to end Intertwining your souls happily or not. But I think @burninghoneyatdusk might actually murder me in my sleep if I don't end it happily, so idk if I'll follow through on that. lol

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't written one to date, but I do have one planned and on my prompt list! It'll be a Queen of the South/The 100 crossover where Jeresa are... well, Jeresa, and Bellarke are DEA agents trying to take them down. Lots of angst. Some smut. All the pining. Maybe a happy ending, but likely not for one of those ships.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

None. But I also haven't really written anything the Bellarke fandom would consider controversial (read: I've never dared to have Bellarke sleep with anyone else or written their relationship as that messy).

I'm sure it's only a matter of time, though.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, though most of my fics are more T or M. Smut is something I struggle with from a writing perspective, so on prompts that don't require smut, I tend to just fade to black. But my WIPs pretty much all either do or will include smut.

I don't know what kind of smut I write. It's just...smut. Sometimes kinky. Sometimes more vanilla. Always orgasmic for the characters involved. lol

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, but honestly who knows? A few of my friends have had fics plagiarized or stolen (a couple even within the Bellarke fandom, which seems like a stupid move but bitches out here be bold, ig), so I wouldn't be shocked if a stolen fic of mine lives somewhere.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone has translated one of my fics into Russian for a different fansite, but I think that's it!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

If you count the @wreck-jroth-club fic collab, yes! And @writetheniteaway and I have a co-written fic prompt coming up for @slyth-princess soon.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Bellarke is really the only ship I've written fanfic for or been involved in the fandom, but my actual OTP is Cammie/Zach from The Gallagher Girls series.

A few other heavy-hitters include: Bellarke (The 100), Braimie (Game of Thrones), Jess x Rory (Gilmore Girls), Japril (Grey's Anatomy), Jem x Tessa (Infernal Devices), Darknik (Grishaverse), LoVe (Veronica Mars), Josh x Donna (The West Wing), Danny x CJ (The West Wing), Garcy (Timeless), Zutara (ATLA)

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

My Timeless AU. I'm actually going to take it down and convert it into a Darklina fic. So the idea will live on, but not as Bellarke.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Writing within a canon storyline. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at taking characters and staying true to who they are in canon through my writing.

I am also an ideas person. So outlining plots, coming up with prompts, workshopping plots...those are things I really enjoy and am good at.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I have many, but here are the top three. lol

Worldbuilding: You'll notice my larger fics are almost all either canonverse or an AU of an existing show/movie/book — both of which require minimal worldbuilding on my part.

Imagery: I write fic, but I'm a TV writer at heart. If you want beautiful prose that describes what's happening through the character's 5 senses, I am not ya girl. lol

WIPs: Anyone who has ever read any of my shit knows I take a million years to complete anything (and I greatly appreciate everyone who has refrained from beating me with a stick at my sporadic update schedule). I tend to hyperfixate on projects or ideas, and jumping from WIP to WIP to update gets hard.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think there's a place for it, but it has to be done respectfully and for a reason — showing a cultural difference/language barrier, keeping your POV character or your audience in the dark on something being discussed, showing your character's culture/heritage/background (example: When Jane and Abuela argue in Spanish in Jane the Virgin).

But in fic/writing, either you need to work in the translation naturally in the surrounding text, give obvious context clues to the meaning of whatever you've put in the other language, or you need to purposefully not want your audience to know what was being said. If you have to put a footnote with the translation, you're risking taking your readers out of the story.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

First written was Gendrya from Game of Thrones. First published was Belalrke from The 100.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

We are all caught in the in between (Of what's real and what's a dream?): The @wreck-jroth-club collab fic.

This fic was a labor of love by @sparklyfairymira, myself, and so many writers/creators in the Bellarke fandom. And I'm incredibly proud not only of the way we collaborated in this massive undertaking of brainstorming, organizing, writing, editing, creating moodboards for, and then publishing the 55-chapter fic, but also of the broader story told throughout this collab.

I came up with the premise of the fic; wrote the first chapter, final epilogues, a few of the chapters themselves, and every intro for each chapter; and helped with the overall organization of the collab. It's definitely the best thing I've written, and the fic I'm most proud of so far.

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#fanfic writers #mads writes things #not me procrastinating writing this smut scene by filling out this tumblr tag game #bellarke fanfic

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btsslowburnfic · 3 years

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The Arrangement Chapter 5

Series Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable ad. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter Summary: You go to BigHit for your second interview and are surprised to learn the client is a familiar face.

Author’s Note: TY everyone for reading <3 I am here for the awkward flirtation in this chapter XD

Previous chapter here ---------

You returned to your jobs for the next few days without hearing anything. On Tuesday you received an email **Google Calendar invitation: Audition/Final interview. Very Personal Assistant. BTS Corporate Accept/Decline**

You found yourself strangely nervous as you prepared for the interview. You didn’t actually think you would get this far. You picked out a basic black dress and some cute flats for the day before you left the house. Personal assistant/girlfriend/wife wasn’t exactly a job you had interviewed for before. You found it difficult to focus at your desk all morning; your stomach doing flip-flops. Would you be meeting with Dimples...er...Namjoon again or would you be meeting the client? You had said you didn’t care what the guy looked like, and that was true, but you would like to meet a person and speak to them before making such a big commitment. Before you knew it, the time had come. You hopped onto the subway and headed for the middle of the city.

You entered the BigHit Building with sweaty hands and were waived over to the front desk where a Security guard verified your information. Your throat was so dry you had difficulty answering basic questions. Great. You headed over to the elevator. As you were waiting for it to come down you noticed a tall man wearing a baseball cap stride confidently into the building and right past security. He walked over to the elevators and stood next to you. You glanced up at him. Holy shit that was the famous model, V. You quickly looked back at the elevator door. You had totally forgotten that models worked here. I guess If I end up working here stuff like that is just normal, you thought to yourself. The two of you entered the elevator.

“What floor?” He asked, his voice deeper than you would have guessed. You had only seen him in print ads, although you knew he had done some commercials as well.

“22nd please.” You willed your voice to stay calm. How dare a super gorgeous model invade your space and make you nervous when you were already nervous.

“Me too,” he flashed a smile. A very cute smile that made him almost look like a little kid. He turned back to face the doors saving you from making any awkward small talk.

The ride lasted about a minute, with a few other people entering and exiting. By the time you arrived at the 22nd floor it was just the two of you again. V was a gentleman and gestured for you to exit before him. You did, but then you had to pause and decide which way to go. You looked for a directory.

“Namjoon’s office is on the right, Jin’s is on the left. And since Jin is out of the country, I’m guessing you’re on your way to Namjoon’s.” V said as he strolled off the elevator and to the right.

“Thanks.” You follow him. “I am meeting with Mr. Kim today. I appreciate the directions.”

“Any time. Hey Jimin.” he said as the two of you entered a wide open area with couches, window views, and a large reception desk. A man who also looked like he could be a model was sitting there, his blonde hair styled absolutely perfectly. “Hey V.” He responded without looking up.

V looked over at you with a grin, pointing to Jimin, then shrugged his shoulders . He found this situation funny. You walked over to the desk. “Umm Excuse me. "

Jimin jumped back in his chair, very surprised. “Shit. where did you come from?”

“I’m so sorry,” you said, covering your mouth with your hands. V laughed in the background. “We got off the elevator at the same time. You must not have seen or heard me.”

“V. You did that on purpose!” Jimin shouted around you, pointing his finger. V cackled and had a seat on one of the sofas.

You were beginning to apologize again when you heard the office door open. You all froze.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Namjoon asked, one hand still on the door. “[Y/N] I should have known.” Jimin turned around surprised that his boss was speaking to you so rudely and casually. “Get in here,” he gestured to the door opening. Jimin opened his mouth to try and explain the commotion, but you were already on your way to the door.

“Oh my God I’m here for an interview, not to get called into the principal’s office.” You responded as you passed Namjoon and into his office.

Jimin and V both stared at each other, determined not to laugh.

Namjoon stood there with an irritated expression. “Always. Always with the mouth.” He said as you walked through the door. He looked back, “Jimin, hold my calls until I tell you.”

Jimin nods. The minute the door shut he and V started to wheeze while trying to laugh quietly.

V walked over to the desk . “Who is that?”

“They’re interviewing assistants for Yoongi. The other girl left half an hour ago.” Jimin pauses for a second, “I can’t believe I yelled "shit" at her.”

V laughed again. “She doesn’t seem like the type to be easily offended. So she’s probably a perfect assistant for Yoongi.”

“That’s true.” Jimin agreed.

On the other side of the door you were still congratulating yourself on your quip against Namjoon when you were surprised to see a familiar face. It was the guy who left his headphones behind last week. Today he was dressed nicer, wearing jeans and a shirt with a vest. His hair was longer than you would have guessed, now that it was free from the black baseball cap. You felt your heart begin to speed up even more.

You had gotten so caught up in accidentally scaring the poor receptionist and messing with Namjoon you had forgotten you were nervous. A fact that you were very much aware of at this exact moment. Your hands were wet and sweaty again and your throat became dry.

“[Y/N] this is music producer Min Yoongi. Aka Suga. Aka the client.” Namjoon gestured to the shorter man and then walked around to the other side of his room, taking a seat at his desk.

You stand there for a few seconds, taking it all in, and then remember that you are being interviewed. You force something out, "Hey there stranger."

He smirked, “Hey. Welcome to round 2 of the interview I guess.” He sounded almost shy. Which didn’t match his facial expression.

“Thanks. Are you our chaperone? " You called over to Namjoon who was sitting there barely paying attention to the meeting and scrolling through his phone

" Something like that. Pretend I’m not even here.”

"OK. Well it's nice to officially meet you, Min Yoongi. I'm Y/N. I'd shake your hand but mine are so very sweaty. " You said before you were able to censor yourself.

You heard Namjoon sigh as your lack of decorum. Yoongi just continued on as though everything was normal.

"You as well.” He put his hands in his pockets and rocked on his feet slightly. “First of all, do you have any questions for me?"

You weren't expecting the interview to begin like that. But there definitely were some questions you had about all of this.

"Ooo I get to interview you? This is unexpected.” You paused for several seconds, pursing your lips together in thought, “Ok. I got it! First question: You're good looking. You seem nice enough. I’m guessing you have a pretty good job if you’re working here, so….what's wrong with you?

Yoongi stood there for a minute with his mouth open. To your surprise, he responded in a whiny voice," Why would you ask me something like that?" He sounded much younger and more casual than he had before and started to rub the back of his neck.

He turned back to Namjoon, “You weren’t kidding.”

Namjoon just raised his eyebrows, still scrolling.

You scoffed," You told me to ask you questions. An arranged marriage was your first choice? Really?"

Yoongi tried to play it cool. He had come up with his BigHit-sanctioned backstory. "Namjoon, where did you find this girl again?” You couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"I picked her up in a bar. I warned you. You pulled her resume," he said almost bored. "Although it is refreshing to have her go after someone else for a change."

You rolled your eyes. "Why tell me to ask you questions if you didn't want to answer them?"

Yoongi shrugged, ready to sell the lie. "It makes sense. I gave a list of what I liked and the agency picked you. I'm busy. I'm not interested in dating, but due to circumstances beyond my control I am in need of a long term companion. Someone to attend events with me, travel with me, etcetera etcetera. You read the job description. "

"You want someone to act like your girlfriend?" You asked. Yoongi pulled at his shirt sleeves and hesitated for a moment.

He didn't actually want any of this bullshit, but for the sake of his career and with Namjoon sitting right there, he didn't have a lot of options. He took a deep breath. "Yes. That. I mean a wife would be ideal so we could just skip over all that courtship nonsense."

A dry laugh escaped your lips, "A true romantic. I'm touched, really." You realized the two of you were both still standing. This was by far the strangest interview you had ever been on. "I'm curious as to what your desired qualifications were outside of liking music and a proficiency in Microsoft Word."

Yoongi paused for a minute, feeling his cheeks blush a little. Surely a little honesty wouldn't hurt. "Ahhh well you see, I can't reveal all of that to you. But you definitely stood out in the interview process.”

You smirked. "Really? What stands out about an average-looking girl that curses too much and drinks waaaay too much shitty coffee?"

"Shitty coffee wasn't on the list but surely you met most of my criteria or you wouldn't be here." He cleared his throat. "Now it's my turn to ask some questions. Let's start where you did: tell me, what's wrong with you?"

You fidgeted slightly. You sure as hell weren’t going to go into the whole situation with Suho. "My parents are gone and left me and my younger siblings with no money. We're living in a cramped apartment with my aunt and niece. I want to send my sister and brother to school and I want my brother to not have to sleep on the floor or couch every night.” Your honest answers flooded out of you, “I didn't think this offer was real. I figured it would be some weird sex pervert thing or something illegal but I figured it couldn't hurt to go to the interview since it was at a Cafe."

To your absolute shock he responds, "Who says I'm not some weird sex pervert?" He swipes his lips with a tongue.

He had seemed almost shy until about two seconds ago. You kept the same expression you had been wearing. Two could play that game. Your years of bartending made you fluent in flirting. You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, "Guess we'll find out on the wedding night. I need to get back to work soon. Do you have any more questions for me?"

Yoongi was still slightly shocked by the last exchange the two of you had had and he just shook his head.

Namjoon got up from his desk. " Good, I can’t take much more of you two lovebirds discussing your future sex life. Well if that's all, you're free to go. We'll be in touch."

You picked up your bag and looked over at Yoongi who was looking down and blushing (?!). "I'd say it was nice to meet you but honestly it's just been really fucking weird."

He laughed and you noticed he has a very unique smile, full of small straight teeth and the tiniest bit of his gums. Cute. He looked back up, his cheeks still a little pink. "I guess if it works out I'll have my people call your people."

You smiled back, "Yeah, yeah something like that. See you later. Or never again. Bye"

“You’re not supposed to say the word “fucking” in a job interview Tokki, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Yoongi heard Namjoon scold you on the way out the door as he closed it behind him.

You pouted your lips, “Whatever. I think Mr. Min liked it. And are we back to nicknames again Asshole?I thought we were trying to keep it professional here.”

He rolls his eyes but you can tell he’s trying not to smile. “Oh my God just leave. I’ll email you more information soon.”

You looked around and found the reception area empty with a little "out of office" sign on the desk. You had wanted to apologize for the interruption earlier. Oh well. You realized that Namjoon had told you he would be emailing you. And you had definitely got a good vibe from the interview, as weird as it had been. You got onto the elevator. You decided you would need to at least tell your Aunt soon about the job you might get so she wouldn’t be totally blind-sided if you moved out.

-----------------------

"So…" Namjoon asked as he re-entered his office, "Were either of those ladies tolerable? I mean… I know the second one isn't really tolerable on a good day but it seemed like it went well.”

"Yeah. Hire her. Thanks." Yoongi responded, trying to ensure his voice remained emotionless. "When is her start date?"

Namjoon was pleasantly surprised at how easy this part of the process is going. "If she accepts she could begin Monday, but she would probably want to give her other jobs two weeks notice, and she has to move. So realistically, two to three weeks"

"OK…" Yoongi said, coming to terms that this was actually happening.

"I'll draw up the paperwork and send it to her tomorrow and let you know." Namjoon replied. He realized this was the longest he and Yoongi had ever had a conversation without arguing about something.

"Yeah OK," Yoongi headed towards the door. "Later."

Yoongi passed through the empty reception area and down to his studio. He put his head in his hands and sighed. So this was happening. Fine. [Y/N] seemed nice enough. Her heart was in the right place. She hadn't even mentioned herself when the reason she wanted the job came up. He could deal with this. He sat down at his computer to try and get some actual work done today. NEXT CHAPTER

@lidda @anpanman-sonyeondan @firefairy1 @cuteipat @sugaslittlekookies

#bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts suga x you #suga x reader #suga x you #yoongi x reader #bts yoongi x reader #yoongi scenarios #bts yoongi #bts suga

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harringtonstudios · 4 years

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poached eggs.

plot: he makes you breakfast.

A/N: i watched this interview once and it hasn’t left my mind since. i am in love <3 ps: this is super duper soft!

masterlist!

You’d been sleeping off the accidental hangover you’d gotten last night when there was a shuffling of the blanket around you. Not even opening your eyes, you grumbled out, lazily moving your arm to the left, meeting warm skin.

At your touch, Colson paused, slowing his movements down so as to not wake you. You shifted over, turning to face him as you cracked open an eye, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. He winced as you mumbled out, “What time is it?”

“Like nine am. Go back to bed, you’re all good,” he softly assured you, letting your hand fall off his stomach as he fully got off the bed. You watched him grab the nearest shirt, pulling it on as he ran a hand through his hair. You groaned a little before moving on the bed, closer into the middle where his warmth still radiated off of the bedsheet.

Pulling up the blanket over your head, you mentally cursed him out before returning back to your sleep state. The dull headache had already reared its ugly head the minute the light in the room had appeared and you desperately wanted to try and get a couple more hours in before you had to become a real person.

There was a crash and you opened your eyes, blinking as you wondered if it was worth your time. There was a rush of sounds following and then complete silence filled the house. Wincing just a little as you got up, you reached for your phone, checking the time. It was almost one in the afternoon and you sighed at the missed calls lighting up your screen.

Putting your phone back down on the dresser, you brought your hand up to your eyes, rubbing them. Walking to the bathroom, you stumbled over a pair of jeans lying on the carpet, letting out a breath before moving onto the cold tiles of the bathroom.

Taking in your appearance, you can’t help the little smile on your face. Your hair’s was a total mess, head still spinning regardless of the sleep you’d drunken in, but the faint purple bruise on the side of your neck had you grinning at the mirror.

Usually, this wouldn’t happen. You both weren’t big on noticeable hickies, preferring to leave them in secret places that only the two of you would know about later. But lately, quarantine had kept everyone indoors and everyone in the house already knew about the unusual relationship you and Colson had. Marking up your neck hadn’t seemed like a big deal, not when Colson had casually lingered a little more at your sweet spot, had peppered you with kisses right after he’d sucked the hickey in.

Pushing out the memories of last night, you picked up your toothbrush from the cup where it sat with Colson’s blue one. Using the weird toothpaste he liked, you brushed your teeth and washed your face, tapping light fingers on your forehead where the hangover sat.

Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a nicer shirt, you brushed out your hair, leaving it down to cover the marks on your neck. Picking up your phone, you called back the first person you saw, dealing with the little small-talk as you went around picking up clothes from the bedroom floor. Everything was mostly Colson’s, scattered on the carpet, taking up space. Your own clothes were either from the duffel bag you’d packed a couple of weeks ago or his extensive t-shirt collection.

After two conversational phone calls, you’d cleaned up the room to your liking. Opening up his windows, you reveled in the fresh air and the sounds of people in the pool before leaving the room, stomach grumbling at the lack of food.

Taking the stairs down to the kitchen, you eyed the pot of water sitting it on the stove. There was no one around and you groaned internally, wondering how many times you’d have to chastise the boys about leaving things unattended. There was no one around, the door to the pool open and you knew that they’d decided to chill out there today.

The cups from last night were gone off the countertops, but as you got into the kitchen, you noticed that there were a couple of dishes thrown in the sink and that the toaster had been moved from its position to the main table. Maneuvering around the countertops, you reached for a bowl from the cupboard, eager to get something in your stomach.

A pair of arms wrapped around your waist and you elbowed the stranger as you grabbed the bowl.

“Hey,” mumbled Colson, still leaning against your back.

“Hey yourself,” you responded, awkwardly turning around so you could face him.

He spotted your bowl at the moment and immediately his face lit up as he stepped back, hands resting on the countertop opposite yours.

“I learned how to poach an egg today,” he proudly declared, hat skewed on his head, hair flopping over his eyes.

“Really?” you responded, “Who taught you?”

“Nat. We did it for a video,” he said, fingers tapping against the counter.

You didn’t know who Nat was, but you nodded appreciatively before laughing out a little, “So you gonna show me or?”

“Can I? I’ll make you breakfast,” he offered and you pretended to mull it over, bringing up a hand to your chin. He grinned, knowing he’d won you over with the promise of breakfast.

“Yeah,” you mumbled out and within a second, he’d pulled the bowl from your hands.

Opening up the fridge, he pulled out an egg and an avocado, putting them into the bowl. You bit your lip, confused at what exactly was happening but moving out of his way as he reached behind you, pulling out a strainer spoon.

“What’d you need me to do?” you asked as he put everything down on the counter, picking up the pot you’d spotted earlier.

“Nothing. Just stand here and look beautiful. Shouldn’t be too hard,” he vocalized, winking as he turned on the water before dumping the contents of the pot out.

You laughed before raising your hands up in defeat, mumbling back out a, “Not hard at all.”

After he filled up the pot, he moved back to the stove, playing around with the settings on the switch.

You waited for a second, taking in the way he kept flicking on different things and how fast his fingers were moving before nudging him with your hip and moving into his space.

“It’s this one,” you offered as you turned on the stove, fire roaring to life.

“I knew that,” he mumbled out and you gave him a small kiss on his shoulder before moving back, wanting him to know you weren’t going to interrupt anymore. Part of you was laughing at the fact that you knew how to turn on his stove better than he did, but he didn’t cook often, not really wanting to be in the kitchen and you couldn’t blame him for that.

“Can you pass me the vinegar?” he asked and you complied, moving to the cupboard before handing him the white bottle.

“Look, you throw in just a glab,” he instructed, and you peered as he squirted out a heavy amount of vinegar, unsure of what a glab meant.

“Why’d you need that?” you asked and he shrugged before putting on a lid on the pot.

You rolled your eyes and he smiled at you before reaching for the egg. Picking up a smaller bowl, he announced, “One hand crack,” before cracking the egg, happily showing it off to you.

“Eggcellent,” you giggled out as he let out a laugh before going, “That’s what I said!”

The lid was getting steamy and you lifted it off as Colson brought the egg right above it.

“You gotta wait till the water looks like flies eyes, you know?” he gushed out and you furrowed your brows before the realization hit you. There were a hundred little bubbles, just like flies had hundreds of little eyes and you shook your head at the weird allusion he’d come up with.

Picking up the spoon, he started swirling the water, eyes focused on the pot. He looked up at you once, smiling as he saw you watching just as focused, waiting to see what he was going to do.

“Move back,” he uttered and you stepped back, giving a little berth between you and the stove. He hovered over the pot, and then carefully dropped in the egg, humming a little as he stood straight, satisfied with himself.

“I wanna see,” you declared, moving closer so you could see the way the egg was swirling along with the water.

“Oh my god,” you whispered, never having poached an egg before this was a new experience.

“I know, so fucking cool right. I burned myself doing that this morning,” he mumbled out, an arm coming to drape itself around your neck. You straightened up, moving away from the stove so you could turn towards him.

“Where,” you asked, lifting his other hand to look at his fingers.

“You can’t see it,” he offered and you laughed before saying, “Then you didn’t burn yourself.”

“Don’t judge my pain,” he scoffed out, and you lifted your eyes to his, seeing the amusement written in his blues.

Moving just a little closer, you brought your hand up to his hair, pushing it up as he leaned down just a little to kiss you. You could taste something sweet on his lips and you broke off, licking your lips as he shifted to look at the egg.

“You want toast?” he asked and you nodded as he went to grab the slices. The toaster was still sitting awkwardly on the main table and he went over, dropping two slices of bread in.

“I’ll keep an eye on it,” you said, walking over to where the table was, leaving him alone with the egg. He picked up the paper towel roll and you watched as he folded it a couple of times, bringing it to the table.

Bringing the pot over, you went back to the stove, closing it shut. He pulled out the egg, and you stared at it for a second as he proudly held it up.

“That’s so fucking cool,” you said, grinning at the spoon. As he placed the egg down, you took the pot, draining it of water before placing it on the countertop. When you got back, he’d already cut the avocado, pulling out the pit with his knife.

You stopped the toaster and bit your lip as the toast popped out, a little darker than you’d usually wanted them to be. The hangover in you grumbled again, and you sighed, knowing that at this point you would eat anything you could get. Handing the bread off to Colson, you sat down on a chair, watching him put together all the separate parts.

“Your toast’s kinda burnt. You want me to make you more?” he asked as he spread out the avocado on your slices.

“I’m good,” you offered quietly and he paused, leaving the bread to look at you.

“You okay?” he asked, as he put down the knife.

“Just hungry,” you mumbled out before adding in, “and hungover.”

He leaned over, kissing your forehead quickly, his chain brushing your forehead. You smiled up at him and he mumbled out an, “almost done,” as he placed the egg on a piece of toast.

Finishing up, he cut the slice in half, opening it up before presenting it to you.

“Thanks,” you stated, grabbing a piece to bite into it. Right off, you could taste the avocado toast and your stomach happily accepted the food. You cautiously bit into the egg, trying not to have the yolk dribble around.

You let out a sound of happiness at the combination, tilting your head back to see Colson nodding at you.

“This is great,” you mumbled out between bites, pulling the other slice of toast towards you.

You finished up, and he picked your plate, putting it down in the sink as you sat there, satisfied with a full stomach.

“You’re making me this every morning,” you blurted out in his general direction and you heard his laugh echo on the kitchen walls. Laughing back, you closed your eyes for a second, feeling the headache disappear slightly after eating. Things were good, yeah you were quarantined here, and there were a lot of unspoken words between you and Colson, but as long as your days kept passing like this, you were happy with burnt toast and quiet kisses.

taglist: @iamdorka @no-shxt-sherl @bakerkells @findingmyths @rosegoldrichie @mayaslifeinabox @itjustkindahappenedreally @hnbtx @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @sophroniaa @enchantedamusedslightlyconfused

#mgk x reader #machine gun kelly x reader #colson baker x reader #machine gun kelly fluff #machine gun kelly fanfic #machine gun kelly fanfiction #mgk quotes #mgkedit #mgk fanfic #mgk fanfiction #mgk fluff #colson baker fanfic #colson x reader #colson baker fluff #colson baker fanfiction #m writes 4 mgk

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path-of-my-childhood · 4 years

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Collect Call From... TAYLOR SWIFT

Blender Magazine (final, unpublished issue from May 2009) // By Josh Eells

Each month, one lucky rock star phones Blender HQ for seven days straight, just to, you know, share. Now on the line: country-pop princess.

DAY 1: FEBRUARY 24th, 3:51 pm

Swift calls from Nashville, where she lives with her parents and younger brother. “I’m so happy to be home! I’ve been in Europe for two weeks. I got back two nights ago and spent half of yesterday sleeping. This is my only week off for months, but I categorize vacations differently than most people. I don’t care if I’m doing interviews from when I wake up till I go to sleep, as long as l’m in my own bed, that’s a day off. This morning I went to some of the radio stations in town, said hi to program directors. Then I met with my stylist - we talked about tour outfits. And now I’m getting dressed for my brother Austin’s lacrosse game. He plays goalie - this is his first game as starter. His friends used to tease him about me, but now he's six two and built. I don’t think they make jokes anymore.”

DAY 2: FEBRUARY 25th, 4:14 pm

Swift phones from home, where she’s “lounging on the couch under a quilt” and playing with her dogs, Baby (a Doberman) and Bug (a mini Pinscher). “Austin did great! His team won, and he kept a bunch of balls out of the goal. Afterwards I went with my friend Emily to a Nashville Predators game. I did a commercial for them, so they hook me up with tickets when I’m in town. There’s a couple of cute guys, but I think they’re all married. I totally cheer and do the fang-finger thing. Last night they put me on the JumboTron, and you could literally see the wave of people getting up to come over. I’m still getting used to the fact that being stared at is part of my day - in high school it meant I had something on my face. The fact that my albums has been No. 1 for 10 weeks - it’s unbelievable. But this week looks a little questionable: The Jonas Brothers have an album out, too. Hmm.”

DAY 3: FEBRUARY 26th, 5:30 pm

Swift dials in from the road In Nashville, where she’s stuck In rush-hour traffic. "I just shot a video with my friend Kellie [Pickier] for a song we wrote together. It’s about ex-boyfriends. In the video I am kind of her trouble-making sidekick - I wore this strapless studded dress with a zipper up the front. The whole day I was afraid someone was gonna walk by and unzip me. It would have taken half a second to ruin my day. Oh, my God, last night I fell asleep on the couch watching CSI: NY. I was out at like 7, but at some point I dragged myself to bed, and apparently in my haze I turned the heat up to 95! I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, with my poor cat lying on the floor panting. I made myself an ice bath and called my friend Emma in LA - she was in Superbad - and she kept me company for two hours while I cooled down.”

DAY 4: FEBRUARY 27th, 4:37 pm

Swift rings from the music room at her house, where she’s teaching herself how to play piano. “I’m still not caught up from my jet lag. Today I woke up at 5:30, ate same cereal and fell back asleep on the couch. I didn’t sleep long though, because we had rehearsal this morning. Kenny Chesney was rehearsing next door, so we chatted for a bit. Nashville is a really small town. I still live with my parents because I’m never home long enough to move out. And I don’t go to bars, because I’m 19 and scared of breaking rules. Besides Kellie and my best friend Abigail, who moved to Kansas, most of my friends are in LA. And boys aren’t even an issue right now. I categorize guys as “talking”, “nominees” - people you feel like you could someday date - and “dating”. Right now I don’t even have nominees. I don’t even have potential future nominees! But I’m used to being single. Before my last relationship [with Joe Jonas] I was single for like two years. It’s sort of my thing.”

DAY 5: FEBRUARY 28th, 12:50 pm

Swift checks in from her mom’s car with some medical news. “So, I’m driving to the doctors office. I burned my face with a curling iron! Don’t worry, I’m fine - I’ll call you after we’re done. [She phones a few hours later.] OK. What happened was, I woke up at 6 am and decided to curl my hair. I guess l was still asleep, because I slipped and burned my face under my right eye. It hurt really bad, but I didn’t think much of it. I edited and uploaded a MySpace video - unhindered by the fact that my face was melting off - and went downstairs, and my dad was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ I guess it was worse than I realized. So we went to the dermatologist. She gave me a prescription for some burn cream - I’m not sure what it is, but it has a lot of syllables. The good news is I’m expected to make a full recovery.”

DAY 6: MARCH 1st, 10:03 pm

Swift phones from Plant City, Florida, where she lust performed at the world famous Florida Strawberry Festival. “This place is strawberry city! When we landed, there were official Strawberry Festival minivans waiting to pick us up, driven by people in strawberry shirts. In the dressing room there were bushels of the most beautiful, gigantic chocolate covered strawberries I’ve ever seen. It’s like they welded three together! And this afternoon I met the Strawberry Festival Queen and her court. They were dressed in red and looked very sparkly. It was cold for Florida, like 55 and rainy, but everybody bundled up and had a great time. Afterward we had a police escort, which always makes you feel cool, and we’re taking a private jet, which is even cooler. On the way to the airport all these kids were trying to hurl themselves on our car - it was pretty frantic for a second. But thankfully no one got hurt. That’s why it was cool.”

DAY 7: MARCH 2nd, 12:50 pm

On her last day at home, Swift calls from her favorite couch, where she’s enjoying the view of Old Hickory Lake. “It’s freezing in Tennessee! It’s like 29 degrees, and I’m sitting here packing sundresses and flip-flops for two weeks in Australia. That and downloading movies for the 20,000-hour flight I’m about to embark on. I have three goals for this trip. One, get a tan. Two, go to the beach. And three, debut my new summer wardrobe. Oh, and four, play some good shows and make an impact on Australia! Ha. I don’t go into most situations thinking I’m going to win. I’ve never even won a raffle. These blessings I’ve had lately are more amazing than I could have ever imagined. We got the new projections today, and It’s looking like we’re going to be No.1 again. Does it feel a little sweeter this week? [Laughs] Yeah - just a little.”

#someone posted this on twitter so I thought I'd share #little TBT #fearless era #I find young Taylor so amusing...cause you never know what you're gonna get =)#like - she was always trained and disciplined enough to be careful with her words #but sometimes...lmao sometimes she would just go off...I don't know - I just find it so funny #anyways...#apparently this whole issue was never even published #blender magazine #interview #taylor swift #baby taylor #scans

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woozi · 3 years

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i agree how you described twt, sometimes everyone's just ready to fight it seems, i've genuinely had fun on both platforms at different times but now it's just too much on stan twt (no space for difference of opinion djsjdjj) it's good to know you're having fun as well :3 & omg i've seen few of my moots starting to give svt their attention after fallin flower dropped, everything abt it is <3333 the song, mv, choreo i love it.

hdjdjddkdjdj " virgos 😐 " also me in next breath "happy birthday mark :D i love you so much 🥺💕💗" any virgos reading this i really hope you enjoy your month to the fullest djjdjd <3. righttt?? you're correct abt mark's temper being very virgo djdjdkd.

your line screams hard-working people <3 jihoon, jaebeom, jeonghan the 3Js <3. isn't jaebeom also an infj? (i don't take mbtis seriously but at the same time it also makes me happy if it ends up matching someone i like djdjjd) chan & yugs 🥺 these two imo have the sweetest personality, like the one which makes you feel welcomed & they also have the cutest laugh 🥺.

i love jus2 <3 focus on me is one of my favorite kpop mvs of all time & also drunk on you??? i love this song so much, very sexy of them. the vibes, style and everything w/ their album, i want more songs like that. and for when i am feeling melancholy i need more songs like jjp's verse 2 😭💔 but i am also okay if they don't want to go back to these units bcoz everything so far they've been giving is just as great <33 ( maybe in future we'll get blessed w/ features 🥺)

honestly g7 as grp and individually have won me over with their music style, even if i don't like full album ik there will be 3-4 songs which will be exactly what i like to listen to, all of the music they've released individually i've liked it so much. there is this song of youngjae's, titled "i'm all ears" i had no idea of its existence until it popped up in my spotify i'm so glad it did, it's been in my playlist ever since. there was also a time when i was obsessed with jackson's 'on the rocks' djdjdk.

aww <3 the live performance video of 1° has mark as thumbnail so for long time i used to associate this song with him jdjddk. i think the only j*pe thing i'd miss is got7 studio live sessions 🥺. RIGHTJDKSKS aju nice's mv is very cute djjddk I love it, in reality its reverse tho, i see them and boom! 💖💛💗🤍💕💙

it was the year they won first bb*as award so that gave them the exposure, and no i don't follow them anymore. mixed feelings abt them, very negative feelings abt f*ndom fjdjdjd. i do miss what it used to feel like liking them sometimes. at that time i never thought i'll willingly drop them from my interest (i've stanned zayn since 2012 first him as grp member then solo. sometimes thinking abt it gives me a whiplash hddjks it's been 9 years, really thought it would be same with them too but it didn't happen)

i've had falling in love by yugs and in to you by jaebs on loop for days djdkdk i really love these two songs and also air by bammie <3 (i'm slow jams kinda person djdjdk :3)

(bam released the most fun album & title this year idc abt others, ribbon is one of the soty) also special mention of look so fine & running through the rain. yes! you do make sense they feel organic & very them.

exactly 😭 it's more believable when they drop stuff out of nowhere like encore 😭😭. the way youngjae posted his letter on twt too ddjjdkssk the announcement & release of encore is such a 'you just had to be there' situation the excitement, nervousness, confusion and everything 😭 sometimes i can't with them. also is the bibi with mark on ost, the same one you mentioned in last ask? the ost is really good <3, it must've been fun to see it happen (if its same bibi).

making a whole ass playlist just for me???? 😭😭😭🥺💗 yza you're so sweet nooooo 💖

and don't worry abt replying late jdjdkdjd i mean it, sometimes my friends text me after weeks and i'm am the same. it's really okay <3. i hope this week is treating you kindly, take care yza - 🪂

p.s ( just saw last post djjej) - it was me who manifested more bunny dino <3 manifesting even more <33

i was on stan twt during my younger years too and it was v fun and memorable to me ngl <3 idk what happened though.. it's evolved to be.. Something Else.. i still see a lot of good people there though 😭 and now that i'm in my Hag Era... idk it's just too fast for me now 😭 it's still my go-to place for updates though nothing can top twitter on that dept

and ms fallin flower.... i feel like everyone was blown away by it (based off of what i see carats when talk about it) and rightly so!! she SERVED. the looks too oh my god. it's another factor i look forward to and enjoy so much when i watch their performances!!

u know what? virgos 😐 indeed KJJKDFJKFDJKFDKJ i want to slander virgos today because it's their season and no one slanders them that often so <3 ABOUT MARK'S VIRGO TEMPER THOUGH... i know i've said i enjoy seeing it sm but whenever i think abt it i cant help but say that.. I Love His Temper <3 he doesn't get pissed off in a scary and douchebag-y way it seems so... contained?? IDK HOW TO DESCRIBE IT he punched an a/c though so that might not be the perfect word to describe him lmaoo <3

THE J TRINITY HFDJFJDJHDF BESTIE UR MIND IS SO!!!!!!!!!!! honestly... maybe it's the acts of service for me <3 JKDFKJFDKJFJKD i think this is just my eldest sister and savior syndrome speaking though kfjkdkjf ALSO OH MY GOD THE WAY U NOTICE THESE THINGS <3 THAT'S SO SEXIE OF U!!! and yes he used to be an infj!! there was an interview that's more recent wherein he mentioned that he's now an enfj though but i cant rmb which interview it's from :/ ALSO MOOD FKJJKGJGKF i dont believe in mbtis too but im just... a little obsessed w it for the fun of it all <3 and the way u described them </3 what if i tear up a little </3 I LOVE CHAN'S LAUGH SO MUCH BUT IM SO SOS O GLAD U BROUGHT UP YUGYEOM'S LAUGH??????????? IT'S NOT TALKED ABT ENOUGH LIKE...... HELLO!!!!!!!!!!! one of my bird moots said he sounded like a schoolboy in choir 😭😭😭😭😭😭

GOD UR TASTE!!!!!!! what if i start falling in l*ve a little :/ what then :/ focus on me was ahead of it's time and people fucking slept on THEM i cannot fucking believe this. this has to be some kind of sick joke 😭 ALSO HAVE U SEEN THE CHOREO FOR SENSES!!!!!!1 INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!! holy fuck!!!!!! sorry for the expletives but like.... holy SHIT they did THAT!!!!!!!! ALSO UR SO RIGHT </3 jjp verse 3 when... ALSO did u know i let go of the jjprojects url... thats the worst mistake of my life KDKJDSKJDSJK also agree wholeheartedly <3 i think they're all trying to find their footing this time around as soloists and im so proud of them for that!! i'll stand by my jus2 agenda though bc they're almost in the same company so maybe.. i might have hope left 😭

SO TRUE BESTIE!!! the same principle goes w svt for me as well <3 got7's such a flavorful group musically like... all of them have the capacity to go solo and they're still considered flops.. waht the fuck <3 ALSO OMG FJDKJFKFJD YOU'VE HEARD The Song!!!!!!!! maybe he'll be releasing something along those lines <3 esp now that he's supposedly coming w an album KJSJKDJSK on a similar note.. do u also listen to jamie (the other artist on the song) <3 NOO SHUT UP THIS CANNOT BE FOR REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 i was obsessed w on the rocks too 😭😭😭😭😭😭 IT WAS MY FAVORITE ON THE MIRRORS ALBUM HELLO??????????????????????????? im proposing to u rn

ok now i have to watch all the live vids again JKDSJKSJDKDSKJ ik keep saying 'ur so right', 'i agree', and 'so true bestie' but im gonna have to say this again bc i LOVE LOVE LOVE live sessions sm no matter the artist. i also just am a little partial to live bands in performances like that in general so JDJKKDSJDS

the way you're saying these cute things abt the svteenies.. </3 giving me heartache!!! i'd bully them though i can't coddle them anymore <3

not the fandom JKFDKJFDKJFDKJFKJF ok but i think it's mostly their younger fans tbh. it wasn't this bad before.. i also really liked bts during their debut days. their songs were really good!! i kind of lost interest though and couldn't really get into them although their songs slapped lol. my irls are still into them though so i still hear about them. 9 YEARS............................... wait oh my god it HAS BEEN a little over a decade since 1d was The Thing huh 😭 now i feel kinda old lmao. and i totally get that feeling </3 it really do be like that sometimes JKFDJKJKFD

you really ARE keeping up w the sevens oh my god how are you doing it!!!!!!!!!!! it's like getting svt content now at this point but more complicated bc u need to get the updates from different sources JDKJSDKJJSKD love ur song choices too <3

ALSO FULLY RELATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when i saw bam's teasers... the aes was my cup of tea and THE HIGHLIGHT MEDLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can't fucking get it out of my mind it's objectively one of the best things i've seen from kpop in 2021. i'm super impressed <3 love how abyss really supported bambam on this. they really went all in for him!!

I KNOW GKJDFJDK I GOT SUPER ???????/// DURING THE TIME EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY WERE DISBANDING LMAOOOO they pulled a move that's so unheard of though no one really expected That. i respect jaebeom so much for handling all the paperwork and shit behind the scenes it must've been HELL!! ALSO IT MEANT I CRIED FOR NOTHING THEN 😭😭😭 AND YES OH MY GOD IT'S THE SAME BIBI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE SHOCK I HAD WHEN I SAW THE LIST????????????????????????? thought i was gonna black out like,,, mark,,, AND BIBI??????????????? she's fucking phenomenal how is she just a YEAR older than me.. INSANE!!! ... and i also thought jackson was gonna have an ost for this movie.. idk why it wasn't released though i didnt look into it :/

i had a rough few days so i'm not yet finished with the playlist (my laptop's Dead i am still trying to revive her and uni's starting soon 😭) but for the mean time, here's another one that some people from caratblr previously asked for JDSJKSDJ these are mostly english songs though its not my k-playlist KJDSKJSDJK

i do hope this week gets better!!! and i hope that you'll have a fun one too <3 thank u for being so patient w me 🥺 i just get so many messages and find the need to recharge FDKJDFJK

ALSO I FELT LIKE IT WAS U!!!!!! OH MY GOD, i even searched my blog for the word manifest but for some reason your ask didn't come up in the search so i didnt mention u in the tags so i wont misattribute if it ends up not being u 😭 thank u for manifesting this chan for me he's my little... hop hop now ig... 😭

#lov u u genuinely make my days better!! <#*<3 #also the way u called me by name... passing out rn </3 #🪂 anon #anon #y.ask #long post

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hhgossip · 3 years

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HIDDEN HILLS WEEKLY ISSUE #2

In this issue of Hidden Hills Weekly, we are talking about the outrageous lives of our celebrities in the gated community! We talk about polyamorous lovers to concerts in your every own kitchen!

ISABELLE AMOR’S ADDING ON TO HER POLY LIFESTYLE?

For the past week, Isabelle Amor, 28 has been in New York filming her newest show, “Only Murders In The Building.” She has been seen up and down the busy streets, filming scenes and having fun on set but fans have noticed that the singer/actress is having too much fun with her co-star. The pair have been seen getting quite cozy with one another when the cameras cut. They have been seen with big smiles and sparkles in their eyes. It comes as quite a shock as Isabelle is in an unconfirmed relationship with country music stars Annika Baddie, 25, and Cameron Nelson, 26. You did read that right, Isabelle is dating Both Annika and Cameron. They are living a polyamorous lifestyle where three people are all seeing each other.

Fans are wondering if Isabelle’s co-star is going to be added to her relationship with the country stars. Fans took it far enough to compare the relationship and pictures of Isabelle with her ex-boyfriends and current lovers to her new beau. Those pictures include her famous love story with James Hemmings, 27, with who they share one child together. Mateo Hemmings, 3. One fan stated on Twitter that - “Jelle is way more hotter than this! What is this?!” Along with the tweet was a shared picture of Belle with her co-star. While other fans tweeted that Belle looked happier with her two other loves. “Belle looks GLOWING with Ani and Cam! LET HER BE HAPPY!” Says another fan.

What do Annika and Cameron think about Isabelle potentially looking for another lover? What do you all think? Let us know!

WALLEN FATHERED A CHILD IN SECRET WITH MACKENZIE?

On February 26, 2021, the multi-talented actress Mackenzie Locklear, 23, told the world via Instagram that she had given birth on February 15th to a baby boy named Phoenix Finn Locklear. The actress went silent on all types of social media after the Sweetheart Dance we held on the 12th of this month until her huge announcement. We haven’t heard much about her birth but everyone is wondering who the father is. Mackenzie never said out in any interviews who the father of her son is but many people are assuming it’s Wallen Ward, 28, country singer. People are only assuming this as Mackenzie has been seen at many of Ward’s concerts in the past. She is either in the sound booth or she is backstage with everyone else. Wallen is currently married to Madeline King, 22, the youngest of the King Siblings.

We have reached out to all parties but we got nothing but got declined to speak from Locklear’s team, but we heard nothing back from King & Ward’s team just yet. But we will keep you all updated on the matter when we get the word!

ODESSA’S NIGHTMARE!

On the day of February 18th, 2021, we got reports of Daniel Kaylan, 29, had left his household with his daughter, Heather without notifying her mother and his fiancée, Odessa Fitzpatrick, 27. We were told that the police were called on the scene as Odessa had no idea where her daughter had gone to and assumed she had gone missing. It wasn’t clear where Daniel had gone with Heather but one thing that was clear is the fact that Odessa was not having any of it when Daniel revealed that he was the one who took Heather and left.

The couple just welcomed their third child, a son, into the world on the 14th of this month. Who they have not released the name yet. They also share another son, Wyatt, who is the oldest of the Kaylan Clan.

Rumors had spread that Odessa had indeed got the police involved once she could not find Heather anywhere and Daniel had to come home to talk them himself to explain what had really gone down. We know for sure, this is something he will never do again and might spend the rest of the year in the dog house for this one!

LOVE TRIANGLE IS STILL ON THE RISE!

Is 5 Seconds Of Summer’s guitarist still in love with a former groupie? The answer is unclear to many but also very clear to those around them! Spencer Stone, 25, used to sleep around constantly with Lanie Sinclair, 22, back when the band was touring for their album Sounds Good Feels Good. They currently share two children together, Lyric, 4, and Mercury, 2 months. Everything was going well between the two as co-parents before Spencer moved in with his girlfriend, Francesca “Frankie” Hart, 25. The house was already sold but Lanie ended up staying the night with Spencer the weekend before the big move and rumors have it that they have done more than just kiss that night. Sources had said that Sinclair left early in the morning with their daughter and her daughter, Lucina, 9 months, who she shares with her current boyfriend, Theodore “Theo” Dean, 26. Lanie was currently pregnant when she stayed the night.

Rumors only fueled even more as Lanie went off with Theo to Paris for nearly a month after giving birth to her son with Spencer. Theo was fresh out of an engagement with Nicole Hampton, 24, and Lanie was dealing with Spencer’s flip-flopping feelings for her. Sources had said in Aspen that Stone had made Sinclair cry more than once. Reports claim to overhear a fight between Spencer and Frankie as he admitted kissing Lanie. Witnesses say that Hart claimed to feel like she had been cheated on since Spencer agreed to father another baby with Lanie without talking to her about it first. This caused a huge rift between Hart and Stone in Las Vegas where Frankie walked out on him during blackout dinner.

During the Sweetheart Dance, many eyewitnesses had said that the whole night Spencer couldn’t tear his eyes away from his ex-groupie while she danced with her former turned current boyfriend Theo. What will Frankie think about all of this? What does Theo think about all of this as well?

SCOTTIE’S FREE CONCERT!

The Model/Youtuber Scottie Blake, 27, made headlining news when she went live on Instagram the other night and totally forgotten about it! It went from attempting to make pasta for dinner into a full-on action concert for thousands of people unknowing to her. Many of her fans were delighted to see Scottie enjoying herself as she danced around her kitchen and sang her heart out to her favorite songs. They blasted through her speakers and we do not blame her for forgetting about being live! When you have great music taste like Scottie, it’s common to forget what you were doing and just want to have some fun.

One fan wrote on Twitter, “LOOK AT HOW CUTE SCOTTIE IS!” With many heart emojis and a screenshot from the live.

Although trolls were making fun of the model, many of Scottie’s fans were quick to defend her and one started out. “As if you don’t do this when you’re alone lmao bye”

One thing is for sure, Scottie Blake, we need that album, and secondly, keep on dancing and never stop!

NICOLE HAMPTON IS TURNING TO A WRITER!

The rumors might be true! They might be false! But we do hope it’s true! Nicole Hampton, 24, had said it herself that she planned on writing a book called - “boy mom shit - you’ll be grey before thirty.” She then goes on to explain why she decided to write a book on parenting. It was because of her oldest son, Zeus, 6, who she shares with Derek King, 27. He was attempting to talk to his youngest brother, Asher, 4, who she shares with Brody Roberts, 30, to jump off his bed onto his skateboard so that he could ‘surf’ down the stairs. Luckily, Mama Hampton was quick to put that idea out of their heads and put their safety into their minds. Who knows what could have happened if she didn’t catch them in time!

As we are all parents in Hidden Hills, it would be so nice to hear what other parents have to go through. All children are wild, fun, and beautiful. They may drive us all up the wall but we do love them with all of our hearts! So, Nicole, we would love and buy your book! Give us a call when it’s about to be released! Don’t be shy now!

BRODY IS MOVING ON?!

Yes, you heard it here first! Brody Roberts says that he is ready to move on with his life and find that special someone! Our close sources say that he has come to terms with his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Hampton, 24 is moving on with her life and he is ready to do the same. As we stated in a previous story, the couple shares a son together, Asher, 5. The producer and director have been keeping a low profile recently but want to change that and step out more. We have to say that we’re excited to see Brody out and about again!

People close to the director stated that he wanted to connect with someone and meet that special someone in an authentic way and is adamantly opposed to dating apps. We get it, we don’t want to be catfished in this household. We were told that he has been asking around for ideas of places to meet people and even may have asked a few people to join him on that adventure. We do not know who at this time but once we get more details, we will share them with you all!

#hidden hills weekly.#issue 2.#isabelle amor.#cameron nelson.#annika badie.#james hemmings.#mackenzie locklear.#wallen ward.#madeline king.#theo dean.#spencer stone.#lanie sinclair.#odessa fitzpatrick.#daniel kaylan.#scottie blake.#nicole hampton.#brody roberts.

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spiderman-homecomeme · 4 years

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off the record pt. 3

ENEMIES TO LOVERS

A/N: Hello friends!! The third part of my enemies to lovers from Spideychelle week is here!! currently, there are two more chapters left, so we’re getting close to the end!!

Enjoy 3.8k of Peter and MJ still fuckin hating each other, but then... a change of feelings perhaps??

Read here or on AO3

They had agreed to meet at the same coffee shop later in the week, Michelle finding herself mysteriously—and annoyingly—frazzled in the days leading up to their interview, especially the morning of. For some unknown reason, her normal morning routine is extended by at least a half-hour, her mind buzzing the moment she wakes up from a restless night. Her stomach twists as she looks at her planner, and she writes it off as the dread of having to actually converse with Parker again.

“Haven’t seen that dress in a while,” Betty smirks knowingly from behind her morning coffee, Michelle having not even noticed her roommate sitting there in the first place.

Michelle looks up, her eyes setting into a wary glare after the initial startle. “And?” She asks slowly as she puts a piece of bread in the toaster.

Betty tips her head, voice smooth and casual. “What’s the occasion?”

“Uh, nothing?” Michelle’s gaze darts left and right, her mouth setting into a frown as she walks to the fridge, pulling out the strawberry jam, her hands fumbling slightly with the jar. “Work?”

Betty taps her fingers against the glass mug, pursing her lips thoughtfully. “Aren’t you interviewing Peter today?”

Again, Michelle looks away, blowing a harsh puff of frustrated air through her nose. “Shut up,” she mutters as her toast pops up. She can hear her roommate suppress a snort of laughter from behind her, the sound making her almost roll her eyes into the fifth dimension as she spreads the jam onto her breakfast.

“You like nice,” Betty offers, the playful edge still in her tone.

Michelle elects to ignore that particular comment, pointedly taking a bite of her toast with an annoyed crunch as she heads for the door, blocking out Betty’s final, “Remember the mission!” as she slams it behind her.

The beginning of the workday before lunch proves to be just as frustrating. Peter has the audacity to wave at her when she walks in, his mouth curved into a stupid, timid smile that she knows has to be just as forced as hers is. Her returning wave is stiff, and she trains her gaze on the ground as she hurries walks with purpose to her desk.

(Peter of course, takes issue with the fact that her tight-lipped, half-assed smile seems so disingenuous.)

Michelle can hardly get any work done, unable to stop herself from glancing up at him working at his desk every so often, feeling as if she has heartburn radiating from her head to her toes. And then, just as she’s leaving her office and out the door, just as she’s walking on the sidewalk, sirens blaring as police cars speed by, she gets a text from him explaining that he ran into some “family stuff” that he needed to deal with first, but that he would still be on time to the interview.

She stirs at her cappuccino, tapping the wooden stick on the cup before setting it aside. Her voice recorder sits to the side of her open notebook, and she twirls her pen mindlessly between her fingers. For a moment, she’s occupied with whether or not she should be toying with it when he walks in, or if it should be at the side, next to her paper—thinking that perhaps the latter might make her look more professional.

Then, in the next moment, she berates herself for worrying about such a pointless detail.

Besides; what did she care about professionalism?

He was the one who was currently eleven minutes late to their very scheduled interview.

But who’s counting?

(She is.)

It’s fine. Totally fine. It’s not like they only have an hour for lunch.

Then, as she starts to feel the real anger set in, she sees the jerk running outside the window, and she watches as he rushes to the entrance. As he flings the door open, the sharp ringing of the bell echoing in the cafe, she quickly averts her gaze down to her own coffee. She’s the very air of nonchalance as he approaches her booth, not even looking up as he flops down onto the bench across from her.

“Sorry—” He’s cut off by his own need to catch his breath. “Had a—had a… thing. With—”

“With your family?” When she dares to glance up at him, she’s alarmed at his disheveled appearance, his hair in disarray, his cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink.

In her mind, there are three possibilities as to why this is. One, being that he really did have a “family thing” and actually ran all the way here. Two, being that he had lied and just came from an intense workout at the gym. And three, being that he had been caught up in some hasty conquest of some kind.

The third doesn’t seem as likely, given that she’s never perceived Peter as being the “one-and-done” type of person, and he’s never mentioned anything about any significant other. And, of course, the idea that anyone in their right mind would want to sleep with this man just seems impossible to her. Still, the third possibility stays in the back of her mind, poking and prodding at her relentlessly as he blinks owlishly at her.

But, as bothered as she is, she doesn’t let it show (too much).

Peter huffs out a nervous laugh. “Yeah. Yeah…”

“No problem,” Michelle lies. She decides to just ignore his current state entirely, opening her notebook to a fresh page. “Let’s just go ahead and get started.”

Peter nods, lips pressed together in a small smile.

With a click of her recorder, she sits up straighter, taking her pencil in hand.

“How would you describe your relationship with Spider-Man?” She asks first.

Peter had been nervous about this before, but no amount of stress could compare to what he felt in this moment. He coughed, clearing his throat. “Um, well…” He pauses, choosing his words carefully, his heart hammering as she gets ready to write whatever nonsense he says. “I’m his photographer, but… I’d actually say that we’re pretty old friends.”

Michelle briefly glances up from her notes. “So you’ve known him a while.”

“Yeah,” he replies simply. “Since, uh—since freshman year of high school.”

“Wow, so a long time.” She takes a moment to finish that particular note. “Did you know him before he was Spider-Man?”

Peter takes another pause, disguising it as another cough, trying to decide the best way to answer. “Uh, yeah. Yeah I did.”

“It’s safe to say that you know him pretty well then?”

“Oh, yeah, you could say that,” Peter says, though there’s a hint of something in his tone that Michelle can’t quite place. “I probably know Spidey better than I know myself,” he jokes half-heartedly, his breath catching when she looks up at him again.

“You must be close, if you’re the only one who knows who he is.” Michelle observes. She knows she’s going off book, but the more he talks, the more she realizes that this is going to have to seem more genuine, that this shouldn’t feel like an actual interview if she wants to get any actual information.

Peter needs to feel comfortable.

Little does she know how impossible that is given what the interview is actually about.

Peter chuckles quietly, nodding. “Very. We sometimes joke that we’re pretty much the same person.” He bites his lip, and she misses the brief look of panic that flashes across his face as she goes to take another sip of her coffee. He’s too quick to continue, and she doesn’t stop him. “I mean, we’ve had our ups and downs. There are times where he’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, and—and… there are times, I guess, where I feel like your articles you write about him aren’t all that far off…” He trails off with a faint laugh.

Her lips twitches upward as she huffs in amusement before her expression turns serious again. There’s a hint of curiosity in her eyes. “Is there a romantic nature to your relationship?”

“What? Oh—no,” Peter sputters. “I mean, not that there would be anything wrong with that at all, but…” He coughs. “I’m single. He’s single. We’re just… We’re…” He pauses, trying to find the best way to word it without giving away his secret identity (in other words, what he’s been trying to do this whole damn interview). “...best friends.”

Michelle nods slowly, her expression still holding the faintest tint of skepticism, before she looks back down and continues writing.

After a heavy beat, Peter opens his mouth again.

“We’ve been through a lot, though,” He continues, leaning forward on his forearms. “We, uh, kinda had a falling out… back when my Uncle died, and—” He swallowed, not entirely sure why he’s even saying any of this, and he wonders if Michelle would be willing to keep some of it off the record. Still, he keeps going, unable to stop himself. “And our friendship after that was kinda shaky. But… after a while, I realized that living without him was pretty much impossible.”

“So you just learned to tolerate him?” Michelle jokes, earnestly for once, not as his expense.

Peter laughs softly. “In a way, I guess.” He shifts awkwardly, his fingers twiddling together, fearing he’s definitely said too much. “He’s a cool guy though. Solid dude.”

He holds her gaze for a moment before she remembers herself, eyes shifting down to her notes again.

She stares at her next pre-written question, wondering if this will induce the same word vomit as the first. Though, surprisingly, as annoyed as she might have been before at his incessant talking, here she finds that she almost doesn’t mind, and she justifies this new feeling as the product of knowing that his rambling is only helping her. It’s what she wants.

“Would you say that you admire him?” She asks, looking up again. His surprised face when she meets his gaze makes her stomach do an unexplained flip.

And truthfully, Peter’s not sure if there’s a safe answer to this question, or at least one that he can easily elaborate on. He falters for a beat, mentally weighing what he should say. “I’m not sure,” he says finally. “I mean, he’s been a part of my life for so long, it’s hard seeing him how normal people see him, you know? I mean, I admire him for what he does; looking out for the little guy, I guess. Just helping out because he can. But…”

Going into this interview, he hadn’t had the slightest idea that it would turn into some kind of introspective therapy session for himself.

“There are things he can do better—things we can all do better, obviously—but, I don’t know. He’s so busy keeping track of the city, he doesn’t really make time for the people in his life. And he knows this, and he tries really hard.” Again, Peter laughs, sadly. “But this whole superhero thing… it kinda gets in the way. He just… he has a really hard time keeping friends. I don’t know.”

“You’re his friend,” Michelle offers.

“That’s because I tolerate him. Remember?”

The same half-smile pulls at the corner of her lips, and she almost damns herself for letting it show. But once again, she remembers herself, and why she’s here in the first place.

“What’s the origin story of Spider-Man?” She gets right back to business.

“Oh, it’s kinda… It’s kind of a long story,” Peter says with a slight flinch, scratching the back of his neck.

Michelle looks up from her notes, hand frozen, eyeing him expectantly.

“Well, um—” Peter lets out a breathy chuckle. “Back in high school. Freshman year. We were, uh, we were on a field trip to Oscorp—for uh, science stuff. They had this exhibit on gamma radiation, and we had to put on this like, protective gear before we could go in the room, and when he was putting his on, there was a spider in there—one that I guess got trapped in there, I don’t know—and it bit him—” He shrugs, before hastily continuing. “I mean, I was there but, like, I didn’t see it happen or anything like that. That’s just what he told me.”

“So a radioactive spider?”

“I mean, I guess, yeah? Not really, but… Yeah. Sure.” He sits, mouth twisting in thought before he speaks again, voice slightly lowered. “ My working theory is that the spider was hit with gamma radiation. Just like Dr. Banner, you know?”

Michelle only offers a quick nod before continuing. “What exactly are his powers? What can Spider-Man do?”

“Whatever a spider can?” Peter jokes lamely.

Michelle stares unimpressed. “So, inject venom into your prey and digest their organs and then slurp up their insides? Because that’s what spiders can do.”

At that, Peter lets out a genuine, if not a little grossed-out, laugh, a sound that surprisingly doesn’t make Michelle want to throw her coffee in his face.

“God, no,” He replies. “No. Like, I just meant climbing walls. And he’s got synthetic webs and webshooters. And this like… sixth sense. Really, the walls thing is the only spidery thing about him.”

“Anything else?”

“Um… Advanced healing, super strength, enhanced senses like hearing and sight, powerful, unyielding charisma…”

She looks up at him briefly, eyes narrowed.

“Just to name a few,” he adds innocently.

Michelle opens her mouth to speak, a snarky response at the ready, when she’s cut off by the wailing sirens in the distance. Peter cranes his neck, looking past Michelle. She turns. The TV in the corner of the coffee shop shows the scene outside one of the nearby banks, the news anchor’s voice reporting a hostage situation.

When she turns back to face Peter, his eyes are wide, and after a beat, he hastily pulls his phone out of his pocket. He holds up a finger, obviously pretending to take a phone call from someone named May . Apparently, she’s facing quite the inconvenience, judging by Peter’s overacting.

“Sorry, Michelle,” Peter says as he scrambles up from his side of the booth, nearly tripping on his way out. “I—I gotta go,” He stammers, throwing a stiff thumb over his shoulder. “My uh, my aunt… Needs help…”

She fixes him with a skeptical glare.

“We’ll finish this at my desk? Tomorrow? With Coffee? I’ll buy!”

Before she can even respond, he’s rushing for the door, running as soon as his feet hit the pavement outside.

Michelle can only watch, sinking back into her seat, her arms folded across her chest. This had certainly gone better than she expected. Sure, there’s still a lot of things left unanswered, given that they’d only made it about half-way through her list of scripted questions. But, she’s not completely in the dark anymore.

If there’s one thing Michelle’s sure of—100%, to be exact—it’s that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

Okay, maybe he’s not. Maybe she’s only 67% sure.

Michelle knows that she shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions, and although the thought hadn’t immediately crossed her mind, she knows that confirmation bias can be a dangerous thing. After a semi-solid night’s sleep, as she’s walking into the Daily Bugle offices, she decides that this isn’t something she should rush into. She needs to keep investigating. She needs to keep talking to Peter, getting to know him.

Just so she’s really sure.

Then, and only then, can she make her move.

Besides, if she’s going to ruin this guy’s life—whoever Spider-Man happens to be—she needs to really make sure it’s the right guy.

After finishing up the interview at his desk—even after he willingly and thoroughly answers all of her questions—she still feels as though she needs more evidence that he is, in fact, Spider-Man. So, she asks him to meet with her the next day.

And the next.

...And the next.

At this point, the questions aren’t even about Spider-Man anymore. Perhaps finding out more about Peter’s own personal life will give her insight as to how he could manage such a time consuming alter-ego. And she trades this information with her own personal anecdotes.

You know, to make him feel like he’s her friend. That’s how she justifies it.

Peter Parker is surprisingly funny, Michelle finds. And, just in general, not as terrible a person as she’d initially thought. She even lets him start calling her MJ. His little smiles and waves don’t grate on her as much as they did just a few days ago.

Really, if Michelle didn’t hate him so much, she might thing they were actually becoming friends.

Betty seems to think so as well. Or at least more than that.

And she lets Michelle know this information while she’s mid rant about something funny-slash-stupid he’d said during their fourth consecutive “interview”—this one being after work, dinner at a semi-fancy restaurant. Something ]that seemingly had nothing to do with Spider-Man at all.

Betty has the gall to actually suggest that instead of hating Peter, Michelle might like him.

Like-like him, she dares to say.

MJ, of course, shuts that shit down as soon as Betty even thinks to mention it, mocking the very idea for sounding so juvenile while at the same time finding her face unbearably warm.

And, on his side of their tiny world, Peter’s in about the same position. He’s had to stop talking to Ned about the whole thing because the guy just keeps pushing this whole “You’re actually in love with her, you idiot,” narrative that’s frankly not true at all. Ned just doesn’t understand how annoying MJ really is, how annoying the way she just smirks at him is, the way she just deadpans almost every joke she has, or the way he finds himself laughing at said jokes…

The way she tucks her curly hair behind her ear and looks away from him like she’s shy or something…

Okay, so he might not actually hate her, but actually, genuinely falling for her has to be the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. Though, he’s surprised to find himself seeing her more and more as a friend everyday. It’s weird.

But what did it matter that they’ve started going out to dinner to discuss her article? He’s just following the plant. There’s nothing else to it.

So what if he takes a split-second to admire the way she looks?

Unbeknownst to the other, they both feel the same strange warmth between them, and their smiles are starting to become genuine. While there’s still the annoyance that’s always there, it’s accompanied by a new, unknown, strange feeling. And with this new, tingling feeling comes a tugging guilt, one that’s faint and easily ignored, but certainly there.

Michelle, for writing this exposé in the first place. Though, the feeling is fleeting, as she’s reminded by another email from Jameson asking for another Spidey article. She knows that her next step is to just keep hanging out with Peter, just to be sure that he’s not Spider-Man himself, to somehow meet his friends, maybe see who’s the flake he’s told her all about. And for once, the idea doesn’t make her want to throw up.

That, and she still has to interview Spidey.

She knows she just has to stay with the plan, and everything will be fine.

And that’s what she reminds herself as she’s called to her boss’s office, and especially as Jameson grills her for not responding to his emails regarding his demand for more Spider-Man articles. Of course, in the midst of all the prep and interviews, Michelle had neglected to tell her boss that what she had in store was better than anything he could possibly want her to write.

“JONES!” Jameson barks. “You better have a damn good reason for dodging my emails!”

Michelle barely flinches, able to maintain a sense of coolness in the face of danger. “It’s actually—”

“And I mean really good! Like dead grandma good! Is your grandma dead?”

“...No. I—”

“Wait, I take that back, I don’t care about your grandma!” He waves her off aggressively. “I expect this shit from Thompson or Parker, but not you!”

“I’m sorry,” Michelle says, her tone flat and even, though she feels the slightest bit hesitant to further explain herself. “I’ve been working on something else.”

“Something else?!” Jameson balks. “What else could you possibly be working on?! My assignments not good enough for you?! I tell you what, whatever you’re working on better be—”

Her own internal turmoil as to whether or not she should tell her boss about her plan, quiet as that turmoil is, is enough to put Jameson’s angry rant on mute, at least for a moment. Truly, she’s unsure where this sudden trepidation is coming from, but she assumes it’s because she wants to have as little input from her boss as possible.

“—It better be big! What are you doing?! Finding out his secret identity?!”

At that, Michelle jerks her head back, mouth parted as she blinks in surprise. “That’s… That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“Oh!... Oh?” Jameson stops, frozen, and for once, he speaks in lowercase letters. “Well. Uh. Good.”

Still in shock that he was lucky enough—she’d say smart, but that was a bit of a stretch—to guess it on whatever try it was, she nods. But then, she remembers the inevitability that Jameson’s going to spread this around the office, maybe as some sick form of motivation for her poor coworkers.

Which would lead to Peter finding out…

“I’d prefer if we kept this conversation between us, though,” Michelle says, to which Jameson’s only response is a confused quirk of his brow. “I want it to be this big shock to everyone , you know?”

Jameson nods slowly, mouth pressing into a thin line. Clearly, he buys it. “Yes… Yes… You’ve got a point there, Jones.” He claps his hands together, the sound echoing in his office. “Alright! Well! Get back to work then! Find out who Spider-Man is!”

God, at this point he’s already told everyone, she thinks, hiding the way her eye twitches in annoyance.

Michelle dismisses herself, moving to leave without another word. As she opens and starts pushing the door behind her, she startles seeing who’s waiting on the other side.

“Oh! Uh, hey!” She tells herself that the smile on her face is only out of politeness. “Peter!”

Peter clutches at the strap of his camera bag. He gives a single, stiff nod, his mouth pressing into a tight, thin smile as he rocks back on his heels.

He looks as if he’s about to say something when Jameson’s booming voice cuts him off.

“PARKER! GET IN HERE!”

“Good luck,” Michelle teases under her breath.

Peter forces another smile before pushing past her and into the office.

It leaves Michelle in the near-empty hallway, staring at the closed door, confused—and with a strange, unwelcome sinking you-fucked-up feeling in her gut.

#spideychelle #petermj #journalist au #peter parker x michelle jones #peter parker #michelle jones #off the record fic

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Text

National Enquirer, October 26

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover Story: Death Mysteries -- Whitney Houston autopsy cover-up; Kenny Rogers’ body is missing

Page 2: Reba McEntire’s new romance with Rex Linn convinced Kelly Clarkson she needed to walk away from her unhappy marriage -- while Reba’s love life was heating up Kelly’s relationship with husband Brandon Blackstock who is Reba’s former stepson was hitting the rocks and Kelly remained very close with Reba and Reba would tell her how happy Rex had made her

Page 3: Control freak Tom Cruise is a basket case after he couldn’t charm Cher into leaving their steamy fling out of her upcoming memoir and the image-conscious actor was so panicky over Cher spilling their sexy secrets that he personally called her -- they had a strong physical attraction when they met at a White House event back in the ‘80s and eventually they hooked up and it was very hot and very intense and over in a matter of weeks but it left a nice impression on Cher so she only has good things to say about their relationship but what happened between them could prove very embarrassing if it got out and Tom doesn’t want that to happen -- unfortunately for Tom Cher wouldn’t say anything about what she intends to write and wouldn’t promise to leave Tom out and that’s made Tom even more paranoid and he’s wondering if he’s going to have to take legal action

Page 4: Kanye West is keeping a secret divorce diary to use against wife Kim Kardashian and its potential dishy dirt has her famous family quaking in their boots -- Kanye’s convinced Kim’s about the kick him to the curb and is putting together collateral to crush her and her family is the couple spirals into a $2.2 billion divorce, Jennifer Garner at 48 is flaunting her best body ever and her motivation is to compete with ex-husband Ben Affleck’s 32-year-old girlfriend Ana de Armas because Jen was tired of hearing how Ben’s fallen head over heels for Ana and wanted to remind him what he’s missing -- Jen’s always been very confident of her looks but she decided to step out of mom mode to remind everyone how hot she still is

Page 5: Devastated Lisa Marie Presley has been relying on an old pal Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan to repair her shattered life in the wake of the suicide of her son -- Lisa Marie and Billy were spotted together at Graceland not long ago and he’s been a huge source of support for her -- though they were rumored to have had a romance in 2018 Billy’s fully committed to his baby mama fashion designer Chloe Mendel and Lisa Marie would like nothing better for them to make beautiful music again but she knows he’s taken and she needs his friendship more than ever.

Page 6: Ambitious anchor Gayle King is calling the shots at CBS This Morning after executive producer Diana Miller quit in the latest backstage shake-up; there was tension between Gayle and Diana and now Diana is gone -- it’s like the show gave Gayle the keys to the car and even if she runs it into a ditch the network gives her more power -- Gayle also clashed with former co-host Norah O’Donnell who successfully snagged the anchor chair at CBS Evening News but Norah hasn’t wowed in the ratings and it’s a matter of time before Gayle gets the coveted job

Page 7: The mystery over the fate of country great Kenny Rogers’ body has left his own family members in the dark -- sources close to the singer said he’d been cremated while others charged his body is still on ice and Kenny’s body is missing as far as most people are concerned and there’s no place fans can go and pay their respects -- it’s most likely he’s been cremated and the ashes have yet to be scattered but there have also been whispers in certain circles that he could have been cryogenically frozen to preserve his body for a later date, many of Hollywood’s biggest names are abandoning Tinseltown to escape the COVID-19 pandemic and a collapsing entertainment industry -- Julia Roberts hightailing it to San Francisco and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson getting citizenship in Greece and Pierce Brosnan put his Malibu mansion on the market and Jim Cameron is peddling his prized L.A. compound

Page 8: Frustrated Jon Stewart’s plans to reinvent himself as the next Steven Spielberg have flopped and he’s pretty unhappy about it and he wants to be viewed as a respected serious filmmaker but he’s hit more roadblocks than he ever saw as a comedian or talk show host -- he was left fuming when Irresistible his latest outing as a director was met by mediocre reviews and limited to pay-per-view and streaming services last summer even with box office draw and best buddy Steve Carell in the cast -- he could snap his fingers and get any TV project but he’s setting his sights much higher and he’s walked away from millions of dollars to go back to TV because he wants to prove he is a creative force in the film industry

Page 9: Frustrated Brad Pitt is threatening to have ex Angelina Jolie dragged to jail if she refuses to end her harassment campaign against him and hash out a divorce and custody agreement and he’s had it with Angie’s intimidation tactics and is fed up with being labeled a bad dad and it’s no exaggeration to say Brad’s scared of Angie and he wants professional witnesses around them at all times when he attempts to see their children but for Brad though it would be the ultimate revenge to see Angie led away in handcuffs, Nashville legend Travis Tritt is trying to keep up with country music’s up-and-comers by getting a lift from plastic surgery and recent photos show the 57-year-old almost unrecognizable with a line-free face and skin as tight as a drum -- Travis is getting ready to put out his first album of new music in more than ten years and it’s hard to blame the guy when he’s completing against singers 30 years younger

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Julia Garner got a touch-up on the Staten Island set of Inventing Anna, Reverend Run visited a mural of slain Run-DMC bandmate Jam Master Jay in NYC’s Hollis Queens, Vanessa Paradis and daughter Lily-Rose Depp in Paris

Page 11: Lovestruck Chrissy Metz is already talking marriage and babies with newly unveiled beau Bradley Collins but she has a history of falling for guys fast which has previously been a recipe for heartbreak and while nobody’s doubting Bradley’s intentions there’s a lot of confusion about why they kept their romance totally hidden until now, the devastating fire that tore through Rachael Ray’s home has made her reassess her life and she and husband John Cusimano are now considering adopting a baby -- losing so many of their possessions in the fire made them realize they weren’t all that important anyway so they bulldozed the house and are rebuilding and the word is they’ll add a nursery

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Danny Trejo cuddled a rescue pup (picture), Lizzo is the first plus-sized Black woman to ever grace the cover of Vogue but pulling off the shoot was a challenge with most designers unable to find clothes that fit her, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are very private and they’re livid with Lance Bass after he confirmed that they had another baby, when he was NBC’s biggest star Matt Lauer conducted almost every high-profile interview and now editors and doing a lot of cropping and zooming to preserve archived footage while removing Matt

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Rock guitar god Eddie Van Halen who tragically died after a brave battle with cancer wanted to be buried with one of his Frankenstrat guitars that he created to define his signature sound -- Eddie felt like he owed his whole life to that instrument and he loved that thing as much as his family, Perez Hilton dished he kissed notorious skirt-chaser John Mayer in a New York nightclub and the lip-lock happened right in front of John’s then girlfriend Jessica Simpson who didn’t seem to know whether she was incredibly embarrassed or really turned on

Page 16: Cover Story -- explosive new autopsy evidence proves superstar Whitney Houston didn’t have to die -- eight years after she passed mysteries about her final moments and blatant blunders at the death scene point to murder and a shocking coverup and now investigators are demanding a new probe into the 2012 tragedy in a Los Angeles hotel bathroom and for Whitney’s body to be exhumed -- a private eye believes the autopsy proves Whitney was murdered but the case was never pursued because she was dismissed as a druggie and she was marginalized by law enforcement as a dead drug user

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Horror movie legend John Saxon’s family started battling over his fortune even before he passed on July 25 -- in legal papers filed in May his son Antonio claimed the actor’s third wife Gloria Martel had been pocketing money against John’s wishes, Netflix faces criminal charges in Texas over the controversial film Cuties -- according to court documents a Tyler County grand jury indicted Netflix claiming it knowingly promoted visual material that depicts the lewd exhibition of the private parts of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18 -- Netflix said in a statement that Cuties is a social commentary about the sexualization of young children and this charge is without merit

Page 20: Suzanne Somers recently cheated death when she and husband Alan Hamel fell down a flight of stairs at their Palm Springs home and although Alan wasn’t seriously injured the terrifying spill left Suzanne in agony with two displaced vertebrae and forced her to undergo delicate neck surgery but she said the surgery went off without a hitch and promised she is on the mend, Hollywood Hookups -- Sofia Richie has unfollowed Scott Disick on Instagram, Zac Efron hopes to marry Vanessa Valladares, Sharon Stone and Mindy Kaling are both on the market

Page 21: Twelve years after she was placed under conservatorship Britney Spears remains unable to sign her own name on official documents -- Britney recently made moves asking to allow a different financial group to step in and help run her life as well as gain more freedom but lawyer Andrew Wallet said Britney to this day does not have the capacity to sign documents and make decisions for herself and she is susceptible to undue influences, the audience for the Saturday Night Live season premiere came away with more than just a few yuks they also received $150 because to get around New York State pandemic guidelines SNL gave each guest a parting gift of $150 paychecks as if they were employees, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may soon have a new neighbor in heavy metal maniac Tommy Lee -- the drummer was recently spotted checking out a $2.3 million three-acre plot next to the rogue royals’ $14 million home in Montecito and he was obviously pumped about living there but building the tattooed rocker’s home would mean tons of truck traffic and hopefully Harry and Meghan don’t get upset with the building work he’s planning

Page 22: ABC is reeling from a barrage of allegations from employees and on-air talent who’ve blasted it as a toxic and racist working environment -- the network which is owned by the family-friendly Walt Disney Corporation was rocked when Sunny Hostin the popular co-host of The View accused company executives of institutional and personal racism in her memoir and in later interviews about the book

Page 26: Lonely country singer Kenny Chesney is looking to find a new ladylove and is talking about finally settling down for good -- he is unhappily single after his eight-year relationship with model Mary Nolan hit the rocks -- he spends all the time he’s not on the road at his island paradise in Antigua but he misses having a partner and he’s even asked pals Matthew McConaughey and Richard Branson to play matchmaker

Page 28: America is preparing for World War III as China amps up war games in the South Pacific and readies plans to invade U.S. allies -- military insiders warn China and Russia and their tyrannical accomplices in Iran and North Korea and Syria and Turkey are bracing to launch a coordinated attack against America and the west that could end in nuclear disaster

Page 36: Health Watch

Page 38: Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood has traded in his debauched days of sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll for knitting, Rod Stewart revealed there’s a deep freeze between him and former close pal Elton John and that Elton refused his attempts to that things out -- the two ‘70s icons had been friends for decades before Rod blasted Elton’s biopic and his most recent music tour -- when Rod realized he was in the doghouse he tried to bait Elton with a bone for his kids by inviting Elton’s boys Zachary and Elijah to come play soccer with his sons Alistair and Aiden only to be greeted with the sounds of silence

Page 42: Red Carpet -- The Christian Siriano collection

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Sophie Okonedo in Ratched

Page 47: Odd List

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theunluckiestchat · 4 years

Text

Remembrance 7

It was truly summer. The sun sitting high on sky, the heat making the skin sweaty and sticky. People in every direction having something cold in their hand, like an ice cream or milkshake. Adrien couldn’t wait for later in the day when it would be him holding an ice cream and sharing it with his new girlfriend. It only took their second date to make it official and Adrien couldn’t be happier about it. Being with Marinette was like an amazing dream. And he never wanted to wake up.

“Almost there now” Nino said from where he was walking beside him and Adrien smiled at the words. Almost by Marinette. “Do you think it’ll be awkward?”.

At those words though, Adrien frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“You know, dude. Being around Luka. And Marinette. At the same time.” as Nino said it, he gave him a pointed look.

With explanation, Adrien of course knew what he was talking about. Except it was such a non-issue that he almost had to laugh.

“It’s not gonna be awkward” he said, and couldn’t help the few giggle that escaped his mouth. “They were only together for a few months and it was years ago. Besides, Luka and I are friends. We wouldn’t let something like this make it awkward”

Adrien felt confident in the truth of his words. The relationship between Marinette and Luka was so long ago and so short-lived that it seemed like everyone basically forgot it happened. To be fair, he didn’t exactly know how Luka felt about the fact that ‘Adrinette’ (as Alya had dubbed it) was a thing now, but he doubted it bothered him much. They had talked a few times since the first date with Marinette and Luka hadn’t seemed anything but happy for them.

“Still, you’re dating his ex” Nino said, his eyebrow furrowed.

Once again, all Adrien could do was laugh. They were only a few meters away from the Couffine’s houseboat now and had already been spotted by the people on it. He saw his girlfriend wave to him which he returned with a giant smile.

“By that logic” Adrien said to Nino. “Marinette and Kagami shouldn’t be able to hang out. Do you wanna tell them that?”

He didn’t want to do that, if the way his eyes widened was any indication. Adrien just grinned and boarded the boat. He immediately made a beeline for Marinette, who was sitting off to the side from the others, behind a camera.

Four chairs had been set up at the center of the deck. Juleka, Rose and Luka occupied three of them, while Alya sat in the last one across from the rest, with a camera set up next to her. Rose was in the middle of recounting some story of one of the times she had met Ladybug and Chat Noir. She was talking about how determined Ladybug had been to make sure everyone was safe, and that she had complimented Rose’s outfit. Adrien couldn’t help but smile. That sounded like Ladybug.

Next to him, Marinette put a hand on her head and groaned quietly. When he looked at her, he could see that her eyes were closed and her forehead was creased. He quickly took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him with slightly glassy eyes.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, to not disturb the recording.

Marinette smiled back, although it seemed a little strained. “I’m fine. I’ve just got a headache. I think I might be a bit dehydrated” she said, just as quietly, and leaned her head against Adrien’s shoulder.

He chuckled a little at that answer. “It’s important to drink a lot of water in this heat.”

“I know” Marinette groaned. “I just got so wrapped up in this project that I forgot I had to live. Alya had to force me to leave my room today. I was almost finished, too!” she said with pout. Adrien chuckled again and kissed the crown of her head. She was just so cute.

As he felt Marinette relax a little more and lean a littler heavier on him, he turned his attention back to the interview happening in front of him. Nino had placed himself right behind the camera, and seemed like he really wanted to make adjustments to how it was placed, but every time he tried to Alya subtly swatted his hand away. After a few moments of this he ended up sitting down beside Adrien instead, pouting even more than Marinette had.

“And what about Chat Noir? What was he doing during all of this?”

Adrien immediately paid more attention when he heard his alter ego’s name. No one could blame him for wanting to know what people thought of him, right? People’s opinions on Chat Noir were kind of interesting. While most people agreed that Ladybug had been a valuable and competent hero, what they thought about Chat Noir was really varied. Some people found him useless and immature, others said he was skilled and funny. They either loved him or hated him. Adrien had found a lot of arguments about it online. He probably shouldn’t read them since they usually made him either really angry or really sad, but it was hard to stop once he had started. He could only hope that his friends had good opinions of him.

“Oh! He was so wonderful!” Rose said and a huge smile appeared on Adrien’s lips. “He was playing with the kids, and joking with all of us. He just made all of us feel better, I wasn’t scared at all when he was talking to us!”

Juleka nodded at that. “Yeah. Once when I was freaking out during an akuma attack he stopped and talked to me for a minute and made me calm down” she smiled a little. “He was really awesome”

Adrien’s heart warmed at their words. When he was talking to civilians during akuma attacks, all he wanted was to make them feel a little better and a little safer. He was happy to know it had worked.

The interview was over just a few minutes later, and everyone stood up. Nino immediately made his way over to Alya and started making comments about camera angles and lighting. While the two of them bickered in the background, Juleka, Luka and Rose came over to Adrien and Marinette. Rose squealed as soon as she reached them, and grabbed Juleka’s arm.

“You’re so cute together! Aren’t they just adorable, Jules?”

Juleka smiled. “Yeah. It’s about time, too”

Adrien blushed and rubbed his neck awkwardly at the attention, while Marinette didn’t seem bothered at all. She just groaned loudly and flopped against his side dramatically.

“I know, right?” she said with a slight nudge in his side. “I put so much time into getting him to notice me, I deserve to reap the benefits now.”

Adrien chuckled, having heard a few stories about Marinette’s attempts to ask him out when they were teenagers. Based of off Rose and Juleka’s expressions though, he could guess there were a lot more attempts than the ones he had been told.

“You two really are awesome together.” Luka broke up the grimacing by saying, with that ever-present, easy-going smile. “You create such a harmonious melody. I would play it, but Alya said I wasn’t allowed to have my guitar anywhere near during the interview.”

This roused a few giggled around the group. Luka’s constant guitar playing was a well-known, inside joke in their friend group at this point. Adrien could still remember him playing even in the middle of akuma attacks. Which, of course, made the snake miraculous with its lyre for a weapon perfect for him.

What was even more perfect, was that Luka wanted to play a melody representing Adrien and Marinette, which meant that he was totally okay with them together, which meant Nino was wrong.

“I guess you’ll just have to play it for us another time” Adrien said once the laughter died down.

“Absolutely” Luka smiled back.

Take that, Nino.

“That’d be awesome, Luka” Marinette said while standing up. “Right now, though, I believe I was promised ice cream” she turned to look at Adrien and pulled his hand.

He stood up after her and put an arm around her shoulders. They hadn’t been together for very long, but the way they fit together already felt so natural. It was probably because of the fact that they had known each other for so long. At this point, Adrien truly felt like it was meant to be. Especially, when she smiled at him the way she was doing right now.

“Of course, princess!” he said enthusiastically and her smile only shined brighter because of it.

They quickly said goodbye to their friends and started their walk towards André’s ice cream cart. Marinette was talking animatedly about her latest projects, mostly about the design for Audrey Bourgeois. She kept going on about how she felt like she was so close to the perfect design, but just couldn’t quite get there and how frustrating that was. All Adrien could do as he listened to her, was smile. He loved hearing her talk. He loved how passionate she got, how her eyes sparkled and how she did so much problem-solving on the spot, just by talking about it. She was so clever and creative. He just loved… her.

They might have only been together for a couple of weeks, but she was sure. He loved her. He probably had for a long time before he realized himself. He had just been too hung up on Ladybug when they were younger to understand that what he felt for Marinette, was love. And he really wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell everyone. If he could, he would gladly broadcast across the entire world that he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng!

But he was scared. Adrien had never been one to shy away from proclamations of love before, Ladybug could attest to that. This however, was so different from the whole Ladybug, and even Kagami thing. This was so much more real. There were no barriers between him and Marinette. No secret identities or controlling parents. It was just them. And it was wonderful. Adrien didn’t want to lose that by going all in if Marinette wasn’t ready for it. Which is why he had resolved to following her lead. He didn’t mind it. He would gladly follow her anywhere.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #ml fanfic #adrien agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #adrinette #adrienette #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #luka couffaine #ml juleka #ml rose #julrose #djwifi #my stuff #fanfiction #i finally wrote more of this #i'm proud of myself

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tropewizardtournament · 5 years

Text

there is an indentation in the shape of you (made your mark on me)

Harry hates being set up. It doesn’t matter who has actually done it or why; he just hates it. The last time Hermione tried to set him up with her colleague, he had almost bit her head off. No Hermione I’m totally fine with being single, he had said. It looks like you are the one who hates it.

It’s a wonder he still has his head attached with the way he behaved.

After numerous failed attempts, his friend had given up. She finally understood that Harry was very picky about his dates and their interests would probably not line up together.

Unabashedly he had presumed that he was totally free from being forced to go on meaningless dates. Until Ron had struck that is.

Now Ron has been his best friend since forever. After a decade of friendship and watching Harry go through a messy break up and daunting dates, he has never mentioned anything about his love life. His best friend is understanding and has been the one to persuade his girlfriend to back off when she has veered into the Forbidden Land, also known as Harry Potter’s Love Life. So when the tall redheaded man casually informed his bespectacled mate that the upcoming Friday he had to have dinner with this ‘woman’, he had blanched.

“Wha-why? Did Hermi-“

“No. I have decided that you need to get off your ass and do something on the weekends except joining us on our dates.” The calm tone of his voice was quite unnerving but his words had made an impact. Before he could sputter out an apology, Ron had used his infuriatingly leveled voice to inform that until Harry found a person with whom he had been on more than three dates he would be his manager. “Plus she’s great. You’ll like Mary. She is a writer you know,” he had added unhelpfully.

So now, three weeks after that dreadful conversation, he is dining with Witch No. 3, Stacey.

Stacey is not bad exactly. In the looks department, she is quite stunning. With her skin and eyes looking like glazed chocolate and thick black hair, she looks as if she has stepped out of a beauty pageant. And like most of the girls in beauty pageants (not all) she is a bit self-centered. She has been talking non-stop for the past half hour and although it is a welcome change from his dates continuously asking about him, it has become boring very quickly. He believes that it’s a common trait shared among singers.

Mary hadn’t been bad but she was so engrossed with him that it stopped feeling like a casual date and more like an interview with a younger Rita Skeeter. Ron had gotten an earful for his choice.

Sloshing the wine in his glass, he forces himself to listen to her in case she asks him about his opinion. Which he highly doubts but it is good manners.

“-And I don’t eat meat on Thursdays because my mother has this ritual where-” Oh God.

“Actually that sounds interesting. Mind if I use the loo for a moment?” Without waiting for her response, he hurriedly makes his way towards the back of the restaurant. He needs to have a break from the non-stop chitchat.

So hasty he is in his escape that he crashes into someone with a force large enough to knock his breath out. Fortunately his Auror training has honed his skills and he catches the person before they can hit the ground. The waiters mill around the crash gracefully and he is left staring awkwardly at the too familiar fiery haired woman in his arms. His evening really has turned out to be a disaster.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was go-Wait a minute! Harry! What are you doing here?” Getting a little startled by the sudden hug, he steps back. Small hands push back his chest and he stares at a pair of wide, brown eyes with a thumping heart.

“Ginny? What are the chances?!” Ginny looks more stunning than the last time he saw her. Her vivid red hair is made into a bun and she is dressed in a blue cocktail dress. She looks beautiful and eternal. Her freckles seem less prominent in the dimly lit area which causes a pang to go through his body.

He combs his hand through his hair. “What are you doing here?”

Ginny quickly glances back and grabs his hand to drag him away. She leads them towards the back entrance inconspicuously to the point that he is impressed she is not an undercover spy. Banging open the large doors she casts a privacy and silencing charm in quick succession. Watching his incredulous expression, she shrugged. “Reporters everywhere. I’d like to talk to someone without having a scandalous story printed on the paper. I assume you feel the same way.”

With that she flops down on the pavement. Grinning, he does the same.

“True. My name’s been splashed on each paper every morning for the past three weeks. And all thanks goes to your brother.”

She raises her eyebrow.” First of all now that he has done something he’s my brother otherwise he’s your boo. And second of all, what did he do to you? I have plenty of reasons to be mad at him myself.”

Harry opens his cuff buttons and rolls his sleeves up. “Your brother has made himself my love life’s manager. Apparently I ruin his date nights so I have to suffer. Where does he even run into these women?”

“Will it make you feel better to know he’s inflicting the same punishment on me?”

He pauses rolling his sleeve. “What?”

“Yeah. Apparently he’s everyone’s love guru nowadays. Something to do now that he is in a happy relationship. I am so close to strangling him you have no idea.”

“So today you’re on-“

“A date? Yes. I’m so close to either gouging his eyes out or mine.”

Harry starts laughing and Ginny joins in. Within a few seconds they are literally lying on the floor and giggling like toddlers. He has missed her; he has missed her so much. Everything is easy with her. His smiles come easily whenever he’s with her. Ron once told him that his sister was like a cheering charm in the form of a human being and he had never been more right.

“My date is a boring twenty five year old Larry from the Ministry who has a weird fascination with tea. I just tolerated about an hour of listening to how many types of tea there are in the world. Trust me when I say I’m never trying oolong.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Only if you’re kettle I’m sure. And speaking of interesting,” she straightens her dress and stands up. “Are you having fun on the date?” She extends her hand towards him.

“She’ll be a great date to someone else.” He sighs and takes her hand to stand up.”Like herself. And I don’t think I’m up to her standards. I’ve been thoroughly bored for ages.”The road is not that much crowded but even now he sees a few people staring at them with their jaws wide open. Ginny’s warm laugh catches his attention.

“Go inside and tell her that you will have to leave. Meet me by the coffeehouse just close to your place. It’s called ‘Another’ I think. Oh and wear something nice.” Without giving him any warning, she cancels the charms and skips back into the restaurant.

Harry chuckles lightly and makes his way inside.

“Okay if you have hypothermia and you really need to get warm quickly. What are you going to do?” The café door opens and lets in a blast of cold air but both of them ignore it. The soft tune of a jazz song fills the entire room with a sort of tranquility that he has missed.

“I’ll have hot cocoa then. But if it’s not that severe then cold butterbeer it is.” Ginny takes a long sip of her cold coffee to prove her point.

Ditching Stacey and practically dashing to the café to avoid being seen must have been her best idea ever because he is having much more fun than he has had for a long time. She looks beautiful in the dimly lit space, ethereal to be honest and far livelier than he can remember. The only downside (if he can even call it that) is her inexplicable attachment to cold beverages. It’s kind of cute actually.

“So you’re saying” he pauses to take a sip of his tea “you’ll rather face the cold, clammy hands of death than ever try anything hot.”

“No. I’m saying you have to shove me to the cold, clammy hands of death for me to drink anything hot to save my life. Pay attention, will you?” He laughs loudly at that.

He has always enjoyed spending time with Ginny. She was shy at the beginning when all he was to her was The Boy who Lived and the guy who saved her (he argues with that vehemently, she has saved his life too). But then she started speaking more and more. That day in his Fifth Year when she finally snapped because of his complete disregard of anything concerning others, he understood what a force she is. She kept him happy; those days spent at the Burrow after Sirius’s death and the Quidditch practices in his Sixth Year were his only escape. Leaving her for the Horcrux hunt was one of the hardest things he had ever done. She had absolved him of his decision but sometimes he wonders whether that has broken a fundamental part of their friendship. Or maybe, a traitorous voice calls out, it’s because of those warm and fuzzy feelings that rise in you which you are afraid of.

“Do you know why Ron is trying to set you up?” Her voice breaks him out of his reverie.

“Apparently my love life is nonexistent. But then again, he has never complained about it before. Why did he try to set you up though?”

She sighs and waves the waitress over for a refill. He doesn’t think that he has seen anyone drink so much iced coffee in such a short span. “Same. I made the mistake of complaining to him about the lack of guys who aren’t sexist. Apparently being a female Quidditch player attracts as much attention from pigs as Harry Potter attracts from Dark wizards.”

He cracks a smile. “That reminds me to congratulate you on the Most Number of Goals award. You were fantastic in the game. You made Wood cry!”

“Like it was hard.”

He hums in agreement. Oliver was always really very emotional about Quidditch- still is apparently.

“Say Harry?” Ginny leans forwards making her dress dip a little which he dutifully ignores. “I have a feeling that my dear brother is going to try to set us up again next week.”

“Again? Man that sucks. I should not be giving control to a man my age that still has his cereal with orange juice.”

“I thought Hermione made him stop.”

“He does it away from her. He loves Hermione but not more than that atrocious combination.”

“Hey, no one comes in between a Weasley and their food. Anyway I was thinking maybe we should mess with him.” Her eyes blaze at her own suggestion and Harry isn’t ashamed to admit that she looks absolutely gorgeous when she is planning something nefarious. “Next week both of us make an excuse and ditch our dates and meet over here. Say about 7:30?”

He startles. “But that’s like only thirty minutes spent with our dates.”

She raises her eyebrow. “And that’s a problem how? Okay let’s just think this as a way to keep Ron on his toes. Plus if either of us likes our date, we would send a message that we’re not coming.”

He doesn’t exactly like the plan. Ron has generously provided him with an unnecessary but thoughtful gesture. But then again spending time with Ginny is something he has always wanted. Every Friday spent with her will be like his deepest desire come true.

Seeing his hesitation, she whispers, “I’ll drink every hot drink you suggest for a whole month.”

“Deal.” Like there is anyway he’ll miss that.

And so it starts. Every Friday for the next three weeks they meet up in a hurry. Aside from every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday when they either grab lunch or coffee or sometimes a movie. He finds out Ginny has a weakness for Muggle movies and a thirst for violence and she finds out he likes watching rom-coms.

Not a bad arrangement. And when they curl up together in his flat after she has taken a shower at his apartment on days of Quidditch practice and spread her flowery scent everywhere, he pretends that it’s the real thing.

It is going good which should have been the first sign that something was going to go terribly wrong.

In this weird arrangement they haven’t taken in a very big factor otherwise known as ‘Ron’. As he’s both Harry’s best mate and Ginny’s brother, they didn’t want to let him know anything that will conclude with him accompanying them on their coffee ‘dates’. But at the same time they had forgotten that he is the one who sets up their dates and might follow them to the said coffee shop for a public confrontation.

“What are you doing here?” If he hadn’t been in the Aurors for so long, he may have jumped when he spots Ron’s scowling face.

“The more important question, brother dear, is what are you doing here? And trust me when I say that any reply of yours will be much stranger than ours.” Growing up with the twins must have numbed all of her senses from making her jumpy because she barely even blinks at his question. All in all he’s quite impressed.

Ron pays her no heed. He slides into the booth opposite to them and snatches a napkin to wipe away the drops of water clinging to his face. Rubbing his skin harshly, he continues. “I knew something was going on. Raven and Liam complained to me two weeks ago about how you both ditched them. I gave you both the benefit of doubt because I thought ‘Well they sure are very career oriented!’ Then Maya and Jeremy let me know how you both left too. Something was wrong, I knew that much. So I set you up today and disillusioned myself to keep an eye on you. And voila!”

Ginny leans back and crosses her hands in front of her. “And still you didn’t think about shielding yourself from the rain. You know what they say- appearance trumps practicality,” she drawls.

Ron’s ears turn red and he opens his mouth. Not wanting to get caught in the midst of a Weasley brawl, Harry hastens to interrupt. “First of all, I told you I didn’t want to go out with anyone. I tried to like them, I really did. But they are all either too much invested in The Chosen One or themselves. It’s torture.” He feels as if he’s confessing for a crime but it’s Ron: he deserves the best.

Ginny sympathetically nods and links their hands together. Her brother stares intensely at their linked hands before piercing him with an unreadable look. Not liking this look, he continues. “And second of all, you always put Ginny and me in the same restaurants. You should have known we would seek each other. Honestly these coffee outings are the highlights of my evenings.”

“Well I had thought you both would feel more comfortable if someone you know was present.”

“Yeah I’d love to watch a girl stick her throat down Harry’s throat.”

“Ginny!”

“Sorry. You think I’d love to watch him stick his tongue down her throat.”

“GINNY!”

“At least I’m selling you higher than me.”

“That’s not the point.” A mild cough wrenches his attention away from the woman plastered against him. A pair of piercing blue eyes swivels between them and Harry resists the urge to go to his side of the booth. He doesn’t want unwanted accusations. And if Ginny smells like a fresh morning, it’s not his fault.

Ron adopts his sister’s posture and glances at him. “And now? What’s happening with you guys now?” His ears turn a light pink but he doesn’t avoid his gaze.

He has to spell it out to him (and ignore the fact that his best friend is asking regarding something different).

Before he can tell him about how he doesn’t want to go on any more dates, Ginny straightens up. She sidles up to him and lays her head on his shoulder. “Oh Ron! We should’ve let you know. Harry and I are dating for about a month now.”

Her bright words are met with heavy silence. Ron seems to have forgotten to close his mouth. His gaping slack-jawed expression might’ve been funny if Harry himself was not reeling back from her statement. And if that’s not enough, she peers up at him and flutters those eyelashes.

Fuck.

Dating? Since when? He’s sure he would remember if something like that had happened. Is she trying to get me killed? She’ll probably be the only one who will succeed that’s for sure. Also that same annoying voice in his head barges in with a ‘Plus you will definitely remember dating her, won’t you?’

Surely Ron won’t believe that. Would he?

Ron takes a big gulp of air and leans towards them. “Is it true Harry?” His voice carries a tremble of what he’s not sure. Harry glances at Ginny and sees a look of pure desperation. She’s trying to get out of being set up, he thinks. And isn’t that what he wants? Steeling his nerves, he looks deep into Ron’s eyes and gives him the brightest fake smile.

“Of course mate.”

He is suddenly knocked back by the forceful nature of Ron’s hug. He seems to be hugging both of them with no abandon. Harry pats his trembling back and prays that he doesn’t die due to suffocation. Ron immediately lets go but not before kissing both of their heads loudly. All of the customers and waitresses have stopped to look at the commotion that is Ron.

“My best friend and my sister!” His eyes are glassy and he is wiping his nose with a napkin. “MY BEST FRIEND AND MY SISTER ARE DATING! ALL MY DREAMS HAVE BECOME TRUE!” Ron laughs like a little child and looks at them with so much affection, his heart aches. It’s all a lie, it beats.

Ginny stands up and sidles over to Ron’s booth. She hugs him tightly and shoots a worried look over his shoulder towards Harry. Yes, agrees his thumping heart, things just turned out to be interesting.

Dating someone and fake someone is a lot different at the same time very similar. First of all there is an uncomfortable ‘fake’ added in the front which makes both the parties present very uncomfortable.

But he can guarantee that no one does fake dating better than Ginny Weasley. She’s a pioneer at everything he attempts.

“So you’re probably thinking why I lied to Ron yesterday.” She brushes her hair strands away from her face and takes a sip from her miraculously hot cocoa.

“That didn’t cross my mind actually. My question is why we’re meeting at six in the morning. Oh and why are you drinking anything hot? Is there an impending doom I should know of?” He wryly replies before sipping his hot tea.

She holds out her index finger. “First of all don’t be an asshole.” Another finger goes up. “Second of all I was trying to get Ron off of our backs. I mean just think about it. No more dates being set up, no more meetings, no more dates.”

He starts at that. No more dates… He envisions himself sitting in front of Ginny and laughing. Visiting other places, weddings, events and introducing her as his date. His brain is telling him not to make the decision. She’s dangerous; you won’t know when you are so entwined with her that it’ll be difficult to leave. But his heart… well, his heart is thudding with all the different scenarios. He has always wanted to do that with someone but never allowed himself to think about it.

“I don’t feel lying to your family.”

“Me neither.” Her gaze flits outside the window. October has turned out to be beautiful. The red leaves literally the streets like blood. An irony considering his own blood had died in this month. “But I want to stop worrying over a guy claiming to have given me my career boost. With you I don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why me?” He feels like a petulant child but he needs an answer. She looks at him with an unreadable gaze and reaches out her arm. As she links their hands together, she casts her eyes downward. She looks vulnerable and soft and so captivating in the autumn morning, his heart skips a beat.

“Because it’s you. That’s all.” She replies simply.

Assessing the situation, he sighs. There is, after all, no use pretending he hasn’t made his decision since last night.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” He levels his gaze at her shining orbs. “Do we have any rules?”

Ginny suddenly gives him a razor sharp grin and all he can think is fuck. “Now that wouldn’t be fun, would it?”

It’s a surprise how well they settle into this schedule as if they had planned this from the beginning. Going to the coffee shop, the neighbouring bookshop, restaurants and other Muggle venues (like the parks and ice cream parlours) is normal for them. But now there is this intimacy which everything had lacked.

Ginny does not sit across him anymore. She always sidles up next to him when they are in a booth or moves her chair towards him. She has taken to giving him innocent touches like a hand holding his elbow or her head resting on his shoulder or a leg thrown over his lap. He had problems reaching out to her in the beginning and wordlessly she had known. However after spending three months with her and realizing that she was not going anywhere, Harry had taken to her as a man dying of thirst to water.

“Not that I don’t like this but what brought this on?” She had asked him amusedly.

“Nothing. Just glad to be here.” He stopped caressing her hair. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Don’t you dare.” She closed her eyes and practically purred. “And can you massage my scalp too?”

“Sure.”

He doesn’t know what they are because this feels like ‘real dating’. They don’t put on shows for their families. They have a few rules like no kissing on lips or spending the night at each other’s places but he doubts anyone believes them.

The Weasleys had been so shocked and thrilled when they had announced their secret relationship. Mrs. Weasley had nearly fainted with joy and George had planted dungbombs at his apartment. Bill, Mr. Weasley and Charlie were happy and Percy had come a little too close to the truth (“Suddenly? Out of nowhere?”). But no one had been as excited as Ron. He had been so supportive that even Ginny had been reluctant to continue with their ruse. Hermione had been a little suspicious but even she forgot all about it when Fleur started crying.

Telling Andromeda and Teddy on the other hand was less nerve wracking. The old witch had always been fond of Ginny and accepted the news graciously. Teddy had asked a very red faced Harry whether she was his godmother or not but soon forgot about it when she started to teach to morph his nose into those of other animals’. He had left the house feeling warm all over.

The first time he had seen a picture of them trying to ice skate in the Witch Weekly, his heart had nearly melted. Ginny in the image had been trying to get him to give her a piggyback ride which ended with them sprawled on the floor. He has found a lot of things about her in these past few months. And liking piggyback rides is a very big Ginny thing. He remembered how his colleagues had mocked him and badgered him into bringing her for a night out. They had loved her and in return, he had to go to her matches. He had always rooted for her but being in the match and watching his pseudo girlfriend wreathed in gold and green zooming about and leaving the others in the dust had left him reeling back with happiness. He had sloppily kissed her cheek after the game had ended to everyone’s delight. And that was how he had encountered the Harpies.

However the people he had never considered informing about his dating history and those he hadn’t thought about since the war were the Dursleys. He didn’t know where they were or how they were doing and frankly he didn’t care. He thought the same could be said about them.

Until now.

“Have you decided what do you want to do? It’s his graduation.” Ginny re-reads the invitation the umpteenth time and spares a glance at Harry standing in front of the window. “He sounds like he really wants you there.” On the 1st of December, he had received from his cousin a letter regarding how he will be a winter graduate and will be graduating on 10th and how he will like it if Harry comes to his graduation day party. Dudley has finally managed to totally baffle him.

He continues gazing outside, watching a woodpecker trying to drill a hole in the huge tree in front. He doesn’t know what to do. He owes them nothing. His entire childhood was spent trying to fit into a family that hated him for being something he had no control over. He doesn’t care for them. Then why is he imagining Dudley’s farewell before he left? Why is he hesitating to throw out the invitation?

Cold hands encircle his waist and Ginny lays her head on his shoulder. She is so tiny but in this position it feels as if she’s trying to protect him from the entire world. “I’ll go with you.” Her voice is soft yet strong. He is not surprised by her statement. She has always been too giving.

He turns towards her and encircles her in his arms. He feels safe with her. Always has. “You’re willing to endure about an hour of torment for me?”

“Anything for you.” Her expression is earnest and so full of something that he has never had the courage to name. “I’ll support you no matter what.”

Ron’s voice cuts through the stillness. He enters the room adorned with snowflakes and a grumpy expression. “No screwing on the table! You guys never keep your hands to yourself!”

Ignoring Ron and biting his lips to stop his bubbling laughter, he whispers to Ginny. “I hope you have something nice to wear.”

Her grin turns mischievous. “Don’t worry. I’ll wear something to show how much of a catch I am. And also sprout some lines about what a great lover.” She kisses his cheek and runs out of the room to escape a spluttering Ron. Harry laughs and presses his hand to his cheek.

“And that was Marge. She was far more pleasant than I thought she will be.” He guides a very cross Ginny away from the bulbous woman. “She hates me so your efforts are both appreciated and wasted.”

“She doesn’t even know you! She literally called you a waste and insulted your parents. I’m going to rip off her arm and feed it to her dogs so that they’ll have indigestion.” She tries to make her way to probably throttle her opponent but Harry is too quick for her. He tugs her arm and leads to the empty hallway.

“Don’t Gin. This was never my family. I don’t care what they think.” He brushes her bangs aside. “Plus it wouldn’t do good to ruin your dress.”He fights the impulse to shift his eyes downwards.

She gazes at all the other merry guests who are drinking heavily and laughing rambunctiously. Finally she lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s-it’s just I hate it you know. They should see you for who you are. But then again it’s good they don’t because you don’t deserve people like them.” Seeing his reddened face, she smirks. “Plus you’re right. This is a rather pretty dress. I have told Dudley and your aunt how soon it’s going to end up on your bedroom floor.”

He blinks. “That’s why he was blushing when he asked me if I have to use the upstairs bedroom.”

“It is the dress. I can be your eye candy for the evening.”

“You are more than my eye candy. You are a-a very talented woman with beauty, brains and brawns.”

“Can’t find a term for that, can you? Must be the dress.”

“Yes.” His eyes rove over all of her exposed skin. “Definitely the dress.”

When he had seen Ginny float down from her flat, he nearly had a heart attack. It is a beautiful dress by itself; a dark red number with a tight bodice and a halter strap. But on her it seems like the most powerful weapon in the world. Her hair is twisted up in a bun so that a few tendrils fall on her face like licks of flames. Add to that a bare back putting her freckles on display and a little bit of cleavage- she looks like a goddess. The moment she had shed her coat, all the men had gravitated towards her and Ginny had done her beat to make him feel like the most superior man in the room.

“You know,” she wets her lips and leans forwards, “we can get to that later on.”

Her eyes blaze at her own suggestion and Harry feels the temperature of the room climb high. He settles a hand on her waist and moves closer till their faces are centimeters apart. Just as he is about to do something reckless, a voice calls out, “Harry!”

Ignoring Ginny’s groan and his thundering heart, he croaks out “Yeah?”

“Come on! There’s a dance starting!”

Both of them untangle from each other to see other couples moving to the living room. He leads her to the dance floor where everyone IS lightly swaying to the music. Ginny grabs hold of his shoulder and comes tantalizingly closer. He feels light-headed and heady especially with the way she is touching him.

“Why don’t we give them something to gawk at?” Her breathless voice is inches away from his ear making a shiver run down his body. Ginny pulls back, only for a second though. Cradling his face gently, he pulls his lips to hers.

Amidst the loud gasps emitted by everyone, he feels lost. This is blissful oblivion. This is the thing he has been craving for, something only Ginny can fulfill. This is something so complicated yet safe.

Just as he is preparing to pull back and drag her to his place, he senses something buzzing. He breaks away from Ginny and just has enough time to ask ‘What-‘when a light blinds him and the force of something throws him off.

Complicated. Why is his life so fucking complicated?

#ship: hinny #trope wizard tournament #tropewizard 2019 #tropewizardtournament #submission

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trashcanmarvelfan · 5 years

Text

Best. Job. Ever 9/13

Summary: Reader gets a job on the set of Spider-Man: Far from Home for the 3 weeks they are shooting in New York City as what she thinks is a production assistant, but a twist of fate has her reassigned as Tom Holland’s personal assistant. As she & Tom grow close during filming, will their budding friendship turn to more or will they go their separate ways after filming concludes?

Warnings: Language, but that’s pretty much it? This is basically a PG-13 rom-com. (Legal) alcohol use as well but since it’s legal do I really need to tag it?

Word Count: 1600 for chapter 9.

Author’s Note: As this was written WAY before Spider-Man: Far from Home was released (actually before Avengers: Endgame was as well) I’ve kept plot details and which scene was being shot on what day extremely vague. Also, I’m American but tried to write Tom as British as possible, although I do think he’d try to stay(ish) in character and use as much American slang as he could while he’s still playing Peter.

Chapter-Specific Author’s Note: :|

Requests are always open!

Cross-posted at AO3.

Y/N had just gotten dressed to go meet Tom and Harrison for brunch when her phone chimed with a text alert. A bright grin bloomed on her face when she unlocked it.

Tom: Good morning.

Hi, she typed back.

Tom: I’m heading downstairs. Want me to go ahead and order your coffee when I get to the restaurant?

Sure. I’ll be right down.

She did a quick check in the mirror before grabbing her purse and heading out the door and down to the restaurant, where Tom and Harrison were already seated. Y/N’s coffee was waiting for her, already fixed to her liking.

Y/N glanced at Tom as she sat down, who gave her a shy smile as he sipped his own coffee.

They had a pleasant but mostly quiet brunch. Y/N kept sneaking glance at Tom whenever she thought he & Harrison weren’t looking, remembering the kiss from the night before and blushing into her french toast. Professional, Y/N, she kept reminding herself. Keep it cool in public.

At one point she looked up and noticed Harrison watching her. He glanced back & forth between her & Tom and raised an eyebrow.

Y/N felt herself blush again. Shit, he caught me staring at Tom. She was relieved when Harrison turned to Tom and asked a question about plans they had made for when Tom was back in London.

The rest of brunch passed without incident, and as they stood to leave Y/N gave Harrison a long hug and a quick peck on the cheek. “It was so great getting to meet you.”

“It was great getting to meet you too,” Harrison replied. “Stay in touch, and if you’re ever in London let me know.”

“Sure will. Have a safe flight.” Y/N turned to Tom. “I’ll see you later for our meeting?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tom replied.

“Bye, guys.” Y/N headed back up to her room to get some work done before her meeting with Tom.

She set her reminders for the upcoming week then decided to start reading one of the books she had bought at the Strand the previous day. She became so absorbed in the story that she was startled when her phone rang.

“Mmmlo?” she answered.

“Y/N,” came Laura’s voice. “Have you seen the Celebrity News Report website today?”

“Of course not,” Y/N replied. “You know I don’t read that gossip rag that calls itself a news site.”

“Well you have to at least see today’s front headline. Here, I’m linking it to you.”

Y/N’s phone chimed with a message and she tapped on the link.

HAS SPIDER-MAN FOUND HIS SPIDER-LOVE?

“Oh shit,” Y/N blurted. Above the article was a grainy photo of her & Tom at the nightclub the night before. From the looks of it, it was taken right before their almost-kiss. Luckily, it was dark and of super poor quality like it had been taken with a cell phone from a distance and Y/N’s face was turned away from the camera, so there really was no way to identify who was in the photo. Y/N quickly scanned the article.

Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who is in New York City filming Spider-Man: Far From Home, was spotted getting awfully cozy with a mystery (Y/H/C) at an undisclosed NYC hotspot last night. Sources say that Holland, 22, has been spotted at several different NYC restaurants over the past few weeks with the same woman. Has he moved on from co-star & rumored flame Zendaya, or is he playing the field? Keep it here at the Celebrity News Report to find out more as the story progresses!

Y/N groaned. “They didn’t even mention that Harrison was there as well. I danced with him too, you know.”

“I know,” Laura replied. “You didn’t post anything on your Instagram from the club though, did you?”

“No, of course not. I only sent you that selfie.” Y/N sighed. “I actually haven’t posted anything on Insta since I’ve been in New York.”

“Besides, it’s not like there’s anything going on between you two anyway.”

Y/N was silent.

“Wait, right?” Laura asked. “Y/N… Nothing *is* going on, right?”

“Umm, well…” Y/N hesitated. “Tom and I kissed last night.”

“WHAT?!?”

Y/N quickly moved the phone away from her ear so she wouldn’t go deaf from Laura’s pterodactyl screech.

“I want deets, girl! SPILL!”

“Ok, well, when we first got to the club Harrison insisted that we all do tequila shots to start.”

Laura clicked her tongue. “Y/N, you know what happens when you drink tequila. Remember the Delta Pi party sophomore year? You almost wound up naked with the captain of the collegiate swim team!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I chased it with lime juice this time like I’m supposed to, how was I supposed to know it’d still hit me like it did? I’m used to the cheap stuff!”

Laura laughed. “Anyway, go on.”

“So we did a couple of shots, then Tom left to go get me a drink while Harrison went dancing. Oh, then this creepy dude hit on me and Tom pretended to be my boyfriend when he got back. Then Harrison came back and Tom and I hit the dance floor, which is probably when the picture was taken. We…err… we *almost* kissed on the dance floor but someone bumped into us, so I said I was hot and needed to go to the restroom. We had a few more drinks in between dancing and it was late when we got back to the hotel. We all took the elevator up and Harrison got off at his floor and told us good night, and Tom and I had initially parted ways once we got up to our floor, but Tom had my phone and ID and stuff so he walked over to give it to me so I could get into my room and one thing led to another and… he kissed me.” Y/N sighed at the memory.

Laura squealed. “Ooh, girl, you are so lucky!” She paused. “Hey, listen, I’ve got to go, there’s an early call time on set today, but I want to hear more later, k?”

“Ok,” Y/N replied.

“I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

Y/N hung up and flopped back on her bed. Shit, what am I going to do? She’d have to lay low for the rest of the filming. She couldn’t be seen in public with Tom or else someone might figure out that she was the girl in the picture, suss out her identity and create a media frenzy of speculation. Neither she nor Tom needed to deal with that, Tom being a pretty private person outside of scheduled interviews and what he personally shared on Instagram and Twitter and Y/N beginning a new job in a few weeks. She definitely didn’t want to be the subject of company gossip when she was just starting out.

Her phone dinged with a text.

Tom: Hey, Haz just left for the airport. Can I come by?

Y/N replied, Give me like 15 minutes?

Tom: Sure.

Y/N hauled herself out of bed, took what was probably her fastest shower on record, and dressed in flannel lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt.

Not long after she had dressed, there was a knock on her door. “Y/N? It’s me,” came Tom’s voice.

She opened the door. Tom stepped in, holding 2 coffees.

He held up had holding one of the coffees. “I was downstairs and thought you might like this.”

“Thanks so much,” Y/N said, taking it.

Tom rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Before we get to next week’s schedule can we talk about something?”

Shit, shit, he saw the article, Y/N thought. Of course he did, his agent probably stays on top of any kind of news about Tom.

“I suppose you’ve seen the gossip sites this afternoon...”

Y/N nodded. “I hadn’t, but Laura called me a while ago about that picture floating around the internet of us dancing at the club last night.”

“Well… umm,,, also speaking of last night -- I mean, after we got back from the club, that is…” Tom looked uncomfortable.

Shit, he regrets kissing me, Y/N thought. Give him an out. She waved him off. “Oh, the kiss? That was no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“No big deal?” Tom echoed.

“Psh, yeah. We both had been drinking, and ya know, with oxytocin and sciencey brain chemical stuff combined, things happen. We can just forget about it, chalk it up to a drunken mistake.”

“Right.” Tom fiddled with the sleeve on his coffee cup for a second, then pointed his thumb towards the door. “You know, actually, I just remembered I have something to do now, so I’m gonna go. You can just email me my schedule for next week, yeah? I’ll see you later.”

And with that, he turned, and for the first time in almost two weeks, Tom left without at least giving Y/N a hug goodbye.

As the door clicked shut, a pang hit Y/N in the solar plexus. She wanted to run after Tom and tell him that she didn't mean it, that the alcohol had long since worn off so she had kissed him with a totally clear head, and that it had been the best kiss of her life and that she would remember it forever.

Instead she curled up in her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Taglist: @laureharrier @thoughstofaredhead & @greenarrowhead

#tom holland rpf #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfic #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #avengers fanfiction #marvel fanfiction

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paralleljulieverse · 5 years

Photo

When Gertrude Lawrence, as played by Julie Andrews, in Star! first arrives in America, a reporter asks her what she “most wants to see?” “Good notices, dear!” is her droll reply. Viewed in retrospect, it is a bitterly ironic exchange because American reviews of Star! were far from good. In fact, critical drubbing of the film was so pronounced it became a national news story unto itself. “Critics Belt Julie Andrews For Her Role in Star!” trumpeted a widely syndicated article published barely weeks after the film’s New York premiere. “Julie Andrews...has been all but dismembered by the critics for her performance as Gertrude Lawrence in Star!,” it proclaimed, with many reviewers taking “personal shots at her talent” (Scott: 4B).

Even allowing for journalistic hyperbole –– not all the film’s reviews were outright pans –– there is no denying that critical response to Star! in the United States was markedly antagonistic –– certainly, in comparison to the film’s international reception which, as profiled in earlier posts, was largely positive, even glowing. In point of fact, choice quotes from the film’s international raves were widely used in pre-release US advertising for Star! by a jubilant Twentieth Century-Fox convinced they had another Julie Andrews super-hit on their hands. “What happened to the film and the critics on the trip across the Atlantic God only knows,” a despondent Robert Wise would later bemoan (cited in Kennedy, 156).

North American reviews of Star! were not merely negative, they were characterised by a savagery that, even today, gives pause. Consider, for example, the following excerpts taken almost at random from print reviews across the breadth of the mainstream US press:

The Chicago-Tribune: A “2-hour and 45-minute, multimillion dollar Sleep-In…the highlight of which is the appearance of the closing credits” (Terry: 2-15). Newsweek: “Star! is not impossible to sit through but neither is a nice long funeral…The sets are tacky, the colour abysmal, the length––three hours and 10 minutes––unconscionable” (Morgenstern: 80). Time: “The production is a hollow, frantic caricature…The Character Assassination of Gertrude Lawrence as Performed by the Inmates of Madame Tussaud's” (“Cinema”: 124).

The Minneapolis Star: “Long stretches of Star! appear to have been developed in Listerine. Seldom has a movie been so anitiseptic and nasty...a singularly mean, catty, uncharitable film” (Altman: 9A).

Courier-Post: “Star! is like a hand-carved pure gold frame housing a black and white photograph of Harry S. Truman...In all its multi-coloured glory...it is pure glitter covering a dull, occasionally boring, almost three-hour long motion picture...that fails to live up to its advance reputation or its worth as a hard-ticket attraction (Petzold: 25). Detroit Free Press: “Like a fat, overdressed lady who lumbers around shooting off her big mouth, Star! is by turns offensive and boring” (Stark: 16-B). The Honolulu Advertiser: “A Lavishly Mounted Bore” (Harada: C6).

So hostile were many of these notices that more than one commentator has posited the presence of motivations beyond simple aesthetic evaluation. “Much of the harshness and seeming overkill” of American reviews of Star!,” argues Dennis Bingham (2010), “can be attributed to the intense animosity of the ‘film intelligentsia’ toward The Sound of Music and its immense success....[R]eviewers of Star! appear to have been lying in wait for the fat target of Andrews-Wise-Twentieth Century Fox to present itself” (275; see also Monaco: 133).

The Sound of Music had of course attracted its share of sneering reviews three years earlier but it had been able to secure ultimate vindication through record-breaking triumph at the box office. Star!, alas, would not follow suit with American audiences proving almost as unwelcoming to the film as American critics. From the outset, ticket sales for Star! were alarmingly sluggish. The film did fair business in its opening week or two in the major cities, largely on the back of advance ticket bookings, but “grosses immediately started plummeting during the weeks that followed” (Chaplin: 239). Many sessions played to well below capacity houses, especially at crucial weekend performances where tickets were priced at a premium (Canby: D1; Kennedy: 156; Stirling: 211). In fact, early receipts for Star! were so poor that Fox resorted to giving falsely inflated box office figures to Variety in a vain effort to paint a rosier picture of the property’s failing fortunes (“Revised Estimates”: 9).

It’s not difficult to understand the studio’s panic here. In 1968, Hollywood was a town in crisis. Sitting on the brink of one of the worst recessions to hit the film business since the 1930s, the American film industry was beset by massive economic instabilities and wholesale structural change (Cook: 71ff). The market for big roadshow family fare was oversaturated beyond sustainability and the complexion of American moviegoing was in radical flux (Thomas: 17). Small youth-oriented and iconoclastic social realist films like The Graduate (1967) Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Easy Rider (1969) were the new order of the day and, almost overnight, splashy musicals and other big screen spectacles were deemed woefully out-of-fashion. Fox was especially susceptible to these volatile shifts as, more than any other studio, its production schedule was heavily invested in big roadshow product (”20th Century Has Big Film Backlog”: IV-10; Getze: III-14). The studio’s previous roadshow offering, Doctor Dolittle (1967), had been a crushing failure and, with several other expensive roadshow projects still in the pipeline, the tepid response to Star! created plenty of white-knuckles in the front office (Silverman: 126ff ).

In early-December, newly appointed Head of Sales and Marketing at Fox, Peter S. Myers –– one of a raft of executive staffing changes occasioned by the industrial turmoil at the studio –– decided to abandon the exclusive metropolitan roadshow strategy for Star! and hastily released the film to 34 additional theatres in the last two weeks of December (“‘Star!’ Spreading Out”: 3). A new advertising campaign was “rushed through for Star!’s...out-of-town dates” and was also used to “replace current promo spots” in big city venues where the film was “already playing” (“Revised Estimates”: 9). The revised campaign which was orchestrated by Myers trialed a range of disparate marketing approaches in a bid to maximise the film’s reach with adverts that framed Star! as everything from a madcap comic romp à la Thoroughly Modern Millie to a dark romantic female melodrama starring “a different kind of Julie Andrews”. At the same time, Myers printed more than 20,000 brochures with a special endorsement of the film from the President of the MPAA applauding the film as wholesome family entertainment which were sent to “elected motion picture councils, educators, librarians, editors, clergy, organisational and community leaders, civic officials and women’s clubs” (“‘Star!’ Receives”: 3).

Not surprisingly, these wildly disjunctive efforts failed to drum up substantial interest and, by January 1969, reports both inside and outside the industry were murmuring that Fox had another Dolittle-sized “flop” on its hands (Edmands: 11; Thomas: 17). Fearing the problem might be the film’s 3-hour running time, the studio ordered 20 minutes of cuts to Star!, much to director Robert Wise’s chagrin (Edwards: 74; Kennedy: 155). Worse still, rather than recall the prints for professional re-editing, Fox simply issued a list of suggested cuts to exhibitors to be implemented by theatre staff, resulting in widespread confusion, jarring jumps, and mangled prints (Edwards: 75).*

With Star! struggling at first-run theatres across the nation –– and in some cases closing prematurely after only a few weeks –– Fox pushed the film into general release at the start of April with continuous screenings at so-called “grind” houses –– second and third-run theatres and drive-ins. The general release was accompanied by yet another revised advertising campaign that promised moviegoers “Unbelievable Julie...at Regular Prices!” Even with the lure of discounted tickets, Star! failed to secure additional traction and, by June, it was estimated the film had totalled less than $3 million in domestic ticket sales against a $14 million budget (Holston, 220).

By this stage, newspapers were openly declaring Star! “a big fat failure at the box office...a loser all over the country” (Kelly: 4-B). In a highly publicised interview first printed in The Los Angeles Times in June, Richard Zanuck –– Head of Production at Fox and son of legendary studio chief, Daryl –– called Star! “our Edsel”, after the infamous Ford car marque that bombed so spectacularly it became popular shorthand for an extreme marketing flop. Star!, Zanuck lamented is “a failure of enormous proportions” that “has me staying up at nights.” “You’re bound to get the shakes when a slick, first-class Julie Andrews picture flops and it makes us very nervous,” he exclaimed, “There are no guarantees anymore. Star! is not a great picture but it’s not so bad as to do the rockbottom business it’s been doing. Hopefully, we’ll learn from it. So far we’ve learned that no one is infallible –– not Julie, not Bob Wise and not the studio.” (Warga: 22).

As if to prove just how lumberingly fallible the studio could still be, Fox gambled on a last ditch salvage effort born of sheer and utter desperation. On July 1, the studio officially withdrew Star! from American distribution after the film had played only 1,000 of its scheduled 8,000 engagements ("20th Withdraws”: 3). In what was described as “another of the bold distribution ideas” masterminded by Peter S. Myers, it announced Star! would undergo "an arduous reconstruction process” in which the film’s running time would be edited down by a full third with several plot strands and musical numbers excised. The revised film would then be re-released later in the year under a new title (Heffernan: 16). “Basically, the idea is to make a new pic out of an old one,” Myers explained, adding that the studio’s research department was doing widespread “testing to find the right audience for the pic” and to choose the right title, with Gertie Was a Lady deemed “the likeliest choice” ("20th Withdraws”: 3).

The idea of recutting a film and giving it a new identity for re-release was not entirely unprecedented in Hollywood history, but it had typically been reserved for minor B-grade properties and, even then, usually only after a hiatus of several years. Seldom had the strategy been trialed on such a high-profile film at the time of its original release. But such was the level of panic and irrational decision-making in Hollywood at the time. Not surprisingly, the film’s cast and crew were aghast but were powerless to do anything. Robert Wise remained diplomatically evasive in public press comments but, privately, he asked Fox to remove his production credit from the reissued version (Edwards: 75). Julie Andrews was more forthcoming: “I think [it] is terrible,” she said flatly, “I hope they will not try to fool the people into thinking it’s another movie..What went wrong with Star!? I don’t really know. It certainly wasn’t for lack of effort” (“‘Star!’ Tries Again”: 32).

As part of background testing for the re-release, Fox engaged the services of N.T. Fouriezos & Associates, a New York-based market research company specialising in media demographics. Their research indicated that Julie Andrews biggest fans were females aged between 12-17 and 30-49 who prized the star for her “warm” and “lovely” image and who most wanted to see Julie in a “happy, true to life musical” (”No More Sexy Songs”: 124). Undaunted by the fact that Star! was far from this kind of film, Fox set about refashioning a new image for the property that reflected the sunny feel-good musical that fans supposedly wanted. Gone was the initial alternative title of Gertie Was a Lady in favour of Those Were the Happy Times which offered a clearer evocation of heartwarming nostalgia. The theme of joyous uplift was further stressed in a chorus of advertising taglines that sounded for all the world like warmed-up leftovers from marketing for The Sound of Music:

When Everyone Was Singing a Happy Song... When a Girl Wasn’t Afraid to Show Her Heart... When All the World Was This Lady’s Stage... Those Were the Happy Times!

Fox even commissioned Howard Terpning, the celebrated artist who had designed the iconic key art for The Sound of Music, to create new graphics for the rechristened pic. The revised Terpning poster art featured a beaming long-haired Julie clutching a basket of flowers amidst a rainbow-coloured montage of gaily dancing couples, people riding bicycles, and even children playing leapfrog. Like a chirpy love-child of My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music, it did indeed appear to be the ideal Julie Andrews tunefest!

However, even with radical cutting, Star! was never going to fit easily into that kind of sugary mould. When Those Were the Happy Times (“formerly entitled STAR!”) was quietly released to theatres on 1 October, 1969 –– Julie Andrews’s birthday, ironically –– it caused nothing so much as head-shaking derision. Most papers refused to review it –– “I’m not going back to see the watered down version,” one critic declared, “I wasn’t happy with Star! and there’s no reason to expect a happier ending with Those Were the Happy Times” (Wedman: 29) –– and the few that did remained wholly unimpressed.

“Those Were the Happy Times [is] one of those musicals you’d really like to see make it, but one of those that couldn’t go no matter what was done ––including changing the name...There are even times, due to editing after changing the name probably, that you forget [it] is a musical because in one part at least 30 minutes lapse between two songs...and when the big productions come you get the feeling you’re watching a re-run of something akin to Esther Williams in Skirts Ahoy” (Perry: 20).

“The severest loss is the sense of style, which the Robert Wise-Saul Chaplin production once possessed....The original version [had] a well-crafted script and was so finely edited — even today some of the transitions are breathtaking in their execution — that one easily sees the gaping holes in plot and in style, due to the hacking-away in the editing room. The feeling for the times and the atmosphere of the first forty years of this century, which created the ambiance for the drama, has been truncated ruthlessly (Clein: 15).

Released principally to suburban and provincial theatres, probably on the assumption that audiences there wouldn’t have seen the original version, Those Were the Happy Times did worse business than Star! In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the local newspaper reported that at the film’s “first big night...there were a total of 10 people in the theatre...: a ticket seller, a ticket taker, a manager, a popcorn girl, a projectionist, two Sheboyogan Press reviewers, and three (3) paying customers,” earning the theatre a grand total of “$1.05. Less expenses, of course” (”Sad Start”: 34). In Moberly, Missouri, the local theatre even took out a desperate advertisement in their paper that read:

“HELP –– HELP (A Notice from the 4th Street Cinema) The movie currently showing at the Cinema is titled Those Were the Happy Times –– What a joke! Nothing could be further from the truth. We had 4 people at the theatre on Wednesday night and 6 on Thursday and these are the “Saddest Times” we’ve ever seen. Where are all the people who want good family entertainment?” (4th Street Cinema: 5).

Fox’s injudicious gambit not only failed to pay off financially, it was a PR disaster that cemented public perception of Star! as an irredeemable failure and earned the film an unfair reputation for years to come as “an unmitigated disaster…synonymous with the word ‘bomb’” (Silverman, 131).

Notes:

* The only retrospective silver lining here is that, because these edits were made to release prints rather than the original negative of Star!, the latter remained safely intact in studio vaults, thus enabling the film’s latter-day rerelease in complete form. This serendipitous outcome would not be enjoyed by many other roadshow films of the era –– The Alamo (1960), Gypsy (1962), It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Major Dundee (1965), etc. –– where original negatives were cut and excised material lost.

Sources:

4th Street Cinema Advertisement. Moberly Monitor-Index. 6 December 1969: 5.

“20th Century Has Big Film Backlog.” The Los Angeles Times. 29 December 1967: IV-10.

“20th Studies ‘Star!’ as Wise Film Title.” Film and Television Daily. 25 July 1969: 1.

“20th Withdraws Star!” Variety. 16 July 1969: 3.

Altman, Peter. “’Star!’ Rated ‘Antiseptic, Nasty’.” Minneapolis Star. 22 November 1968: 9A.

Bingham, Dennis. Whose Lives Are They Anyway?: The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2010.

Canby, Vincent. “Is Hollywood in Hot Water?” The New York Times. 9 November 1969: D1,38.

Chaplin, Saul. The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994.

Clein, Harry. “Review: ‘Those Were the Happy Times’.” Entertainment World. 7 November 1969: 15.

“Cinema: Lawrence/Tussaud.” Time. 8 November 1968: 124.

Cook, David A. Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.

Edmands, Michael J. “The Business Front: Celluloid Jungle; Competition Has Grown Fiercer in the Movie Business.” Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly. 49: 4. 27 January 1969: 11, 23-27.

Edwards. T.J. “The Saga of STAR!, Part 2.” Movie Collector’s World. 357. 30 November 1990: 74-75.

Getze, John. “Fox Reports Lower Earnings.” The Los Angeles Times. 13 March 1969: III-14.

Harada, Wayne. “A Lavishly Mounted Bore: Julie Doesn’t Shine in ‘Star!’” Honolulu Advertiser. 20 December 1968: C6.

Heffernan, Harold. “Star Bomb Recalled for Reconstruction.” The Pittsburgh Press. 29 July 1969: 16.

Holston, Kim R. Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showing, 1911-1973. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co, 2013.

Kelly, Herb. “For Julie Andrews: One Flop, One Big Hit.” The Miami News. 22 July 1969: 4-B.

Morgenstern, Joseph. “Movies: Foolish Girl.” Newsweek. 4 November 1968: 80.

Monaco, Paul. The Sixties: 1960-1969 (History of the American Cinema #8). Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.

“No More Sexy Songs for Gertie; Fox Re-Edits Julie to Please Fans.” Variety. 10 September 1969: 2, 124.

Perry, Dale. “At the Movies: ‘Those Were the Happy Times’.” The Greenville News. 25 October 1969: 20.

Petzold, Charles. “’Star’ is More Glitter than Gold.” Courier-Post. 15 November 1968: 25.

“Revised Estimates.” Variety. 18 December 1968: 9.

“Sad Start for ‘Happy Times’.” The Sheboyogan Press. 18 December 1969: 34.

Scott, Vernon. “Critics Belt Julie Andrews For Her Role in Star!” Times Recorder. 17 November 1968: 4B.

Silverman, Stephen. The Fox that Got Away: The Last Days of the Zanuck Dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox. Secaucus, N.J.: Lyle Stuart, 1988.

“‘Star!’ Receives Big Plug Via Brochure of MPAA.” Film and Television Daily. 23 December 1968: 3.

“‘Star!’ Spreading Out”. Film and Television Daily. 17 December 1968: 3.

“‘Star!’ Tries Again With New Name.” The San Francisco Examiner. 8 December 1969: 32

Stark, Susan. “’Star!’––Julie as Glamorous Gertie.” Detroit Free Press. 14 November 1968: 16B.

Stirling, Richard. Julie Andrews: An Intimate Biography. London: Portrait, 2007.

Terry, Clifford. “Wise’s ‘Star!’ Lacks Luster.” Chicago Tribune. 7 November 1968: 2-15.

Thomas, Bob. “Roadshow Movies Are Slipping in Hollywood.” Daily Times. 20 January 1969: 17.

Warga, Wayne. “It’s Nail-Biting Time at 20th Century-Fox.” The Los Angeles Times. 15 June 1969: C1,C22.

Wedman, Les. “Cassius-Rocky Fight Film is Super Secret.” The Vancouver Sun. 20 January 1970: 29.

#julie andrews #Star!#star!50 #fiftieth anniversary #Robert Wise #Twentieth Century Fox #1968 #musical #old hollywood #classic film #film advertising #film history #gertrude lawrence

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