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The aborted hiring manger would’ve hired me

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Can you tell us more about Filipino mythology and moneters, cause there's no 1 official website and I almost always barely passed filipino? Can you also list like great sources for me to read? Thanks

I had a pretty busy week last week so it took a while to get to this ask but I'd love to give more info on the topic!

More on Filipino Mythology:

Si Apolaki at Mayari - Bakit may araw at gabi

EN: Apolaki and Mayari - Why there's day and night

An illustration of Apolaki and Mayari created by the illustrator PM Graphix

I am currently still doing a write-up on the Tagalog pantheon so I could start by maybe talking about that and what I've found. For the mythology section of this, let me start with something that's actually not from the Tagalog pantheon but is often attributed to the Tagalog pantheon: the Kapampangan story of Apolaki and Mayari or why the day and night exist. This story has been sourced from Maximo D. Ramos's book Philippine Myths, Legends, and Folktales (which you can buy on Amazon here, sadly I cannot find a free version of the book without going through suspicious links) and posted by Jordan Clark of The Aswang Project on his website.

BATHALA, the creator of the world, had a son named Apolaki and a daughter named Mayari. The light that shone upon the world and enabled the people, the beasts, the birds, and the fish to see came from the bright eyes of Apolaki and Mayari, So all the creatures loved them dearly. Bathala himself was very fond of his children, and he watched over them as they wandered across the meadows of heaven. Since the eyes of Apolaki and Mayari shone continuously, it was always day on the earth. In time Bathala grew feeble with age and died. Then Apolaki and Mayari had a quarrel, for each wanted to rule the world alone. “I am the man and I will succeed my father to the throne,” said Apolaki. “I am going to rule the world, whether you like it or not.” Mayari’s eyes flashed with anger and she said, “I am no less my father’s child than you. I will succeed him to his throne, whether you like it or not!” The quarrel grew from bad to worse, and finally words could not express their furious rage. So they picked up wooden clubs and fell upon each other with fierce blows. Back and forth they fought until at last Apolaki struck Mayari in the face and she became blind in one eye. When he saw his sister stricken, Apolaki took pity on her and said, “Let us fight no more, my sister. Let us share our father’s kingdom equally between us. Let us reign by turns and be friends.” Mayari agreed, and from then on, Apolaki, whom we know today as the Sun, has ruled the world half the time. Mayari, whom we now know as the Moon, has taken turns with her brother in ruling the world. When Apolaki is on the throne, the world is flooded with warm light, because the light beams from his two bright eyes. On the other hand, when Mayari is reigning, the world is bathed with cool and gentle light; for she is blind in one eye.

Now from what I've researched, a lot of places tend to attribute the story to the Tagalog people or state that it is a shared story from both the Tagalogs and their neighboring Kapampangan up north from them but I cannot find any specific source prior to the late 1960s that even mention that Mayari was part of the Tagalog pantheon so it may be a more recent addition.

The source that first states Mayari's inclusion as a part of the Tagalog Bathala's court comes from a paper written by F. Landa Jocano called Notes on Philippine Divinities (1968) where he does not cite a specific source of where he has learned Mayari was of Tagalog origin nor even stated that he had learned it from a Tagalog local and considering Jocano himself isn't a Tagalog nor is he Kapampangan, it's unlikely he's learned it from his upbringing or otherwise.

I had also done a little digging on his sources and none of them bring up Mayari nor her sister Hanan, the goddess of dawn, so the paper leaves much room for doubt. Tala, the goddess of stars, who is also listed in Jocano's paper make a lot more sense despite the lack of sources as it is the actual word for star in Tagalog but I still have to do further research on her as well.

Either way, I had also never heard of Mayari as a Tagalog deity outside Jocano's work and online articles that heavily source Jocano (The Aswang Project, one of the most popular sources for Filipino mythology which I had used as a specific source for Kapampangang mythology, has cited him twice in regards to Tagalog mythology specifically but not Kapampangan mythology). This is also despite me being born and raised within a mostly Tagalog community.

All of that for me to say that this story of Apolaki and Mayari may be a later addition to the Tagalog mythos after interests on Filipino mythology got revitalized from the mid-20th century onward rather than something that has always been a part of the Tagalog mythology.

Note that I'm not saying that it is an impossibility that this had been part of the Tagalog culture prior to that time period, but a lot of sources that discuss this do not bring up this story until after Jocano's work. I will have to maybe do more reading on this to find out more information about this and Mayari's status on whether or not she did belong to the Tagalog pantheon prior to the 60s.

I also want to add a quick note that it's pretty common for people to misattribute this story to the Pangasinense people as well but it may be from both people constantly confusing Pampanga from Pangasinan (think of it as how people confuse Sweden and Switzerland), as well as a name overlap with Apolaki who is referred to as Apolaqui in Pangasinan. The two places are both north of the Tagalog Regions. I might look into this connection/association/coincidence later on.

Further Readings and Sources

It's actually pretty hard to suggest a specific source for Filipino mythology given that a lot of them pull from the same reference (Notes on Philippine Divinities) which I had said has some dubious information but Maximo D. Ramos's book that I had referenced is a good read as it collects various myths from different places throughout the country. I myself had been thinking of getting a copy of the book soon as well as his other books.

Some Filipino Monsters

As for Filipino monsters, I could say that its similar with Filipino mythology, in that with so many cultures, there's many different kinds on who you're asking. These ghouls seem to be more widely similar from culture to culture, however, probably owing to the fact that the Catholic Church didn't discourage the belief in them as much as they did the precolonial gods. Whether you go to the northernmost part of the country to the southernmost islands, there is a lot of similarities between the creatures that they could be classified easier than the gods with some creatures even sharing traits from cryptids from other Southeast Asian countries.

I'll give some of them here that you may hear pretty often when looking through catalogues of Filipino monsters. I have to be honest that I may not source as much for this section since I will be bringing up some personal stories and anecdotes that are passed around the community. I'm also open to discuss more about these creatures as well as other monsters later on.

The Aswang

An artwork of an aswang uploaded to Wikipedia by H.M.Bec

Aswangs are often considered as the most ubiquitous of the Filipino monsters. When you look up monsters from the Philippines, this may be the top result. Aswangs are often portrayed as people who transform into ghoulish creatures that feast on human flesh but especially children, babies, and fetuses. There's so many stories and variations of aswangs, however, that some of the monsters in this list are actually sometimes considered as part of the aswang category depending on the source or who you ask.

Aswangs are shapeshifters, often turning into dogs, pigs, and many other creatures, in order to stalk their prey in the middle of the night.

Aswangs are also considered as one of the main stock monsters in FIlipino media so you may see them as the villains of a lot of fantasy series and movies. They're one of the villains that Alexandra Trese faces of regularly on the folklore-inspired supernatural comic book series turned Netflix original animation Trese. They're also the main antagonist in my favorite FIlipino fantaserye series Juan De La Cruz (although I don't particularly like the lead actor anymore lol).

Here's some stuff I've heard about Aswangs from those around me.

Aswangs often won't attack their neighbors and would rather attack neighboring villages/barangays/towns. This is so they avoid detection or suspicion from their community. So, if you suspect your neighbor's an aswang, then you might just be lucky they won't target you.

Aswangs are often said to have come from the province of Capiz. It's an often common joke and stereotype that Capizeños may be aswangs themselves or know people who are aswangs. The people of Capiz are mixed on how they feel about the association with the provincial government seemingly trying to shake off the specific association to their province.

They can go to mass but cannot stay during the consecration of the holy host. Holy water and holy [coconut] oil also boil in their presence.

When you look directly into their eyes, your reflection would be upside-down. They also don't have the dent between the nose and the lips.

They could pass their curse through different ways and may depend on belief or tradition. One belief states that if a person marries an aswang, they also become an aswang.

One of the other beliefs that can turn a person into an aswang is if one makes contact with an aswang's saliva.

According to another belief, a person could also become an aswang if they ingest a black chick alive.

Similarly, an aswang cannot die until they pass their curse to another person (typically a relative). This is done by passing a black stone or chick hidden in their body to the chosen new curse holder.

They hate the typical ghoulish hated items like holy crosses, water, oils, and the classic garlic and salt, but they also hate calamansi (a small Filipino citrus fruit), and my mother had always told me that they hate suha or pomelo (a type of citrus fruit) and the smell of burning rubber.

A typical weapon used to fight against them or ward them off is the buntot pagi or stingray tail that is often sold in occultic shops around the country. You could also buy this from online stores as I've learned (x)(x)(x).

Now here's a story I've heard about them:

A story I had heard was that of the aswang bus. I had heard it repeatedly throughout the years but the basic premise is that there's a bus of a bunch of aswangs from a different province that's traveling to [province you are in] and are hunting down people at night. This is some of the more funny stories about aswangs because I keep imagining an aswang bus driver purposefully running over people and then a bunch of aswang tourists hops off of the bus to drag the body for a snack later.

I honestly might come back to the aswangs topic later since I had just learned some things from a Capizeña who works to help around our house.

The Manananggal

An artwork of an aswang uploaded to Wikipedia by Gian Bernal

The Manananggal is a ghoulish creature and is often times categorized as a kind of aswang. They are typically humanoid creatures that appear as regular people (often women) during the day, but at night their torso severs from their legs and fly away with bat wings. They often feast on fetuses using their long proboscis tongue.

These ghouls share a lot of similarities with the Southeast Asian ghoul called the Penanggal which is a similar creature but instead of their torsos separating, their heads separate from their body alongside their entrails.

Manananggals are also some of the typical stock monsters in Filipino fantasy stories. I can't think of any specific instances of the manananggal being the main character besides the softer depiction of a manananggal girl named Anna in Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia who acts as a deuteragonist to the human boy Niko. They are also featured in Trese where a tribe of manananggal is shown. They are also the main lead or love interest in some horror movies and even horror romances.

Here's some stuff I've heard about Manananggals

It's name comes from the Tagalog word "tanggal" which means "to remove" or "to separate" and specifically means "the remover" or "the separator". This of course is a reference to the fact that it removes its torso from its legs or separates its body in half.

Unlike the typical aswang which transform back during daylight, the manananggal needs to find their way back to their body or else die by sunlight.

The unattached legs of the manananggal is their weakness. If found by a person, they only need to sprinkle salt or smear crushed garlic on the legs in order to destroy them.

A lot of the typical things that ward off the aswang are also typically effective towards the manananggal.

Similarly to the aswang, manananggals are also said to had come from Capiz.

The list is shorter because honestly, just take what most you've heard about the aswang and apply it here. I don't know specifically if things like the upside-down reflection or the lack of the dent between the nose and lips could apply to manananggals, however, and I don't think I've heard people claiming that about the manananggal.

Now here's a story I've heard about them:

One story I heard that I find quite funny was something my sister heard from one of her high school friends. This friend was struggling to fall asleep at night and was tossing and turning in bed when she heard bat-like fluttering from outside. She went out to inspect the source by looking out the window and was shocked to see a manananggal climbing up a coconut tree and seemingly harvesting the fruit in the middle of the night. She wasn't flying up the tree, she was climbing it.

The next day, an old woman who was selling her goods door-to-door came by their house. She was selling coconuts.

The Tiyanak

A screenshot of a tiyanak from the movie Tiyanak (1988)

The tiyanak is considered as a demonic baby that would transform itself into a regular looking baby, crying in the middle of the night in order to attract their unfortunate target who may feel pity towards the child. The tiyanak may also be classified as an aswang but is typically considered as a separate thing more often than the manananggal from my experience. This creature has noticeably a lot in common with a lot of other Southeast Asian and East Asian myths about demonic babies and toddlers like the tuyol or the tuyul.

Like the previous two, the tiyanak is also part of the typical stock monster antagonists found in Filipino media, but not as much as either the typical aswang or the manananggal. They are often used to add a bit of a scare factor into a story and isn't typically the main antagonist of a story as of recent horror movies (with only a single short B-Movie I could think of called Flight 666 from the Shake, Rattle & Roll horror anthology series. It is not a good movie but it's stupid fun). They are featured, as usual, in Trese as the main supernatural antagonists of a specific story arc. Their depiction from the comic and the Nteflix show has been changed due to the controversial nature of the comic book depiction.

When they appear in a horror series, there's often a sort of reason or lesson as to why one has appeared and typically based on the typical origins of the tiyanak.

The most common belief is that the tiyanak is the ghost or ghoulish corpse that had come from an unbaptized child.

At times, they may be a ghoulish baby that had been created after a woman gets an abortion, other times it is simply just a baby that had died before baptism often as a stillbirth or even as a joint death with their mother.

I had also heard that it may be an abandoned baby that had died to the elements.

It is also believed, the reason that they are cursed to wander the earth after death is because they were not given a name through baptism.

Because of this, when they typically appear in stories, it is often either a story about the bad that could come from abortion or child abandonment depending on the values of the writer.

The tiyanak would also sometimes lead people astray with its cries.

Speaking of its cries, there are some places that believe if the cry sounds loud and near, the tiyanak is actually farther away from you than if you hear the cries to be quieter and farther.

Here's a story I had heard about them:

A common Filipino story of the tiyanak is the parking lot story. Story goes that in certain parking lots of buildings, typically malls, you may hear a baby cry in the middle of the night when you're alone. This is a tiyanak that's trying to lure you in by seemingly tricking you into thinking that it is just an innocent abandoned baby which is sadly common in the country. It is common enough that there are some people who would often want someone to accompany them when they're alone in a parking lot at night.

Further Readings and Sources

As much as I had stated that The Aswangs Project and their handling of discussions about Filipino mythology, specifically Tagalog mythology, is dubious at best, they have a lot of good articles about aswangs that do align with local beliefs so reading through their website for monsters specifically could be a good and free resource. They had also made a documentary that you can watch for free on YouTube that covers a lot of this and more about aswangs.

For written works, I would suggest any of Maximo D. Ramos's works as I've brought up before. There's his published paper The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore which is considered as basically the holy grail of Aswang research, which, as I had stated, take up a bulk of the FIlipino monsters. It's hard to find easily accessible PDFs of the paper and I remember that I found a copy of this or a similar work by Ramos but the link has eluded me.

For a less academic and more fun fictionalized source for Filipino monsters I suggest The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo: Meet the Dark Creatures from Philippines Mythology by Budjette Tan and David Hontiveros which is available through Amazon here. It follows a fictional researcher and his discoveries of Filipino monsters and other creatures. It's a pretty easy read with a lot of good information about cryptids and monsters from the Philippines, owing to it's style of found media. If you've seen something like Gravity Falls's officially published Journal 3 from the show's universe, it has a similar vibe to that.

That's all I have for now, but I am looking more into this topic! My PC has issues right now so I might answer questions more slowly than my already slow answering speed. I hope this post helped you learn a little more about Filipino mythology and cryptids.

[stargirlwritesblog]

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[stargirlwritesblog]

Waiter oh waiter more salt in my wound please!!!

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I’m going to be doxxed for this I’m so sorry

[stargirlwritesblog]

do you still write for judd birch?

I do!! I did have another request for some more Judd smut and I am working on it whenever I get the time. I take requests if you guys have any ::)

[stargirlwritesblog]

[stargirlwritesblog]

Let's get more fluuuuff (before I start dropping angst prompts bc I like to suffer so that fluff feels even sweeter)

Okay, so, imagine: Ford and his s/o are on another research-date kinda thing, having fun and all, BUT all of a sudden they stumble upon some weird shi that seriously injured one of them!

Who is hurt? Who takes care of the other? How do they do it? It is up to you (*´꒳`)人

(bonus points for two versions and Ford carrying his s/o home bridal style👀)

Your head feels a little funny as it lolls against a hard surface. Furrowing your brow, you lift one shaky finger and press. You're met with a rapid pulse and an emanating warmth. This press of a finger turns into your whole palm attempting to soak up the heat. Almost without consent of your own mind your body curls into the source. Suddenly, you are being jostled and moved away from your personal little heartbeat. A hiccupped whine escapes your throat in protest, but this attempt of communication only causes a sharp pain in your abdomen. Looking down, you see another hand already lifting your sweater to find the source of this discomfort. Huh. Six fingers. That reminds you of...

The hands are now feeling along the clammy skin of your cheeks, the flesh there being pulled uncomfortably as they jostle. This time a disgruntled groan is your preferred method of communication. Something intelligible must have gotten across, you decide, because the warmth is back, and when you look up and see a pair of bespeckled eyes squinting worriedly at you. You gasp as stars fill your stomach because you recognize those eyes.

"-feeling okay? Dear, can you hear me?" Ford asks. His words seem to come out a slower than his lips move, and this is very interesting and amusing to you, so you reach forward with curious hands to touch those lips in investigation. This was decidedly not a good idea, as Ford's creased brow only deepens. He gently brings your hand down and moves his attention back to your stomach. Feeling jealous of all the attention your aching abdomen is getting, you turn your gaze down to glare at it.

Your gasp brings Ford's attention back to your face, but you don't even have the chance to bask in the warmth of his gaze as you stare at the wound on your stomach. It's so dark the blood looks more purple than red, and little spider-veins spread from the source up your veins. You can feel your own heartbeat pushing your blood throughout your circulatory system. Steadying your tongue, you carefully croak out "...Ford?"

"Hello darling. It seems that you've been stung by that manticore we were tracking and are feeling the effects of the poison entering your blood stream. But don't fear! I have just the thing." His optimistic words seemed strange coming out of such a sick looking face. He was pale, his dark hair was mussed, and a twitching frown had taken up residence on his oh so interesting lips. He's scared, you realized.

Another very flattering "grrrgh..." escaped you when you felt a sharp prick. Ford drew back from you holding an empty syringe.

"The antidote should only take a moment to take effect. After that we can worry about cleaning you up." He smiled weakly. You reached forward to hold his hand in your own attempt at comfort, the best you could do while the antidote pumped through your body. Ford's smile was softer and more familiar this time, and you saw some color return to his face.

He was right, of course, and after a bit all that was left of your encounter was a much more normal looking wound. Your head was clearer and your tongue less numb and blown up feeling. Ford was wetting a cloth to clean the injury when you spoke up. "Are you ok?"

His head jerked up and he looked at you with a sort of baffled amusement. "Well- well yes I'm ok. I'm not the one who was stung by a manticore. Are you ok?"

"I've had worse."

A choked out chuckle, a beat of silence, then he mumbles, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. This is my fault, I keep dragging you along with me on these things and god it was supposed to be a date, way to show a girl a good time Ford, and now you're hurt and I'm so-"

His ramble was cut short as you reached to pause his hands in their dutiful care of your wound and intertwine his fingers with yours. "Hey."

He looked a little like you'd just sent volts of electricity though him as he responded. "Hello."

"I'm safe now. You made sure I was safe. It's not your fault, and it's ok." Your thumbs traced constellations over his knuckles. "And as far as the date part goes, I'd say this is pretty romantic, right?"

Ford's face went a little blank and then a little confused. "Me injecting you with a powerful anti-venom and then administering medical care to your open wound is romantic?"

A wave of warm fondness nearly sweeps you out to sea. "Well, I mean the whole bandaging up your partner thing is very... intimate. Or at least, I think so."

"Oh!" Ford exclaims, a little too loud for the quiet setting you are in, but you appreciate his enthusiasm nonetheless. "Yes, I suppose it is..." He trails off into a flush and suddenly his hands and eyes are busy with a roll of bandages. You see the little proud twitch of his lips and the pink color to his cheeks and know you've hit your mark.

So, when he finishes bandaging your wound you hit him with a cheeky little "Kiss it better?"

Ford is blushing in earnest now, but he gently leans down to press a little chaste kiss onto your hip, right at the border of where the bandages end, and you swear he's the one sending electricity through you this time as he leans back up to place his palms on your cheeks.

"Are you sure you're ok? That wasn't too much?"

Feeling a bit dizzy with adoration for this man, you lean in to meet his lips with your own. Now you understand why poisoned you had such a fascination with them as they move sweetly against your own. One last little desperate surge forward, then you two part to breathe and look at each other.

You lick your lips and the butterflies in your stomach turn into a swarm as you taste him. "I'm ok, it wasn't too much." You reply firmly.

Ford sighs and relaxes into your hands on his chest. You feel him inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. He nods then leans in and presses his forehead to yours. "You are completely wonderful and a little crazy, you know that?"

"That's why you love me."

An answering huff of laughter blows into your face. He peers up at you, innocent as a puppy. "Stay with me tonight?"

"Always."

[stargirlwritesblog]

[stargirlwritesblog]

The Ol Switcharoo Masterlist!:

☆Part 1

☆Part 2

☆Part 3

☆Part 4

☆Part 5

☆Part 6

☆Part 7

☆Part 8

[stargirlwritesblog]

i too would leave important life decisions up to a magic 8-ball

[stargirlwritesblog]

Telling secrets, there on the mattress. 💋

Taking another sip of the Merlot that Emily had kindly poured out for you into your lipstick-stained glass, you felt dizzy. You were somewhat seeing double in your inebriated state, but you didn’t mind, what’s better than one Prentiss? A second, obviously.

Tenderly she leans forward, you gaze into her eyes, each coffee coloured iris just sparkling under the big central light. Her lips pin up into a smirk, exposing her dimples on either side. Intoxicated and confident, you match her movement but let Emily lead the way. She was always the one in control, every time you met up, she took care of you.

It’s a dance the two of you have done for years, she takes to dinner, douses your stomach with too much red wine and pasta, shyly holds your hand down the street as she brings you home. It’s always the same excuse; “come and see how much Sergio has grown!”

In all fairness, you do get to cuddle with Sergio every time. But he lays between the pair of you, both of you, exhausted and nude, with the light from the cheap nylon curtains peeking through and gracing your bodies in sunlight.

This evening was no different, her crimson nails trailing up your wrists leaving your arms decorated with goosebumps under her fingers.

“You look so gorgeous tonight.” Emily all but purrs her compliment into your ears, her breath tickling over your neck causing you to shiver. She always knew how to get to you, her touch made your body ignite, no matter how little or gentle it was.

Her hands find your thighs, squeezing softly and skittering her nails in between them, feeling the pudgy flesh under her fingers and your conscious collapsing underneath her. Her smirk only grew wider with the knowledge you were hers, putty in her hands once again. With her lips marking your neck, biting heart shaped bruises into your porcelain complexion, you shuffle closer. Tearing her lips from your throat, crashing your lips into hers.

She tastes like the wine you shared and your fondest memories, no matter how much you try to deny her, you can’t deny the hold she has over. Pushing the thoughts of what your mother would think of you right now, your tongue makes its way into her mouth. Oh you could never resist her, and with her kiss she calls for you like a siren song. Every single brush of her tongue more sensual than the last.

“You missed me?” Emily teases, letting her knee push against your heat when she notices you squirming. Holding you closer and undressing you like you were the best present on Christmas morning. Watching her pupils widen as she glances over your now-bare breasts, she shakes her head and chuckles, leaning down to suckle over your rosebud nipples.

Unable to escape the pleasure, you rut yourself against her knee like a bitch in heat for as long as you’re allowed before Prentiss pushes your back to the mattress. Pinning you down with her hips as she plants gentle, wet kisses over your belly. Taking her time to tease around your belly button, twiddling with the piercing that resides there as you gasp and groan. With each kiss she travels further and further south, before her mouth meets your underwear-clad cunt.

Peeling away your already soaked thong, she brushes her finger over your clit, her touch featherlight and teasing. Noticing the way your head falls back in ecstasy as she taunts you with what you were both wanting.

“Tell me you want me.” She husked, twirling her fingers either side of your heart, just touching so close to where you wanted her most. The sensations were maddening, your core clenches around nothing as if it was asking for her fingers itself. You mewl out a few sweet nothings about how you’ve waited for this since the last time, how you can only get yourself off if you think about her standing at the end of your bed. With her hair tied up and her makeup a little messy, her strap-on tied tightly around her hips as she orders you to suck her dick. How the only thing that can make you cum alone anymore is the thought of looking up at her through your lashes and reminiscing of the feeling of her hand scratching your scalp as she praises you.

“Then you can have me, all of me.” The taller girl cooed before her fingers find your pussy once more. She traces circles over it softly, knowing how much you enjoy the build up and how much it drives you crazy when you get needy and beg for more. Your hips jerk up, searching for more of her, needing all that she could give you. She complies, making herself comfortable between your thighs before she tilts her face forward and passionately begins making out with your pussy. Each gentle stroke of her tongue flickering over your bead makes you beg. Thighs wrap round her head like a spider caught in a web, but Emily is not the prey and you are not a spider. For as long as you’ll let her, she’ll eat you out until you cry for mercy. You belong to her.

Emily flattens her tongue and licks stripes up to your clit, swirling her tongue around it with every stripe, completely unfazed by the bucking of your hips up into her face. They crash and collide like waves in the ocean and you were desperately to ride that high, your orgasm approaching quicker and quicker. When it hits it’s a tsunami, the mental memories flash before your eyes when the fireworks go off inside your belly, rutting your hips into her lips begging for more whilst your hands tug at her hair and caresses the back of her hair as gentle as you could be.

“P-Please.. Em please.. Again… Need to so bad.” You choked on your own words, sobbing in pleasure as you clench your thighs around her. Her hands make their way to your waist, pushing her thumbs into the depths of your hipbones, forcibly restraining you with her strength. Looking up at you through her eyelashes and nodding her head, you let go.

Coming undone on her tongue like it’s what you were born to do. You groan and writhe on her bed, soaking into her sheets you feel paralysed in pleasure. And she just won’t. Let. Up. She knew your maximum was two, you were never able to reach a third peak, by the end of your second orgasm, especially with Emily, you were exhausted.

Prentiss sucks on your clit through your orgasm, pushing your limits to see if she could get another one out of you. Over sensitive and now over tired you lay back, defeated. Letting her toy with you, using you as her very own sex you, you feel it. That familiar, wobbly feeling deep inside. You shriek, “N-No more, it’s too much.” Your demands fall on her deaf ears, lapping over your heat and suckling on your clit harshly.

Lightening strikes inside you again as you orgasm a third time. Convulsing, arching your back high off of the mattress you practically scream out for her. “Oh fuck Em! Yes! Right there!” With each word your pitch gets higher and squeakier, your thighs go limp underneath you and shaking through the after-shocks. You look down at the wet patch you’ve made on Em’s bed sheets, peeking through your squinted eyes, you examine her. Her lips now plump and swollen but still oh-so kissable, pussy drunk on the mix of her own saliva and your juices. Pulling her in for a gentle, you taste yourself on her breath.

Still blissed out, you fall back onto the mattress beside her. Her arm sneaking around your shoulder, pulling you close to her chest and letting your face rest on her breasts. Giggling softly with your noses rubbing against each others, all because you called her breasts your pillows. Taking turns being the little spoon to each other because how can you not want to hold her after she’s given you everything. Emily flutters her eyelashes against your cheek, butterfly kisses under the moon light with her would bring world peace, you thought silently.

You slip your hand into hers once more, interlocking your fingers and turning off the light. You sleep in her arms, her musky scent filling your nostrils and you just wish you could bottle it to keep forever. When you wake up, she’s gone.

A post-stick note on the bedside table reads, “Called into work early, I’ll be home around 6. Make yourself at home.” With a badly drawn love heart underneath the emergency contact number, you smile. This time, you’re not her’s for one night.

[stargirlwritesblog]

Pure Brain rot. I don’t know why I made this. Maybe it’s bc I haven’t taken my meds or the summer heats just getting to me.

[stargirlwritesblog]

it started out as a crush, but I fear it is now a full blown obsession. please recommend some therapists

[stargirlwritesblog]

second first love - a luke patterson x fem!reader series

a story which follows luke in his journey of falling for the reader unbeknownst to him.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

↳ prologue ༉‧₊˚✧

↳ welcome to the band ༉‧₊˚✧

[stargirlwritesblog]

I am so enthusiastically obsessed with the idea of Julie and the phantoms s2, but I need them to understand that the best (only) way to do that is to pretend that the last 4 years didn't happen. no time jump, no recastings (if they can help it), no explanation on why Carlos was 9, but now he's 14, none. just simply pretend s2 came out right away. give me one. "Wow, you grew fast since dinner." "yea I ate my veggies," and then simply move on. it would be perfectly comedic and simply nothing would be better

[stargirlwritesblog]

Hiiii can you do a ghost!Luke x reader where Luke gets jealous but then he starts to avoid the reader until reader notices his odd behaviour and she thinks Luke hates her or something?

I love a good angsty fic with a fluffy ending! :)

Touch me like nobody else does

a ghost!luke patterson x fem!reader fic

wc: around 5.1k (sorry it’s so long)

Warnings: a few swear words, only briefly proof read, no use of y/n, i think that’s all :>

a/n: thank you so much for the request !!! they’re always appreciated:)) i hope this meets your expectations!! enjoy xx // fic starts below the cut <3

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

Julie was the one who introduced you to the boys—sort of. It was during their performance of their song, ‘bright.’ Their very first public appearance since ‘95. It was entrancing. Mesmerizing. Unlike anything you’d ever seen before. Then, they disappeared—well, at least to everyone else.

To you, however, they remained seen. You kept looking from the boys to the people around you, wondering why your fellow classmates’ eyes were skipping over them, ignoring their existence—wondering why they weren’t reacting to Reggie when he climbed up on stage and started shaking what his mama gave him.

“What the fuck,” you mumbled under your breath, striding towards them, “what in god’s name do you three think you’re doing?”

“Uh, guys, i think she can see us,” reggie gulps, jumping off the stage, moving to stand next to alex.

“Wow, reg, how’d you figure that one?” Alex asks, sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Although, Luke was yet to utter a single word. How could he? You were simply the most beautiful person he’d ever laid eyes on. And on top of that, you could see him? It’s like the universe had conspired about you two—it felt fated. Time stopped. It was just you two.

Until he felt Alex’s palm slap the back of his head, “Luke, pay attention, man. What do we do?”

Instead of replying, he held up his index finger in your direction, signalling for you to let them be for a moment, and they walked into the hall.

“H-How is this possible?!” Alex whisper-yelled.

“I…I don’t know,” Luke finally speaks up, shrugging. His focus was solely on you. An angel descended from heaven, destined to meet him. How was it possible to feel this way for someone after one interaction?

Alex cleared his throat, once again bringing Luke back to earth, “What’s going on, dude? You haven’t said a word since she- oh.”

Luke arched an eyebrow quizzically, “What?”

“Since she came up to us,” Alex smirks, and reggie wiggles his eyebrows.

“Awhhhh our Lukey boy has a crush,” Reggie teased, then let out a chuckle.

Luke turned red at the comment, then shook his head, “no I don’t, I’m just wondering how it’s possible that she can see us. I thought Julie was the only one who could.”

“Uh huh, right. You keep telling yourself that, bud,” Alex said as he patted Luke’s back.

“I mean, I get it, though. She was pretty hot,” Reggie admitted, and Luke felt a pang of…jealousy? Which was ridiculous, right? He was not entitled to have felt that emotion. You were strangers. Then why did he want to punch that smirk off of Reggie’s face?

“Not my type; and not the time. Maybe we should ask Julie-,” Alex is cut off by the girl in question. They had been so caught up on you, they had not even heard Julie come through the doors, “Ask me what?”

“There’s someone else who can see us. Not just on stage. Off of it too,” Reggie clarified with the last two sentences.

Alex let out a sigh, debating whether or not it was even worthy of a sarcastic comment. He chose to remain silent.

“Wait, what? Who? Tell me everything!” Julie exclaimed as she looked between the three ghosts.

“Well, that’s the thing we were hoping you could help us with. We don’t know who she is, and how she can see us. And to be honest, it’s starting to freak me out,” Alex worried as he began to pace.

“You’re gonna have to give me some details then. What’d she look like?” Julie inquired, eyes set on Alex’s pacing, “Quit it, would you? You’re making me nervous.”

“Sorry. All I can remember is she had a long, sage green, cowl-neck silk dress,” Alex recalled and he stood still, facing Julie.

“How do you even know all those details?” Luke questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

“Vogue magazine,” Alex stated, as if the answer had been obvious.

Julie instantly knew it was you. You had looked amazing performing before Dirty Candy. She could have never pulled off that outfit; doc martens with said dress, a pearl-beaded gold Viviane Westwood choker that landed just above your collarbone—you killed it. Paired with that amazing voice of yours, and piano skills…you were a force to be reckoned with.

The second your name left her lips as she informed the boys of who you were, Luke fumbled. The most beautiful name for the prettiest girl.

Alex picked up on the daze Luke was in, and elbowed his side, urging him to turn his attention back to Julie.

“She performed right before you guys showed up. You should have seen her; she was amazing. And she’s like, so cool on top of it. I can introduce you guys if you want,” Julie suggested to which the three boys nod their heads.

“Y-Yeah, that’d be great,” Luke stuttered.

“What’re we waiting for then?” Reggie asked rhetorically as he pushed past the group, walking through the doors of the gymnasium.

Though, as soon as he stepped foot into said gymnasium, he noticed one thing; it was empty. You were nowhere to be found.

“Hey guys! She’s gone,” he pointed out, exiting the gym, rejoining his friends outside of the entrance.

“Yeah, no shit, we’ve been out here for a good fifteen minutes now. I’d have left too,” Alex sympathized.

“I hope she doesn’t think we just ditched her,” Luke tensed, hoping he didn’t leave a bad impression. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

“I mean, technically you guys kind of did,” Julie affirmed with a shake of her head, “buuuuuut, because I’m amazing, I’ll invite her to band practice sometime this week. She seemed pretty into us during ‘bright,’ I think she’d be down.”

“Jules, you are the best,” Luke complimented, excitement residing inside him.

“I know, I know. Anyway, I gotta get to class. I’ll catch up with you guys at home,” Julie said, emphasizing the word, ‘home,” implying that they were to leave right away. She then waved goodbye and headed toward her next class.

The boys didn’t need to be told twice. They poofed out as soon as she had rounded the corner, not wanting to face the wrath of Julie Molina. She could be scary when she wanted to be, and that says something coming from three ghosts.

Though, it was safe to say, even after the boys had left; you had stayed on Luke’s mind the whole day. The image of perfection.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

Julie had stayed true to her word, inviting you over to band practice a few days later. You had reluctantly accepted; given the fact that the boys had left you hanging, you were torn about whether to go or not. You chose the former—Julie could be very convincing when she wanted to be.

In the end, you were glad you went. Though, you hadn’t exactly figured out why you could see the boys, you knew it was deeper than just being a medium for spirits. You had a gut feeling it had to do with music…and maybe a certain shaggy-haired, grey eyed, lead vocalist in Julie’s band. Or at least you’d hoped so.

Over the course of the few months that followed, you and Luke had grown to be inseparable. You went to every band practice, and Luke made it a point to go to every performance you’d had—which hadn’t been many, but still, it meant a lot.

You’d also helped Luke write a handful of songs for the band, and it made them more than happy. Very much so, that they’d asked if you would consider become an official song writer for ‘Julie and the phantoms.’ Obviously you’d accepted graciously, because it was an amazing opportunity. It also gave you an excuse to be around Luke more often.

The connection you two had was like no other—like nothing you nor he had ever felt before. You weren’t just each other’s muses, it felt much deeper than that. Like meeting him had been written in the stars—destined.

You thought about it often. How it would work if you two wanted to be more. It wasn’t easy loving a ghost. You couldn’t touch, which was crucial part in a relationship for you. Not in a sexual way, though. More like; hand holding, kissing—even just embracing one another. You never thought those things would be an issue. Not until Luke. And you weren’t sure if that was something you could handle.

However, there was this non-ghost boy in your ear training class that had asked you out on a date. Normally, you’d have no problem saying yes. But, there was Luke to think about.

There was an internal battle you had been having. How would it ever work with Luke? You weren’t sure if, later down the line, you’d want kids—how would that work with a ghost? And what would happen if this wasn’t forever? Why if him being brought back as a ghost was only temporary? You’d be crushed—more so than if you were to keep your relationship with him strictly platonic. But could you live with that?

You decided to confide in your best friend as of late, having grown close over the course of seven months.

You were in Julie’s room, going over some music theory, when you’d decided to pick her brain, “hey, Jules, can I talk to you about something?”

“Yeah, of course,” she replied with a smile, looking up from her sheet music.

“So, um, you know Tyler from Mrs. Morisette’s class?” You asked, picking at the fabric of your ripped jeans.

“Oh my god, you mean the totally hot, drool-worthy one with the scar above his eyebrow and the broody, mysterious composure?” She questioned, knowing damn well that’s who you were talking about.

You nod, chuckling at the way she’d chosen to describe him, “yeah, that’s the one.”

“In that case, I think I know who you’re talking about,” she joked, “what about him?”

“He asked me out on a date,” you revealed, and Julie had let out a scream filled to the brim with excitement.

“That’s incredible,” she squealed, over the moon for you, “please tell me you said yes.”

“Well, not exactly. I said I’d think about it,” you shrugged, and she rewarded your response with a playful shove,

“What is there to think about? He’s hot, you’re hot—it’s a no brainer,” she encouraged, closing her binder as she sat up on her bed to face you.

“I…don’t know,” you lied, knowing the real reason for your hesitation.

“Ah, I see,” Julie remarked, “it’s Luke, right?”

You never talk about him with Julie. Every time she tried to broach the subject, you’d deflect answering, quickly diverting to another topic. This time, you decided not to do that, in desperate need of Julie’s advice. Therefore, you replied with a slow nod.

“Look, as much as I love you and Luke, I don’t see how it could work. You guys are literally from two different worlds. Maybe if things were different…but they’re not,” she sighed, placing her head on your shoulder, “please don’t hate me for saying that.”

That’s one of the things you loved about Julie. As much as you would have loved to hear the opposite, it wouldn’t have been truthful. You could always count on her to be honest with you. Even if it’s not what you wanted to hear, it’s what you needed to hear.

“You know I could never hate you, Jules. And you’re right. I just wish you weren’t, you know?” You confided, tears brimming at the corners of your eyes.

“I know,” she consoled, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, giving you a side-hug.

You leaned into her hug, quickly wiping your eyes. After a couple minutes of silent reflection, you spoke up, “I think I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna say yes.”

Julie squeezed you tighter, and smiled, “that’s my girl!”

You let out a chuckle, then proceeded to pull away, “I should get back to mine before dinner. Otherwise I’m simply asking for another lecture.”

“Definitely don’t want that,” Julie said as she helped you gather your things.

“And, uh, thank you. For being honest. A-And for being there for me. You’re a great friend, Jules. I hope you know that,” you praised, having felt a surge of admiration for her.

“Stop it, you’re gonna make me cry,” she giggled, “You are too, you know. You’re wonderfully beautiful. You deserve the world. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

“I love you,” you beamed, pulling her in for a hug.

“Me more,” she challenged, hugging you back tightly.

You pulled away, smiling, then gathered your things. You waved a goodbye to Julie, and she blew you a kiss in return. As you drive back to your house, you can’t help but feel thankful for all the wonderful friends you have in your life. In the course of almost eight months, you’d found an incredible support system, and you’re eternally grateful for it.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

A few days had passed since your conversation with Julie, and it was finally the night you’d been anticipating.

Your first date.

As excited as you were that it was finally happening, you couldn’t help that small voice in the back of your head, telling you that this was all wrong.

In another life, it’d have been Luke taking you out on your first date. In fact, it’d be him taking all of your firsts, first date, first kiss, first love. You couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain at the thought.

As if he’d know you were talking about him, he suddenly poofed into your bedroom.

“Luke!” You exclaimed, putting down your straightener, “Remember what I said about knocking? You’re just lucky I’m decent.”

Normally Luke would retaliate with one of his brilliantly thought out sarcastic—borderline flirtatious—comments, but he was speechless by the sight in front of him.

You were wearing a simple dark red, square-neck jersey dress that clung to all the right places. You paired them with a simple pair of patent leather Mary-Jane’s, and tied it together with your signature Vivianne Westwood choker.

“Luke? You there?” You joked, pulling him out of his daze. He then cleared his throat and shot you one of his earth-shattering, butterfly producing smiles.

“Yeah. You, uh, look incredible. What’s the occasion? Another gig you forgot to mention?” He stammered, sitting down on your bed, facing your vanity—where you were currently situated to get ready.

Your voice caught in your throat, words stuck on your tongue that refused to move. You didn’t want to tell Luke what you were doing—what you were all dolled-up for. But what good would it do to lie?

You wiped your suddenly clammy hands on the fabric of your dress, “Um, no. I-I’m going on a date, actually.”

“Oh,” Luke uttered. All other words left his head, taking the air in his lungs with them.

His heart shatters to pieces beyond repair. He would never be the same again. That much he knows.

You were dressed up for another guy. His girl wasn’t his anymore. But then again, were you ever?

Deep down, he knew this would happen. He was a ghost, and you were very much alive. But, a small part of him—the dull light you had lit the minute you walked into his life—had hoped, by some twist of fate, that you two would end up together. Had he made it all up in his head?

It appeared that the universe had been playing a cruel joke on him all along.

“I-I should go. I just remembered that I promised Reggie I’d run through our setlist for Saturday with him. Um, h-have fun, though. Don’t stay out too late,” he choked out, hoping it sounded genuine enough.

Just like that, he’s gone in the flash of a second. Taking your heart with him.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

The next day, you’d shown up for band practice, and Luke was nowhere to be found. Given, it was early, but normally he was here before you. Odd. You took advantage of your time alone, making your way to the keyboard. You’d made sure it was plugged in before your fingers danced around the keys. ‘Ceilings,’ by Lizzy McAlpine echoed throughout the studios, as you sang it, keeping the melody on the piano.

You found it eerily relatable. The feeling of loving someone, knowing it won’t work out. In your case, it was because he was bordering existence—not because he was a figment of your imagination. Though, it did often feel that way.

“But it’s not real, and you don’t exist, and I can’t recall the last time I was kissed,” you sang softly, choking up, tears welling in your eyes.

“It hits me, in the car, and it feels like the end of a movie I’ve seen before. Before,” you practically whispered the ending, barely keeping your composure. You wished more than anything that you could be with him. It felt like you were so close to something incredible, but it was just out of your grasp. It was fleeting.

“You’re incredible, you know,” Julie complimented, snapping you out of your trance. She then joins you on the bench, pulling you into a side-hug. That’s when you’d lost it. You’d put your head on Julie’s shoulder and poured your heart out in the form of tears.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” she soothed, rubbing your back.

“Jules, h-he’s everything to me. And I can’t even be with him. It’s sickening, you know? The feeling of something slipping through your fingertips, having no choice but to let it,” you sobbed, wiping your eyes.

“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through, but I know who can,” she implied, standing up, gesturing for you to do so as well.

“Oh yeah? Who?” You sniffled, getting up.

“The other half of this sob story,” she joked, hoping it would lift your spirits, “talk to him.”

“I-,” you started, interrupted by all three boys proofing into the garage.

“Who’s ready to get our rock on?” Reggie smiled, heading towards his bass guitar, picking it up, then placing the strap around his torso. He didn’t even wait for a reply. Typical Reg.

“I am,” Alex replied, sitting down behind his drum set, drumsticks in hand.

Luke stayed quiet, walking over to his electric guitar, giving Julie a nod as he passed the two of you.

He didn’t even acknowledge your existence. It was as if you weren’t even worth the energy. Why was he doing this? What could you have possibly done to him, for this result?

The boys got into position to begin practicing, Julie joining them. You took your usual seat on the couch, gaze set on Luke, willing him to look at you. But he doesn’t.

Unfortunately, it’s like that for the rest of practice. He doesn’t give you one second of his attention, and before you were able to confront him about it, he’d proofed out.

You left as soon as he did, walking back home. You spent the rest of your day wondering what went wrong, and how to fix it.

You had come to the conclusion that if he was distancing himself, you’d let him. As much as it killed you inside, if that’s what he wanted—what he needed, for whatever reason, then you could give him that. Hell, maybe it’d benefit you as well. You’d just find some other ways to occupy your days.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

It’s been a week since you and Luke have talked. Even though you decided to give him the space he needed, you didn’t understand how he was doing just fine without you. You were miserable. It felt as though half of you was missing. Did it feel that way for him too? Or were you just that disposable?

You were at your breaking point. Music no longer healed, rather than hurt. Every lyric you’d written was filled with his essence. You couldn’t escape him.

Julie took notice of it during your lunch break, taking note that you weren’t your usually bubbly self, “Hey, what’s been going on with you lately? I feel like you haven’t been yourself.”

“Oh, uh, just stressed, you know? Finals are coming up soon, and our original composition is due next week. I mean, I haven’t even started it,” you fibbed, well, sort of. The latter part of the sentence was truthful. You had no inspiration for your presentation; your muse was missing.

Julie could see through your lie, but decided not to pressure you into telling her. You would do so when you felt ready.

“Oh, don’t even worry about that. You’ve got it in the bag,” Julie reassured you, sending you a small smile. You nod, with a forced, lopsided smile, then let the silence engulf the both of you. The only noises to be heard were the voices of your classmates scattered throughout the cafeteria.

“He misses you, you know. I don’t know what happened between you guys, but you guys should talk it out,” Julie suggested, breaking the silence between you two.

“Trust me, Jules, I’ve tried, okay? He doesn’t want to talk to me,” you sighed, tossing your food around in its container—your appetite gone.

“Look. The thing I’ve come to learn about this stubborn boy of ours is that he likes to suppress his emotions. He hates acknowledging them, much less actually talking about them. Sometimes he just needs a little push,” Julie implied, closing the lid to her lunch.

“What are you getting at?” You inquired, placing your fork in your half-full container, then closing it.

“I have a plan,” Julie started, looking to you for any sign you wanted her to proceed. You gesture for her to proceed, and she does.

Once she disclosed her idea, you feel a genuine smile making its way to your lips, “you really think it’ll work?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Julie encouraged, beaming.

“Okay, let’s do it,” you agreed, going over the details of said plan for the rest of your lunch break.

For the first time in a little over a week, you felt the tiniest bit of hope spark inside of you. Maybe things would turn around after all.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

That’s how you ended up in Julie’s garage after school.

She told Luke that there’d been a last minute band practice for one of their performances coming up, and he bought it.

Now, you were sitting on the couch, leg bouncing anxiously, waiting for him to walk through that door. And a few minutes later, he does.

You’re quick to rise to your feet, “Hey.”

“Where’s everyone else?” He asks, voice void of any emotion. He still won’t look at you.

“Julie set this up so I could talk to you,” you admit, taking a step toward him, and he lets out a laugh devoid of humour.

“Of course she did,” he scoffs, “I’m leaving.”

As soon as the words leave his mouth, you deflate , “I miss you, Luke. A-And whatever I did to make you this…cold towards me, I’m so, so sorry. But I need you in my life,” you beg, a few tears trickling down your cheeks.

And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he looks at you. Oh, how you’ve missed those grey eyes.

“You did nothing wrong. It’s me, okay? Don’t cry, I’m not worth those tears,” he confesses, tears welling in his eyes. He hates seeing you cry. And it’s so much worse knowing he’s the reason why.

“I don’t get it. If it’s not me, then why won’t you talk to me? This past week has been hell without you. I don’t know how you’ve managed to get through it seemingly unaffected, but I feel like I’m half empty,” you reveal, wiping your eyes, and taking a few cautious steps towards him—not wanting to push him to leave.

“You really think this has been easy for me? It’s been hell for me too. But it’s for the best, okay? We’ll both be better off in the long run. You’ll see,” he convinces, turning to leave.

You couldn’t let him slip through your grasp this time. You needed him to see that you two were meant to coexist. You were meant to be in each other’s lives. It was written in the stars, you knew it in your heart.

“Luke, wait,” you say, in hopes of stopping him.

That’s when it happened. You grab his wrist.

You touch.

“H-How is this possible?” You gasp, moving your grasp from his wrist, to his hand, holding it.

“I-I don’t know,” he marvels, taking your other hand in his, holding both of them.

“All I know is, I didn’t want you to leave. I needed you to stay, and then it just happened,” you analyze, looking into his eyes, trying to decipher his emotions. It seems as if he’s doing so too.

“I was jealous,” he confesses, rubbing circles on you hand with his thumb, fidgeting, “when you were getting ready for your date, I just kept thinking about how much I wished it was me you were getting ready to see, you know? And I couldn’t take the thought of you with someone else. I-It killed me. So I figured that if I broke all contact with you, that it would help,” he breathes, unsteadily,

“But it only made things worse. I didn’t know how to deal with it all—I mean, I’ve never felt this way before, and that freaked me out. Especially since it could never work between us. We’re not exactly the ideal match.”

You shake your head, chuckling, “you are so stupid, Luke Patterson.”

He furrows his eyebrows, and you continue, “I never went on the date. I-I couldn’t go through with it.”

“Why not?” He asks, hoping the answer is what he wants—no, what he needs to hear.

“He wasn’t you,” you utter, then he does something completely unexpected.

He places his hands on both sides of your face, and kisses you.

You immediately reciprocate, taking hold of his wrists.

In this moment, you two were infinite. Two souls bound together for eternity. Finding each other in every lifetime, no matter the circumstance; soulmates.

“God, I think you’ve just ruined me for anyone else,” he speaks against your lips, and you smile against his, “Good. You’ll never need anyone else.”

“You’re damn right,” he laughs, then dives right back into your lips. You kiss him back, moving his hands from your face to your waist, then wrap your arms around his neck.

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he confides, pulling away, and resting his forehead on yours.

“I think I’m falling in love with you too,” you smile, staring into his eyes, reviling in this feeling for as long as you can.

Which, unfortunately, doesn’t last as long as you’d like it to. You’re interrupted by the doors slamming open, your three friends barging in. You both turn your heads in their direction.

“Have you guys made up yet? Or do we have to-,” The words die in Julie’s throat the minute she takes in the scene in front of her. You and Luke can touch.

“Holy shit,” Reggie gasps, taking in the scene as well.

“I-,” Alex tries to speak, but no words seem to be good enough to describe what he’s feeling. He’s speechless.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Luke jokes, pulling away, then intertwines your fingers as you two make your way over to the rest of the group.

“When did this happened? How can you guys-,” Julie starts, and you’re quick to cut her off, knowing what she was going to ask, “it just happened. I-I don’t know why or how it’s even possible—we’re still trying to figure that out ourselves.”

“Do you think the physical contact thing only works for you two?” Reggie inquires, and you shrug, “I’m not sure.”

Julie reaches out to touch Alex, who’s standing beside her, but her hand goes right through him, “I guess so.”

“Wait. Let me,” you say, reluctantly taking your hand out of Luke’s, move to stand in front of Alex. He holds both hands out in front of him, giving you permission to try.

You reach out and touch both of his hands, clutching them in your grasp.

“What the fuck?” Alex says at the same time Reggie yells, “my turn!”

You let go of Alex’s hands, then turn towards Reggie and pull him into a hug. He doesn’t pass through you. Instead you feel his chest against yours, and he hugs you even tighter, unable to wrap his head around the fact he’s really hugging you.

You laugh, rubbing his back, “Okay Reg, time to let go. I can’t breathe properly in your death grip.”

“Right, yeah,” he says, slightly embarrassed as he lets go of you.

“You guys are glowing,” Julie notices, eyes moving to look back and forth at all three ghosts.

You were too wrapped up in the excitement of it all to realize, but Julie’s observation was dead on.

The boys all had glowing silhouettes, and couldn’t stop looking at one another.

“What does this mean?” Alex asks, a million reasons going through his head.

“It means…group hug!” Reggie exclaims, smiling wide.

Reggie walks in between you and Julie, putting his arms around you and Julie’s shoulders. The boys follow suit, Luke at your other side, and Alex across from you. You all huddle together, laughs echoing off the walls as you all took part in a group hug.

“I love you guys,” you express, looking at each and every one of your friends, eyes lingering a bit longer on Luke.

“We love you too,” all four of your friends reply in unison, before returning their attention to the group hug.

You do so as well, unable to wipe the smile off your face as you took in the scene before you. Everything was as you’ve always wanted it to be. Your friends laughing, smiles so wide, they reach their eyes. Your Luke, proclaiming his love for you mere minutes ago…how could you possibly ask for anything more?

You were simply the luckiest person in the world for having them in your life. You don’t know what force sent them to you, much less giving you the power to essentially bring them back to life, but you couldn’t be more appreciative. You’d take whatever else is in store for you, if it meant having them—your found family—by your side. Watch out universe; you’re ready to take on the world.