#shaggy essays

[hassledvania]

Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is Unfortunately Mid!

Looking at the last Scooby Doo film for now! An interesting take but an unfortunate step back!

#Velma #Cyber Ghost #review #video essay #Shaggy #hex girls #Youtube

[katsu-curry835]

This is a nuance I want noted because I’ve seen it crop up around the new Velma show and it’s bothered me for quite a while. Just because the show changed the characters to have different personalities and dynamics is not inherently *bad*.

Of course, if those changes aren’t handled properly, you can end up with a poor result. I’d argue that *that* is the reason Velma is bad for most people not because they got rid of Scooby.

For example, the character of Dracula, as written by Bram Stoker, has a very specific characterisation. Since the release of that novel, Dracula has taken on many different forms in media. The Castlevania series on Netflix takes a dark angle on Dracula; what if he lost his wife in a world rife with misogynistic witch burnings? Would he hate humanity and this wage war? Contrast this with how Dracula is portrayed in the Hotel Transylvania movies. He’s much more lively, he has a different family tree and he looks completely different. These interpretations, however, are still of the same character. They are miles apart but both have a thumbprint on the mythos of how we perceive Dracula. You may prefer one to the other, in fact, you probably do; I don’t really like the Hotel Transylvania version too much especially when compared to Castlevania’s interpretation. But neither are wrong because they’re different.

Now let’s apply this logic to Velma. All four of the main cast have changed personalities and Scooby is removed. That’s not bad in and of itself they are just different *versions* of those characters. I understand that most people don’t like the show for other reasons and that’s fair but I see this narrative show up again and again with reference to adaptations. Just because you don’t like how the character was changed doesn’t make it a bad thing that it was changed. It just means you don’t like it. And that’s valid. But the notion of “disrespect to the source material” as legitimate criticism is nonsense. It’s just spite manifesting itself as critique. There is a whole universe of ideas and concepts out there; there isn’t only one right way to do things. The source material isn’t holy, it’s just one of those ways of doing things

That being said Velma is still bad I just hate people pretending it’s because Fred isn’t a himbo and because Shaggy is black.

#velma show #hbo velma #scooby doo #castlevania #count dracula #daphne blake #fred jones #shaggy rogers #velma dinkley #mystery incorporated #i could write a whole essay on this

[klaviergavinwiki]

I'M SO FUCKING MAD ABOUT WHAT THEY DID TO FRED LIKE I KNOW I ALREADY MADE A POST ABOUT THIS BUT I'M SO MAD I'M SO MAD I'M SO FUCKIING

#I'M SO FUCKING MAD #listen i am not like DEEPLY entrenched in the scooby doo franchise but i could write an essay on how overlooked and underloved fred is #he's both shaggy AND daphne's himbo arm candy he has two hands #and iiiii love him!!!!!

[l0vegl0wsinthedark]

Zoom In.

Muggle AU, professor of 18C literature and poetry Draco, celebrity Harry ✨️

~

Violet was the first to log in - again. In the minutes before class began - in the "waiting room" - while she stared at her blank screen, it felt like the only real few moments she truly had to herself.

She spent all those moments, like so many others, thinking about Professor Malfoy.

To every single straight girl, and the singular gay guy, in class, Professor Malfoy was prime wank material. Violet hadn't known her classmates to be as desperate for a good word on their assignments from any other professor. To think homework would feature so high on the to-do lists of some of the biggest lunkheads she knew...there was definitely something about him, that Professor Malfoy.

She could see the appeal. The eerily pale eyes, hair, and skin made to appear warmer by the fluffy jumpers - all in elegant shades of scarlet, burgundy, emerald, wine, golden yellow - he wore over crisply ironed button-downs and tailored trousers; the way he used his hands when he talked, long fingers like a pianist's; the slim golden spectacles he was constantly misplacing on his own head, the rich precision with which he pronounced the olde names and subjects that he spoke of - it was very difficult not to admire Professor Malfoy.

All of that, but nobody really knew much about him outside of uni.

They'd switched to virtual classes a week ago; hurrah for the new pandemic. The idea that she didn't have to sit in class with her tittering classmates, a stray cough sounding now and again, made Violet automatically sit up straighter and smile, just as the little boxes on her screen began popping into life.

"Aaaayyyy!"

"Tell me we don't need to have our faces on display."

"So, yes, before anyone asks: this is a real lip ring. An actual piercing. Yeah, I'm not blowing you, Greg, sod off."

"Is Professor Malfoy on?"

"No, I don't see him here yet. Did he grade your essay?"

"Yo, can someone please tell me how to turn this camera off, I am smashed out my--"

"Click on the camera icon, Bryan--"

"It's not even noon, what d'you mean "smashed"?

"No, you've turned off your mic. No, we cannot hear you screaming."

"First icon on the bottom left," Violet said, rolling her eyes.

And then Professor Malfoy was in class.

There was a beat of silence before everyone called out greetings, a chaotic round of cheerful hello's that nobody could quite make sense of. Least of all Professor Malfoy.

He was peering into his screen, his slim nose scrunched.

"All right, so I can see me. Can you?"

Cacophonic confirmations.

"Okay, so nobody can see or hear me. Right."

More shrill reassurances. One loud beer-belch.

"Damn it all to hell, I knew this would happen, I told him that I'll need--"

"We can see you!" shrieked Preiti.

"We can hear you!" Nora bellowed.

But Professor Malfoy was already twisting around in his chair, scowling heavily, and screaming, "OY! COME IN HERE, YOU MISERABLE WANKER!"

Violet, along with her classmates, just stared in mystified silence. The professor never spoke like that. He ticked them off if they did.

A tall figure in a too big hoodie appeared suddenly, hissing back at Professor Malfoy. There was a golden lion printed on the maroon jacket. The hood was drawn in close, and Violet could just barely make out the light from the computer screen glinting off a pair of round glasses, on which a shaggy fringe of dark hair fell.

"You need to turn the volume up. Git," said the stranger. "Your camera's already on."

"I hate technology," Professor Malfoy seethed.

"You hate so much else. I'm getting fish and chips." The man was already walking off.

"I want mushy peas too, with mine."

"What kind of sick bastard." The room door was shut with a thud.

"Sorry about all that. We are now officially in session," Professor Malfoy said, smiling and restoring his glasses upon his nose. "Do you all have--?"

There was a muffled shout from somewhere behind the professor. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Professor Malfoy called back, "No. No, I don't want a curry dipping sauce."

There was more muffled yelling.

"Harry, get out right now!" shrieked Professor Malfoy, and Violet, along with the others, just ogled.

Malfoy sighed. "Sorry 'bout that. Just my idiot husband."

"You're married?!" Violet had asked before she could stop herself.

Professor Malfoy sighed, flipping open a thick, spiral bound folder. "Yes. You've heard of Harry Potter, I'm sure. He's the poor idiot I married."

#my writing #drarry #professor malfoy

[youryanderedaddy]

Are you still writing about Edgar?

Yeah but I yassified him (he's evil now) (well, more evil)

tw: female reader, non - con, cockwarming, snuff (watching), threats, captivity, abuse, hinted murder (not reader), degradation

My Ko - fi <3

You shudder, leaning back against his hard shoulders. You can feel the hot sweat sticking to your skin and you want to scratch at your body in a desperate attempt to feel yourself clean and proper again - but this isn’t an option when you’re so stuffed you feel like your insides are going numb. Of course this doesn’t stop the killing machine taking the appearance of a man from pounding into you even harder, short staccato thrusts that leave you breathless. You’re starting to notice the pattern - he’s slow in the beginning while you still have energy to keep up and gets meaner and meaner, bullying his way into your cervix as you get tired and sloppy.

“Keep your eyes on the fucking screen.” Edgar hisses in your ear with one meaty fist wrapped around your throat tight like a leash. Your legs are spread as far as they can go without dislocating, and despite all his hushed threats that leave you gagging, you still want them intact at the end of the torture session. You blink through the thick tears glued to your eyelashes and make an effort to focus on what’s happening on the small black and white TV. There is a girl. She’s screaming. She’s bleeding. A big buff guy with a chainsaw is taunting her - and you tell yourself it’s just a movie; it’s all fake. The blood, the cruel laughter, the scorching screams, the shivers they send down your spine. Such good actors, you think. Certainly better than you would be had you been in their shoes. 

“That’s the best part.” The killer whispers down your ear as his hand tightens around your neck, cutting your air supply for a good few seconds - and while you’re choking on your own spit, you can feel his member throb inside you, wet with pre - cum. Suddenly your heart starts beating faster inside your chest as if trying to break out of your ribcage, and you make the mistake of looking up. Perhaps you’re looking for some type of human warmth, for a smile, a reassuring glare, a dimple or even an automatic twitch of approval at the corner of his lips - but all you’re met with is the same old black porcelain mask along with a pair of cold dead eyes staring back at you, completely empty. Devoid of anything, but sadistic animal pleasure at your expense. 

“You’re not fucking looking, slut.” The man growls, agitated, reaching to slap you across the face. It stings, but you barely feel it, too overwhelmed to care about pain at this point. But eventually his deep, domineering voice registers in your head and you obey automatically, turning your head back at the screen. “That’s a good girl.” He coos at you, but such gentle words sound unnatural coming from him - he twists them. He fucks with them and messes them up, making a mockery out of the sweetness, manipulating intimacy in the way he knows would hurt the most, so when he hits you again, you can actually feel it.

On the tape you can make out certain blurry moments - there is a rather artistic close - up of the woman’s eye being torn out, making her chapstick - red lips curl up in an almost theatrical fashion, and if you didn’t know the creator of the film yourself, you would have fully believed it was just an overdramatic slasher movie meant to scare over - curious teenagers, locked in their mom’s basement. You can recall a long forgotten essay you had just started way before you were stolen away never to be seen again, about the objectifying sexual gaze in old horror flicks. You want to laugh, because it’s funny - but you don’t, because it’s also incredibly fucking sad. 

In the next moment his left hand is entangled into your shaggy, loosened locks, pulling at your scalp, and you moan, even when you know that to Edgar pain and pleasure mean all the same, look the same, sound the same - so how could he ever make out a difference? So you don’t blame him when he sinks his teeth into your throat and pumps himself inside you, bouncing your body up and down on his cock just like a toy, only slightly more human than a fleshlight. You can feel yourself growing wet and you look down just to make sure you’re still capable of such devine human feeling, but it’s yet another trap. 

It’s his fingers. They’re long and bloody, curling up inside your tight slippery hole. You hold back the sigh of relief, because it’s obviously not your blood - yet your eyebrows narrow. You can’t help but wonder who was the miserable fucker who died for you to not have a painful dry fuck for the first time in weeks, but you don’t let yourself dwell on the topic, because you’d rather die than let your captor see you cry for the second time.

“K-keep looking.” The murderer groans, short of breath, growing soft inside you - but of course he doesn’t pull out or even move away like the sadistic fuck he is. You’re not sure if he’s looking at you looking at the woman with her head decapitated and the knife sticking out her naked chest, or if he’s just blissed out and dissociating into space. Edgar pulls on his sweaty white shirt, and the only evidence of his humanity left - his lust, manifests as redness on his neck and white stars in his empty eyes. 

“You just twitched.” He purrs with a certain boyish giddiness to his usually husky voice, letting his hands grope at your open trembling thighs, caressing the old healed scars on your battered skin. “It’s because I’m fucking scared–” You try to argue, but the panic settles at the back of your throat like a massive, sticky lump of fear and you just can’t continue with whatever you wanted to say. Your voice is hoarse and tired anyways - why even try at this point? It always ends the same. 

“That means you’re getting used to it.” Edgar grins, stroking his chin as if he is deep in thought. Then he laughs with that nasty little chuckle that you now associate with pink razors and pins, and sometimes needles. “You used to fucking piss yourself at those helloween movies for kids.” He kisses your neck, pulling you closer into a bear hug, and you wonder if he’s intentionally squeezing all your vital organs in. “Now you’re getting off to my old tapes like a fucking snuff bunny. I’m proud of you, baby.” His mask falls on the ground, revealing his face. It’s the same as usual - evil and bloody. 

“Just don’t get too used to it, m’kay?” The killer smiles coldly, but his eyes remain just as lifeless as five seconds ago. He pinches your nose playfully, and your heart drops into your stomach. “Because soon enough you might just find yourself at the other end of it all.” He squints, his sides heating up with perverse excitement. “And I’d hate for you to make a boring actress.”

#yandere #yancore #male yandere #yandere smut #male yandere x reader #yandere oneshot #yandere male x reader #yandere x you #yandere oc #yandere oc x reader #tw non con

[robotpussy]

damon albarn literally just has shaggy hair, a hoop earring and light eyes whose biggest rock hit was making fun of grunge and then got even more popular by voicing a blue haired tank girl reject character and is the one white guy who introduced ppl like thundercat and grace jones and del la soul to white people who think talking heads make "weird music" when really all they were doing was just dancing funnily over funky bass lines and Hamilton is the pinnacle of rap he is not special lauryn hill on the other hand.... literally the pinnacle of beauty, if you were to ask me to show what beauty was all I would have to do is bring up a image of Lauryn hill. she doesn't need essays to prove she is beautiful all you need are your eyes!

#like shes pretty! thats beauty! i dont need to say anymore!

[cryptiduni]

…i just saw this poll and my unevolved brain gel wriggled inside my cranium like a feral fish:

idk how you look at his official art and call him conventionally attractive. my man looks like a wet dog and has eyebags for daysss. face full of pox scars, skin pale af, and those shaggy ass hair & a rugged beard hanging from his flat long face.

he is pretty *to me* but like dude???

—not exactly a heartthrob boy band material is he?

obv I wouldn’t call him “misunderstood baby uwu” if we are talking a little more seriously —but to be fair jean is having possibly the worst week of his life. the car? fucking sunk. case? unsolved. not to mention his close partner (who is also an ass mind you) doesn’t even remember him, already running around with a new one.

yeah he is absolutely foul and aggressive and degrading harry but like i said before (in my tag essay lol) judit also makes ableist comments and i don’t see people hating her because she’s outwardly nice—

and respects harry as her superior. her BOSS.

(also a friend with benefits? /nope, it’s just him harassing judit/ as well but not as a complicated relationship compared jean and harry’s brötherbund. only a few months of acquaintanceship.)

plus it’s highhlyyy likely that harry is not the only one substance abuse. —look at jean’s rudolf-looking-red-ass-nose. a drunkard’s sniffers. probably had few lines with him late at night… when your lifetime partner is an alcoholic it's hard to say no.

about the left for dead thing, they left because harry told them to fuck off. tbh harry is nightmare to work with esp pre-bender. (and am saying as a pathetic little unmedicated neurodivergent woman.)

but when the second time they left revachol was not jean’s fault, and it was judit’s suggestion anyway. the squad probably thought that since harry had someone a little more responsible looking after him. it will be fine when they come back. the tribunal was absolutely unaccounted for.

yet despite all of these things, he will try to come back to make sure he is ok and accommodate harrier to the best of his abilities which is wearing very thin. look at him trying to make up to our harry boy:

anyways am incapable of writing coherent thoughts (even though i want to talk about it for hours) that make sense so go look at sygneth’s jean psychological analysis instead. it is an excellent read. please go read.

#op might wanna get their eyes or head checked lol. they looked at a little too much fanart. #+do not interact with the original poll. don’t look it up. it’s not worth it. don't give it traction. don't attract drama. #am sure op is just a troll. prob barely spent any time playin/readin DE. not that i am that much media literate but still... #i am sure there are things i left out. oh well... #i know that you need high EDC build run or lotta reading to understand so his “lore” so is kinda gatekept-- #but it’s frustrating to see shit takes like this lmaoo #also don’t get me wrong i like judit. she is a tired working woman w/ a pathetic husband + 2x children. she just wanna grab jean & go home. #p.s stella as in stella from ‘‘helluva boss’’. idk didn’t like its S2 i think she coulda been more complex character. #but not everything needs to be deep and meaningful i guess. simple villains are ok. #her anger is justified towards her husband’s infidelity but she’s kind of a dumb royal brat. esp in s2. just calls of his assassination rig #heron vs secretary #angry bird vs angry bird shit fr beuh #disco elysium #jean vicquemare #jean posting #jean heron vicquemare #loyal is the he… #no. am not tagging HB or stella. #kinda long #longish post #cryptid rambles

[ladyelissarose]

‘I See You’ 

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x high school teacher female reader

No use of ‘Y/n’ but is referred as Miss or as teacher

Summary; As a high school teacher, sometimes the grading of terribly written homework or trying to teach rowdy teenage students was more than hard. You’d always arrive looking very put together and tidy up, but after the bell rang, you look like a hurricane swept you away. So to drain out your especially long week, and to feel a little boost of self confidence, you take it upon yourself to drink all negativity away at the Hard Deck, hoping it’ll do the job for you. And in your attempt to feel good about yourself and to impress a certain aviator that caught your eye, you make an unnecessary choice, that leaves you almost in shambles. Until this aviator comes around to pick you up, and tell you you’re enough.

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, lots of drinking and flirting, slight humiliation (not from Jake!) some angst, but mostly fluff and two idiots who fall in love!! Kind of a slow burn... LONG ASS ONE-SHOT

“Alright class- Benjamin sit down please- oh god! Jamie your pencil isn’t a cigarette stop trying to lit that up- where did you even- ugh... just give me the lighter please.”

 You walk towards the back of your classroom of high school 10th graders and take away a small lighter that Jamie happened to bring in. You then eyed for Benjamin to take his seat along with a quick snap to your fingers at Corrie and Hailey who kept whisper gossiping about who knows what. Finally when your class seemed to get it together and finally listen, you felt ready to explain the day’s plans as simply as possible, so they all wouldn’t have an excuse for missing anything. Once you stood at your desk, which was small and white, had a pile of turned in homework that Friday morning along with your laptop and a few nick-knacks, you leaned against it as you began,

  “Alright class... today we’ll be doing something different. You’ve all worked hard on your past assignments and essays, so I thought I’d give you all a treat-“

  Damion then raised his hand while bouncing his leg up and down rapidly,

You stopped your announcement and kindly glanced at the black haired, hazel eyed boy as you asked nicely,

  “Yes Damion?”

He put his hand down to now scratch his shaggy hair as he put forth a question,

 “Is food going to be involved-“

You immediately raised your hand to stop him,

 “Nope! Not when you guys are prone to start large food fights in my classroom. Last pizza party was disastrous and I will not allow another chance for it again.”

 You remember clearly that food-war-zone day, you had left your classroom for about 5 minutes just to pick up the ice cream you had bought them from the lunch room, when you came back let’s just say a grenade of pizza sauce had exploded in the room. You understood that kids were messy and crazy, but not to this level. It’s took hours to clean it all up yourself, you didn’t dare want to punish them and make them stay and clean it, because you didn’t want problems with their parents (who weren’t always the nicest.) You then promised yourself that you’d never again bring food back into your classroom, no matter how many times they begged for it.

 You then added to your speech,

  “Now for the rest of you, please wait till I finish then you ask questions.”

 In sync your little gremlins all replied while looking at little sad at the mention of not having a pizza party,

 “Yes Missss.”

Smiling proudly to yourself you then continued,

  “So to cut to the chase sense you all seem a little anxious today, I have invited special guests to join us. A couple of Naval Aviators from here in Fighter Town are coming over to share with us their experience as Aviators. It took a lot of time for me to convince them that it’ll help us understand their work and it’s purpose. The learning of responsibility and obedience. So, If any of you have questions, you may ask them, but PLEASE... please be polite. They have hard jobs and have more than enough to tolerate already with their superiors and co-workers... and they don’t need more of that especially from students like you. So again I ask, be polite, reflect who we are as a classroom of World History, and learn something.”

 You gave them all a reassuring smile before adding lastly,

  “Any questions- oh yes Thomas?”

Thomas flipped his black gel pen in hand as he commented,

  “Do we look like kindergarteners to you? I mean respectfully, cause I thought only elementary did like... that kind of stuff.”

 A frown found your face but you shook it off as quickly as possible, not wanting to appear hurt or offended by your class. You really felt that this would be a great experience for them. It was different and really cool all at once, your uncle was a Naval Aviator, and the dream to always be like him fascinated you, but because of your really short height, you obviously didn’t pass. And soon that passion grew into the dream of becoming a professor. But that never changed the way you felt and appreciated about the Navy all in one. With your hands fiddling behind your back nervously you replied,

  “I know you all are very intelligent and are in a higher level of education, but... I feel that today’s experience will let you all feel relaxed... believe me when I say you won’t regret it.. now they‘ll be here in a few-“

 Knock Knock Knock!!

A soft gasp left your lips as you signaled the class,

  “That must be them, stay seated please, and be nice. Let me talk to them for a minute.”

 You naturally fixed your hair and made sure your dress was respectfully fixed well before opening the door to the most handsome man you have ever seen in your entire life.

 ‘Oh my god he’s charming! - ok get it together... you’re a teacher for crying out loud.’

 With the best smile you could offer when feeling now super nervous and sorta shy, you beamed with your hand stretched out,

  “Good afternoon sir.”

The tall, blond aviator who wore a green flight suit that was decorated with different patches and wore his flight vest over, sported the grandest grin while flashing his perfect white teeth. He grasped your hand gently but firmly as he let his green jaded orbs rest on yours, his voice was sweet but steady, kind of had a southern accent to it as he introduced himself,

  “Good afternoon, Miss. I’m Lieutenant Jake Seresin... and these two behind me are my wing buddies.”

 Jake let your hand go and you held it against your chest, missing his warmth and feeling, and ignoring the way you felt a spark hit from the second you touched him. You watched him attentively as he pointed to two other aviators that had arrived, another tall aviator that had the cutest mustache that suited him perfectly, he had calm hazel eyes and a warm smile, he wore beige Khakis that had a few medals of different awards on his chest along with a shining, gold pin of wings on top of them. And next to him stood a female, who had the most beautiful smile and homey brown eyes, she stood tall but relaxed in her very well pressed, dress blues, and in her hand she held her Dixie cap, 

  ‘How elegant.’

You thought, as you approached the two other aviators with a welcoming hand shake to each,

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The mustache aviator shook your hand next as he introduced,

  “You too Miss, I’m Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw.”

 He made you feel at ease and comfortable, with his kind and soft tone. Then you turned to the beautiful brunette as you did the same,

  “Such a pleasure ma’am.”

“Likewise Miss, I’m Lieutenant Natasha Trace. I love your dress by the way.”

She ended her sentence with a wink that made you feel appreciated and flustered. You looked down at your simple Navy blue dress that rested at your knees. You tried not to stutter as you replied,

  “T-Thank you, Lieutenant.”

She sent you a firm but kind nod, then you turned back to the door of your classroom as you began,

  “Alright Lieutenants, so I was just hoping you can maybe explain your field of work, and hopefully answer some questions they might ask?”

 Bradley nodded approvingly before asking,

  “How long do we have?”

You glanced at your watched before replying,

  “As long as your willing to be here, class ends at 3:30, it’s barley 2. So from here till then all the time is yours if you want to stay till it ends or go early, either is fine.”

 Jake smiled proudly as he checked with Bradley,

  “We could do till 3:30 right?”

Natasha replied for Bradley,

“Oh yeah, Mav said we could have the day.”

 Bradley’s eyes lit while turning to look at you,

  “We’ll be staying till the bell rings.”

You almost jump with joy but stay planted on the ground with a bright smile instead,

“Great! Come on in please.”

 You then lead them inside of your classroom, confident to know that your classroom will be still sitting in their chairs, looking quiet and obedient, but instead you find a WWE match going on. Jensen and George are standing on their desk and trying to aim for a first punch while steadying their feet on their wobbly desks. Some of your student are cheering them on while a couple others are filming it, most of the girls seem to be huddled up in a corner chatting loudly and lastly, your computer sits open at your desk with a couple of your boys on it. You knew that your students were the craziest in the entire school, sense 9th grade all the teachers knew it, and warned you that for some reason they all were just rowdy and not always the best listeners. You’ve heard that they’ve been through many teachers and substitutes, all who could never stand them, and left because they couldn’t tolerate them, so it was a shock to them when you took the classroom under your wing, and faithfully been there for the past 4 months, while others only last a school week or less. You could feel the hurt and disappointment clutching your heart almost immediately at the sight, but before you could say anything, a sharp whistle came from behind you along with a set of simple words,

  “Can I have your attention please?”

You faced the source of the voice, Natasha was the one who spoke up after Bradley whistled. Your class filled with quick ramblings and all of them ushered themselves to their respectful seats, (Jensen fell off his desk and you were quick to run and help him up after you saw that everyone ignored him, but Jake grasped your upper arm and held you in place, without saying a word.) You didn’t dare move after his touch left you, and you all waited till the classroom was quiet and orderly. After a few seconds you spoke up to the Lieutenants, you eyes locked on Natasha’s because she was the female here, and Jake made you too shy as nervous, while with Bradley well, nothing was wrong with him, he’s perfect, but sense Natasha was the female there, she made you feel more open and forward as you apologized,

  “I’m sincerely sorry for this welcoming, we talked about this.”

 Jake shook his head no at you, looking reassuring as he directly told the classroom,

 “It’s not your Teachers fault, that you children don’t listen. She’s a fine woman, we can see it, so please, learn from her... can we do that?”

 The classroom nodded their heads attentively, all while gawking at them three like if they were celebrities. You saw their reaction and felt a little joy come over the upset feeling you had, and even more when Chad asked,

  “How many more different uniforms do you guys have? Their pretty cool.”

Jake beamed proudly as the question was asked to him, and he replied simply but with a joking tone,

 “The Navy has a whole wardrobe for its sailors, that’s why we’re known to be the fanciest and most stylish.”

 The few chuckles and giggles could be heard all around, and you felt yourself relax a bit as you continued to hear most of your class ask polite and very interesting questions, all that were answered as best as possible by all three aviators. It was like if there rebellious switch had turned off as they now became very attentive and sweet. It relived you’re and made you take a good breather for a moment. Your attention was mainly focused on Jake, who’s smile made your tummy turn with butterflies and his voice made you love it more and more. 

 Your thoughts flew around in your head like free eagles, 

 ‘I wonder if he smiles like that all the time? Or who he shares that smile with... he probably has someone home... taken he is perhaps-‘

 “What the hell is going on in here?”

You held in a gasp as you faced your boss, the principal of the school. He stood at the door with a look of disappointment,clearly not pleased with who you had brought in, but you were quick to stand tall and defend these aviators. You walked to stand in front of them, as if protecting them as you began to explain,

 “Mr. Cosmo, I invited a few Naval Aviators from the Aviation base to come and share a few things with our class today, they seem to like it, and these aviators have been the absolute best with us.”

 You stand there confidently with your response, believing it was the best yet. But Mr.Cosmo didn’t think so, as he sighed with irritation. He then eyed the aviators that stood behind you with utter disgust before ordering in a low, stern tone, that made your blood go to your feet.

“Get them out of my class room... now.”

 Your face dropped with confusion and you stuttered,

 “W-Wait sir, please- I think-“

Mr.Cosmo held up his hand to shush you up, as he warned,

 “Miss... I’m not going to ask again.”

You closed your mouth and didn’t say another word to him, you instead turned to face Jake and his buddies as your apologized,

 “I’m so sorry Lieutenants, you may go now. Thank you for your time and what you do for us.”

 Bradley and Natasha replied in sync, while waving bye to the classroom and taking turns shaking your hand.

 “Anytime, thank you.”

Jake then came last as he smiled down at you with sympathy and grace, before clutching your hand with a paper to put in it, he shook it firmly as he bid,

 “Thank you and your class for making my day better Miss, the pleasure was all ours.”

 If you could you would’ve ‘awed’ our loud with puppy eyes and heart floating around you, but in the reality of the moment you could only muster out,

 “I appreciate you Jake- I mean Lieutenant. Thank you.”

 Jake let a little chuckle slip before walking away from your presence, he then stopped in front of Mr.Cosmo, and took a deep breath while staring down at the short bald headed man, before saying,

  “She did nothing wrong. So don’t get mad at her... I’m sure you’ve allowed worse to happen here with other classrooms.”

 Jake then turned and winked at you, before disappearing. Your heart kinda sank when you couldn’t see or feel his presence around you anymore, but your thoughts on that feeling were long gone when you heard your boss declare,

“I have a substitute that will cover for the rest of the afternoon... you and I will talk in my office.”

 2 hours later...

You still hadn’t let go of the paper Jake had given you, and you hadn’t looked at it either. You sat in your car with tears as you’re replayed your bosses cruel words,

 ‘What are you trying to do to my students? Recruit them to be tiny soldiers? They’re kids, when they are grown ups then they could make that decision!! Bring them a clown or something that’s for their age!! Just because you grew up with a hard life doesn’t mean that you have to let them go through it too!! Let them be kids, let them make a mess and be loud, it’s what they do! And if I hear a complaint from there parents about todays stunt you pulled, I’ll fire you. I don’t have the time or energy to fight for a stubborn woman like you, I’ll just let you go. Now, it’ll be the last time you bring these kind of shenanigans of a people to my school... and you’re suspended for a week. Now get.’

 What felt like a napkin in your hands, you used to wipe your tears, and took a deep breath, then tossed the paper onto the back seat. You buckled your seat belt and started the car, turned around to look back while driving out, but that paper on the seat had something scribbled on it that caught your eye. You stepped on the brakes with quite a bit of force, and put the car in park,  reached to the back to grab the paper and read the most beautiful, cursive written message,

 ‘From Jake, to Miss.

Meet me at Hard Deck, beautiful. I’ll buy you a drink ;)’

Your face made a pout with awe, as you reread it like six times, heart pumping harder with joy as you eyed the word, ‘beautiful’. No guy in your life has ever called you beautiful. It was either ‘sexy’ or anything that wasn’t appropriate because of your body type. But it was nice to been seen differently, or more specifically, beautiful. You then backed out and began to drive home, wanting to get a good shower first before you went to the one and only Hard Deck. You knew Hard Deck well, it was actually your favorite bar, because the people were usually very nice, Penny Benjamin, the owner herself, was the best ever and just super sweet over all (She could be a cute sass sometimes but you adored it, it was a great energy to be around, especially when she talked about her boyfriend ‘Pete’ or ‘Maverick’) You were in and out of your house in 20 mins. You now wore a cute, green dress that had a belt on the waist and was flowy on the bottom, which rested barely above your knees. Your white sandals decorated with a flower on top kept your feet and the concrete floor separated. You free styled your hair and just let it rest freely, no pins or rubber bands. Your grandmother’s gold necklace that had a gold heart locket rested on your chest and gleamed in the sun, along with your matching gold earrings, and simple, thin bracelet. Now you’re happily on your way to Hard Deck, with ‘I Ain’t Worried’ blasting loudly and pleasing your ears as you let the wind come through your lowered windows and blow against you freshly. When you see the familiar bar come into view, and smile of relief and happiness raises to your face, and before you knew it, you were already running up the steps and bursted through the wooden tall doors. You breathed in the regular scent of fresh beer and roasted peanuts, and breathed out slowly as you took in the view while stepping inside. Everything was just as great as usual, the music played oldies softly on the jukebox, the jet-decorated pools tables were occupied by competitive players, and a few sailors occupied the seats at the main bar while the rest of the customers sat happily anywhere else. You approached the bar when you saw Penny in view, the only person you really knew and got along with, and she saw you too in that moment and cheered you closer,

  “Heyy girl! How have you been cutie?”

 You smiled shyly as you took the seat in front of her, and rested your arms on top comfortably as you did your best to respond happily, to not show that you were still upset about today’s episode at school.

  “I’ve been great! Just you know... happy that today’s Friday.”

 Penny eyed your curiously as she thought for a moment then replied,

 “You got into problems at the school?”

You gasped lowly before you scoffed,

 “How’d you know?”

Penny gave you a wink as she set down a cold root beer in front of you,

 “You have the exact same face Maverick does when he gets in trouble...”

She then waved off her assistant to take care of the orders for now as she then focused her complete attention on you as she added,

 “Tell me what happened, I’m listening.”

That was all it took for you to start spilling the tea for Penny, glad to see her understand your point of view and be on your side. She was comforting to you and supported your feelings towards the whole situation. Soon when you had finished, you realized you had been there for about 30 mins, and she saw you turn to look at the entrance twice, and couldn’t help but suspect something. Her eyebrows wiggles playfully as she asked,

 “So.. who are you expecting tonight?”

You look back at Penny at let out a little laugh, trying to not sound disappointed that you might of been stood up by Jake as your reply,

 “Oh no one... just looking around-“

Penny narrowed her gleaming eyes at you as she interrupted,

 “Cutie... don’t lie to me... I was in the same position you are in at some point in my life... who is it? Are you being stood up?”

 You hung your head low as you placed the little paper on the bar,

 “His name is Jake- well, Lieutenant Jake Seresin.. and well he left this in my hand after he left the classroom... is this asking for a date?”

 Penny’s looked behind you at the sound of the bell ringing on the opening door, and her mouth opened wide as she put forth,

 “Ooooh he just arrived! Look.”

You whipped your head so fast your surprised it didn’t snap or something of that sort, and there you saw the gorgeously handsome aviator walk in with his buddies you saw earlier that day, along with a few new faces, all who looked just as happy and friendly as him. It was like if you both were looking for each other, for instantly your eyes locked on one another. You watched Jake as he dismissed himself from his pals, then began to walk towards you with a confident walk. You turned to Penny quickly as you slightly panicked,

 “Penny help me I don’t know what to do-“

She then traded your root beer for a golden whiskey, and gave you a tip of advice,

 “Just be yourself, happy and charming, smart... drink this and sit back... you got this. Now drink it.”

 And in seconds she turned around and began to take orders from new customers that had arrived from base, spotting their uniforms or beige khakis. You chugged the shot of whiskey then tried to call her back for help and more advice, until you heard that endearing voice catch your attention and immediately melt your frantic heart,

 “Good afternoon darling.”

 Your eyes followed his voice and soon you were facing Jake, taking in his appearance. He wore a simple orange t-shirt that shaped his muscular chest and brought out how big and thick his biceps were. His long meaty thighs were covered with dark blue jeans, and he appeared taller in his cowboy boots. His hair looked a little disheveled but he still seemed to rock it very effortlessly. It took every nerve in your body to not drool at this heavenly sight or even kiss his feet, and you also did your very best to not let your eyes travel and capture every part of his body and take mental pictures to keep forever. Jake didn’t catch your staring for he was more worried about being late, then he went on to explain to you why he got there late, his smile looking apologetic,

  “I’m sorry I came late, my boss called us back to base for a quick check up, and I-I tried to tell him I had plans but-“

 Although he looked adorable stuttering and trying to make up for his late arrival, you couldn’t let him go on thinking that he was wrong for something he couldn’t control. With a steady but sweet tone you assured him,

 “No no, it’s ok. I promise... work is work. Just be glad that I’m still here and didn’t take you for a stood upper or something and just left.”

 Jake threw his head back lightly as he chuckled,

 “Oh no, I’m not one of those. Unless work calls me in. But thank you for staying, can I get your something? What do you like?”

 His smile and bright jaded eyes were giving their full attention to you, as he awaited your answer, to which you replied with a cheeky smile,

 “Surprise me.. cowboy.”

Jake raised his brows with a cute giggle,

“Ohh ok, I see where this is going. But don’t worry sugar, I got you covered.”

 He sent you a wink that made a chill go up your spine as your face burned because you were flustered. You listened to him as he called out to Penny with a loud enough voice to be heard, but it still sounded super sexy and adorable,

 “Penny! Penny my favorite barmaid!!”

 You could see the playful smirk Penny wore as she walked towards Jake with a sarcastic tone, 

 “Hangman... is it a whiskey for you and for your date?”

  Jake huffed a shy laugh, not realizing that Penny caught him once again with another girl, trying to find the ‘one’ as he usually said. But most of the girls he always brought only expected him to buy their drinks and take them to bed, which is something he wasn’t looking for anymore. Jake was already done with that kind of life, he was already hitting his 30s and was sick of one night stands that left him sad and alone in the mornings. Now he craved and desired someone to call ‘his own’, that wasn’t in his line of work, and could be with him for the long run... if not forever he hoped so, if they were the right person. He then turned to look at you carefully, to see if you approved of being called his date, and of course you were, as you beamed at him with your best smile. Penny soon placed two glasses of whiskey in front of you and Jake, sending you a wink as she mouthed to you,

 ‘It’s ok, relax.’

 You sent her a subtle nod and raised your glass towards Jake as he said,

 “Cheers.”

 “Cheers!”

You clinked your guys’ glasses and took a sip in sync. And began to chat about ones another lives, feeling free and comfortable with one another as you opened up more and more. Funny stories were told, a couple of cheesy jokes from Jake that he swore he got from his best friend ‘Rooster’. He told you the true reason behind his callsign ‘Hangman’, to which you laughed loudly at and had to take a break from that to gain composure and some air after laughing your lungs out. Jake was having a blast as he saw how bright red your cheeks turned and the thin layer of sweat that appeared on your face from the laughing episode he put you through. (He added fake parts to the story and acted the very exaggerated parts with his hands and hilarious facial expressions. He did it mainly to see you smile, but he got a bonus when he got your natural and contagious laugh too.)

 Soon when that moment died down, you told him your story and some facts about yourself, you too added a few ridiculously funny moments in your life that had him wheezing for a few seconds. (The light shade of pink on his cheeks from laughing hard looked definitely good on him) you too shared your passion and appreciation for Naval Aviation, sense your uncle was a part of it. He then connected the dots and asked if that was why you had invited them to the school, 

  “So that’s why you did that? No wonder! Because no one has ever pulled that before. But that’s so cool of you to do, looks liked they needed that and liked it overall.”

 You nodded approvingly,

 “Yup, they did...”

Then you looked down at your lap as you added, 

  “... but not their principal.”

Jake saw your change in expression, and placed his warm hand on your shoulder, and with a concerned tone he asked,

 “He wasn’t mean to you was he? Because you did nothing wrong.”

 His hand felt comforting on your shoulder, and gave you the boost you needed to answer honestly,

  “He was a little mean.. he suspended me actually... saying that I was forcing something onto the kids that wasn’t appropriate for their age.”

 Jake’s eyes scanned your sad face as he scoffed, not believing what he just heard,

 “Are you kidding me? That’s not inappropriate at all, it’s like.. gold. Someone appreciating the military of any branch is so amazing!”

 You looked up to Jake as you asked shyly,

  ���You think so? I mean what if he’s right-“

“RIGHT? Darling... darling... no. He’s wrong for stopping you from teaching kids the importance of The Military- or Aviation and how we serve that way. My younger self would’ve killed to have you as a teacher. He would’ve loved you that’s for sure.”

 Your cheeks grew warm as you took in Jake’s words, they seemed so honest and sincere. You put your hand on his lower arm and patted it twice as you said,

 “Thanks, makes me feel better about what I did.”

 Jake followed your hand that left his arm and pouted for a second, wishing it stayed there longer, but he replied to you,

 “You should feel good about what you did, if not proud.”

 Just then a loud voice called to Jake from the back of the bar. You and Jake looked for the voice, and there you saw Bradley waving him off as he called again,

 “JAKE! COME SEE THIS!! It’ll be quick!”

Jake was about to tell him ‘no’, you could see it in the way he had started shaking his head, but your put your hand on his shoulder, stopping him,

 “It’s ok, you can go with them for a moment. They’re calling you, I’ll stay here and get another drink for now. Go on, sweets.”

 If it wasn’t because this was the first date and he just met you, Jake would’ve kissed you so hard till you stopped breathing. No other girl in his life in the history of his dating had ever let him go with is friends for a split second. (Cause Jake’s wing buddies always wanted his attention when they felt something cool was going on and they didn’t want him to miss it.) Jake jumped off his seat and held the energy of a child as he informed you,

“Just give me a minute... I’ll be right back darling. Stay here. Penny, give her another drink. On me, please.”

 There was no room for protesting when a new drink was placed in front of you, and you weren’t going to decline it when he was happily buying you drinks, so happily you too it and drank the whole thing. Feeling the beer go down to your throat into your stomach was refreshing for a minute, you no longer felt shy and uncomfortable, instead you felt strong and the boss of the hour. After downing a few more, you felt a little more loose and slightly buzzy, but still in control of yourself, or so you thought. But then someone took a seat next to you, and pulled your arm towards them as they gossiped only your ear,

 “Omg your date is going hard on another girl.”

 You looked at the blonde girl who was the one  next to you and were completely confused as she added,

 “He hasn’t let her go sense she’s approached him.”

She then gripped your jaw and turned your face to see them, in the back. And there you saw Jake’s back facing you as you saw a certain pair of hands rest on his back, as if she was hugging him. You felt a dart of hurt hit your chest as you saw them, you could only think,

 ‘He just left me here for her! Why would he-‘

 “Do you want to get him back?”

The blondes voice brought you back to reality, and you asked for her to repeat and clarify,

 “What? What do you mean?”

The blonde flipped her hair back and showed off her cute sleeveless blouse, and appealing chest. You in that moment admitted to yourself that she was so much better than you in everything, she looked perfect. You gulped down for a second as she repeated,

“If you want to get him back... you have to beat her in a beer chug, fair and square, let’s settle this like grown women if you want him.”

 You looked back to look for Jake and saw him being dragged by the other girl, and sank into your seat when you saw how much more prettier she was than you.

‘Damn she’s gorgeous... beats me for sure....’

Jake’s face held a smile at you, but it didn’t look so genuine as earlier, as his arm was being held tightly by the brunette. But he was quick to muster out,

 “They say you want to participate in a challenge? To win something?”

 Your eyes found the blonde as you were going to say,

 ‘No, I don’t recall doing that.’

But the blonde answered for you as she said with a squeaky voice,

 “Yes!! Her and my bestie Brenda are going to have a beer chug contest!! And who ever wins-“

 She then made her head tilt towards Jake, as she ended with,

“Leaves with the prize... Let’s see who wants it more.”

 Jake looked at you confused, but agreed to it when you confirmed that you’d go for it, though you weren’t totally convinced.

 “Yeah... that’s.. the plan. She wanted me try it out.”

 You caught the attention of the surrounding customers, and soon they began to cheer out loud, supporting the upcoming challenge. You honestly in that moment thought that Jake was behind all this, sense the brunette and blond seemed to have settled the plan already beforehand, and how the blond told you and the brunette told him. And from how she touched Jake and held his attention, it  seemed like he had known her for a while and knew about this new challenge. Soon the rules were settled down, to which you didn’t hear half of, as you were too nervous about losing the challenge and losing Jake, as well as a little upset thinking that he had set you up for a challenge, thinking you were a game, and lastly you were upset that you agreed to it all because you were confused and didn’t want to say no. You stood at the pool table in the back, with 10 glasses of beer in front of you. And on the other side of the pool table, stood the brunette, with the same amount of glasses as well. In the center of the table laid a white  napkin, which was to be grabbed and held up when you finished first, or at least you thought that was the reason why it was there. Penny stood at the edge of the table, and was the one to count down for it to begin. As you prepared yourself you felt a hand fall on your back, as a soft voice followed,

 “You sure you’re going to do this? You don’t have to, you haven’t started.”

 That was Jake who was speaking to you, but you were determined to show him and the girls, that you could take it (I mean after all you thought they were setting you up for defeat, so you wanted  to prove that you could win) You sent him a firm nod,

 “Yup, I got this.”

 Joke didn’t look to happy by your response, which confused you for a minute, you thought he’d be smug and proud about it. But you stopped thinking about it all when you hear Penny shout,

 “Ready ladies?!”

“Ready!!”

 “Definitely.”

After saying ‘definitely’, you took a deep breath and waited for the bell to ring, which came quickly,

 DING DING DING!!!!

“GO!!”

The cheers of the bar grew so loud when the challenge began, some screaming the brunette’s name and others screaming the word ‘CHUG’. You were downing your 4th cup when you heard a familiar Texan accent shout from behind you,

 “Come on!! You got this Teacher girl!! Go go go!! Dagger Squad, cheer her on with me!!”

 Soon you heard more people cheer you on, calling you ‘Miss’ or ‘Teacher’, which to you thought was kinda cute to be honest. You were on your 7th cup, thinking you were going to be able to take down the rest, until a stabbing pain hit your stomach, making you put your cup down and groan. Jake was quick to grab your waist as he asked worriedly,

 “Hey hey! are you ok? Talk to me.”

But the blonde pulled him away as she warned him,

 “You can’t help her or talk to her until she’s finished, just let her be. Move back.”

Jake grew a little upset as some people agreed with her, and made him move back from you. You missed his touch and voice, but nonetheless decided to keep on, taking on the last cups like a champ. Everyone around began to shout in sync as you almost finished up,

 “CHUG CHUG CHUG!!”

You really didn’t want to be kicked out, but your tummy couldn’t take anymore, you had 3 glasses of beer left out of the 10. You felt your tummy clench again in pain, but this time it was worse, like if someone was pulling your intestines out, but thankfully  you were miraculously on the last cup. You slammed the empty glass of beer onto the bar, making it bounce and fall over. Then you reached for the napkin, and you lifted it up up, thinking you were doing the right thing. But that’s when you heard a few disappointed ‘ohs’ and a silence fill the room, which made you drop the napkin and look around, seeing the people’s faces look sad and sympathetic for you. You scrunched up your face with pain that started to grow in your stomach more as you asked curiously,

 “What’s wrong?”

The blonde came to stand in front of you as she boasted,

  “You silly bitch, I didn’t say who finished first won, I said you lost if you raised your napkin first... but sense you were such in a hurry to win someone that isn’t fit for you, you didn’t listen. And now you lost.”

 You felt a twist of pain stab your gut, along with a wave of embarrassment and shame hit you. You felt the tears beginning to grow in your eyes as you realized that you had been played, played horribly. Slamming your debit card onto the pool table you put forth,

 “Let’s carry on with the deal. I lost, I’ll pay for everyone’s drinks.”

 The blonde pushed your card back to you as she shook her head ‘no’, having a blast as she watched your face showing pain and confusion,

  “Nuh uuuhhh.... the loser gets thrown out, by the winner. Girls! I need assistance!!”

 You held your hands up as you protested,

 “Wait- I didn’t know! Hold on!-“

All the seagulls that rested peacefully on the beach ground in front of Hard Deck all flew away when the heard a loud ‘Thud’ and groan of pain leave someone’s lips, yours, as you hit the ground painfully. You rolled onto your back slowly as you tried not to move too much, you had landed on your tummy, and face planted into the sand. You thought you’d could lay there for a few seconds, to collect yourself to cry later, but your stomach had different plans, when it chose to reject all the liquor you had drunk. You felt it coming and came up to a quick stand and made it to the closest trash bin before heaving everything out. You hugged the top of the bin as you gave everything away, soon your body was trembling with pain and from the amount of force it was taking you to get rid of everything. After what felt like eternity, it all stopped, and now you stayed there letting the salvia from your lips fall into the bin and your tears from your eyes follow, as your began to sob. You should’ve known that that blonde was up to something, and that she was lying, but you were blinded by the fear of losing Jake to a girl you thought was far better than you, so you didn’t see it. From the distance you heard shouting, but chose to ignore it for now, 

 ‘It’s probably someone else’

You thought that as you continued to hear that person shout, but soon the words became understandable, and your ears perked up at it,

 “HEY MISS! Sweetheart where are you?!”

That was Jake, once again, his voice so smooth but still showing worry, as it came closer and closer to you, but now gave words that were to comfort you,

 “Oh Sweet stars... it’s ok.. I’m right here. I -I brought your stuff too. You’re ok..”

You nodded at his information and soon felt your hair being pulled up and held in his hands, clearing it from your face so it wouldn’t get dirty. You were about to call Jake out for the beer challenge but then the wave of shame hit you again, and you started throwing up again. He rubbed your back and stood tall, blocking you from others seeing you. When you finished you wanted to try against and call him out for the beer challenge, but his next words stopped you as he confessed,

 “Sweetheart.. God, they played you... you shouldn’t have listened to them. Even if you thought that they looked cooler or would mock you. Why did you say, yes? Now your tummy’s hurting.”

 His free palm rested on your stomach rubbing it slowly as to comfort you, and feeling his touch made you cry,

 “I thought it was your plan.... and I wanted to do it for you... like to.. damn it.. I don’t know.”

 You then stood up and wiped you mouth with your hands, not willing to face him as you started to cry silently. You faced the trash can, but was pulled away from it by the hand until you stood far away from it, near the shore. Jake put your bag on the sand by your feet before grabbing your hands to say,

  “It’s wasn’t my plan at all.. I thought it was yours.. but then I heard them laughing and saying that they had won me or some garbage like that... saying that you had fallen into their trap. That’s when I knew it was all a set up. I told Penny about their dirty bet, and she is making them pay for mistreating you... and I came to look for you.”

 You looked up and Jake and asked,

 “But why? Why would you come for me... I’m not the kind of girl you want to be around.. I’m not like.. them you know?”

 Jake let go of one hand and held you chin as he asked in a whisper,

“Why would you put yourself in such a vulnerable position then... for me?”

Hearing Jake whisper his concern to you only made your knees grow weaker to stand on, and more tears fall out,

“I.. I guess I was trying to impress you. I want to be that kind of girl you want.. and I thought I’d do that if I won the challenge.”

You kept her head hung low, ashamed and afraid that Jake might confirm what you feared most, the fact that no one could ever be impressed by you. You were a lonely woman, who depended on crazy teenagers to make you happy and keep you company during the day. You had a hard and long job, trying to steer these young people to success all while trying to raise yourself as well. At night the silence and darkness took over and the only place to hide from it was under your fluffy comforters. So, with all this, you could never be the dream girl all guys or even girls wanted, so were ready to give it up, walk away, and never see Hard Deck or Jake again, it’ll all be too humiliating once again. You then bent down to pick up your bag from the sandy ground, brushing off the few pecks of sand that stubbornly stayed on. With your sad eyes locked to the ground you began to shift your feet away from Jake and let his hands go as you said in a soft voice, trying to hide your embarrassment,

  “I’m so sorry.. It’s was nice meeting you Jake, goodbye-“

 A warm large hand grabbed your wrist gently as his sweet voice followed,

 “Woah woah where do you think your going? No... stay, it’s ok.”

You looked up at Jake confused, while he tugged you closer to him to stand in front of his broad form. Before you could question his motive or moves, he explained clearly and expressively with glistening, caring eyes,

 “You don’t need to impress me, I’m not- a King or something. I don’t expect you to be like everyone else either, it’s ok to be different. You’re more than ok, your amazing actually. You don’t have to be like them to be great. I mean, I could never handle so many young- crazy kids at once... I can barely handle myself... but you? Damn... I’d kill to have a day in your life... so I could feel what being patient and tolerant and so sweet is like.”

 The clean, beach air got caught in your throat as you took in Jake’s sincere words,  not being able to fully believe that he was being honest, until he added,

  “Believe me... I’ve never seen such a woman like you, and that’s... you’re so much better than anything. Forget everything that happen today, that doesn’t count.”

 You could tell Jake was getting more flustered by his own words, as he worded out what he felt about you he grew more shy about himself. His proud, smirk was long gone and the playful cockiness in his tone had too vanished, now it was replaced with softness, and a true calamity and comfort. You tried not to cry, out of finally feeling and being seen or out of relief that he didn’t let you go like everyone else always did, but you successfully failed when his calloused thumb found your cheek to wipe away your fallen tears. He then caressed your cheek and let his loving gaze search your face, patiently waiting for you to say anything back. You looked down quickly to gather your words, but he tilted your chin up to face him as he put forth,

 “Look at me when you say it, don’t hide.”

You opened your mouth then closed it, the words were all there but just couldn’t come out, it was like if your speaking ability had just failed you. So you did what you thought best to express your gratitude and feelings, you then threw yourself into his arms and wrapped your arms around his waist, tugging your head impossibly close to his chest, so close you could hear the change in his heartbeat, from slow and steady, to a now faster pace. 

 A low ‘oh’ was heard above you, but you didn’t dare let go, you just held on. And very soon you felt his arms come around you too and hug you tightly, along with a kiss on your head with a bonus,

  “I got you... I got you sweetheart.”

Once hidden in the safety and comfort of his arms, you grew the confidence to confess with a little sniffle,

“Thank you Jake... f-for seeing me.”

Jake awed with sincerity and pulled you away by the shoulders, then cradled your face as he looked down to see your full face, which was now adorning tear streaks and bright pink cheeks. A cute, soft smile lifted on his face, as he cooed,

  “I’ve seen you sense the beginning... and God I can’t peel my eyes off of you... I really like you.”

  Your eyebrows shot up with surprise and your mouth fell open, but you nonetheless, even in your shock state of this gorgeous man’s confession, you were able to reply back clearly with honesty,

 “I really like you too.”

You were able to see Jake drop his shoulders as if he was relieved, and his smile grew even larger, which made you even more happy and comfortable with him. But then you saw a sudden change in the way he held your face, and how his face began to hold a look of serious concentration, you raised your hands and held onto his wrists, as you worded nervously,

“Jake-“

 “May I kiss you?”

His interruption wasn’t missed, and neither was your excited answer,

 “Yes! Wait but I threw up-“

Jake chuckled and shrugged,

 “I don’t care.”

“Oh- oomph!!”

When Jake’s lips connected to yours, it was like if all the buried mines that held onto fear of not being loved or of being rejected, which rested on the field of your life, buried in your heart, had exploded and disappeared. All were replaced with a flower of love that Jake began to plant in your new garden. Butterflies exploded in her chest and set free everything you had always wanted to feel. Your palms rested on his chest as he tugged you closer and dipped your head to the side, wanting to gain more of your kiss and deepen it, deepen it like he was deepening his new love and desire for you. You wouldn’t care if the world ended all around you, or if the stars fell all around you, you knew you’d stay in this place and moment with Jake, for here, in his arms with his lips on yours, you felt safe and held, even with your guys’ eyes closed, trying to embrace the moment, you felt seen. When you pulled away for air Jake chased your lips, pecking them a couple more times before resting his lips on your forehead, keeping them there as he held you in a hug. You grew comfortable in his embrace, but your tummy was still upset, making painful turns inside which caused you to hide your face in his chest and whimper. Jake cooed you to stay strong for him, as he instructed,

 “Hold onto my neck, sweetheart.”

You whimpered an ‘ok’ as you did just that, not expecting him to move quickly and pick you up bridal style, beginning to walk towards the parked vehicles as he said,

 “Let me take care of you... do you like Mac and cheese? I make the best.”

 You peeked your head out of his chest as you beamed,

 “Really! I love Mac and cheese... would you-“

 “Of course! I’ll make you that and uh.. um... we’ll take it to your house, or do you want to stay at mine? Is that too weird?”

 Kissing Jake’s jaw you answered,

 “I can stay at yours... as long as I get my Mac and cheese.. I’ll be just fine.”

 With a sigh Jake replied,

 “Great! I’ll be happy with that-“

 “Oh but wait!!”

You then clutched Jake’s shirt as you cried,

 “I need my teddy bear Mr.Snuggles, I can’t sleep without him!! He’s like my sleeping support friend.”

 Jake stopped in his tracks and looked down at you, not being able to help himself as he fell harder for your and your different but adorable behavior. He kissed your forehead and promised,

“I’ll be your Mr.Snuggles tonight, don’t you worry darling.”

He began to walk to his truck and listened to you as you asked,

 “You like snuggles? Because I’ll hug tight and all.”

 He helped you in the truck and buckled you as he assured you with one big kiss on the cheek,

 “All I want is you... to be with you and to feel you, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. And I want to protect that as much as possible... and give you as many snuggles as possible. Everything you’ll ever need.. I‘lol take care of. Ok?”

 You nodded and cherished his gaze on you, as he lastly said,

 “I see you.”

#jake hangman seresin #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #jake seresin x you #top gun hangman #top gun x reader #hangman x reader #hangman seresin x reader #hangman x you #hangman #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin fluff #jake seresin fanfiction #hangman fluff

[pretentiousprecious]

Torn By His Thorns [Sirius Black]

Published: July 20, 2023

Word count: 0.3k

Author: PretentiousPrecious

"It was on the third week of March when her young, tender heart experienced love..."

School is killing her, literally. It has been weeks since she had rested enough. Her body is aching for sleep as her entire being is strained from reading since morning ‘til midnight. This has been her routine for a whole month ever since school is coming to an end.

Spring has finally begun yet the weather hasn't lifted her mood. The library is packed and noisy, making it harder for her to study. She is grumbling to herself about an essay due the next day while her head is buried inside her book when he suddenly comes in.

He wears a worn-out, leather jacket and a graffiti black shirt underneath. His shaggy hair is up in a manly bun, which looks darker under the sun. His infamous smirk that makes her want to wipe it off yet kiss it at the time.

He grabbed a chair from another table and sat in front of her. His stormy, gray eyes glint with mischief. He tells her about a new prank he thought about with the boys. She found herself ogling at his red, kissable lips until he stopped speaking. Embarrassed for being caught, she looked up through her lashes and saw how his expression darkened.

In a blink of an eye, her mouth is covered with his as her mind went blank. Her heart aches as she tries to catch her breath and her bloody mind— the book she reads laid forgotten in her lap.

Years of pining after him, she never expected her feelings to be returned. She dreamt of this every night. For the ladies’ man to notice her more than a friend, as a woman.

Many will definitely disapprove of their relationship. They will ask her to re-think her decisions. Many will label her as daft and assume that she’s only smitten with the fact that she became his girl even just for a week.

Maybe she is a fool for love, but nothing else matters as long as she receives the affection of the boy she adores so much.

© pretentiousprecious

#sirius black x reader #sirius black #sirius black x you #sirius black x y/n #marauders x reader

[hassledvania]

We're doing a retrospective looking at the core four Scooby-Doo films that saved the franchise! Zombie Island, Witch's Ghost, Alien Invaders, and Cyber Chase

Do they hold up? What nightmares did the production staff have to put up with? What's wrong with Shaggy? Let's all take a look!

#Scooby doo #Velma #Daphne #Shaggy #Cartoon #Review #Video essay #Retrospective #Hex girls #Cyber ghost #nostalgia #funny #Youtube

[karahofthedawn]

You Owe Us One (part 7) - Our Girl

Fred Weasley / George Weasley x reader

Y/N gets approached by her ex, who is extremely jealous of the scene at the Yule Ball.

Protective Fred and George.

Words: 3.6k

**Contains some violence and physical assault.**

No smut in this one, just slowly building towards an idea with these chapters.

I wanted to thank everyone who reblogs and takes the time to even read my stuff. It keeps me going, and I have had such an absolutely lovely experience on this platform so far.

The golden rays from the morning light light up the Hufflepuff dorm and cascade where you lay wrapped up in your comforter. Nobody noticed that you had left on the night of the Yule Ball, though that didn’t stop the questions about you snogging George Weasley in the middle of the dance floor. So far, you’ve been able to dodge the biggest question of all: “Is he your boyfriend?”

Truth be told, you aren’t entirely sure if you are or not. The brothers said they would ‘share’ you, which put an end to their rivalry with each other, though they had never specifically stated that they wanted it to be an official relationship. The time and place hasn’t worked itself out yet for you to clarify it either. Between classes and excitement of the next part of the tournament, it was hard for you to even meet with them. The nice thing is that The Weasley brothers do take the time to greet you in the Great Hall every morning. That was a step up from being unsure if they’d even want to acknowledge you around others or not.

You sit up and run your fingers through your knotted hair as you gaze out the window. Soft fluffy clouds float through a bright blue sky. Fresh snow had fallen overnight, leaving a smooth untouched blanket of white over the grounds. You go over what your plans are for the day in your head as you start getting dressed.

Breakfast, study, write an essay, practice charms and visit the greenhouse, more studying, dinner and then bed.

With a full day ahead and your goals in your mind, you head to the Great Hall to grab some breakfast. The room is already bustling with students laughing and chatting with full plates in front of them. The Gryffindor area was so packed together, you couldn’t get a clear view of either brother. You sit alone and begin sifting through the food, an open book to your right so you can get some light reading in. Even if it only cuts out five minutes of what you have to do later, it is still free time that you can appreciate then.

You’re so caught up in multitasking that the person next to you has to clear their throat several times until you look up from the worn pages. A shaggy blonde hair boy with bright blue eyes was watching you, a familiar smirk worn across his face. Matthew Starling - your ex boyfriend, and the last human on earth you want to talk to. You shoot him a polite smile and refocus back to your book and hope he gets the hint.

He leans closer to you with his black, green and silver robes draping over his broad shoulders. His thin fingers tap at the corner of the page with persistence until you give him your attention again through narrow eyes. This was the first time he has acknowledged you since your break up last year right before term ended. It was a volatile relationship, and your very first. He was selfish, rude and all around a terrible person to have your first romantic and sexual experiences with. Him cheating with a Ravenclaw girl was the final straw that let you break free from him and his games.

Matthew didn’t take it well. He made a scene in the out on the grounds, then stormed away in a rage. You were sure that he would try and beg for you back, but he didn’t. Thankfully for you he already had his talons in someone else. 

You suppress the urge to get up and leave. You were sitting here first, afterall. It was only a matter of time until he would try and make you feel uncomfortable.

“Studying this early in the morning, are you?” Matthew asks while still tapping the page you were previously reading.

“Just trying to get a head start,” you reply, trying to hold back the malice in your voice. What did he really want?

Matthew beams at you. Your stomach turns with uneasiness. “Always were the hard worker between the two of us. Glad to see that hasn’t changed.”

You furrow your brows and glance back down at the book, which is immediately snatched from your vision. The blonde boy was holding it up to his face. His pupils scanned a few lines before placing it down in front of him, his forearm blocking so you can’t easily grab it back.

“But,” he jeers, “I know you have more interests than studying. I saw the way you were snogging one of the Weasleys during the Yule Ball.”

That’s it, that’s what he has found you for.

“So what if I was?” You snap and cross your arms. “It’s really none of your business.”

His pupils shrink as you make eye contact with him. His wild smile became increasingly forced with his jaw cocking to the side. “I just find it rather funny that you don’t mind flaunting yourself around with one of Hogwarts biggest prats, but refused to even kiss me in the Great Hall when we were dating - was it, six months?”

“I don’t remember,” you lie. Seven and a half. That’s how long you had to endure a relationship with Matthew Starling. “I really should get going anyway.” You quickly go to grab your book again, but he blocks it and slides it even further away

“Oh come on now,” he laughs and runs a hand through his blonde hair. “We are just having a quick chat, no need to rush off.” There was something different in his voice that you had never heard before. Your gut was screaming for you to get out of there. “I just never pegged you as the type to let a guy like that touch you. A Gryffindor. A Weasley, at that.”

You hold your arms tight against your chest as you stare at him coldly. Your cheeks are starting to get hot as your temper rises. “Who does or doesn’t touch me is really none of your business, Matthew. Now, give me my book back so I can leave.”

Matt forces a smirk and he hoists a leg over the bench so that his entire stocky body faces you. Before the next sentence of, what you guess, would be a string of insults of either you or the Weasley’s - Fred pops up in between you and Matt.

“Good morning!” He says cheerily.

Another voice comes from your left. “Good morning, Y/N! We thought we would stop on by.” You see George sitting next to you closely, a broad grin across his face.

“We didn’t mean to interrupt all the fun,” Fred jests and shoots a blank look at Matt. “Oh, but I’m sure you don’t mind!”

“Oh, he definitely does but that's okay!” George agrees, then moves in closer to place a hand on your lower back. You stare into his calm demeanor, a beacon of safety amidst this chaotic morning.

Matt was scowling at the two brothers as they huddled around you. “Well actually, we were having a bit of a private chat.”

“We really weren’t,” you interject with a frown.

“In that case,” Fred starts and reaches behind Matt and grabs your book, then slides it to the front of you. “Don’t let us stop the conversation.” At this point both of the Weasley brothers were sitting on either side of you. Fred had practically pushed Matt out the way so that he could wedge himself in between. “I’d like to hear more about, what did you call us again?”

“Hogwarts biggest prats,” George answers.

“Yes! That’s it!” His brother exclaims. He props himself up with both elbows, his back against the wooden table.

There is a moment where the boys stare each other down. Matt’s visual anger and disdain did nothing to sway the twins, who sat by your side like statues. Finally, the blonde boy chugs his drink, slams the cup on the table and storms off.

Relief floods over you as the sound of his footsteps fade away. George, who has had his hand firmly on your lower back the entire time, slides a few inches to give you some space.

“I owe you one,” you say shakily as you take the book in your hands. As you bend down to return it to your bag, the words you just said sank in. “Not like that,” you add hurriedly.

The brothers laugh. Fred tilts his head and smiles as you sit back up and face him. “We won’t hold you to it, don’t worry.”

“Unless you want us to,” George adds with a shrug and nudge of your shoulder.

You smile at them as you get to your feet. In the times you've spent with them, the subject of Matthew had never come up. Part of you was glad for that, since it's a bit of a sore subject.

"That wasn't how I wanted to start my day," you say with a sigh. For just a flash of a second, they both frown, then cover it with a forced grin. "But, thank you. Matt is a bit of a-"

George interrupts with, "giant headed moron?"

"I was going to say a boil infested blast-ended skrewt," Fred adds and shoots you a wink. "I could think of a few other names, but that one seems the most appropriate."

George nods and stares off in the distance wistfully. "It sure will be, especially in a few minutes."

Your brows raise and you glance between the two of them. "What did you do?" You ask, a genuine smile finally breaking across your face.

They both stand up and shrug in unison.

Fred slides his hand into the pocket of his robe and pulls out an empty vial. George answers with, "let's just say, we helped him find his true form."

You gasp and cover your mouth. "You didn't!"

Their eyes are gleaming with glee, there is no need for an answer. Whatever was in that vial is now running through Matthew's system, and considering the crazy concoctions the brothers normally come up with - you can only imagine what will happen to him next.

"That should teach him a lesson or two," Fred says with a nod. 

George gestures to where a crowd is forming right outside of the Great Hall, Professor Sprout is sprinting and asking students to move aside. "Looks like class has started, then. Let's go watch the show."

Your attention flicks between them and the ever growing crowd out in the hall. "I can't, I'm sorry. I have to study, but I'll see you both later."

The three of you head in the same direction, then break off right as the scene of Matthew Starling covered in massive red boils unfolds in front of you. Your heart swells as you turn your back to the chaos, knowing that they did that all for you. You're not sure who else would have intervened at a moment like that, but you were so thankful for the twins.

—---------------------------

The library is unsurprisingly barren, being that it was so early in the morning. The only other person, aside from Madam Pince, is a girl with a curly mane of hair sitting behind a massive stack of books. Even with her face concealed, you know at once that this is Hermione Granger.

You find a spot close to the middle of the room and begin unpacking your belongings onto the chipped dark wood table - parchment, a quill, a few books. Your hand lingers over the olive cover of the book that Fred had rescued from Matt. Studying was necessary, but you long to be with the Weasley brothers more than ever.

Maybe if you just buckle down and try to get this done early, there will be time for you to find them and show them just how much you appreciate them standing up for you. Your stomach fills with butterflies as the thought of being tangled in their arms floats to the forefront of your mind. Then, with a quick shake of your head the fantasies disappear. If any of that is to happen, then you need to focus. You have to get all of this out of the way.

There was nothing but silence in the room for the next few hours, aside from the occasional turn of a page or scribbling on parchment. Some other students came in and out of the room, but nobody stayed longer than fifteen minutes or so. Hermione’s stack of books was slowly being organized into two sections. You periodically glance up and watch as her full undivided attention was on whichever page she was reading at the time. If only you had even part of the drive that she does, then maybe you wouldn’t even be in this mess to begin with.

Your eyelids are starting to get heavy as you reach the bottom of the parchment with your quill. One more page to go and then that part of Flitwick’s homework assignment is complete. You’re determined, but your stomach is growling loudly. Then it dawned on you that you completely forgot to eat anything this morning after the event with Matthew. It was still early, around 11:30AM, so taking a quick lunch break wouldn’t hurt your progress.

With that thought convincing you, you start packing up your things and stand to leave. You glance one more time at Hermione, who is smiling at you from behind the wall of text books. She lifts her hand and beckons you with a discreet wave. You step to her with your leather brown bag hanging in the front of your legs.

She leans over the pages of an open book as you reach her table. “You’re Y/N, right?” You nod and her smile widens. “You were George’s date to the Yule Ball?”

“Right,” you reply simply, the sound of his name makes your cheeks flush a bit.

“I thought I recognized you,” she says. “He really seems to like you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so..” she trails off as Madam Pince shushes her from across the room. With a softer whisper she continues, “so happy and, I don’t know, open about this kind of thing.”

You shuffle your feet a bit hearing this from Hermione. You know she’s been a long term friend of the Weasleys’, so her input of the twins’ behavior is about as accurate as it can get. Especially from someone this perceptive.

“I like them too,” you blurt out, then try to cover it up with, “George is just great.” They agreed to share you, but not both be public with you. 

Hermione’s brows lower for a moment. “That’s great, really.” She shoots a quick glance at Madam Pince before continuing with, “and if you ever need to talk to someone about them..”

You tilt your head and take a step back. She knows. She really caught that little slip up. Maybe talking to someone perceptive was a bad idea after all. Would Fred and George be upset with you about this? “I have to go,” you mutter with your eyes glued to the floor.

“Listen,” she persists as you turn to leave. She stands and has both hands splayed on the desk as she leans forward. “I’m not going to say a word to anyone, I promise.”

You loosen your grip on your bag and turn your head. It was a lot to keep to yourself, which is something you never really realized before. Being unable to talk to anyone about your feelings about not just one, but two separate boys, did leave you feeling a bit isolated from the rest of Hogwarts.

You meet her eyes and smile. “Thank you.”

With that, you head to the door and push your way into the hall. The foundation of a new friendship was forming, and it made a new fire in your soul ignite at once. Getting another girl’s input on the situation would be enlightening. Though, some details would be much better left locked up in that secret room for only the Weasley brothers and you.

Your wistful excitement is torn away immediately as you turn the corner and see Matthew Starling leaning against the wall. His shaggy blonde hair is covering half of his red boil infested skin which makes you wince on sight. As you retrieve the wand from your pocket, he lurches forward and grabs you by the wrist.

“What in the bloody hell did you do to me?” He yells. His thumb digs into your sensitive soft flesh, making your fingers let go of your wand. It falls with a soft clank to the floor.

“I didn’t do anything to you!” You shriek and attempt to pull away from him. 

His grip tightens around your sore wrist and he jerks his arm forward so that you’re against his chest. Some of the boils over his scowling face were repeatedly popping, puss rolling down his flushed cheeks. “Don’t you dare lie to me,” he hisses between gritted teeth, spit spraying your face.

“I’m not.” You try to fight back the tears as he stares down at you. You aren’t about to sell Fred and George out. The last thing you need is for them to get in trouble for protecting you.

Matthew forcefully pulls at your already extended aching arm again and you let out an audible gasp of pain. He smirks, admiring your terrified expression, then spins and slams you against the wall. The impact forces all of the air from your lungs. He keeps you pinned between himself and the stone, stopping you from fully catching your breath.

“What’s wrong?” He growls. “Don’t like when I touch you anymore?”

You struggle against his weight while staring up into his snake-like eyes. Your stomach twists with fear and disgust as he lowers his distorted and slimy face, his lips inches away from yours.

Then you hear a voice echoing out at once, “petrificus totalus!”

There is a flash of light, then Matthew immediately goes stiff as a board and falls back to the floor with a thud. Your head is spinning and your sight is still going into focus, when two arms wrap around you. At first you go to fight the figure, until you recognize that familiar earthy cologne.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” George coos and strokes your hair. “We’ve got you.” You collapse against him and take a sharp breath of relief. Tears pool in your eyes and flood down your cheeks.

“You’re absolutely mental,” Fred yells and you hear his foot meet Matthew’s stomach. “You’re bloody lucky I didn’t bother using,” a pause and he gave another kick. “The crucio curse.” A third grunt came from Matthew. “On your pathetic excuse of a-”

“That’s enough!” A girl yells from the end of the corridor. Even with your face still pressing against George’s sweater, you recognize it as Hermione.

“I’m not done with him,” Fred chokes out in anger. His face is bright red with rage and he gives the blonde boy on the floor another swift kick. “You just wait until I am, you’ll be begging for -”

“Stop,” Hermione demands and wedges herself in between them. “I understand you’re upset but-”

“Upset?” George laughs out in disbelief. “He fucking assaulted Y/N.”

“I know,” she explains quickly. “But the last thing you both need is to be expelled.”

“I’m willing to go to Azkaban at this point,” Fred snaps.

You pull out of George’s arms and yell, “no!”

“That’s not what she needs,” Hermione explains. “She needs you both, here, at school with her.”

Fred looks at you and his face drops. His white knuckled grip on his wand loosens and he steps over the now bloody mouthed Matthew Starling. He takes your hands gently, his eyes scanning where the skin on your wrist is raw and tender. His expression hardens, and he swiftly turns on his heel and charges Matt.

Instead of throwing another punch, he kneels down next to him and grabs a fist full of his hair. “Look at me,” he hisses. The boy’s blue irises dart up from the floor and into Fred’s. “If you ever come near our girl again, I promise you that boils will be the last of your worries.” Matt’s eyes widened.

George places a hand on your lower back and steps forward. “We will make sure that even your parents won’t even recognize you once we are done.”

Fred smiles coldly, “and that’s a promise.” He drops Matt’s head to the floor and gets to his feet.

Hermione winces as she steps over the boy. She walks to you, worry written all over her face. “Are you okay?”

You wrap your arms around Fred and nod, your eyes still burn from the salty tears staining your cheeks. There were so many words you wish you could say to all of them. If they hadn’t stepped in, who knows what Matt would have done. Your skin crawls with the thought of his blistered lips on yours.

“Can we go?” You ask while looking up at Fred. 

He smiles and strokes your hair. “Of course.”

Hermione offers to clean up the Matthew situation so that you and the Weasley brothers can leave.

They both have their hands on you the entire time when walking through the halls and the passageways. There is still silence between all of you, even when curled up between them in that small bed with the fireplace burning nearby. The tears eventually stop falling when the shock of the events finally completely dissipates. You are thankful for Fred. For George. For Hermione, your new found friend.

You take their warmth and allow it to warm even the coldest part of your heart, which is still partially fearful of what Matthew might do next.

But you know, if he has any sense in him, that he will take the Weasley brothers’ threat seriously.

You are, after all, their girl.

#fred and george weasley #george weasley #fred weasley #george weasley x hufflepuff!reader #harry potter fanfiction #fred and george weasley x reader

[ravendruid]

Be In My Eyes - Chapter 30

You can read the previous chapters here or on AO3. Here we are, folks. One year later, Part I of BIME comes to an end. I will return with Part II soon because these chucklefucks still have much to suffer. Content warning: Panic attack. Summary: Finals week is hell, but at least it brings Keyleth and Vax closer... but for how long?

Vax was glad that finals were almost over. The week had been horribly stressful between handing out final essays, studying for exams, and giving final presentations. Vax barely had any time left to do fun activities with his sister and friends, not just during the week, but the entire month. All his professors became even stricter than usual, often forgetting their class wasn’t the only subject the students had, passing mountains of homework and scheduling essays and other projects they had to deliver and present within a tight deadline. The only good thing about that was that the final evaluation for those subjects was divided between the final exam and the projects, so even if Vax had a bad grade on a final essay, he could still make up during the exam. On Conthsen night, Vax was anxiously counting the hours left until Keyleth’s last exam the next day, not just because he missed spending time with her—fun time, not study time—but because that was the sign that exams week would be officially over in apartment 7B and that was all Scanlan would need to open the case of beer they had saved in the fridge and turn on the music.

Vax remembered Keyleth was still in class and that she would probably get home exhausted and go straight to studying without eating, so he closed his book and flicked the light off. He would make her dinner and keep her company while she ate, and then they could study together if she wanted, even though Vax wanted nothing more than to have Keyleth curled against his side on the couch while they watched a movie and he played with her hair. Vax loved taking care of Keyleth, especially by doing small gestures like making sure she ate. It didn’t bother him to cook a different meal for her or to leave a serving from dinner in the fridge. He did it because he loved her and wanted to care for her. So Vax made a fresh batch of miso soup that Keyleth could eat anytime and prepared tofu, eggs and vegetables so that he only had to add noodles to the soup base when she got home. It would be warm and full of nutrients for her.

In hindsight, Vax should have noticed the first sign that something wasn’t right when Keyleth slammed the door and slid her back against it. But Vax was so distracted finishing Keyleth’s dinner that he thought she was just tired, and he certainly didn’t think anything else of her tight hug when she entered the kitchen. Keyleth was usually quiet on days she got home late from school, too socially exhausted to hold a full conversation, so Vax sat by her side at the table while she ate and let her fumble with his fingers on her lap.

The second sign came when Vax asked her if she wanted company to study and she said no. He still didn’t think anything of it because Keyleth sometimes asked him to study alone, which Vax understood. He could be quite distracting. So he kissed her forehead and headed back to his room, letting her know the door was unlocked if she needed anything.

Vax finally realized something was wrong when Percy and Vex returned. They were talking in hushed voices as they stepped into the room, and when Vax heard Keyleth’s name, he turned on his chair to look at his sister and his roommate.

“What’s wrong with Keyleth?” Vax asked. Vex’ahlia was still holding Trinket’s leash, even though the massive shaggy dog was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s acting weird. She barely acknowledged our presence.” Percy answered instead. “Do you know if something happened?”

“She was fine when she got home. Maybe she’s tired. Finals week has been hard on all of us.”

“Keep an eye on her, brother,” Vex said. She crossed the room to kiss the crown of his head, then gave Percy a peck on the lips and left.

Vax didn’t need to be told twice to keep an eye on Keyleth, especially when he looked at the clock and saw how late it was. He knew her classes started early the following morning and that if someone didn’t force Keyleth to close her books, she would stay up all night studying. Again, it didn’t bother him to go out of his way to make sure Keyleth got some rest. Everything he did was for her own good, even if it meant he would have to stay up until late.

Vax wasn’t surprised when he saw the mess on the kitchen table. Books were spread open, notes were scattered, a colorful rainbow of highlighters littered on top of papers, and an empty mug of coffee sat on the table. Everyone else had some level of stress before exams—even Grog and Scanlan—but no one beat Keyleth’s anxiety.

“Keeks?” Keyleth wasn’t at the table anymore.

In hindsight, things should have gone differently. Vax should have seen the signs, but he didn’t, so he was naturally concerned when he saw Keyleth sitting on the floor, her back against the wall and arms wrapped around her knees with her head hiding between them, rocking back and forth with shallow, rapid breaths giving way to sobs, and then chokes.

“Keyleth?” Vax called again, kneeling in front of her. When Keyleth didn’t answer, Vax softly placed his hands on her head and lifted it, seeing tears falling down her cheeks and the panic in her eyes. “Kiki, what’s wrong?” He asked. Keyleth didn’t react to him, as if she hadn’t noticed Vax in front of her. Instead, she tried to put her head back between her knees, but Vax held her steady. He knew what was going on: Keyleth was having a panic attack. He had helped Vex’ahlia through them after Saundor and Syldor, and he had forced himself out of a few himself, so he knew what to do.

“Deep breaths,” Vax cooed. Keyleth was still panting and choking, so Vax cradled her cheeks and asked her again, more firmly this time, to take deep breaths. The touch of skin-to-skin seemed to be enough to bring Keyleth out of it at least a bit, just enough for her to start mumbling incomprehensible words.

“What’s wrong, Kiki? I can’t understand,” Vax tried again. Keyleth was still rocking back and forth, still breathing hard, her arms still tight around her knees. She mumbled something again, and, this time, Vax made up the words “can’t” and “it.”

“You’re safe, Keyleth. Take a deep breath in through your nose,” Vax said, demonstrating. Keyleth stared at him, finally stopping her rocking. “And then out,” he exhaled.

“I–can’t,” Keyleth mumbled. She brought her hands to her chest and throat, leaving her legs free.

“You can’t breathe?” Vax asked, concerned. Keyleth had enough strength to nod, so he extended her legs in front of her and straddled them.

“Yes, you can. Breathe with me,” Vax whispered, placing her hands on top of his heart inside his shirt. Keyleth’s hands were burning, but her fingertips were freezing. “In–” Vax took a deep breath in, which Keyleth finally copied. “–and out…” They both exhaled. “Let’s go again.” Vax kept whispering and rubbing his thumbs across Keyleth’s cheeks. One of his hands slid to the loose hair behind her ears, where he started rubbing reassuringly, always making sure to breathe slowly and guide her.

“You’re doing great,” Vax whispered when Keyleth let out a soft sob. It was an improvement from the raspy chokes that made Vax fear for her life. The hand left on her cheek lowered to her neck, where he found her pulse point and remained guiding her breathing. After a while, Keyleth’s sobs lessened enough that Vax felt comfortable to try something different.

“Can you speak?” Vax asked. Keyleth mumbled a ‘yes’ with a ragged voice. “That’s good. Can you tell me five things that you see?”

“You, the floor, chairs, the table, and the trash can,” Keyleth enumerated. Vax nodded with each word, keeping his breath steady to guide her.

“Very good, Kiki. Keep breathing with me, okay? Now, tell me four things you can touch.”

Keyleth moved her frozen fingertips on Vax’s chest. “You, the floor, the wall…” Keyleth paused. She grabbed Vax’s hand on her hair and brought it to her chest, setting it right atop her heart, and said, “And your hand.” She finished with a long exhale.

“You’re doing great, Kiki,” Vax whispered lovingly. He leaned in, pressed a kiss to her forehead and then rested his brows against hers. “How about three things you can hear?”

“Your heart,” Keyleth said without hesitation. Vax smiled at that. She must have been truly focused on his heartbeat, which was good. “Your breathing and the fridge.” Keyleth’s breaths were slower now, almost back to normal, but Vax knew he had to finish the exercise before he could let her go.

“Good job. Can you tell me two things you can smell?”

“You…”

“And?”

“Just you. All of you,” Keyleth replied bashfully. Vax chuckled but accepted the answer since he was so close to her.

“Last one. What can you taste?” Vax asked, but before Keyleth could answer, he kissed her deeply, and against his expectations, Keyleth’s tongue found his. She hummed and pulled away, leaning her forehead against Vax’s again. Her body relaxed, shoulders sagging with relief, but her hand still remained on Vax’s chest, now fully warm.

“Home,” Keyleth answered. With her breathing and heartbeat back to normal, Vax allowed himself to relax and remove the hand on her neck (although he kept the hand on her chest). “Thank you.”

“Come here,” Vax pulled in closer and wrapped both arms around her, bringing her head to his shoulder. Keyleth leaned into his embrace and sighed deeply. “What happened?”

“I can’t do it. I’m so exhausted,” Keyleth admitted.

“You only have one exam left tomorrow, right?” Keyleth nodded in response. “You need to sleep. You’ve been studying non-stop for a month, Kiki. You’re more than ready. And if you’re not, it’s not the end. You can make up for it in a few weeks.”

“I can’t. I have to go home,” Vax’s heart leaped in his chest. It’s not that he forgot that all his roommates were leaving, but it hadn’t dawned on him that Keyleth would also be going home for an entire month. “I don’t think I can pass the exam tomorrow.”

“You will,” Vax whispered against her hair. The knot on his throat was so tight he couldn’t breathe from what Vax knew was a sign of anxiety for being alone, of not having Keyleth close to him. “I believe in you, Kiki. You’re going to ace it. But you need sleep, and I won’t take a no for an answer, so you’re coming with me.” Vax pulled away and raised to his feet. He helped Keyleth up and started leading her out of the kitchen, but she stopped. “Don’t look at the table, just follow me.” He said. He waited for a sign of acknowledgment, which came in the form of a silent nod, and led her by the hand toward his bedroom door.

“I—Percy,” Keyleth tried to stop him, but Vax shook his head as he opened the door.

“It’s okay,” Vax mouthed, bringing her inside with him. Keyleth looked at him confused and at Percy’s empty bed. “He’s in the shower,” Vax explained, seeing her look. He closed the bedroom door behind him and opened his wardrobe to grab a wrinkled T-shirt.

“Put this on,” Vax handed Keyleth the shirt. She nodded and started stripping out of her clothes, which made Vax take a step back. He stammered an apology and turned, not before he saw the soft white fabric of her bra.

“It’s okay,” Keyleth said, half amused, half tired. Vax heard the rustling of clothes and then her soft, “You can turn now,” and when he looked, she had also removed her pants and was standing in just his t-shirt that fell just at the top of her hips. Vax’s face heated, but he tried to play it cool and gestured at his bed. Keyleth didn’t wait to be told twice. She pulled back his blankets and laid with her back to the wall.

“Good girl,” Vax smirked. Keyleth blushed slightly at that. “I’ll be right back.”

Vax returned a few minutes later, after finding Percy and letting him and Vex know what happened with Keyleth. She was still awake, lying on her side with her knees pulled high to her stomach, but she didn’t speak, nor did she move when Vax started undressing with no reservations.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me shirtless before,” Vax said, dropping his shirt in the hamper. He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants but looked at Keyleth before he took them off. “Don’t get any funny ideas,” He dropped his pants to his ankles and took them off, then added, “You need to sleep.”

“Can you stay like that?” Keyleth asked bashfully. Vax cocked his head inquisitively, and she explained, “Skin-to-skin contact helps me calm. Can we do that?”

“If you’re comfortable with that,” Vax replied, lying next to Keyleth, wearing only his boxers. Keyleth covered him and then sat up on the bed. Vax tried to keep his gaze away while she undressed, but he could still see her from the corner of his eyes.

“Will you hold me?” Keyleth asked in a whisper once she was lying back on the bed. Vax swallowed hard and nodded, opening his arms. “Come here.” Keyleth laid her head on his shoulder and nuzzled her nose against him. The rest of her body was pressed against Vax’s, their legs entangled. Vax kissed the tip of her head as he wrapped an arm around her waist, doing his best to avoid thinking about the fact that they were touching from head to toe.

“Does this help?” He asked. Keyleth nodded. “Okay. Get some sleep. I’m right here.”

Keyleth was fast asleep within three heartbeats, but Vax remained awake for a while longer, watching the soft movement of her shoulders rise and fall against his chest, taking in her warmth and the softness of her skin against his body. His heart was both happy and sad. Sad because Keyleth was suffering so much from finals, but happy that she trusted him enough to let him in. In her panic-filled mind, Keyleth saw him and held onto him like a lifeline. She trusted Vax to bring her back because she knew he wouldn’t rest until she was safe.

—

Keyleth woke up confused, not knowing if what she remembered from the previous night had been a dream or real. The first thing that allowed her to discern reality was the headache that always appeared after a panic attack; the second thing was the fact that she had an arm wrapped around her waist with a hand splayed on her stomach and a warm breath on her nape. The final proof Keyleth needed was the fact that she was half-naked in someone’s bed—a man, from the pressure she felt on her behind. A small moment of panic made her turn around in bed, but then she sighed in relief when she saw raven-colored hair half-covering the tanned face of Vax’ildan, who, she realized, was also half-naked. The panic eased when Keyleth remembered everything that had happened. Even though she still had some gaps in her memory, at least she knew she had asked Vax to stay like that and remembered taking off the t-shirt he had given her. 

It didn’t matter that her underwear didn’t match (or that Vax saw her bare like that). Vax had seen her at her worst last night and hadn’t been scared like everyone else. Keyleth still remembered the times her panic attacks drove people away. She still heard what people called her and told her that day when she had to get dragged to the hospital by the school’s director. From that moment on, Keyleth refused to let anyone else see that vulnerable side of her, including her father (especially her father). Korrin had more things to worry about than her stupid crisis.

But Vax found her curled on the floor and helped her. The way he guided her through the panic attack with breathing and exercises made her want to cry from gratitude. No one had ever bothered to learn those to help her before, and if they knew those exercises, no one spared a second glance her way when she started choking on her breathing. The fact that Vax did that for her and forced her to rest when he knew she would drive herself to an early grave because of exams meant more than Keyleth could describe. 

Everything was easier with Vax. Coming home after late classes and finding dinner ready; having company for late-night study sessions, but at the same time someone who would remind her—and force her—to take breaks and take care of her needs; having someone to relax with, to laugh and talk and cry over her problems. Someone who would hug her and take her in no matter what or how bad her moods were. Vax was patient with her, always willing to listen, to wait, to care for her. He never once asked for more than Keyleth was willing to give and never took without asking first. Every kiss they shared was either initiated by her or after Keyleth gave her consent; every hug was respectful, and even the previous night, when Keyleth undressed without saying anything, Vax had looked away out of respect. Keyleth was the luckiest woman in the world for having Vax as her friend, and she would be even luckier if she had him as her boyfriend.

Keyleth turned in bed, facing Vax, who was still sound asleep. Even with the curtains closed, she could tell dawn would break soon, which meant she didn’t have much time left in the comfortable warmth of Vax’s bed. Vax’s bed. The idea of sharing a bed with Vax didn’t scare her, nor did the sight of his body pressed hard against hers underneath the blankets. Truth be told, thinking of Vax as more than a friend made Keyleth feel butterflies in her stomach, but more than that, Keyleth felt like she needed that, the easiness of not having to remind herself that she couldn’t kiss Vax willy-nilly, that she needed a reason to hold his hand (which wasn’t actually true). Keyleth wanted all of him, especially after knowing he wasn’t scared of her panic attacks, and this time, she was sure Vax felt the same way.

Even though Keyleth had only shared a bed (and a couch) with Vax a handful of times, she loved waking up before him and seeing him sleep. Vax had told her he often had nightmares, but every time they slept together, Vax was always relaxed. Keyleth never thought much of it, but considering that sleeping at Vax’s side eased her own nightmares, maybe her being there also did the same for him. Yet another sign that dating Vax could be a good thing.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Vax grumbled as a way of greeting. Keyleth turned her head to see a smile that made her melt in place. Vax’s eyes were still half-closed and crusted with sleep, his voice was hoarse, and his hair completely disheveled on his pillow (someone forgot to braid his hair the previous night). 

“Good morning,” Keyleth greeted, turning to kiss the tip of his nose. Vax opened his eyes, giving her a look and a smile that made her toes curl. He slid his hand up to the middle of her back, underneath the band of her bra, and pulled her closer to him, kissing the tip of her nose, then one cheek, the other, and, when he was about to pull away, Keyleth brought his face in to kiss him slowly on the lips.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” Vax asked, rubbing his nose against hers. Keyleth shrugged, “I just felt like it.”

“Did you sleep well?” Vax asked her, scratching his nails up and down her spine. Keyleth squirmed with the feeling, getting closer to him, and nodded. “Me too,” He said. 

“I don’t want to get up, but I have to study before the exam today.”

“No studying, Kiki. You’ve done all you could. Studying today will not help any more than the rest of the month.”

“I need to review every—”

“No,” Vax stopped Keyleth by turning her on her back and straddling her hips. “Absolutely not. I’m going to make sure you do nothing but relax until your exam later, even if I have to stay up here all day.”

Keyleth’s entire body flushed red. She could feel him pressing against her like this, even more when he supported his weight on his hands at each side of her head and bent over to bring his face close to hers. They were painfully close and in a very suggestive position.

“What’s it going to be, Kiki? Are you going to do as I say, or do I have to make sure you—” Vax leaned further down, supporting himself on his elbows now. “—don’t go anywhere?”

“I–I don’t know,” Keyleth mumbled softly. Two could play the game. “I really need to study.” Just as she intended, Vax fully lowered himself on top of her, completely locking her in place. Keyleth couldn’t even move her hands as they were pinned to her sides by his arms.

“Keyleth…” Keyleth’s body turned gooseflesh with Vax’s sultry voice and look. Her cheeks were burning and her chest was as red as a tomato.

“C–can I at least go to classes?”

Vax glared at her for a moment, then sat up straight and said, “Only if you promise you will not study anymore.”

As much as it hurt her, Keyleth knew Vax was right. A few more hours of studying wouldn’t make a difference, so she might as well try to relax. “I promise.”

Vax nodded, seemingly satisfied with it, and started to get up, but, as he did, he turned his head over his shoulder to look at Keyleth and said, “If you’re a good girl and keep your promise, I’ll reward you after dinner.”

Maybe it was because they slept so close and bare, or maybe it was the wink that Vax gave her, but Keyleth felt her entire body burn like it was about to combust into fire, and before Vax gave her a second glance, she was hiding underneath the covers, trying to keep herself from squealing.

Vax was very keen on making sure Keyleth kept her promise, either by walking her to class or meeting her at lunchtime. Keyleth knew he didn’t do it because he didn’t trust her but because Vax wanted to make sure she wasn’t overexerting herself (and also because he wanted to spend time with her). They sat at an isolated table in the cafeteria, watching the snow falling outside as they ate in silence. Keyleth almost grabbed her books out of her backpack by instinct once she was done eating her sandwich, but she stopped herself and grabbed her laptop instead.

“When are you going home?” Vax asked, looking at Keyleth above the screen of her computer.

“My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon,” Keyleth still had to pack when she got home. She somehow had to find time to do it during the party Scanlan wanted to throw before they broke for the holidays.

“I’ll take you to the airport,” Vax said nonchalantly.

Keyleth stopped typing to stare in shock at Vax. “You don’t have to. I can take a taxi.”

“I want to spend as much time as I can with you before I have to lose you for an entire month.”

Valid argument. Keyleth blushed. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“It’s still going to be torture,” Vax sighed. He leaned back on his chair, staring her in the eyes. Keyleth kept her gaze locked on his. Ever since their date to the botanical garden, Vax had been more open about his feelings, not thinking twice or measuring his words of affection towards her. The only thing he avoided saying was the three words Keyleth was starved to hear, but, to his defense, she had been pretty clear about not being ready, and Vax was nothing if not respectful.

“I’ll call you every day. You’re going to be so tired of me, you’ll end up blocking my number,” Keyleth joked. She looked at the clock and groaned. She finished typing the edits and delivered her last essay due later. 

“I’m never going to be tired of you, Kiki,” Vax said, getting up and standing behind her chair. Keyleth put her laptop back in her backpack and got to her feet, being immediately swept by an arm around her waist and a kiss on her cheek. “The day I grow tired of you is the day I die.”

Keyleth melted into his chest. Her heart was racing with an aching need to say what was on her mind, of what she almost blurted, but it wasn’t the right time, and it certainly wasn’t the right place. “I have something to tell you later,” She mustered. Vax looked at her in concern and tensed. Keyleth knew he was running every bad scenario in his mind because she certainly would be if he had told her that. “It’s nothing bad, relax,” She reassured him. Vax’s shoulders slumped and he finally let go of her waist.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Kiki.” Vax pulled away. They started heading out, not before Keyleth joked, “For my sake, I sure hope not.”

—

The party was blasting in the living room, but Keyleth took a moment of distraction from her friends to sneak back into her bedroom. Her suitcase was open on her bed, clothes strewn on every empty spot on the blanket. Most of her late autumn and early winter clothes were already packed and ready, but Keyleth still had a few things to sort through. Winter in Emon was harsher than she expected, and some of her clothes weren’t warm enough for the winter, but she had to decide if they would be good enough for Spring. She had been rummaging through her clean laundry basket for clothes to pack when she found something that didn’t belong and knew it wasn’t hers from the color alone: Vax’s black hoodie, the one with the silver wings on the back and the three daggers on the sleeve. Keyleth would recognize the sweatshirt anywhere just by the smell of the twins’ laundry detergent.

Even though black was not her color—or any color at all, in Keyleth’s opinion—and that common sense dictated that she shouldn’t steal her roommate’s clothes, the urge to put on Vax’s hoodie was stronger than any argument Keyleth could come up with, so, instead of setting the hoodie aside to give it back to its rightful owner, Keyleth pulled it over her head. 

The sweatshirt was soft and comfortable, and the familiar smell made Keyleth feel like she was burrowing into Vax’s embrace, which brought back memories from the nights they shared together. Blush crept up her cheek when Keyleth imagined it was Vax’s arms that were holding her and not her own, and that it was his chest she was nuzzling, and not the neckline of the hoodie. Keyleth felt so cozy and safe that she knew she could easily fall asleep wearing the sweatshirt, no matter where she was.

Keyleth was so entranced in the feeling that she didn’t hear the door to her bedroom open and close and the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Kiki?” Vax called her. Keyleth jumped in place, realizing she hadn’t heard Vax walk in. The music and voices in the living room were still loud enough to let her know everyone else was still partying.

“Vax!”

“Are you wearing my hoodie?” Vax asked with a smirk. Keyleth’s eyes widened and she took a step back, nervously playing with the strings of the hoodie.

“I–Maybe?”

“It looks good on you,” Vax cocked his head. 

“I’m sorry. It was in my laundry and I–” Keyleth looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment. “It smelled like you and it’s so cozy.”

Vax closed the distance between them, asking, “Do you want it?”

Yes. Keyleth wanted to say. When she looked up at him, she saw the same look in his eyes he always had when he wanted nothing more but to kiss her. “No,” Keyleth replied instead. She knew Vax didn’t have many clothes and she felt bad for taking his only—and favorite—hoodie. She could not take something so important from him when he had already given her so much of himself.

“Are you sure? I can buy another one.” Vax insisted, grabbing at the fabric of the pocket on her stomach. 

No, you can’t. Keyleth thought. The twins’ finances were getting worse and worse by the day. Vax had told her that he and Vex would have to work the entire winter break to save up some money for the next semester. Vax could not afford another hoodie, and to be honest, Keyleth wasn’t sure if he could find one. The one she was wearing already looked like one of its kind. “I’m sure,” She said, smiling lovingly at him. 

“You can borrow it then. Just make sure you bring it back when you return,” Vax offered. He tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I promise it’s okay if you change your mind.”

“I won’t,” Keyleth answered quickly. Vax merely smirked and winked at her knowingly. 

“You said you had something to tell me?”

Keyleth bit her lip. She had wanted to tell him her feelings, but now that time had finally come, she was shaking with fear that it would be too late. “I–I’ve been thinking,” Keyleth said shakily. “About what you told me that day… that you l–”

Vax smiled at her hesitation and finished her thought, “That I love you, yes.”

“Yeah,” Keyleth’s face felt too warm, her chest was too tight and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

“Keyleth, breathe,” Vax reminded her. Keyleth’s eyes were wide open in his direction. He brought her hand to his chest, under his shirt like he had done the previous night, and started taking long, slow breaths for her to follow. Keyleth did, and when her heart rate decreased enough that she could breathe normally again, Vax reassured her, “No matter what you have to tell me, I’m not going anywhere Kiki. I’m right here. I promise I’m not leaving.”

“I know,” Keyleth replied, still shakily. Some tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, but Vax wiped them with his thumbs. “I love you, Vax. I have never felt so safe with anyone before. I’ve never felt so sure of my feelings. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Last night, you showed me you weren’t scared of me and my existential crisis like everyone else is. You didn’t run away like everyone… you stayed and helped me. I don’t want to go through all that alone ever again.”

“You won’t have to, Kiki. I’ll always be with you,” Vax said, hugging her tightly. “I love you so much, Keyleth. I just want to make you happy, even if that means we’ll remain as friends.”

Keyleth pulled away to look Vax in the eyes and said, “I don’t want to be just your friend anymore.” This time, it was Keyleth’s turn to wipe the tears forming in the corner of Vax’s eyes. “Unless you changed your mind about—”

“Shut up,” He interrupted her with a kiss. Keyleth chuckled against his lips, then returned the kiss. 

“Can we keep it between us until I tell my dad?” Keyleth asked when she pulled away.

“I can try, but I’m pretty sure my sister will smell it a mile away.” Keyleth snorted and turned back to her suitcase, resuming her packing. Vax waited, hemming and hawing at something and biting his lip until he finally blurted out, “Do you want to sleep with me tonight? Just sleep, I promise.”

Percy had left for the airport soon after Keyleth got home, having waited only long enough to say goodbye to her. She had cried a bit on his shoulder for already missing her best friend, but she understood his need to go home to his younger sister as soon as he could, but not before Percy promised Keyleth to bring her something from Whitestone. Sleeping with Vax would not be a problem without Percy to worry about, and, to be honest, Keyleth knew if she slept on her bed, she would probably stay awake all night, tossing and turning with anxiety. Really there were more pros about the invitation than cons. 

“Just sleep?” Keyleth asked. Vax nodded, biting his lip nervously. “I think that’s a good idea. I sleep better when I’m with you and I need to rest for the flight tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course. That’s the only reason why I asked…” Vax teased, wrapping his arms around her waist from the back. 

“Mhm. You’re so concerned about me, aren’t you?” Keyleth teased back, looking over her shoulder. Vax smirked at her, gave her a soft peck on the lips, and said, “Of course. It has nothing to do with the fact that I just want to sleep with my girlfriend.”

Keyleth turned around in Vax’s arms and wrapped hers around his neck. Her smile was so big her cheeks hurt. “Call me that again, please.”

“Girlfriend,” Vax whispered against her lips and kissed her. Keyleth hummed, still smiling as they kissed, and when they broke apart, she pushed Vax away with a chuckle and said, “Alright. You need to leave because I have to finish packing.”

“But–” Vax pouted, trying to grab her again.

“No buts,” Keyleth put her hand on Vax’s shoulders, turned him away and guided him to her bedroom door. “You are a very yummy distraction, but the faster I pack, the faster I’ll go back to the party.” Vax stood outside Keyleth’s bedroom door, staring agape at her. Keyleth blew him a kiss before she closed the door and returned to her packing with the biggest smile and feeling of lightness she had ever felt in her life.

Vax was her boyfriend.

—

Vax was an idiot. A fool in love. And against all odds, the one he loved loved him back. For most of his life, Vax had heard all about how useless he was, how he would never amount to anything, how no one would ever love him, so much so that he believed it with his own heart. Vax never thought he would be in this situation when he started having feelings for Keyleth, he never thought he was deserving of anyone’s love, much less hers, but here he was, lying in bed with a halo of wildfire hair spread on his pillow, Keyleth’s cheek pressing warmly against his chest, and her long and nimble fingers spread out on his bare stomach. Vax was a selfish man because even though he had to wake Keyleth up soon, he wanted to steal these last moments of quiet and safety with her. The early hours of the rest of the morning would be reserved for silent breakfasts and last-minute packing and double-checking of luggage, then they would both catch a taxi to the airport, where Vax would finally let Keyleth go. 

No. Vax would steal these last precious moments with his girlfriend. But because all good things must come to an end, the alarm clock destroyed those final moments. Keyleth sat up on the bed, still half-asleep, but already half-anxious. The blankets pooled on her lap revealed the soft blue workout bra she had picked for the night and the flight (Vax hadn’t complained when Keyleth started taking her clothes off and dove under his blankets, and he certainly didn’t complain when he followed her in just his underwear. She was right, after all. Skin-to-skin contact was more relaxing than just cuddling), and when Keyleth pulled them away, Vax mustered all his self-control to not follow the lines of her back down to where her hips raised from the bed as Keyleth crawled over his legs.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Keyleth swore as she started putting on the clothes she left prepared on Percy’s bed. Vax remained in bed, lying on his side, watching her flutter around the room with a smile. “I still have to pack all my toiletries and brush my hair. I forgot to put it in a braid last night–” Vax didn’t say anything. Keyleth was mostly talking to herself rather than with him, and he let her be. It helped her to go through her to-do list out loud.

“Ugh. My hair is a mess,” Keyleth cried, combing her fingers through her locks, getting them tangled in the knots. She turned to Vax, who was still smiling fondly, and cocked her head to one side. “What are you smiling about?”

“You,” Vax said, sitting up. He stretched his arms high above his head and saw the way Keyleth’s eyes dropped from his face to his torso. “You’re adorable. You still have plenty of time. Grab your hairbrush and come here.” Vax said, leaning back against his headboard and patting the blanket between his legs. Keyleth rolled her eyes but did as he said, so Vax started combing and braiding her hair for her. When he finished tying the braid with an elastic, he pulled it softly and kissed Keyleth’s neck. 

“Stop it,” she scolded him playfully but turned away to face him and kiss him passionately. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, my love.” 

“I’m going to finish packing now,” Keyleth said, giving him a sad look before she got up and headed out of the bedroom. Vax stretched again (it didn’t feel as satisfying without Keyleth ogling him) and started getting dressed. He knew Keyleth wouldn’t make herself anything to eat before her flight, so he headed into the kitchen where he brewed a pot of coffee (which surely all his other roommates would be happy for since most of them were leaving, too), and prepared Keyleth and himself a quick breakfast. By the time Keyleth arrived in the kitchen with her fully packed suitcase and backpack, Vax was leaning against the counter, stirring a bowl of apple, cinnamon oatmeal with honey and walnuts.

“I made you breakfast,” He announced. Keyleth grimaced, but Vax said he wouldn’t take a no for an answer before she opened her mouth to reject the meal. They ate in silence, sitting next to each other at the table. Vax’s free hand rested on Keyleth’s knee the entire time, rubbing circles with his thumb with the intent to help her relax. Keyleth was wearing his hoodie (which Vax was trying to ignore because it made him want to hold her hostage and not let her go back home), but it was missing something. 

“Kiki, can you take that off?” He asked her. Keyleth gave him a look as if to say there’s no way I’m taking this sweater off ever in my life, but Vax insisted, wiggling his fingers, “Please? I’ll bring it right back.” She finally complied, so Vax ran to his bedroom, where he sprayed it with his cologne, and ran back to the kitchen, handing it back to Keyleth.

“Here, I think you’ll like it better,” He said as Keyleth put the sweatshirt back on. He was right because Keyleth buried deeper into it with a pleased smile. 

“Thank you,” Keyleth said, getting up. She fumbled slightly with the strings, hesitating for a moment, then finally found the courage to pull Vax by the opening of his jacket and kiss him. “This will make it slightly more bearable.”

“I figured it would,” Vax said, brushing her cheek. “We have to go. Are you ready?” Keyleth nodded. Vax placed the dirty dishes in the sink to wash later and helped Keyleth with her suitcase and backpack. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much traffic on the way to the airport, so the ride was short. Vax kept Keyleth’s hand in his the entire ride, only letting go of it when they arrived so she could pay for the taxi and when she checked into her flight. They still had a few minutes before she had to go through security, which Vax decided to spend glued to his girlfriend. 

“I’ll call you every day,” Keyleth promised. Vax nodded. He tried to keep his sadness down, but it was hard. This was the first time he and Keyleth would be apart for so long, and it was especially hard because they hadn’t had the chance to be boyfriend and girlfriend for long. 

“I’ll call you if you don’t call me. And I’m going to text you all the time so you don’t forget me.” Vax teased her.

“Oh, please. You’re unforgettable,” Keyleth teased back and kissed him, but then her smile faded. “Unless you’re the one who’s going to forget me…”

“Do you really think so?” Keyleth shook her head, but she still bit her lip nervously. “Of course not. I’m going to be here when you come back. In fact, I might stay and sleep at the airport to make sure I’m here on time for when you return.” 

Keyleth laughed. They both knew there was some truth behind the joke. Vax really would do something like that. “I’ll be back before you know it,” She said, hugging him tightly. Vax squeezed her as hard as his heart was breaking. His eyes were warming with tears, his throat was closing, he couldn’t swallow anymore, and his vision started darkening. Vax wasn’t ready to let go of Keyleth yet, not when he had just finally gotten her. The week they were apart as friends had already been horrible for both, and Vax knew this time would only be worse. 

“I already miss you,” He confessed. “You’ve been my girlfriend for twelve hours and I already have to say goodbye to you… it’s not fair.”

“I’m sorry,” Keyleth swallowed hard. Vax saw she was suffering just as much as he was. “I’ve had this trip booked since the beginning of the semester, otherwise I would stay with you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just grumpy.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass,” Keyleth’s eyes were starting to fill with tears, but Vax wiped them before they could fall. 

“I would have waited all my life. I will wait all my life for you, Keyleth, and if I die without you by my side, then I will wait in the afterlife for as long as it takes until we’re finally together.”

“Vax–”

“I love you, my sunshine.”

“I love you too, my grumpy raven,” Keyleth whispered against Vax’s lips before she kissed him longingly. “I have to go now,” She said, adjusting the straps on her shoulder.”

“Text me when you land?”

“Of course. I’ll miss you.”

“I’m right here with you,” Vax pulled the drawstrings of her hoodie. “I’ll always be with you, love.” Keyleth nodded. Neither could stop their tears from falling anymore, no matter how much they wiped at their eyes. 

“I’ll always be with you, too, Vax. I’m yours, forever and ever, and always.”

“And I’m yours, Keyleth. Forever and ever, and always.”

In hindsight, Vax should have known it would be the last time he kissed his girlfriend for a while, and Keyleth should have taken the five extra minutes to savor the taste of Vax’s tongue on hers. In retrospect, things could have been so much different than they were, had either of them known what would be waiting on the other side. But something deep inside Vax, a dark pitch that he had been trying to escape for years and that he finally thought he had gotten rid of with the help of Keyleth, crept closer and closer until, eventually, it swallowed Vax’ildan whole.

That is the problem with last kisses. Opposite of first kisses, last kisses aren’t usually memorable because one doesn’t always know it happened until it’s too late, and when one is finally faced with the truth, one can’t stop wishing they had just five more minutes of it. 

Just five more minutes with her. Just five more minutes with him.

Wishing they had just five more minutes together.

#critical role #cr fic #vox machina #vaxleth #modern au #college au #be in my eyes #I'm not crying. WE are crying! #I wrote this chapter when I was on vacation and it saved me from a panic attack at dinner with my family #this is really hard to post. #aaaah ok. I can't be a lame butt. i'll make a cry post later #I LOVE YOU ALL. THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY. YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME.

[cheapsweets]

The Recondite Haesorog

My response to this week’s BestiaryPosting challenge from @maniculum

Now, I actually have a suspicion what this creature might be - I wasn't deliberately trying to work it out, but when I was throwing around concepts for the drawing, something clicked... If it is what I think it is, it's at the same time a really cool description, with some bits which are wildly out... I didn't pursue that particular line of thinking with my piece this week, but I'm going to be interested to see what this one turns out to be :D

Jinhao shark fountain pen with a fine, hooded nib, with Monteverde Raven Noir ink, over initial pencil sketch. I'm going to do some experimenting with the brush pen and the fude-nib in future pictures again; I appreciate the consistency of the lines that this pen is giving me, but I suspect those other pens would give a little more character to the lines.

As an aside, I'd genuinely encourage anyone looking at these challenges to give it a try; its given me a bit of focus to get back into something I used to enjoy, without too much pressure (both in terms of the time and also this mostly being about fun!)

As ever, reasoning under the cut…

"Ethiopia is the home of a creature called the Haesorog, as large as an ox, with the footprints of an ibis, branching horns, the head of a stag, the colouring of a bear and the same thick coat."

Okay! For such a short description, we've actually got a fairly good amount of detail. Of course, some of it doesn't really make sense together - bird feet with horns and a bear's thick coat? What could be going on here?

I figured that, rather than trying to work out something realistic, I'd actually treat the description at face value as much as possible. As such, we have an ox-sized, deer-headed creature with long, bird legs and feet, covered in shaggy hair! I actually tried to put a bit of deer anatomy into the legs, but they were primarily referenced from ibis photos - I'd set myself on that particular pose, but it was impossible to find a front-facing picture of an ibis with its leg raised (not perfect, but turned out better than I was fearing!)

The horns gave me cause for thought - horns don't tend to branch, but they're very distinct from antlers (antlers being bone, and shed yearly, while horns are covered in a keratin sheath which is not generally shed). In the end, and given the description of it having a deer's head, I went with antlers, specifically taking inspiration from the wapiti (American/Asian elk) and red deer for the grand, branching antlers rather than palmate antlers of the fallow deer I'm most familiar with. I did give them a little texture, as a nod to the horn though.

Charles Knight's Animal drawing was really useful here - the short essays in that book made me consider more carefully some aspects that I wouldn't have just looking at the drawings, including things like ear position, and the general vibe of the animals I was referencing.

Still experimenting with plants and trees for the background - some came out better than others, but I've learned a few more things from this about what does and doesn't work well!

I'm now kinda wishing I'd drawn a fuzzy horned dinosaur for this, but I'm still happy with the directionI went 😅🦖

"It is said that the Haesorog changes its appearance when it is afraid and, when it hides itself, takes on the likeness of whatever is near — a white stone or a green bush or whatever other shape it prefers."

Well, this is cool; an ox-sized animal that is also a master of disguise. You can see my nod to this in the background where a hunting party (plus dog) are walking straight past a Haesorog disguised as a tree...

I did a little look into medieval costume (and dog breeds) from Ethiopia; I know that this is a bit of a catchall term for Sub-Saharan Africa, but it gave me a place to start. Turns out that the figures were too tiny to put in any detail of the clothing (or to make the Ethiopian Highland Dog) distinct, but the history there is fascinating (including Ethiopian delegates to Florence in 1441 being frustrated about the Europeans constantly referring to their kind as 'Prester John' 😆

This seeming magical power of disguise also gave me a couple of extra influences in the style - the forest god from Princess Mononoke, and the goats from that film and from the Nausicaä manga. Not sure how much it came across!

#Haesorog #maniculum bestiaryposting #bestiaryposting #my art

[blackroseguzzi]

Girl Next Door Part 5

Summery: ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m sorry’. Something good happens before something bad.

Sitting at your desk inside your small bedroom, you stared at your old MacBook. The college essay prompt was written in bold letters on the top of your document.

‘Discuss an event that sparked a period of personal grown and a new understanding of yourself and others.’ 

Before today you had been stumped, having complete writers block when it came to this important paper. You felt a tear roll down your cheek as your fingers started typing feverishly over the keyboard. The words effortlessly coming out of you in your emotional state. After the events that had happen in the last few weeks, you knew just what you had to write about. 

Exactly two weeks ago you had been sitting in that same seat, staring at the snow falling from the sky out your bedroom window. You couldn’t find any motivation to write this paper. You were a small town girl living in the suburbs, with zero crime and white picket fences. You had good grades, a great family life, and you were not some leper in society. You fit in well with most, especially with your neighbor Kai, who you had been hooking up with for the last 7 months. 

It was hard to believe it had been that long since you shared your first intimate moment together. You guys didn’t talk much about your relationship status, hell you didn’t speak of it at all. You were best fucking friends, and both you and Kai didn’t want to discuss what your new level of friendship was doing to your old one. 

Your thoughts were pulled from you as your phone rang beside you.

It was Kai, so you decided to answer. “What’s up?”

“Can I come over? I just really need to get out of this house,” You could hear it in his voice that his parents were arguing. Winter was always at her girlfriends, and Vincent hadn’t been living there for years, so you knew it was just Kai home with the two of them as they were at each others throats.

“Yeah of course, I’m just finishing up my essay.” You lied. Kai thanked you before hanging up the phone. You frowned as you looked to your empty document on your computer screen. Sighing, you shut the laptop and got up from your seat at your desk. You sulked down the  stairs moments before Kai’s hand banged on your front door. 

He looked tired and worn out as you invited him inside. Your parents had taken a mini vacation for themselves for the 26th anniversary so you had the house to yourself all week. You hoped someday you’d still be in love with your husband 26 years in, just as your parents were. 

He rubbed the fallen snow out of his brown shaggy hair. “Hey, thanks for letting me come over. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” You looked down at your appearance and suddenly felt a wash of embarrassment wash over you as you looked down at your yoga pants and Baggy sweatshirt with a guacamole stain from your afternoon snack lingering on the chest. 

“No god Kai, you know you’re always welcome over.. Especially when your parents get like that.” You smiled lightly at him, nodding at him to follow you up the stairs. 

You got to your bedroom door and entered the mess of your headquarters. Your room was a vibrant coral color, but the artwork on your walls were of dark comic book covers and thriller movies. The vast difference in the interior design of your room always gave kai a warm feeling in his heart. 

Kai plopped down on your unmade bed, his back falling back as he stared at the ceiling which was scattered with stick on glow in the dark stars from your childhood. 

“You know, sometimes I wish they would just fucking give up already.” Kai closed his eyes for a moment, fighting back the emotions pulling at him from the inside. “They’re just going through shit after your dads’ accident. It can’t be easy for either of them, or for you.” 

You took a sip from your iced coffee that had been sitting so long in your quest to break your writers block that the ice was already melted. 

“Its been years y/n, this isn’t going to get better. It's just gotten worse over the last year, and I feel like I can’t leave home. I can’t leave her with him.” He sat back up, his eyes were glassy. You knew he was talking about his mother. She was the brunt of all his father’s PTSD. 

You had overhead your mom talking with your dad about how Kai’s mother had been showing up with bruises on her arms lately and that she was worried about what was going on in the Anderson home. You knew that Kai’s dad was a dick, but you really didn’t know how bad until you had found out he was leaving marks on wife. 

Casting your eyes away from him, you fidgeted in your seat, “I’m sorry, I wish I could make things easier for you.”

“You do. Seriously you’re the only good thing in my life,” his words made your head shoot up and your eyes locked into his. He was smiling sheepishly, and you wondered how you had gotten so lucky as to have him.

“You don’t mean that,” Your voice came out as a quiet whisper. You felt your chest tighten at the words he had spoken to you. He had always been sweet but something in his words felt different today, like they were heavier than normal.

“Y/n, I know things with us are unusual and we’ve never really talked about what we are. I just want you to know that I love you. I love you as a friend and I love you as something more. I always will.”

It had been two days since Kai had confessed his love to you, and you froze and all you could do was kiss him in fear he was going to expect a reply. You didn’t want to complicate things more, and you really were starting to worry what was going to happen when you went off to college…if you went off to college. 

You had other things to worry about today of all days because even though two days ago Kai told you he loved you, it had been two weeks since your missed period. 

You stood in the bathroom of your home with a pregnancy test in a cup of your own piss. You paced the bathroom, biting your thumb nail and going through all the other options of why you could have missed your period. I mean there was stress, that was a big one. You had been under so much stress since applying for colleges, the essays lay dormant in your document drafts. 

“Im so fucking stupid,” You whispered to yourself as you leaned over the sink, staring at yourself in the mirror. Your hair was slung in a messy bun and the mascara smudged on your eyelids from the tears that fell from your eyes.

You pulled out your phone, realizing that it had been 10 minutes since you had stuck the test in your urine. It was clearly enough time to give an accurate result.

You slowly made it over to the back of the toilet, your eyes smashing shut as you picked up the stick. You prayed, prayed to a god you hardly believed in, but you told him that if he cared at all about you that he would let you off the hook just this once. Please dear god, don’t let me be-

PREGNANT

The words om the little electronic test were clear as day, and you dropped the stick with a shaky hand and covered your mouth. The tears escaping and cascading down your face. 

How did this happen? How would you explain any of this to Kai.

Kai. Oh my god, Kai. 

You were supposed to go over his house for a movie night tonight, but you couldn’t even fathom how you were supposed to break this news to him. 

You picked up the test off the ground, the words pregnant still permanently written on the clear blue test in your hand. You chucked it hard at the wall, the test clanging against the tile of your bathroom. ‘FUCK!,” You angrily yelled out. You stared at the stupid stick that lay flat on the floor. Your hands were sweaty and your throat felt like it did when you were 5 and found out you had an allergy to shellfish.

You grabbed your phone off the sink and pulled up Kai’s number, texting him a quick message that you were headed over. 

Entering the Anderson household you rushed right to the basement, walking by Winter and her parents at the kitchen table. They awkwardly looked between themselves at the odd actions of their neighbor. It wasn’t unusual that you walked into their house without knocking, but you usually said a quick hello. Tonight you were on a mission.

Kai sat on the couch, his laptop on his lap when you rushed down the stairs. Kai’s eyes grew wide as you walked down the stairs quickly, letting tears flow freely from your eyes,“woah woah, what’s the matter?”

 He shoved the laptop off of him and walked briskly to meet you in the middle of the room, grabbing you in a secure hug. He rubbed your back as you cried into his chest. 

“Are your parents okay, what’s happening?” He pulled your shoulders away from him, concern wrecked his face as he watched you shake your head. 

“My parents are drinking fucking mojitos on the beach right now,” You sniffled, gaining some composure and looking at Kai for the first time since you barged into the basement. 

He looked terrified, but you knew he would look even more terrified when you told him why you were upset in the first place. 

“Okay good, that’s a start. What’s going on then?” He questioned you, but all you could focus on was the sweet tenderness of his warm hands moving up and down your arms to comfort you. You wanted to soak every inch of him in before you ruined your relationship forever.

“I need to sit down, I need to sit,” Kai moved you slowly over to the couch and you plopped down on the old sofa that harbored so many memories. It was probably where you got yourself into this mess anyway. The thought made your skin grow goosebumps. 

“You’re freaking me out, y/n. What’s going on?” Kai’s eyes were wide, and he looked you over for a sign of an injury. Everything in you wanted to just cling to him and feel his body close to yours. If only you could close your eyes hard enough that when you opened them you’d be awake from this terrible nightmare. 

“I feel like I can’t breathe.” Nobody told you what an anxiety attack felt like, but you were pretty sure that you were experiencing one.

“Okay listen to me, whatever is going on I’ll help you, just talk to me.” 

You shook your head, feeling the heaviness overtaking your chest and you continued to cry. Kai ran his hands through his hair before pulling you to his chest and gently shh-ing you until he felt your body let go of the tenseness.

Moments passed until you felt strong enough to leave the comfort of his hold on you. Kai’s eyes searched you more for answers, and you couldn’t stop repeating yourself. “I’m sorry Kai, Im so sorry.”

“Woah chill, y/n. What is fucking happening here?” He was drained of color seeing you this way, and you just had to rip the band aid off.

“I’m pregnant, Kai.” 

#kai anderson #kai anderson x reader #kai anderson fanfiction #kai anderson messiah #kai anderson x you #kai smut #kai anderson smut #ahs cult #kai pre cult anderson #pre cult kai anderson #American Horror story cult #evan peters x y/n #evan peters fanfic #evan peters imagine #evan peters x reader #Evan peters

[byleresque]

here’s how I want a milquetoast breakup okay: they apologize for hurting each other and come to a mutual conclusion that they want different things. okay. this will be long and exhausting and they’ll probably bicker but at the end they do care about each other... maybe they can start over?

cue tail-end of a break up scene

...

“I just,” Mike heaved a sigh for the hundredth time this hour. “I really want us to be friends. We never really got a chance to be friends.”

Like a snowball rolling down a steep hill, their relationship picked up speed before either of them were ready. They had neither the time nor experience to brace themselves with when the weight of it came crashing.

El nodded. ��So it was a mistake. We were a mistake.” Her eyes were rimmed with red and growing misty again. She tucked her chin down. This wouldn’t be the first cry of the day.

“No, no, hey! Not a mistake. Not at all. I don’t regret any of it. This is just... Life, I guess. Nobody is always doing the right thing.” He cringed inwardly at his lame speech and took El lightly by the shoulders until she looked up at him. “And just because we aren’t together together doesn’t mean I’ll like, hold a grudge against you or anything. We’re friends. We can be friends.” He said. El’s brows knit together in concentration; like she was solving a puzzle.

Mike continued, “Unless you hate me now. I mean, I mean if you hate me I guess that’s fair, but-”

“Mike.” A tear tracked down her cheek. 

“Yeah?”

“Promise?” The word barely made a sound. “Friends?” Mike smiled down at her, brushing away her tears with the sleeve of his pullover. Sometimes he couldn’t believe this was the same terrified girl they found in pouring rain years ago.

She’d grown tremendously since.

Mike caught his reflection in the hanging mirror on his bedroom door. His face was red and blotchy, his hair a shaggy mess. But despite those things, he was proud of the guy in the reflection for the first time in memory. Even just this year, he’d learned many truths about himself-- what he wanted and didn’t want in this life-- El wasn’t the only one who had grown.

“Of course. Promise.” They linked pinkies like they were twelve again, giggling until Mike crushed them both into a much-needed cry-hug. “Can we start over?” Mike sniffled. When had he started crying?

“Start over?” El stepped back.

“Yeah. Like...” Mike held out his hand and put on his best introduction voice despite the warbly, weepy tone. “Hi, I’m Mike. Nice to meet you.”

El snickered. “Mike, I know who you are.”

“I know, I know.” He said. “Pretend you don’t.”

She raised an eyebrow, but shook Mike’s hand regardless. “Alright. Nice to meet you, Mike. I’m Jane.”

“Jane... Do you wanna be friends?” Mike said, hoping he sounded as earnest as he felt. She beamed at him. Her eyes glistened with the tears spilling over.

“I--” She gulped. “I would like that very much.” And like that, the atmosphere in the room brightened. Mike stood up straighter; breathed easier. It was as if a boulder had been lifted off his back. He could finally think with a clear head. El looked relieved as well, hunting around the room for tissues and trying to bite back a grin. Thank god, Mike thought, thank god I can still make her happy.

“Do you... Wanna go to the mall?” Mike asked.

“You will buy the ice cream?” El cocked her head at him expectantly.

Mike gave a sideways smirk. “As long as you hack Joust for me at the mini arcade.”

“Deal!”

They left the Wheeler residence talking-- honestly talking-- like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Making up for lost time. Mike learned a lot in such a short time. El apparently did Will’s math homework in exchange for him writing her English essays, she once drove the pizza van for Argyle while he was “out of commission”, and a few months ago she burned off a chunk of her hair with Joyce’s straightening iron. Mike felt like an idiot for not realizing how dynamic El had been this whole time. And kind of weird. In a good way.

At the food court, El peered over her scoop of mint chocolate, quiet for the first time since they’d left the house. Mike felt her eyes on him.

“What? Something on my face?

“No.” She fibbed. His chin was covered in Rocky Road. “I was thinking about something Max said. And since we are now friends, I want to know...” She leaned forward secretively. 

Mike gulped. Mischief twinkled in her eye that he’d never seen there before.

“...What’s going on with you and Will?”

#um. that's it #oh damn i forgot the mall has been bisected #or is at least not in operation lol #what's the name of platonic mike and el #elmike #found it #byler #haha just kidding i think their real break up will not end this smooth #they're messyyyyyy ahahaha #my writing

[stargirl-mp3]

Instead of improving my shaggy and scooby impression I SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING MY FUCKING ESSAY