#it's pretty clear which couple is gonna win

[gretavanbrie]

Landslide (J.T.K.)

Summary: You’ve loved him for as long as you can remember, does he feel the same?

Pairings: Jake Kiszka x F!Reader

Warnings: no smut for this part just pure ANGST ;), established friendship, swearing, unrequited love, light portrayal of anger, jake & y/n are a little dramatic but aren’t we all?? mentions of childhood, alcohol consumption… if I missed anything lmk, I’ll fix it no issue!!

A/N: I’m actually really excited for this one!! This is based on the winning answer of this poll I did, if you guys are looking for a bit more context on what this is about. I may have hurt my own feelings a couple times amidst writing this, I had my Jake lane friend read it and she was not too happy with me so hopefully this will strike a nerve for you guys as well!! If not that’s cool too! My writing is pretty sporadic so I’m gonna try and put out as much content as I can if you guys end up liking this story. I’m a waitress so my hours are long and unpredictable I do apologize in advance lol. I’m debating on if I should leave this as is, or make two long parts, or even start a mini series…not too sure yet but lmk what you think!!! Also this is vaguely proof read. If there are any mistakes, bare with me.

Part 2 | Part 3

Here you were, standing in front of the mirror, clammy hands nervously smoothing down the fabric of the dress you adorned. You made it a point to pull out all of the stops today, you’d washed and beautifully dried your hair. You gave one last look at your makeup before running your hands through your hair and heading to grab your bag. You let out a shaky breath picking up your phone.

The boys were back from tour and some mutual friends were having a little gathering as a welcome back. Any other time you wouldn’t have been so uneasy but the conversation you had with Josh had been replaying in your head the entire time they’ve been gone.

“Are you ever going to tell him?” You immediately recognize that voice.

Everyone was outside as the small farewell party for the commence of the tour had somehow migrated towards the backyard of Josh’s lovely home. You clear your throat in an attempt to rid the uneasiness in your voice.

“Excuse me?” You turn setting down the bottle of wine you were going to pour for yourself. He stood at the entryway of the kitchen as you feigned a confused expression to which he saw right through.

“Y/n..we may not hang out as much as you and my brother do but I still know you just as well. If not more, it seems” you just stared at him for a moment trying to find a good way out of this before quickly turning around and finished pouring yourself a glass. With your back still turned you speak up knowing there’s no use in hiding it anymore, if there was one person you could trust with this information it would be him.

“It’s just not a conversation to be had, he’s my best friend nothing more. It’s just a silly crush it’ll go away” you waved your hand to seemingly brush it off as you turned to face him. Not the whole truth, but not necessarily a lie? God you didn’t even believe yourself, how could you expect him to. You brought the glass to your lips letting the smooth red ease your nerves.

“A silly crush that’s lasted since senior year?” The minute those words left his mouth your eyes widened in shock. Quickly swallowing to refrain from spitting your drink all over his nice white shirt.

“What do you mean by that?” you stare inquisitively not knowing he was privy to just how deep this ‘silly crush’ had run.

“Oh c’mon don’t play coy. Like I said, I know you. We were friends first..lest you forget.” You giggled recalling the vague memory of 2nd grade recess, he stepped further into the room before continuing on.

“You keep too much to yourself, you’ve gotta stop sacrificing your own needs for the sake of what you think the other person wants. Disregard me as his brother for the time being, right now I’m coming to you as a friend. I’m not here to pressure you into telling him anything, that is your own decision to make. I just want you to ask yourself if this is what you really want. I mean come on your twenty-seven now y/n. You think I haven’t noticed that you’ve refused to see anyone since summer going into senior year?’

“That’s not true” you cut him off, defending yourself.

“I wasn’t completely celibate I was seeing that one guy Liam for some time… a-and Henry my sophomore year of college. I’m just not looking for anything.” Truth was, you were at one point. You convinced yourself getting under someone was the only way to get over another. Until you realized neither of them were Jake and that’s why you could never see them as a part of the long haul.

“And did you ever make it official with them? Or better yet, did they last any longer than 8 months?’ He challenged. You looked down at your feet defeated knowing there’s no use in denying any more. You know he knows. There was a beat of silence before you spoke up once more.

“I’d rather him be my friend than nothing at all, Josh.” you said quietly looking up at him as he embraced you in a hug running his hands through your hair.

You hear him sigh before he quietly speaks into your hair.

“I know.”

———————————————————————————

You shut your eyes and shook your head as if to rid the memory. You had wracked your brain enough about it. Josh was right and you knew it, it’s been nearly 10 years but you hadn’t always had feelings for Jake. For a while actually you would nearly gag at the mere thought. Albeit there wasn’t much room for romance during the pre-pubescent “cootie” stage of your life.

Your parents and the Kiszka’s became rather close throughout the years. You and the Kiszka clan wreaked borderline havoc growing up. With all the trouble you got into it was only a matter of time your parents would cross paths. Once they realized the five of you were inseparable they decided there was no use in staying strangers. Danny and his family soon came into the picture and you considered yourselves a bond to never be broken from that point on.

Although Jake had deemed you guy’s best friends summer going into 5th grade year, you were closest to Ronnie in high school. You were girls together. During the time of first periods and finding out boys can be attractive you migrated towards each other and found solace together within the testosterone-tainted group you had formed. You’d always struggled making friends, you didn’t normally speak unless spoken to. You weren’t necessarily shy, you just always felt like you didn’t really fit in with all the rest.

Once you crossed paths with Josh 2nd grade, he left you no choice but to be his friend. He was overly inviting and basically dragged you to join him on whatever crazy idea him and his twin had gotten into next. You chose to not complain given he was actually nice to you and took time in making sure to include you.

You had remained school friends for the years following, hangouts limited to recess and lunchtime until around the summer before 5th grade when you moved a few houses down from their own. You saw them playing outside from your bedroom window one day and begged your mom to run down there and greet your friends.

You and your ponytail came flying out of the house screaming “Josh! Jake! It’s me!!! From Ms. Crowley’s Class!!! I live by you now!!!”

“Y/n!! Is it really you!! We can play at home now!!” Josh exclaimed, his twins' smile growing ten fold.

“You have to meet my brother and sister, we can all play together now!” Jake said, calling out for Ronnie and Sam. You were quickly introduced to the two and although they were a couple years younger, you were kids, and found joy in whatever silly games you had come up with together nonetheless.

As you sat up against the tree cooling off from the intense game of freeze tag you all had just played, you saw Jake walk up and sit beside you.

“I can’t believe you moved close to my house, loser. Today was fun.” the boy said, ruffling your hair.

‘Hey! Quit! I’m not a loser.” you laughed pushing his arm away.

“Yea-huhh, that’s why you couldn’t catch me during tag.” he mocked, you squint your eyes at him playfully before pushing him away from you.

“That’s why you have cooties!” You retaliated feeling defensive now.

“See! Sore loooserrr” Jake sing-songed.

‘You’re being a meanie now Jakey, it’s just a game” you pouted looking to your feet. You probably were just being sensitive but you hadn’t known better. His expression softened realizing his words might’ve stricken a nerve.

“Oh come on, you know I’m kidding, you’re my new best friend. Especially now that we live so close” he said, lips tugging into a shy smile as he softly elbowed at your side. You whipped your head up to look at him

“You think I’m your best friend? You promise?” You said as hopeful eyes met his own. No one had ever made it a point to deem you as such. A friend is one thing, but a best friend was something far more special in your mind.

“Pinky promise.” he assured, hooking your smallest of fingers with his own.

————————————————————————————

The sentiment was sweet and you were thankful you had friends like them growing up, it made life a little easier knowing you had a constant. Easier until teenage hormones came into the picture and Jake was no longer your boy-ish ‘best friend’ and had started growing handsomely into his features. His face became more chiseled, his chest a bit more filled out, voice dropping a couple octaves lower and not to mention he grew taller. It all happened too fast for your awkward teenage self to process. One day he was regular old Jake and the next he was…hot.

So, you did what you thought was best. Denied any and all attraction and gaslighted yourself into thinking it would go away. It was Jacob for fucks sake, your life-long friend who you considered a brother to you. You and Ronnie had gotten suspiciously closer that year, you brushed it off as ‘needed girl time’ but as years passed you realized you were just trying to distract yourself from Jake in hopes that if you saw him less, the attraction would eventually metastasize.

Boy were you wrong because Jake was adamant on including you in every hangout as he began to gain popularity. You had convinced yourself things would drift off throughout high school, thinking the boys would deem themselves ‘too cool’ to hang with you now and the silly pinky promise he made would be brushed off as immature to him. But it wasn’t, he instead kept his promise. His friends soon becoming your own, girlfriends never lasting long because ‘you and Ronnie are more important to me than any other girl’ he says. Finding yourself at their house more often than you had expected for this new chapter of your life and before you knew it, you had grown closer than ever, and your growing crush more suppressed than ever.

You were shaken out of your thoughts as your phone began buzzing. An incoming call from none other than Veronica herself. You quickly picked it up, bringing the phone to your ear.

“Girl where are you?! You promised you’d be here by the time I got here” you heard her whine on the other end. “Everyone is already mingling, the boys are late yet again and I have no one!” You laughed into the line knowing she was just exaggerating.

“Oh come on Ron, it can’t be that bad you know Mike a-and Dave’s girlfriend.” You tried reasoning, knowing you’d be just as anxious if your friends hadn’t showed up just yet.

“I’m sure they’re already there, talk to them for a little bit okay? I’m sorry, I’m leaving now I just got caught up finding what to wear” you continued, not necessarily a lie although you didn’t want her to know the real reason you were stalling was because today could possibly change the entire trajectory of your life. Dramatic to say the least, but true.

“It’s okay y/n, I was giving you shit. I’ll be fine… wait a minute. Did you say you were looking for something to wear?? You’ve never cared about that stuff, who are you trying to look good forrrrrr?” she teased.

“‘Oh hush Ronnie, it's just been a while since I’ve gone out and felt hot. Just needed a boost of confidence today is all, no secret fella or anything” you giggled.

“Yet…” she laughed.

“Yea yea whatever, let me go so I can head over” you said grabbing your keys and slipping on your shoes.

“Okay okay, byeeee love you!” She said before quickly hanging up.

“Love you too” you said to no one in particular, smiling to yourself at your dear friend's abruptness.

There was no reason for you to be so nervous, it’s just the boys and Ronnie. It was Jake that had you so uneasy. You had replayed yours and Josh’s conversation enough times to knock some sense into yourself. You weren’t going to lay it on him full force but tonight was your chance to let your guard down and not shy away from him. Maybe even flirt, as best you could anyway, if things were smooth sailing. He’s been single for some time this was your chance to maybe plant a couple seeds. You wanted to see if there was even the slight off-chance he may just like you back and you’d be able to look back at how foolish keeping it from him was.

It was easier said than done as you started second guessing your entire look. You felt as though everyone would think you were trying too hard but that wasn’t the case, you’d gone out in more extravagant looks than the white linen sundress you settled on. It was flowy and stunning, casual but beautiful enough to make you feel at your best. Your hair cascaded beautifully down your back from your blowout, you put on your expensive perfume. You felt great, the only significant difference was that you wore a little extra makeup and you took the time to do your nails. You knew it was purely the anxiety talking. Plus, no one even knows how you feel about him other than Josh.

In attempts to calm yourself, your hand reaches for your phone as you stop at a light. Opening your Spotify you hit shuffle on your playlist. You sighed and smiled as the familiar guitar from Cannock Chase by Labi Siffre started playing. You and Jake loved this song, singing it on too many drunken nights to count. It truly was a beautiful song. You decided to just enjoy yourself and let the evening take its course rather than stressing out about it.

————————————————————————————

You pull into the long driveway of your friend Spencer’s house seeing all the cars parked out front. You find a good spot and walk up to the door seeing a few others talking by the front steps, you recognize his fiancé and smile politely walking towards her.

“My god, y/n is that you? You look absolutely stunning.” She smiled as she wrapped her arms around you before pulling away and linking arms, guiding you towards the entrance of her and Spencer’s shared home.

“Mmm and you always smell amazing, have you been inside yet? We missed you like crazy, Ronnie’s been inside waiting. I think the boys are here already though-“

“Thank you Claire, I appreciate it. I’ll be sure to find them” you cut her off smiling gently as you gave her hand one last squeeze before stepping inside. Claire is a lovely woman but has a bad habit of rambling, you find it endearing but others seem to tire of her rather quickly.

Upon crossing the threshold into their home you’re immediately greeted by the short brunette.

“Finally! The boys are here, come on, we've been wondering where you were.” You nervously laughed as Ronnie grabbed your hand and dragged you towards the backyard.

You weave through the small bunch of people gathered in the living room and kitchen before you walk through to the sliding door, stepping onto the patio. Josh spots you and immediately heads over to give you the warmest of hugs.

“I knew it was you, I’d recognize that perfume anywhere. Glad you could make it little one” you smiled in his embrace at his terms of endearment, your cheeks warmed at the sentiment.

“Thank you Joshy, I’m so happy to finally see you. It’s been far too long.” you smiled up at him before you were quickly swept away.

You startled as you felt strong arms wrap around your waist from behind lifting you up and twirling you. You laughed recognizing the familiar cologne, you see his chestnut brown locks as he sets you down.

“And who might this lovely lady be?” Jake jokes, stepping back to get a good look at you.

“What an extravagant greeting, I see you’ve been gone long enough to forget about a girl like me” you joked back, hand coming up to rest on our chest as you feigned a look of hurt. Your favorite bit with him now taking it’s course.

“Ahhh, nonsense. A girl like you? Unforgettable'' he assured in his familiar cockney accent flashing you that infamous smirk you’ve grown to love. You looked down bashfully as you blushed yet again. You’ve almost grown sick of how quickly he can turn you into mush, you know he means nothing by it. You can’t help but wish maybe he did.

“Oh come on, you’re just saying that.” You laughed as you walked over to pour yourself some wine. Opting for a white this time given your attire. God forbid your nerves get the better of you and you spill it all over yourself.

You can’t help but notice you and Jake had accidentally coordinated outfits. He bore a cream colored blazer, akin to his cream colored pants. The muted brown button up he had on underneath was unsurprisingly left open with a couple of his pendants decorating his chest. He looked handsome, to say the least.

“Hmm you don’t sound so excited to see your lifelong friend, I’ve been gone for months and this is the treatment I receive?” He exaggerates, giggles escaping between words not able to take himself seriously.

“I thought we were besties y/n” he laughs, feigning a hurt expression knowing that would make you crack.

You can’t help but let a giggle escape your lips, the joke now running dry.

“Alright, alright. I guessss I missed you '' you say, wrapping both your arms around his waist. He gives the quickest peck to the top of your head.

“It’s good to see you sunshine, been too long” he gives you one last squeeze, you smiled at the old nickname he called you as you pulled away.

“Did you forget about us?!” You hear Danny exclaim. You whipped your head towards the back door sliding closed as the self-proclaimed “better half” of the band stepped outside.

“How could I? With the million random voice notes I’m sent a day…not a chance” You tease walking up to hug Sam.

“Glad I could aid, you look fantastic y/n. Definitely better than when we left” Sam teased tapping his chin as if in deep thought.

“Hey! Not cool man.” you jokingly retort as Danny comes up to give you a side hug.

“Yeah your hair’s longer or something or..you put on blush? Fuck, I tried. I don’t know what girls do but you look great” Danny says pulling back to examine you, you blushed at all the sweet gestures.

“She’s always been a looker!” Josh blurts in his exaggerated Midwest accent, raising his brows giving you a cheeky smile. You giggle at his candor.

“Yeah? You’re like…glowing, I’m glad to see you so happy. Also I didn’t tell you when I saw you but I don’t know why you were nervous on what to wear, this dress looks beautiful on you” Ronnie says smoothing out the flyaways on the top of your head. You and Josh make eye contact, he flashes you a look knowing exactly why you were nervous before averting his eyes and taking a sip of his mixed drink.

“Thank you guys I really really appreciate it, but this is a celebration for you! We haven’t seen each other in quite some time, let's make the most of it yeah?” You say raising your glass.

Jake would never say it out loud because he loved teasing you, but you did look rather beautiful today. Sam was right, you looked different. Good different. Maybe it was the hair, or maybe it was having some stress-free months without them. Jake knew they could be quite the handful and maybe this time away from each other caused this new glow, so he thought.

Whatever it was, he admired the way your hair blew softly in the wind. How the midday sun had created the perfect glow on your skin. He especially loved how the sweetness of your perfume matched your sweet personality. He was extremely proud to have you in his life.

“Cheers to that!” Sam exclaims raising his seltzer can.

“Alright! First order of business now that we’re all here "Josh butts in, waving a finger in the air. We wait patiently for his supposed plans, all you hear is the faint music for a second before he speaks up again.

“Yeah.. I’ve got nothing. Although it is a rather beautiful day..” he continues looking around at the beautiful midday sunlight. The six of us break into laughter at his wit.

“Doesn’t Spencer have a pool table? I say we play a couple rounds and catch up?" Sam offers looking around for approval.

‘I’m in, everybody down?” Jake speaks up, moving to stand beside you. Hums of approval circulate as we all migrate inside towards the billiards table. Before you fully enter Spencer’s spare room you feel a hand on your lower back. Turning, you're met with Jake's familiar caramel eyes.

“Hey.. whenever you’ve got time, you mind if I get a word alone with you?” He asks. You should feel worried given the question but he seemed…excited? You couldn’t precisely read the emotion clouding his irises.

‘Um, sure. I-is everything okay” you couldn’t help the anxiety that burned in your chest.

“More than. Just gotta share something special with you.” He says flashing you a warm smile, quickly easing your nerves.

“Okay then, I’d love that.” You smile before you two make your way inside the room seeing a couple of others have also decided they wanted a go at pool. You spot Ronnie sitting next to Danny on the loveseat and plop down beside her. Taking a long sip from your wine.

“Thirsty?” She laughs, boy she has no idea.

“Yea just needed some refreshment in my life, you know?” you wink at her before setting your glass on the table beside you. She giggles before continuing her conversation with Danny. You watch as the boys argue over who gets solids and who gets stripes.

“You ever gonna learn how to play pool y/n?” Jake teases knowing you’ve never been the best at it. You decide to entertain it.

“Only if I come across a good enough teacher.” You quip smiling up at him.

“Come on then, I think I know a guy” he smirks, reaching his hand out to help you up. You gently take his into your own, pulling yourself onto your feet. Josh takes your spot on the couch as Jake walks you both towards the table and hands you the stick.

You smile at Sam on the other side of the table. You immediately try and get into position going solely based on what you’ve seen. You hear a chuckle behind you as Jake presses himself against your back and adjusts your aim so it’s pointing towards the white ball. Your breath hitches in your throat at the proximity. He clears his throat before abruptly stepping back and shoving his hands in his pockets. Weird.

“Your position was correct, but you were pointing at the black one..you definitely don’t wanna shoot at that just yet” he laughs. “The white one does your dirty work, use it to bounce a striped ball into the closest hole. You and Sam will take turns shooting at your respective balls unless-“ you can’t help but snort, you quickly cover your mouth realizing you’ve interrupted him.

“Hey, get your mind out of the gutter” you just shrug as he smiles. He continues on demonstrating and explaining the rules until you feel confident enough to play a match by yourself. You were grateful Jake has always been so patient with you.

‘You got this y/n!” You hear Ronnie cheer, flashing you her bright smile. You blow her a kiss as Sam initiates the game. Your turn comes and you throw your hair over your shoulders and lean into position. Jake quickly averts his eyes to be respectful although Josh wasn’t shy with it at all.

“Damn mama, lookin good.” he playfully winks, raising his glass to you.

“Oh hush” you laugh before making your first shot that unfortunately didn’t go in but after a couple tries you got the hang of it and you and Sam were down to a close match. You hear Danny and Josh narrating the match like some football game as it comes down to the last few balls on the table until eventually only the 8-ball remains.

This was it. You were one hit away from winning, if you missed this Sam would win and you wouldn’t let that boastful man win any time soon. You may have calmed down over the years but you were still just as competitive as your younger self. You adjust the stick between your fingers, closing one eye to aim just right.

Point. Shoot.

The familiar thud of the ball falling in sounds. You swiftly turn to the long-haired man standing behind you.

“I did it Jake, I did it!!” You exclaim getting lost in the short high of your win. Letting your excitement get the best of you, you tackle him in a hug wrapping your arm around his neck.

“Can’t believe it took you so long to give in and actually play” he says, arms still wrapped around you, pulling back and staring at you. The realization settling in that you may be way too close for comfort. You swore you saw his eyes flicker down to your lips, you brushed it off as wishful thinking. You allow your eyes to run across his face a couple times. Seeing how the tour has treated him. His stubble subtly grew atop his lip, focusing on how soft they looked. His hands tighten around your waist as his breathing picks up. You realize you’ve lingered for too long as silence washes over the room.

You loosen your grip on him and step away from his embrace. You look around seeing everyone had dispersed talking with others. Suddenly feeling very awkward, you clear your throat adjusting the fabric of your dress before combing your fingers in your hair in an attempt to recollect yourself seeing as you now feel incredibly flushed. You clear your throat before speaking up.

“I think I’m gonna step out for a sec” you smile meekly, grabbing your glass.

“N-no yeah, by all means” he gestures towards the door adjusting the lapel of his coat that you had so desperately clung onto moments before.

————————————————————————————

You rush out smiling politely at everyone you pass on your way to the back deck. The sun has started to set, the beautiful golden hour shining brighter than ever across the yard. You step outside feeling the breeze brush past your skin, quietly thankful there was no one out here. You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as you sit on the porch swing.

You stare off trying to process whatever the fuck that was. God, he just made your heart flutter without any thought. The way he leaned up against you. The way his eyes seemingly locked onto your lips for a split second. It was all too much, were you being delusional? Either way you needed a breather before you made any mistakes. He was your friend, he would never deem you as anything more. He’s seen all your ugly awkward phases, there’s no way he’d see you in any sort of romantic light especially with the amount of beautiful women he meets, he could have anyone.

“Can we talk?” You heard his voice as the sliding door shut. You turn and meet Jake’s eyes as he steps closer in your direction.

“Of course! Sorry, I didn’t mean to just run off. I think the riesling might’ve gotten to me a bit” you force a laugh.

“Come sit” you continue as you pat the spot next to you on the swing. He adjusts his coat before taking a seat and running his hands through his hair.

“Ahh don’t worry about it, I just figured I wanna tell you sooner than later. This is special to me and I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while” his tight-lipped smile showing as he toys with his bracelets before looking up and turning to face you.

He grabs both your hands in his and your heart beat quickly accelerates.

“You’re important to me, y/n. And I think it’s time I share this with you, I can’t hide it any longer. I've been avoiding it because I couldn’t find the right words to say…” he says as his eyes lock in on your own, his thumb gently rubbing over your fingers.

What the fuck is happening? You think to yourself.

“What is it, Jake? You can tell me anything you know..” you say hopeful eyes gazing up at him.

If this was going in the direction you’d hoped, all your dreams would come true. You quickly brushed it off not wanting to get your hopes up.

“I know, sunshine.” He chuckles softly.

“Um, I wanna start by saying I value how close we are which is why I need to make this known..”

Oh my god, is he…

“I’ve been deciding on wether or not I want to pursue this and I don’t think the answer could’ve been clearer, its been in front of me this whole time for fucks sake” he gives a breathy laugh as he scoots closer, eyes boring into your own. His eyebrows furrow for a moment like he’s unsure if he should continue but it's quickly replaced by a smile.

This is it.. is this his way of telling you he feels it too?

“Fuck it I’m just gonna say it..”

Please say what I think you're gonna say..

“Yeah?” You prod, the hope in your tone making you internally cringe.

“..I started seeing someone from our crew…i really like her y/n” he smiled looking at his shoes.

Oh.

The minute those words left his mouth your world seemingly went mute. Your ears rung like you had just been dunked under water. Your smile faded as your face became agonizingly hot and your throat tightened. How could you be so foolish? You should’ve known better. Of course he wasn’t about to confess his undying love for you as you would to him, you let your hopeless romanticism take over and now you’ve hurt your own feelings. Your dress suddenly feeling too tight on your body. You hair was touching all the wrong places. There probably was no need for the internalized dramatics but you wanted to crawl out of your own skin right now.

“Earth to y/n? Aren’t you gonna say anything” he laughs, scanning your face for any sort of emotion. You’d learned how to keep a good poker face dealing with his plethora of girlfriends. You faked a bright smile as tears threatened to spill over.

“Y-yeah!” You clear your throat realizing your voice has broken.

“Is everything okay?” He asks cutting you off before you could continue on. You still kept the insufferably wide fake smile on your face.

“Everything’s great! I'm just so happy for you Jakey, she must be a very special girl and I'm glad you’ve found someone who can put a smile like that on your face” you said, taking your hands from his grasp and rubbing his arm. You made sure to bring out your old nickname for him to convince him you were being sincere.

Jake was listening intently but knew you were lying. He’s known you for years, if he had know any better he’d say you looked heartbroken but decided not to press on it.

‘There’s no way she’s upset, she sees me as just a friend.’ Jake thinks to himself.

“Y-yea i just wanted to tell you today ‘cause she’ll be here any minute now and i’d love for you and Ronnie to finally meet her” he says, now seemingly unsure of himself.

“Wow! Y-yeah.. I mean I’d love to!” You say nervously running your fingers through your hair. God, how were you gonna get through meeting her so soon after the love of your life, who didn’t know he was the love of your life, had just single-handedly shattered your heart.

“Great, i'm so happy you’re my best friend sunshine” he says standing up opening his arms signaling he wants a hug. You rise and give him a quick embrace.

“Yea… me too.” You say as you try and fight off the tears once his arms wrap around you.

You excuse yourself to grab another drink. You rush inside but of course you just had run into Josh on your way to find the strongest bottle of alcohol this house could provide.

“Woah slow down little lady— hey… you okay?” he says, noticing your glossy eyes.

“Peachy. Now, if you’ll excuse me for just one second” you say trying to squeeze past.

“Ah-ah-ah, not until you tell me what’s got you in such a hurry.” He says grabbing your wrist.

“I just need a second alone, please josh..” your voice trails off into whisper, you were trying your best to stay composed but the more he kept poking and prodding at this fresh wound the more afraid you were of completely imploding.

“Oh, okay..” he complies, releasing his grip as he watches you snatch the entire bottle of wine and make your way to the guest bathroom. You were gonna need some liquid courage to withstand meeting whoever this chick is. You didn’t mean to be so sour but you felt foolish.

————————————————————————————

You sat down on the closed toilet seat after locking the bathroom door and thanked whomever that this wine bottle was a twist cap. You took a few sips before processing everything.

10 years.

10 years of convincing yourself that this would go away, but it somehow only grew stronger.

10 years of being irrevocably in love with one of your closest friends.

You were stupid enough to think he would feel the same way when he’s legitimately touring the world and has any girl he chooses at his feet.

Why couldn’t it be me?

I should’ve spoken up sooner. It’s all too late. Would he have even liked me back?

You let your head drop as tears clouded your vision, you succumbed to just letting them fall freely now that you were in private.

You wept for your inner teenage self knowing all she wanted got squashed right before your eye. Life can turn on a dime, you shouldn’t have wasted so much time hoping one day he just might make a move. I mean josh was right, you pathetically remained single because you only had eyes for his brother… for the most part. You’ve mingled but none of them could ever truly get your mind off of him. And for what? He’s just a guy. Albeit, a guy who is incredibly kind to you, knows all your in’s and out’s. How you like your coffee, all your favorite songs. He knew that you had to sleep with one extra blanket in bed because the only way you can fall asleep is if you're wrapped up in it. He knew that you would only ever accept flowers if at least one of the petals has wilted because lest we forget, we too are all but a little damaged. He’d grown to know all your weird habits as if it was second nature to him. He was what every girl desired.

You'd devoted yourself to him, built your life around him almost. Your earliest memories are plagued with him and his family and now everything has come crashing down faster than you can handle. You had a feeling deep down that you needed to get over him years ago so who are you to sit here and feel sorry for yourself. You knew better than to think he could ever love you back. You knew blind faith would come back to bite you in the ass.

It was stupid to wait so long with all these bottled up feelings towards him, you feel like you’ve wasted so much of your time helplessly hoping in silence and now who were you meant to seek advice from. You can’t tell your best friend he’s just broken your heart because you’ve been madly in love with him since you were seventeen. You can’t tell Ronnie because, although you’re incredibly grateful for it, she would come to your immediate defense and the last thing you wanted was a big fallout at their welcome home party. You’ve never been in more internal conflict than now.

You allowed yourself to shed a couple more tears before touching up your makeup and chugging down some more of the cheap Riesling. They would come looking for you any second now.

You collected yourself taking one last glance in the mirror before exuding a shaky breath as your hand reached to turn the knob. Stepping outside your met with Josh leaned up against the wall. Was he waiting for you to get out?

“There you are..” he whispered, swiftly grasping your arm and dragging you right back into the bathroom.

“J-josh what the fuck? What are you doi-“ you were cut off by him shushing you and locking the door.

“Listen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think he would actually make it official with her. I thought she was some fling of his. If I had known I would’ve warned you.”

“So you know about our conversation?” You softly ask, trying to tame the lump growing in your throat.

“Yea, she’s here and Jake said you ran off after he told you he wanted to introduce you to her”

“Oh my god, I probably embarrassed myself. I wasn’t thinking Josh, I was just afraid I’d lose it in front of him” You say bringing your hands up to rub your temples. Josh reaches to grab your wrists, holding your arms in front of you.

“Hey, hey.. stop stressing yourself out. Everything happens for a reason, okay? You didn’t embarrass yourself, no one suspects a thing. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, it's pretty big news for you” he says, thumb rubbing gently on your forearms. The waterworks were conjuring up again, a small tear slipped as you met his eyes.

“I waited too long Josh…” you whispered.

“You were right. I shouldn’t have done this to myself. I-I mean, am I crazy for wishing someone could love me the way I love them?” You questioned rhetorically, your teary eyes staring into Josh’s pity-filled ones. You hated how he was staring at you. You didn’t need pity, you knew the mess you got yourself into.

"Not crazy at all, sunshine.” Hearing Jake's nickname for you coming out of Josh’s mouth felt wrong. Especially right now.

“Come on. let's take a deep breath and greet the guest, shall we?” He offers. You inhale a sharp breath before nodding your head in compliance, it was gonna happen one way or another, might as well man up for now and wallow in the privacy of your own home.

————————————————————————————

You both make your way into the living room seeing everyone gathered around the couch. A few people seemed to have gone home, there were a lot less people than when you showed up. Sam, Dan, and Ronnie sat on one couch.

Your eyes peered over to Jake in the kitchen talking to a beautiful blonde. She was wearing black silk blouse and some mom jeans. It was casual but elegant, you envied how effortlessly pretty she was.

“Hey.. stop getting in your head.” Josh whispered in your ear. Claire and Spencer waved for you to come join everyone. You took your seat as Ronnie got up from her spot next to Sam and came over to sit next to you.

“Where were you? You like..disappeared” she giggled. You smiled at her as best you could.

“The wine wasn’t sitting well, I needed a breather” you laugh hoping she believed you.

The only reason you never told any of your friends about your feelings for Jake was because at first you were convinced it would go away, so why embarrass yourself by telling someone something only for it to not be true in a few weeks and potentially jeopardize an entire friendship. Then as the years went on of you gaslighting yourself into thinking it would go away, all of a sudden 10 years had gone by.

“Ugh I feel you, Sam made me the nastiest marg earlier. I thought I was gonna yak” she says clutching her stomach. You laugh along with her, thankful she didn’t pry any further.

You were broken from your conversation as Jake walked in the room, his hand locked in hers as he guided her in.

“Alright everyone, this is Laura. My beautiful girlfriend.” He says leaning in to kiss her cheek. Jake seemed like he’s had one too many, his words slightly slurring but you don’t question any further. She politely smiled and greeted everyone. Jake notices you, his eyes twinkle before shining you a bright smile and gesturing for her to come meet you.

“Y/n, Laura. Laura, y/n.. this lovely lady has been one my best friends since elementary school” he introduces, slurring his words a bit gesturing towards you with an open palm. You smile wide and rise to give her a quick hug, Josh watching you intently. Your hospitality is admirable.

“Oh my gosh! You’re y/n! I've heard so much about you, I love your dress” she compliments.

Fuck. She’s actually really nice, it sounds terrible to say but you were secretly hoping she was bitch so you wouldn’t feel as bad for being so upset. Your moral compass however, refuses to allow you to feel negatively towards anyone undeserving.

“Thank you, you're so kind. It’s a pleasure to meet you” you smile bright as your cheeks flush from the sincerity of the compliment. She excuses herself to the bathroom, as Jake gestures for the two of you to take a seat yet again. The constant sitting and standing was starting to wear you out.

“Soooo what’d you think?” He says

“Short interaction, but she seems like a great girl Jakey. As long as you're happy I’m happy.” You give a tight-lipped smile, toying with a loose string on your dress.

“That’s it? That’s all you're gonna say?” he asks, stumbling over his words. There’s a certain tone he brought on that you didn’t like.

“W-well I don’t know what you want me to say… a-are you drunk right now?” You say, now adopting a confused expression.

“You could at least act a little more enthused for me. I mean do you even care at all? I was excited for the two of you to meet” he says, scooting back in his spot. He seemed offended, where was all this coming from?

“I-I’m sorry? I don’t know why you’re getting so upset with me. What do you want me to do Jake?” You say lowering your tone so the others around you do catch wind of whatever disagreement this seemed to be.

“You know what…just forget it, you could at least act like you care.” He spat, harshly grabbing his drink and abruptly leaving from his spot beside you. You sat there in shock.

What the fuck.

Your face suddenly felt hot, your throat tightened aggressively. You needed to get out of this house. You did care, too much. That’s why you felt your entire body go numb as tears clouded your vision. Why was he being so mean? Today has been the worst day ever. You swiftly get up from the couch and collect your things. You think you’ll make it with a successful Irish goodbye but of course with your luck, Josh catches you just before you slip out the front door.

‘Hey, where are you going” he asks.

“I can’t josh, I need to leave. I’m so sorry I just- I don’t know what came over him or how much he drank in the amount of time between our conversation and now but suddenly I’m the bad guy?? I don’t even know what I did wrong, apparently I don’t care enough? When you and I both know that’s far from the truth. I just wanna go home josh…please. I think I really fucked it this time and I need to process everything a little bit, okay? I really don’t mean to ruin your welcome home party, truly. I’m so glad to see you guys and maybe you and I could grab lunch this weekend to make up for me leaving so soon and bringing this drama.” You ramble, furiously wiping the tears streaming down your face. Josh doesn’t say anything, he just frowns and pulls you into a much needed hug.

“Alright mama, don’t worry about it.. you haven’t ruined anything. He probably had too much to drink. As far as I’m concerned I’m the only one who knows about this little fallout. Text me when you’re home, okay? Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” He questions.

“I’m okay, I was only kinda tipsy and that whole thing really sobered me up.” You let out a pathetic laugh at how humorous this all was. He rubs your arm before allowing you to make your way out.

You felt guilty for leaving so early, you didn’t mean to make it about you and you would’ve stuck it out but given Jake's newfound attitude towards you, you didn’t feel very welcomed anymore. Maybe you could’ve been more enthused but this was also heavy news for you. You start feeling regretful as you realized you had been a bit insensitive. You would have shown more joy for your best friend but how were you meant to give any more than that?? I mean she left for the bathroom in the middle of the greeting for fucks sake.

You sighed feeling at a loss. Granted, your feelings weren’t his responsibility but how exactly was he expecting you to react? You weren’t necessarily jumping with joy at the idea. But then again, he had no idea about your feelings. In his eyes, his best friend wasn’t matching his energy on something he deemed important. You start wracking your brain on everything you could’ve done to avoid this, essentially kicking yourself while your already down.

You make it to your car, hoping to just go home, have a night of reflection in a warm bath. As you sit down your phone vibrates in your hand.

Message from: Sam Wam Bam🕺🏻

-some friend you are..

Sam?? What the fuck? Why is he saying that?

Message from: Jake ❤️

-don’t even bother reaching out anymore.

wow.

He must’ve said something to Sam. Now sam probably thinks you were being a shit friend and ditched him and his brother at their own welcome back party after sharing the news with everyone.

You dropped your head to rest on your steering wheel as you realized you seemed inconsiderate to the people who didn’t know about your repressed feelings for the man. You felt like you ruined everything. You knew better than to get your hopes up, why did you think today would be any different and he would spontaneously have feelings for you? Foolish.

You let out a sob at their messages knowing this whole situation has been misunderstood. Because of it, everything was crumbling down around you.

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So…thoughts? How we feelin’?

#gvf fic #greta van fleet #gvf smut #jake kiszka angst #greta van angst #greta van fleet imagine #gvf angst #jake kiszka #landslide Jake kiszka #gretavanbrie #Daniel Wagner #Danny Wagner #Samuel kiszka #sam kiszka #Jake kiszka smut #Jake kiszka imagine #josh kiszka #Jake kiszka fic #greta van fleet fanfiction #gvf fanfiction #Jake kiszka fluff #Spotify

[angelrari]

gossip girl · pt. vii

based on the tv series gossip girl

max verstappen / charles leclerc x socialité!reader

fc: elsa hosk (y/n) · taylor hill (léa) · barbara palvin (jolie)

a/n: hi! i am so nervous about you reading this i feel like i'm gonna die!!! i hope you guys really like it and once again thank you so much for commenting and leaving messages i adore them🤍

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· · · · ·

gossip girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of monaco's elite.

the moment you stepped off the plane you noticed that doha was extremely hot and humid. max had warned you, he had sent you multiple texts telling you to bring fresh clothes and sandals, and to leave behind jackets and boots. you couldn't stop yourself from thinking how it would be to race under such conditions when even walking outside was uncomfortable.

"hey". you heard max's voice through your airpods.

"hey, i've just landed". you said. "i'm on my way to the hotel right now".

"i'm sorry i couldn't pick you up-".

"max". you interrupted him. "don't worry, i'm very aware you're busy right now. plus you've already sent a driver, which is more than enough".

"yeah, but who would've be a better driver than a two-time f1 champ-?".

"didn't you say the other day you didn't want to sound too cocky? and i'm pretty sure he will do the job well".

"well, tell me if he doesn't, i'll drop everything and i'll pick you up".

· · · · ·

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username she's the reason why the temperatures are so high in doha

· · · · ·

saturday was the day. by the time you had woken up, max had already left the hotel. the night before, he had told you his schedule was packed, from trainings to meetings until the sprint shootout.

you knew it was going to be a difficult day. being back into the spotlight absolutely terrified you. you weren't sure how people would react when they saw you back in the paddock. back then, when charles and you were a thing, the fans used to love you, but now you weren't so sure.

max and you had planned this beforehand. it wouldn't be like it was in the past. you would not be walking next to max and celebrating his third world championship win with the team like you did with charles whenever he ended on the podium. max had told you he would love to see you there, but you had made it clear you wanted it to be more private. after all, that was a girlfriend would do and you were not. you decided you would be hanging out in the paddock with the rest of the vip guests, but max had given you a red bull pass so you could access to all the facilities if you needed to.

the first thing you did when you arrived to the circuit was text max just to tell him you were there, just like he asked you the night before. he was quick to respond, asking you to join him in the garage, where he was getting ready for the sprint shootout. even though it was still early, the atmosphere was busy. you adjusted your sunglasses hoping you would not be recognized easily, but you quickly spotted a couple of cameras pointing at you. god, the rumors would be terrible.

"y/n?". you head a voice you knew very well. charles was standing in front of you, with his red race suit tied on his hips and a surprised expression on his face.

"hey". you said as you approached him. he, as he always did, opened his arms to give you a hug as a greeting. "i was going to wish max good luck before the craziness starts".

"making friends with the enemy?".

"oh, come on, charles! you know very well that my favorite team has always been ferrari". you said. "plus, i'm pretty sure you love max".

"i know, i know. i'm just messing with you". he confessed. "how come he convinced you to come here?".

"well, you know, stepping out of my comfort zone and that stuff". you explained. "i wanted to come before, but i always felt like the rumors would be too much after we-".

"yeah, don't worry, i get it". he interrupted you. "i'm glad you're here".

"i happy to be here too". you said. "i should probably go see max, he must be waiting for me".

"go, i will see you later".

"good luck, charles". you said as you wrapped his arms around his body, he tightened his embrace to hold you closer. "and please don't get hurt".

"thank you". he said after giving you a soft kiss on your forehead.

· · · · ·

max stood next to two of the red bull engineers, with his navy blue race suit tied on his hips and a bottle of water on the other. he listened carefully to what the engineers were explaining to him, but, as soon as he noticed you, he excused himself to approach you.

"i thought you got lost and i was about to send someone to find you". he said as soon he was close enough for you to hear him.

"i actually found charles on the way and we talked for a bit".

"oh, that makes sense". he replied smiling.

"how are you feeling?".

"pretty relaxed now, but i know it will change the moment i get in the car". he confessed. "i don't want to insist, but you can stay here if you like or, if you want to go somewhere quiet, you can go to my driver room. i've made sure they let you in wherever you want".

"don't worry, max. thank you".

"max". a man called him. "sorry, i hate to interrupt, but the trainer is looking for you".

"just one second and i'll go".

"i should probably go grab some food before the shootout starts". you said. "good luck out there".

you smiled at him and placed your right hand on his arm. max reached out to grab the left hand to pull your body closer to his, your arms instinctively embraced his body as he did the same. and for a few seconds it felt like there was no one else in the room.

· · · · ·

after the celebration of max's third world title with the team, max and you had headed back to the hotel, keeping in mind that the next day was still race day. max, who after a couple of drinks couldn't stop smiling, had asked you if you would like to stay for while and now you were sitting on the sofa of max's hotel room balcony, where you were able to appreciate the stars in the qatari sky. max, after asking which drink you fancied, had opened a bottle of red wine and filled two glasses. you noticed how the burgundy color looked prettier under the moonlight, just like the ocean blue of his eyes.

max had placed his feet on the table in front of him while yours had ended on his lap. his fingers timidly drew small circles on your bare legs and ignited your skin with every movement.

"you know what?". he said while his blue eyes starred at the moon. "i have this vivid image of you in my mind from when you traveled to barcelona to support charles".

"oh, that was in 2019, right?".

"yeah. charles wouldn't stop talking about you back then". he smiled as the memories come back to his mind. "i remember seeing you smile to everyone who approached you, even though charles had told us you were shy and, man, i just remember thinking you looked so pretty that day with that red summer dress you wore".

"oh god, i remember it! you didn't speak to me the whole time i was there and i thought you disliked me or something".

"well, it was the other way around, i definitely had a crush on you". he confessed. "but you were dating charles and you were way out of my league".

"oh, come on". you hit him on his left arm and he chuckled.

"it's true, it's true". he took a sip of the red wine. "and now, four years later, here we are".

his blue eyes starred deeply into yours. the blood rose quickly into your cheeks while your pulse accelerated. it was almost ridiculous how he could make your body temperature rise with just one stare. you left the glass on the table and moved you feet from his lap to be able to come closer to him.

"i've always been fascinated by you".

the moment those words left his mouth you found the courage to place your hands softly on his face. max stare dropped from your eyes to your lips and his hand found their way to your waist, pulling you even closer to his body. carefully, your nose touched his, feeling his breath become deeper. time stopped the moment you placed your lips on his and all you could feel was him: his hands grabbing the fabric of your dress, his chest touching yours as he leaned towards you, his lips moving against yours and deepening the kiss so passionately that you were out of breath. and that night, under the qatari heat, two bodies became one.

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[theyluvlyss]

hi! i was wondering if you could write dating hc's for duncan and courtney (separate) please?

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧 !

but unfortunately, I do not currently write for courtney :(. although, I hope you like what I do have written and that it doesn't discourage you from requesting in the future :).

𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

《 ♡ 》 headcannons

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 :

you went on this stupid, island, reality show to win $100,000, which could've most definitely changed your life for the better. but instead, you got a delinquent meat-head who had... somehow, earned your heart faster than the cash. "how" and "why" is beyond you. but at least you could come up with a list of some semi-convincing reasons as to such...

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 :

fem!reader x duncan - she/her/hers pronouns

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞 :

season one (total drama island)

𝐓𝐖/𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 :

harsh language/cursing - dangerous elements/themes mentioned - duncan being himself lmao (possibly a little ooc? I apologize if so) - established romantic relationship - casual dominance (cuz ik that can irk some people) - possessive terms (my, his, etc).

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

When you applied/auditioned to be on the show, you didn't actually think they'd pick you. It was a stupid dare amongst friends back home! No way would they pick some random girl with no experience or even a resume from (home/town/city).

And then, they did😃.

Next thing you know, you're being flown out to Canada and then dropped off from a yacht on some random, deserted island. Just your luck to apply for a scammy and sketchy reality show rather than what you were promised...

And, to top it all off, your host might as well have been a sociopath, your chef, a psychopath, and you were now forced to spend your time with twenty-two other lunatic teenagers for eight weeks. Eight. Weeks. To be fully and completely clear, you did not want to be here.

How could this get any worse?

Duncan. That's how.

He irked you at first. No, you didn't hate him. He actually had his moments where you found him quite funny with a sarcastic quip he had said or entertaining with some random stunt he pulled.

But other than that...

"I'm not jumping. I miss the safe zone and get eaten alive by sharks, and then what?"

"Oh'ho, you're jumping, sweetheart. I'll be damned if you lose this challenge for us because you're not a strong swimmer."

"That's not what I said. And what're you gonna do? Make me?"

...you were firm on your dislike for him.

Not that the feelings weren't reciprocated, of course. Though he wasn't exactly opposed to eying any pretty girls he happened to come across, he didn't intend to date. He came to win $100,000, just like the rest of them. And though he had grown used to the way your attitude struck any and everyone who tried to manipulate you into doing something you didn't want to do, at least you weren't Courtney, stick shoved up your butt.

Onto the more headcanon-y portion of this list...

I feel like Duncan actually wouldn't be opposed to random hookups or anything like that. But, once he has specific eyes for someone, he treats things as if he's already bagged them (manifesting king😻✨️). And in this case, them is you. He didn't get the hots right away, but after a couple of weeks or so of spending basically all of his time around you (being on the same team and all), he wasn't too surprised upon coming to terms with those feelings.

Not that you could exactly tell, with him running around calling you "sweetheart" and "angel-face" and whatever other petnames he could come up with on the fly. You figured it was just him being...well... Duncan! Not to mention, you weren't exactly all that fond of him.

Did he know that? Yes. Did he care? Ehh. You'd warm up. He'd actually make sure of it because even if the show didn't end with him either winning the money or getting you as a girlfriend, the least he'd accomplish is wooing you.

He's not gonna sacrifice his reputation for that, so he'd have to play it cool. And during the seventh challenge, an opportunity came to light; he'd help you concor your fear! Not only would it win your team the challenge, but it'd be a huge step into winning over your heart. With peering eyes (and cameras around), he was there to be your tough-love.

"Get over it, toots, it's just (your/fear)!!"

"Do not mess this up for us, or I'll guarantee you go home tonight."

"I've been in juvie with worse than this...!"

But, without any evidence to prove it besides your word and a blushing face, he was totally sweet on you.

"C'mere, sweetheart, it ain't that bad. You just need a little warming up to the idea, that's all~."

"The worst that could happen is you'll be called a chicken. It's not like you'll get voted off. Not while I'm here."

"Babe, you are entirely too cool to be skeezed out by (your/fear). We're gonna have to work on that, yeah?"

Him sling-shotting you through such emotions and behavior was intense. But not as much as the way it kept you hooked. And every time you would start to grow fed up, want nothing to do with him, even cuss him out...

Life (Chris McLean) would manage to thrust you two back together. Until, eventually, you got together. I mean, no official labels or anything yet, but god forbid another guy on either team just breathed sultry in your direction (coughCodyprobablycough). Or if you got hurt during a challenge. Or whenever anyone (butmostlikelyHeather) had it out for you.

And in those moments, I think Duncan wouldn't be as good as hiding his infatuation with you. Not that anyone actually had the gall to tease him for it. Besides, he had managed to make his admiration for you look cool. Always muttering a slick, "She wants me." to his guy friends, or smirking at any intimate reaction you'd give him in front of your peers.

All in all, he's a cocky shit. But he made it work in a charming way that you couldn't quite place, and made you wonder why you were even attracted to it/him at all.

And, surprisingly, he could be quite the gentlemen. Rough around the edges, sure, but see if you ever have to hold a door open for yourself or climb down from something without his hand being offered to you ever again.

He even makes sure to censor himself around you! Er- well, tries. If he deems a curse word too heavy for you to hear come flying out of his mouth, it goes a little something like this:

" ...So I rush 'im, right? And then can you believe the motherfucker-...! Sorry, babe. Can you believe this idiot actually tries to shank me?! Wild stuff, man..."

As if he's not already sitting around the campfire telling the most gorey juvie/jail story ever. But nope, the extra heavy cuss words are the stuff that's impolite for your ears🙄✋🏽.

#it'sthethoughtthatcounts♡.

OH!! And casual dominance? Definitely a thing in the relationship. Mainly from him, with a simple, "C'mere, doll." or a motion of the hand/finger over towards him. But let's not lie and say this dude isn't a sucker for the moments you boss him around...

"Duncan, go grab that for me, please?"

"I'm busy-"

"Now."

. . .

No further protest, your item retrieved and dropped into your hands with swiftness, and a light red dust on his face badly hidden under a scowl.

Things would get serious/official if one of you two got voted off of the island, though. If you got voted off, he'd be sure to give you the most profound goodbye he can in the very limited amount of time he has to actually say it. Make it very clear you're his girl, "...for anyone thinkin' about trying to make a move while I'm not around." And, he promises that if he wins, he's coming for you, and you'll run off together with the money. Cliche, but how could you say no?

If he gets voted off, he sticks on a brave face and basically threatens you to win lmao😭. Think of it as very intense encouragement coming from a deep down place of love.

"Babe, you better win this whole shit, 'cuz I'm gonna be rooting for you back home. Need these losers to see that my girl is the shit."

I could probably go on forever, but I don't want to make this too long :')...

𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 !!

this is my first post (as in writing/content) ever, so yay me :D ! and for the person that requested, again, I hope you enjoyed this 'cuz it was fun to write ! although I really don't like the title, but I couldn't think of anything better😭...

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

none :(

𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 :

anon <3

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 :

#fanfic #x reader #y/n #total drama x reader #total drama fandom #total drama fanfiction #total drama #total drama action #total drama island #tdi #tdi duncan #total drama duncan #total drama island duncan #theyluvlyss #tdi duncan x reader #duncan x reader #td duncan #td #total drama island x reader #total drama duncan x reader #duncan x y/n #tdi duncan x y/n #anon #anon ask #anon request #anon response #anon reply

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️ Ranking Richonne

#30: This Is It (S7E12)

Their smiles in this 7.12 scene will forever warm my heart. 🥹 And after seeing the palpable yearning Rick and Michonne have for each other in each of these TOWL trailers, you just know that it’s moments like the one on this rooftop that they both long to return to. (Side note: when they said TOWL would be an epic love story they were not playing around 🔥 every teaser and trailer is showing why this is the most epic husband and wife and this is some crazy love for real. 😍)

Now y'all know Richonne's honeymoon episode 'Say Yes' is gonna make multiple appearances on this Top 30 list. Starting with this lovely moment right here where our power couple is so visibly enamored with each other...

(And y’all, at first I really thought I was gonna make these posts a lil paragraph each, but then I saw a post that said, “I’m my target audience on Tumblr,” and I was like - you know what that person is right lol. And I love me some detailed Richonne insights, both to nestle in and read and to write, so instead of short and sweet, these posts are about to be my signature-length and sweet. Cuz truly I can’t help but go all out when it comes to reveling in Richonne)

Lemme start by saying we are so fortunate to have Andy and Danai as the captains of this ship and that this extraordinary TV relationship is in the hands of two extraordinary actors. The way they give their all to these characters and always speak so beautifully about Rick and Michonne’s relationship is just a blessing. 🙌🏾

I remember Andy saying that he likes to think “I love you” is communicated every time Rick looks at Michonne, and it really really is. And this moment in 'Say Yes' is a prime example. The way they look at each other throughout this scene was a loud and clear “I love you” from them both, and I absolutely love to see it. 

Ok so refresher - because the universe was like Richonne deserves to keep winning on this honeymoon, they climb on that roof and find a boatload of guns at a carnival. And I love that they let Rick and Michonne’s run take place at such a date-like environment.

And I am smiling uncontrollably seeing the two of them smile when they realize this is it. They’re so beautiful and their joy brings me joy. It’s great seeing that they’re in such a good mood after being so down in 7A, and I adore every glance and synchronized smile they share. 

I love Rick saying, “I think this is it” and Michonne smiling as she agrees. This line is pretty accurate to their relationship too. This relationship is it. This is the one for them. I mean, Andy said it himself - Rick found the greatest love story of his life in finding Michonne.

Rick asks, “Think we can?” which is also cute cuz he def knows they can. As was shown in the 7.10 ep 'New Best Friends,' Rick thoroughly enjoys the fact that he and his woman are such a power couple and there’s nothing they can’t do. (and the CRM finna learn there's nothing this husband and wife can't do together real soon 💁🏽‍♀️)

When Rick asks if she thinks they can, Michonne is like let me find the coolest way possible to say 'yes we can' when she gets a determined look on her face and shoots those cans from a far distance. It’s nice cuz when she went out practicing her shot in 7.04 it was a very frustrating experience for her, but now with her man by her side and fighting the fight with him, she’s having a far more fun and successful time. And this would be how two of the baddest in the land have a carnival date. 😋

I love how happy Rick seems to be here to see Michonne in her element. He knew she had been practicing out there alone, and now he gets to see that of course his boss of a wife has got good at it. And their smiles and laughs. Food for the soul.  

You can just feel Rick taking in every moment he has with her and cherishing it. His adoration for this woman is so visible. And as we know, at this point, Rick had come to terms with the fact that he may not make it out of this Saviors war and that they’d lose people. So seeing him be so present in this moment with Michonne like they were the only two in the world, is all the more heartfelt cuz he’s trying to enjoy this moment like it’s his last. Cuz realistically, it could be.

And if his days really are numbered, then spending quality time enwrapped in Michonne's love and smiles is a major part of how Rick wants to enjoy what valuable life he has left.

Michonne is so glowy and happy in this scene too. 🥰  This is the face of a woman whose heart is being cared for by a good man who will be by her side through anything. Her adoration and fulfillment with her man are so fully on display, and she's so deserving of this kind of love and happiness. Also it’s sweet how Rick has this impressed look at her as she knocks down those cans.

And truly what makes this a top 30 scene for me is their reactions after she says that. Because Michonne gives Rick the most sincere sweet smile that is just so clear she loves him. And then the lingering way Rick looks at her 😍…based on that look it just feels like my man Rick was a bit overcome with his love for her. 🥹

It was most definitely a moment of Rick thinking, 'How’d I get so lucky finding you?' And I love that Rick can never hide his feelings for her. This is a man who is so deeply in love with his wife. And how he quietly soaks up this happy moment with her melts my entire heart. You can genuinely see that this moment in time with his true love is one Rick treasures and wants to hold onto for as long as he can.

And I just so respect that with his character so aware that life can be cut short, he’s really presently basking in each moment with her. Time with Michonne and their family is what Rick most wants. And it's refreshing to see them both be so fully present in their Richonne bubble and enjoying what they've always wanted in this scene.

The scene ends with them falling through the roof, but then after a moment of silence, you hear them laughing yet again. I love it. Nothing was bursting that Richonne bubble.

Andy and Danai understand the assignment every time when it comes to depicting Richonne’s relationship. And I love that they knew in an ep where they get to just have all this alone time, they would be so smiley and on cloud nine. And this was one of the moments that beautifully portrayed that. 

Joy wasn't often depicted on this show, but whenever Rick and Michonne got alone time together it was joy’s time to shine. They know they can get through anything together so they’re able to just take a moment and enjoy each other and laugh and smile and that is a rare and wonderful thing only the two of them could give each other in this way.

So if you were to ask me what true love is, I’d show you Richonne scenes like these and just have three words - This. Is. It. 😌

#richonne #top 30 #reveling in richonne #number 30 #say yes #twd 7.12 #rick x michonne #twd towl #the ones who live

[misc-obeyme]

Lesson 35 spoilers with all the pieces (hard lesson and locked lesson) you know how it is...

Okay I didn't forget about the new lesson, but I played it last night so my memory's already fading lol.

There are a couple main things that I remember, though, so here they are.

First, I love Simeon.

Not you, too. First Solomon, then Diavolo, now Simeon is laughing about Lucifer being his usual self. Honestly.

However, I really loved this whole part. Simeon telling you to close your eyes and listen to your inner voice... and giving you advice about Lucifer, a being he's known for years upon years.

What a guy. He's pretty, he's smart, he's sweet, he's emotionally intelligent... what's not to love? I swear this fandom sleeps on this man.

Meanwhile, Lucifer's brothers are busy calling him out.

LOL. I just thought this was so funny.

Okay, let's talk Luci real quick.

He's so annoying to me, I'm really remembering why I went through my hating Lucifer phase. BUT to be clear, I don't hate him, I love him, but he's also annoying.

It's like he's playing a game of chess with MC. He wants to win, but he wants to outmaneuver everybody so that it looks like MC is the one who is winning. I didn't need Simeon to tell me that Lucifer is essentially using our own feelings against us, in an attempt to get what he wants, which is for us to stay with him.

It's like what Belphie did, but instead of trying to lock us up, he's playing mind games. It's because he has way too much pride to straight up say out loud to anyone that he doesn't want us to leave. So he has to go about it in a way that doesn't hurt his pride.

Because in the end, that's what his sin is, isn't it?

I'm not concerned. This is what we just went through with the other six, but Lucifer-flavored this time. And really, there's no way to fully depict the sin of pride without making it all about mind games, being in control, trying to get what you want without seeming like you need or want anyone else. Seems pretty clear to me.

So MC is just gonna set that guy straight and then he'll make a pact with us and then we'll see what happens after that.

HOWEVER I did find this part extremely interesting:

YES. I WANNA BE A PROFESSOR LEMME TEACH ALL THE DEMONS ABOUT THE HUMAN WORLD.

Oh uh sorry for the caps lock lol. But seriously, like I actually want this to happen. I don't care about the salary (like these guys aren't keeping MC in style already), but I think I would lose my mind if I had to be a student again.

I also liked the explanation about Mammon's luck. I love that he isn't lucky at all, but the humans he's in a pact with are. I'm a superstitious motherfucker, so I'm constantly doing things in the name of luck. I just looove the idea that being in a pact with Mams would make me lucky lol.

Poor buddy. Just let me do the things that need luck and then I'll give you the profits. I'd do it just to make him happy lol.

Okay, that's it! The rest of these are just moments that had me cackling.

C'mon, Satan! Where's your sense of adventure??

Levi, my baby. We really gotta work on this. I can think of several reasons you'd be good to travel with~

I love him so much it hurts. Don't even bother, Luke.

Didn't this exact thing happen last hard lesson? Barb calls Dia out and he gets that little frown and says something like oh uh...

Also is Diavolo more concerned about Lucifer or MC, do you think?

All I know is I love Barbatos's expression lol.

#there were so many funny moments in this lesson #obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me nightbringer lesson 35 #obey me nightbringer lesson 35 spoilers #obey me nightbringer spoilers #spoilers #obey me! #omswd #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me simeon #obey me barbatos #obey me diavolo #misc lesson recap #misc rambles

[comradekatara]

if you had to give bolin a good personality/arc, what would it be? mako has (hardly touched) parallels as the repressed, protective older sibling. bolin, like katara, is the younger sib who wears their heart on their sleeve. but while she's a prodigy on top of being the last bender of her tribe, he has mediocre skill, and probably would get looked down upon as a mixed earthbender in neocolonial republic city. but instead he's just written in cringy ships that are esp hard to watch

this is a great question. the thing about bolin is, he’s actually a pretty talented earthbender. obviously not toph level, but you know, good enough to be a pro athlete, and to lavabend! the problem with bolin isn’t that he’s untalented per se, it’s that he’s stupid. katara may be naive, but she’s still incredibly smart, witty, and practical. no one in atla is straight up dumb tbh (even zuko has his moments). but plenty of characters in lok are dumb and serve no narrative purpose other to be annoying UHH I MEAN “”funny”” . bolin was actually fine at first. in the first couple episodes, he’s confident, outgoing, and optimistic, but he’s also grounded and has at least one brain cell. then i guess they decided they wanted bolin and mako to fight over korra but for mako to “win” korra in the end, and so they had to nerf (or perhaps lobotomize) him. which makes perfect sense, of course. it’s clear from then on that the show never really has any idea of what to do with him, which is a problem with pretty much every facet of lok.

bolin reaches his peak of character usefulness in the book 3 subplot wherein he and mako get stranded in the lower ring and run into their extended family. this is a very good mini-arc and exactly what i wish we had seen from mako and bolin throughout the entire show. i don’t care about their misguided career choices (apart from insofar as it is informed by their trauma), i care about their roles as they problematize the neoliberal fantasy lok largely uncritically glamorizes. not saying that all my favorite children’s cartoons need to be marxist propaganda (although……… im not NOT saying that), but their entire backstory conflicts w the ideologies being presented in the show, and they’re ostensibly main characters!!! so where is that tension???? why are we focalizing capitalists and nepobabies (sorry tenzin i forgot ur not actually defined by ur famous parents) when mako and bolin are supposed to be significant players?? and not just in a “oh teenage boy romantic drama” or “wacky buddy cop sideplot” way. in a “how do they reflect the themes” way.

i don’t really know what exactly i’d do with bolin if i rewrote lok right now (because i tend to forget he exists tbh), but i do know that he NEEDS to have more depth, nuance, and like… a modicum of intelligence. the class, racial, familial, and romantic aspects of his character would need to be teased out more and actually cohere. he would need to have feelings that aren’t simply played for laughs, and his role in the narrative would have to be more than simply being the show’s little jangling jester. maybe some people enjoy the “dumb comic relief” archetype (and if anyone says “but what about sokka? you like sokka” i will find where you sleep) but he literally has no depth. and what’s the point of a PRIMARY CHARACTER who serves no thematic function. his function is mainly to be proximate to mako, and of course to annoy the viewer with his wacky subplots. also i guess to introduce the avatar world to red pandas, but again, that first happens before they nerfed him, so im not even gonna count it as a positive. actually you know what? since the beginning of writing this paragraph ive given it some thought and decided that bolin should’ve been a communist revolutionary 👍🏼

#surelyjtemple #asks #bolin #lok crit #the last sentence is a joke if you disagree and dead serious if you agree. btw

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I hope I'm not being rude, this ask also isn't intended as a call out for anyone. As much as I'll be happy if you'd willing to answer, if my ask somehow make you uncomfortable, please feel free to ignore it.

Here's my question :

I've been seeing many post saying that Adrien end up being Marinette' trophy boyfriend instead of proper boyfriend and at the end of the final, Marinette's fight against Gabriel isn't just simply good vs evil rather it's a fight of Adrien's "ownership" so to speak.

I want to ask your opinion about it, especially about the former. I'm personally conflicted about the trophy boyfriend thing because the urban dictionary define it as "A boyfriend that a girl is proud of being with." Which more like what Chloe did at s1, but at the same time it does feel fitting in a way since Marinette do get Adrrien as a trophy for "winning" against Gabriel. Either way it just feels like an objectification and it doesn't seems like something good to show in a show with kids as the target audience, yet I do feels like Marinette's love for Adrien is so shallow that her objectified him like that just make senses for her character.

So, what do you think?

You're not being rude at all! As long as an ask doesn't use names or otherwise make it easy to find the source of the question, I'm cool with it. I don't even mind if it's something uncomfortable, though I will do my best to state my expertise (or lack there of) on those. I think it's really important to be willing to acknowledge your ignorance. No one can know or even be informed on everything.

On to the question.

To start, let's actually define "trophy boyfriend" because the definition you gave - a boyfriend that a girl is proud of being with - is not the one that I would use. It's way too kind!

"Trophy boyfriend" is just a male variant of the term "trophy wife" or "trophy girlfriend." I'm gonna be a little lazy here and just have wikipedia define that one for me as their definition accurately reflects the way this terms is generally used:

A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires substantial expense for maintaining her appearance, is often unintelligent or unsophisticated, does very little of substance beyond remaining attractive, and is in some ways synonymous with the term gold digger.

When someone calls Adrien a "trophy boyfriend," they're saying that he's just there to be Marinette's pretty arm candy who supports her unconditionally while requiring nothing from her. A fully one way relationship that's all take and no give.

Unfortunately, canon does seem to be going this way.

Season five was the season which saw Gabriel's slow, agonizing death and final... defeat is too strong a word, so let's just go with reveal. It also saw the end of any hope for Emilie to be revived, assuming that wasn't her at the end, which does seem to be the case. We also saw Nathalie slowly wasting away, triggering all of Adrien's trauma from losing his mother. In other words, this season was all about Adrien losing or fearing the loss of every adult that he has ever loved, none of whom he even got to say "goodbye" to even though they all knew that they were dying.

So it makes perfect sense that Adrienette's big couple conflict was Marinette getting over her trauma and being able to tell Adrien that she loved him! She was absolutely the one who needed unconditional love and support this season and it was so nice to see Adrien giving that to her by laying his own needs to the side since he knew that she needed more support right now.

To be clear, that was sarcasm.

Marinette was an awful, selfish girlfriend this season. Yes, she doesn't know the full extent of what's going on until we get to the final, but in Passion (S5E6) we get this:

Adrien: Marinette? Marinette: Adri-mine! I mean, Adri-fine! No! I mean, you're not mine and you're not fine, I mean, you are fine. (gasps) Adrien, is something wrong? Adrien: No, no, everything's fine... no, everything's not fine. Not fine at all. Somebody I care about is sick and... there's nothing I can do. I feel completely hopeless.

Gabriel then akumatizes Nathalie, leading to a fight that ends with Marinette seeing just how sick Nathalie is. All this means that, by the end of Passion, Marinette is fully aware that Adrien is really struggling with Nathalie's condition and just how bad Nathalie's condition, so it makes perfect sense that the episode ends with Marinette and Alya talking about... how thirsty Marinette is for Chat Noir.

Marinette: You should've seen him! He was so... (growls like a cat) in his cute red suit with black spots. Can you believe it? I asked him out to the movies and I didn't even stammer! True, the timing was bad, but still, everything is so easy with Cat Noir, I can tell him everything I never had the courage to tell Adrien.

Marinette, sweetie, I know that you're going through some stuff, but you're better than this! You've always been shown to care about others! I just don't believe that you wouldn't at least comment on how sick Nathalie is, which really is all that this scene needs because I don't expect Marinette to have no wants or needs outside of supporting Adrien anymore than I expect the opposite.

Marinette can thirst all she wants, especially since she's not dating Adrien yet. Just let her acknowledge that this is who Adrien must have been talking about earlier! Instead, she says nothing, forgetting about Adrien's struggles and not informing his other friends of what's going on, leaving Adrien to basically suffer alone as the Nathalie issue will continue to come up on his end, but he never again reaches out for support from others.

Remember how the NYC special saw Marinette and co protesting Adrien not being allowed to go on a school field trip? And how The Bubbler saw Nino trying to organize a birthday party for his best bro? And how Reverser saw Marinette pairing up Marc and Nathaniel into the dream comic book team? You ever look back on all that and wonder what happened to these characters wanting to love and support each other, even if their attempts where sometimes a little misguided?

Ever since the start of season four, loving and supporting each other has gone out the window. If it's not about shipping Adrienette, then no one cares even though Adrienette was totally one sided for most of the show. First it was only on Marinette, then it was only on Adrien, and it only became mutual in the episode where they... got together? Kind of? Seriously, when did they actually start dating? The second half of Kwami's choice sees Marinette say this:

Alya: Then, how did we go from “I’m pathetic and I’ll never love again” to “Yay! I’m going out with Adrien”? Marinette: I’m not going out with Adrien…

But then the very next episode starts with Chat Noir talking about his girlfriend! When did that transition occur? For a season that's all about Adrienette getting together, it's kinda funny that we never technically see them get together. It's also kinda sad that them getting together was the result of Adrien once again not taking Marinette's "no" at face value... I know it's a romcom trope, but writers, please, can we not use it in stuff aimed at little kids? Plus haven't we mostly agreed that it's a bad, lazy, overused trope? Does anyone actually like it?

This is getting long, so I'll just give some final thoughts and call it a day.

A relationship starting off of shallow feelings is totally fine and normal. Outside of your family, that's how most relationships start. You meet someone with similar interest or whose vibes you like or who is taking the same class as you. You start talking and get to know each other, which can lead to a deeper relationship in the form of a friendship or a romance, which is basically a friendship with bonus features.

The issue with the love square is that the writers are absolutely botching the "deepening relationship" part of the equation. They're not letting Marinette support Adrien or learn about his struggles or even acknowledge the struggles that she does know about, which makes her come across as ridiculously selfish, a terrible lead in to a final where she now has knowledge that could destroy him. Most of the audience doesn't trust her to tell him about this knowledge because of course they don't!

As always, I lay the blame for this at the feet of the writers because so much of Marinette's bad behavior and issues make no sense when we look at her previous writing. She's never been the best at emotional intelligence, but she has always tried to help others, a thing that the show somehow acknowledges during her fight with Gabriel, leading to his win, but doesn't in acknowledge in Marinette's own romantic relationship. Of course, that would require the writers to see Marinette's season five behavior as a flaw and I don't think that they do, which is why I blame them and not her. I have no issue writing her - or reading things that write her - as better than this.

#ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt #adrien deserves better #marinette deserves better

[ringanon]

Phone Call | Auston Matthews

Pairing: Auston Matthews x gn!reader

Warning(s): none

Word Count: 680

Summary: You call your boyfriend, Auston, before Game 6 of the 1st Round (2023)

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

"Hi, baby!" He had only been gone for a day, but you were still happy for the chance to talk to him. You set up the camera on your kitchen island, sitting on one of the bar stools.

"Hey, mi amor, we're about to head out, but I wanted to call you first." Auston's voice came over as somber: he was focused. There was intent in his voice. He set up his phone against the bed side table in the hotel room, grabbing the office chair behind him.

"Are we doing fit checks?" It had been a tradition of yours for every away game. Now that they were in the playoffs, it was crucial. He liked seeing you all pretty, you liked seeing him in formal attire.

"Obviously, whatchu rockin'?" He leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows against his knees.

"So we went with something a little calmer today. A couple of the girls are coming over here, we're gonna crack open a bottle or two of wine and watch the game. The jersey is a one-of-a-kind game worn jersey given to me by a player of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I think his name is Auston? He spells it with an O, not an I, tryna be different, or something.

The jeans are a light-wash Lee's that I thrifted from my hometown. I am not wearing shoes since I will be inside, but in case I do need to go out, I will be rocking my blue and white Air Forces that I got custom-made." Auston tilted his head, not quite sure which ones you were talking about. You dipped out of camera and picked them up from underneath the island. You had commissioned casual shoes to wear for games and events from a guy you saw on tik tok. Auston had only seen them a handful of times.

"Ah, I forgot about those ones. Looking good."

"What are we working with?

"I ended up deciding on the tan one."

"Oh come on! I expect a presentation! Some Pizzazz please, Matthews!"

"Fine! God! The jacket and trousers are the Lardini suit from Farfetch, shirt is from Men's Wearhouse, and the shoes are white Air Forces."

"That's better, we'll work on it."

He laughed, "are you watching the game tonight?"

"Do you listen to these presentations or do you just stare at my ass the whole time? A couple of the girls are coming over to watch, I got a whole spread, do you wanna see?"

"I would love to see the fruits of your labor, sweetheart."

You grabbed your phone from the island and stood up. Flipping the camera around, you walked around to the other side of the kitchen, "I wanted it to be mostly snack stuff, but I think Steph and Aryne will be here early, so I wanted actual food-food, but nothing too insane. We popped out with sliders- ham and cheese, and then I made a couple vegetarian ones. I also made a salad, nothing too insane, just Romane, crutons, cheese, and a vinnagrette that I made, and some chicken on the side that I chopped up."

"Oo bougie."

"I try, thank you. Next, we got a little grazing board thing. Most of this side is all white wine pairings and this side is red wine pairings, because I'm a good host who cares about her guests."

"Is that a dig?"

"Just a little. We got shrimp with cocktail sauce, and this is the spinach dip my mom used to make all the time."

"How long did it take you to prep the shrimp?" You turned the camera around to face you again.

"So long, you know I'm picky about them."

The door in Auston's room opened, "hey man, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, give me one second," He sighed, "alright, sweetheart, I gotta go. I'll talk to you after the game?"

"Go win a series for me."

"I'll try, let me know how your food goes over."

"I will, I love you."

"I love you more."

"That's impossible."

-💍

I'm clearing out the notes app. Can y'all tell? This one's short and sweet, though

#auston matthews #auston matthews x reader #auston matthews imagine #toronto maple leafs #NHL

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Mini costume meta

Gonna throw in a very mini costume meta because now I’ve got a proper look at Bucks velvet jacket I am having a lot - and I mean a lot of feelings about it.

For starters this jacket is not maroon - it is burgundy and that is an important distinction. maroon is a more brown toned colour while burgundy is a more red and purple toned colour and they have very different meanings. 

I’m not sure how easily you can see it from these two pictures, but the tee Buck wears when he tells Christopher about Eddie getting shot - in 4x14 - is much more brown toned, while the velvet suit jacket has much more of a purplish tone to it (i’m hoping for better pictures of the suit jacket when the episode actually airs as the screenshots I grabbed are not the best!!)

So Like I’ve said in previous metas, maroon has been used in scenes where a character is taking on some form of parental role - this is something thats been going on since season 1 and its been used on pretty much all the characters. Buck telling Chris about the shooting is the most obvious example, but Eddie in the last episode when Buck went over to the Diaz house was making Christopher's lunch - a parental thing. We’ve also seen Bobby in maroon a fair amount when he’s needed to step into a parental role - think back to Bobby telling Harry he needed to clear the table - that he couldn’t be best buddy Bobby anymore, and needed to be step dad Bobby and so on. 

Maroon is thought to promote comfort and warmth, it is also a colour of strength and maturity - all things associated with parenthood. It is also a colour often associated with drying blood which connects it to the idea of blood ties - which equals family ties.

Then we have burgundy - a colour of sophistication. It’s a powerful colour commonly associated with refinement - stemming from the idea that a Burgundy wine is among the best and most expensive in the world. This association also means Burgundy is associated with wealth - the perfect colour for Buck to be wearing while he’s winning at poker!

The other thing about burgundy though is that it is also associated with lust, passion and desire - it is a colour very much connected with romance and deep love as it is a deep form of red!

Combined with the black of the rest of the outfit, including the black wide peaked satin lapels, which is a colour of elegance, sophistication, power and seduction, as well as the choice of velvet and satin for the blazer - two fabrics considered to be symbols of wealth luxury and sophistication I think it’s safe to say that this outfit is very much an outfit one would chose for a date. Peaked lapels are an interesting choice - they are the most difficult lapel to achieve and are considered the mark of an accomplished tailor - hinting at the idea that Buck has been on a difficult journey, but will achieve success with it. it can also hint at him being accomplished at cards!

Its also worth mentioning that velvet as a word is a slang term for money acquired through gambling 👀👀👀 

Last thing to note is that Eddie is not the only one wearing a new and more blingy watch - Buck is also wearing a new one - we only get a couple of very brief glimpses and I’m hoping we’ll see a bit more of it once the episode airs, but I am very literally screaming over it. (you can see a tiny glimpse in the still below)

Buck has had the same watch since season 1 - no deviations, just the same watch! and now - now we get a new one! Post dying, post coma dream, post Buck going to the Diaz house and sleeping on the couch and post Buck appearing all contemplative and figuring things out at the end of last episode we see Buck in a new watch!!!!

The fact that they both appear to be wearing metal watches means we have the possibility that their watches are going to potentially match up, because metal watches are more showy and confident - they’re less practical (especially if you’re a fire fighter) and are therefore much more about making a statement of some sort. Them both wearing them for the first time at the same time is a choice! Not to mention the fact that while Eddies watch is out and proud - on display for everyone to see, Bucks is mostly hidden - we only get to see a tiny part of it for a moment. The idea that Eddie is confident and essentially putting this new version of himself out there for people to see, while Buck is ‘on the same page’ but still mostly hiding his new self - he’s still uncertain about it etc is a choice - especially as we’ve seen watch theory around Buck expand much more this season than previously! I should also mention the fact that the show very loudly made a big thing about Michael buying David a watch as an engagement gift - rather than a ring - and we don’t see any other (male)  characters wearing metal watches, so for them to choose now to put Eddie in a metal watch as well as possibly Buck is making a very purposeful connection!!

I really can’t wait to see if we’re going to get more of these watches - if we do I’m expecting we’ll only see them connected to Buddie developments and that they’ll revert to their normal watches for other non work scenes (I’m expecting the brown leather strap watch for whatever date(s) Pepa has set Eddie up on!!)!

#this got way longer than I thought it would be when I started!!! #kym costume meta #mini meta #Buck meta #911 costume meta #911 on fox #911 spoilers #911 costumes #6x13 #911 fox #buck #evan buckley #watch theory #costume theory #I cannot wait for the full context of this scene!

[badwitch-if]

PROGRESS UPDATE + VOTING RESULTS!! [4/20/24]

Hey Witxhes! So the votes are in and first of all, I can't tell you all how much I appreciate the time you took to read & vote for the samples. The process was very illuminating, to say the least, hahah. 

I'll start with the voting results! With 64.8% of the vote, 2nd person POV came out on top (which isn't too surprising!).

Next up, winning 66.7% of the vote, y'all made it VERY clear that you would much rather have your MC in their lab, working away at trials of the Hangover Cure. 

Now, onto the tricky bit... OG vs AU. It seems you guys had as hard of a time deciding between them as I did, leaving the vote split pretty evenly. 

So that being said, I'm gonna go back to the storyboard to see what threads I can take from the OG and AU stories to weave into something new... something that combines the best elements of both. A new story where the reader can choose if their MC has been closer or more isolated from the Silverlakers, among some other things. But I'm excited and really intrigued to see where this new story format ends up taking us! 

And as planned, I'll be adding a bunch back to the prologue so the reader can get a better feel of the Silverlaker dynamics, right off the bat. 

Alright, onto the most frequent thing I was asked about during this run... Ash. Soo I heard a lot of feedback from some readers having issues with MC having an established relationship in their teenage years, that was out of the control of the reader/MC. And while I'm not trying to take away your character's autonomy, I am trying to tell a story that begins a specific way. 

I know that this story is new, and our relationship as writer and reader is also new and tentative and vulnerable, but I'm asking you to trust me with the story I'm telling. There will be sooo many options, dearest readers, for you to explore all of the ways your MC's relationship with Ash was or wasn't... whatever. And how MC feels about it now. Nothing will be assumed or shoe-horned, as there will be lots of choices, questions, and room for customization. 

So! While I work away on the first rewrite, I'll be posting character profiles. ROs & Silverlakers to start with, and then family & some of the outer Witching World. As for the actual demo, I'm going to try to have it written and posted for 15 May. But if everything aligns and I finish it before then, I'll be running over here to share it with y'all. So thanks again, and please don't forget about me & the Silverlakers in the next couple weeks 😅

#badwitch if #badwitch #choice of games #choicescript #hosted games #interactive fiction #witches #if #if wip #interactive novel #magic

[loveislandthegame]

my overall thoughts on season 7, writing edition: what in the world ? 😭 i cannot believe i thought this season was gonna be good. i’ll be joining rohan & S2 MC in the circus, since FB made me look like a damn clown. i don't even know where to begin

being a casa girl had so much potential, and it was something that a lot of players actually wanted, even before FB started doing these themed seasons. they really fumbled the bag here

i enjoyed casa amor. the guys were all unique, had their own dialogue, and it was cool to see their pre-established relationships (alex being the villa dad, bryson and rafa being partners in chaos, the beef between bryson & joyo) then we arrived in the villa, and it all went downhill from there:

everybody became an empty husk, so they could be forced into interchangeable roles: uma’s partner, bonnie’s partner, OG LI’s ex, loved up couple (summer/joyo or #rafne) to name a few. FB’s lazy asses ruined their own characters . why is alex, the supposed level-headed & mature one, being petty & childish af in my playthrough? 😭

MC literally had no thoughts, head empty. we barely participated in any of the challenges and games. it felt like we didn't do anything besides "get pulled for a chat" by your LI or the girls

the LI personality merge in this season was the worst it has ever been. all they do is agree with whatever you say, or tell you how great you are (gone are the days of LIs having their own interests, & getting extra dialogue because of that, like levi with artist MCs)

same problem as the most recent seasons, where MC doesn’t have friendships. she has a forced bestie, then potential LIs that sit around waiting for you to pick them, choose them, love them (they immediately disappear if you don’t pick them)

the plot made no sense at all. being a casa girl means we miss out on the first half of the season, but there were many different ways they could've shown what happened before we arrived (it couldve been something as simple as MC watching the show at home or during the jeep ride to the villa. lol) the timeline was inconsistent, so much important information was paywalled, and i’m pretty sure FB was just making shit up as they went along, since the drama with stephen and OG LI's ex genuinely came out of nowhere . he wasn’t previously mentioned in the beach hut, casa amor, nothing . his only purpose was to make the OG girl look bad.

speaking of the OG girls, what a disappointment . before we got to the villa, i honestly thought they were hinting at estelle and/or willow being LIs . even if they were forced to be our rival, they still could’ve had an interesting character arc . it would've been a lot more fun if she was like allegra, rather than OG LI's equivalent of suresh

i was gonna write, "why tf did she even make it to the finale?" but the answer is obvious : for the gem scenes. every damn volume, it's pay diamonds to upstage her, pay diamonds to clapback, pay diamonds so “your man” doesn't turn his head 🙄 it's already stupid enough, but it makes even less sense if you're not pursuing your OG LI

which leads me to the biggest problem of this season, the lack of branching. you're given the illusion of choice, everything leads to the same outcome . i didn't think it could get any worse, until i saw what happens when you choose the money . does your LI storm off? nope. they make you do the treasure hunt anyways...to win you back ??😭 MC should've called security on their ass

s7 had a promising start but ended up being a flop. it was better than s5, but that's really not saying much . i wish FB would just take their time—s1 and 2 had a whole year long gap between them. but it's clear that rushed seasons are gonna be the norm, season 8 is dropping in february . capitalism ruins everything luv x

#making a separate post about the art for the sake of my own eyes...i really hate making long posts #love island the game #litg #litg season 7 #litg s7 #litg spoilers

[alice-angel12x]

Epel x Death Reader Pt. 1.5

Part 1 Here (Harveston event)

While Epel's grandmother was explaining the rules to his friends, he was too busy having his mind blown. Knowing that his closest friend and schoolmate is also his town's founder. He sat on the side as he watched Y/n Death and the mayor have a friendly conversation. The mayor talking about Harveston's long and amazing history. Which Epel now knows that Y/n was there to witness.

"Anyway, long story short, we can't participate in the race this year," The Mayor sighed.

"WHAT IN TARNATION?!" Marja shouted, causing everyone to flinch.

"I know we're going to disappoint the townsfolk, and I'm very sorry about that," The mayor sighed.

"Well, there's nothing you can do about an injury. We'll do our best to place as high as we can," Epel spoke up.

"THAT AIN'T GONNA CUT IT! "As high as you can"?! Ah don't think so! It's first place or nothin', bub!" Marja shouted.

"Our goalpost has just shifted considerably," Jade commented.

"We can't just let a team full o' non-locals win! If the mayor can't do it, then it's up to you boys! No ifs, ands, or buts! Is that clear?!" She scolded.

"But you're being unreasonable, Grandma! I'm the only one on my team who's ever sledded before!" Epel tried to reason.

"QUIT SPLITTIN' HAIRS! Ya can't write off somethin' as impossible before ya even try! You'll never grow an apple tree or get any apples if'n ya don't sow the seeds!" Marja said.

"That's one scary granny," Grimm commented.

"Your animals are sittin' in the assembly hall, so go an' get 'em, toot sweet! Get a move on! You boys ain't got a minute to spare! You'll need all the practice you can get!" She ordered.

She started to train the boys to be #1 in the sled competition. Y/n watched silently as Marja instructed them. Y/n smiles as they remembered Marja as such a competitive little girl. And even after all these years, she did not lose that spark.

____________________________

While the boys practiced, Y/n decided to walk about the town and visit the hollow grounds of the past. Y/n lightly walked on the snow as they passed many graves, slowly passing many generations. Till she got to the very first, where her friend lay, with the rest of the first children of Harveston.

"You did well all of you," Y/n smiled softly at the gravestones around them. "Oh and some students From RSA are also competing."

"What?!" The boys gasped.

"And from what I observed, they are pretty skilled. Make sure to bring your A-Game," Y/n smiles.

"HAAAH?! As if we'd lose to the likes of Royal Sword Academy! THE CHAMPIONS...ARE GONNA BE US!" Epel shouted.

"I cannot wait to see you emerge as champions," Y/n smiled.

Y/n smiles and happily listens to Epel as he showed them around the town. Showing off the apple lanterns and many other hand-crafted knick-knacks.

Till they finally returned to Epel's home, where Marja prepared a large barbeque feast for the boys and company. Y/n tried to politely turn down the meal. But the granny already set a plate for them. So Y/n had no choice but to sit down and partake in the food.

Sadly, if only they knew that Death was incapable of digesting food and does not eat. It was a rough couple of hours for Y/n as they sat as food... essentially just built up in the void of their body.

_____________________________

At Dawn, the race was in full swing, as the crowds watched and cheered from the stands. Y/n Death stood from on top of the spectator booth and simply wished everyone a safe return.

#Falling Pegasus answers #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst yuu #death!reader #death au #origin au #epel felmier #epel x reader

[ebongawk]

59? 😶‍🌫️

59. “H-How long have you been standing there?”

"FUUUUUUCK!"

The screech actually kinda startled him. He'd been meandering through the woods, on his way to the picnic table at a lax pace, weighed down by the backpack on his shoulders with the motherfucking homework inside that Chrissy was probably actually gonna make him do.

Or. Y'know. He'd assumed. Until her little cheerleader squeal of an expletive he'd never heard erupt from her lungs scattered entire flocks of birds from the trees.

Yeah, he, uh, picked up the pace at that.

The edge of the tree line gave way to the tiny little clearing he'd claimed as a sophomore, when he'd initially begun dealing and had stumbled upon it while looking for somewhere secret to sell. It unequivocally became his, and no one ventured out there without an invitation.

Except Chrissy, of course. What's yours is mine, forever and ever til death do us part and all that wild shit that people shared when they fell in love and kissed each other's faces.

(And other places.)

Chrissy was practically stomping around the table. Her little feet kicked up dead and dying foliage with every angry step, fists clenched at her sides as she mumbled an entire furious conversation to herself.

Eddie leaned up against a tree, watching the display of fury like one might observe an animal at the zoo. (Which, actually, yeah, that was pretty accurate, as he'd never borne witness to this side of Chrissy's emotions and behaviors.)

Watch closely as a lioness, small for her breed, stalks through the underbrush, agitated by an unseen force as she waits for the opportunity to pounce on her unsuspecting prey...

Eddie might've thought he'd done something wrong, had she been like this when he last saw her this morning. But, nah. She was still smiley, excited Chrissy, bouncing in her seat and happy as a clam with a fully-grown pearl under her tongue.

Something else must've happened.

And Eddie had an inkling of an idea––

"Fuck you, Jason!" she screamed into the trees, and yeah, yep, that's what he figured.

One Mr. Jock Itch Carver had been in a particularly sour mood that morning during their shared physics course, shooting Eddie sullen, angry glances every thirty-eight seconds. Eddie, of course, returned them with knowing smirks, because it was hard not to rub it in Jason's face that Eddie got the girl.

They'd been together about three months now. They'd been public for a few weeks, since the start of their relationship and the end of Chrissy and Jason's may or may not have overlapped. But this morning, Jason had been directly in Eddie's line of sight when he tasted the back of Chrissy's tongue in the hallway. And Jesus Christ, if looks could kill, Eddie would be a very smug pile of smoldering ash in the janitor's waste bin by now.

Jason probably could've pretended Eddie hadn't "won the trophy" or whatever other insert-statement-of-misogynistic-idiotic-nonsense-here if Eddie and Chrissy weren't open with public displays of affection. And even then, the lengths he'd gone to while avoiding Hawkins High's Weirdest New Couple were obvious to the population at large.

(Finally, Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler had been forced to relinquish their title. Fist pump of a win, that was.)

Whether or not Eddie had pulled Chrissy into a kiss like that intentionally this morning upon catching Carver's eye was, y'know, between him and Satan or whoever was giving him these incredible gifts of love and adoration and intimacy.

He hadn't really considered the ramifications of doing that until this moment, though.

"UGH! You're such an ASSHOLE!"

The last word was shouted so loudly that Eddie had to wonder if Mrs. Byers heard it from her work-from-home job on the other side of town.

He really should go talk to her. Calm her down, soothe her frustration. Or, shit, maybe be the thing that she took her frustration out on.

(Being, uh, intwined at the picnic table was not easy. But they made it work.)

However.

This was so entertaining.

With her back to him, she finally stopped dead in the center of the clearing, looking up at the sky and fucking shrieking like a banshee in the Irish hills. It transformed into a loud, "YOU CAN'T JUST TELL THE PASTOR THAT I NEED AN EXORCISM BECAUSE OF MY BOYFRIEND, YOU FUCKING LUNATIC!"

That was when Eddie finally lost his composure.

He barked a laugh that had Chrissy whipping around, her wide eyes and anger-flushed face catching him just before he fell into his hyena cackling. She looked briefly mortified before she registered that it was him.

"H-How long have you been standing there?" she asked, her voice drawing closer with every crunchy, leafy step.

Eddie snorted, wiping the tears of humor from his eyes and closing the remaining distance between them.

"Not long enough, I don't think," he answered, still grinning as he pulled her into a hug. "I was gonna say something, but, uh, you seemed pretty preoccupied."

She pressed her face right into the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath, then another, as Eddie tried to squeeze the angry trembling from her shoulders like a toothpaste tube. After about a minute, she relaxed, melting into him so completely they were basically fused into one.

Eddie led her over to the picnic table with awkward, jolting steps, making her giggle as he tried to walk around her prim legs. A heavy sit onto the picnic bench, and Chrissy climbed willingly into his lap, keeping her face hidden as she bracketed his hips with her knees and clutched him tightly around the middle.

"He's such a freaking jerk," she mumbled after a minute.

"Oh, we're at freaking now? What happened to fucking?"

"Eddie."

"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled, running his fingertips up and down the length of her spine. "He really called the pastor huh? Trying to save your soul or something?"

"He thinks I'm possessed!" she cried. "Just because he's never witnessed me making a decision for myself until now!"

"Well, out of the two of you, I can tell you who I think sounds more brainwashed."

She giggled at that, more tension leaving her body as she snuggled further into him. And holy fuck, it was still insane to him that she took comfort in something as simple as his existence. That he was a balm to her upsets and her insecurities. What a fucking ride this was gonna be.

He hoped he never had to get off.

"Sweetness?"

"Yeah?"

"You, uh... You think they'd let me attend your exorcism?"

"Eddie!"

"I'll be so quiet, I swear, I just wanna be in the room––"

"Oh my God, that's not funny!"

Capturing her lips with his, Eddie kissed the broad, bright smile right from her mouth.

"Then why are you laughing?"

ask meme

#hellcheer #eddissy #eddie x chrissy #chrissy x eddie #stranger things #hellcheer drabble #eddie munson #chrissy cunningham #ask meme #the urge to make this dirty was SO STRONG #but then I had this idea and I thought it was cute

[thatgayb1tchwhosimps4her]

Okay so the results are in and Jackie won so, here it is. I changed the summary a little from what I said on the voting thing but I hope you guys still like it anyway :)

Summary: Jackie gets drunk and gets into trouble at the celebratory party Lottie's hosting at her house for the team winning nationals and reader has to intervene.

And as an extra thing, incase idk, but Lottie's dad pays for a coach to take them to nationals instead (since I'm headcannoning in this it's cheaper, and low key a lot less dangerous cause yk).

Also skip anything that's in colour if you don't want to read any pretty detailed stuff.

Lastly, this is gonna have some homophobic slurs in (promise it's for a reason, although they do have a line through them), which I know can be a trigger for people, so please don't read it after seeing this and then complain I didn't put a TW, because I usually don't so this is a curtesy.

@zhivaxo

*****

Your Own Personal Terminator

💖Jackie Taylor x GN/AFAB!Reader💖

Word Count: 2886.

*****

It was all gonna be over soon, both the fans and the rest of the people in the small stadium knew something had to happen or it'd go to penalties.

You watched from your place on the bench (having been benched earlier in the game because of a shitty tackle), as in one swift move, Shauna tackled the ball from the opposing teams striker running far away from them before quickly approaching another player. She looked up as she heard Nat shouting her name from further up the pitch, before passing the ball to her.

Nat had control of the ball, running up the rest of the right wing to see Tai and Lottie keeping tabs on the other teams two defenders that were near the goal, and the team captain, Jackie, free of any other players, but keeping wary so she didn't go offside, running between the two of them toward the goal. Seeing no other defenders, Nat gave the ball a rough kick, causing it to fly across the sky, landing several feet in front of Jackie.

While continuing to run as hard as she could with the ball to get a closer shot on goal, Jackie heard the rest of the team, including yourself, and the fans cheering for her to kick the ball. Taking a deep breathe, she kicked the ball a couple feet away from her before she pulled her right leg back and swung it forward into the direction of the ball, but slipping just before the kick had fully been executed, causing her to fall, making her skid on the slightly muddy grass before rolling onto it just to the right side of the goal.

Everyone in the small stadium and on the pitch gasped watching this happen as the ball soared through the air, seeing it reach close to the goalie's hands that had spread out when she dived into the air. All of a sudden, the ball hit the back of the net, causing the stands to erupt with a round of applause, causing the girls and the fans from the other team to groan.

As soon as this has happened, and the referee blew the whistle for full time just afterwards, you screamed happily and threw the ice pack you had been using for your leg onto the ground, before running limply over to your girlfriend in her spot where she was now knelt in front of the goal, as a chorus of chanting came from the cheer team as the rest of the team came running over to her.

They'd done it, the Yellow Jacket's soccer team from the small town of Wiskayok, New Jersey, had won soccer nationals for the first time in school history. Once you had run over to and embraced your girlfriend in the biggest hug ever, the two of you were quickly surrounded by the rest of the team.

Once all of you had your fun and had loosened the tight group huddle, having shouted at each other about how awesome that was enough, and people started clearing out of the stadium and the pitch, the team broke off into smaller groups starting to talk amongst themselves, leaving the two of you and a few of the others on the team talking in your small gatherings.

"You better be good a keeping your promises, Taylor." You stated to your girlfriend, holding her head softly in your hands.

"Oh baby, you know I never break a promise and I always keep my word." Jackie answered, smiling sweetly. Fuck, how you loved that smile of hers.

"You better." You replied, as the she smiled in response and you leaned in, still holding her head in your hands, and kissing her softly.

"Jesus Christ, get a room. Not everyone here wants to see you two making out." Someone behind you stated, causing both of you to pull away from the kiss and sigh softly, Jackie burying her head in the crook of your neck, blushing and giggling softly, knowing exactly who that was.

"Yeah thanks Van." You replied, remaining in your position on the field, putting your thumb up behind you, before waving her off and hearing the red head, and who you assumed to be Tai running off laughing about something else to join the others.

"C'mon," You said to Jackie, moving your legs around to stand up from being knelt on the short, prickly grass. "Let's get you cleaned up so we can head home." You added holding your hand out for her, as the blonde propped herself up on her knees rather then her previous position of also being knelt down, before taking your hand in hers, intertwining her fingers with yours, standing up and walking back locker room with the group.

-----

The two of you and the rest of the team headed back to the locker room, listening and singing along to music while showering and lightly washing some of the grass stains off of your guys' uniform and bodies, dancing in between doing that and getting changed to head back to New Jersey as winners. (I wasn't really sure on how to write this or the journey back, so I'm just gonna fast forward to the party)

-----

You (dressed in an oversized graphic comic t-shirt, black cuffed denim jeans, black leather jacket, black converse, chunky silver rings and matching silver heart necklace to Jackie's, with French braided hair, curtesy of Shauna) drove to Jackie's house and picked her up (dressed in a red mid-thigh flowy dress with white polka dots, blue denim jacket, a pair of white trainers, her gold heart necklace and neatly styled, flowy blonde hair) in your deep red Pontiac Firebird car, to drive both of you to Lottie's house, since her parents were out of town for the week, and to make up for them not being at the match let her have a party there if the team won.

Once you got there and parked up, the two of you headed inside to get a drink, greeted by Lottie and the rest of the gang trying to persuade Jackie to let her crowd surf them to celebrate, to which she declined, saying to wait until she was slightly less sober before doing that.

The 6 of you, the rest of the group (Laura Lee, Mari, Kristen, Akilah, Gen, etc), plus equipment manager, Misty (who you and Lottie had advised upon, and persuaded the rest of the group to let her be invited), started dancing and drinking inside, socialising amongst everybody there, being congratulated on the win.

Eventually, the few of you left (Mari, Kristen, Akilah, Gen, etc, either still inside or gone home) made your way outside and were gathered around yours and Shauna's car, discussing everything and anything.

After a while of talking, the group had turned to nicknames for everybody, since Van advised everybody to get one since we would be going down in the history books and should have a cool nickname. About halfway through this specific conversation, it was Jackie's turn for a nickname.

"How about 'Blue Flash'?" Laura Lee suggested, sipping on the liquid in the red plastic cup she was holding, standing between Misty and Lottie, in front of the backdoor of Shauna's car

"Mmmmm, nah." Most of you agreed.

"Sounds like a toilet cleaning brand." Nat replied, taking another hit of the joint she had rolled between her fingers, making everybody giggle.

"Haha, yeah," You said, laughing softly, "Plus we all wear blue, so it could be any of us." You added, which everyone acknowledged with some form of a nod.

"Ooooooh, I have one," Van interjected, leant against the passenger door of Shauna's car, all giddy off of her beer, "What about 'The Terminator'?" The red head suggested, causing everyone except Jackie to groan at the movie reference.

"Wait, which nerdy, sci-fi, film thing is that?" Jackie asked, sitting upon the bonnet of your car, taking a swig from the tequila bottle she was sharing with Tai and Lottie.

"It's the Arnold Schwarzenegger one with the sunglasses and the leather jacket." Shauna stated, finishing the last of her drink, while sitting on the bonnet of her car.

"Ohhhhh yeah, I remember that one. Continue." The blonde ushered, her voice echoing into the bottle.

"Do I even need to? I mean Jesus Christ, you're literally a machine, sorry Laura Lee." Van replied, apologising after. Getting a nod from the other blonde in acceptance.

"A machine, huh? Okay I'll take it." Jackie said, passing you the half bottle of tequila left, moving her feet around so they were lying on the bonnet, before standing up on it, prizing a remote from her jacket, pressing a button on it, making the music that'd been playing loud enough in the house for everyone outside to hear, to stop, causing everybody inside to groan and slowly make their way outside to see what's going on.

"What the hell are you doing? Get down from there, you're going to hurt yourself." You questioned, panicked, holding your arms out, ready to catch her if she slips.

"It's fine, I'm keeping my word, remember?" Jackie stated drunkenly, in a 'duh' tone.

"EXCUSE ME! HI, I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!" The blonde yelled, waving her arms in the air trying to get everyone's attention, making everyone start cheering.

"YEAH OKAY, THANKS BUT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ISN'T ABOUT THAT, SO SAVE THE SUCK UP FOR AFTERWARDS!" She shouted.

"HI THERE, SO THIS IS KIND OF SCARY NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, AND I'M ONLY PROBABLY DOING THIS BECAUSE I'VE HAD A FAIR AMOUNT TO DRINK, BUT I MADE A PROMISE TO MY FRIENDS AND TEAM MATES DOWN HERE," Jackie stated, pointing at the group of you, making the 7 of you cover your faces and wave awkwardly, "THAT I'D DO THIS IF WE WON, AND WE DID SO YEAH, HERE GOES NOTHING!"

"Oh shit." You mumbled under your breath, shading your face with your hand, knowing what was about to happen.

"RIGHT SO, UM YEAH, I'M GAY. YOU ALL HEARD ME RIGHT, I'M A BIG, FAT, LADY LOVING, LESBO, AND I AM DATING THIS AWESOME GIRL RIGHT HERE!" She stated, proudly, gesturing to you, as you raised your hand, offering a small wave. "AND IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT, THEN GO FUCK YOURSELVES OR YOU CAN TAKE IT UP WITH MY DAD! So yeah, that's it. You can clap now." She finished, playing the music again, quickly jumping down carefully from the car into your arms, turning to the rest of the group.

"How's that for being a machine?" Jackie slurred proudly, taking back the bottle from you, holding onto your forearms for support.

"You're fucking crazy." You stated, kissing her softly.

"Told you I never break my promise." The blonde replied, after breaking the kiss.

"Alright," Tai said, raising her cup in the air, "Here's to all of us being openly gay and going down in history" She added, toasting her drink, as the rest of the group cheered and did the same.

Just as you all toasted to that, and drank from your cup/bottle of choice, you heard a familiar voice behind you.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the dyke squad." Brad, the captain of the school football team, said, approaching the group, causing you all to roll your eyes in an attempt to ignore his arrogance.

"I mean, I expected the rest of you guys to be gay, but jesus christ, Y/N even turned prissy rich princess, Jackie Taylor, into a lesbo. I did not see that coming." Tommy, one of Brad's douchebag henchmen, spoke.

"Well you don't see a lot of things coming, especially people." You smirked, murmuring into the bottle of beer you were sipping on.

"What the fuck did you say!" Tommy shouted, striding up to you, getting all in your face.

"You fucking heard me, dipshit." You swore, smirking up at him, pushing him away harshly.

"Yeah, so back the fuck up, asshole." Jackie interjected, striding behind you, Van, Lottie, Tai and Nat following.

"Hey guys, come on, let's not do this here." Shauna piped up.

"Yeah, Shauna's right. Let's just call it a night and sort this out tomorrow." Laura Lee spoke up, trying to de-escalate the situation, before the six of you turned away from the two, walking back to the group.

"Yeah, listen to your little preacher friend and quit while your ahead, fags." Tommy replied, smugly.

"What the fuck did you call us?!" Jackie shouted, spinning on her heels, turning around and quickly pacing back over to them, you running after her, resting your arm around her waist.

"Hey it's okay, leave it, okay? Trust me." You said, looking at her softly.

"Yeah listen to your dykie queer, Taylor." Brad laughed.

Before even registering yourself what'd happened, Jackie broke away from your grasp, pulling her right fist back and punching him harshly around the face.

"Oh shit!" Jackie shouted, keeling over, holding her fist in her other hand at the pain of the impact.

"Bitch!" Brad fumed, holding his nose in his hands, feeling liquid pool over them.

"Crap, let's go." Tommy said, running off, Brad trailing after him.

"Oh my god!" You stated, rushing to Jackie, kneeling in front of her, the rest of the girls gathering around you.

"Son of a fuck!" She whined, raising her head softly to look at you, slightly off balanced from the alcohol.

"Here, let me look." You said, offering your hand out, as she placed her bruised fist in your hand, the group groaning at the site. "Can you open it for me?" You asked

"Jesus. H. Flaming. Christ." Jackie seethed, opening her sore, slightly blood-covered fist slowly, wincing at the pain.

"Yeah, that's definitely swollen, and very bruised." Misty piped up, being the only one with proper first aid training.

"Come on, get your ass inside. The party's starting to clear out anyway" Lottie piped up, "There's ice packs in the fridge and a first aid kit down the hall, use my room."

"Are you sure?" You asked, wanting to confirm it was okay, just in case.

"Yeah go for it, I honestly don't care. Plus, my parents aren't back for another week, that'll give me more then enough time to clean up." The brunette said, waving you off.

"Okay thanks, cheers Lottie. The rest of you guys get home, sober up and we'll talk tomorrow or something." Jackie stated, standing up straight, still holding her fist in her hand.

"Come on Cinderella, your carriage awaits." You said, opening your arms out, scooping her up and holding her in them, tucking one arm around her back, the other under her knees, making sure the skirt of her dress wasn't flapping around.

You carried her through the near empty house, gathering the ice packs and the bandages from their respected places, traipsing up the stairs with Jackie in your arms, to Lottie's room, setting her down on the edge of the bed, kneeling in front of her.

"You can't keep scaring the shit out of me like that, you're gonna give me a heart attack." You laughed, bandaging her knuckles softly.

"I know, but it's just such a pain in the ass that people think they can treat you like that. And not just you I mean everyone, why do people think they have the right to shout slurs at others just because they're slightly different to everyone else." Jackie vented, grasping tightly and releasing her other hand, to calm herself down.

"I don't know, pig-headedness I guess, or a nicer way of putting it, arrogance, or a less nice way of putting it, assholery." You shrugged off, finishing bandaging her hand, smoothing it off and kissing it softly. "But you can't go around punching people okay? We're adults now, and that's assault." You added.

"Yeah I know, still pretty cool though. I mean, like in the movies it is, but fuck they don't warn you how much it hurts." The blonde winced at the memory of the pain.

"True, but it's cause you had your thumb on the inside. You wanna punch someone really hard, you wrap your thumb around the outside, so the impact of the punch and having it on the inside could shatter your thumb." You stated, wrapping your own thumb around your hand, punching the palm of your other hand, giving off a loud smack.

"See?" You asked, flexing your hand, "No red marks and it didn't hurt."

"Ohhhhhh, that makes sense." She stated, "Although I wasn't really worried about hurting my hand, was more living up to my nickname then anything else." She added.

"Oh so you were trying to be my own person terminator or something?" You questioned, chuckling softly.

"Exactly like that. Your own personal terminator." Jackie giggled, looking at you softly.

"Well personally, I thought that was very sexy of you." You stated, leaning in closely.

"Oh did you now?" The blonde stated, leaning in closer, giggling softly.

"Mhm, very sexy, and you didn't even break a nail." You added, before closing the gap and kissing her deeply.

"I love you." She said, holding your head in her hands.

"I love you too." You replied, resting your hands over hers.

*****

Jesus Christ, it's finally done. This honestly took longer then expected and having no internet for 3 days really put a wrench in the works, but it's done and I hope you liked it. See you in the next one.

-Harlow

#Harlow (Lottie's Version) #original content #mine not yours #jackie taylor x reader #ella purnell #jackie taylor #yellow jackets #yellowjackets

[sweaterkittensahoy]

hey! if you’re still doing prompts—i saw how you said that you take on any ships sort of like a challenge and everything so may i offer you this incredible crackship: douglass/harding in which harding catches him with his ridiculous amount of rubbers and teaches him how to actually use it right

ignore this if u want, or change the ship if u prefer :)

[This grew feelings. I blame feelings.]

Douglass is on his third "welcome back from the dead" whiskey when Colonel Harding comes up to him at the bar and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Sir," Douglass greets.

"How you feeling, Douglass?" Harding asks. He's got a whiskey in his own hand, his cigar in the same hand. His hand lingers for another moment on Douglass's shoulder, then he takes his hand away so he can retrieve his cigar and take a drag. 

"Some bumps and bruises," Douglass says, "but the cuts are the worst of it, Sir."

Harding nods. "Good. Glad to hear it. He leans a little closer, his shoulder brushing Douglass's for a moment. "I do have a question regarding your personal effects, though."

"What's that, Sir?" Douglass asks. 

"Why in the hell do you have so many goddamn prophylactics in your footlocker?"

Douglass snorts whiskey up his nose. Harding gives him one sharp smack on the back as he wheezes. His vision and airways clear after a couple of moments, and he realizes they have an audience. Crosby and Blakely and Hambone and a few others. "Well, Sir," he says, and flashes Harding his most winning smile, "it's been awhile since I had leave."

The boys laugh, and Harding smirks as he sips his whiskey. "For fuck's sake, Douglass, pick a pretty face and get your dick wet before we can float your damn footlocker back to the States after the war."

Douglass leads the laughter this time. "Yes, Sir," he says. "If that's an order, I'll see if I can't trick Blakely right here into a little something tonight."

"I'm still not over the clap you gave me last time," Blakely retorts, which causes even more laughing. 

"Hell, I assumed he just never wears a rubber because the social disease eats through 'em before he even gets started," Hambone adds. 

As the boys keep roasting Douglass, he cuts a quick look to Harding, who takes another sip of his whiskey, then taps his glass three times. Douglass nods once, and Harding steps back away, giving them their space to celebrate again.

"I don't know how you kept laughing like that after the Colonel busted you for those rubbers," Crosby says a few minutes later. "I think I'd have drowned myself in my drink."

"That's where you and I are different, Croz," Douglass says, giving Crosby's a little shake. "I <em>glory</em> in being a pervert. You prefer to keep it between you and the missus," he waits for Crosby to take a sip of his drink before he adds, "And Bubbles."

Crosby spits out his drink. "He <em>told</em>?" he hisses.

Douglass stares. "No!" he says. He covers his mouth. "Holy shit, really?"

"Oh, god," Crosby says. 

"Hey, look, first of all, you know no one fucking cares, right?" Douglass asks. "Wait. I remembered who I'm talking to. So, okay, first of all, Croz, no one fucking cares. We're the fuckingest and suckingest base in the whole fucking ETO. But also, good for you. And Jean. And Bubbles, honestly. If it works, it works."

"I have to go throw myself into an engine," Crosby mutters, putting his hands over his face. "We're gonna–Jean wants to tell her family first, so there's no surprises."

"What? Like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Crosby?"

Crosby stares at him through his fingers. Douglass heaves a huge sigh. "Okay, that's a yes. So, look, I'm gonna go get your man to come and talk you down from this ledge, and then I'm gonna shut my fucking mouth until the two of you say a fucking word about it, got me?" 

"You love gossip," Crosby says. 

"Oh, I sure do," Douglass agrees. "But you're not the only one trying to figure out when to make a relationship official." Crosby glances at Blakely, which makes Douglass snort. "Nah. Love him like a brother." Crosby looks at Hambone. "Tried it. He bites harder than I like." Douglass watches as Crosby's eyes get impossibly wider. 

"Wait," Crosby whispers. "The Colonel and your foot locker and–"

"Yup," Douglass says, and it's nice to say it to someone, even if Crosby looks like he wants to crawl under the table and never talk to a human being ever again. "So, I know what you're up to, and you know what I'm up to, and we'll both keep our mouths shut until otherwise notified, yeah?"

"Yeah,' Crosby says. He clears his throat and sits up straight, dropping his hands from his face. "I mean, yeah. Obviously. You can trust me."

"I know," Douglass replies. It's true. Crosby's an overthinker, but he only talks too much about his own shit, not anyone else's. "Feel free to tell Bubbles if you want. Only seems fair."

"So, you're gonna tell–" Crosby presses his fingers to his mouth. "It's fine," he says after a moment. "I trust you, too."

"Great." Douglass stands and gives Crosby a grin, then walks over to Bubbles, who's caught in a conversation with a couple other navigators. Douglass doesn't know how the man is managing not to be at Crosby's right arm right now, but he supposes everyone's different when they witness a resurrection. "Crosby needs to talk to you, and for the record, I apologize if he's a little incoherent."

Bubbles gives him a look but doesn't ask, just walks over to Crosby. Douglass watches as Crosby whispers in Bubbles's ear, then watches Bubbles react without words, simply staring like Crosby must be crazy. Crosby nods sharply, and Bubbles laughs, then shrugs, then whispers something back to Crosby that has him laughing, too. 

Yeah, Douglass thinks as he slips out the door of the officer's club, those two and Jean will do just fine. 

He takes his time walking to his destination. He's going to be incredibly early when he gets there no matter, but it feels good to have the air on his face after what he's been through. The fear when they were hit, the crash, the sitting around and waiting for someone who could help them. Then coming back and finding out everyone had thought he'd died. Which, he doesn't blame them for assuming. Everyone saw them losing altitude in a fire fight. He'd have assumed the same. 

But still. 

He looks up at the sky, watching the patchy clouds move for a few seconds before he breathes out hard and looks towards his destination. It's Chick's hut, set a few yards behind the control tower. The lights are on, and Chick's outside, leaning next to the door and staring at the sky like Douglass just was. Douglass gives a low whistle, and Chick meets his gaze. He's mostly done with his cigar, but the ember is still bright on the end, and it shows him the upturned corner of Chick's mouth. 

"I said thirty minutes," Chick greets. 

"Didn't want to wait," Douglass replies. He doesn't stop walking until he can feel the warmth of Chick's body. He's usually a little more careful even though no one ever wanders this way at this time of day. Any possible interest in fucking on, in, or near the control tower is immediately doused by the fact that the CO's hut is within hearing distance. 

Chick takes the last drag of his cigar, and Douglass goes up on his toes, lifting his chin and opening his mouth. Chick holds his chin as he breathes the smoke against his lips, and Douglass feels wild and settled in equal measure. "Come on," Chick says, then just barely touches their mouths together. 

Douglass wants to grab him by his blouse and hold him still while he kisses him until neither of them remember their names. But he remembers their ranks, so he lets Chick open the door and gesture him inside. 

Chick's hut is as classically masculine as he is. A leather couch and chair in front of the wood stove. Simple, dark green curtains on the windows. A small table and two wooden chairs bought from a craftsman in the village next to a low bookcase full of novels and classics. The bed–an actual, real bed–done up in military green with a proper nightstand and dresser but tucked behind a wooden privacy screen that matches the table and chairs. His footlocker acts as the coffee table in front of the couch. There's a single bulb lighting up the whole hut from the middle, but there's also a standing lamp in one corner, angled to reflect the most light from the rafters of the hut, brightening the whole space.

"I thought about this," Douglass says as he looks around the space and notices the changes from just the last few days. There's clean laundry on one of the wooden chairs, and a brand new book on the footlocker. It has a bookmark in it. Chick hasn't gotten very far. 

"Thought about what?" Chick asks. He walks over to the bookcase. The top of it also serves as a small bar area. He opens the whiskey and pours a double-shot into two glasses, then carries them over to Douglass. 

"This," Douglass says, taking the glass with a nod. "The couch. The fire. Your books." He waggles his eyebrows at Chick. "Your bed."

Chick snorts. "Cheeky."

Douglass purses his lips in a kiss. "You've never complained. Not in here, at least."

Chick gives Douglass a considering look, then steps in close. "You were thinking of my quarters while you were crashing?" he asks. 

"Yeah," Douglass says. They've never said much about their relationship, not even to each other. But he's nearly died and was then presumed dead, and then walked back in to a resurrection welcome, and well, that makes a man consider things. "I was scared shitless, and I wanted to think of something safe." 

"Jim, goddamnit," Chick says, looking shattered. "You can't just say that sort of thing without warning." But there's a shaky smile at the corner of his mouth. 

"Well, our navigator shouldn't have steered us into a fucking tree, but here I am," Douglass replies, and the surprised laugh from Chick makes him feel good. 

Chick holds up his glass. "To making it back," he says. "I'm fucking glad."

"Me, too," Douglass agrees, and they tap their glasses together. He takes a sip of the whiskey, then steps forward so he can wrap an arm around Chick's waist. "Now," he says, "let's talk about why you know how many rubbers are in my foot locker."

"I do the final sign off on the inventory slips," Chick says. "I don't usually even read them. Kidd signs off before me, and I know he does. I'm just the final bit of red tape to get them sent. But…" He pauses for a long moment, but he doesn't look away from Douglass. Douglass doesn't look away from him. "I know some things about you, but I wondered what I was about to miss. So, I read it." 

Douglass can't help his chuckle. "And there they were. 200 rubbers."

Chick grins, wide and pleased, the way Douglass always tries to make him grin when they're together. "204, actually."

Douglass throws his head back and laughs. Chick cups the back of his neck like he doesn't want him to get too far away. "They <em>counted</em>?" he says. 

"Wouldn't want anyone to think we stole your rubbers," Chick replies. He leans down and kisses Douglass's Adam's apple. 

Douglass shivers and feels his knees go weak. "Chick," he whispers. Chick mouths his Adam's apple, and Douglass nearly drops his glass. "Fuck." A dragging kiss from his Adam's apple up his throat, across the underside of his chin, then onto his mouth. Douglass's whole body goes tight and wild, and then Chick slips his tongue into Douglass's mouth, and a hint of cigar smoke comes with it, and it's all Douglass can do not to tumble to the floor. 

Chick pulls away, but he keeps his hand on the back of Douglass's head. "Drink your whiskey. I'm taking you to bed."

Douglass nods, lets out a shaky breath, and slams his drink. He wouldn't usually. Chick's personal preference is above and beyond anything in the officer's club, but Chick is staring at him like he plans to eat him alive, and Jesus Christ, he's fucking <em>alive</em>.

Chick throws back his own drink, then takes Douglass's glass and sets them both on the footlocker. He turns back to Douglass and reels him in by the belt, kissing him messy and desperate, his dick hard against Douglass's own through their trousers. 

"Race you," Chick mumbles, and Douglass laughs as they shove each other away at the same time and see who ends up naked first. For all the difference in rank, it's the same amount of clothes, but Douglass has never actually beaten Chick at this silly game and doesn't mind that he loses now. 

"Come here," Chick says, stepping back towards the couch. He sits and reaches for Douglass, pulling him onto his lap. "Let me check on you."

Douglass bites back the urge to say he's fine. He is, really, but they've been doing this awhile, and Chick is just the type to check on bumps and bruises. "I told you," he says because he can't be silent on the matter, "the worst of it is on my face."

Chick makes a considering sound and lightly touches the bruises on Douglass's ribs. He finds the ones on his legs, and his chest, the little knot on his shoulder where he'd slipped and jammed into the bomb site. When he presses, Douglass hisses, and Chick pulls him in so he can kiss where he's caused pain. 

"Softie," Douglass murmurs against Chick's ear. 

Chick smacks his hip, which makes Douglass laugh, and then he checks the rest of the bruises. Once he's satisfied Douglass is just fine, he grabs Douglass's ass in both hands and squeezes hard. "How do you want it?" he asks. 

"How do you want it?" Douglass replies. Chick's fingers dig in, one finger just brushing his hole. Douglass arches forward and bites Chick's lower lip. Chick responds by smacking his hip again. 

"I don't want to hurt you, but I want to give you whatever you want," Chick says, mouth pressed against Douglass's ear. "I always want to give you what you want."

Douglass groans and presses his lips against Chick's temple. "Fuck me," he says. "Fuck me so long and hard I feel fucking alive."

Chick holds Douglass's face in his hands and stares into his eyes for a long, unstoppable moment. "You're alive, Jim."

Douglass feels something tight and hot tie up in his chest, and all he can do is nod. Chick presses his thumbs to the corners of Douglass's mouth, and then the corners of his eyes, and then he drops his hands to Douglass's thighs just under his ass and stands up from the couch, Douglass held secure in his grip. 

And the fear and terror and death wipe away, and he's Jim again. Chick's Jim. Because his parents call him James, and his friends call him Jimmy, and brothers' in arms call him Douglass. And it's Chick, only Chick who calls him Jim. And Chick's name is Neil, but it's not. Not to Jim. Who saw him in a London pub two days before Harding showed up as Thorpe's Abbot CO and said, "My name's Neil, but my call sign's Chick," and Douglass, bombardier to Blakely's pilot, had laughed that of all the men to meet that night, he'd met a fucking pilot.

Chick lays him on the bed and nuzzles his neck, then his chest, then his belly. He grips Jim's thighs hard before he pushes them open, and Jim arches his back at the way the touch goes through him. 

Chick splays a hand wide on Jim's chest before reaching over to the side table. Jim touches Chick's jaw before he can move more and uses a single finger under his chin to lead him up to his mouth. 

They share a shivery kiss, Jim cheating by licking the corner of Chick's mouth, which always drives him wild, and then Chick breaks aways. He comes back for one more, brief kiss, and then he actually turns his head like he has to or else he'll just kiss Jim again.

Jim tilts his chin upwards and smiles at the rafters in the ceiling. His skin is buzzing with <em>being alive</em>, and then Chick drops the open tin of Vaseline next to Jim's ribs, and he arches in anticipation of what's next. 

Chick isn't coy. He rubs two fingers over Jim's hole in a rough caress, and then works both fingertips in at the same time. Jim gasps and grunts, then grabs tight at Chick's wrist before he can pull out. Chick grins, leaning down to kiss Jim's stomach, and then works his fingers in another inch.

"Fucking take me, Sir," Jim says, then laughs when Chick uses his free hand to drag his nails down Jim's thigh. "You're so fucking easy," Jim adds and pushes himself up with his arms. Chick shifts his weight and lifts his hand off Jim's thigh so can can wrap his arm around Jim's lower back and hold him in place for a hot, desperate kiss as he pushes his fingers in another inch. 

Jim sees stars and grabs Chick's bicep. His other hand he uses to cup Chick's face and deepen their kiss. 

They spend several minutes kissing, Chick methodically working his fingers deeper into Jack. When his fingertips press hard on Jim's prostate, he whines and falls back onto the bed. He clenches his muscles around Chick's fingers and groans loudly when Chick leans down to drag his stubble along Jim's dick.

"Please," Jim grits out, pulling at Chick's hair because he can cup his head and clench his fingers. 

Chick chuckles and kisses Jim's slit. "Not enough for you?" His voice is a delicious rumble, low and vibrating. 

But Jim's not easily swayed into admitting what he wants. "I've got 204 rubbers in my footlocker," he says. "I can find someone." He laughs and jerks when Chick rubs against his prostate with unquestionable intent, then pulls his fingers out with perfect roughness. 

"Don't you dare," Chick growls.

Jim watches Chick scoop up Vaseline and grease up his dick. "Well, get on with it," he goads as the fact that he's alive sings across his nerves and Chick's sharp, threatening look of getting fucked into the ground heightens the feeling of it all. 

Chick grabs Jim's hips and lifts him into his lap. He lets go of Jim's left hip for just enough time to line his dick up with Jim's hole, and then he pushes in, hissing through his teeth as Jim grunts and reaches out to grab Chick's forearms and keep him as close as possible as Chick starts to fuck him hard and deep and beautiful. 

Jim pants as Chick fucks him, staring into his eyes as Chick refuses to look away. Jim feels taken apart in a same but different way as he was contemplating his mortality the day before in the fort. The adrenaline is the same. The want is different. Dropping to his death the day before, the want was to survive. Being fucked now, Chick leaning forward with his arms on either side of Jim's head, Jim wants to survive and survive and <em>survive</em>. 

He groans, and it turns into a sound he's never made in his life. A combination of being alive and needing to know he's alive and feeling in every pore how alive he is. Chick sucks hard at his Adam's apple, then kisses his neck and his cheek and finally his mouth. 

"Come on," Chick says into Jim's mouth. "Make a mess."

Jim grabs Chick's shoulders and holds on. He presses his hips upward and whines when Chick grabs his ass and holds him in place so his cock rubs over Chick's stomach again and again. 

"Make a mess," Chick says again. "Make a mess, Jim." 

He comes even as Chuck keeps fucking him at the same tempo. Relentless and perfect and devastating until he pushes his mouth against Jim's ear and comes. 

Jim wraps an arm around Chick's head and holds him close. Chick's own hands press perfectly into Jim's hips as they pant into each other's ears. 

"I thought–" Chick swallows loudly in JIm's ear. 

"Me, too," Jim admits. He digs his nails into Chick's scalp and kisses his temple. "I…" he can't finish the thought, not when they're wrapped up so close. 

Chick breathes in and out. He uses one hand to press Jim gently to the right so they can share a kiss, and as it happens, he pulls out. "Shh," he says when Jim whimpers at the loss. 

"Stay. Stay," Jim says. Something he always wants to say but never has. But he survived his own death yesterday, so he feels like it's okay.

Chick kisses his mouth and his cheek and his collarbone. "Jim," he says. 

"I love you," Jim blurts because it's been caught behind his ribs since he realized he was going to live. "I know we agreed this was a fuck and suck–"

"Hush," Chick replies and his kiss is gentle but certain. "Jesus, when I thought I'd lost you," he murmurs against Jim's mouth, then carefully brushes his thumbs over each of the cuts on Jim's face. 

Jim stares at the rafters and breathes slow and deep. He rubs his hands up and down Chick's back. "Hambone puts those rubbers in my foot locker," Jim says. "He thinks I don't know it's him, but I saw him do it once. It makes him laugh."

"I don't fucking care," Chick says and presses kisses to Jim's chest and arms. 

"It's been rough," Jim says, the closest he can come to admitting the war's fucking exhausting. "And it kept making him laugh."

Chick is taking over his entire line of sight suddenly, so close Jim can't see anything else. "I didn't think you had them to fuck around on me," he says. "If you'd be using them, there'd be less."

And Jim laughs, brash and loud and maybe a little uneven, but it's genuine, and it makes Chick smile at him. They kiss again, slow and easy. But Jim's never been the type who can let something land on soft ground, so when they pull apart, he gives Chick his brashest grin and says, "Hey, so did you know Crosby and Bubbles and Mrs. Jean Crosby are fucking?"

"You might have the worst pillow talk in the entire Air Army," Chick mutters, and Jim laughs and laughs and pulls him as close as he possibly can. When he calms down, Chick is smiling at him like he's wonderful, and Jim takes his chance. "Would you tell everyone about us?"

Chick pushes Jim's curls off his forehead. "Would you tell me you love me?" he asks. 

"I love you," Jim answers instantly. 

Chick kisses Jim on the mouth. "I love you," he replies. It's the first time they've ever said it, but it feels exactly right. Honest but sharp, a little mercenary even. "But at least let me have you all to myself for the rest of the night."

Jim laughs and presses his face into Chick's neck. "Okay," he says. "That feels fair."

#douglassharding #smut #mentioned crubbles #mentioned jeancrubbles #masters of the air #prompt fill #oh this one had a whole journey #james douglass #chick harding

[thebroccolination]

Did Win ever try to distance himself from Team in the novel?

No, he didn’t!

In the novel, he takes Team to his parents’ house, which he’ll also do in the series. They talk about it a little bit, but the focus is mainly on how Win takes care of Team. The narrative doesn’t really spend much time on how it affected Win mentally, which I really always hoped the series would do. And IT WILL!

The novel and the series are probably going to diverge pretty dramatically at this point, I’d say, at least in terms of WinTeam’s relationship dynamic and pacing.

Their relationship in the novel isn’t as clearly communicated as it is in the series, so it makes sense that they’ve been developing feelings faster and more deeply than their novel counterparts. Like, Team’s main source of confusion with Win in the novel basically ended in this episode.

The song Win and Team are listening to in the beginning of the episode seems to be a reference to the song Team plays for Win in the novel called, “What Am I to You?” Later, when he’s in Win’s bathroom, Team tells himself that Win must treat everyone the way he’s treating Team. That’s basically the whole crux of Team’s internal conflict when it comes to his relationship with Win in the novel: Team doesn’t know where he or especially Win stands emotionally.

In the series, however, Win and Team start out with clear communication, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t suffer from the same struggles as they did in the novel. In this episode, Team outright asks Win to be exclusive for the time being, and Win explicitly agrees. Then, when Team tries to tell himself he’s not special, Win tells him ten minutes later that he is treating Team differently, but that he doesn’t know how he feels yet. And he asks for time that Team is willing to give him. (They’re running circles around their novel selves.)

I really, really like that they’ve chosen to incorporate Win’s fear of being alone into the drowning incident. Because his trauma could go so much deeper if he spirals for too long. A lot of almost-couples at their current stage don’t think about their partner’s mortality, but Win is probably going to be extra aware of it for a very long time. He’s the only reason Team is alive, and he almost didn’t make it in time. In the most recent chapter (16) of Hemp Rope, Team’s narration mentions that while on holiday, Win forbade Team from swimming alone because he doesn’t trust him yet. So I really, really like that the series seems to be leaning hard into how this affected him as well as Team. (They definitely needed to give Win more to do for Boun’s sake if not the larger narrative itself. He doesn’t really struggle too much in the novel.)

I’ve been really happy with the series’ treatment of Win so far. He’s never had anything to lose before. And he’s given everything he has to Team so willingly and so quickly, it makes sense that he’d panic now and back away. Because it’s not just that Team might die—he will, eventually. And since, as Wan said, Win has a habit of overthinking, it’s entirely possible that he’s dreading the long-term, too. He knows he’ll lose Team one way or another someday, voluntarily or not, and in the immediate aftermath watching Team nearly die in front of him, of course he’d think he can save his heart by shutting Team out. It’s a trauma response.

Aaaaand I think that means we finally have our answer to what this scene is:

Heeeehehehehehe next week is gonna be ROUGH.

I’M READY GIVE ME SIX PLEASE.

#kiranokira answers #winteam #between us #between us the series #between us ep 5