#Because these two are nerds and need to push each other sometimes

[littlemissmentallyunstable]

bella PLEWSDE WRITE A GRAYSON HAWTHORNE BLURB OR WHAYEVER WITH READER WITH LOW IRON AND LIKE SHE ALMOST FAINTS BECAUSE THERES LITERALLY ZERO. ZERO FICS THAY HAVE THE READER WITH LOW IRON SO PPELAPSPESLLEPWDLEEL

AHHHHHH BELLE LET ME JUST BEGIN WITH AN APOLOGY BECAUSE I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY THIS FIC HAS TAKEN ME THREE BILLION YEARS TO GET AROUND TO WRITING!! THANK YOU FOR YOU REQUEST AND I PRAYYYY THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED…. (if not I will redo)

title: I’m fine

pairing: grayson hawthorne x reader

synopsis: a story where ‘I’m fine’ means ‘I’m totally not fine but I’m not going to admit that’

warnings: dizziness, fainting

a/n: dedicating this to the beautiful @midiosaamor 💖💖 ily <33

taglist: @lovethornes @whatsamongus @wish-i-were-heather @inmyheaddd @never-enough-novels @fleuriosa @midiosaamor @sweetreveriee @emelia07 @f4iry-bell @zaraaaabear @thoughtdaughter3 @benny1989fredd @elysianwayy77 @maybxlle @sheisntyou @anintellectualintellectual @aleatorio1234 @adalia-jaycee @off-to-the-r4ces @lyra-kane @reminiscentreader @lyrakanefanatic @imaseabear @elizaa31 @loveinalocket @lanterns-and-daydreams @hermesenthusiast @eternal--dream @shattered-glass-roses @book-nerd-emi @peppapigsposts @foreverwinter22

It only started as a headache, not bad enough to be classed as a migraine but bad enough to be considered more than your average headache. Still, I carried on typing the words out on my computer, my brain pulsating in pain.

I didn’t have time to rest off a headache, there was too much to do. I’d only started working four hours ago and if I didn’t get this done by tonight then my boss would not be happy. I mean it wasn’t exactly my fault she decided set me an assignment with a deadline on the same day but still, I had to work it all out and push through.

The tasks seemed endless, I typed word after word, in a state of not really registering what I was writing, just making the robotic movements to write. Clicking the keys and forming coherent sentences without anything being properly processed. It wasn’t unusual, I was used to my brain working faster than my body sometimes.

Still, my head throbbed on. For a second, I stopped the incessant tapping on my keyboard and pressed two fingertips softly to each temple. My hands were ice cold. I breathed in and out deeply a few times with my eyes shut before beginning to work again, praying a tiny reset would be what I needed. I knew I was lying to myself, I knew it would take more than that to soothe any pain but I carried on like I didn’t.

“Are you alright?”

As small gasp escaped my lips as I looked up to see Grayson standing in the doorframe, one hand at the top taking most of his weight. I wondered how long he’d been stood there and I hadn’t noticed.

“Mmmm,” I hummed in reply, going back to finish the sentence I was typing before I lost my train of thought. Then I looked back up at him again, “why?”

He walked in slowly looking at my face intently, “you look a little pale.”

He took my face into his palms and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. Small, gentle, long strokes, that made me lean into him further. I wanted to just curl up in his arms and sleep, but my work clearly had other ideas.

“Just a headache,” I brushed it off, pulling away from his touch reluctantly, “is there any aspirin?”

“There is,” he nodded slowly, his eyebrows pinching together in concern, “but I really think you ought to lay down if it’s this bad.”

“I don’t need to,” I shook my head stubbornly, standing up to look him dead in the eye, “I’m fine.”

What a lie.

“You don’t look fine,” he told me softly, the anxiety rippling across his perfected features. His hands curved around the small of my back and I tried to enjoy it instead of thinking about the throbbing of my head.

So despite my ache, I smiled, “well I feel fine.”

Sometimes I lied so easily and so well it worried me. I shouldn’t be this good at something so cruel. But maybe more than him, I was lying to myself to convince a part of me that I wasn’t as feeling as bad as I thought I felt.

Grayson gave me another worried glance, thumb running up and down the base of my spine rhythmically, the softness of his touch sending a chill through it.

“Have you eaten today?” he asked me, the tingling up my back dying down.

“Earlier,” I nodded, my eyes flicking the time in the bottom corner of my screen realising my ‘earlier’ actually meant six hours ago. On cue, my stomach seized in a hungry protest, sending a tight knot like sensation across my abdomen. I prayed it wouldn’t grumble, betraying my lies to Gray.

“I haven’t seen you eat or-“

“Stop the fussing,” I grinned to bear it, “I’m fine, just need a tablet and some water.”

“Maybe lay off the work then,” he suggested, cocking his head towards my computer screen.

“Grayson I need to get this done,” I sighed gently, “a little headache can’t stop me.”

“Okay…” he said unsurely, hesitating for a few seconds.

“Stop worrying,” I forced a laugh through my searing brain, glancing up at him and looking through those truth-reeling gray eyes.

“I’m not,” his right hand twitches at my side. Liar. “Sit down and I’ll go and get you the aspirin, okay?”

“Okay then,” I nodded, sitting down. Another chill ran through my spine, though this time it was because of the empty place left where his hands had just been.

I took a few more deep breaths, feeling a little out of it all of a sudden. It was like I was in the room but I wasn’t at the same time. I closed my eyes and let the weight of my skull fall into my palms, breathing even deeper, heavier.

I let myself hang, like a lifeless marionette forgotten by her puppeteer, everything leaden and dopey. When I heard Grayson coming back and quickly opened my eyes and sat up a little bit straighter. If he saw me like that he’d get stressed and that’s the last he needed. It was only a headache after all.

Just a really bad headache.

“Thank you,” I kissed him on the cheek as he passed me the aspirin pill and a glass of water.

He cupped my face in his hands, “you promise me you’re fine?”

“I promise promise promise you,” I whispered, feigning another smile. My jaw was starting to ache. I don’t know it’s it from the guilt of lying or the forceful action of smiling or maybe it was just the headache transferring.

I took the tablet between my fingertips and put it at the back of my mouth before swallowing it quickly with water. I shivered afterwards. I hate taking tablets.

Grayson squeezed my shoulders softly, “do you want me to stay here?”

“Didn’t I just ‘promise promise promise’ you I was fine?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He looked at me and sighed. Worry ran riot across his eyes, swirling anxious thoughts into pools of grey. How bad did I look?

“I haven’t got much work left to do, okay?” I said, “I just need to get through this.”

He took his time walking out and although I didn’t look at him I was convinced he kept looking back every through steps to check on me. Finally he left and I downed the glass of water.

I sat still for a moment, analysing how I felt. I didn’t think it was possible but my head had worsened. I internally groaned as dread filled my body. It wasn’t supposed to worsen. I prayed the tablet would kick in, after all I hadn’t really given it a chance.

I took a long breath out and continued tapping away at the keypad. After a while the continuous clicking and clacking was beginning to irritate me. Like an itch I couldn’t quite scratch. My already pounding head felt pounded with the small noises over and over like they were making a mockery of it. Still I continued, there wasn’t much left now and if I could just finish it l, all would be okay.

After about a billion spell checks - seriously why does psychology have a ‘p’ and ‘h’ in it, it’s so irrelevant - I thought I might be ready to finish when I realised I’d missed a whole section.

By now my head was almost unbearable. Torturous agony was creeping up behind my eye now as well as the front of my head. A whole section felt like it would be the death of me. And I’d noticed something weirdly unnatural about my breathing. Every breath in didn’t feel like enough oxygen. So I began to breathe more deeply and when that wasn’t working, more quickly.

That only fuelled my rising panic about the weird nature of these symptoms. They were familiar. Why couldn’t I breathe normally? What was wrong? Maybe it was more than a headache? Questions raced through my head faster than it had time to process them all.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

My head pounded on and like the idiot that I am, I carried on writing. My vision blurred out for a fraction of a second then cleared shortly after. I rubbed my eyes. It was just the screen. Just the screen.

It happened a few more times, so I cleaned my glasses with the bottom of my jumper for good measure. More notes, more notes, more notes, more notes. I quickly hit save in the document for fear if my computer crashed I would lose it all. I sighed as I then went to drink from my water glass only to realise it was empty.

“Gray!” I yelled, “could you grab me another glass of water please?”

I barely registered his reply, my only focus being the stupid piece of work. ‘I can last a little longer’ I repeated over and over in my mind. Until I was bored. Until I was delirious. Until I was too brain dead to care.

I could hear Grayson approaching so got up to meet him at the door. I wanted a ten second break from staring straight at the glowing screen. Suddenly, mid step, I stumbled. Straight away Grayson had one hand around the small of my back gripping tightly and the another on my upper arm, steadying me. I try to laugh it off as a I mistake but even that sounded weak.

“Woah sweetheart,” he said, his hold firmer as he set me straight, “what’s going on?”

“I’m fine,” I shrugged, trying to get back to my chair, my legs feeling too much like jelly for my liking.

I could see he didn’t believe me completely, he didn’t have to say a word. Grayson, instead, took me in his arms. I couldn’t ask to sit down after that, then I’d be admitting that something was wrong. So I stayed standing, my body against his. The only thing holding me up was him.

He looked at me, tender eyed and consumed with concern, “you’re clearly not my love.”

“Gray, I just tripped,” I said smoothly, praying he’d let me twist the truth as I tried to stop my legs from shaking.

“Don’t lie to me,” he murmured in a low voice, curling his other arm around my waist for support.

“I’m not lying,” I shrugged, continuing to be in denial as I gripped to his shirt so tightly my knuckles went white, “I’m fine.”

As soon as the words left my lips everything spun. I closed my eyes and pressed my head against his chest, hoping it would all just go away. My feet swayed a little and panic seized my throat at the unsteadiness. I made a choked sound, halfway between a gasp and a silent scream.

“It’s okay,” Grayson whispered softly, “I’ve got you.” He brought a hand up through the back of my hair and gently held onto the back of my head to steady it.

“Dizzy,” I murmured into him, my voice slurred and slowed. I felt so out of it.

We stayed like that for I don’t know how long. My concept of time was as hazy as my vision. I just remembered staying very still, Grayson’s hands not leaving my body and how hard my forehead was pressed against him.

After a while, I tried to stand back on my own, thinking the dizzy spell was over but as soon as I did the room became a whirlpool of colours and blob-ish shapes. I felt myself lose my footing completely and before I knew it was falling backwards.

Strong arms tensed around my torso and quickly caught me, “oh sweetheart,” I heard Grayson say as he safely lowered me to the ground.

My legs became lifeless pieces of flesh, heavy as led but weak as a flimsy childhood doll. My head felt heavy in his lap as it pounded on. I sewed my eyes shut, it helped a little with the dizziness. His cold fingers tentatively touched my forehead and I leant into them ever so slightly with what energy I had left.

“I’m going to carry you to bed,” he told me gently, as I felt one arm around my back and the other under my legs.

“But my work-“ I groaned, feeling a little nauseated from the dizziness.

He held me tightly, “no sweetheart, forget about work, you need to rest.”

I didn’t reply and instead feebly gripped my deadened limbs around his neck and prayed for all of this to just go away.

“Gray,” I murmured into his chest.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not fine,” I said, somewhere between a sob and mumble.

“I know sweetheart,” he whispered, pressing a shaky kiss on my temple, “I know.”

He scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bedroom, laying me on the bed, before tucking me under the covers. Not letting go of my hand, that gripped him so tightly I don’t know how he didn’t complain. I heard him dialling a number.

“Who are you calling?” I slurred.

“Someone to come and help you,” he responded swiftly.

“Mhmm,” I could only muster in response.

His thumb rubbed circles up and down my hand, “I’m going to stay right here okay?” he comforted, “can you still hear me?”

“Don’t go,” I whispered, feeling quite pathetic but not self-conscience enough to care.

“No I’m staying sweetheart,” he squeezed my palm in his, “I’m staying.”

My eyes fluttered open as my head lazily lolled to one side, “I’m dizzy,” I groaned, not remembering if I’d mentioned already.

“I know,” Grayson whispered, a hand pushing my hair out of the way, “I know.”

“Can I rest my eyes?” I asked him, closing them anyway.

“No, you can’t go to sleep,” he told me.

“No just rest my eyes…” I trailed off, pausing for a long while, my train of thought wavering, “…to stop the spinning.”

“Squeeze my hand every three seconds then,” he said, “so I know you’re awake.”

“Deal,” I barely managed to whisper before I felt the need to increase my breathing rate. It felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in my system.

I squeezed his hand every three seconds, just about keeping track of the numbers. But with every squeeze I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker, like all of my energy was being drained slowly and mercilessly. The only thing that kept me from closing my eyes was Grayson’s gentle touches. His soft fingertips trailing over my face, tracing the contours or drawing spirals on my upper arms and neck.

I opened my eyes for a moment, when the darkness was just as bad as the light, when I felt dizzy no matter whether my eyes were closed or open. Things blurred and cleared, darkened and became normal again over and over and over. Until, a piercing ringing coursed through my ears and everything other sound seemed to be submerged under water. I knew what that meant I was close to.

“Gray,” I murmured shakily.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to pass out,” I told him, a single tear trailing its way down my cheek, “I can feel it.”

I knew the signs well enough and every sign was pointing that way.

“It’s okay,” he said, positioning himself behind me, so my back was pressed against his torso and he could support my head, “I’ve got you.”

“I don’t want to pass out,” I sobbed, black spots dancing across my vision in mockery.

The worst part is always before you passed out because when you’re out you feel and remember nothing. But before, you know what’s coming and you know you can’t stop it.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he mumbled into my hair, slowly, comfortingly, “you’re safe, if you need to pass out, you can and your body will, whether you like it or not.”

My hands were shaking, fingers rocking back and forth, bumping into one another clumsily, “I’m scared,” I said between uneven breaths.

I grabbed Grayson’s forearm to attempt to still them, my fingers so brutally desperate in their clinging that they constricted his blood flow. No matter how many times I’d passed out,, I always felt just as scared.

“You don’t need to be scared,” he soothed gently, “I’ve got you, I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“You promise,” I panted, looking up at him, chest rising up and down harshly.

“I promise,” he leant down and planted a sweet of kiss on my nose.

I kept looking up, until his gray eyes clouded with dark spots, until calm expression replaced with an endless see of nothingness, until the whisperings of sweet words ceased. My breathing was heavy, growing heavier by the second and then… then there was black.

***

I felt thick and heavy with drowsiness. My body felt so weighted it ached. My back was against the mattress, my head flat on the pillow, I was anchored to my bed. The covers had been adjusted to just under my neck and I could feel someone’s hand in mine.

I winced as I opened my eyes, the light attacking them too viciously. Immediately Grayson dimmed it down, holding my cheek tentatively in his palm.

“Hey sweetheart,” he whispered, kissing my forehead.

“Gray?”

He traced a soft thumb over the bone where my eyebrow sat as he asked, “how are you feeling?”

“Tired,” I mumbled, stifling a yawn.

“Here,” he said gently, “have some water.”

Slowly he helped me prop myself up, his hand pressed up against my back, the other tipping the glass towards my lips. I swallowed, the water feeling odd against the dryness of my throat.

“How long was I out for?” I coughed.

“Only a bit,” he said, laying me back down, “the doctors have come and gone, they say you’ll be okay with some rest.”

“Why did I pass out?” I asked tiredly, “do they know?”

“You hadn’t taken your iron tablets in three days,” Grayson explained, cocking his head towards my table.

I glanced to my bedside and gasped. Three days worth of unconsumed tablets sat there. I never usually forgot, one day maybe but three whole days. That was unheard of. Guilt permeated me, all the stress I’d probably put Grayson under could’ve been entirely prevented.

“I must’ve forgotten,” I sighed leaning deeper into my pillow, “work has just been so hectic lately and-“

“Hey, hey, hey, I didn’t tell you to worry you, I told you so you wouldn’t overthink what was wrong,” he said softly, “but it’s okay, you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”

“But it’s not okay because it’s all my fault,” I bursted into tears, the shock wave of random emotion leaving me senseless, “I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you I wasn’t fine and then I just passed out and that probably really stressed you out and I could’ve stopped all of that if I’d just taken the stupid tablets.”

“Sweetheart,” he pressed a palm flat on my chest, “breathe, it’s okay.”

His voice was the constant in my current of chaotic overthinking. This had happened before many times, my low iron deficiency had always been an issue, but even the very first time I’d passed out he was so much calmer than I’d expected.

He kept calm for me.

“God I feel like an idiot,” I choked out a pathetic laugh, wiping my eyes roughly with the back of my hand.

“You’re not an idiot, love,” he soothed, taking my hand gently into his and replacing with with the pad of his thumb, as he gently wiped away the tears that were left, “it happens.”

“It shouldn’t happen,” I shook my head defiantly.

I don’t forget things. I never forget things.

“Hey,” Grayson said, “look at me, you’re fine, I’m fine and that’s all that’s important.”

He held my face in his palms and looked at me like I meant the world.

“I’m sorry,” I let the weight of my head fall into his hands, taking the ache from my neck.

“Don’t apologise,” he said, “there’s no need for you to, just relax.”

I closed my eyes, his palm warm and comforting against my cheek. His fingers found their way to the top of my head, soothingly running through my hair over my scalp.

“Do you want me to get in with you?” he asked.

I nodded sleepily and watched as he slipped into the bed beside me. I was quick to snuggle close, intertwining my legs with his and burying my face into his chest. I inhaled and exhaled slowly.

“You okay, sweetheart?” he whispered in a low voice in my ear as his arms curved around my waist.

“Tired,” I mumbled.

“It’s okay,” he ushered, “you can go to sleep.”

“What if you go?” I asked, like a child.

“I won’t, I promise,” Grayson said, “I’ll stay here with you.”

I smiled to myself, and squeezed his arm, “I love you,” I murmured, “so much.”

“I love you too sweetheart,” he planted a kiss on the top of my head, “more than this world. Get some rest now.”

So I shut my eyes and fell longingly into sleep’s arms.

a/n: hope you enjoyed guys, sorry I haven’t posted much 💖💖

TIG masterlist

[fuctacles]

<< 14 | 0 | 16 >>

looking for dog-themed songs for the fic playlist

They sit facing each other on the warmed up concrete, having given away the lawn chairs to the girls. Steve is sliding every piece of onion off his skewer and onto Eddie's plate, which sits right next to his for easy sharing. It reminds him of cafeteria meals and swapping snacks with friends, something he never had with Steve, because of how different they were in high school. It makes him wonder if what he's feeling could really be mutual. 

"Are you staying for the movie?"

His eyes snap back up to meet Steve's, waiting for an answer. 

"I guess so. What are we watching?" It might not be the wisest to keep around while figuring himself out, but what is he going to do? Not spend time with his friends? 

Steve rolls his eyes. 

"The jury is still out," he answers dryly. "But I can guess some nerd shit will get majorly outvoted."

Eddie snorts.

"What would you pick? A baseball game?" he asks, chewing on a piece of meat. His fingers are getting greasy, but they forgot to grab napkins and standing up sounds like too much exercise. 

Steve moves the grilled bits on his plate with the now empty skewer. 

"Not really..." he says, all quiet and shy, which immediately grabs Eddie's attention. Wary of the food and drinks between them, he leans in conspiratorially. 

"You can tell me, I ain't a snitch," he reassures, and when Steve looks up, he adds a wink. Steve huffs out an amused breath.

"I like romantic comedies," he admits, watching Eddie warily, like he's awaiting judgement. 

"Huh." He sits back to properly take him in. "That kinda makes sense."

"Yeah?" Steve raises an eyebrow. 

"Yeah." Eddie shrugs, and now he's feeling self-conscious. "It suits you. We could watch something one day, your pick."

Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods, do not invite Steve for one-on-one romcom watching—!

Steve's face lights up with a wide smile. 

"Oh, I'm going to hold you to that one, Munson," he teases, but it's obvious he's genuinely excited by the offer. 

"Already regretting I said it," Eddie teases back, but offers Steve a strip of bacon so he knows he doesn't mean it. 

Without thinking, he starts licking the grease off his fingers, and it takes him a moment to realize Steve stopped moving. He looks up with a questioning hum, fingertip in his mouth.

"You need a napkin?" Steve asks with a raise of his eyebrows. 

"Nah, I'm good," Eddie mumbles around his finger just to be difficult, and pushes it deeper, sucking with gusto. For once, Steve doesn't look into his eyes, too focused on his mouth. His cheeks are colored the faintest shade of pink, and Eddie finally realizes what he's been doing. He slides his finger out with a wet smack and smiles apologetically. "Sorry. Want me to lick yours too?" he offers, like the good friend that he is. 

Someone nearby chokes, but he's too focused on the bit to check who. Their fault for listening in, right?

Meanwhile, Steve's face turns tomato red. 

"Uh, I'll manage myself. I'm good at licking," he cringes as soon as the worlds leave his mouth, and Eddie almost chokes himself with how hard he laughs.

After the party, comes more cleaning. This time, as there's more people and everyone gets forced into using their two hands and opposable thumbs, it goes faster, though with much more complaining.

Sometime in the middle of filling the trash bags, Robin has changed the music. Steve sighs, when the first song plays, but by the next two, his head is nodding to the beat. On the chorus, his hips sway, and Eddie almost drops the plate he's holding. 

"Your song, dingus!" Robin yells when the next song starts, making Steve roll his eyes. But he's shimmying his shoulders and mouthing along to all the lyrics. 

They tie away their bags at the same time, which gives Eddie the misfortune of watching him free his hands and make a silly little dance.

"Well, you ain't never caught no rabbit, you ain't no friend of mine!" he mouths along, and when he catches Eddie staring, he gives him a sheepish smile and a wink.

"Should I find you more dog themed songs to dance to?" he raises his eyebrow with a smile.

"No—"

"Yes!" Robin pops out from behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. "I'm constantly on the look out, but there aren't many good songs. I want to make a playlist." She grins. 

"Oh, I'm in." Eddie smiles back, extending his hand. Their palms slap together, and Steve shakes his head.

"Wow. Traitors." 

"Oh, I'd never betray you, Hound Dog," Eddie declares with a hand to his heart. Steve flips him off.

They pick The Battle for Endor, which Steve accepts with a sigh and a quiet "At least it has teddies," something probably only Eddie can hear, since he's sitting right next to him. He starts dozing off halfway through anyway, but Eddie doesn't wake him up until the movie ends and they have to plan how to get the younger lot home. It was a busy day, after all. 

"I'm going home anyway, so I can take them," Nancy offers. 

"Don't be stupid," Steve mumbles in his half-asleep state. "You won't fit them in your car."

"I can get Max and Super Twins," Eddie says, and the grasp around his arm tightens. He looks down at Steve, suddenly awake and frowning.

"You're not staying?" he asks, audibly upset. 

"I'll come back," Eddie reassures him quickly, patting his hand. "Okay! Mad Max, Wonder Twins, grab your shit. The sooner we leave, the closer I am to getting wasted," he commands, gently prying himself out of Steve's grasp. He scratches behind his ear as a consolation. "Should I grab anything while I'm out?"

"No," Steve says quickly, even though Jonathan has already opened his mouth, most probably with a request.

Something twists in Eddie's chest.

"Okay, buddy, I'll be back as soon as I can, no detours," he reassures again, with another scratch. 

"Okay, thanks." Steve closes his eyes briefly, but then blinks them open and pushes at his thigh, like his mind has suddenly cleared from the remnants of sleep. "Be quick, but without breaking the law." He smiles up at Eddie.

"Ugh, fine." He rolls his eyes. "Be right back," he nudges Steve's head before motioning the kids to follow him outside. 

It's suddenly silent, with the movie over and most of the people gone from the room. Steve clears his throat, watching Robin crawl over the carpet to rewind the tape. 

"So only Nancy isn't staying?" he asks, looking around the room. 

"I already told my parents I'm sleeping over." Robin shrugs. 

Jonathan and Argyle look at each other, like they are communicating in a way not dissimilar to Steve and Robin.

"It's good vibes here, man," Argyle says, his hair swaying as he nods. 

"Eddie promised we'll compare the goods," Jonathan adds. 

"Oh, right!" his friend perks up, his eyes sparkling. "Almost forgot about that."

Robin makes a face. 

"God, I really hope you mean the weed," she says. "You think I can still persuade Nancy to come back?"

The boys start snickering, but Steve quickly collects himself to answer her question, no matter how unserious it is. 

"I think she wouldn't be comfortable," he winces, because they all know why. "But I could drive you to hers if you want to?" he offers instead. 

She shakes her head. 

"Nah, just give me a beer and I'll lower my joke standards to yours."

"Okay, you don't have to be mean, Robs," Steve rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. On his way to the kitchen, he tugs on her hair. "Beers for everyone?" He turns to look at each of his remaining guests.

Jonathan nods, but Argyle shakes his head. 

"I don't mix my substances," he says, pulling out a joint out of his pocket instead. 

When Eddie comes back, he makes a beeline upstairs, hoping he hasn't been spotted. He doubts his van hasn't been heard, her old-lady coughs being a part of her charm, but maybe he was stealthy enough inside not to be traced. 

But once he's back down he realizes how foolish that thought was. Because somehow, Steve is ridiculously attuned to him and has his eyes on Eddie immediately, like he's been expecting him. A cold bottle of beer is pressed into his hand when he sits back in the seat that's been waiting for him. 

"Dropped some stuff upstairs, since I'm sleeping over again," he explains quietly without prompting, his nervousness making him yap unnecessarily, as usual. "Uh, are we bunking together too, or...?" It was probably stupid of him to assume, considering there are more people in the house today that need a place to sleep. 

Considering his own freak out this morning. 

"Of course," Steve says with a smile that tells him no other option had crossed his mind. "Unless you don't want to?" he cocks his head, almost like he's tilting curious, pointed ears. "I promise to wear pants this time." 

Jonathan chokes on his beer, and when Eddie snaps his head that way, Argyle gives him a supportive smile and that weird surfer gesture, while patting Jon on the back.

He hopes the dim light of the room hides the flush of embarrassment on his face. 

"Well, since you promise to be decent, how could I say no?" he says, rolling his head back to Steve. 

Steve, who gives him a relieved, dazzling smile, and presses their thighs together, flooding his whole body with warmth.

It's terrifying, how good it feels. 

tags: @noodle-shenaniganery @jaytriesstrangerthings @imaginary-maggie-waggie @samsoble @croatoan-like-its-hot

@dragonmama76 @storyranger @scoops-aboy86 @ollyxar @estrellami-1

@stevesworldxx @ajeff855 @live-laugh-love-dietrich @thelittleclare @wheneverfeasible

@bumblebeecuttlefishes @blasvemous @phantomcat94 @n33dlew0rk @manliest-of-muppets

@ravenfrog @dreamercec @tartarusknight @eyehartart

[httpvomitello]

Tom Holland Peter Parker x y/n

Every time Peter looked at you, it was like the chaos of his double life faded into the background.

I hope you like it ~ ♡♡

Where It’s Quiet .｡*･ﾟﾟ

Summary: When Peter Parker looks at you, it’s like the noise fades.

peter parker x f!reader

Peter Parker’s life was split in two.

There was the public version: college student, intern, quiet nerd with a sweet smile and permanently messy hair. The one who showed up late to lectures and forgot his own birthday sometimes.

And then there was the other version: Spider-Man. Defender of Queens, of Brooklyn, of people who had no idea their friendly neighborhood hero was just a tired guy who lived off dollar pizza and caffeine.

But then there was a third version.

One that only showed up around you.

He didn’t quite understand it at first. Just that… every time he saw you, something in his chest unclenched. Like he could breathe a little easier.

You weren't flashy. You weren’t part of the hero life. You were just—you.

And somehow, that was everything.

It had been raining.

Peter had ducked into a bookstore for shelter, soaked and shivering, with no intention of buying anything. You had been behind the counter, flipping through a paperback and sipping hot chocolate from a chipped glass that said 'Fight Me, I Read Classics.'

He smiled at the glass before he smiled at you.

You looked up. “Need a towel or a copy of War and Peace?”

“Do either come with a working umbrella?”

You tilted your head. “I’ll throw in the sarcasm for free.”

That was the beginning.

You weren’t exactly friends, not right away. Just familiar faces in the same places. You started remembering his coffee order. He started remembering which books you’d already read. You teased each other. Laughed. He’d linger longer than necessary just to hear your voice.

And each time he left the shop, the weight of the world felt a little less sharp.

It terrified him.

Because Peter Parker didn’t get to have normal. He didn’t get to have peace.

But somehow, when he looked at you—really looked at you—the chaos faded.

You were on your lunch break, sitting on the edge of a low brick wall outside the bookstore, hoodie sleeves pulled over your hands, chewing the end of a straw. Peter had dropped by under the guise of “just being in the neighborhood,” which was obviously a lie, but you let him pretend.

“So,” you said, nudging his knee with yours. “Are you ever gonna tell me why you always look like you haven’t slept in three days?”

He blinked. “I look like that?”

You gave him a knowing look.

Peter hesitated. “I just… have a lot on my plate.”

You didn’t push. You just nodded, taking another sip of your drink. “Well, maybe take something off. The world won’t end if you let yourself breathe.”

He looked at you then.

Really looked.

And something in his chest moved.

He hadn’t even noticed how tightly wound he’d been until you said it.

“Maybe,” he murmured.

It was late. You were closing up, and he was helping—just because. You stacked books. He sorted receipts. You didn’t talk much, but the silence wasn’t awkward. It was easy.

At one point, you stood next to each other behind the counter, only inches apart. Your arm brushed his. Your eyes met.

Something clicked.

Peter swallowed hard. “You make it easier. Just so you know.”

You tilted your head. “Make what easier?”

“Breathing.”

Your face softened. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

The tension was there. Barely restrained. His fingers twitched like he wanted to reach for you. Yours curled into your sleeves instead.

He didn’t kiss you.

Not yet.

But he thought about it the whole subway ride home.

Everything went wrong.

A weapons deal in the Bronx. A warehouse full of armed men. Shouting. Smoke. Peter barely escaped with a bruised rib and a broken comm.

He got home at three a.m., bleeding and exhausted, hands still shaking from adrenaline.

He should’ve slept.

Instead, he pulled out his phone. Opened your contact. Stared at the screen.

Then typed:

“Are you awake?”

A minute later:

“Yeah. You okay?”

And without thinking, he replied:

“Can I see you?”

You opened the door in an oversized sweater and pajama shorts. No makeup. Hair a mess. Peter stood there, looking wrecked.

You didn’t ask anything.

You just pulled him in and shut the door.

He sat on your couch in silence while you made tea. His eyes were red. His knuckles scraped.

“Rough night?” you asked softly, handing him a mug.

He gave a humorless laugh. “Something like that.”

You didn’t push.

You sat next to him, curling your legs under yourself. “You don’t have to talk.”

He looked at you, and for the first time that night—maybe the first time in days—his shoulders dropped.

“I just needed to be here,” he said.

“You are.”

You were leaning into his side, head on his shoulder, listening to the city breathe.

“I should go,” he whispered.

You didn’t move. “You don’t have to.”

He looked down at you. His fingers found yours.

And then—slowly, carefully—he kissed you.

It was soft. Gentle. Like he was afraid you’d disappear if he leaned in too much. Like he needed to be sure you were real.

When he pulled back, his voice cracked.

“You make everything feel quiet.”

You smiled. “And you make everything feel loud.”

He laughed, kissing your lips again. “Good loud?”

“The best kind.”

[madridnoora]

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ Forbidden - God bless texas.

Fourth instalment of the forbidden au - lsu!joe x oc

Instalments - one, two, three and three.two ౨ৎ

Summary: A girls trip happens to cross paths with the boys football season and a tense game in Austin, leading to revelations about the past and a long night out in the city.

⋆｡˚ word count: 11.3k

18+ content. MDNI. Mentions of drinking, smoking and sex. ⋆｡˚

It’s 8:15pm and the team bus is restless. A six and a half hour journey from Baton Rouge to Austin. Tomorrow Joe and his team will face their biggest challenge of the season so far -- The Texas Longhorns.

Joe hadn’t stopped thinking about the image of Daisy. ‘Hook’ em’. He sneered at the memory. He couldn’t quite understand her. Every time he ever tried to speak about football, you know in the moments after they had sex when they lay beside each other, or in the car journey’s to each other's dorm or when there was a silence that needed filling by any conversation, she would shut it down.

‘Can we not do the football stuff.’ She would say. She wouldn’t snap at him but she wasn’t exactly polite in her tone either. Irritation and annoyance always lingering thick in the air around them. She was blunt and forceful. When Joe would push further and ask her the simple question of ‘Why?’ she would just shrug her shoulders and tell him - ‘I hate football’. He hadn’t brought up the image of her at the game. He didn’t want to give her the impression that he cared, because he didn’t. He didn’t care enough about Daisy to dig to the bottom of the loose excuses she gave. They weren’t friends or anything. Just a hookup. It was easier to be just a hookup if they didn’t get too involved in each other's personal lives.

He was hooking up with other people anyway and he was sure that she was too. He assumed she was anyway. He had overheard Bella talking about a kiss Daisy had with some nerd from her class on a student night out in the city when she came over the frat to visit Justin.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen Daisy for a few days. Like anywhere. Usually he would spot her on campus or see her out of the corner of his eye. Sometimes he would see her grabbing lunch or studying in the library as he walks past but not for a short while. The last time he saw her she was begging underneath him, writhing around in the pleasure he was causing.

Joe turns around to the seat behind him.

‘Yo. you seen Bella recently?’

Justin looks at Joe with slight confusion. Joe was never one to care about the girls his teammates were hooking up with. What made the question even weirder was that Justin and Bella weren’t even hooking up and Joe knew that. They did once. Since then they had formed a friendship, one neither of them were expecting. Justin didn’t know whether to respond. Joe was asking for a reason but he didn’t know what it was.

‘She’s out of town with Cass and texas. They left a few days ago’ Joe nods his head slowly with a slight frowned lip.

‘You miss her?’ Joe jokes.

‘Man shut up’ Justin lightly slaps Joe’s head while he laughs.

Joe turns back to face forward in his seat. Out of town huh. Where? He pulled his phone from his pocket to see if Daisy had posted anything. Or if Cassie had. Or if Bella had. If there was any online evidence of where they had gone. Joe never really looked at social’s. He used them to hook up with girls through DM but other than that he would post every once in a while and then get off.

He should really use it more.

What he was looking for popped up on his feed first.

daisyymoore

Big dawg is back. - Austin, Texas

685 likes 

@.cassdaviess: i love when the trip actually happens. 

→ @.daisyymoore: same sis. 

@.isabellaabreut: southerrnnn nights 

→ @.daisyymoore: just as good even when you close your eyes. 

@.isabellaabreut: bigger n better in texas i’ll say 

@.carsonford: i’ve alerted the local news. 

→ @.daisyymoore: i knew i was being papped. 

@.mileslucasford: in texas huh? 

→ @.daisyymoore: I think it’s great you’ve learned how to read.

-> @.isabellaabreut: soooooo why is he unblocked ha ha ha.

Joe swipes through the photos. She's in Austin. He's about to be in Austin. There was no way she would be coming to the game. It was a simple coincidence and I mean, she was from there. It wasn't unusual for her to be there. Joe rationalised the photos in his head. He turned back to Justin.

'they're in Austin' Justin pulls his headphone out to listen to what Joe's saying.

'I know, it's Dais's mom birthday' Justin knew this information already. Bella had told him about it while they were hanging out one afternoon.

'they mention coming to the game'

'nah bro' Justin shook his head. Joe breathes a sigh of relief.

'why are you so interested?' Justin asks him.

Joe opens his mouth to respond but the voice of an eavesdropper beats him to it.

'he's been fucking Daisy' Ja Marr moves Joe's backpack and put it in the overhead compartment before taking a seat next to him. He wanted to be fully engaged in the gossip session that was about to take place.

'WHAT' Justin half shouts before lowering his voice so that the coaching staff don't decide to come over. Joe scratched the back of his head.

'How long?'

'almost a month now'

Justin shakes his head in disappointment and disbelief. Thoughts ran through his mind. Joe was a dick to girls and Justin had a soft spot for Daisy. He had already listened to her go through one heartbreak and he didn't want to have to see it happen to her again. Joe wasn't a good guy for her. If this went wrong it could jeopardise both his friendships and his football season.

'Joe' Justin starts with a disappointed tone.

'It's just sex. meaningless.' Joe defends. Justin looks at Ja'marr.

'multiple times a week for a month.' Ja'marr provides the needed details that Joe refrains from.

Justin drops his head into his hands. Joe never went back to a girl more than three times. EVER. The last time he did that was with his ex girlfriend at Ohio State.

'it's not what it sounds like. it's transactional. She doesn't want anything else and neither do I' Joe shrugs his shoulders.

'she stays over'

'JA'MARR' Joe whisper yells as his teammate keeps adding on the unnecessary details.

Justin looks between the pair of them. He can tell from the look in Ja'marr's eyes that he feels the same apprehension about the situation.

'daisy's a nice girl man. and the last guy was rough. don't do anything stupid' Justins words are a warning. The first warning he has ever given Joe. It makes Joe sink back into his seat.

He looks at the post again, and he sees his comment. An ex under her post. The one everyone talks about. The one who was 'rough'. The one that no one ever dared to name.

So why was he unblocked.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Late afternoon sun scorches over the Texas Memorial Stadium as the crowd begin to take their seats ahead of tonights big game. Seats would be filled with a famous burnt orange, they knew that. A few purple shirts may stick out but other than that they would be in full enemy territory.

Joe and his team are running a warm up on one side of the field while the longhorns do the same on the other.

This was the biggest challenge they had faced so far this season, if they beat them, they could beat anyone. Anticipation pumped through his veins and adrenaline began to bubble. This was his big night. The night he could show to the world he was serious. He wanted the heismann trophy and a good performance was the first major stepping stone to getting it. He was focused. Locked in on only one thing; winning.

Ja'marr and some O line guys stretched alongside him. Small talk amongst them, some discussion of upcoming plays they may use in tonights game. The Longhorns defense had been mega so far and there needed to be some work done to make sure LSU would be able to break through it with ease.

'bro, where is Justin?' Ja'marr looks around as lunges to stretch his hamstring. Joe looked around as well. Justin had been with them not too long ago but now he was no where to be found. The stadium is filling up more. Kickoff not too far away.

'he was talking to some girls in the stands' Terrace, a teammate, said.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

A whistle pulled Justin from the direction he had been walking in. When he looked to find the source of the sweet sound he couldn't hide his shock.

Bella and Cassie. Both in LSU purple.

They're leaning over the bleacher railing and waving their hands for him to come over. He does as they ask with a light jog across the field. He would stretch in the locker room.

'you look so cute in your little uniform' Cassie said as she looked at his football kit. Justin didn't know whether he felt complimented or insulted. Uplifted or patronised. He just offered her a hushed 'thanks'.

'didn't think you guys came to games' Justin looked up at them. He then looked Bella up and down. It was the first time he had seen her wear the LSU purple. He liked it. His friend looked very good.

'oh, we don't' Bella told him as she looked around the stadium briefly.

Justin was confused by the response because unless he was hallucinating she was in fact here, at a game. Dressed for the occasion no less. The pair of them in matching purple crop tops with LSU written in diamante studs.

'we were in town' Bella was so unapologetically nonchalant.

'it's a special occasion' Cassie was mischievous, hinting at something Justin didn't know. Bella looked at her with that same glint in her eye, her lips pursing together to stop herself laughing.

Did they mean because of the game? LSU and Texas hardly ever faced each other, this would be the first time in almost 17 years. It didn't make any sense for that to be the reason the two girls were all giggly in the stands.

Justin doesn't bother to ask what happening because he has a feeling in his gut that he will be finding out soon enough. He notices the presence of a southern belle is missing and he's about to ask them if she decided to stay home but he's interrupted.

The noise of cleats crunching on the ground and the heavy breaths of two men let him know people are coming up behind him. He glances over his shoulder.

It's Joe and Ja'marr.

'lovin' the support girls' Ja'marr's charming as always. Joe's not thinking about them. He thinking about the one that's missing. She hated football that much these days huh. She let them come to the game while she stayed home. She really couldn't power through it for just one night. Joe didn't mind though. He didn't care if she came to his games or didn't. It's not like he would look for in the stands.

'thanks' Cassie tips her head to the boys.

Country music rings around the stadium from the speakers, the bleachers of the stadium now near enough full. The sun beginning to set, painting the sky a blazing amber pink and the floodlights turning on. A true texan football night. The air humid and dense with fans anticipation. The boys take it in and the girls watch them do it.

'we hope you guys win tonight' Bella lets them know. Joe nods.

'texas didn't come hey' Justin finally asks the question Joe had been wanting the answer too. Joe waited for the girls response but their reaction alone made him feel ever so slightly uneasy.

Cassie and Bella look at each other with furrowed brows before they look back to Justin. They look at Justin like he should know something but from the expression on his face he doesn't know what they are referring too.

'are you serious right now' Cassie is almost at a loss for words. Her mouth hanging slightly ajar after finishing her sentence. Justin holds his hands up in defence. He's looking between Joe, Ja'marr and the girls panicked. He didn't know what he had said that was wrong, but he knew from the look in the girls eyes that it had been something. He tries to rack his brain for something, anything that could give him a hint. He looks around as he tries to piece it together. His eyes looking around the football field and the rows and rows of burnt orange filled bleachers. His brown eyes tracing faces until they stumble across a face he recognises.

'the fuck?' He spits in confusion.

The information he was trying to remember was no longer on his mind. He didn't think he needed it anymore.

'what's texas doing?'

Upon hearing her nickname, Joe's head whips to look at where Justin is looking.

Daisy is bent over the railing. Her forearms rest upon the rusted metal and she holds a beer filled cup in one hand. She talking to someone down on the field. Joe looks at the guy. He's padded and wearing the famous burnt orange of the home team. His lips tighten when he reads the name on the back of the jersey.

'Milo' as in Lucas Milo. The Texas Longhorns wide reciever. The star boy of their team this season.

It takes a moment before the pieces click in Joe's head. Miles Lucas Ford was Lucas Milo. Her ex boyfriend. His lips tighten as he watches on.

'Oh my godddd' Cassie whines.

'She told you this so many times Justin. That's her ex. The whole reason she quit cheerleading and all the football world shit. They dated like all of high school'

'no. no. no. all she said was he played football. I though she meant like casually, not that he was some college star boy' Justin defends himself to the sassed words that left Cassie's mouth.

Joe listens to the conversation but doesn't pull his eyes away from Daisy and Lucas. They're still engaged in conversation and it's flirty. He can tell by the way she's bent over, the way she keeps flicking her hair back over her shoulder, the way she's biting her lip listening to him speak. Joe's eyes trail her body and the outfit on it. Tight dark denim low rise bootcut jeans with her thick tan longhorn belt. Scuffed brown leather cowboy boots. A tan cowboy hat a top her head. She had dressed for the occasion.

It's the shirt that he loathes. It's a tight white tank with a burnt orange longhorn symbol in the centre and the words 'i'm horny' above it.

She wasn't supporting LSU tonight.

Joe doesn't care about her getting with other boys. She could hook up or make out with any regular guy or frat boy she wanted as long as they weren't his teammates or brothers.

He does care about her getting with other football players. Especially rivals.

She's laughing at something Lucas said. Joe never made her laugh. She didn't hang around him long enough. It was just sex. Just casual. He's scowling at them, his eyes squinting in subtle dismay. Justin and Ja'marr notice it. Cassie and Bella notice it. They don't understand it though. Justin and Ja'marr do. They exchange a brief glance of concern to each other. Joe's reaction wasn't exactly suggesting that he and Daisy were just sex.

When Daisy flicks her hair again and pushes herself slightly further over the barrier to get closer he has to look away. He was annoyed. She was practically throwing herself at the guy.

'cheerleader, huh?' Joe asks a question about the piece of the conversation that stuck in his mind.

'Yup.' Cassie pops the 'p' before she continues. 'She was on the LSU team until star boy over there threw a fit, he made her quit before the new year.'

'he said and i quote "my girlfriend shouldn't be cheering on anyone but me and my team"' Bella explained with detest trickling off every single word.

Joe looks back. The once flirty conversation Daisy was sharing with Lucas was no longer that. She's stood up straight now, her cheeks red and her chest moving up and down quickly. Her lips are tight in irritation. Lucas' own face is red with it's own wrath of annoyance. He's raising his voice at her but they are too far away and the stadium noise is too loud for Joe to be able to hear what's going on. She raises her voice back. Lucas comes closer. They're pointing at each other, brash hands flaling all over as they both try to express their own resentment.

Joe and the rest of them do hear one thing.

'fuck you' a harsh but shaky shout down to Lucas from Daisy's mouth before she turns to walk over to Cassie and Bella.

Lucas doesn't leave her. Instead, he follows on the field beneath her. They're bickering over each other with unintelligible words as they get closer and closer to where Joe, Ja'marr and the girls were standing.

Joe's not really paying any attention to the burnt orange wearing boy that's chasing her, he's just watching her. He's watching the way her hips are swaying in the low rise jeans. The way the tank top he loathes clings to her. The way her hair is blowing in the subtle breeze of the Texas night. The way the gloss that coats her lips makes them look juicier than he had ever seen them before. The way the stadium floodlights are making her look so unbelievably incredible. Why did she ever fuck with a lame like Lucas?

Yeah. He was a good wide reciever. He might go round one of the draft next year but Joe was going first pick.

He tried to stop himself from imagining her on the sidelines. LSU cheerleader huh. He wished he was here last year to see that. He would have noticed her. He tried to shake the thoughts of her cheering for Lucas. He hated that he got to experience that.

'Hey' Daisy is quick in her greeting to the boys. She's frustrated, everyone can tell.

A sarcastic laugh from next to them on the field causes the boys to look.

'you're not fucking serious dukes.' He's looking up at Daisy. Then to Joe, Ja'marr and Justin. Then back to Daisy. She's refusing to look at him, instead she's looking around the stadium, at the sky, at anything that isn't him. For a brief moment, it's Joe. Her green eyes catch his blue ones. Her expression is unreadable. It's empty and hollow. Joe doesn't like the way it makes him feel. He doesn't like the way Lucas Milo has made her feel.

'really. fucking really. lsu players. that's low, dukes. real fucking low' Lucas' words spit out like a snakes venom, each word poisoning Daisy with a harsh sting. Joe watches as her demeanour shifts, her shoulder rise like she's trying to protect herself from the words. Her cheeks are heating red, no longer with anger but embarrassment.

It's hard for Joe to watch.

He's watching a different girl than the one he was just beginning to know.

She meets his eyes once more but only for a second. Then she hangs her head and looks down at her boots.

'I knew this would happen. you're such a wh-'

'on my mama, you don't want to finish that sentence'

Daisy's head snaps up and Joe's turns to face the harsh voice.

Justin. Joe only now realises just how fond Justin was of the girls. How protective he had come to be since meeting them before summer.

'Oh what are you going to do' Lucas puffs out his chest in an attempt to seem bigger than he was. It's almost laughable.

'I'm gonna whoop yo ass' Justin starts moving towards Lucas and Lucas starts moving towards him.

The girls watch the entertainment unfold before them. Daisy secretly hoped that Justin would at least land a punch, just one. It didn't even have to be a hard one, just strong enough to wipe the smug look off her ex boyfriend's stupid face.

The chance never came.

Joe intervened.

He placed two hands on the chest of a smaller Lucas and gave him a forceful shove.

'we'll handle this on the field, tough guy' his words are mocking.

Lucas stares at him. Joe stares back. Daisy's eyes flicker between the pair of them. A shallow breath held in her chest as time seemed to freeze.

Joe's poise never falters.

Lucas breaks first and shoots a look at Daisy but she's not looking at him. He follows her eyes back to Joe. and it's like he suspected.

Lucas makes a last ditch effort to hit Joe where he thought it might hurt. Try to get into his head before the game.

'i'm still the guy she's here for' and with that he headed off into the locker room.

Joe was outwardly unaffected. Inside however, it stung ever so slightly like a pinch to the heart. He wasn't used to being the second choice football player. He didn't like being the second choice football player. Lucas wasn't lying either. Daisy had come dressed in burnt orange in the hopes of catching her ex's eye. Joe was merely a thought in the back of her mind.

If her ex had been some regular guy he wouldn't have cared. She could have gone back to him in a heartbeat and Joe would have been unphased. But this. This made him feel something. He wasn't used to the feeling and he couldn't tell what it was, but it was something deep and harsh, almost cutting.

Joe wouldn't let himself lose to some texas star boy.

When the boys turn to head back to the away locker rooms and the girls go to find there seats, Daisy calls out his name.

Joe turns around.

She holds her hand up in a symbol. Horn's down.

Joe understands what she means.

A weight he didn't realise was so heavy lifted. Daisy didn’t come to the game to support the Longhorns, she came to watch them lose.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

The marching bands trumpets sounded out as the game kicked off. Thousands of fans in burnt orange cheering as their team started with the ball.

Daisy stood watching in the bleachers and a sick familiarity filled her stomach. This wasn't her first time in Texas Memorial Stadium but she hoped it would be her last. For years she had been coming to these games with Lucas, in freshman year she would sit in the same place she was stood now, always in a jersey which said 'Milo' across her back.

She took a sip of the beer she had been able to get with her fake ID. She was only nineteen. Her twentieth birthday only a month or so away.

Never in all the games she had attended had she felt this nervous. Part of her wanted to leave but the other part of her wanted to see the look in Lucas' face as he lost to LSU. Lucas never liked losing. Countless arguments were had between them after lost games, somehow blame often being found in her. She distracted him too much. She wasn't cheering hard enough. She was too negative. The list was endless. She cursed herself for the stupid idea of coming tonight. She cursed Bella and Cassie for agreeing that it was a good idea.

When she saw her ex boyfriend warming up on the field, it almost felt like seeing him for the first time again. Her stomach torn into butterflies and her heart beating uncontrollably fast. It was like the teenage love had never died. She didn't think it ever would. Daisy truly thought that she would forever hold onto to the love she once had for him. From fifteen to nineteen, he was the only person she truly ever cared for. Her heart beat for him in a way it had never beat for anyone else.

But then she remembered that morning in April.

The one simple text message that brought her world crashing down.

'Lukey

I can't be with you anymore, Daisy. I have other priorities. We're done.'

It came out of nowhere, no warning signs. Fours years gone in thirteen pathetic words. She didn't have to ask why, she knew why. Football. The whole relationship she came second to football. Late night and early morning practices keeping him away. She fucking hated it. She hated that her world was ruled by a sport she didn't even play. She quit it all because of him.

and when she remembers how he treated her, the love she romanticises turns to anger. They were a nightmare that presented itself as an all American teenage dream.

When he came rushing over to see her after noticing her in the bleachers, warmth spread over her skin. He was happy to see her, so happy. She had forgotten just how nice his smile was and how much she loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled. How the floodlights would catch his hazel eyes and make them look like they were sparkling. When they first got to talking, it felt like the old times. It felt like nothing had ever changed. He showered her in compliments and flirtations, she lapped every single one of them up. She asked him how football had been. That's when it went south.

'better for me since we broke up' it was like her slap to her face. A slap which said no matter what you weren't good enough for me. She didn't do enough, she didn't support him enough, she was too big of a distraction. The distance between them always causing conflict.

Then the same argument they had been having for the past three years took place. The argument about how football was ruining their relationship. At the end of it all she could let out was a harsh but shaky 'fuck you' before she tried to storm off to Cassie and Bella. That wasn't exactly that successful but she was thankful that Justin had her back.

Daisy's focus turns back to the game.

The Longhorns line themselves up for a snap. Daisy's stomach grumbled with nausea. Another sip of lukewarm beer went down her throat.

She held her breath as she watched the Longhorns quarterback throw the ball downfield. She knows whose arms the ball will land in before it happens. Lucas'. She watches as he sprints down field and no LSU defensemen can stop him. Too quick and nimble for their grasps. It's like he strolls into the end zone with cockiness oozing from his mannerisms. Touchdown Texas.

If her ex boyfriend didn't play for them she would have been happy. The Longhorns were her home team, but unfortunately he did and this touchdown felt like a kick to the chest. One which knocked the wind from him.

Lucas turns to where he knows she always sits. His arms stretch out beside him in nothing but arrogance. This was his house. He always hated that she ditched their dream of both going to the University of Texas for LSU and it would be over his dead body that they won on his home turf. Especially when she was watching.

The crowd around Daisy erupted. Every single person in her section other than her, Cassie and Bella cheered in passionate glee as the Longhorns opened up the scoring. The marching band, once again, sounding out in support and cheerleaders squealing on the sideline all while shaking their poms in the air.

'I can't believe you used to do that' Bella says to Daisy as she herself drinks from the bottle of beer she somehow snuck into the stadium. Her eyes watching the cheerleaders also.

'me neither' Daisy told her. That was a whole other life ago. The hair extensions and fake tan, the schmoozing with sorority girls, the stupid poses for pictures and the painful fake smiles. She couldn't believe that was ever her. Sometimes, the was thankful for what Lucas did, because if he hadn't she would still be one of them.

Now it was LSU's turn to drive the ball.

Joe ran onto the field. Number nine. Dressed in the famous white, yellow and purple. He's clapping his hands and shouting at his team. He looked commanding and dominant. Daisy gulped ever so slightly. She was all to familiar with another way he could be commanding and dominant. Heat crawled up her spine and she took a sip of her beer to suppress it.

'god I hope we win' Cassie sighed as LSU readied up another snap. Nothing spectacular had come from this drive, but they were only 18 yards from the end zone so a touchdown was possible.

When the ball snapped, Joe took a moment to look around the field and figure out which was his best option. Every step and movement so calculated. He sees something before anyone else does. He releases the ball from his hand like he's fired a cannon. He had spotted Justin making a run across the end zone, only open by a small margin and yet the ball finds him. Touchdown.

The LSU band began to play. Cassie and Bella scream in excitement while jumping up and down. The crowd around them not too happy about it. Daisy doesn't scream or shout but she does applaud the touchdown. She was happy for Justin and she was thankful for the now even scoreline.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

When halftime came the game sat at LSU 23 - Texas 20.

Thirty minutes left and everything to play for.

Daisy got some more refreshments in the form of beer. She was going to need it to get through the second half. Her nerves hadn't settled by much and the close scoreline wasn't helping.

The buzz of a message in her back pocket didn't either.

@.Milelucasford wants to send you a message.

you with burrow or jefferson? my bets on burrow. hell maybe it's both.

For a moment she felt panic. How had he pieced it together but then she remembered he hadn't and that this was just classic Lucas. Anytime she breathed near another man he would act like this, she was only shocked that he continued to do it ever after breaking her heart.

She flashed her phone to Cassie and Bella while rolling her eyes, showing off the message.

'what a loser' bella laughed.

'block him' cassie said sternly.

Daisy nodded in agreement. She never should have unblocked him. When she goes to do so another message pops up.

@.mileslucasford wants to send you a message.

whoever it is, your boys got it coming tonight.

Daisy felt uneasy at the message. She shook the feeling off and blocked him, placing her phone back in her pocket.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

The third quarter began with a Texas drive. Joe watched on from the bench as the game was left in the hands of his defensive line. This was the most tense he had felt. Everything felt on the line and he didn't know why, it felt like an end of season championship deciding game. LSU needed to be better. Joe needed to be better. He had to play bigger, play riskier. That would be the only way he could better the defence of Texas.

The only way he could turn the horn's down.

He had been thinking about her this game, about Daisy watching on from the bleachers. About the way she looked under the stadium lights. He also thought about the way she had looked when Lucas spoke to her, the way she seemed like a shell of the girl he knew. How she had cowered and hung her head.

Lucas had pissed him off. A hot shot star boy who had an ego way too big with a game record not good enough to back it up. Joe couldn't image a world in which Lucas and Daisy ever dated. They were like opposites but then again, Joe didn't know much about the girl she was before LSU. Maybe she was more like Lucas than he thought.

Screams from the crowd pull him from his thoughts. He looks to the field.

Lucas has caught a tough ball and is running to the end zone with all the space in the world.

Touchdown to the horns.

Lucas does some stupid run around the field before he points to someone in the crowd. He claps his hands together twice. It's a taunt and Joe know's it's to Daisy.

Joe hits his hand hard against the bench in frustration.

'fuck this' Joe spits to Justin as he grabs his helmet and runs on the field for LSU's drive.

Daisy watches him run back on. For a moment, she gets to see him without the helmet. His cheeks are blushed and a wet sheen sits across his forehead. The blond hair messy and unkept, a few stray hairs curling down. His jaw is sharp and clenched. Determination written across his face. He looked good, she could admit that. Very good. So good, that the sight of him alone was turning her on.

The throw from snap turns her on even more.

It's a ridiculous throw. One that shouldn't have achieved anything but somehow it does. A touchdown by Jefferson again.

This time Daisy can't help but cheer with Bella and Cassie. I mean it was a brilliant play, one of the best she had ever seen and it meant that her ex boyfriend was now once again losing.

Joe was animated in celebration. He pounds on his chest and his team surround him. He clashes helmets with Ja'marr and claps his hands. Then he turns and jeers at the crowd, waving his hand up and down to the boos that sound out. He points at the Texas Longhorns sideline and gives them two slow claps. Daisy couldn't help but find it attractive. He looked rough and manly, she liked it. she liked it a lot.

From that point on it was like the Longhorns never had a chance.

Joe was on fire. Every pass and every play was calculated perfection. Every minute that passed painful for the Longhorns and their fans. LSU were unstoppable.

The game ended LSU 45 - Texas 30.

Horn's down. Daisy gets the last laugh.

and she is laughing. She laughing and cheering with Bella and Cassie until they notice the crowds tone shift from subdued claps to shock.

Their eyes dart back to the field.

Joe shakes the hands of some of the Texas players. It was a fun game, one he definitely enjoyed winning. All was going fine until Lucas Milo decided he wasn't done playing.

He barged past Joe with a forceful shoulder. One which rocked Joe on his feet.

'the fuck?' Joe shouted at Lucas' irritated face. The LSU players noticed and began to crowd around, ready to protect their quarterback. The Longhorns did the same with their wide receiver.

'you got lucky tonight burrow' Lucas puffs up his chest again and get's in Joe's face. Joe shoved him back, this time more forceful than the last. Joe knew he was trying to provoke him and he wasn't going to bite. He held himself to a higher standard than that, than to embarrass himself on television and see the heismann trophy slip from his grasp for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

'god you think your such hot shit' Lucas shakes his head with aggressive annoyance. Just looking at Joe's face was annoying him, especially since he knew in his gut that his ex girlfriend was messing around with him.

'I know I am' Joe can't help but let the easy cocky jab slip from his mouth. Justin laughs from beside him. The laugh stops when Lucas makes a charge at them both.

Both teams stop the connection from happening, blocking Lucas from being able to make any sort of hit. It was a pretty pathetic attempt and the motives of it are sounded out to Joe and his team.

'keep your fucking hands off my girlfriend.' Lucas yells as he's pushed back and dragged towards the tunnel.

Joe shakes his head humorously. The next time he fucked Daisy, she would taste extra sweet.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

After the game Daisy and the girls decided to celebrate the LSU win by heading out to one of her favourite bars in Austin, one she had been sneaking into since she was sixteen.

It wasn't her idea to invite them. It was Bella's. She didn't think they would accept. Daisy was sure they would be heading straight back to Louisiana but she was wrong. Justin, Ja'marr and Joe would be leaving for LSU at seven am sharp tomorrow morning. That meant tonight was free and they wanted to celebrate the hard fought victory.

They all followed behind as Daisy led them to the small town bar at the end of the street. They weren't directly in the cities center, they were just on the outskirts but the town still bustled with civilians all stumbling, looking for a place to spend their Saturday night. The sky was dark as the hour was turning late. A crimson neon arrow pointed to the arched wooden door of the establishment.

'The Great Western Tavern' glowed in bright white bulbs.

A texas flag waving from a pole out front. Music poured from it's walls and drunken strangers fell from the doors.

Joe, being from Ohio, was wary. Ja'marr and Justin didn't seem to phased. Cassie, Bella and Daisy skipped in excitement as they approached the front of the western building.

'well I never. miss daisy dukes is that you?' The hoarse voice of an old man sat outside smoking called out just as the girls were about to enter.

Daisy head turned to greet the wrinkled and grey haired man. She tipped her cowgirl hat and gave him a wink before pushing open the doors of the venue.

So thats why Lucas called her dukes, Joe thought.

The boys followed in behind the girls. When they did they fought the urge to turn back around and leave.

It was a honky tonk.

A honky tonk filled with people line dancing, a live band playing rowdy country songs, ones which made the walls of the bar shake. Warm fairy lights and fire coloured neon signs light up the place. Wooden beams lay across the ceilings and cattle skulls hang from the walls alongside beer posters and texan memorabilia. Around the open dance floor were tables, stools and dark leather booths full of various types of people. Some looked like tourists, others looked like rednecks. Strangers all from different walks of life meeting together.

Joe hated country music. He hated this bar. He hated that Justin and Ja'marr had dragged him out with the prospect of fresh girls to hook up with. He could have been sleeping right now, but no, instead he was here. In some small town texan honky tonk listening to music he found painful and dancing he found cringeworthy.

'grab a table' Daisy turned round to face the rest of the group. 'first round is on me' with that she left to the busy bar which was located behind the dance floor in the dark corner at the back of the vast open room.

They sat and waited for her to come back with the drinks. They were in a red leather booth. The two girls sat on one side leaving a space for Daisy, while the boys sat on the other. Justin opposite Bella, Ja'marr opposite Cassie. Joe would be across from Daisy when she came back.

'you guys like the game' Ja'marr makes small talk with the girls. They were already slightly tipsy meaning they must have snook in some drinks to the stadium. There cheeks lightly flushed rose with playful delight.

'it was fun' bella beamed.

'so fun' Cassie confirmed.

'I can get you guys some more tickets for home games' Justin offers.

'we wouldn't want to leave out Daisy' Bella says with apologetic eyes. It was true. The girls would have been more inclined to get involved in one of the more major parts of LSU college life had they not have been best friends with Daisy. They used to go the games in freshman year, well Cassie did. It was before they had met Bella. Cassie would go every game to support Daisy and her cheer team but since she quit they hadn't stepped foot into LSU's stadium.

'she came tonight' Ja'marr said as he leaned back in the leather seats.

'she only came to show lucas she was doing fine without him' Cassie shrugged. Joe shuffled in his seat. Ja'marr gave him a side eye glance.

The table jumps when six beers are slammed down.

'hey y'all, sorry bout' the wait.' Daisy southern twang was now no longer just a twang. It was thicker and more prominent. Being around other texans must have brought it out, that or the liquor she was drinking. She slots herself into the booth as everyone claims a bottle.

'good game' Daisy says to them, but it's more directed at Joe than anyone else.

'thanks' He brushes off her compliment cooly.

'what happened afterwards, fight or somethin'?' Daisy quizzes. She knew it was between Joe and Lucas, they were playing it on the big screens but she couldn't tell what it was about.

'nothin'. he can't handle losing' Joe tells her something she already knows.

Daisy just nods her head in acknowledgement of his words.

A tension lays itself thick between them. Daisy knows he's not telling the full truth and she know's what ever happened was about her.

'anyone else want to get shitfaced?' Bella breaks the painful silence.

A mumble of enthusiastic yeahs float across the table and the night finally begins.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Belly laughs ring out across the table as they exchange stories from their lives. They were all getting to know each other, like properly. Like friends. The boys discuss the awkward first training session when Joe transferred over from Ohio state and how they though he was a complete asshole. How he never smiled around them and took everything way to seriously. The girls told them about how Bella first met them. Cassie and Daisy had been drunkenly sobbing uncontrollably out the front of a frat house they had just been kicked out of for being 'a bad vibe'. Bella had gone outside to smoke a joint. She asked them what was wrong. They told her all about what had happened with there ex boyfriends and how they hated all men and that they were going to run away to an all girl commune. Bella didn't know what to do so she shared her joint with them. An hour later all three of them had stolen bikes out the back of the frat house yard and were riding around campus. When the campus security tracked them down they had to ditch the bikes and run on foot to lose them. Somehow the night ended up with them in a fountain then all crashing on Bella's dorm room floor. From then on they were inseparable.

They were on round four of drinks but during round three they each took two tequila shots, so they were pretty wasted. So wasted Joe had even found himself head bopping to the country noise that rattled between the walls of the tavern.

'oh my god' Daisy shot to her feet.

'come dance with me, anyone' She looks between everyone on the table with desperation. The dance floor begin to fill up even more as the band on stage announced a special upcoming song.

'no way' Justin said pretty instantly.

'second that' Bella said.

'my feet are hurting in these new boots' Cassie said apologetically.

Daisy looked at Joe. A drunken hope blossoming in her green eyes.

'not a chance' Joe slammed her hopes down on the floor and stood on them. Her face drops and Joe almost feels bad. Her eyes filling with a sadness.

'fuck it' Ja'marr said before he downed the remaining beer in his bottle. Joe's head whipped to his teammate. Ja'marr didn't look at him, instead he just stood up from his seat at the booth.

'you gon' have to teach me daisy' His words are flirty. Both charming and teasing.

'I can do that' Daisy responds with the same charm.

'Move outta the way qb' Ja'marr has this glint in his eye. A glint only Joe can read. Ja'marr was doing this on purpose, some kind of test to see if Joe would get agitated or jealous. A test to see if what he said about just being meaningless sex was true. Joe knew that and he would prove himself right. Ja'marr was free to embarrass himself on the honky tonk dance floor while he sat on the sidelines and watched. He was free to dance with Daisy and do whatever as long as it didn't cross the line. As long as the code wasn't broken. The code being that frat brothers and teammates don't hook up with the their friends girl if they have slept with them more than three times. More often than not if they had slept with the same girl more than three times it meant something. The only thing Daisy meant to Joe was good sex. Sex he didn't want to share with people he knew.

Joe let Ja'marr out of the booth.

Daisy hooked onto his arm as they walked to the dance floor. A small cheer came from the crowd as a popular song began to play.

Fake ID - by Big & Rich.

Joe rolled his eyes, letting out huff of annoyance.

He watched as Daisy tried to coach Ja'marr on the line dance. Her beat up cowgirl boots clattering against deep worn in wood floor. Ja'marr followed like a lost puppy with two left feet, but Daisy didn't seem to mind. Her soft hair cascading down her back as she threw her head in a sweet sounding laugh while she watched Ja'marr's painful attempt to keep up.

Joe was watching with an intense glare. Sips of cold beer trickle down his throat as he tried not to let it affect him. He was irritated by Ja'marr, by the way his teammate was purposefully trying to get under his skin and tease him. He was even more irritated by the fact Daisy was still wearing the burnt orange 'i'm horny' t-shirt. He wanted to rip it off her for two different reasons.

The chorus of the song chimed through the hot and heavy bar. Voices from all around sang along. The atmosphere turning more restless and rowdy. The place getting drunker and drunker with every passing chime on the clock.

Hey mister won't you sell me a fake ID

There's a band in the bar that i'm dying to see.

Daisy grips her thumbs on the belt loops of her tight jeans as she swings her hips around and stomps her cowgirl cladded feet. Her hair swirls in the air as her head swings to the rhythm. Unified stomps sound out the bar to every beat of the live bands music. Joe swallowed as his mouth dried. The dancing he found cringeworthy only moments ago was now one of the greatest things he had seen in the flesh. Her ass looked too good in them jeans. Her stomach looked too toned under the warm orange light. Her skin looks too soft and too biteable. Memories of what's underneath the clothes flood his mind.

I got my money and you got what I need

Hey mister won't you sell me a fake ID.

Her feet cross over each other and she twirls.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

She looks over her shoulder for Ja'marr. He's struggling but she appreciates that he's at least trying.

Joe takes another sip of his now warming beer.

His light eyes hadn't left her body. Cassie and Bella noticed it. They looked at Justin, when he couldn't meet their eye-line they knew something was up. Cassie and Bella knew about the hook up at the frat party a month ago, but what they didn't know was that it was now a regular occurrence between their best friend and the star quarterback.

They girls focus on Joe's body language.

Joe focusses on what's happening on the dance floor.

Daisy was no longer following the routine. She had given it up when there was no hope of Ja'marr being able to follow it. Instead the pair of them are dancing together. Daisy's hands are on Ja'marr's shoulders and his own lay loosely on her hips, touching the soft bare skin that lay between the end of her cropped top and start of her denim jeans. They spin around together. Her green eyes gleamed and it was like the sun radiated from her skin. She was happier than Joe had ever seen her.

Bella watches as Joe's grip on the glass beer bottle intensifies. His knuckles tainted white. His jaw clenching stiffly and his lips tightening. She stores it as a mental note. One she would bring up later.

Joe tries not to let it phase him, but he didn't like the show that was happening in front of him. A teammates hands on the hips that he grips. A whole bar of people watching as she swings her hips in a seductive way.

When the song was over he was relieved.

Ja'marr and Daisy engage in a brief discussion before she heads off into the crowd and he comes back to the table. Ja'marr was sweaty and breathless but Joe lacks any sympathy. Not after the stunt he just pulled.

'Daisy just went to catch some air out back' Ja'marr threw a thumb over his shoulder and pointed into the crowd.

'I'm gonna grab another beer' Joe stood up. Ja'marr's eyes squinted at him. He knew he wasn't going to get another beer.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Fairy lights strung from fence post to fence post illuminating the small garden of the bar. The night sky was dark, but warm. Like a comforting blanket cloaked around the venue. Daisy loved it here. She would always come, sneaking out of her apartment any chance she could to join her high school friends. Lucas would sometimes come, but he wouldn't let her dance. He was over protective like that. He only let her cheer because it was for him.

She pulled out her pack of marlboros, taking one in her mouth. She lit it and inhaled. She only smoked in Austin.

'those are bad for you'

She doesn't have to look to know it's Joe. She takes another drag of the tobacco filled paper. The end glows orange and ash gets taken away into the sky by a subtle breeze.

'many things are bad for me' Daisy eye's trail up his body. He was one of the things that were bad for her. Douchebag, egotistical, narcissistic, frat boy quarterback who only cared about fucking women and playing ball.

'ok' Joe says with a stifled laugh. He didn't know why he had come out here looking for her, it was like his legs were on autopilot. He walked out here without making any conscious thought to do so.

'soooo' The silence is deafening between them. Joe can't stand it.

'cheerleader with a football ex huh.' It's the wrong thing to say but he couldn't help it. He wanted to know more.

Another deep drag of the burning cigarette. A long exhale. Daisy wets her lips and nods.

'friday night lights shit.' It's a joke but she doesn't laugh when she says it. She takes a brief breath in.

‘thanks for winning today.’ Her words are sincere, and more meaningful than Joe was used to hearing from her.

‘thought you were a longhorns fan’ Joe tries to lighted the atmosphere with a small joke. One that doesn't land the way he wanted it too.

‘i was’ Daisy's response was shallow and blunt. She didn't want to elaborate or go into details about her old life. She knew Joe was trying to get something out of her but she was too stubborn to let him in.

Joe just nodded before looking out to the night sky. That weird tension wraps itself around them again. It the tension that comes when they know it’s going to happen again. When they know that in a short while they will once again be entangled in each others arms and bed sheets. When they know they will be leaving behind sloppy breathless kisses and marks which signify they were there. Purple nips on her chest and scratch marks on his back. They just had to fill up the time until it got there.

‘you look good under the floodlights’ Joe's voice is hoarse and low.

‘you look good on the field’ a hunger creeps its way into Daisy's words.

‘if we’re going to do this ‘one time thing’ regularly we should establish some ground rules’ Daisy takes another drag of her cigarette. Joe nods in agreement. Ground rules would make sure this never turned complicated.

‘rule one. no strings. just sex’ Joe starts it off.

‘that means we can hook up with other people’ He explains further. Daisy scoffs but nods her head in agreement. Of course that’s his first rule she thought.

‘rule two. we keep this private. I don’t want people knowing i’m sleeping with you. it’s bad for my image’ Daisy says. Joe rolls his eyes.

'being seen with me is the best thing for your image' He snarks back. A part of his ego damaged by her half joking words. Daisy hardens her lips in an attempt to hide her smug smile. Joe had taken her bait.

'how so?' Daisy entertains his words before taking in another tobacco filled puff.

'I'm the best college player around right now and i'm fucking handsome' Joe's words are only a small percentage humorous. That makes Daisy laugh as she exhales her cloud of grey smoke. Joe doesn't understand why she's laughing, everything he said was true.

'i've done the star football players trophy wife thing since I was fifteen, I don't need you for it to be my image' Her words hit Joe like a punch to the gut, one which was unexpected. Now he's remembering the way Lucas still called Daisy his girlfriend on the field, and the way that they shared four years of their life together before she ever even knew Joe existed. Daisy had been known for the last four years as Lucas Milo's girlfriend. That makes Joe feel sick. Like he had lost a game he never knew he was playing. He had to catch up.

'What's rule three?' Daisy breaks the silence she created.

Joe looks at her, he really looks at her. His sky blue eyes darken to a harsh indigo, his brows ever so slightly furrow. He takes a step closer to her and she doesn't move, her poise not faltering. They're close now. Joe takes the cigarette from her hand and steals the last toke before throwing the bud on the ground beside them. Daisy's face contorts in annoyance. The last drag of a drunken cigarette was the best part and he had stolen it. A sexual pressure forms between them as their eyes scan each others. Both of them searching for the signal. Daisy looks him up and down. Joe does the same. The once cool night in Austin now felt like the death valley desert, heat stinging at their skin. Joe's eyes linger on her top. He carefully takes the bottom hem in between his thumb and his index finger gently feeling the ribbed white fabric.

Daisy's breath catches in her throat. The top was just a joke, a play on words. She used to wear them to games all the time when she came to watch Lucas during freshman year but she wasn't with Lucas anymore.

She watches Joe's face twist in brief disgust and listens as he kisses his teeth. He lets the fabric drop. It clings back to her skin with a light slap sound. Dark eyes meet her own once more.

'don't wear this shit again'

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Daisy lay in the floral bedsheets of her childhood bedroom. Her night felt unfinished. She left the bar with the girls and Joe left with the boys to head back to the hotel. It was 4:10am and they would be on their coach back to Baton Rouge in three hours. Daisy knew Joe would be sleeping but she stay lay awake yearning for his touch.

Joe lay in the plain bedsheets of his hotel room. His night felt incomplete. He didn't want to have to leave the bar with just the boys but he had no choice in the matter, Daisy didn't want the girls to know about them. Rule number two. The team coach left for Baton Rouge in three hours but he couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her touch on his skin and kisses on his lips kept him awake. Joe knew she would be asleep but he had to at least try.

Daisy stared up at her ceiling like a silent prayer to god to give her some relief.

When her phone buzzed it was like he answered.

@.joeyb_9 sent you a message

Hilton Hotel, 1617 N Interstate Highway 35, Austin, Texas.

Room 87.

She hated the fact she got out of her bed with no hesitation. She hated the way she put on a nicer pair of sweats and a clean top. She hated the way she triple checked herself in the mirror before she snuck of her room. She tiptoed around the living room where Cassie and Bella slept on a blown up mattress, grabbing her keys from the kitchen island and slipping on her uggs.

What she hated most was the flashbacks to high school. Sneaking out to meet the football star downtown, she had lived this life before. She had to remind herself this was different. She wasn't a teenager and she wasn't in love anymore. The stakes weren't the same. This was just something casual, something transactional. She gave the apartment one last glance over before she carefully shut the door and twisted her key in the lock.

The clock struck 4:57am and Joe had lost hope in her coming. He could see she had read the message but the journey shouldn't have taken this long. A light sting to his chest as he felt rejection for the first time in a long while. He grabbed a cup of water from the bathroom and looked out the hotel window as the sky was just beginning to get lighter.

A faint knock makes him turn around.

He walks to the heavy door and pulls it open.

There she stood.

It was like seeing an oasis in the desert.

Joe plays it cool. He doesn't want her to know he had been pacing around waiting to see if she would turn up. He tried to hide the feeling of desperation that had clawed away at his stomach. He had found himself scrolling through images on her instagram, his eyes looking and lingering longingly on her body. It was pitiful. Joe snapped out of it and closed his phone once he realised his stalking went over the line of casual. That was too dangerous of a game to play. They needed to not get too involved.

'though you weren't coming' His words are unemotional and unconcerned. Blue eyes trail her body. She's wearing something casual. Black sweats with a grey jumper. Her hair is down but ever so slightly messy. She isn't wearing any makeup. Joe wasn't expecting her to be but he hadn't been able to imagine her without it. She looked the same, if not better. A more natural beauty, with radiant skin and light brown freckly washed across both cheeks. The skin around her light eyes was softly puffy, a testament to the lack of sleep and late hour.

'uber took a wrong turn' Daisy answered back with a mirroring coolness, like she wasn't already dripping in her panties at the sigjht of him. Joe was shirtless, his golden blond hair messy and some small purple lsu training shorts on his bottom half.

Joe responded with a brief nod before he moved out the way to let her in the room, quickly scanning the corridor before shutting the door and locking it.

Daisy placed her keys on the table with a clank.

The atmosphere was strange, they both knew what they were here for but there was now a hesitation. Neither of them knowing how to break the tension between them. A kiss felt too personal, like the greeting of a girlfriend. Getting straight to it felt to rushed, almost too rude. With every second that passed a thicker tension built. Daisy had to be the one to man up and make the first move.

'stop staring and just fuck me Joe' Brash and bold. Joe didn't need to hear any further instructions.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Stomach down, ass up. Their favourite position. She's bend over the hotel bed and the warm smell of sex rung in the air. The before sunrise light creeping in through the beige linen curtains of the hotel room. The lighting was low but enough for Joe to see all the parts of her body he wanted too.

His thrusts into her from behind and she's gripping onto the cotton sheets in euphoric ecstasy. His hands grip on her hip bones as his guides her back to his length. The sound of sticky skin slapping ringing out across the room. Daisy muffles her moans into a pillow beneath her. She had to be quiet, if Joe's coaches found out he had brought a girl back he would be in some serious trouble but he was making it difficult.

Smack. a stinging blow to the sensitive skin of her ass as he picks up the pace. A muffled yelp into the pillow.

Joe throws his head back in pleasure as he too struggles to keep control over his heavy grunts. Closing his eyes and looking up to the ceiling.

'god bless texas'

words of sweet satisfaction as he continues to pump into her from behind. When his stroked begin to grow sloppy and slower Daisy takes over, she begins to push herself back onto him. Her arched back moving forwards and backwards as she moans in delight, letting Joe catch his breath. He keeps a guiding hand on her waist and lets the other grip her hair with tug.

'you take me so well' He praises her.

Joe regains control of the situation and flips Daisy so she's on her back and laying underneath him. He pins her hands above her head as he lay sultry kisses across her collarbone and down her stomach. She wriggled around in pleasure. Moans of his name slipped from her swollen lips.

Joe let's go of her hands and he delves further and further down her stomach, leaving kisses along the way. Daisy knows what's coming and she gets even wetter at the thought alone. Her hips buck and let Joe know how bad she wants it. How bad she wants to feel his tongue on her sensitive center.

Joe places kisses all around her clit but never touches it. Daisy grows more frustrated with every peck. He's teasing her, edging her closer and closer to the ecstasy she so deeply desires but not letting her have it.

'Joe' Daisy's words are merely a pathetic whimper. She feels him smile as he lays down another peck on the top of her thigh.

'beg for me' He whispers. Daisy had never begged a man for anything, she didn't want to start now so she remained quiet.

When she gave no response Joe hovered his mouth close over her clit, close enough so that she could feel his own plump lips a hair width away. Uncontrollably, her hips buck once more and her center connects with Joe's lips for a second. The second was enough.

'pu-please' Her hands tug at his hair as she almost cries out her pleas.

'please, Joe. please give it to me'

Joe looks at her desperation with a twinkle in his now almost black eyes and a smirk plastered across his face.

'did he ever make you beg like this' Daisy knows who Joe is referring too. She stays silent, because truthfully Lucas never had. He hardly made her cum. He never went down on her.

'i didn't think so' was all Joe said before he placed his mouth on her clit, nipping and sucking at it. She tasted like honey, a sweet nectar that tasted even better after what Lucas had done on the field.

Daisy's hands grip at his hair, pulling lightly as the feeling of pleasure swirled in her stomach. Joe's tongue began to swirl and he inserted two fingers inside her dripping hole, sliding them in and out at a painfully slow pace. Daisy's breaths were hot and heavy as she could no longer control her bodies reaction to his touch. Her legs began to shake furiously as her climax neared. When they would lock up tight around Joe's head, he would push them apart once more with rough force. A rough force she found herself enjoying.

'keep em fucking open' He would command.

Joe quickened the pace of his fingers inside her. The pressure of her climax building and building, every lick and every pump bringing her closer and closer the feeling she had craved since she first saw him on the football field.

'Joe' Her moans now loud, the premise of being quiet no longer a thought in her high mind.

'fuck, 'm cumming'

As Daisy came to her own climax, Joe pushed himself back inside her and began to thrust deeply chasing his own. Moans filled the air and their foreheads pressed together.

'fuck, oh my god' Joe said as he came close, only a few strokes away from finishing.

'Daisy' he whispered in euphoria and he pulled himself from her and let his load land on her bare chest.

He slams down on the bed next to her, both of their chests rising and falling harshly as they try to catch stolen breaths. After around a minute, Daisy gets up and grabs a hand cloth from the bathroom and cleans herself up.

She walks back into the room and begins to put her clothes back on.

'when you back in Baton Rouge?' Joe asks her, still lying in bed.

'flight leaves at seven thirty tonight.' He nods in acknowledgement.

'I'll probably see you monday then' Joe tries to subtly let her know that's when he wants to next hook up. It doesn't work.

'yeah. maybe.' Daisy finishes putting on her shoes and ties up her laces. Joe just rolls his eyes. Pleasantries no longer being exchanged and the conversation turning back to simple blunt small talk.

Daisy grabs her keys from the table and heads towards the door.

'bye' She calls out as she opens it.

'later' Joe mumbles out, now all of a sudden tired.

When the door shuts, he drifts off to sleep.

An hour later, his alarm sounds out and wakes him up. He packed his things and headed down to the bus.

A long journey back to Louisiana.

౨ৎ

[teslasucks37]

CW: NSFW below the cut (MDNI), ScarletSpider!Reader, afab!Reader (No pronouns), Powerless!Charlie, KindaPathetic!Charlie, SlightStalker!Reader, PowerImbalance!Dubcon, No verbal consent but no also no verbal rejection, Virgin!Charlie, College Age Characters, Mentions of Verbal Harassment/Bullying, Sub!Charlie, Dom!Reader, GoodBoy!Charlie

A/N: Holy shit wrote this in like an hour and was jerkin it the whole time!!!

Charlie Slimecicle x SpiderPerson!Reader

A Hero’s Reward

You were supposed to be a hero, a good person.

Saving people was part of your entire gig as Scarlet Spider.

And you certainly never asked for anything in return, no matter how many times people insisted.

So why now?

Why, when all you did was scare off a couple of bullies, were you finally cashing in?

Well, because it was Charlie.

He’d been cornered by some people from your college, calling him a nerd, a loser, whatever.

You both thought that name calling was only for high school bullies, but apparently you’d been wrong.

But hopefully, since the Scarlet Spider had stepped in, they wouldn’t bother him anymore.

He’d thanked you, and shyly asked if you could escort you home since it was so dark out.

You, of course, accepted.

What kind of a hero or best friend would you be if you made him walk alone.

If fact, you picked him up and swung him all the way back to his dorm, crawling in through the window and landing safely on his floor.

He seriously could not thank you enough.

He looked so cute, flustered and red from the adrenaline of being so high up.

But then he said the words.

“Is there anything I can do to repay you?”

Those words coming from his lips were what sealed his fate.

You grinned wickedly, Charlie thankfully unable to see it behind your mask. “There might be… Something you could do for me…”

He wanted to thank you, so why should you stop him?

You’d been protecting him all his life, so it was only fair that you got a little something back.

And the adorable hard-on he was sporting from being so close to you during the journey here only encouraged you.

So you unzipped your suit down the middle, all the way to between your legs, gazing at Charlie the whole time.

His face was flushed, body frozen in place as he watched you stalk toward him like a predator.

And when you slowly pushed him down onto his desk chair, he didn’t object.

He did exactly as you asked, so obedient for you.

His eyes were glossy, lids heavy as he watched you tug at his jeans, a tiny wet spot leaking through his boxers.

Maybe you shouldn’t have been doing this, considering the power balance of you being a hero and everything.

And also that you knew who he was, but to him you were someone in a mask.

But the whimpering sound he let out when you sank down on his cock made every worry vanish.

“Oh~ Fuck!” Charlie whined as you bounced on him.

You knew he was a virgin, but you didn’t think he’d be so responsive, so cute.

His head was thrown back, his hands gripped your waist in an attempt to ground himself.

You couldn’t help but moan, feeling him hitting so deep inside you.

He was much bigger than you thought he’d be, not that his size could turn you away from him, but fuck it felt so good.

You needed this, you needed this so bad.

Being a hero was stressful, on top of keeping up with school, family, friends, especially your nosy little Charlie who was constantly asking you to hang out.

You sometimes watched him a little more than the average citizen.

How could you not?

He was your friend after all.

That’s just what friends did for each other.

And maybe you had passed by his window to check on him and once or twice accidentally caught him touching himself to photos of the two of you.

And maybe you had laid back against the wall outside his window, putting your hands between your thighs and listening to him moan for you.

“Fuck, Char~” You mumbled absentmindedly at the memories, your hands slipping up his neck to tangle in his hair.

But he tensed at the nickname, your nickname, and you slowed your movements to a halt.

Shit.

“How do you…” Charlie murmured, his babbling ceasing from your slowed pace.

“God… Fuck it…” You cursed, before peeling off your mask and tossing it on the floor.

Cute and small bruises littered your flushed face, your hair messy and your eyes wild from the rush of everything.

But he could recognize you anywhere.

Charlie’s eyes went huge, taking in the sight of you, his best friend, being Scarlet Spider.

“You… You’re- Mmph~” His words were cut off by your lips, his eyes going wide again before closing and leaning into the kiss.

“I don’t… Wanna talk about it now…” You mumbled into his mouth between the clashing of teeth and tongues.

His head spun, knowing you’d basically manipulated him.

But maybe he wanted you to…

Maybe he’d wanted you to take advantage of him the whole time.

He’d liked you for so long, at this point, he didn’t even care how it happened.

He was simply thanking whatever god may of may not have been out there that you’d wanted to fuck him at all.

So when you began bouncing on him again, he moaned into your mouth, bringing a hand up to your back to help you move up and down his shaft.

You were so warm, so tight, probably flexible too…

His head ran wild with fantasies of you webbing his hands up, holding him down with your inhuman strength, helpless as you used him for your pleasure.

And in a way, that’s exactly what you were doing now.

You panted as you pulled away from Charlie’s lips, grinning at his foggy glasses that now sat slightly crooked on his face.

But he didn’t seem to notice, eyes rolled back and mouth hanging open as he seemed lost in his own realm of pleasure.

You bounced faster, holding his shoulders and trying your absolute best not to hurt the frail boy in front of you.

But he just felt so good, so so good.

So good, that you felt your legs start to shake, you thought for a moment that it was exhaustion from patrol, but the way your core tightened around him told you that you were going to cum.

You needed it so bad, you needed to cum on him and use him and make him feel good all at the same time.

And you knew Charlie would sit there and take it like a good boy.

Your nails dug into his shoulders, causing him to whimper at the slight pain.

But the way he subtly began to thrust into you, hitting just the right spot to make you cry out, was what made you see stars.

You felt your hips stutter on top of him, slamming down once more before pulling off of him and squirting on him.

The sight and sounds alone made Charlie’s cock twitch, before a strangled moan fell from his lips followed by ropes of cum spurting from his tip.

You let out a moan of exhaustion, before taking a seat again in his lap, now drenched with your mutual fluids.

Charlie’s tight grip on your hip and back didn’t release, in fact, he fell forward into the crook of your neck.

You threaded your hands in his hair, silently promising him that you were here, you weren’t going anywhere.

“Do you wanna… Shower or something?” He mumbled softly into your sweat-drenched suit.

You snickered, before pressing a kiss to his head and nodding.

Yeah, that was exactly what you needed…

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

(2) Rumours - Lando Norris

<word count - 7287> |part 1 - Nerd|

"Hey, I managed to get your wood pieces cut up yesterday. Don't worry, I did them the right size this time," Lando told you, sitting down opposite you at your table in the library. The two of you had been meeting quite often, now exchanging your ends of the deal you had made due to your maths test results. 

"Thank you. Don't forget that you still have to sand them and glue them, yeah?" you double checked, knowing that he had remembered but would pretend to forget to do it. Lando had been trying to wriggle out of his half of the deal, but you weren't letting him. 

"Yes ma'am," he said with feigned formality, saluting you. "And I want my maths done. We hand it in today, yes?" he asked, also knowing that you had already done it. Lando had seen you doing it the other day, and had to keep his friends from seeing him smile at you. 

He knew they'd make fun of him for being your friend, so he often found himself sneaking off to come and see you in the library. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being your friend, he just didn't want to face the backlash from his friends. 

Plus, he hadn't forgotten the hurt written all over your face when Max had made those comments about you nearly a week prior now, and he couldn't let you go through that again. He didn't know why, he had harboured a soft spot for you. 

Maybe it was because you weren't outwardly trying to flirt with him, maybe it was because you treated him normally, maybe it was because he liked you more than he liked everyone else. He found your sassiness endearing, and a welcome surprise. 

"Of course, but you're still going to learn how to solve quadratics at some point, you know that, right?" you told him, pushing the papers that were his homework over the desk and towards him. You had gotten pretty much perfect at plagiarising his handwriting so the teacher wouldn't be able to tell it was actually you doing the work. 

You and Lando had agreed that you were allowed to get a few of the harder questions wrong, just so it didn't seem like he had become a random genius overnight. He didn't want an expectation to be put on him once he actually had to do his own homework again, so he was fine with you messing up sometimes. 

"You'll teach me, I know you will," he smirked, and he was completely right. You would teach him, just like you had been pretty much all of his other subjects. You helped him with everything at this point, and he was more than grateful - even if he would never tell you that. 

The friendship that the two of you had formed was quick, to say the least. This time a week ago, you would have avoided Lando Norris at all times. He was cocky, arrogant and a downright dick. But now? He was lovely. 

Those short, daily meetings to check in on the progress that you were making on your ends of the deal were some of your favourite parts of the day - and they were his too. It was nice for both of you to just let loose and have a little giggle, even if you were meant to be being silent in the library. 

Neither of you really knew how you had become friends, you just sort of... had. After you had opened your results together, it was just how you were. It wasn't some slow and steady thing, it was more like an instant connection, and immediate understanding of each other. 

"You're right, I will. I need you to be better than Max," you said, still not liking Lando's best friend after the far from tasteful comments he had made about you. Lando had said that Max had apologised to him for it, but he had never directly apologised to you. 

Lando completely understood the resentment. If anything, he encouraged it. He hadn't helped, he knew that, but at least he had apologised. He tried to get Max to say sorry to you, but he had always refused. "I will be. How that idiot is in top set is beyond me," he quietly chuckled so that the librarian wouldn't tell you to be quiet. 

"You and me both," you agreed, just looking at him. He had always been handsome, even when you thought he was a massive dick. But now? He was even more handsome. That happened a lot of the time, really. 

If someone has a good personality, their looks are suddenly elevated by the tenfold. If they're a complete and utter arsewipe? Then they could be the most dashing guy in the world yet they'll look average at best. 

Now, looking at Lando, you thought he was gorgeous. If only you knew how he saw you. He had never really paid you much notice, not until now. Not until you had been stuck on the bus together. You were pretty at a glance, but the more he looked at you, the more he truly believed you were the prettiest girl in school.

Anyway, now wasn't the time for admiring each other's good looks. The pair of you had maths next period, and you didn't want to be seen together again. Lando was pretty sure that no comments would be made if you walked in at the same time, but he understood why you didn't want to run the risk again.

He'd go and find Max to walk with him, and you'd get to maths first like you always did. Bidding Lando farewell, you took yourself through the corridors of your school and down to the maths row. All of the classrooms were identical, save from a few student-made posters messily blue-tacked onto the walls.

Your teacher smiled as you walked in, not surprised to see you in early in the slightest. Eventually, everyone filtered in, Lando sending you a small smile as he walked behind Max to their seats on the back row. 

All of you had your books out and were ready to start, but your teacher didn't make any headway on actually starting the lesson. "OK everybody, before we begin today, I do have a few changes to the seating plan," she said, earning a chorus of groans from the class. 

You weren't so bothered, though. Anyone would've been better than sitting between the wall and one of Lando's dumb friends. Well, maybe anyone apart from Max, but you didn't think your teacher would do that to you. 

"We'll start with Max, can you swap with Lilly on the front row, please?" she asked as Max huffed, clearly not impressed with being put on the front row. Lando also wasn't overly enamoured at the swap, since he certainly didn't want to sit with Lilly. 

She had always flirted with him, and he didn't need even more of it for 5 hours a week. But, he was thankfully put out of his misery. "And since you have been absolutely smashing your work as of recent, Lando, you can come and sit next to Y/N. I think she could be a good influence on you," she said, and you had to stop a big, goofy smile from spreading across your face. 

Lando had been doing well since you had been doing most of his work, but you didn't even care. You were just grateful that you'd get to spend more time with him. Max watched with a disgustingly mischievous smirk on his face. "Miss, are you sure that's a good idea? You remember what happened last ti-" he started, and your teacher's face instantly turned thunderous. 

But, before she could get so much as a word in, Lando pipped her to the post. "Max, drop it." he sternly said, sending daggers at his friend as the class let out a series of 'ooos' and 'get told, Max!'. 

Lando paid no mind to them, since he had seen the way your face had dropped as soon as Max had opened his mouth, and he hated the way his friend made you feel. "Max go and stand outside," your teacher instructed, and Max stood with a sigh and took himself out of the classroom.

She read out a few more seat changes, then put the starter activities up on the whiteboard. They were just some simple equations, so you got them rattled out and finished within a minute. Your teacher walked outside, obviously to talk to Max and probably give him a detention.  

"Hey, you OK?" Lando whispered, still scribbling down his working out for some of the sums. Honestly, you were just grateful that Lando had stood up for you and stopped Max from saying something more than hurtful about you.

"Yeah, thanks for that," you nodded, flashing him a small smile. Lando was going to protest and ask again, but he didn't want to push you. If you said you were fine, he'd believe you. "Plus the three, not minus," you prompted, pointing at the line of working out on his page. 

"Shit, course. Thank you," he softly chuckled, changing the numbers on the paper. He was slightly annoyed at himself for making such a dumb error, but he was glad that you were there to correct him. He found himself completely agreeing with your teacher: you really were a good influence on him. 

You made him want to work harder, you made that competitive fire burn brighter within him. You had pushed him to get an A the first time, and after that, he had wanted more and more because the pay off of hard work was so refreshing to feel. He was used to average grades at best, but now the disappointment was something that didn't sit right with him. 

Your teacher walked back in shortly after, with Max in tow. He packed his stuff up and hurriedly made his way back out of the classroom, undoubtedly to detention. The rest of the lesson went by without a hitch, and it was nice to be pretty much forced to sit with Lando. 

You'd spend time with him either way, of course, but it was nice for the two of you to get a couple of extra hours a week that you wouldn't have to spend being quiet as mice in the library. The bell rang, signalling the end of the day as you all flooded out of the doors and out of the front gates.

You were waiting at the bus stop for your bus, and you saw Lando and his friends waiting too. You couldn't make out the words you were saying over the slight gusts of wind and the music in your ears, but you could hear witterings of your name. 

"I stuck up for her because Max was being a knob, she didn't do anything," you heard Lando protest, his voice slightly raised. He sounded... angry? You looked out of the corner of your eye to see some of them prodding at him, stupid grins plastered on their faces. 

They were clearly teasing him, and it was pretty obvious that Max had told them how Lando had stuck up for you during maths. In some ways, you felt bad. The only reason he had said anything was because he knew how upset you were the first time around, and he felt so guilty that he had let it slide. 

"She's over there, go ask her out," another one one jibed, pushing him in your direction. Lando's face looked dejected, since he knew that it wasn't easy to get his friends to shut up. They'd keep going until he said something that they wanted to hear. 

"I'm not asking her out, OK?" he sighed, just as the bus rolled up to the stop. 

Just like everyday, your bus driver had the same, dead inside expression on his face and he clearly wanted to be anywhere but driving that goddamn bus. He didn't even bother looking at your pass as you took yourself back to your seat in the corner. 

It was one of the unspoken rules of the bus: everyone had their seats, you never moved, never differed from the norm. The older you were, the further back you sat. The year 7s had to sit at the front, and they'd be met with yells and arguments from everyone else if they didn't.

Lando's friends scrambled to the other seats on the back row, leaving the one next to you free. It was obvious that it was on purpose, so he kept his mouth shut as he sat next to you. It wasn't that he was sitting next to you, no. That was never the problem.

The problem was that he was really worried that they would start to pick on you now that they had it in their heads that he liked you. Well, he did like you, as more than a friend. That much was clear to him right now. But he didn't want you to face the brunt of his friends teasing because he did in fact like you. 

It was just a stupid little crush, that was it. Nothing serious. Nothing serious at all. Did his heart flutter whenever you smiled at him? Yes. Did he feel volts of electricity when your hands accidentally brushed together? Yes. Was his day instantly made better when he talked to you? Yes.

But it was nothing serious. 

He just laughed along mindlessly to his friend's jokes, not really paying attention. Eventually, the bus trundled to a halt so that you could get off. Shuffling past Lando, you walked as quickly as you could so that his friends hopefully wouldn't notice.

"Hey Lando, this is your stop, right?" Max piped up, pointing at you getting off the bus. "Not going to see if she's better than last time? I'm sure she's had some practice."

Lando refused to stay anything, his face like stone as he let you peacefully get off the bus. "Was she seriously that bad that you really don't want more?" another one of his friends added. 

"I knew you guys were dicks but you're really taking the piss," he mumbled, suddenly getting out of his seat and swiftly striding down the aisle of the bus. "Stop, please," he said to the bus driver, who pulled over as Lando hopped off the bus and ran down the pavement to where you were. 

"Hey, sorry. I couldn't deal with them being complete twats," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and standing beside you on the pavement. For some reason, he couldn't meet your eyes, his fixed on the floor beneath his feet.

"I get it, don't worry," you agreed, not really sure what to do. Inviting him back to your house was completely off the table, but you didn't just want to walk away and leave him there by himself. "Is your mum coming to get you or...?"

"Yeah, I'll send her a text," he nodded, pulling his phone out of his blazer pocket. He shot a quick text to his mum, and she responded within a few seconds, saying that she was setting off as soon as she could.

Lando noticed that you made no move to leave and go home, instead you stayed by his side. You both stayed silent, unsure of what to say. It hadn't been this awkward between you since the bus ride the week before, and even that felt more comfortable than this did. 

"Just... do me a favour and ignore what they're saying, yeah? It's just them trying to be funny, don't pay any mind to it," Lando said, hoping that you weren't bothered by what his friends were saying. The last thing he wanted was for you to be upset by what they were saying, since he valued your feelings a lot more than he thought he ought to. 

He also highly valued your opinion of him more then he deemed necessary. He didn't want you thinking ill of him, or of his choice in friends. He didn't want you thinking that he was like them, or that he would say things like that. He didn't want you thinking that he didn't care.

Because he did. More than he'd ever care to admit. 

"Yeah, sure," you nodded, not fully convinced. Any time you'd ever been seen with Lando in school by other people that weren't the library lot, you were chastised for it. Yes, it had only been twice, but that was enough to convince you that being around Lando inherently meant that you were going to be hassled. 

Of course, you didn't want it to be like that. Life would be so much easier if you were allowed to just be his friend, and nothing else. You'd help him with maths and whatever other subjects he needed, you could sit together in class without having the mick taken out of you, and you could just enjoy his company. 

Lando could tell that you weren't swayed by his words, and he didn't blame you. His friends would likely make comments for the remainder of the year, and he'd just have to take it in his stride. 

Soon enough, Lando's mum pulled up at the bus stop, getting out of the car to come and greet you. "Y/N, it's lovely to see you again," she beamed, and the smile on her face was enough to quell the worries and slight annoyance that you felt at that moment. 

"Likewise," you nodded, spotting the same scarf around her neck that she let you borrow when the picked you up the week prior. 

"How has your day been, sweetheart?" she asked, even though her motherly instincts could instantly tell that something was wrong. She had also clocked how Lando would barely make eye contact with her or you, and he was fidgeting with his fingers. 

"Good, yeah. Lando now sits with me in maths, so that's... fun." you trailed off, looking for the right word to describe it. Lando sitting with you wasn't the problem, it was the consequences of it. 

"Then I'm sure you can keep helping him out with getting those A's," she smiled. "Now Lando and I have to dash, dinner is nearly ready." 

"Sure, it was nice to see you again. Lando, I'll see you tomorrow," you mustered up one last small smile, before turning and starting the short walk off to your house. Lando clambered into the car next to his mum as she began the drive home. 

"What happened, Lando?" she asked her son, not having the patience to wait any longer to find out what was bothering the both of you. He stayed silent, just staring at the road ahead as she glanced at him. 

He knew her silence meant she was waiting for an answer, and he also knew that lying to her would get him absolutely nowhere. "Just my friends being di- they're being idiots." he corrected himself, his mum chuckling at the slip up. 

"What have they done? Did they say something about Y/N again?" she pushed, waiting for Lando to cave and tell her everything. It never took her long for him to crack and pour out his soul to her, but it would take a bit of prompting. 

"It's just because I've been moved to sit next to her in maths, and after last week they all think I have a crush on her and stuff," he mumbled. And there were those pesky motherly instincts again. 

"So you don't have a crush on her?"

"That's not the point," he rushed, wanting to brush over the tricky topic of his feelings for you as quickly as he could. "The point is is that the comments they make are too far and it upsets her. She says it doesn't but I know it does," he sighed, his mum giving him some more silence to continue if he wanted to.

"I try to get them to stop but they just keep going and it's getting on my nerves." he complained, slumping back against the passenger seat of the car. 

"You've got to try and ignore them, Lando. I know it's not easy when they're being nasty, but it's the best you can do. If you're not affected by it, then they might stop and then it'll be better for both you and her." she said, fully knowing it was easier said than done. 

Lando was strong, she recognised that, but he was already getting worn down by the teasing from his friends. "Yeah, sure," he reluctantly agreed, trying to take his mind off of the whole situation. 

He contemplated texting you to see if you were alright, but that was when he realised he didn't have your actual phone number. He had your Instagram and Snapchat, but not your number. He felt like he was supposed to have it, but he never really thought to ask you.

Maybe he would tomorrow, if he saw you again. He had to tell you about his plans for your DT project anyway, and he had some science stuff that he needed help with as well. 

The next morning, Lando was on the bus as it rolled past your stop. You weren't stood there with your headphones in, shivering because of the biting cold like you usually were. The bus driver didn't even think twice as to why you weren't there, but Lando did.

Thankfully, his friends didn't notice your absence, or how bothered he was by it. He hoped you'd be in school, since he didn't want to go through maths without you. Also, he was wanting to come to the library. It was part of his routine now, and he didn't want to break it. 

He didn't see you in first or second period, but he didn't have any classes with you until later. Going to the library at break, he didn't find you in your corner table, and he really was thinking that you weren't in school today. 

Meanwhile, however, Lando was completely oblivious to the rumours that were spreading about the two of you. The more tame ones were that you both had crushes on each other, and the much worse ones made your skin crawl. 

It was basically all just what Max had said to you last week, complete with the high-pitched, borderline pornographic moans. But it wasn't just him saying it. It was nearly everyone you walked past from your year, all because of how popular Lando was and how notable you weren't in the social hierarchy. 

It was driving you crazy, comment after comment from people who you had never even spoken too. Constant taunts of his name, over and over and over. You tried to hide in all the places you thought possible: the toilets, spare classrooms, corners that no one was usually in. 

Yet you couldn't escape the seemingly unavoidable torment, all because your bus broke down a week ago. You couldn't tell whether you were upset or pissed off, the emotions all swirling together in a maelstrom in your mind. 

You knew Lando would have gone to the library to look for you, but you didn't want to risk even being near him. It was at the point where you were even dreading maths, your favourite hour of the day, just because you'd have to sit with Lando.

The whole experience was so jarring, since one minute you were happily able to mind your own business, but now? You were the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. 

Finally, it was lunch, and you swiftly strode past the canteen where everyone was eating lunch. They'd all be occupied for a short while, so you'd finally be able to find some solace. You also had some of Lando's maths homework to do, even if that was one of the last things you wanted to be doing right now.

Lando was sat with his friends while you walked past, all of them looking and pointing. It was at this point where he started to realise what was going on, and he was catching wind of all the rumours that were being spread about the two of you. 

Guilt sat heavy in the pit of his stomach, the feeling of complete helplessness weighing him down. He gave it a few minutes before saying he was going to the toilet, and none of his friends actually caught on to what he was doing. 

He walked towards the bathrooms, before ducking out of sight and darting up the stairs to the library. There weren't many people in there as his eyes scanned the surroundings. There were the usual people that occupied the room, and you - sitting in the corner, furiously scribbling away at that familiar, crumpled sheet of his maths homework.

For a moment, he just stood there and watched you. You kept crossing things out and punching numbers aggressively into your calculator. This was a far cry from your calm disposition, and it worried him. You had obviously heard the comments, and he knew that people would be saying things to you directly. 

He walked over, pulling out the chair in front of you and sitting down. You eyes flicked up, before focusing back down on the pages on the table. "Go away, Lando," you whispered, the sharp tone of your voice catching him off guard.

He didn't have chance to respond before you chimed in again. "I don't want to be seen with you, so please leave me alone."

Now that hurt. 

You didn't want to be seen with him. This would upset anyone, so he wasn't surprised that you weren't happy about it, but completely ceasing all contact and interaction with him was painful for him. He didn't want to be isolated from you all because the kids in your year were bored and had nothing better to do other than spread lies. 

"No one will come in here, it doesn't matter," he replied, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. You still had your eyes focused on his homework, your pencil still moving over the paper. 

"And if they do, they'll just say even more shit and I don't want it," you rushed, a single tear falling onto the page and staining it. You wiped them away, trying to stop more from falling from your eyes. 

Lando's heart did nothing short of break as he sat there, feeling completely powerless. He didn't know how to comfort you in this situation, he didn't know how to help, how to make it better. He hated that he was the root cause of all your upset.

"They won't, I'll make sure they won't," he rambled, needing you to believe him. You both knew it was a lie, and he'd never be able to stop the constant teasing for you. He wished he could, but that was simply all it was. A wish.

"Please just leave me alone." you whispered, thrusting the crumpled, tear-stained sheet of maths homework towards him. "And don't worry about my DT stuff, I'll do it myself." you mumbled as Lando just sat there for bit. 

You didn't look at him, just down at the wood of the table. He didn't know what to say, how to get you to believe him. With a resigned sigh, he pushed back from the table, picking up his homework. He folded it and tucked it into his blazer pocket, stepping away from you.

"I still want to be your friend, despite what they're all saying. And I hope I can be," he told you, before walking away and out of the library. He had never felt so unsettled after a conversation ever, and now he felt so down and dejected. 

Mindlessly making his way back to his friends in the canteen, all that he could hear were your words echoing in his head. Sitting back at the table, his friends' attention all turned to him. "That took you awhile." 

"You and Y/N go for a quickie?" someone else laughed, all of his friends bursting out in fits of laughter. Lando just sat there, face like thunder. God, he was getting pissed off. You were upset, his friends were being horrendous, and he had had enough. 

"Will you lot just fucking shut up? Your jokes are tasteless and downright childish. It's not funny, I don't feel like laughing and neither does Y/N, so just drop it and find something else to obsess over." he snapped, and they all just looked at him. 

For a short moment, he thought they were just going to bite their tongues and sit there. Maybe, the normally cool, calm and collected Lando losing his cool was just what they needed to mature for a moment and reflect on how other people felt, not just what seemed humourous at the time. 

But, reality was far crueler than that. "God is she really that bad? Why do you keep going back if you keep getting disappointed?" That was his final straw. 

"Fuck all of you, honestly," he spat, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking off. It would only be a few minutes before the bell went anyway, so Lando took himself off to maths. As he arrived at the room, he found that the door was locked. 

Peering through the window, he saw you, sat there in your seat with a few tears trickling down your cheeks. Your teacher knelt down in front of you, balancing by holding onto the desk. Her face had sympathy written all over it, and it was clear that you were talking about what was happening. 

You kept wiping the tears away, but more stubbornly made their way out of your eyes. He felt like the convalescence was eating him alive from the inside and out. He wished he could take it away, make everything in your life as perfect as it should have been, but he couldn't.

Lando couldn't take watching you any longer, so he lifted his hand and wrapped his fist against the wood of the door. Your teacher stood and let him in, before pulling him over to the side. You still wouldn't look at him. "I know we've just moved you, but would it be alright if I moved you back onto the back row?" she asked.

He said nothing, just nodding and begrudgingly going to sit in his new seat. You didn't even want to sit with him. Lando pulled his phone out of his pocket, not caring if your teacher got mad. She noticed, but didn't say anything. "Lando phone away when people start coming in, please."

He put it away as soon as he asked his mum if she could pick him up, since he didn't feel like getting the bus. She responded with a swift 'yes', and he put his phone away as instructed. 

The end of the day couldn't come quick enough as maths droned on and he was finally able to escape. As he walked past the bus stop, he noticed that you weren't there. He figured you had done the same thing as him: asking one of your parents to pick you up to avoid the treacherous bus journey.

Wordlessly, Lando climbed into his mum's car as she looked at her son's face. For the first time ever, she couldn't tell how he was feeling. His face was completely blank, practically unemotional. She had never been this worried about Lando. 

"Sweetheart, what-" she started, before noticing the tears brimming up in his eyes. She would have pulled over, but she didn't want anyone from school seeing. "Darling what's wrong?" she asked, still reluctantly driving. 

"They just... they just won't stop." he said, his voice cracking with the words. "I just want them to leave me alone, leave her alone. She doesn't even want to be my friend anymore, I had to get moved away from her in maths, and it's just all shit," he rambled, a few tears rolling down his reddened cheeks.

"Oh, Lando..." she softly said, her heart breaking at the sight of his tears. He was never one to cry, or get overly emotional about stuff. He was a typical teenage boy in many aspects, and his emotions were no exception. He liked to keep things to himself, only letting is feelings show when they were hitting him in overwhelming bouts.

"Does she think you're saying things about her?" she asked, not wanting to upset him even more. 

"No, I don't think so. She just said she doesn't want to be seen near me when I went to go see her in the library like I normally do, and she was crying before maths to our teacher." he explained, and she was at a complete loss on what to do. "The stuff they say to her is just... God it's awful..." he mumbled, wiping away his tears. 

"Sweetheart I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but is that Y/N walking home?" she asked, and the question caught him off guard. Funnily enough, he looked out the window to see you trudging home. 

You had your hands stuffed in your pockets with your headphones plugged in your ears, your breath appearing like mist in front of you. That was when it dawned on him that your parents hadn't come to pick you up, you had taken it upon yourself to make the nearly hour long walk home in the freezing winter temperatures. 

"Yeah. Yeah it is," he confirmed, suddenly conflicted. His mum would obviously want to give you a ride, and he did too. He didn't want you walking home in the biting cold, but he also didn't think he could take seeing you upset, or you seeing him upset. 

But his heart won out. "Can we take her home, please?" he quietly asked, and his mum nodded, pulling over onto the pavement so that she could get out to talk to you. Lando got out to hop in the back, wanting to give you the front seat with his mum. 

"Y/N? Sweetheart? Do you need a ride?" she asked, approaching you as you pulled your headphones out of your ears. She could see the redness around your eyes, undoubtedly from crying.

"No, no. But thank you," you weakly smiled, the pained expression on your face making it impossible for her to just let you go.

"Lando told me about what's been happening. I understand why you don't want to be near him right now, but there's no one around, I will get you home and warm as quickly as possible." she reassured, hell bent on not leaving until she had you in the car. 

"OK," you agreed, walking to the car and getting in the front seat. Lando had already cranked up the heating and put the heated seats on for you, the leather warming underneath you. You knew he was on the backseat, but you refused to acknowledge him. 

Deep down, you knew you were being unnecessarily harsh towards Lando. He hadn't done anything wrong, and he had tried to be there for you in the best way he knew possible. Thankfully, he knew you weren't pushing him away because of him directly, it was because of what being around him brought you. 

He was sure that you still liked him, and he didn't take this personally. Yet it didn't stop him longing for you to be his friend again, to banter and joke with you and to just spend time with you like he used to. 

From his bag, he pulled out that same navy sweater and handed it to you, and you accepted it with a small smile in the rear view mirror. Your fingertips brushed against his as your fists closed around the fabric, the cold of your hands stinging his skin. 

You shrugged your coat off of your shoulders, pulling the jumper over your head. It was still too big on you, the sleeves stopping up to your knuckles. If you were standing, it would hand down to the tops of your thighs.

The drive to your house was silent, the only sound being the heating flowing through the vents as well as the occasional ticks of the indicators. After a short while of driving, you pulled up outside of your house.

Lando waited in the car as his mum escorted you to the door, a warm expression on her face. "Come here," she quietly said, opening her arms out to you. Without a second thought, you let herself fall into her embrace, softly shaking with silent sobs. 

"I know it's hard darling, I know it is," she whispered to you, one hand reaching up to stroke your hair. "It'll get better, I promise." she tried to reassure. 

For Lando, it was one of the worst scenes he had to bear witness to. He had seen you crying more than he had seen you smile as of recent, and it was killing him inside. He wanted to get out of the car and hug you as well, but he didn't want to run the risk of upsetting you even more.

Once you were settled in the house, his mum finished the drive home and let him have some piece. In his room, he sat at his desk, just mindlessly staring into space. You were all he could think about, and he couldn't shake you off. 

The sight of your tear-stained face was clouding his mind like an early-morning fog that he couldn't blow away. His eyes fell upon your pieces of wood for your DT project on his desk, as well as the maths homework he wouldn't be able to give you to finish. 

At this point, the deal didn't matter. Sure, you still had 3 weeks of homework of his to do, and he still had to do your workshop stuff for another week, but that was the least of his concerns. But he still wanted to do it for you. 

Lando had skipped dinner, not feeling hungry enough to go downstairs to eat. He also didn't feel like being held to people's questions and talks about what everyone had been up to in the day. He just needed some time alone. 

Just before he was going to take himself to an early bed, there was a knock at his bedroom door. "Yeah?" he called out, the door opening to reveal his mum.

"How are you doing?" she asked, entering and coming to sit next to him on the edge of his bed. 

"I'm... fine," he lied, not wanting to delve into the complexity of his feelings. He didn't want to have to voice his deeper rooted mindset on you. He couldn't tell if he was upset that now you'd never consider being anything more than his friend, or if he was more saddened by the fact that you didn't even want to be his friend anymore. 

He had been grappling with his feelings for the past couple of days, shocked at how quickly they had settled into his mind. Lando had never developed such a strong admiration for anyone in his entire life - even if every crush he had ever had was based off of purely superficial factors. 

But you weren't like that. Yes, he thought you were one of the prettiest girls he had ever laid his eyes upon, but it wasn't the driving motive for his feelings. He liked your personality, your humour, how goddamn smart you were. 

Seeing you thrive in the environment you worked best in was so fulfilling to him, and it was one of the many reasons he held you so dear to him. Yet he didn't know what to do about his feelings. He didn't want to ruin your friendship by telling you, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to have something real with you. 

You were special to him, oh so special. He liked the idea of you as his girlfriend. Walking you to class, studying together, getting to sit together whenever you wanted and the comments wouldn't get to you because you'd be his. Maybe you'd even be able to sneak in a few kisses when no one was looking. 

Despite being the most sought-after boy in highschool, and the closest thing to an american 'jock' that a british secondary school had to offer, he still hadn't really delved into anything relationship-wise. No kisses for the sake of it, nothing. Hell, even Max had kissed a girl at a party once, but Lando never had.

"I'm really proud of you, you know," she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and tugging him closer to her. "You did the right thing today, even if it wasn't the most pleasant option for you," she continued. 

"I know you want her to be your friend again, but you've just got to give her time. People will forget about it and move onto someone else soon enough, but you've just got to wait it out and be there for her when she wants you, which she will. You're both very overwhelmed and neither of you know what to do, but it'll all work out." she reassured, kissing him on top of his curly locks.

"It doesn't bother me what they say to me, it's the fact that she's so upset by it... that's what makes it worse," he quietly admitted, leaning into his mum's comforting embrace. They sat there for a while, just hugging. 

"You need to get some sleep, sweetheart. You've just got tomorrow then all weekend, yeah? We can do whatever you want, with whoever." she told him, wanting to make his weekend as good as possible. 

"I've got homework to do," he sighed, thinking over all the assignments that he wouldn't be able to have your help with. Glancing back over at the desk, he saw the remnants of your DT project sitting there, his mind now set on doing this for you. 

"You can do it on Sunday," she told him, trying to sway him into just having fun for a day. She wanted to cheer her son up after the shitty few days that he had gone through, and he deserved a bit of respite. 

"But I want to finish off Y/N's project... I promised..." he whispered, the words tugging at his mum's heart strings. She had never seen her son so attached to someone, so desperate to please them and make them happy. 

She was proud of him, proud of the man he was becoming. It was obvious how much he cared for you, and she really hoped that you'd allow him back in again, than you'd allow him to be your friend and maybe more again. 

"How about you ask dad to help you with it on Sunday? Make it really special?" she suggested, and she noticed the slight light sparking in his eyes at the idea. 

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," he nodded, already running through the different possibilities of what he could do on your project to make it best in the class. He may have been struggling, but it wasn't going to stop him from trying to make you happy.

No matter what anyone said, how they made him feel, how they forced you to push him away, he'd always try for you. You made him a better version of himself, a version that worked hard and cared about more than just getting through school and being cool while doing it. 

You made him care about his grades, how he spoke to people, his actions. You made him better. You made him want to be better. For you. All of it was for you. 

A/N - I know, I've not posted anything in a week, I am sorry. I have been working on this one all week, and I have started the next part for y'all. Something about writing highschool Lando just hits different. It would be the same if I did Charles, Carlos, Max etc, but they would be in a british highschool because that's what I know best. Anyways, have a wonderful day/night, love y'all! 💖🤓

tag list: @anvi-sarai @robotchickenmerp @cheriladycl01

|masterlist|the full series|

[broidobe]

𝔰𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔥 𝔡𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔤𝔲𝔦𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔰𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔞 𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔞𝔩 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔡

requested!

⁎⁺˳✧༚guns and roses masterlist

mutual guitar obsession

you and slash could talk about guitars for hours.

he’s always eager to hear about your custom setups, favorite riffs, and any new gear you’re excited about.

you both have way too many guitars, and he loves sneaking into your practice space just to admire your collection.

jamming together

late-night jam sessions are a regular thing.

it starts with you both messing around on acoustic guitars, but it always escalates into full-on shredding battles.

sometimes it ends in laughter, sometimes in you tackling him to stop him from playing the same blues lick for the hundredth time.

backstage bonding

when you’re both on tour at the same time, you make every effort to visit each other’s shows.

slash loves watching you perform, standing side-stage with a proud smirk as he watches you tear it up.

if you’re touring together, you end up practicing together and hyping each other up before every set.

leather and bandanas sharing

you’ve definitely stolen some of his bandanas, and he doesn’t mind—it’s kind of hot seeing you wear them.

he, in turn, has taken your leather jackets more than once, claiming they “just feel better” than his own.

teasing over solos

you both love pushing each other’s buttons, especially over who can come up with the most badass solos.

if he thinks yours is too technical, he’ll playfully call you a “show-off.”

if he plays something overly bluesy, you’ll joke that he’s stuck in 1954.

writing songs together

you two can sit down for hours, trading licks and coming up with ideas.

sometimes it leads to real songs, sometimes you just end up laughing and forgetting whatever you were working on because you got distracted talking about random things.

protective slash

if any guy in the industry underestimates you or talks down to you, slash is the first to step in.

he doesn’t need to fight your battles for you (because you can absolutely hold your own), but he has no problem letting people know they’re out of line.

affectionate in private

while he’s pretty chill in public, behind closed doors, slash is all about casual intimacy.

he’ll absentmindedly play with your fingers while you’re sitting together, drape an arm around your shoulders when you’re practicing, or kiss your temple while you’re tuning up.

music nerd conversations 

you two can go off on long tangents about obscure metal bands, rare guitar pedals, or production techniques.

no one else can keep up with your deep-dive discussions, but you both love it.

whiskey and vinyl nights

on nights off, you and slash love to unwind by drinking whiskey and playing old records.

he’ll pull out some classic blues albums, you’ll counter with doom metal, and the night always ends with you debating which guitarists are the most underrated.

tour bus cuddles

if you’re on the road together, you’ll find ways to squeeze into each other’s bunks despite how small they are.

it’s not exactly comfortable, but neither of you really care as long as you’re close.

biggest fan energy

slash loves bragging about you to his friends, gushing about your skills and how you’re one of the best guitarists he’s ever played with.

he’ll casually drop into conversations like, yeah, my girl’s solo on that track is insane. no big deal.

[cashhkitty]

jennifer’s body au - bimbo-ish reader x nerd armin. 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚

𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎: reader attends highschool. her two main friends, to which she’d call it, “sandbox love”. one friend out of the two she dates, and hasn’t been separated since junior high. reader and her boyfriend—along with the other, attends a highschool party. not long after reader’s friend finds her body behind the house during the party, lifeless. the next day, reader’s friend notices that she is now present at school—with out a scratch. how is she alive? can and will he solve this mystery?

𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: suggestive themes/mentions of gore+blood/angst/drug use

𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓇𝑒: horror/drama/romance/mystery

PART 1: Sandbox Love

‘It’s not that I don’t like her anymore. Yeah, she’s my friend—best friend. But, just because she’s dating him doesn’t make me any less. I know she values me, and I do too. It’s okay, sometimes we need time to ourselves. That’s okay.’

armin pov

“she’s what? whoah, armin slow down. i can’t understand you.” annie spoke on the phone, worriedly.

i couldn’t breathe. my head spun as i tried to spit the words out of my mouth, desperately trying to explain what was lying in front of me.

“shit!” my phone had fallen out of my hand, and into the edge of the pooling blood that crept toward my feet.

shakily, i picked up my phone, wiped it off and ran. i didn’t know what was the best thing to do at that time. just seeing her body, lifeless, tore me apart. causing my mind to race nonstop.

what would eren think? his girlfriend is dead. my best friend, is dead.

sooner enough, i made it home. but…why didn’t i call the police? shouldn’t i have alerted somebody who was at the party? would they find her body? my hands never stopped shaking as i opened my bedroom door. guilt washed over me. throwing my glasses to the side, i decided that a shower would ease my mind.

THUD*

my head shot up from the abrupt sound.

“what is that?” i asked nervously.

jumping out of the shower, i quickly dried my skin off and hair before throwing on an old t-shirt and basketball shorts. taking caution when stepping onto each tread. afraid of what might’ve popped out from around the corner.

yn was known for just waltzing up into my house, really because i let her. but why would she tonight, maybe it’s eren?

i grabbed the front door handle and slowly opened it.

there—standing before me, was yn. her body swaying lightly, back and fourth. eyes hooded as she gazed at me, like a predator and its prey.

not a word left her lips, until then, the corners of her mouth rose. baring her blood soaked teeth.

she was smiling at me?

“yn…weren’t you—” this had to be a dream. “what happened?” i scanned her body for any wounds, but none found.

her grin never faltered, not even the staring. everything happened so suddenly when she pushed pass me, darting into my kitchen.

“yn! wait—“

i turned around quickly, barely grabbing her by her jacket. she was so fast that as soon as i reached into the kitchen, she was already stuffing her face. i quickly noticed the grub she had picked out of the fridge, immediately trying to warn her i spoke.

the fridge light illuminated her features, how her eyes looked a bit droopy. the blood on her face now appearing clearly in spots i didn’t notice.

“um, y’know that’s my grandad’s fish. he’ll…he’d be mad if it was gone—“

SCREEECH

i fell back onto the floor in shock. backing up into a wall, my heart pounding at my chest.

yn had let out a powerful shriek at me, almost demonic. it was bone chilling. my head rang when the noise finally ceased.

“yn…” i called out breathlessly.

without warning, yn vomited a vile black substance all over the kitchen floor. my eyes widened in shock, causing me to risen to my feet hurriedly.

it’d felt like forever before the retch finally ceased.

she began to giggle uncontrollably, but then it turned into almost like a sob? was she crying?

yn pov

‘why couldn’t i stop laughing?’

my gazing eyes focused on the ground beneath me.

‘my stomach hurts so much.’

all of a sudden, a pair of feet immediately stomping out of the kitchen grabbed my attention. my head perked up at the sound of armin darting out. i had gotten up almost immediately, dropping the mauled fish behind of me.

armin reached for the house phone as if his intentions were to call 911. but that’s just what it was. in an instant, i slapped the phone away, pushing his body against the wall harshly. smearing my crimson palm across a portrait of him.

my entire body was now pressed against his. chest to chest, face to face. grazing my lips across his neck whilst snaking my nails around his torso. reaching up to his ear slowly, in a hushed tone, i spoke.

“are you scared?”

armin nodded frantically.

taking a hold of his face, i brushed my lips against his. breath hitching and mouth quivering. his cheeks were hot and…another feeling i couldn’t quite put my finger on.

armins body stiffened as i pressed mines into his.

in a flash, i pulled him and shoved him into a wall. cutting his thoughts short.

“…yn!”

armin pov

my back hurts. i pushed my glasses up then scanned the room. she was gone…

or was i…dreaming again?

a/n: my favorite movie turned into a au bcs its been on my mind for soo long. ts wasn’t as long as i wanted it to b, buut kind of a beginner writer anyways so rlly just doing ts for fun chat 💕 happy late new yearr

credits to @cafekitsune for the heart divider 🫶🏾

[aramynx]

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

KATSUKI BAKUGO X READER

You and Katsuki have known each other since middle school, and have always notoriously been at each others' throats as naturally gifted students. Things take a frustrating turn when you both end up at UA, as those darned teenage hormones begin to run high…

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.* *.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.* *.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

previous • part 4 • part 5

“…The hell did you want to talk to me for?”

Katsuki’s low voice filled the small alley that he found himself in. A gentle breeze caused the green hair in front of him to flicker to the left, pushed out of Izuku’s eyes, filled with nothing but determination.

“Why have you been ignoring Y/N?”

Katsuki’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the question before returning to a piercing glare, vermillion eyes staring through Izuku’s. His posture tensed, the hands in his pockets clenching into fists. Izuku held himself with newfound confidence before him, standing his ground for you, his friend, pushing aside the residual nerves and speaking up again, as Katsuki remained silent.

“Y/N is upset about the way you’re acting, Kacchan. It’s not fair to just ignore your friend with no explanat-.”

“Shut the hell up, Deku! It’s none of your damn business and I’ll do what I want!” Katsuki snapped, jolting forwards at the boy in front of him, causing him to flinch out of instinct before Katsuki began to remove himself from the conversation.

Truth be told, he hated this. He hated ignoring you like this, knowing it would upset you. He hated that Izuku, of all people, was the one who really knocked that revelation into his head. Maybe he should have given you an explanation. Would you even hear him out now? What would he even say to you? You’d definitely by pissed off at him; but he couldn’t take this anymore.

“Do you like Y/N?”

“I already told you to shut up, damn nerd!” Katsuki yelled in response, walking quickly around the corner.

Anger bubbled up inside him the whole way home, festering and steeping until his head hit his pillow when he returned home. He groaned into the pillow loudly, his rage subsiding as he pounded the mattress with his fist repeatedly before rolling over and releasing a deep sigh. His eyes lost focus as they stared towards the plain ceiling of his bedroom, entirely engulfed in his own thoughts, Izuku’s words echoing through his mind.

“Do you like Y/N?”

Katsuki felt his palms begin to sweat, his heart seemingly pounding against his ribcage, a familiar lump forming in his throat as he ignored his mother calling for him. Shit.

✧ ✦ ✧

You dragged yourself home, walking alongside Izuku who seemed less optimistic than he usually was; you were sure something had happened, but you weren’t exactly in the mood to pry. Katsuki outright ignoring you was starting to affect you more and more every day; you missed him. It was weird, all you ever really did was make fun of each other- but that’s just how your dynamic worked, and even though he could be pretty mean sometimes, you missed his company.

“Thanks for walking with me Izuku, see you in class tomorrow.” You sighed, mustering up a smile for your friend before opening the gate to your house.

“No problem, Y/N, text me if you wanna talk or anything, okay?” Izuku said, waving goodbye to you before he continued his walk home, muttering quietly to himself as he did.

You headed up to your bedroom as soon as you got inside, plopping yourself down on the floor and leaning up against the wall. Your bag lay lifelessly beside you on the ground, a few little pieces of paper half-emerging from one of the pockets from where you had dropped it. Without Katsuki, you had felt somewhat empty. Sure, it was nice hanging out with Izuku and his friends, and it was nice hanging out with Jiro and Yaoyorozu, you had even started talking to Tokoyami and Shoji; but you didn't really feel like you were part of their groups. Maybe that's because you just needed to get to know them more.

Two consecutive buzzes coming from your bag made you look over, opening the zip and picking up the illuminated screen that glowed inside. You read the message that waited for you inside, only to be met with... nothing.

*Katsuki deleted a message.*

"Asshole..." You mumbled.

Why couldn't Katsuki just tell you was was bothering him so much? You had asked plenty of times and all he did was ignore you. Maybe he just wanted you out of his life once and for all- maybe he had honestly meant all of those mean things he said, and it wasn't just playful teasing this whole time? As you were about to toss your phone onto your bed before it vibrated again.

"Hi, Y/N. Did you still need my notes from class today?"

You sighed, typing out a response that disguised your disappointment.

"Thanks for remembering, Todoroki, but I'm not in the right mindset to study tonight, so don't worry!

I'll take a look at them tomorrow instead :)"

"Okay."

Todoroki was still typing. Unusual. Usually he kept everything in one message.

"Do you want to go out and get dinner? You seem to be stressed recently, and there's something I'd like to discuss with you in person."

Upon reading his message, you sat slightly more upright. Maybe going out and doing something fun was what you needed, after all, he was right- you were stressed. You expressed your eagerness to go as you texted back, standing up from your spot on the floor to change out of your uniform.

"Meet me at the station in half an hour, and wear something nice."

Something nice? You weren't really sure what he meant by that, so you decided to play it safe and go for something smart-casual and weather appropriate. After all, the evenings were getting chilly now, so you made sure to grab a jacket as you left the house, hastily making your way back to the station to meet up with Todoroki at the other end.

When you arrived, you spotted his dual-coloured hair standing at the entrance of the station, sporting a navy blue jumper and black trousers. He hadn't noticed you yet- you were a little early, so you approached him quickly. His eyes darted over to you quickly as you entered his peripheral vision, pulling his hands from his pockets to greet you.

"Hey." He said, quickly looking you up and down. It was his first time seeing you in casual clothing- you looked good.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, his expression as blank as ever yet still somehow seeming softer than it was at school.

"Yeah, where are we going?" You asked, walking alongside him through the bustling city streets, staying close so you didn't lose him in the crowd.

"A small restaurant I found online." He stated, "It's only known by a few locals, so it should be quiet."

"That sounds great, thanks for inviting me along, Todoroki." You smiled, feeling yourself beginning to relax for the first time in a few days.

"It's no problem." He responded, eyes darting through the busy street and between the people walking there, enjoying their evenings out.

You followed him around a left turn, leading you down a small alley illuminated by lanterns until you reached a tiny soba shop towards the end of the tiny street. Todoroki opened the door gently, holding it for you as you walked inside, giving him a grateful smile before he followed after you. A small old lady greeted you enthusiastically, offering you a small table for two in front of the large window.

The restaurant seemed to be nothing more than the lower level of a house that had been renovated- it was clearly family-run as the walls were adorned with family photos and portraits, and there only seemed to be two people working the restaurant- not counting the young child sitting behind the counter sorting through what you suspected were receipts.

Being such a small area, it was certainly cosy. Warm toned lights illuminated everything with a comforting glow- a small candle sitting unlit in the centre of the table when you sat down, hanging your jacket over the back of your chair, an action that Todoroki soon mirrored as he took his seat opposite you. Once your drinks were delivered quickly to your table, you took a sip, tracing the rim of the glass with your finger as you stared out of the window.

"So... You and Bakugo..." Todoroki started, placing his own glass back on the table, trailing off as if he didn't know how to start.

"Mhm? I don't know what's going on. He just stopped talking to me." You answered sourly, still staring outside.

Todoroki stayed silent, watching your expression drop to one of frustration as you sighed, a shadowy figure passing by the window quickly.

"Sorry. I'm just so frustrated; I don't mean to be cold to you, Todoroki." You explained, turning back towards him as the bell of the restaurant door rang quietly in the background.

"Feel free to call me Shoto." He said, studying your body language as your eyes flickered between his left and right.

You nodded, giving him a small smile as you leaned back in your chair, as you heard the cheerful old lady who had greeted you emerge from the beaded curtain that separated the dining area from the kitchen. Your eyes looked towards the noise, only to be greeted by an all-too familiar head of spiky blonde hair.

"Pick up for Mitsuki." Katsuki said, looking down at the short woman, who rushed back into the kitchen to grab a bag, "Can't believe the hag couldn't do this herself."

Katsuki looked around the small room as he waited, hands in his pockets as he revelled in the peace and quiet of the almost-empty restaurant. Almost empty except for two familiar figures behind him, sitting at a table for two. Katsuki's eyes made brief contact with yours before you looked back to the boy in front of you, smiling as that IcyHot bastard urged you to call him by his first name- what the hell did he just walk in on? Why tonight?

"Here you go, dear!" The little old lady called, handing Katsuki a white plastic bag.

"Thanks." He said curtly, quickly taking his leave.

Your eyes lingered on him as he walked out past the window, Shoto's eyes watching at the same time, noticing the change in his demeanor merely from the way he had walked past.

"Y/N. I don't think you should worry about what Bakugo's thinking." Shoto said, bringing your attention back to him as he glanced off to the side.

"What do you mean?" You asked curiously.

"He can't keep his mouth shut for too long, so I think he'll talk to you soon, about how he's feeling." He explained, his dull tone playing into his backhanded words.

Shoto's eyes widened slightly as you giggled a little bit, raising your hand to cover your mouth a little bit, confusing him, as he hadn't told any jokes, or said anything funny.

"You're right." You said, "At least I hope you are."

Shoto nodded, smiling at you slightly, glad to know he had at least somewhat helped you. You were glad you decided to come out tonight, it was a nice break from constantly stressing over Katsuki. It was nice to have a new perspective, thanks to Shoto.

As Katsuki walked down the small street back to the train station, his heart felt like it was going to break through his ribs, but this time it was accompanied by a pit in his stomach. Maybe if he wasn't such a damn coward, it could have been him at that table with you tonight, watching your cheesy smile grow wider as you teased him like you always had. His mind dragged him back to the text message he had almost let you read earlier:

"Come out for dinner with me, let's talk."

He was going to talk to you tomorrow. He needed to.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.* *.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.* *.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

taglist: @sikuthealien @bitchyfestivalbouquet @marsoverthestars

[moonycriesdies]

Gut me in and out

The room itself invited them to stay longer than they ever intended. There was an old couch they’d dragged closer to the center, and though it could easily fit both of them comfortably, they always wound up tangled together anyway. Their instruments near the walls now; books they’d nicked from various corners of the castle lined makeshift shelves they’d charmed themselves. It wasn’t perfect—it wasn’t pristine—but it was fucking theirs

Right now, Katsuki lay sprawled across the couch with his head on Izuku’s lap, feeling the slight weight of Izuku’s fingers twisting a strand of his hair absently. Above him floated an enormous tome filled with dense text and diagrams that made Katsuki’s eyes glaze over just glancing at it. He didn’t ask what it was about, and didn’t care if it leaned into “slightly illegal” territory, because Izuku’s focus on it made Katsuki feel grounded in some weird way he didn’t bother analyzing too hard.

Instead, he watched him: the way Izuku’s lips moved silently as he read words Katsuki couldn’t give two shits about; the furrow between his brows as if deciphering some ancient code; those swampy eyes glowing under their star-drenched ceiling like gemstones kissed by moonlight.

Izuku fucking lived for this shit—the knowledge, the understanding—and Katsuki had no business finding that so fucking attractive. But he did.

Izuku wanted to know everything about everything. He didn’t just exist; he consumed life like he was starving for it—books, music, history, magic—it didn’t matter what form it came in as long as there was something to absorb. He’d once told Katsuki, “If I was immortal, I’d spend forever learning everything I could—every language, every instrument, every spell.” And Katsuki had rolled his eyes at the time because of course this nerd would turn immortality into homework.

But now? Now he got it.

That was love, wasn’t it? Giving your whole self over to something—or someone—so completely that it became your reason to breathe.

Maybe that’s why Izuku had memorized every shitty detail about him.

Izuku knew everything—the time Katsuki liked to crawl into bed and how his sheets needed to be tucked just right; he’d look away because he knew Katsuki was embarrassed of how he tied his shoes with that stupid bunny-ears method; Izuku knew he hated spoilers, and he would clamp his hands over Katsuki’s ears if anyone dared mention even a hint of what happened next in their comics.

Izuku knew when Katsuki’s energy drained mid-conversation and would seamlessly redirect attention elsewhere without making him feel weak or exposed. He knew how to push without patronizing, how to say “you’ve got this” instead of “it’s okay if you fail.”

Izuku knew Katsuki down to his marrow because he wanted to—not out of obligation but because understanding Katsuki was as vital to him as air or magic.

And fuck if that didn’t scare Katsuki sometimes—how much Izuku cared. How much he cared back.

Was it because Izuku loved to learn?

Was it because Izuku learned about what he loved?

Katsuki didn’t realize he was staring until Izuku paused mid-sentence and glanced down at him, one eyebrow quirking in amusement.

“What are you scrunching your face for?” Izuku asked, his voice tinged with playful curiosity.

“Your stupid face is blocking the stars,” Katsuki retorted but there was an unintended tenderness in his voice.

Izuku chuckled, setting the floating book aside carefully like it might fly away. “Then move.”

“Can’t,” Katsuki replied lazily, closing his eyes for emphasis. “I’m comfy.”

“Then stay,” Izuku said simply, his fingers resuming their gentle rhythm of playing with Katsuki’s hair.

Katsuki cracked open one eye again, glancing up at him with mock annoyance. “But I can’t see the stars.”

Izuku grinned down at him, leaning close enough that their foreheads almost touched. “You’re acting like me right now.”

“We are kind of sounding like each other, aren’t we?” Katsuki said with a low chuckle. He thought back to all the times their friends had pointed it out, the way they’d started mirroring each other in ways that were so subtle they hadn’t even noticed at first.

The synchronized eye rolls when someone said something idiotic, the identical cadence in their sarcastic remarks, the shared smirks that appeared without intention. Hell, there were even moments when they finished each other’s sentences. It was maddening, really. Maddening and maybe a little... nice.

“It’s what happens when you spend every second with someone,” Izuku teased lightly but with warmth spilling through every word.

Katsuki snorted. “You make it sound like I don’t have better shit to do.”

Izuku’s grin widened into something smug, too smug for Katsuki’s liking. “You don’t,” he said simply, tilting his head like he was stating some undeniable truth. Then, as if twisting the knife just for fun, he added with a playful glint in his eye, “And you’re here because you can’t go two days without me.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Katsuki shot back immediately, though there was a flicker of hesitation buried deep in his chest. Could he really go two days without this nerd? Without hearing his stupid laugh or watching him get excited over the most insignificant things? Of course he could. He’d done it before. He had his own life. His own priorities. And he wasn’t about to let Izuku think otherwise.

“I’ve done it before.” He added gruffly.

“Mmh… yeah,” Izuku mused thoughtfully, tilting his head as if considering something far more profound than Katsuki had intended. “But at that time we weren’t on the best terms. I don’t think it would be the same this time.”

Katsuki didn’t respond immediately; instead, he let Izuku’s words sink in like roots burrowing into soil. He hated how right Izuku always seemed to be.

But fuck if he was going to admit that out loud.

But who did the nerd think he was? Of course Katsuki could go a weekend without his presence, he wasn’t that desperate.

Still… The thought lingered longer than Katsuki wanted to acknowledge: What if Izuku was right? What if those two days felt different now? Not just annoying or inconvenient—but actually unbearable? What if being apart from him now felt like losing some essential piece of himself?

Nope. Fuck that thought right to hell and up Hades’ asshole.

He wasn’t desperate. He wasn’t some besotted idiot who couldn’t function without another person. That wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him.

Okay… Maybe it was him a little bit.

Izuku decided then and there they wouldn’t sleep together that night since it was Friday, a decision Katsuki didn’t agree to. Not outright, anyway. He’d grumbled something under his breath that could’ve been a protest or maybe just his usual brand of irritation, but whatever it was, he hadn’t argued. Not really. Because fuck it, what was the point? Fine. Whatever. It wasn’t like he needed Izuku there every blasted second.

He was not fucking desperate.

————-

Okay, fucking fine, Katsuki was absolutely desperate.

[f4iry-bell]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 | 3

pairing: jameson hawthorne x nerd/good girl reader

summary: who would have guessed taking an unwanted picture of her could lead to that tense moment? more than that, who would have thought it would get his attention to make a deal? and guys like him drain a person inside out when they are interested in you.

series taglist: @clarissaweasley-10 @whatsamongus @sheisntyou @emelia07 @elysianwayy77 @lyra-kane @bewitchingkisses @zenikswaffleshop @off-to-the-r4ces @jamcarven

permanent taglist (for jameson): @clarissaweasley-10 @whatsamongus @sheisntyou @elysianwayy77 @cassie6392

warning: fluff to angst.

word count: 1.5k

a/n: after no only angst :> + i tried foreshadowing fir the first time :3333

masterlist | series masterlist

← part 2

Ever since the night where they sat on the cliffside railing, and just watched the busy city move fast while they were enjoying the time right then. It was like watching a tree move fast while you're in the train for Jameson and her, you may think that the tree is moving fast but in reality the train you are in is moving fast. Just like that, they were doing things quickly without thinking. It's what Jameson has been telling her repeatedly. ‘Don’t think, just do it’. Sometimes she puts up a fight but eventually she gives in. Jameson wanted her to try so many things that involved at least twenty feet high.

Reason; he genuinely wanted her to get over her fear. He told himself that it was because he can try a lot of new experiences that gets you high with adrenaline with her. He has always done it alone, his friends weren't interested, even with his persuading skills. Jameson is not a person who would force someone to try something that he would, he only persuades people whom he knows would actually enjoy it— someone people just have it in them. And she was definitely one of them.

She just needs a little push.

He started of with small things like star gazing from a tall building, a lighthouse overlooking the ocean, giant swings, giant swing but higher than the last time, he suggested climbing a tree but she was not interested in ‘sitting somewhere uncomfortable as a branch’ which made him smile, he even told her about Hawthorne Tree House but when she asked what's so special about it he gave her a classic line ‘what happens in the tree house, stays in the tree house’ although he promised to take her there once.

They were comfortable with each other now, Jameson even saw a playful side of hers then and there. She is not really what you would call a stereotypical need is, but definitely is a goody two-shoes. And a coward too. But in some ways so is Jameson, a coward who doesn't let his real emotions and feelings speak.

-

“Are we just going swing from now? Or are you going to show me one of those amazing games you always talk about?” She asked about the old man’s games, she was interested in them. Sometimes Jameson makes a treasure hunt of his own but lets nobody play. He didn't exactly open up about his relationship with his grandfather, he just said he was rather ‘strict’ at times.

“One day you'll get to use that pretty smart head of yours to play my game, but it's not today.” He said, they were now laying on the football field in the campus, it was past 9 PM.

“Then what are we going to do? Kick imaginary football?” She asked, he smiled at the thought of her even trying to kick an actual ball. He learnt that the only sport she has ever played was badminton because she was forced to take at least one in school.

“I thought we would just relax today but you know what? I have a game idea for you.” He sat up.

She got so excited about the last part that she ignored the first sentence. “Really?” Her eyes widened with excitement.

Jameson really knows how to get a girl excited about what he does next but something about her is that she actually likes what he comes up with. She wasn't excited because she wanted him or anything, she got excited because she gets to play. And one thing about Jameson Hawthorne is that he likes to play as well, and admires a girl who likes to play.

“Come on.” He started walking fast out of the field.

“Where are we going?” She asked, trying to keep up with him.

“The library.”

“It is closed now.”

“I’ve been thought to pick locks, princess.”

She smiled. “Why am I not surprised, but should we go tomorrow? You know, when it's open?”

“What's the fun in that?”

“But if we get caught—”

“If, not when. So, come on. Even if we do, I'll use my Hawthorne privilege to get us away with it.” He joked but she knows that if something happened he definitely would use it to get her away from trouble.

-

Jameson did not miss to notice how she was trying to observe the way he picked the lock. “Not a skill you need, princess.” He said, and they both heard a click of the massive library door.

“It’s not like I'm going to use it, I'm just curious.” She shrugged as she followed him inside.

“You know what they say about curiosity.”

“Whatever. Tell me what we’re playing.”

He stopped next to a table, and sat. “Since you're a big book nerd, I'm going to give you a book title or quote, and you have to find it in the library and bring it.”

“This is a huge library. At least tell me you'll let me know the genre. What if I don't know the book?”

“Wait, I wasn't done yet. You're not the only player. You have to find it before me in, and have to find it before 5 minutes. 10 rounds, you find it first or before the timer ends you get a point, you fail to find it before the timer I get a point. If I find it before you get a point.”

“That's not a fair game, you have high chances of winning because you can gain a point when I fail to find AND when the timer goes off!”

“Life isn't fair. Are you playing? Or should we call it a night?”

She rolled her eyes, and took her phone out to set a timer. “First book?”

Jameson smiled. “One Day.”

“What a pick.”

He chuckled. “Game starts now.”

_

It was a 5-4 situation right now and things were getting hectic. Jameson was winning right now with 5 points, she'd rather have a tie than lose to Jameson.

“Aw, I'll give you an easy one. The Castle.” He noticed how her eyes widened a little, he knew that she knew where it exactly was.

Once he pressed the timer, she ran like a flash to the fiction section. Funny thing is that Jameson knew which shelves it was in as well. Although she ran before Jameson, he was faster than her. He easily caught up right behind her. He is confident that he'll win this.

As he ran behind her towards the last shelf, following her to the corner he was planning on reaching above her head to get the book. As he reached for the book his hand touched her which was already touching the book. The force made him trip a little, and fall in her, his weight pushed her forward to the wall in the corner making her drop the book down, Jameson was still not stable with his stand so he moved forward— very close to where she was pushed. Her body turned to him, he expected her to be mad or disappointed but she just started laughing as she put her head behind, her body now touching the wall.

Jameson picked up the book, and kept it back. His hands still on the corner of the shelves, it was like she was caged between him, and the walls, and the shelf. He laughed with her until she stopped.

“Is the book okay?” She asked.

“Perfectly fine.”

“I don't want to pay for it.”

“You won't, even if it was damaged. Nobody would know.”

“That—”

“Would it go against your morals?” He smirked as he looked down to meet her eyes.

She playfully hit his chest. “Don't make fun of me.”

“But that's my favourite hobby.”

She rolled her eyes. The few seconds of silence let them be aware of how close they were standing, how close their faces were. How intimate the position was. Jameson could learn down, and their lips could meet. Maybe he wanted to. He has thought about it ‘accidentally’, accidentally thought of kissing her.

But for her, this moment made her realise why her heart tugs every time he teases her, or smiles at her, or holds her hands when they are high above. But she can't, unlike Jameson who completely pushed his feelings away and refused to acknowledge them, she actually does acknowledge them but try not to act on them.

“Jameson?”

“Yeah?” It was barely a whisper.

“What did you mean earlier when you said that we were to only relax today?”

“That we don't stand 40 feet high.”

“But that's not really in our deal.” Her heart was beating fast, she could hear it, maybe he did too. She hoped he understood what she's trying to ask. Their deal was just helping her get out of her comfort zone, see the world differently. That's why they meet each other in the first place, not for relaxing with each other. She didn't want to ask him, she was afraid of his answer.

Jameson was quiet. Stunned maybe. “It's getting late.” He stepped back from her.

“Oh. Anyways, do you want to celebrate that the game was a tie—”

“It's already very late, Y/n. You have classes tomorrow.”

That kind of stung her. From all the weeks she has known him she knew that he would never turn down a celebration.

She just nodded. “Okay.”

part 4

[average-mako-enjoyer]

I need your Kaidan opinions for the fave character game. Pwease. 😻

From the character ask game.

Oh God, I will have to change my pants by the time I'm done.

Favorite thing about them

Everything??? He's such a complex dude, and all of his complexity is shown so subtly in a way that also reflects him as a character. I love it.

But most of all, his emotional maturity, his intelligence, his self-esteem, and honestly, how incredibly badass he is.

He doesn't use Shepard as a therapist, as a fixer for his problems, as a pillar of strength to lean on. Instead, he always comes into this relationship (platonic or romantic) as an equal, and it's so refreshing to see.

Every other squadmate needs something from Shepard, and with Kaidan it's the other way around. It's Shepard who needs Kaidan, a person who will remind them that what military propaganda usually pushes as "the hardest choices a soldier can make" are actually the laziest choices.

Kaidan knows that killing is easy. Destroying is easy. But showing restraint, showing compassion, trusting someone, doing the right thing, that's hard.

Also, Kaidan is literally the only squadmate who consistently tells Shepard that they can step aside, that they don't have to do everything alone, that they have their team for a reason, and oh god, thank you Kaidan, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Least favorite thing about them

My god, he's stubborn.

And yes, Shepard needs someone like that in their close circle, but oh Kaidan, my man, my dude, my wonderful human being, you have to learn to relax, to let things go sometimes.

I think the main thing about him is that he's actually so passionate, he feels deeply, and friendship and love are so important to him, but he has trust issues, and he has standards, and he's very intelligent, and all of that runs over this deep well of emotions that he carries around.

He wants to love with abandon, but he can't. He wants to do the right thing all the time, but it's impossible. He has to learn how to compromise, how to live in the gray area.

Honestly, there are so many parallels between his and you-know-who's arc, no wonder all his fans feel so strongly about Kaidan.

Favorite line

So, so many.

"I think we're gonna need a bigger boot, Commander."

"I could shoot someone if it would make you feel better."

"Mike Hazer? Hazer the Laser? Almost didn't recognize you. ... You owe me money."

"Looking back, I have a few regrets, but not many. That's pretty damn amazing, right? Messed up kid that I was, never would have dreamed of the life I've had."

"You'll never find out."

I love his sarcastic ass. And I love all the glimpses into that deep well that is his heart. He's so good.

brOTP

Joker! Oh my God, that first dialog between them is fucking amazing. I feel like Joker is one of Kaidan's main sources of gossip (something Kaidan is interested in both professionally and recreationally), and Joker finds Kaidan's dry wit incredibly funny. They get along just fine because they enjoy teasing each other for sport, but other people probably misinterpret this as dislike. Same with him and Ash.

Also, Tali! Two nerds just talking about tech, weapon mods, all that good stuff. And he's obviously very sweet and protective of her. I really have to read about those two.

If we're talking about ME2 squadmates, his choice would obviously be Samara. I think he would've been fascinated by her story, her abilities, her lifestyle and would've hung out with her a lot. They're just very similar people in my mind, and for Kaidan, it would have been an excellent insight into the extremes of the morality he tends to lean towards.

In ME3, he probably hangs out a lot with James and Steve because he likes Steve and he can tolerate James most of the time. XD I think Kaidan and Steve have a lot in common. There's this careful quietness about them. They're both observers, they're both cautious and reserved. And I think Kaidan can see that there's kindness at the core of Steve's soul, and that's important to him.

And finally, mShenko, because whether they end up as a couple or not, they're friends first and foremost. Their romance is purely friends to lovers. Not mentor/mentee+friends to lovers, but friends to lovers. They're open and honest with each other, they care about each other deeply, they know how to tease each other without hurting anyone's feelings. They're equals.

OTP

mShenko. Oh god, it's so good. The slow burn, the maturity of it, how they don't hide behind unnecessary labels and the promises that would probably never be fulfilled. They're just there for each other despite everything, despite their time running out, and it's perfect.

Bonus points for being so obviously horny for each other.

nOTP

Kaidan/Ashley. I just think they work a lot better as friends.

Random headcanon

Kaidan doesn't really like to talk about his childhood, not because it was bad, but because he had a "rich kid's childhood", and things that were common for him throughout his life are actually quite unique and only come when you have a lot of money.

How can you casually mention your annual vacation aboard your family yacht in the company of an Earthborn orphan, a turian from Palaven, and a quarian who spent most of her life on a starship?

Also, both mShep and Kaidan enjoy being knocked around a little from time to time. So they do sparring sessions together, and this shit is _intense_.

Unpopular opinion

He does casual hookups while on shore leave like any other normal Marine. He finds a girl or a guy, fucks nasty, blows off steam, and returns to his duties.

Song i associate with them

Garbage - Control

Favorite picture of them

This one.

Thank you for this ask! I always love to talk about my man Kaidan.

[chrattvibe]

៹Study date. nerd!matt.

Matt and she had been seeing each other for years. Not in an intimate way, of course, but they noticed each other. They’d been sharing classes since freshmen year, studying the same major, but they’d never been close. He always sat in the back, to the left; she preferred the middle of the room. They crossed paths in hallways, in the coffee line, in packed libraries halfway through the semester. It wasn’t unusual for their eyes to meet for a second longer than necessary. But that was it.

For the first two years, they didn’t exchange more than a few glances. Maybe a quiet greeting if they happened to be close enough. But something had shifted since the start of their third year.

She made the first move.

After two years of watching him from afar, something pushed her to stop wondering and ask him for the notes from a class she’d missed.

She’d noticed him before, sure. How could she not? He was attractive. The kind of guy who always had something in his hands: a book, a pen, a bottle of water or dangling headphones.

But she had boxed him into a stereotype that didn’t quite fit. She assumed he was one of those nice guys who lacked initiative, who couldn’t hold eye contact and stumbled over their words.

Until she actually talked to him.

He responded with a kind of calm confidence that threw her off. He wasn’t shy. He was so attentive. Kind.

And something shifted. An invisible wall came down.

After that, they started talking more. Exchanged numbers. Shared playlists, inside jokes, notes from class. It was easy—like the silent buildup between them had always been leading here.

Today they had one of their classic "Saturday study dates." Not that they really needed it; both of them were already good at the subject, honestly. Her living room had long become their usual spot. But as usual, the notes were abandoned after about an hour.

After chatting for a while, they ended up picking a movie. A 2000s rom-com she had seen a million times, but that he couldn’t quite remember if he’d actually watched or just recognized from the poster.

Matt no longer had to ask before scooting closer. His arm found a place around her shoulders naturally. And sometimes his hand would wander a little lower, resting gently at her waist. She never said anything. Just leaned into him.

They didn’t have to talk about it. Just like they didn’t have to explain why his fingers brushed her cheek sometimes, or why their lips met in the middle of a laugh or a long silence. Little gestures with just the right balance of comfort and nerves.

These quiet touches had become their own kind of routine. A way of understanding each other when words felt unnecessary.

The cat—an orange tabby she’d had for years��wandered nearby, jumped on the couch, and curled up in a corner, letting Matt pet him with the calm trust of someone who already considered him part of the house.

The movie kept playing in the background, but neither of them were paying close attention. Not because they didn’t care, but because their focus kept drifting—to the warmth of the other’s skin, to the soft shift of breath, to how close they’d ended up without realizing

At one point, he turned his head slightly toward her. He looked like he was about to say something, but didn’t. Instead, he just watched her silhouette laugh at a scene she clearly knew by heart.

She caught him staring. Looked up.

"What?" she asked, a smile hidden in her voice, her face barely lit by the light of the TV.

Matt shook his head, voice low and calm. "Nothing... you’re pretty."

She looked away instantly and covered her face with one hand, caught between laughter and embarrassment. Then, without thinking, she buried her face in his neck, trying to hide.

Matt smiled at her reaction, feeling his heart pick up just a little. He ran his fingers gently along her back, then leaned in to press a kiss to her hair.

"I mean it," he whispered with a soft laugh, then kissed her forehead.

Then her temple. Then her cheek.

She couldn’t help but lift her face despite the blush in her cheeks. She found his lips. A kiss. Then another. And another. Gentle, like a secret neither of them was ready to say out loud. Words seemed to hide between the kisses and the smiles.

When they pulled away, they didn’t go far. Just stayed there, looking at each other for a moment. Then, like nothing happened, they settled back in. Her head on his chest, his arm over her shoulders, fingertips tracing her skin.

About half an hour later, the credits of the movie rolled silently, casting a soft white light across the room. She’d fallen asleep on his chest, breathing steady, one hand resting on his shirt.

Matt wasn’t in a rush. He stayed there, silent, stroking her back slowly, as if trying to stretch the moment a little longer.

Then, gently, he slid his arm out from under her and sat up, careful not to wake her. He watched her shift slightly, face half-hidden in the cushions.

He packed his things slowly. Closed the laptop, gathered the scattered papers, and among them, folded one in half. He scribbled a note on a post-it and stuck it on top, placing it clearly on top of her notes.

Before leaving, he came back to the couch and ran his fingers through her hair gently, trying not to startle her.

"Hey, I’m heading out. Lock up the door and go to bed, your back’s gonna hurt if you sleep here," he whispered.

She barely opened her eyes, nodded sleepily with a soft smile. Walked him to the door, slow and quiet. Matt leaned in to kiss her cheek.

She closed the door behind him softly. And even though she was half-asleep, she started tidying up before bed—she always liked waking up in a clean place, and Matt knew it.

She gathered the glasses, fluffed the pillows and stacked her notes.

That’s when she saw it.

A folded sheet of paper with an orange post-it stuck to the top.

She smiled. Studied it for a few seconds, then folded it again carefully and tucked it away with the rest of her things.

"Damn I forgot these notes. Maybe they’ll help you tho. I’ll swing by tomorrow to grab em. Sleep well ♡"

—chrattvibe.

masterlist.

taglist.

[concretejunglefm]

Smoochie! 💜💋

Top 10 favorite headcanons to write about or let the brain rot grow and devour.

smooches for you bb !!! 😘

idk if all of these constitute as headcanons (i am probably overthinking)

folio's mischievous puppy energy - no matter the fic, the circumstances, he's always there with his little cheeky grin, some quick witted remark and picking up on things no one else is. it's fun to write and include, it's also fun to see other people's interpretations of this behaviour too

noah being humbled - sometimes he needs knocking down a peg or two and reader being the one to do this makes it extra delicious and amusing. also there's nothing more fun than him attempting to use his charm, or known 'status' and fumbling out of the gate

nicholas and shibari - not only in a bsdm or sexual sense, but as a means of trust and also helping you with your anxiety (guardian demon!nicholas)

priest!noah and worshipping you - he already has being subservient and worshiping in his nature, but there is something about how he devotes himself to you which feels so much softer, he looks at you as though you hung the moon and stars, and if you told him differently, he'd refute it

enemies to lovers with matt - other than the fact he's an 'asshole' (not really), for someone who says what he thinks, does what he wants, and doesn't care if he hurts your feelings as such, he sure does seem to care (secretly) about yours. most scenarios i have involving this with him, he's usually the one who's softening up to you first, even if it's more of an internal thing than external. you still have your bite, and he still bites back, but sometimes it lessens, and there's that slow movement towards being friends before something else

enemies to lovers with folio - on the flip side to matts, there's this where you're reluctant to let go of the 'enemies', while he leans fully into the 'lovers'

poly!omens - i love all combinations, the idea of each falling in love with one another, of you falling in love with more than one person and it being reciprocated and received well when it comes to all parties involved

soft dom/pleasure dom - this especially with jolly or noah, because both want to take care of you, they know how to take care of you too, it's as if they can read your mind to know what you need. even the times where it's not sexual needs, they know when you're struggling to make decisions for something as simple as dinner, so they make the choice, they help you dress, and do the little tasks you might be struggling with in the moment. they help you regulate yourself with being so gentle, always encouraging you

sub leaning bestfriend!noah - other than the fact he's so receptive to even the slightest of praise or touch, just the way you know he needs to let go of that control freak nature when he's pushing himself too far and needs to get out of his head. it all comes down to the subtle dominance, where you make him take breaks, you remind him to drink and eat, you take quiet control of the things he really needs to let go of

davis being a little nerd - him sharing his hobbies with you, wanting to include you in them as he talks about his comics, or him doing your make up because he has a steady hand from hours of painting warhammer figures

[bleach-your-panties]

🖤⚡️alternative/punk!bf denki w/ his black gf

...who

(they are 3rd years)

◇loves to push her hair away from her neck and kiss it and her ears. loves to just touch her ears and neck randomly.

◇will grab her hair and make a makeshift ponytail while fucking doggy style, getting head, or kissing her neck.

◇wears black rings made of smooth, cold marble. found them at HT, along with an entire pack of over 100 rubber wristbands in all different colors with different sayings on them.

◇wears his hair back in a little ponytail sometimes (likes when she pulls it when he's giving her head❤️)

◇drives with his hand gripping the very bottom middle of the steering wheel. pretty ass hands with those rings and wrist bands👅

◇ is a total pokemon nerd. nicknames for each other : Pikachu and (fav Pokemon). played Pokémon Go religiously when it came out. plays all the games on his Switch. will definitely ask her to prom with a pokeball and roses. "I Choose You"

◇will finger her from the back with two fingers, rubbing his rings against her clit to get her super wet. pushes them insanely deep and cups her pussy with his palm.

◇has long thin fingers with prominent veins running alongside them. look pretty when wrapped around her neck or pushed to the hilt inside her pussy.

◇super supportive boyfriend. always hypes her up and does Tik Tok dances/trends with her.

◇makes sure she wears her bonnet before bed and will put it back on for her if it slips off during the night. 🥺

◇is interested in her hobbies/daily routines. will sit like a puppy and watch her apply makeup. never tells her she doesn't need it because if she wants to, she can and it just enhances her beauty anyway 💗

◇likes to play in her skincare products and then pouts when he gets told off

◇both are very afraid of the dark and he will panic despite having a quirk that can produce light.

◇gf hates horror movies and games, but plays horror games IN THE DARK then needs cuddles from her when they get too realistic and he can't sleep in his own room cuz he's scared.

◇gf will lay up with him all day while he plays video games with the boys. lays on his back, too and watches, even helps by letting him know where the enemies are that he can't see. watches his blind spots.

◇has definitely gotten head and then fucked her during game night with the mic on mute.

◇grabs her ass unconsciously out of pure habit. likes to press his crotch against it whenever theyre standing really close, especially while she's in her school skirt and no one is paying attention.

◇will put his hand up her skirt in the front or back when he wants some. pulls her to the locker room or utility closet.

◇loves to pick her up and have her legs wrap around him.

◇wears t-shirts, basketball shorts, socks, and athletic slides when relaxing.

◇dresses in mostly black and yellow. plaid, flannel, ripped jeans, cargo pants/shorts, platform Converse, Vans, studded belts, chokers, and bracelets. dangling earrings.

◇buys her cute jewelry and accessories (especially anklets, so he can watch them dangle by her ears when they're fucking). bought her one with his initials and a little lightning bolt on it.

◇has piercings; eyebrow, tongue, snakebites, tongue frenulum, septum, earlobes.

◇whispers in her ear "how do you want it?" before they start having sex. gentleman. 😌

◇sits in the nail shop with her and even helps choose colors/designs.

◇djs on the weekends as a side gig to make money and also works at Pizza Hut. she tags along to his gigs for moral support.

◇has definitely given her and her friends free pizza and will randomly show up at her house to give her pizza and other treats. made her a heart-shaped pizza on Valentine's Day and delivered it dressed as Cupid.

◇is very musically talented. can play bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. sings, raps, writes music, and of course dj's. can dj with old school turn tables. uses his MacBook to create his own mixes.

◇was actually very shy about approaching her at first. he flirts a lot but only to girls he doesn't really have a strong attraction to.

◇lets her paint his nails black. keeps them very neat and dies inside when they chip. immediately goes to her for a "fill-in".

◇dated Ibara Shiozaki and Reiko Yanagi from class B (not at the same time). neither relationship lasted long.

◇HAS BRACES. they're black. embarrassed of them, but all the girls in class say they make him look cute. gf adores them. punched a dude in the face for calling him Braceface.

◇plays music while gf sings. these sessions are usually late at night and are very therapeutic for them.

◇is sweet, kind, hard-working, loves his gf and spoils her and she him.

[b-r-a-i-n-v-o-m-i-t]

Swap AU Premise :)

The people have spoken! My only warning is that you have brough this upon yourself.

The Swap AU as a Concept

The basic premise was that I put a whole bunch of Highschool stereotypes on a wheel, and spun it to randomly assign one to each character. These included archetypes from the original ibvs, but also several additions of my own such as 'band kid' and 'pixie dream girl'.

I created a personality and story for each of the new characters, as well as a whole network of information surrounding them, because I cannot ever chill or stop when I have an idea. Due to each character having such a fair amount of 'lore' behind them, I will probably have to make individual posts or share them in pairs. For now, I will provide each character's new role and a brief summary of their personality.

Felix - Assigned Isaac's role (Unsociable nerd). He's new to Foxfield, having just moved out of a fancy ass private school due to getting picked on by other rich kids. At first he tries very hard to be a tough jock who can't be pushed around, but he's terrible at it and eventually his persona dissolves. He's quiet, very awkward, but very passionate. He loves the supernatural and believes in its existence despite a lack of proper proof.

Autumn - She goes second because back when this was going to be a fic she was the other protagonist. She got assigned manic pixie dream girl. She's very airy-fairy and a bit of a space-cadet, usually talking over people, but she really does love to be around people in general. She likes to make gifts for everyone she meets. Even when she's only had half a conversation with them, she still views them as a friend. She has a hat she always wears even in doors because it helps her attune to psychic energy or something.

Drew - Band kid lol. He started music as an excuse to get out of the house and away from Nevin breathing down his neck, but he found he had a natural affinity for it. He's very popular, the type of kid who's on good terms at least with everyone. He's Foxfield High's collective therapist, and he always gives good advice. He's uplifting, and far more confident and mature than in the original story. This is due to an 'im independent' phase he had after starting music, in which he would not confide even in Abuela no matter how much he struggled. Thus he is less naieve. He is, however, incredibly stubborn, leading to tense relationships with a certain two someones. He sings and plays guitar, mostly folk/folk-rock music.

Dez - She has to go next or nothing makes sense. Dez got Edward's role; Popular jock/school queen. She started out as the leader of a group of self-described 'weirdos', and strongly advocated for self expression. Over time, however, her gaggle of cronies got so big that she kind of took over by sheer force of numbers. Of course they kind of have become the thing they set out to destroy during this process. Dez is a bit situationally unaware, and doesn't seem to realize she is the leader her gang looks up to. As a result they will sometimes cause chaos and she does absolutely nothing about it or accidentally encourages them. Also she is an etsy witch.

Nevin - Got assigned Barry's role (Lorekeeper). Nevin is extremely good at going unnoticed, uncovering things that are hidden, and getting into places he shouldn't be, skills which he has put to good use. He takes what he calls 'commissions', meaning he will get paid by someone (usually Dez) to dig up dirt on whomever his client requests. When he has the information, and if he's feeling nice, he'll graciously grant his victim the opportunity to cough up more money than his client, to stop him sharing what he's found. Sometimes he'll pocket both sums and go and spill the beans anyway because he is sillay like that. What does he need the money for? He won't say. He doesn't seem to have a non-transactional relationship with anyone.

Isaac - Got Felix's role (uh oh). No one can take this greasy little slimeball seriously. He tries very hard to be his idea of a big bad jock, but he's like 'give me your lunch money' and everyone is like 'calm down dude, this isn't High School Musical'. It's obvious that he's playing a persona, but he won't break character. He has a small following of cronies, most of whom are more jock than he is. They go around calling people names and shouting threats, but they're not very feared. For some reason Isaac has decided wearing 13 layers makes him cool, maybe because it means he looks bigger, so he is always very sweaty. This has garnered him several nicknames including 'sewer rat' 'greasy rat' 'grease ball' 'sweat shop' and 'Boss baby' (The latter being courtesy of one 'Drew Jovel')

Edward - Got assigned inverse jock or whatever they're called. Edward is one of Isaac's cronies, and he has more sense than all of them combined. He doesn't actually really like Boss Baby, but he's running his own secret club with Drew that investigates the paranormal, and they think Isaac might know something. Edward acts very much like a detective, viewing everything as a puzzle he needs to piece together before deciding what to think of it all. He's an impartial judge towards everyone and everything, and is very matter of fact about it all. He's also pretty blunt, and straight up just does not bother if he thinks something is a waste of his time.

Chris - Emoooooooo. This is one of the less developed characters. Essentially my concept was that Charlie is far more active in this timeilne, and so partially due to his influence and partially to scare people away Chris began to dress more and more outrageously. He doesn't talk to anyone and always sits by himself. There are a lot of rumors about him, probably thanks to Nevin, and many say he talks to people who aren't there. Really Chris reckons he has enough to deal with, and just wants people to leave him alone. He keeps telling himself things will get better after high school.

Barry - Again, not much. He got 'resident weirdo'. He's one of Dez's minions, but honestly he's a bit creepy even for her standards. He's obsessed with demonology to a concerning degree, even compared to Felix and Edward. The only reason no one is hurt yet is because Dez thinks summoning entities from hell is a neat party trick and so all his time is taken up helping her.

I believe I also assigned roles to some notable cronies of Edward's, but I lost my original list as it was two years old and I moved house since I made it. It is also half past midnight and my brain is not functioning. If people like this enough I will post in more detail about the characters.