#AND AFTER SHE HAD ME DOING THIS FOR LIKE A WEEK OR WHATEVER IS WHEN MY LEG STARTED BEING AGONIZING

[barcaatthemoon]

down bad || lena oberdorf x reader ||

your teammates tease you about your crush on lena.

your mouth went dry as you looked at lena's post. she looked good, ridiculously good if you were being honest. it was embarrassing how attracted to lena you were at times. your teammates definitely loved taking the mick out of you because of it. however, you liked to claim that it wasn't your fault that lena was so hot.

"what are you going to do when she gets here next month?" sydney asked as she threw her arm over your shoulder. you tried to play it cool, but the thought had been weighing on you for quite some time. you had no idea how you'd function with that hot german constantly around.

"maybe if i stick with magda, we'll never have to talk to each other," you tried. obviously it wasn't a good idea as sydney started laughing so hard that she was falling over. "i'll think of something."

you tried to push the thought of lena coming to the back of your mind, and you were successful for the most part. that meant when you received the email about all of the new signings coming a bit early, you didn't have time to prepare yourself to see lena. you just walked into an off-season training session to see her in the gym with sydney, pernille, and georgia.

"(y/n), over here!" georgia called out. she knew exactly what she was doing to you. georgia was one of the worst about your crush on lena. the only one who ever seemed to come to your defense was madga, but you couldn't see her anywhere. "have you met lena?"

"not officially," lena answered for you. she covered your hand with both of hers, shaking it gently before bringing it up to kiss your knuckles. your cheeks immediately turned pink, and for a moment, your other teammates didn't exist. "it's nice to meet you. i'm lena, but you can call me obi if you'd like."

"(y/n)," you mumbled. she smiled, and you thought you were going to die for a moment.

"it's a very pretty name liebe," lena told you. you just nodded dumbly until pernille took pity on you and ushered you away. once you were away from lena, you seemingly snapped out of whatever weird little trance she had put you in.

"what the hell was that? you have got it bad for her," pernille said. you covered your face in your hands and let out a quiet little scream of frustration. "i hate saying this, but you are pathetic honey."

"yeah," you agreed sadly.

it wasn't easy, but you managed to avoid lena for the rest of the day. throughout the following weeks, you'd run into her around the training facility or the coffee shop that sydney swore by. whenever you'd see each other, you'd always smile and wave, but she rarely tried talking to you. you thought that you were done for, that lena just thought you were a little freak she was better off not associating with.

once the pre-season started, things changed a bit. you found yourself not hanging around sydney or georgia's because lena always seemed to be around. you felt bad for ditching your friends with lame excuses, but you had yet to get a handle on your feelings for lena. it didn't help that you now shared a locker room and gym space together, so you got to see quite a few of the selfies she posted being taken in real time.

"pernille is worried about you," magda said as she plopped down next to you. you glanced over at the swedish defender, who had been one of your closest friends since chelsea. she was like your big sister, only much nicer to you than your actual siblings ever had been. you were sort of on your own before magda came along and unofficially had her parents adopt you. "sydney said that you haven't been over in a month. your friends miss you, even the ones you haven't made yet."

"what the hell does that mean? why do you always say cryptic shit?" you weren't proud of it, but you were huffing and puffing. it had been a hard month, and honestly, you were done with people trying to convince you to go out after practice.

"i mean that lena wants to be your friend. she was asking about you, i think she likes you." magda nudged you with her elbow, seemingly giddy about the idea of lena having a crush on you. magda hadn't seen you date anybody other than jessie, and while that had been a good relationship for the both of you, things just hadn't worked out.

"she doesn't like me. she's way out of my league. things haven't been good for me since jessie, and i don't want to subject lena to that shit," you sighed. magda wrapped her arm around your shoulders and held you in close. "maybe i should have stayed in england."

"absolutely not. now, you look at me and listen, okay?" magda waited for you to nod before she continued, "you're amazing, kid. the first breakup sucks, but then you go out there and find someone new. you fall in love until you find the right person. it's rare to find someone who can look at you the way lena does without really knowing you. i have it on good authority that you've been talked up quite a bit. lena will be here for a while, just like you, so why not give her a chance?"

"when did you get so wise?" you asked as you wrapped your arms around the back of magda's neck. out of the corner of your eye, you could see pernille watching the two of you. "oh, that's when."

"i told you she's worried about you, and she knows that you'll listen to me. now, go out there and charm the kit off of lena," magda told you. she pushed you off of the bench, where you fell ungracefully onto the floor.

"magda!" pernille chided. she threw her arms up into the air as she approached her partner. magda let herself be dragged away as lena made her way over to help you up.

"are you okay, liebe?" lena asked as she pulled you up onto your feet. she didn't let go of your arm, holding you close as the two of you spoke.

"i'm fine," you answered. lena let out a small sigh, seemingly in relief. you felt your cheeks heat up as she smiled at you. there was a distinct lack of privacy in the locker room, but neither of you could bring yourselves to care. "i think her plan the whole time was to shove me onto the ground."

"maybe, but look at us now." lena had a point, but you knew that you had to actually tell her that you liked her now. "i'll shove her later for you."

"definitely gonna take you up on that, but right now i think i have to tell you something," you said. lena was patient with you, waiting until you were ready to speak without pushing you there. "i think that you're really attractive, lena. i keep making a fool of myself around you, so i started to avoid you, but i like you. not in the way i like sydney or georgia, but in the 'i want to kiss you and am down terribly bad' way."

"hey, i'm a catch!" sydney scoffed. lena turned and glared at sydney, who promptly pretended that she wasn't eavesdropping. "sorry, go on."

"i like you a lot too. maybe after this we can get ice cream. i heard from a very reliable source that we like the same place," lena said. you caught georgia's eye from over lena's shoulder just in time to catch her wink. you smiled as you nodded, giving lena's hand a gentle squeeze.

"i'd like that, but for now, we should get to the pitch," you told her. lena nodded and let you grab your things. she walked alongside you out to the field, both of you falling into an easy conversation with each other.

…

"come on, get in closer," lena said as she pressed her body into yours. you weren't sure how you could possibly get any closer to her for the picture, but you let lena try. it was like this every single time the two of you went out somewhere. lena loved to show you off, even more than she liked showing off her own outfits anymore.

"lena, stop! you're gonna leave a mark," you whined as she started to suck on your neck. that wasn't the only reason you wanted her to stop, but if you admitted to being turned on, lena would never let you go. the woman could go from a complete gentlewoman to a teenage boy in an instant.

"you look good in purple though." lena pouted at you, but it didn't work. you turned to give her a quick kiss, careful to not linger too long in her arms. the two of you were meeting sydney and laura for dinner. it seemed that with every game came an outing with some of lena's german national teammates, all of whom were eager to meet you.

you had never thought that lena's feelings for you could have run in the same vein as yours for her. the attraction turned crush eventually forming into a budding love story. you had never thought of her viewing your stories and liking your pictures the same way that you had done hers. in hindsight, you felt stupid, but lena had been patient in waiting for you.

"please, do you want to give syd more to tease us about?" you asked. lena didn't mind the teasing as much as you did, but it bothered her to see when it pushed you too far. lena shook her head and promised to be on her best behavior for dinner where you learned how nice it was to not be the main focus on the teasing. you didn't think that you had seen lena blush as much as she did when laura brought up her constantly viewing your instagram page on international camps.

[poppy-metal]

dilf! art who unfortunately doesn't get lily on fathers day. maybe her and tashi had something planned, maybe she had a tennis match somewhere else, or maybe she wanted to do something really bad and art let her because he can never say no. whatever it is he finds himself without her on fathers day and you make it your goal to make still it the best. waking him up with breakfast in bed, having lily call him twice, surprising him with the gifts you and lily picked out weeks before, and taking him out for dinner. coming home and relaxing with a glass of wine. holding each other and art slowly kissing you as he brings up the thought that plagued him all day. he'd tell you in between kisses how this day with you made him realize how badly he wants to be a daddy again.

how he wants to have a baby with you. hear the patter of small feet, see you all round and pretty, and just be your own little family. who are you to tell him no to that on fathers day? i just know he has a breeding kink but felt too dirty to say everything in his head. when you're underneath him begging "put a baby in me, art. please, fill me up," in between your moans, he can't hold himself back. finds himself groaning and muttering the whole time about how he's going to fill you up, gonna pump you full until your stomach is bulging out, and get you so full that the two of you will already have a baby by next fathers day. it unleashes a new side of him and you wouldn't make him stop even if you wanted to because you've never seen him let go so much. so you let him use you like a little sex toy and just hold onto him closely, telling him how good he takes care of you and how you can't wait for him to fill you up with your own baby. 

- ☕

im laying on the ground w my neck snapped

arts breeding kink goes so crazy - and its so telling to how much he loves you, because having a family is really just at the core of his wants. and he thought that's what he had with tashi. its taken him a long time to think about starting a new one - lily's getting older though - and he loves you. can't stop thinking about having a baby with your qualities and his - something of you and him - something you made together. hes a fucking sap, alright.

and maybe the whine loosens his tongue because he says all that while hes got a hand dragging up your shirt, feeding himself one of your hard nipples and pushing his hips up into yours.

"i wanna have a baby." he says, against your tits. licks all between the valley of your breasts. grips your waist. "i want a baby with you-"

and this. this is what you've been waiting for. so you rock your hips, lick into his mouth eagerly. swallow his moans and tangle your tongue with his - tasting the wine. sweet.

"put one in me-" you gasp feverish. you're hot to the touch, you want him all over you, inside you already, pumping you full. "fuck me pregnant - wanna make you a daddy again -"

its a blur after that - a tangle of limbs and your clothes yanked down and off - and then hes there, pushing inside you - hot and insistent and he comes down on you - his hips already moving.

"put your legs around me" he says against your lips - "lock me inside-"

you grip his side with your thighs, hooking your ankles at his back and pushing against him, rooting him deep as he can go.

he barely pulls out - but he doesn't go easy on you, either. he rocks into you forcefully, the motion of it jerking the couch forward every couple seconds - your bodies touch everywhere and you cant stop kissing, messy and wet. cant stop moaning and babbling things you cant even keep track of.

"fuck me fuck me fuck me - wanna have your baby, art - w-wanna have so many babies - "

"gonna make you a mommy - fuck, fill this tight little pussy - "

he comes in you once, and doesn't stop there. pushing his cum in as it oozes out, hooking your thighs towards your chest "have to breed you -" he grunts. pushes back inside with an easy glide into your slippery cum filled cunt - "oh, fuck. suck me in just like that, baby, yes - im gonna cum again -"

he'll fill you up three - maybe four time. rubbing his cock raw and sore in your pussy. pumping load after load into you.

you have to make sure it takes.

[b0r3dtod3ath]

hi!!! could i pls req alex x reader,, where the reader is a model and dating alex but the other drivers (besides george&logan) don’t know. so when she comes to a race and is in the williams garage,, all the drivers are hitting on her and trying to get w her but when they try to get alex’s help, he tells them she’s his gf but they don’t believe him until someone walks in on them or smth idk take whatever creative liberties u want!! thankuu <3

warnings: fem!reader; mention of a razor (shaving); 

a/n: omg i love this request! i had so much fun writing it. i also included a kinda vice-versa situation where the reader brings alex to work. i hope you like it!

word count: 1.5k

You and Alex have been dating for a few months now and with your hectic schedules you made most out of your time together. That often involves spending time even if one person is busy and the other is free. One time he accompanied you during a fashion week. Not only to spend time with you but also to truly understand your work and the world you live in.

One thing Alex hadn’t expected was that the week was packed with an enormous amount of events. He didn’t mind it as you took him everywhere and he got to see you backstage as well as on the runway. He loved to see you interact with your friends and co-workers and he was more than happy each time you introduced him as your boyfriend. 

As he exited the bathroom of your hotel room his eyes witnessed a heart squeezing scene. You were sprawled out on the bed with your eyes closed, tired after a particularly harsh day of fittings, rehearsals and shows. You weren’t sleeping, he could see it. "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly, kneeling beside you. You nodded weakly, "Just tired. I need to shave my legs for tomorrow. Give me a moment and I will stand up”. Alex hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath "I'll do it”. You quickly opened your eyes, looking at him with a surprised face "You don't have to, just give me a moment”. “I want to,” he said and carried you to the bathroom where he sat you at the edge of the bathtub. He grabbed your razor and a can of shaving cream. You admired him as he focused-working slowly, with his hands steady, ensuring he didn't miss a spot or hurt you. As he rinsed the razor under the warm water, Alex felt an appreciation for the small, often overlooked tasks that were a part of your job. "You're amazing, you know that?" he said, looking up at you with eyes full of affection. You smiled back with gratitude. "Thank you, Alex. It means a lot”.

“Okay, we are going to the Versace show. When we get there, I immediately need to go to the restroom and wash all of this hair gel off.” you said looking at your calendar. You two sat at the backseat of a cab. “You know, If they put something like this on you they should also bother to take it off.” he said and gently knocked on the hard shell on your head, causing you to giggle. 

The small restroom was crowded, but you managed to find a spot by the sink. You rolled up your sleeves and turned on the faucet, testing the temperature with your fingers. Just as you bent over to wet your hair, Alex appeared next to you after dropping off your things and letting the coordinator know where you were. He helped you get the shampoo in more hard to reach spots, his fingers massaging your scalp with a tenderness that made your heart swell. Rinsing out the shampoo, Alex made sure every bit of gel was gone. He then squeezed out the excess water and grabbed a towel he had found earlier. “Thank you” you kissed him on the cheek, grabbed his hand and headed towards the makeup station. You loved how he was trying to make a conversation with people that worked around you. He was asking various questions and cracking jokes with the makeup artists. “You have to stop. You're making her giggle, her concealer will crease” one of them said laughing at something he had said. 

After the show, just as you were about to leave, your friend Airdropped you a few pictures. You and Alex washing your hair in the sink, Alex making everyone around laugh and him admiring you as you walked down the runway. The message had a little note as well: Don’t worry. I won’t send it anywhere. I thought you two would like these : )

On the plane on your way back, you two were exhausted but happy. Alex looked at you, his heart swelling with pride. “You know,” he began, his serious tone capturing your attention. “I have always respected what you do, but seeing it up close, every detail, the good and the bad… I have a whole new level of admiration for you”. You leaned against him, feeling the warmth of his body in contrast to the cold, dry air. “It’s not always glamorous,” you admitted “But having you here, helping me through it... it means everything”. He wrapped his arm around you, pulling you even closer. “You’re incredible, Love. And I’ll always be here to support you”. You let out a satisfied hum. “So.. When will you take me to your work?” you asked, smiling from ear to ear. 

The sun shone brightly over the Silverstone Circuit, where the roar of engines and the smell of burning rubber filled the air. You arrived early, your presence immediately turning heads. You had a simple but nice outfit styled with a pair of sunglasses and some jewelry. Entering through the gates you see a text from Alex saying that he is busy with a meeting for a few minutes longer than expected and asking if you are fine walking by yourself. Don’t worry, I’m gonna manage. If I need help I will text you, you replied and headed towards him. You took your time walking there, you looked around a bit and observed the preparations for the race. As you made your way to the Williams garage, the other drivers couldn't help but notice you. Lando and Carlos were the first to approach you, their curiosity piqued. “Hey there, I’m Lando” they appeared out of nowhere, causing you to chuckle. “Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N” you introduced yourself. "Are you new here?" Carlos asked, his eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Sort of," you replied with a playful smile. "I'm here to support a friend”. "Well, if you need a tour or anything, feel free to ask us," Lando offered, his smile genuine. As the two of them tried to impress you with their charm, you couldn't help but to find it incredibly funny. They had no idea you were already taken. You excused herself politely, heading towards the Williams garage where Alex was busy with pre-race preparations. 

As you were entering you noticed two familiar faces. “Hi! Great to finally see you here!” said George and offered you a greeting hug. “Hi, boys. Haven’t seen you in a while” you say as you pull Logan into a hug "Alex will be thrilled you're here” he says. As the three of you chatted, the two other drivers continued to hover around the garage, trying to piece together who were you here for. 

Finally, you made eye contact with Alex from across the garage. A wide grin spread across his face as he made his way over to you, wrapping his arms around you in a tight embrace. "Hey, you," he murmured. "Hey, yourself," you replied, smiling up at him. Lando and Carlos exchanged glances, feeling even more confused than before and walked up to you. "Ah, Alex! We were just looking for your lovely friend” Carlos said, grinning. Alex chuckled, slipping a hand around your waist in an almost possessive way “Well, I hope you didn’t scare my girlfriend because you two look suspicious”. The drivers looked stunned, their eyes widening. “Wait, girlfriend?” Carlos glanced between you and Alex as if he couldn’t believe it. Lando laughed “Nice one, mate. You almost had us there”. Alex shrugged, unbothered "Believe what you want," he said before heading off to continue his preparations.

The drivers resumed their attempts to impress you, completely ignoring Alex's statement. You found the whole situation hilarious, but you knew it was only a matter of time before they realized the truth.

Later, as the beginning of the race was getting closer and closer, you slipped away to find Alex. You wanted to wish him good luck. "Hey, beautiful," he said, pulling you into an affectionate kiss that you returned with even more passion as your hands found his hair and gently tugged on it. His hands made their way down your back. Just as you were about to break the kiss, Carlos walked in, catching the sight of the intimate moment. He froze, his eyes widening in surprise, and he quickly turned on his heel, desperate to find Lando. 

"Guys, you won't believe this," Carlos said, fully convinced "Alex wasn’t joking. She is really his girlfriend! They're definitely together.". “No shit, genius,” George whispered. Lando barely believed it but with a dose of details from his friends he erupted in laughter, finally accepting the truth. 

After the race Lando made his way to Alex. “Congrats”. He thought he was referring to him finishing in points. “She’s way out of your league, I don’t know how you managed to convince her”. The Brit patted his friend’s back and walked away. “Hey! What was that supposed to mean?”. 

June 17, 2024

[silantryoo]

BONUS [ LIKEALOOK ] — wonyoung's l/n y/n.

jang wonyoung, before first year.

WARNINGS ; mentions of toxic household, mentions of self-sabotage (1.8k)

jang wonyoung knew it wasn't right to run from her problems.

she wasn't the fastest on the team, not by a long shot. she lagged behind her soon-to-be teammates, always running a mile thirty minutes slower than them. her legs, although powerful, were only good for jumping up, never forward.

still, it never deterred her from trying, the constant reminder of her mother in the mirror and her father in her name. no matter how much she failed and how often it scarred her, she always ended up running.

wonyoung was tired of running.

victor's hall.

trophies scattered the walls, ribbons and banners waving in the air. a collection of all suma's best, their achievements immortalized for the centuries to come. the cases were in pristine condition, glowing in the soft back light that emitted behind the multiple enclosures.

a place in victor's hall was no small thing. after all, suma only took the best of the best, evident in the overwhelming number of olympians and professional players that were alumni.

getting into suma was a victory in itself; being one of the SKYS.

but wonyoung didn't feel like it was a victory. it didn't feel like she won some grand prize, or that she finally got into her dream school, on a scholarship in her dream program.

it felt... hollow.

she had sacrificed too much to not continue. her relationship (although there was barely anything there) with her father, her chance at a 'proper' university, her knee, her diet, her stress, hannah...

god, she even left hyunseo in that horrible, greyed out house with her father who only loved her during the good, when her baby sister reminded him that she was the creation of real love and not whatever the hell wonyoung was.

hyunseo was a lee, she wasn't born under the circumstances of business, not as a jang.

she knew her mother would do everything in her power to protect hyunseo, though. there wasn't much that wonyoung could ensure jiyoung with, but they both wanted the same thing. they both wanted to protect their younger sisters in one way or another, or in jiyoung's case, whatever's left of it.

wonyoung looked at last year's banner, the emptiness settling in her stomach once more.

'FINALIST'.

she couldn't help but wonder if it was her fate would be the same this year. her father was sure to pull her out of suma if that were the case. he'd pull all the funding from under her feet, take her off his will and leave nothing in her name.

she couldn't have that, not until after university. she was on a full ride scholarship, but how was she going to survive? would she starve? wonyoung couldn't work a job on top of being on the volleyball team. in all honesty, wonyoung had never even touched a cleaning rag.

wonyoung poked on the glass, sighing to herself.

was this even worth it? was she worth it?

"are you allowed to get fingerprints on that?"

wonyoung jumped, flinching so hard that her hand retracted from the case at lighting speed.

was she already in trouble? it was barely her first week as an official suma spartan, yet she had already done something that could get her kicked off the team.

was this the moment she was going to get expelled?

"i-i didn't...!" wonyoung frantically wiped the mirror with her sweater, cleaning it of any marks she left. "i was just looking, i swear!"

the volleyball player turned around.

"i'm not gonna tell." a soft smile appeared on the person's face, and wonyoung could feel her knees buckling. "i don't even go here yet."

oh... wow.

part of wonyoung wanted to speak, she wanted to introduce herself like she always did; 'wonyoung', without the jang, of course. for some reason, the air in her throat seemed to get stuck, feline eyes staring at her in wonder.

"i swear, i'm not lying." the girl chuckled. it felt like music, like a lullaby. "i was just wandering around. one of my coworker's told me the bookstore was down victor's hall. i didn't expect it to be so... big."

wonyoung blinked.

she was absolutely lost. would a laugh ease the tension? a smile? maybe a thumbs up was enough, or would that make her look like an idiot?

all wonyoung managed to do was let out a soft 'huh?'.

"the bookstore..." the girl cleared her throat, looking wonyoung directly in her eyes. the taller girl could feel her entire neck burn with a blush. "do you not go here...?"

"i-i do!" wonyoung blurted out, her words jumbled and rushed, just like her thoughts. "i go here, i mean."

the girl giggled once more, and wonyoung blushed harder. the mystery girl was pretty, wonyoung towering over her shorter stature. she was dressed in nice clothes, a little under the radar and not what wonyoung was used to seeing, but still nice. she even fidgeted cutely too, rubbing her knuckles together as if she were...

"are you cold?"

wonyoung bit her lip, cursing at herself internally. she was no good at talking to pretty girls, not when they looked like this. part of her wished her yujin-unnie was here to help her out.

the mystery girl smiled. "maybe a little?"

the volleyball player tugged off her sweater, feeling her sweaty back hit the cold air.

"i-it's a little sweaty." the one time she didn't take a shower after practice was the one time a pretty girl came up to her and decided to be cold.

"i shouldn't-" the pretty girl refused, a bright blush on her face. it took everything in wonyoung to not slam her head into the glass cabinet, feeling too giddy to even breathe properly.

"i'll be fine." the athlete managed to squeak out, suppressing her shiver. "it's cheap anyway."

it was about 100,000 won, give or take. it was cheap to wonyoung, but definitely not cheap enough that anyone without her background would give it out.

she knew at this point, the girl was sure to be curious of her status.

"thanks, um..."

"wonyoung," she said simply.

she prayed that this mystery girl wouldn't ask about her last name. the shorter girl didn't know the implications it held for wonyoung; the pain and the tears that hid behind the word. wonyoung couldn't blame her if she asked, but she didn't wanna think about it right now.

right now, she just wanted to be wonyoung. just wonyoung, talking to a pretty girl (and pretty much landing horrible on her face).

the shorter girl smiled, her eyes studying wonyoung's face with curiousity.

the athlete felt her hand twitch, an overwhelming urge to straighten her hair and put on a camera-ready smile. she wondered if the pretty girl recognized her through the grapevine, or perhaps was debating whether or not wonyoung was worth talking to.

(she was actually admiring wonyoung's beauty, but wonyoung didn't need to know that yet.)

"i'm y/n."

wonyoung grinned. she finally had a name to the person.

it was y/n, who was pretty, and who had a nice smile. she was the pretty mystery girl who giggled like wonyoung's favourite lullaby, currently drowning in her volleyball sweater that seemed a size or two too big on her. y/n was who she met a mere ten minutes ago, with striking eyes and a beauty mark on her nose.

and she was someone who wonyoung couldn't function around.

"nice to, um..." wonyoung stumbled over simple words, her brain screaming at her to finish her sentence. "...meet you, y/n."

as the name left her mouth, wonyoung couldn't help but blush. she couldn't believe that a pretty girl was wearing her sweater, and now she knew her name.

next thing she knew, y/n would be her friend.

wonyoung could only hope.

y/n smiled with a hint of fondness, and wonyoung wished that it was because of her as a person and not because of her current inability to speak proper words.

"nice to meet you, wonyoung."

the volleyball player could feel her ears burn the same shade of red as her sweater, her brain nearly exploding at y/n acknowledging her as wonyoung and just wonyoung.

she was just wonyoung to y/n.

wonyoung watched as y/n fished something out of her pocket, a phone in her hand. the shorter girl opens it with ease, handing it to wonyoung with a smile.

wonyoung looked at the open phone app. what was she supposed to do with this?

"for your phone number." y/n clarified, and wonyoung sore she burst a blood vessel somewhere in her brain. "so i can return your sweater."

the taller girl could feel her ears ringing. she was sure she was dreaming, and she'd wake up to her half empty dorm with yujin banging on the door, yelling at her to hurry up for practice.

she waited a moment for her eyes to open, but all she found was her still staring at y/n in front of her.

"r-right, um," wonyoung cleared her throat, desperately trying to remember her phone number.

wonyoung put it in shakily, reading the numbers over and over again to make sure it was hers and not yujin's or yena's. knowing those two, they'd swoop at the opportunity and wonyoung was not about to let this pass, even if it led to nothing in the end.

the athlete saved it with a sigh, handing it back to the girl in front of her.

"i'm gonna go catch up with the group." y/n smiled, placing her phone in her pocket. "thanks again... i'll see you around, hopefully?"

oh god, wonyoung didn't even think about seeing y/n again.

"yeah..." she nodded stiffly, mirroring a robot from some sci-fi movie she saw yujin's sister watch some time ago. "uh, around sounds... nice."

y/n shot her a look, shaking her head with a smile.

"yeah..." wonyoung missed the way y/n's eyes lit up with adoration. "it does."

the shorter girl wandered away, the opposite direction from wonyoung. she waited until y/n was out of earshot before she groaned, sliding down the wall into a puddle of her own embarrassment.

"'around sounds nice'? are you stupid, wonyoung?" she could die right there, evaporating into nothingness. it would definitely save her pride. "oh god... i'm stupid!"

she was never gonna live this down, but she would definitely try to, even if it meant avoiding the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen.

(but a week later, as if by divine intervention, y/n turned out to be wonyoung's new roommate.)

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[idyllic-ghost]

title: Stay in Character! pairing: vernon x gn!reader genre: established relationship, fluff, warnings: reader has a sister with a kid, mentions of childbirth, mentions of stress, anxiety over moving in with a partner synopsis: You're on the verge of panicking - you still have moving boxes to pack and move into your boyfriend's apartment, but you can't leave the fact that your sister is giving birth to her second child while you're babysitting her first. However, your stress slowly dissipates when you walk into your cluttered kitchen and see your boyfriend playing pretend with your niece. wordcount: 5.9k

rating: PG 15

a/n: i keep wanting to write soft fluffy vernon blurbs idk what's happening

tbh i really liked vernon’s outfit in this mv, but these pictures in particular just inspired me idk

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✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The bumbling sounds from your tiny kitchen caught your attention as soon as you got out of the phone call with your sister's husband. Once one anxious thought was gone, another one appeared out of the blue - what were they doing in there? They weren't messing with the boxes, were they? You took a deep breath, trying to calm down enough for you to have an interaction without yelling.

Rolling up your sleeves, you walked into your kitchen to deal with the next situation. The walls were covered with stacked boxes, so you almost couldn't see the old wallpaper. The noises were coming from your kitchen table, which still wasn't packed up. Vernon was sitting at the table with your niece, and the two of them had put out a paper plate with whatever snacks they could find, three glasses, and a bottle of water.

Your shoulders relaxed as you watched the two of them play pretend. They had clearly been trying to help you pack but had gotten distracted by your miscellaneous items. Vernon was wearing one of your scarves on his head and an old pair of sunglasses you had forgotten about - your niece wearing a matching pair. However, as soon as he saw you come in, he took off the glasses and sent you a gentle smile.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

It was all so ridiculous. Your sister was in the middle of an unexpectedly early childbirth, in the middle of you getting ready to move into your boyfriend's apartment, and here he was: playing dress-up with your niece. In some weird way, it was just what you needed - how Vernon could know you had no idea.

"She's fine," you finally replied with a tired smile. "It was a little bit of a surprise, but everything seems to be okay... what are the two of you doing?"

"We're just-"

"Stay in character!" your niece complained.

Vernon mouthed "Sorry," before putting the sunglasses back on and turning back to your niece. With his usual, matter-of-fact voice, he asked her what she thought about the weather. Your niece picked up her glass and took a sip of the water, making an exaggerated "ahh" as she put it back down.

"Too much rain," she responded with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

You could see Vernon have to restrain himself from laughing, his hand flying up to cover his smile. After clearing his throat, he nodded in agreement. You should be packing up the last of your stuff, the moving truck will arrive soon, and you should probably text your sister's husband again to ask him to send you updates. But right now, you could feel how tired you were in your bones. So, you sat down on the third chair and let Vernon pour you a glass of water. Then, he picked up the paper plate and held it out to you.

"Gummy worm?" he asked.

"How old are those?" You chuckled as you inspected the candies on the plate.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "But the cookies are from last week, I think."

You took a cookie and silently thanked him. Vernon and your niece continued their conversation about rain, which took a sharp turn when Vernon mentioned thunder - which was apparently very controversial in your niece's eyes. Any anxious feelings you had over moving in with Vernon were slowly disappearing. For a moment, you could truly let go of everything as Vernon kept your niece busy - and if he acted like this in a moment of crisis, maybe the two of you would do well living together.

"Bathroom break!" your niece suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands together once to signal that the scene was over.

She hopped off her chair and walked away to your small bathroom. You had already taken all of the boxes out of there, so you knew that she would be okay on her own.

"She's a little director," Vernon said.

"She is," you murmured.

He gave you a long look, a silent "Are you really okay?" to which you responded with a nod. Vernon moved his chair closer to yours, wrapping his arms around you and slowly patting your head.

"You're doing good, babe," he muttered against the top of your head.

"Thank you."

"I'll go back to packing up and you could sit with her for a bit," he suggested. "Or I could do anything else you need."

"Packing sounds good," you hummed. "I just need to make sure she's not feeling neglected or anything, you know? My sister was worried."

Vernon let go of you and grabbed your hand to give it a comforting squeeze. He was still wearing the scarf and the sunglasses, and you could no longer keep a straight face. You snort and turn away from him, trying to shield yourself from breaking out into even more laughter.

"What?" he asked and tried to make you look at him again. "Am I not pretty?"

After taking a deep breath, you look back at him with a contained grin. Vernon cocks his head at you, clearly aware of the way he looks now but also determined to keep you smiling. Your niece eventually came back from the bathroom and climbed back onto her chair. The two of you looked at her expectantly as she cleared her throat.

"Bathroom break's over!" she chimed.

"Honey," you said carefully. "Is it okay if Vernon goes away to pack some more stuff and I stay here with you?"

Your niece glanced back and forth between the two of you before extending her hand to Vernon. He carefully removed his scarf and glasses and placed them into her small, outstretched palm.

"You've been replaced!" your niece exclaimed dramatically as she handed you the items. "I'll give you the roll as long as you stay in character!"

As you and Vernon erupted into laughter, your niece continued to mimic the voice of a director before she eventually joined you in your mirth. Everything that could go wrong today, did go wrong - yet, it felt bearable with Vernon by your side. Observing his banter with your niece might have seemed like a man simply engaging in make-believe with his partner's niece others, but to you, it was a deeply serene and comforting scene. You knew with certainty that your future was in reliable hands.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

feedback is always appreciated!♡

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[ihopeiexplode]

📱"Promiscuous Boy" [←Previous | Next→]

—

As you say there frozen, not moving an inch not really knowing what to do, suddenly you see how close his face was to yours before he suddenly crashed his lips into yours...

—

Did he really just kiss you..? In public..?

The moment he pulled back you didn't even move an inch while a hint of Redness creeped there way onto your face, after your ex saw the scene he immediately left with his fist clenched leaving you and Sukuna alone

But someone else saw the scene as well, who? No other than Yuji, Gojo, and yuki... Ironic isn't it?

—

The three of them quite literally followed the two of you the moment they saw that you and Sukuna left your house, gojo offered to bring Maki along but of course, she declined,

The moment the three of them followed you their eyes immediately widen

"guys are you seeing this...."

Yuji would say before pointing towards the two of you seeing how he was first to spot his brother of course

"that's Sukuna kissing y/n right... or am I seeing things..."

"you're not seeing things that's really them..."

—

—

"whys your face red?"

"ask yourself that, you were the one who kissed me.."

"want another?"

"NO? Anyways...why did you kiss me..?"

"because your ex asked us to?"

"we aren't even dating??"

"do you want us to?"

"..."

"I'm kidding, relax" no he's not

"let's just get going..."

—

As the two of you walked around the mall with you using his card to buy whatever you wanted, you two didn't even bother to talk to each other after that

Sukuna on the other hand was left wondering, he's not a bad kisser he knows that all he did was just tease you nothing else so why's a kiss bothering you? It's not like it meant anything...right?

The kiss meant nothing, that's what you keep telling yourself why is it bothering you that much anyway? You don't like him, right? But you know he likes you, does he really like you? You're still doubtful about that being true anyway

Or are you simply in denial that you could be catching feelings for him? What if he just wants to play with your feelings and throws you away when he gets bored? That's what he's known for after all...

You'll move on, you have to.

There's no way you could actually gain some feelings for him right?

—

You don't like him.

You don't like him.

You don't like him.

That's what you keep telling yourself for the past week...right after what happened at the mall and what he said back then, it's hard to get it out of your mind

You'd look at your clock and notice how your class is about to start, might as well get ready,

—

But Sukuna thinks he did something wrong, why else are you back to ignoring him and acting cold to him? Should he apologize? But what exactly is he apologizing for?

But it's worth a try isn't it?

—

But of course, when he finally found you by yourself, a bunch of girls just had to throw themselves at him, why does this always happen whenever he wants to talk to you alone...

—

You're used to seeing that, so what makes this one different? Do you feel jealous? No...that can't be right.

You'd take a deep breath before walking past Sukuna and making your way to class

However, once he saw you started walking away he felt the urge to grab you and pull you back, I mean he could but not right now.. seeing how his path was blocked by some girls, he doesn't even know their names not that he bothers knowing it

Who are they anyway? Probably some hookup he had but does it matter? You're the one he wants not them.

Just you. And you alone.

—

[⛩️] @: Likes & Reblogs R appreciated! ^^

A/N: what if i just jump off a cliff ily guys

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[miller-n-morgan]

Take Me Home

PART THREE: WORTHINESS

Arthur Morgan x Gunslinger!Reader

18+, mdni (this work is not necessarily 18+, but my blog as a whole is)

Summary: After eating so much at camp leads to Pearson chasing the kid's ass, Dutch decides it's finally time that Texas Red runs a job in the Van Der Linde gang. Arthur isn't quite as happy about it.

Warnings: mentions of blood in this one, death too. reader is female but is disguised as a young male (use of masc pronouns towards reader by everyone accept Arthur), use of guns, reader is described to have a masculine outer appearance (for show) and is mentioned to have reddish hair (for the sake of the storyline). A fake name is used but otherwise can be read completely as a reader insert.

Word Count: 6k (back to bein my best self)

Hey so welcome back, this is not exactly a filler, but it's putting some info towards a bunch of different future plot lines... so, sorry if it seems all over the place

Previous - Series Masterlist

“I think I could drop you where you stand.” You were all talk, now, and he knew that… but it still boiled under his skin the way you challenged him.  “You make quite a big to do of yourself… M’guessin’ that’s where most of your reputation came from,” he smirked, but he should know better than to taunt you about those men you shot dead. “Before I got here I barely spoke a word to no one… I got my reputation from shootin’ folks so fast they didn’t have time to repent to God.” 

You’ve taken to a new hobby. You’re not quite sure the word that describes it right, but to explain what it entails, a bit of background needs to be added for understanding. 

Abigail is borderline nine months pregnant. 

John Marston, the everloving man that he is, has taken it upon himself to steer clear of her in the last stages of her pregnancy. 

Given this unfortunate situation, Abigail finds herself eating more and more food to try and relieve the stress. She also finds herself ranting to you about the dimwitted man that impregnated her, because you seem the most open to listening without offering advice. Truth be told, you just enjoy the company of a woman that doesn’t shy away from you, or try to woo you over. It brings about a sense of normalcy. 

Now, in the past weeks that this has been happening, you’ve taken to eating at the same times as Abigail, shoveling more and more into your plate like she does. It’s now become a ritual, or as you would like to call it, a hobby, to sit and devour food while shit-talking John Marston as he’s away. ‘Keeping his distance,’ whatever the hell that means, when the woman you’re with is nine months pregnant. 

In the midst of this new hobby, Dutch and Pearson have had many arguments. Dutch was always less than concerned about it, whilst Pearson nearly threw a fit every time either of you came to get portions for a meal.

“I’ve had enough of it. They come, they eat, they leave! That new boy of yours hasn’t done anything since he got here but eat us out of our stock,” Pearson complained for the hundredth time. Though you’d kept up with chores around the camp, (trying to help Abigail pick up some of her slack) you hadn’t really brought any money into the camp, which was what Dutch brought you here to do.

“Arthur’s been trainin’ him well, I’m sure it’ll be no time at all before he starts runnin’ jobs with us.” Dutch knew what this was really about…

Pearson was madder than a hornet when John first got Abigail pregnant. Even worse when he found out she would be traveling with the gang from then on. Feeding a pregnant woman was sometimes like feeding two extra men… not to mention the fact that you joined her at every meal. He doesn’t want to say anything about Abigail, especially in the state she’s in… but maybe if you didn’t sit and eat with her all the damn time, it wouldn’t be as bad, and the rations would last longer. 

“He better start earnin’ his keep. If he doesn’t I’ll skin him, make a stew.”

Dutch let out a boisterous laugh, clapping Pearson on the back and shaking his head. 

“I have a feeling he’ll probably bring in as much as Arthur… There’s some sort of competition between them. I think as long as they don’t rip each other to shreds, they’ll be real beneficial,” He started towards Hosea, passing by you and Abigail on the way and tipping his hat. “Top of the mornin’ to ya.”

“Mornin’,” you nodded with a smile, taking a sip of your coffee before digging back into the bread and jam you both raided from Pearson’s ‘kitchen.’

He ducked into his tent, and you turned back to Abigail, listening intently to all she had to say. Today, she had news of an argument between her and John the night before. 

“It’s been all, ‘how do I even know that kid is mine?’ and ‘what if I don’t want to be a part of it anymore?’ since about the five month mark. M’startin’ to think that maybe I should’ve just left the gang, convinced some poor drunk dope from the town it’s his.” She gave her best John impression when quoting him, and as funny as it was, all you could feel was grief for the young woman. She was too young to even be thinking this way. 

You’ve not spent any one on one time with John, but he sounds like a real ass.

“As sad as I am to say it, Miss Abigail… I believe most of us men are stupid as they come. We can’t tell what’s right in front of us, even if y’all are screamin’ and shoutin’.”

“If that ain’t the truth…” she trailed, sighing with her head down. Even though she portrayed her sorrows in a comedic light, you could tell it weighed on her. 

You weren’t sure if you should even offer this, because you had no idea if you would even be hiding your secret this long, but the longer you go without revealing anything… you’re starting to think of your little secret more permanently.

“If push comes to shove… You can tell the kid it’s mine. Not too sure it’ll believe you, what with the carrot head I got, but if you want to…”

She laughed lighthearted, and sighed again, but this time out of contentment. 

“I guess not all men are stupid. You’re not even the first one who’s offered that to me,” she explained, nodding towards the outskirts of camp where an open tent fixed upon a wagon sat neatly kept. “Arthur said the same thing when all these problems with John started.”

You smiled, looking at his empty living space, barely anything to show that he occupied the place. He had a simple cot and bedroll, a small table, and just a few sentimental pieces here and there. He didn’t need anything fancy or grandiose to his name, just a gun and his hat, and he was satisfied. He’s even kinder than you thought, too, hearing it firsthand from Abigail. A good man, and a great outlaw. You found yourself longing for him nearly every day now, and it would only get worse from here. 

“He’s sure something, ain’t he?” You tried to be nonchalant about him, and it seemed to work in the eyes of Abigail, but if she’d known just one little thing about you, her entire mind would be changed. 

“Oh, yes. I’ll be damn straight with ya, I almost wish it were Arthur I met last year. Wish it was him that found me at the brothel. I do love John, but… he breaks my heart sometimes,” she let out, trying to hold herself together. She’d long since begun crying herself to sleep at night, pretty much since John decided she could sleep on her own. Now, though, was not the place to break down. You’ve been kind enough to listen to her, and she feels as though using your shoulder to cry on would be taking advantage. So she changes the subject. “While I’m on the topic of love… I’ve heard you got an admirer.”

Your cheeks grew red from embarrassment, and she thought that maybe you were blushing, but she didn’t know how far off she was. “I guess I’ve heard a thing or two ‘bout that…”

“Tilly is a sweet girl, I’m sure you both would get along fine,” she added, going back to her food. 

“She’s one of the kindest souls I’ve met,” you told her, trying to be as honest as you could without divulging anything she didn’t need to know. “I’ve just never…”

“You’ve never… what?” 

You shrugged, huffing a sigh and eating the last piece of jam covered bread on your plate. Already you could tell you’d be hungry again soon. “Never been in a relationship like that before.”

“I see. Is that something you think you’d want?” Her patience is why you liked speaking with her. Sometimes she had a short temper, but it was almost always warranted and towards those who deserved it. 

You took her question to heart. You’d not even considered a relationship since the day you ran away. Your self-found freedom had been from an arranged marriage. It had been your choice to leave that way of life. You never thought you’d ever find love in the aftermath of your liberation, but thinking about it now… You looked to Arthur’s tent, just a single glance to see if he’s returned yet.

“I hope so, maybe someday when the time is right. I just think that right now, I’m not so sure about anything at all, and it wouldn’t be fair to Miss Tilly to start up something I ain’t ready for.”

She sat and stared into your downward expression for a minute, meeting your eyes when you looked up. 

You smirked a little at her gaping expression, trying to make light of it. 

“I got somethin’ on my face?” 

“No,” she shook her head, knocking herself out of whatever trance she just fell into. “S’just that… I think you’re mighty wise for someone your age. And for a man, too.” 

“I reckon that’s a real fine compliment, and I’ll take it well.”

You both shared a laugh before going back to the stashed food for seconds. 

-

Dutch had an idea… a dangerous thing, but sometimes a very lucrative one. 

The worst part about this dangerous and lucrative idea? Arthur, Javier, John, and Bill were on board. It meant there was gonna be one hell of a party this afternoon, and no one in their right mind would have the courage to stop it. 

You were unaware of said idea until around lunch time, when Pearson just ripped you a new one for taking food before it was even ready. You shared it with Abigail of course, you’re not an animal.

Dutch and Hosea were making the plans for this afternoon, and came across you both sulking in the grass, just inches away from Pearson’s space. They grabbed some small provisions for themselves, as they hadn’t quite eaten much today, and you overheard some of their chatter. 

“I’m getting too old for all that excitement. One job here and there is all I can do anymore,” Hosea tried to reason with his dearest friend. 

“I need another gun or it doesn’t work,” Dutch sighed out, scratching the back of his neck as he thought of another solution. 

You stood up and peeked over the barrel you’d been resting against, leaning over it and making your presence known. 

“I got a gun,” you smirked, halfway joking incase he shuts you down. He hasn’t told you directly that he doesn’t want you riding with them yet, but he has asked Arthur if he thinks you’re ready… to which Arthur always replied, ‘almost.’ 

Dutch narrowed his eyes at you, looking back to Hosea, but the man held his hands up in mock defense. He was gonna sit this one out regardless.

“How’s your horse with gunfire?” he asked, genuinely considering your offer today. 

“He oughta be fine, otherwise I can take someone else’s.”

There was another moment of pause, and Hosea spoke up. 

“Sean would be happy to go, he hasn’t seen action in a few weeks.” 

You sighed, doing your best to act as if you weren’t upset, then started to speak loudly.

“That’s fine by me. I’ll just stay here and have lunch with Abigail…” you trailed, and immediately Pearson whipped himself around from his station. 

“No!” He shouted, and though you were partially joking, he didn’t want to find that out for himself. He’d had enough of you, and likely of Abigail, too. “As God is my witness, I will pack my shit and never look back… take him, I’m beggin’ ya.”

Dutch found his little outburst quite comical, as did you. He chuckled lowly and rolled it over in his head once more before deciding. Maybe what you really needed to learn was being thrown in the deep end. Hell, he knew what you were capable of. It was the very reason you stood on this ground in the first place. Now he needed to put those fiery trigger fingers to the test. 

“Son,” he turned back to face you with a look of sheer confidence, hopefully this didn’t mean the pressure would all be on you. “Saddle your horse, load up on ammo. You’ll be going with John.”

The smile you had immediately left your face. 

“Yessir,” you said quickly, leaving the group to do as he said. 

John Marston, the man you’d been shit talking for over a week now. Not to his face, of course, but to his lady it was enough, even if she was doing just as much if not more in sullying his name. 

You had a bad taste for him, that much you could say. It wasn’t going to be fun, but you’d prevail. You had to. It was time to start earning your keep. 

You found the rest of the men by the hitching posts, strolling up as confidently as can be. You enjoyed the baffled looks of confusion they wore, unsure of what you were doing here. Surely you wouldn’t be joining them…

“Howdy,” you teased, tipping your hat to them with a sideways smirk. Your young looking ‘boyish’ features gave them an inkling of annoyance with the look you wore, all cocky and arrogant for show. “Give me just a second, I’ll be ready to head out.”

“You’re coming with us?” Bill questioned, though it wasn’t out of sheer curiosity, but agitation.

“Damn straight,” you muttered quieter, done joking for now since they all seemed to be absolutely against you riding along. You got along with them in camp, why did they seem to exclude you now that a job was concerned? Why did they look like they were about to fight tooth and nail to keep you here?

You ignored their sarcastic chatter over your ‘scrawny’ appearance, and made ready your horse. You’d taken him riding several times since getting here, but he hasn’t gotten to see much action other than running down the side of the river bank. 

“What the hell are you doin’?” Arthur came up beside you, trying to gain your primary focus and lead it away from the horse… not exactly a hard task when you look like Arthur Morgan does.

“Dutch said I’m ridin’ on the job,” you explained, making it very clear, first and foremost, that you had permission to go out with them from the boss.

“When? Just now? Because as it was told to us, you weren’t goin’...” 

“I get y’all don’t exactly want me here, but he needed another gun. I happen to have one, matter of fact, and I’m pretty damn good at shootin’ it. I don’t understand your hissy fit, but it ain’t gonna stop me from goin’, so I hope we’re not gonna have a problem, here.” 

He kept his mouth shut. He needed to think and rehash his words in his head before he let something fly that he didn’t at all mean. 

“I’m tryin’ to protect you, kid.” He was even closer than before all of a sudden, and you had to make him the center of your attention once again.

“Protect me from what? I shoot faster than you, remember?”

You made a point, but he made a better one. 

“You mean ‘the one shot you know how to take?’ Is that the one?” He recalled your words from many days before, the day he began teaching you everything you needed to know. You’d been here nearly a month now, if you hadn’t learned enough already, you never would.

“Look, Arthur,” you turned away from him using all the strength you had, because dammit, you did enjoy looking at him. “I know you don’t think this is ideal, but it’s not your call to make. Take it up with Dutch.”

You strapped a rifle to your horse and grabbed its reins from the hitching post, leading the dark, glossy stallion over by where the boys were finishing up. 

“Marston,” you called, all traces of light hearted fun were gone from your tone, completely dulled and sullen from the loss of excitement. “I’m with you.”

-

Arthur rode with Dutch nearly the whole time.

You were on the caboose end of the cavalcade, and watched them talk up ahead. There was no doubt in your mind it concerned you, because that’s why Arthur is so high strung, so angry about this job. 

Javier gave you the run-down on the first few minutes of the ride. It’s a quick job, and shouldn’t get drawn any attention from the neighboring towns. Essentially, there’s a procession of carriages coming from the north and heading south east, and most of the folk traveling are fairly wealthy. The kicker is, all the valuables from each person are said to be stowed on a ‘safe cart’ in the middle of the procession. You’re not sure how they figure that, but you know Dutch has incredible sources. Using the team assembled, you’ll all have to separate the safe cart from the rest of the caravan, leading it off the trail and far enough away that it can be easily raided with no repercussions. The only downside? The safe cart is heavily guarded by several armed men and is manned by experienced drivers. 

Once Javier started getting into the logistics and details of the job, you zoned out, focusing on the conversation happening with Arthur and Dutch up ahead. You had no clue what they were saying, but the body language and facial expressions said a lot. 

Arthur likely expressed his concerns to Dutch, and thereafter, was told he need not be concerned… But Arthur was a persistent animal, he didn’t just dip his head and turn away. 

You think that Arthur may have listed a few points for Dutch to consider, and that the man did so, with the fact in the forefront of his mind that you were still on the job. 

By the time everyone reached the lookout, the two of them circled around to face the rest. 

“There’s been a change of plan,” Dutch called out, looking over every face and the horse they accommodated, and they lasted longer on you than the others. “John, you’re taking the frontside of the caravan with Javier.”

And just like that, you’d been replaced. 

“Where am I goin’ then?” You tilted your head in confusion.

“You’re with me, Red,” Arthur let out, his tone not nearly as angry as earlier. Now you gotta know what happened during that talk with Dutch.

“Yes, you and Arthur will bring up the back, makin’ sure there’s no surprises.”

You weren’t sure what to feel. Was he trying to keep you where he could see you? Did he think of himself as your babysitter? Why would he put up all that fuss just to give in as long as you rode with him?

“Alright,” you sighed out, acknowledging that bringing up the rear of the operation was still better than not coming at all. 

The rest of the plan stayed the same, and soon, everyone split off with their respective partners for this heist. 

You rode off with Arthur in silence to the waiting point, not daring to say anything until you’d been sure nobody was around to hear it. You weren’t going to rip into him about this, but you had questions. He clearly was concerned over your wellbeing if he fought so hard to make sure you wouldn’t be riding in, guns blazing, on your first job. You were just going to cover the rear, a measure of security. 

When you stopped just short of the trail, you hitched your horses, taking cover behind some bushes and trees to lay low. You turned to Arthur with a huff. 

“What the hell was that?” 

He was taken aback, but not jumpy about your outburst.

“Don’t start with this again, kid. I’m tryin’ to help you,” he crossed his arms, leaning against the tree and watching the road. It was still too early for the caravan, but he didn’t want to meet your eyeline.

“You ain’t helpin’ me, you’re holdin’ me back,” you grumbled, stepping on a small gathering of dead leaves, becoming even more enraged - for no good reason - when they didn’t crunch beneath your boot. 

“You’ll thank me one day…” he trailed, lighting a cigarette from within his pocket. You would have decked him in the face if you thought it would help. 

At first you’d been grateful to him, for seeing you no differently than the others, and even showing you the ropes to become better equipped. Now you could see it was all a ruse. He underestimated you and kept telling Dutch you weren’t ready. He kept ‘training’ you to keep you busy. You weren’t falling for that shtick again. You didn’t care how pretty his eyes were, anymore. 

“Where do you get off, Morgan? The shit you’ve been putting me through these past weeks…” you scoffed, finding it amusing almost just how unbothered he seemed to be. Maybe he really was just as mean as the town’s folk say. “I’ve been able to match or best you at everything you’ve thrown at me. Maybe I should just take you out of my way.” 

He chuckled, standing upright and creeping towards you with slow steps. His eyes narrowed, and for once, you felt you knew what it was like to be prey. 

“You wanna give it a try?” he taunted, towering over you with a threatening stare. Just seeing how intimidating he could really be, you wanted to back off. Of course, you didn’t. “You really think you could take me?” 

His voice was all too quiet, all too calm. The words he spoke held such heaviness, but it didn’t show in his tone. He was teasing you, and if you gave in, he’d likely give you a humbling. You knew he’d been eyeing your hand, as if hovered closely to your gun belt… so you dropped it to your side to defuse him a little. 

“I think I could drop you where you stand.”

You were all talk, now, and he knew that… but it still boiled under his skin the way you challenged him. 

“You make quite a big to do of yourself… M’guessin’ that’s where most of your reputation came from,” he smirked, but he should know better than to taunt you about those men you shot dead.

“Before I got here I barely spoke a word to no one… I got my reputation from shootin’ folks so fast they didn’t have time to repent to God.” 

Your dead eye stare caught him. He didn’t back down, didn’t waver… he was so staunchly preserved in his way of life that he didn’t even let it show in his eyes just how much you got to him with that line. Were you threatening to send him to hell?

“Your twenty-one notches ain’t shit to me.” He’s sure that by now he’s killed hundreds, maybe thousands. Sure, most he shot in the back, but the number in which he didn’t still far surpasses your miniscule little twenty-one. 

“Then let’s make it twenty-two, yeah?” You didn’t plan on shooting it, but you drew your pistol faster than he could think, trying to put it against his chest to scare him, but his reaction time was faster than you had initially thought. He grabbed the gun from your hand before it ever neared him, and threw it into the grass behind him before shoving you down.  

“Damnit, Red! You have no clue, do you?” He stood over you angrily, looking at your frozen figure like you were an animal he was hunting. “You got a gift that none of us have. Hell, I’ve been doin’ this for sixteen years and I still ain’t as fast as you. You could be the best of us, but you’re too damn stubborn, and too damn arrogant. You’re never gonna get anywhere if you’re dead.”

You stood to your feet, staring at him silently. You didn’t have anything to say to him, and honestly, you weren’t sure what would even be okay at this point. He was still angry, but his arms were no longer tense, and he wasn’t seething through harsh breaths anymore. You turned away from him and walked to your horse, sitting back down by the base of a tree and tipping your hat over your eyes. This was going to be a long day.

-

It was approaching sundown when the caravan actually arrived. You’d been napping when Dutch and Bill first gave the signal. Arthur had been watching for it the entire time, and scoffed when he turned his head to you, finding you still fast asleep as if you had nothing to worry about. 

He took a few steps over towards your resting place, kicking your boot and startling you out of your peaceful slumber. 

“What?” you asked, annoyed. Your hat was still over your eyes, so he couldn’t see how dazed you actually were. 

“Sorry, miss… didn’t mean to disturb you,” he teased, his mood having cooled off since the hours after the fight you had. “Just thought you should be conscious during your first job.”

You huffed and stood to your feet, fixing your hat and making sure you hadn’t left anything on the ground. 

Arthur went back to the lookout position and watched through his binoculars for any signs that it was about to go down… you still weren’t one hundred percent clear on the plan, so you thought you might try and annoy him a little by reiterating it.

“So… Dutch and Bill are gonna close in on the sides, leadin’ the safe carriage away from the rest, and that’s when Javier and John stop it from the front. I got that right?” 

“You got it right,” he droned on mindlessly, trying his best to pay more attention to the small flaming signal in the distance. It’s getting closer, but until they put the fire out, there’s no need to mount your horses. 

“Then it‘s a four man job, they don’t even need us.”

“I s’pose you never heard the term ‘backup’ then, have you?” He snickered, still not even giving a glance in your direction. He was firm as stone in his resolve, and you figured it would be no use trying to entertain yourself further. 

“Didn’t take you as the ‘backup’ type…” you grumbled under your breath, mumbling some other incoherencies that he didn’t get a chance to hear. He was almost sure he saw Bill creeping over to the torch, and became positive when the light went dark. 

“Get on your horse,” he became quieter, more focused. You instantly figured it out that he was the type to zone in on his jobs, and maybe you could learn from it. If you really wanted to be his equal, you needed to learn to meet or best him in everything he thrives at. 

“You get the signal?” 

He nodded, “they’re coming down the trail, we gotta be ready to chase em’ when they come through.”

You both pulled up onto your saddles, holding the horse’s from moving too much. If your position was given away, they might derail the caravan from the trail. You reckon this many rich folk traveling in a pack oughta know someone’s gonna be stupid enough to steal from them. It’s why they have a safe carriage in the first place. 

Within a moment, you can see the caravan coming over the hill. It’s dimly lit as the sun lowers completely behind the mountains, small lanterns clinging to every vehicle on the trail. You look up to the ridge that Arthur had been scoping out all this time, and you see Dutch and Bill riding downwards in a rapid attempt to split the caravan. That’s when you spot it… the stone cold metal wagon, weighing probably more than all the horses in camp combined, and armed to the brim with men on every corner. They carry heavy repeaters, their heads on a swivel. They haven’t seen Dutch or Bill yet, but as they round the corner, they all raise their weapons, just for the sound of horse hooves. 

“Cover ‘em,” Arthur told you, grabbing his rifle off his horse’s saddle. You did the same, not hesitant to start shooting at the men in the distance. You had relatively good cover, and couldn’t really be seen, but upon seeing so much fire come from your side of the trail, they began offroading towards Dutch and Bill. 

“Do we go?” you asked, switching to your pistol as you prepared to let your horse run. 

“Not yet,” he held his hand for you to watch, leaning sideways to see around another tree. He had to make sure the rest of the caravan wasn’t following the safe cart. When he saw that most of them stopped in place, he flicked his wrist, pointing in the direction you needed to go. “Now.”

You rode quickly and out onto the trail, passing the other carriages. You could vaguely hear women crying and men yelling. They ain’t gotta be afraid for their lives, so long as they stay put. 

It wasn’t hard to catch up to the gang, as they had taken the remaining guards off on the way to stopping the carriage. There was one rogue horseman that Arthur turned and shot before he could get too close to the area, but other than that, they were able to get the damn thing stationary enough to rob. 

“John, hold him off,” Dutch commanded, watching the younger man hold his gun to the carriage driver’s skull. The man cried out for mercy, not knowing that Dutch would spare his life regardless. He was unarmed, and wasn’t standing in their way, so obviously they would let him go. The Van Der Linde’s did have a code, after all. “Arthur, you open the back.”

And so he put his gun away and strolled up to the back of the wagon with his head held high, happy this robbery went according to plan… until of course, he opened the back, and was unprepared for a heavily armed man to aim right for his chest and pull the trigger. Two guns sounded at almost the same time, but yours sounded first, and it was just quick enough to skew the aim of the dead man, and he landed a non-fatal blow to Arthur’s shoulder. Both men collapsed, but one was still alive. Twenty-Two…

“Arthur! You alright, son?” Dutch yelled, running over to check on him. You’d already knelt down by where he had fallen back to, trying to sit up, but failing because of the pain. You immediately put pressure on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding on your own accord. You ripped the bandana from your neck and tried tying it up, but it was just barely long enough to go around his entire shoulder and underarm. 

“M’fine, s’just a minor shot, it went through.”

“Brooks, you oughta take him back to camp, see if any of the girls know how to patch him up,” he gave you direct orders, and you nodded, helping a moaning and groaning Arthur to his feet. 

“How’d we make out?” Arthur asked, looking into the open wagon, where Bill and Javier seemed to be rolling in money.

“Pretty damn good,” Dutch replied, giving a pat to your shoulder, since Arthur’s is in disarray. “And Brooks?” 

You looked over your shoulder at him, a hopeful look on your face, longing for the approval of someone besides yourself for once. “Yeah?”

“You did good.”

And there it was, the signed seal of approval from none other than Dutch Van Der Linde himself. 

You and Arthur remained pretty silent on the ride back to camp, mostly because he was in a shocking amount of pain and distress, but he did his best to hold it in.

You hitched and unsaddled his horse for him, doing the same with yours before following him into camp. He made way for one of the ladies, maybe Abigail if Jack was asleep already, or Karen if she wasn’t busy workin’ some of the town men. 

“Hey,” you recognized what he was doing, so you pulled him by the opposite arm in the direction of his tent. “I’ll do it.”

His living area was just wide open space in the trees, unlike yours, however, he got quite a bit more elbow room than you did. Perks of seniority

“You don’t have to-”

“I’m tryna apologize, you should let me.”

He laughed a little, a soft smile on his lips.

“What’re you apologizing for?” He asked, sitting down into his cot as you rummaged through the supplies he had on hand. Maybe not the best stuff around, but to stitch him up and wrap it after, it was fine. He’d survive. 

“Bein’ an ass, and taunting you when I know you could snap my neck in one hand.” You were flat in your tone, too focused on threading a needle to put any effort behind your words. 

“I’d never,” he said, laughing a little. He seemed to be in a cheerful mood for just having been shot. 

“You might,” you tied the thread off and bit the end to break it from the spool. Very hygienic, you know, but you didn’t find a pair of scissors. “You’ve only just barely reached the surface for just how obnoxious I can be.”

“Oh have I now?” 

“Mhm…”

You pulled at his shirt collar, opening just a few more buttons until it could pull back over his arm. He didn’t stop you, or even wince, just sat back and waited for the sting of a needle.

“This ain’t gonna tickle,” you braced him, but as soon as you started digging into his skin, making the actual stitches, he was surprised. You were pretty good at this… the reasoning behind it was probably just another one of your many secrets, he’s sure.

“S’not so bad, actually. You do this a lot?” 

“Not anymore… but I was a little rich girl, remember? Did embroidery and needlepoint since I was a little kid. I kind of miss it, actually.” 

“A gunslinger misses doin’ needlepoint?” he chuckled, feeling the hole in his skin being patched back together. Now you just gotta do the other side. 

“Well sure,” you furrowed your brows, leaning forward to bite the thread again and pull his body so you could see the exit wound. “I used to sit on the porch of my house and do it with my mama.”

He felt sorrowful all of a sudden. “Were you uh… close with your mother?”

You nodded, not speaking in fears you’d tear up, or your voice would crack. The way you both were sitting, he couldn’t see the direct look on your face, but he understood it was probably a sensitive subject. 

Oh to think, what a life you may have led if you were not born a girl. You missed your mother, and your old friends from school. You missed being able to do needlepoint, and other more feminine activities. 

“You know what I hate most about this life?” you uttered, your voice shallow, but you didn’t seem to care all that much anymore. He seemed to take a genuine interest in your problems, and your personal feelings. It was more than you could say about most men. “I haven’t worn a dress in four years… and I really love dresses.”

This wasn’t the meltdown you saw yourself having in front of Arthur, but he didn’t mind it. He placed his opposite hand on your shoulder as you bit off the last thread to seal his wounds. 

“How about this… someday, when you’ve told everyone that you’re- y’know…” he trailed, nodding his head around for emphasis. “I’ll buy you a dress in town. Whichever one you want.”

You couldn’t help but smile. In the span of one day, you’d gone through nearly every emotion you possibly could with this man, but in the end, your resolve had again been weakened, and you found yourself falling into his crystal eyes once more. 

“Thank you, Arthur… You’re a kind man, you know?” 

He shook his head. “Not so kind to most.”

You knew not to argue with him, as you were learning, he was very self deprecating, and there was no changing his mind. You took a leap, unsure of what might come of it, but you wanted to show your gratuity some other way. 

You quickly leaned forward, kissing his cheek ever so softly, almost as if it didn’t even happen. When you sat back, his eyes were a bit wider, and his brows were raised. He seemed to be frozen in surprise, and words failed him. You didn’t want him to possibly find words that could hurt, so you stood up to leave, calling after him whilst walking away. 

“Goodnight, Arthur.”

And that would have been good enough, but your heart skipped a beat when your sentiment was returned. 

“Night, Red.”

-

tags are open: @dontworryboutitokie @formula1mount

[idontplaytrack]

Prompt idea- Regina tells everyone at the party she is in love with Janis when she is drunk and she publicly apologizes to Janis but she is with Aaron and he is a dick about it. Janis defends Regina.

The One That Got Away

Regina George x Aaron Samuels(ft. Janis + Damian, Gretchen and Karen)

Warnings: alcohol consumption, coarse language, angst

Regina drunkenly admits that Janis is the one that got away. Aaron’s not happy about it

They were all gathered at Regina’s for a hangout, after having not seen each other in weeks, some haven’t seen each other in months. College was great, but also incredibly busy. Now that the whole gang was on spring break, well, they could all finally take a break.

Regina was already tipsy when the rest of the bunch started to arrive, and were subsequently met with a very stressed out Aaron. “Dear Lord, you didn’t want to wait for us before you got started?” Damian grumbled.

“My house. My rules.” Regina laughs. Damian squints at her, then at Aaron, “Man, good luck dealing with that tonight.”

“You guys will be here awhile.” He lets out a laugh, “So…I won’t have to worry about that for a few hours.”

The bunch started off their night with card games, then board games, then puzzles. All of them gradually started losing focus from the games and started getting absolutely wasted. The puzzle pieces were soon abandoned, and chatter filled the spacious room.

“Guys, remember when I made fun of Janis?” Regina asks aloud, causing all of them to just collectively fall silent.

“Babe, what— I don’t think you should be bringing that up right now.” Aaron chimed in.

“Why not?” The blonde asks, “I want…to apologise.”

“Regina.” Aaron sighs, fighting back an eye-roll. Janis notices that immediately, glaring at him very not-subtly. “No, let her talk.” Janis spoke up, “Why shouldn’t she bring that up? She has a good reason to.”

“It’s old news.”

“Well, it happened. And not to you, so I think you should shut the fuck up and—”

Regina cracked a smile hearing the profanity, Gretchen and Karen looked at them, worried. Damian was simply enjoying the building chaos but also— worried a little about Janis spiralling afterwards. Gretchen quietly took away Janis' bottle of beer, and thankfully she didn't notice. "It was a fucked up thing to do, regardless of the reason why. I never should've done that, I never should've made things hell for you and lost you as a friend as a result. It sucked, having to figure out who I was while I envied you being so unapologetically yourself. Pushing you away the way I did was no help to either of us. I wish we could turn back the clock and I would've never done any of that. Things would've been so different. You truly are the one that got away. I'm sorry, Janis."

"Seems very sober of her to me." Damian remarked.

"She's drunk off her ass." Aaron scoffs.

Janis huffs, "And what? That doesn't mean she can't speak. 'A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.'"

"Whatever, I'm out. Good night."

"Don't need you here if you're gonna be a dick about an apology to someone I care about, Aaron. Scram." Regina added on. With that, he got up from the floor and left slamming the front door.

Janis pondered over the girl's words before saying, "Thanks for holding yourself accountable. I'm sorry for lighting your backpack on fire. I just felt so betrayed having the person closest to me at that point in my life make fun of me with the whole school. I had no one for a long time, even though I had Damian. i did not like that change...I missed us. Our friendship, what we used to do, how much time we used to spend playing and laughing together. All of that— gone."

"Please, that backpack was ugly." Regina laughs, "Actually I should be thanking you for lighting that tacky backpack on fire."

Janis sighs, then chuckles.

"We're good?"

"We're good." Janis confirms. Regina opened up her arms, approaching the brunette. Janis, though taken aback, still stood up and accepted the long awaited hug. "Thank you for hearing me out, Jay."

"It's what we should have done in the first place. We're moving on to a new chapter of our lives soon...I'm just glad that one's finally closed." Janis swallows her tears, "Maybe you should go look for Aaron—"

"I'll talk to him in the morning. He was being a fucking dick about this whole thing, he can wait. I'm just glad I have you back in my life without all the tension."

Janis allowed herself to smile, though hiding it— poorly. Regina nudged her playfully, "Sit down. Gretchen took your drink."

Janis sulked as she plopped back down into her spot on the floor, "Gretch. My drink."

"I don't think you should drink anymore tonight, Janis." Gretchen frowns, studying her face carefully.

"I'm fine, this is worth a drink, right?" Janis looks at her.

"I guess?" Gretchen squints, shrugging, "Alright, here you go. Slow down."

Janis grins, reaching out to grab her half-empty bottle of Kona beer. "Thanks."

Gretchen couldn't help but smile seeing Janis being so...smiley. "Cheers."

🏷️ Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartnstuffs @pda128

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Midnight | Chapter 23 | S.R

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

A/N - the last part of this chapter is mostly taken from the first chapter with some additions. We’ve come full circle now! Things speed up a little now. Summary - Luke and the rest of the BAU make strides in their investigation. Meanwhile, Spencer’s paranoia reaches fever pitch and he makes a decision for your future which could lead to your inevitable capture.

Pairing - unsub! Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - dark angst | smut | very eventual happy ending

Warnings - paranoid Spencer, mentions of past child abuse, pregnancy, Spencer giving up, swearing, guns, explosions.

WC - 5.3k

Chapter 23 - Catch Me if You Can

It was two weeks after arriving home from New York that things started to fall into place. 

Luke had convinced Emily to sign off on the request for extra security footage from Caesars Palace which had enabled him to track Spencer leaving the hotel room and into the parking garage which gave him a car licence plate of a Chevy Impala for which they’d had an APB out on ever since.

Luke had also discovered, through trawling police databases, two more bodies with similar MO’s to Green, Smith and Carlisle. Again it didn’t mean they were connected but it was certainly a pattern. Mary Dalton’s body had still not been found. 

But the strangest part had happened this morning when Luke walked into the round table room to find the rest of the team already there, a photograph of a middle aged man on the big screen and case files littering the table. 

JJ, Garcia, Emily and Rossi exchanged looks and seemed to be communicating between themselves without the use of words while Matt, Tara and now Luke himself looked on like the outsiders. 

“Uh, what’s going on?” Luke sidled up to a free chair but didn’t sit down, instead he gripped the back of it while his eyes flicked between the four veteran agents. 

“This man went missing two weeks ago. He left work on a Friday and was never seen again.” Emily pointed at the screen, her tone was a combination of frustration and dread. 

“Until this morning.” Rossi added. “Some campers stumbled upon his body in the Mojave National Preserve in California.” 

“He was stabbed forty three times.” JJ added, her brows pinched together. 

“Do we have other bodies matching the MO? Surely we haven’t been called in for a single homicide?” Luke frowned, still looking between the four of them. 

“We haven’t been called in at all.” Emily spoke again. 

“Ok, someone needs to fill us in because there is clearly something you guys aren’t saying.” Tara vocalised before Luke had a chance. 

Again the four of them exchanged looks, clearly trying to discern who would be the one to speak. Luke’s grip on the chair tightened, he knew whatever they said wasn’t going to be good. 

“It’s less about the what and more about the who.” Rossi ran his hand over his greying facial hair. 

Luke, Tara and Matt remained silent. 

“This,” Emily pointed at the screen again. “This is William Reid.” 

Luke’s eyes bulged a little, focusing on the photograph of the older man. There was something familiar about him, something in the eyes that Luke recognised distantly. And now he knew why. 

“William Reid.” He croaked, his mouth suddenly dry. “As in…?”

“Spencer’s father.” Emily nodded. 

“You think Reid killed his own dad?” Matt shook his head. “No, I don’t buy that.” 

“William went missing the weekend Spencer and Y/N were in Nevada.” Garcia rolled her lip between her teeth. 

“That has to be a coincidence. Why would he kill his father?” Tara sounded just as disbelieving as Matt. 

Luke stayed silent, unable to form any words that would be helpful in this situation. JJ let out a shaky breath, stepping slightly closer to the table. Her eyes were downturned, she looked to be fighting some kind of internal battle. 

“God I’d hoped I’d never have to repeat this.” She sniffed. “Years ago he confided in me. His father…he, uh, he sexually abused Spence. Probably other kids too. He told me once while he was high and I’m not even sure he remembers telling me. But I never forgot.”  

Luke, Tara and Matt turned to her with wide eyes and slack jaws. Judging by the lack of surprise on the faces of the other agents, she’d already imparted this piece of information on them. 

“Seriously?” Matt’s eyebrows were knitted deeply together. 

“Yeah, I wish it wasn’t true, trust me.” JJ swallowed, pouting her bottom lip. 

“Does this get us any closer to finding them?” Luke tried to stay on track and not get dragged into thoughts of a young Spencer suffering at the hands of his father. 

“This doesn't, no.” Emily shook her head. Luke sensed there was more. 

“But…?” He goaded someone to speak. 

“Garcia has finally found where they brought the Impala. It was a small used car lot in Cedar Rapids. Reid used a licence with the name Samuel Truman which we have attributed to multiple motel check ins across the country.” Rossi spoke. 

“It’s not yet pointed to where they are, but we’re getting closer.” Garcia looked at him with the most kindness she’d ever directed towards him. “We will find them, Alvez.” 

Luke felt a pit forming in his stomach. This was the closest they’d been to finding you and Spencer and he should be positive. But he had a sinking feeling that no matter how many leads they found it would never be enough. 

Maybe he’d never be able to free you from Spencer and it probably made him a fool for still trying. But he had to try and stay focused, and had to believe their break in the case would come. If he succumbed to the negative thoughts that were trying to consume him, he may never make it back. 

And he had to do this for you. 

***

Spencer had been on edge since you’d been to Vegas. His paranoia was getting the better of him, eating him away from the inside out. 

He was absolutely certain the BAU were involved in Jesse’s reappearance and he’d spent the last few weeks trying to piece together all the ways this could blow up in both of your faces. 

He kept detailed lists of all the ways the BAU could find you, any innocuous piece of information which could give you away. He barely left the house and when he did he was constantly looking over his shoulder. The Impala had been parked in the garage since Vegas in case it could be used to track the two of you down. 

He’d been anxious to say the least. He jumped when he heard the mailman, dashed to the window every time a car drove by the house. He wasn’t sleeping, nowhere near as much as he should anyway. You were starting to worry that he was devolving. And it hit a fever pitch nearly three weeks after your return from Vegas. 

You’d grown used to being alone in bed when you woke in the morning, usually finding Spencer in the living room staring at the front door with the SIG in his hand. This morning the living room was empty, as was the kitchen. And then you noticed the garage door was open. 

Padding inside in confusion, you found him slinging a suitcase into the trunk of the Impala. You folded your arms over your chest, a frown embedded deep in your forehead as you watched him close the trunk and turn to face you. 

“Oh good you’re awake.” He nodded at you, seemingly ignoring your confusion. “Get dressed, we need to leave.” 

“Leave? Where are we going?” Your frown only deepened.

“I have no idea. But we have to go. The BAU will find us if we stay still for too long.” He picked another bag up off the ground and opened the back door of the car before tossing it in the back seat. 

“So you’re proposing we just keep moving? We’re never going to settle down somewhere?” 

“Not for the time being, no. Once we’ve got them off our backs we’ll make a long term plan. Once they aren’t on our tails we can look into fleeing the country. But right now we have to keep moving, yes.” He spoke as though his words were making perfect sense.

“Spencer, we don’t even know that they are on our backs. You’re being paranoid.” You unfolded your arms and tried to reason with him. 

“I’m not taking any risks.” He shook his head. “They could come storming into this house at any minute. We’re sitting ducks, Y/N. I’m not making it that easy on them. So get dressed so we can leave.” 

The last thing you wanted was to constantly be on the run, bouncing from city to city and never being able to put down roots. But of course with the things the two of you had done that was never going to be a realistic path. 

You didn’t really think the BAU were onto you but there was a small possibility Spencer was right and running would be safer than the alternative. So instead of arguing, you simply nodded before turning on your heels and heading back inside the house to dress. 

Half an hour later the two of you were in the car and heading east, no real destination in mind. You were gone like the wind. 

***

Penelope tottered as fast as humanly possible towards the round table room, huffing and puffing and making little squeaking sounds under her breath. Her heels clicked against the wooden floor in the bullpen as she hurriedly made her way through the desks.

It had been a week since the discovery of William Reid’s body and nearly three weeks since she’d put the APB out on the Chevy Impala. This morning she’d gotten a hit on the APB from a speed camera on the I-95 as the vehicle headed east from

California. The team had been working all morning on trying to ascertain where you and Spencer might be headed. 

But Garcia had found the smoking gun. 

She quickened her pace up the stairs and along the corridor, bursting into the room at the end and desperately trying to catch her breath while the rest of the team turned to look at her. She fought to calm her breathing, still making strange noises and her hands were shaking. 

“Garcia,” Emily spoke somewhat sternly. “What’s going on?” 

“The thing…” Garcia panted, waving her hand in the air. “I found the thing.” 

“What thing?” Tara frowned at the blonde. 

“The thing. The thing we’ve been waiting for.” She took a few deep breaths, leaning against the door frame. “I know where Spencer and Y/N are.” 

Six sets of eyes widened on her as she tried to calm her erratic breathing so she could fill them in on her findings. Luke slowly rose to his feet and moved closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. 

“You found them?” He forced her to look at him and she nodded frantically. 

“The car…” she began between heavy pants. “Was seen just outside of Phoenix. And Samuel Truman just checked into a motel in Cave Creek which is like…thirty miles north of Phoenix. They’re in Arizona.” 

Luke’s arms fell back to his sides and he stumbled a little on his feet. He’d been waiting for this day but he’d never truly believed it would come. He glanced back at the rest of his team who were all slowly getting to their feet. 

“We found them.” Luke croaked, still sounded unbelieving of his own words.

“Well done Garcia.” Emily smiled at the tech analyst, before turning to address the rest of her team. “Wheels up. And not in twenty, now. Spencer Reid killed his father and Mary Dalton, probably more. We find him, we most likely find the murder weapon and we can build a case from there.”

“What’s going to happen to Y/N? She’s technically an accomplice, right?” Luke looked and sounded downtrodden.

“I don’t know, Alvez.” Emily shrugged. “But right now our focus is Reid. We can worry about what will happen to Y/N later.” 

With that Emily fled the room, the team following behind until Luke was left alone. It was easy enough for her to say they’d worry about you later but he hadn’t stopped worrying about you since the day you’d left the BAU. 

But he knew capturing Spencer was the main priority. And once they did Luke would continue on his mission of protecting you to the bitter end. 

***

You stood in the grimy bathroom of a seedy bar just down the road from the motel you’d stopped at on the outskirts of Cave Creek. You stared down at the item resting on the side of the sink through teary eyes. 

Since Vegas you’d been focused solely on Spencer and his devolution, you’d been so preoccupied you’d completely forgotten the thought Jesse had put in your head. 

It wasn’t until earlier that day when Spencer had stopped for gas and you’d found yourself in the bathroom on your knees with your head in the toilet bowl that it all came flooding back. While Spencer had been busy filling up the car you quickly purchased the test and stuffed it inside your purse. 

Now you were standing over the sink staring at the positive pregnancy test. 

It hadn’t even occurred to you to take the test at the motel. You’d stayed only long enough to drop your bags and then you told Spencer you needed some air before you found the closest building with a bathroom. 

You’d already been fairly certain of what the outcome of the test would be and you needed time to gather your thoughts and feelings before you told

Spencer the news. 

How the hell was this going to work? Spencer planned to pull out every trick in the book to stay one step ahead of the BAU no matter the cost. The two of you would be on the run for the rest of your lives, how could you possibly bring a child into that life? 

You knew he deserved to know, it was his child after all. But how was this going to factor into his escape plans? How would you and this baby fit into this? It was one thing for him to be bringing you along on this but a child certainly wasn’t part of his idea. 

You picked up the test as your tears overflowed. What did this mean for your future? If you even had one. 

***

Spencer stared at his reflection in the mirror, knowing it was only a matter of time. He’d told you he planned to run, and continue doing so until the heat died down but he’d been lying to you, something he’d promised never to do again.

But the truth was Spencer hadn’t fled California in the hopes of out running the BAU, he’d been purposefully trying to draw them out. 

He knew they would have figured out what car he was driving and would have a bulletin out on it. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the Impala was caught on camera and the BAU were alerted. He also knew they would have found where he brought the car which was why he’d checked into this motel under the same name he’d purchased the car. 

The fact of the matter was, Spencer was too tired to keep this up any longer. He wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life on the run. He’d accepted his fate, he just hoped you would understand. Although he didn’t intend to be around to find out one way or another. 

If he’d told you his true intentions there was no way you would have agreed to flea Twentynine Palms. He hadn’t wanted to lie to you again but this was for the best. As long as you were smart enough to talk your way out of everything, to put all the blame on his shoulders so you could get out of this and go onto live your life then that’s all that mattered. 

Spencer Reid wasn’t afraid of death. 

He wasn’t going to allow the BAU to arrest him, certainly not. But he knew you’d never willingly leave his side and so this was the only way he could think to get you away from him.

It was his way of protecting you. He knew you’d follow him to the ends of the earth and it just wasn’t fair on you. This was his only option to save you. 

It would only be a matter of time before the BAU had this place surrounded, he imagined they were probably already on their way here now. He just had to bide his time now. It was simply a waiting game. 

Come on guys, I’m making it real easy on you. Catch me if you can. 

***

The minute the jet came to a stop on the tarmac, six bodies were already standing and heading to the doors. Two SUV’s awaited them along with a few local cop cars. 

Emily was quick to dish out the Kevlar vests which they all hurriedly secured before splitting into two teams: Luke, Tara and JJ taking one car and Emily, Rossi and Matt having the other. Before her team could jump in the vehicles she gathered them around. 

“It is imperative we tread lightly here.” She looked at each one of them individually. “We apprehend them so we can make our case against them. Spencer’s not stupid, once we have them in custody he knows it will only be a matter of time before we gather enough evidence to send him down. Hopefully he will save us the trouble and confess to everything.” 

“Stop saying them.” Luke shook his head. “I’m not going to let Y/N go down for things Reid has done.” 

“And hopefully she’ll cooperate too and tell us what we need to know. But for now Alvez, she’s just as liable as Spencer. I want them both in custody and then we can go from there.” Emily gave him a look that told Luke not to fight her on this. 

He clenched his jaw firmly and took a step backwards. 

“Fine.” He spat, knowing now wasn’t the time to get into an argument with her about this. 

“Right, let's get this show on the road.” She looked over her shoulder and gave the local cops a nod of her head as the team split apart, hopping into their separate vehicles. 

Luke got behind the wheel even though he knew he was in no state of mind to drive but he hoped it would try and focus his mind. Tara got in the backseat while JJ sat up front with Luke. As he started the engine, he was momentarily halted by JJ’s gentle touch on his tense shoulder. 

“She’s going to be ok.” JJ told him as if she knew this for a fact. But her tone paired with the look she was giving him almost made Luke believe her. 

He nodded, exhaled noisily through his nose. And then he put the car in drive and peeled away from the airstrip, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. 

***

You watched as Spencer stumbled on his feet as the realisation washed over him. His eyes were flitting between your face and your stomach for what felt like a lifetime. 

When you’d dragged yourself back to the motel armed with your news, you hadn’t expected to tell him in this way. This news was so much bigger than these crumbling four walls. But you also hadn’t expected him to be on the brink of throwing in the towel, ready to give up. You had to give him something to fight for. 

The seconds seemed like hours as he continued to look between your eyes and your belly. Long, painful seconds in which you had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. 

“Say something,” you choked on a sob, hands coming to cradle your stomach out of instinct.

Spencer opened his mouth before quickly closing it again, rolling his bottom lip briefly between his teeth before trying to find his words once more. Again, he opened and closed his mouth, the only discernible sound was a small whimper he let leave his parted lips. His hands were noticeably jittering, his thumb tapping against the side of his thigh as if the rhythm was helping calm him.

You stared at Spencer, waiting for him to speak, begging him with your eyes to say anything, anything other than just staring at you this way. You watched his eyes flit from your face to your stomach and back again several more times before they finally settled on your eyes.

“You’re…?” He croaked hoarsely. “We’re…?”

“Yes.” You nodded, using one hand to wipe the tears that were hindering your vision. “Eleven weeks.” 

He opened his mouth to speak again but this time before he could get any words out he heard something off in the distance. Judging by the way your eyes widened, you heard it too. Your tears fell heavier and Spencer turned back to the window, creeping towards it and cracking the curtains barely an inch. The pitch black desert was lit up by the unmistakable blue halos, somewhere far off but certainly heading your way. The wail of the sirens quickly grew louder as they closed in on the motel. 

“Shit.” He spat, hurriedly pulling the curtains again and turning to regard you. “Shit.”

“This can’t be how it ends.” You held your stomach tighter, even more tears now breaking free. 

Spencer made quick work of crossing the room to you and placing his large hands over your smaller, delicate ones. His own eyes gave away to his fear, and if Spencer was scared you knew to be petrified. Spencer Reid was scared of nothing. 

“I won’t let it, I’ll think of something.” He closed his eyes like that might help him form a coherent thought. 

Wake up, snap out of it. Or you may well never wake up again.

His earlier conviction for his death at the hands of law enforcement had flown out the window the second you’d shared your news. He couldn’t exit this mortal coil in such a way, not now he had a child on the way. He was not leaving his child like his own father had abandoned him. There had to be a way. There just had to be.

It was funny how one simple thing could change his mind so drastically. Spencer had been sure he was ready for where this was heading, ready to stop running, to stop fighting the inevitable. He didn’t think anything or anyone could change his mind. But this wasn’t just about him or you anymore. There was so much more on the line. Getting caught suddenly wasn’t an option. 

The sirens grew louder and he could hear the gravel under tires as the vehicles got closer. The blue light of the flashing beacons bathed the room ominously, he could see it even behind his closed lids.

“Spencer!” You cried, jiggling up and down. “Spencer, do something!” 

His eyes shot open and landed on the timepiece hanging on the wall. As he watched the clock roll to midnight, Spencer knew whatever he did next he had to be sure of. If he wasn’t then the three of you might not make it out of this alive. In a perfect world, you would all get away, but as long as Spencer could secure your safety then he would have to be ok with that. As long as you lived to bring their child into the world he could worry about everything else later. 

But he had to do everything in his power for all three of you to make it out of this. 

“Spencer!” You screamed as the sirens reached fever pitch, tires screeching on the asphalt outside as multiple vehicles came to abrupt stops outside the window. 

The blue light completely encompassed the room, glowing harshly against your skin. Car doors started to slam closed and heavy footsteps on the gravelly parking lot got closer. He was sure he could hear weapons being drawn, sharp intakes of breath as the people outside his room took aim. 

“Spencer Reid, we know you’re in there.” A voice sounded over a megaphone, causing you to gasp in recognition. “Spencer, we just want to help you, please?”

Emily Prentiss’ tone was stern yet held the sadness of chasing one of her own. You looked petrified and that was only intensified when Spencer started smiling. He surprised you when he took off past you back towards the bathroom. Frowning, you quickly followed. 

“What are you doing? Spencer!” You chased after him and found him standing in the bathtub on his tiptoes and toying with a vent above the shower head. 

You watched in confusion as he made quick work of the four screws holding the vent in place before yanking it off the wall and tossing it aside. He turned back to you with a smile.

“You think I didn’t scope out an escape route?” He chuckled, holding out his hand for you which you took as you stepped into the tub. “It’s just big enough for a human body to fit through on their front. It’s a straight path, the vent on the outside is already loosened, I made sure of it. As soon as you’re out, you’re going to run. Run as fast as you fucking can and do not look back. I’ll take care of the rest.” 

“Spencer Reid! If you can hear me, you need to come out with your hands up!” Emily’s voice sounded angrier now and he knew he didn’t have much time. 

“What about you? You’ll be right behind me, right?” You grabbed his face in your hands, cloying to him like he was your only lifeline. 

“Don’t worry about me, princess.” He smiled, bowing his head to capture your lips in a chaste kiss as he placed his hand on your belly. “I need you to focus on yourself and this little one.” 

“Spencer, do not get yourself killed.” You sobbed. “We can’t do this without you.” 

“And you won’t.” He tried to insist, although he wasn’t entirely sure of that fact himself. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

He kissed you again, this time laced with slightly more passion. Then he took a step back in the tub, bent down and placed a kiss on your stomach. 

“Reid, if you don’t come out in the next sixty seconds we will breach the room.” This time it was Luke’s voice that permeated your momentary solitude. 

“Spencer, I’m scared.” You whimpered when he stood back to his full height. 

“I know. But trust me when I say, everything will be ok.” He wiped your tears once more whilst reaching behind himself with his free hand. 

When he grasped your wrist and placed his firearm in your palm, you gasped, shaking your head frantically. 

“Spence?”

“Take it, just in case.” He curled your fingers around it before ushering you towards the vent. 

He wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you from behind, closer to the vent opening. You turned your head and placed one last kiss on his lips. 

“I lo…” you choked, quickly correcting yourself. “You’re my partner in crime, Spencer Reid.” 

“And you’re mine. But I promise you I will see you sooner than you think.” He hoisted you higher and you tossed the gun up inside the vent before reaching out and grabbing the ledge. 

He knew it wasn’t a promise he could keep, you probably knew it too, but he hoped it helped in any small way. 

You pulled yourself up with Spencer’s help and wriggled onto your stomach in the small opening. When his hands left your body you suddenly felt desperately alone, wanting to immediately drop back down, fall into his arms and never let him go. 

“Go, Y/N, please. You have to go.” He encouraged you. 

“Thirty seconds, Reid! Don’t be stupid. Come out with your hands up!” Luke’s voice engulfed you both and with a small whimper you started to crawl forward down the vent, leaving half of your heart behind. 

Spencer bent down and retrieved his second weapon from its hiding place inside his boot. He only had seconds to pull off a miracle. If this went wrong he would be killed, or worse, arrested. 

Quickly stepping out of the tub and opening the cabinet beneath the sink he pulled out the large canister he’d stashed under there earlier in the day. It had been his back plan of sorts, if for whatever reason he changed his mind and decided to fight this. And now he was glad he’d had the forethought. This could quite literally blow up in his face. But he had to try, for the sake of his unborn baby. 

“Twenty seconds!” Luke yelled again but Spencer wasn’t perturbed. 

Taking a deep breath he uncapped the bottle and rushed back into the bedroom where he poured two thirds of it onto the strategic pile of clothes he’d left on the floor next to the bed. He walked backwards towards the bathroom, drizzling a trail from the clothes to the bathroom door. 

“Ten seconds!” Luke called once again. 

Spencer dropped the now empty container on the floor and stepped back inside the tub. He manoeuvred under the shower head and clambered up onto the lip of the tub, only just able to grip the edge of the vent opening. 

His hand shook a little as he pointed his gun over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes on his target. One false move and it would all be over. He had one shot to get this right or he would never have the chance to meet his child. 

He curled his finger around the trigger at the exact moment he heard the front door come crashing down and a flurry of law enforcement breach the motel. He took aim, he tightened his grip on the gun. 

He swore as he pulled that trigger whilst desperately trying to pull himself to safety he saw Luke step over the threshhold of the bathroom, seconds before Spencer disappeared for good.

He left his old friend with a smile. A smile that conveyed he had won again. And then the explosion rang out in the small room, wracking the walls as the gas was ignited by the bullet propelled from the chamber. 

Spencer forced himself down the vent as the heat from the rapidly growing fire started to fill the room accompanied by the sound of screams. 

He’d pulled out every trick in his arsenal to make this last escape. He didn’t regret a moment of it, not a single one since starting this crusade. Because everything he’d done had led him to you and your future child. 

The BAU never stood a chance. And his last thought and he pulled himself to freedom was, you’ll never catch us, mother fuckers. 

Feeling you closing in,

Brushing against my skin.

Make you betray your eyes

When I hide in plain sight,

That's just the way I win.

I paved my path,

Somewhere hard to follow.

Outplayed, outclassed,

I said…

Catch me if you can,

I'm gone just like the wind now.

'Cause once I plant my feet,

Taking the lead,

Better believe,

You never had a chance, no.

So catch me if you can.

I pull out every trick,

I don't regret a thing, no.

You're runnin' after me,

Chasing apologies.

When you can't get a grip.

I paved my path,

Somewhere hard to follow.

Outplayed, outclassed,

I said…

Catch me if you can,

I'm gone just like the wind now.

'Cause once I plant my feet,

Taking the lead,

Better believe,

You never had a chance, no.

So catch me if you can,

I only feel at home when I'm on the run,

I only open doors just to pick the locks.

Too busy throwing stones at your fragile thoughts,

I paved my path,

Outplayed, outclassed.

Catch me if you can,

(I'm gone just like the wind now).

'Cause once I plant my feet,

Taking the lead,

Better believe,

You never had a chance, no, hah.

So catch me if you can.

So catch me if you can,

Woo!

'Cause once I plant my feet,

Taking the lead,

Better believe,

You never had a chance, no.

So catch me if you can.

So catch me if you can.

@bubblebuttewade @jay-2s-world @daddy-dotcom @nomajdetective @rebelliousstories

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 19

Previous chapter | Next chapter (coming out on Friday)

Masterlist

"Congratulations, Maria Grazia. That was beautiful" Mason said.

"Thank you, thank you" she smiled. "Will I be seeing you at tonight's party?"

"I would not miss it for anything in the world."

"Perfect. Now go find Adele and tell her to stop taking photos. Her job is done, she deserves to enjoy some time with her boyfriend."

"I will. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mason" she said, giving him one last hug before moving to talk with other guests.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"That's enough, Adele. Time for you to be in front of the camera."

"I don't like to be in front of the camera, Rianne."

"You do if it is me the one behind it, tho."

"Mason?" Adele said, slowly turning around.

"Hello, gorgeous" he smiled, his dimple showing.

"He's called her gorgeous. I want a guy to call me that too" one of the other models said behind them.

"What are you doing here?" Adele asked.

"Maria Grazia asked me to come find you to tell you that your job is done and that it is time to enjoy your boyfriend." 

"Addie, if you aren't going to enjoy him, I will" another model said, making everyone laugh.

"You heard her" Mason said. "So put down that camera and let's go have lunch somewhere nice."

"But I…"

"You nothing, Adele" Rianne said. "You are going on a date with your boyfriend. But before that, he is going to take a proper photo of all of us together. The selfies from yesterday don't count."

"Oh my God, a photo taken by Mason Mount!" one of the girls said.

"Look at how excited they are. You can't say no to them" he said, trying really hard not to smile.

"Ok, fine" Adele sighed. "But just one."

"Or two, or three" Rianne smirked, quoting what she had told her the day before and making her laugh once again.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Thank you."

"What for?" Mason asked.

"For this. The picnic, the time alone, being away from all the noise… I really needed it after all the chaos from the past few days."

"Anything for you" Mason said, kissing Adele's forehead. 

"Can we stay here and not go back to the city?" 

"We have a party to attend tonight."

"I know. But this place is perfect." 

After the Dior show, they had taken a car and driven outside Paris, a picnic already set and waiting for them in the garden of an old château. Mason had thought about it all beforehand, somehow managing to rent the place just for them.

"It is perfect, isn't it? I came here to shoot an editorial a few months ago and I knew I had to come back and bring you with me."

"Then why do we have to leave?"

"Because if we don't attend that party, Maria Grazia will be very disappointed and Rianne will kill us."

"That's true" Adele chuckled.

"But we'll come back once fashion week is over."

"What?"

"Fancy a whole week here just the two of us?" he smiled.

"I would love that, Mase!" she said, throwing herself at him and hugging him.

"Then it is settled" he laughed. "On one of the nights I think we should dress as a prince and princess and have an over the top dinner. What do you think?"

"That would be amazing! Can I wear a crown too?"

"Whatever the lady wishes."

"Thank you, my prince" Adele giggled. "I love you."

"I love you too" Mason said before kissing her.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"There they are, the hottest couple in Paris!" Rianne said when Mason and Adele walked into the Dior party. 

"Told you we should have stayed at the château. People weren't yelling at me there" Adele said.

"I wasn't yelling at you. I was yelling about you" Rianne corrected her. "And a château, uh? Well done, Mount."

"Thank you" he smiled. 

"What did you do? Something naughty?" 

"You were right. She is Jourdan but with ginger hair" he laughed.

"Told you" Adele shrugged.

"Jourdan? Who is that?"

"Addie will tell you all about her while I go say hello to some old friends. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Perfect. I love you" Mason said, giving her a quick peck.

"Love you too."

"Urgh, you two are so… perfect" Rianne said.

"Jealous?" Adele said, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, jealous of him. I also want a beautiful and talented girlfriend who looks at me with heart eyes."

"What?" she laughed.

"You are so in love with him it is almost sickening, Adele."

"I… let's go get us some drinks" she said, linking her arm with hers and trying to ignore how hot her cheeks felt. 

“Can I ask you something?” Rianne asked her once they had their drinks and had found a quiet corner to sit down. 

“Of course” Adele said.

“I noticed it yesterday but I didn't want to say anything because we had just met. But now I feel like we already are like sisters from another mister, and that I can ask you about this.”

“Ok” she chuckled.

“Adele… You aren't pregnant, are you?”

“What?” she said, almost choking with her drink.

“I mean, you are drinking alcohol, and last night you did the same. Pregnant women don't do that. And I've been checking you out, and there is no sign of a bump. Either those jeans are amazing, or…”

“I'm not pregnant” she sighed. 

“Wait, really?”

“Yep” Adele nodded.

“Then why is the press and everyone online talking about it? Just this morning I saw an article with some new paparazzi photos that mentioned it.”

“Mason's agency.”

“Oh… Of course. I had forgotten he is with them.”

“Them?”

“They don't have the best reputation, you know? And especially Erin, the big boss. I still haven't heard of anyone who has been with them and has something good to say about her or the way they treat their clients. Myself included.”

“You also worked with them?” 

“I did” Rianne said. “They were my first agency, the one I had when I started modeling.”

“What did they do to you? If you don't mind me asking, of course.”

“I don't mind, don't worry” she smiled. “They basically made me lie about my personal life like it's happening to you and Mason. After I signed with them, I started dating a male model and we became some kind of it couple because he was already known in the business. Then we broke up, I started dating a girl, and they didn't like it.”

“What?” 

“They told me that dating a girl would not benefit my career, and asked me to either break up with her or keep it private. They even suggested that they could ask one of their male models to be seen with me so people would think we were together.”

“No!” Adele gasped, a couple of guests looking their way. 

“Disgusting, I know.”

“What did you do?”

“My girlfriend told me to send to hell, to end the contract. But I didn't know how, and there was a part of me that kept telling me that I couldn't do something like that. After all, I had a career and was where I was thanks to them.”

“They may suck when it comes to their clients personal lives, but they are really good at getting them the best contracts.”

“Exactly” Rianne said. 

“Then how did you end up changing agencies?” Adele asked her.

“I had become good friends with a designer who happened to be named creative director of one of the big brands. Can't tell you which one, tho” she winked, touching the little logo on her shirt. “During the party he threw to celebrate the good news he told me that he wanted to make me his muse, to even give me a beauty contract with the brand. I was obviously ecstatic, you probably know those are the contracts that pay the bills.”

“I do, yeah.”

“Well, while we were talking about it he mentioned setting up a meeting with my agency, and my happy face dropped. He asked me what was going on, and when I told him he had the same reaction you did and said he would take care of it. He made some phone calls, and a few weeks later I had a contract with a new agency.”

“Just like that?”

“Between him, my new agency and myself we had to pay the six months I had left of my old contract, but yeah. So maybe Mason can do the same. Your families definitely have the contacts to do it.”

“I guess, yes” Adele said, biting her lower lip. Her mother and Toni knew basically everyone in the industry, and his dad had deals with really good lawyers. The problem was, the video and the photos. They could still release them as some kind of revenge. “You said you haven't heard good comments about Mason's agency, right? That they have a bad reputation.”

“They do.”

“Do you think… Would people be brave enough to talk about it? To like… make a joint statement against them?”

“Maybe” Rianne said. “But why? What is that pretty head of yours planning?”

“I can't tell you yet, but I promise I'll keep you updated.” 

She had to talk about the idea she had had first with Mason and then with Toni, and anyone could hear them in that party and go tell his agency. But if her plan worked, there would be no more blackmail, no more shame. If it worked, Mason would finally be free.

[multishipperofgaydeadwizards]

"I've never done this before," says Dorcas.

Barty chuckles and shakes his head. "C'mon, it'll be fine, 'cass. Don't you trust me?"

Dorcas ponders. Does she? Of course, she trusts Barty... perhaps a bit more than she should.

She eyes Barty suspiciously. This is dumb. Very dumb. Maybe even the dumbest idea Barty has ever had—which means a lot. He only ever has dumb ideas, after all.

"...okay," sighs Dorcas, "I'll do it—but if you end up with a bad infection, it's not my fault."

Barty nods and gives Dorcas one of his famous grins. It looks a little sumber than usual since he is missing one of his front teeth. Dorcas told him about the tooth fairy when it fell out. In return, she got a weird look and a bunch of questions she'd rather not answer.

That's how Dorcas learned that purebloods have never heard of the tooth fairy. She finds it a bit pitiful that those children won't even find money under their pillow.

Slowly, Dorcas moves closer to Barty. She picks up the needle sitting on the small coffee table and puts the tip into the fire.

"I read that this sanitizes the needle," explains Dorcas at Barty's questioning look. "Even if I hate you, I'd rather not have you be all sick and whiney—you're annoying enough as it is."

The boy laughs, obviously not taking the tiniest of offense at what she's saying. Dorcas finds he never does. Barty is quick to act out, alone in his first week he'd broken three jaws, but he never acted out at Dorcas. He once screamed at Regulus, but after watching the boy flinch and cower, Barty never did it again.

Sometimes she thinks about it. How is that she can do whatever and Barty never even get's remotely mad at her?

Dorcas doesn't understand. Maybe she'll never will. Or, maybe one day she will. Surely, there must be an age where she knows everything.

But even if there is an age like that, she doesn't think she'll ever understand Barty. He must be one of those mystery's her mother always talk about. Mystery's that have no answers. The kind of stuff that's only there to give people headches and make them mad.

...now that she thinks about it, that does describe Barty. So yeah, perhaps Barty is one of those mystery's. Maybe she shouldn't question him then and just simply pierce his ear. She'll understand him eventually.

Probably.

Whatever.

[dwtdog]

slightly longer drabble for fem dnf week day 2🥳🥳

--

Dream hums as she spins her lock, a song she’d heard on the car radio that morning perpetually stuck in her head. The click of the lock as it reaches each number is in tune with the beat, and it makes her grin something crazy. 

With a final twist, the lock clicks open, and she’s able to swing the door of her locker out, stopping it just in time from hitting her friend, Nic, square in the face. Nic gives her a look, but Dream is hardly fazed- the shorter girl always has plenty of glares to go around. 

The song playing in her head comes to an end as she rifles through her backpack, pulling out the books she won’t need for the rest of the day, and hefting them up and into the locker. She takes a moment to admire it, as she always does. She’d taken care when decorating at the beginning of the year, enlisting her mom and sister to help make some cute decorations, but the star of the show is Dream’s prized collection of magazine cuttings- cheerleaders from all over the country, in all sorts of poses, decorating the entire inside of the locker door. 

She’d been collecting them for years at this point, after begging her parents for a subscription to a cheerleading magazine, and the selection she’d chosen for school had been meant to inspire her. Tricky poses and tight uniforms, all the better to motivate her own performance.

Nic snorts. Dream tilts her head, peering around the edge of her locker, to see Nic crossing her arms and giving her another sort of look. This one is less reproachful and more- knowing. Dream hates it.

“Nicole,” Dream says pleasantly, rearranging the backpack in her arms. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, don't worry about me. I can see you were having some quality time, enjoying those pictures of yours,” Nic responds, shrugging. 

Dream sighs dramatically, taking one last look at the pictures before closing the locker door. Her eyes linger on exposed stomachs and bare shoulders, so perfectly tanned. Her skin just never seems to get that way.

“You wouldn’t get it,” she says, throwing her backpack strap over her shoulder. “All you do is play basketball or whatever. We don’t even have a girls team.”

Nic just laughs, joining Dream as they head for class together. Neither of them like chemistry all that much, but it’s made more enjoyable when they sit together, heads bent over a shared desk as they exchange gossip. The teacher, a senile old man, is too absorbed in drawing meaningless molecular bonds on the board to notice. 

“I heard Jimmy has a new girlfriend,” Nic whispers as soon as they’re seated. She meets Dream’s eyes expectantly, tapping her fingers in rapid succession. “That bitch Tiffany.”

Dream smiles immediately. “Oh, I love Tiffany! Did you see her prom dress last year? The red was so perfect for her.”

“As if!” Nic says, a touch too loud. Dream elbows her in the ribs, giggling. “She stole your boyfriend!” she murmurs, voice peaking with disbelief.

“Oh, but we broke up a week ago?” Dream glances at the board, trying, for a moment, to decipher it. She gets as far as identifying a hydrogen bond before she gives up, turning her full attention back to an indigent Nic. 

Nic just shakes her head, drawing a hand down her face. “Whatever,” she mutters.

The rest of class passes as normal, when Dream starts telling Nic about her upcoming routine for the first football game of the season. She even draws out a few diagrams in the notebook she’s meant to be taking chem notes in, appreciative of Nic’s rapt attention.

When the bell rings, a shrill sound that makes Dream’s ears ache a bit, the two are quick to push their chairs back and collect their things. 

One more period, and they’re free.

Dream likes her English class, and her English teacher, but not their seating chart. The teacher had realized, after the first day, that Dream and Nic were not to be trusted to sit together, so Dream had been assigned a seat in the far back corner of the room, and Nic up at the front. 

It sours her good mood a bit to part ways, but it immediately brightens when she notices a girl in the seat that’d been empty for the first few weeks of year. She’s got dark hair and pale skin, and a pouty look on her face where she’s slumped at the desk.

“I like your shirt,” Dream says when she’s close, hovering in front of the girls desk and looking down at her with wide eyes. 

She glances down, as if reminding herself of what the aforementioned shirt is, before meeting Dream’s gaze with dark eyes. “Thanks,” she smiles, a small thing, and Dream’s heart beats harder for a moment. She loves making friends! “I cut it myself.” She sits up slightly, revealing that the shirt is indeed cropped, falling to just above her belly button. 

“That’s so cool,” Dream gushes, glancing disparagingly down at her own outfit. “I tried that once, but it came out all- weird. Like I didn’t cut it right. Maybe I need to try it again,” she smiles, finally moving to sit at her own desk but keeping her body fully facing the other girl. “What’s your name, by the way? I’m Dream.”

“Dream,” the girl says, her lips moving fully with each letter. “I like that. I’m George.”

It sends a little thrill down Dream’s spine, to see the way George tilts her dead defiantly, as if expecting Dream to push back against her name, or question it. Instead, she says-

“George, George, George,” drawing out the vowels like George had done for her name. It tastes like candy on her lips, addictive. “So cool. Are you new here?”

And that kicks off their conversation. They spend the entirety of English talking and talking, cursory glances to make sure they haven’t been caught the only attention they pay to the material. 

Dream learns that George is from London, that her family had only just moved and she’d had to start late. That she thinks Florida is nice, due to all the sun, and that she likes cats a whole lot. In turn, Dream tells her about her large family, her best friend Nic, and the cheerleading team. 

“Do you like cheerleading?” Dream asks tentatively, tapping her pencil against her thigh. “It’s okay if you don’t obviously, but I kind of talk about it a lot, so, sorry if you don’t.”

“I- I don’t really know?” George says, and Dream notices that her eyes are following the motion of the pencil. “We didn’t really have it at my old school.”

Dream gasps, affronted. “That’s terrible! You have to come to our practice tonight. We’re going through our whole routine, it’ll be like- like a little introduction! Just for you,” she beams, happy butterflies filling her stomach at the thought of George watching her perform. 

“Okay,” George says immediately, smiling right back. It’s at that moment, of course, that the bell rings again. Dream glances at the clock, surprised. It had felt like no time at all, but class really is over. George stands, the skin of her stomach shifting as she does. “See you there, then?”

Dream nods, jumping up from her own seat. “On the field! In an hour,” she adds, scribbling it down on a piece of paper to pass to George, along with the number of her Blackberry. “Text me if you get lost.”

George takes the paper when Dream offers it, their hands brushing in the process. George feels cold, and for a small moment, Dream is half tempted to offer up her jacket. But the moment passes, George tucking the paper into a pocket of hr dark jeans, waving over her shoulder as she leaves. 

Dream doesn’t even notice that she’s been rooted in the same spot, staring, until Nic appears at her side, flicking her shoulder. “Uh, Earth to Dream. Don’t you need to get ready for practice?”

--

George comes to practice that day, and the day after that, and every practice for the rest of the football season. She comes to all the games too, sitting in the same spot on the bleachers every time- the spot with the best consistent view of the cheer team. 

Dream always waves during practice, as many times as she can. It’s harder during games, with her mind entirely focused on the routine and everything she needs to do, but she always looks George’s way, and meets her after each and every game.

George doesn’t have a car- Dream is happy to drive her home. She only accepts half of the time, often citing that she enjoys the fresh air of walking home. Dream does her best to hide it, but George sees the way her face falls when she refuses

Tonight, after the final football game of the season, George accepts happily. It’s a chilly night in December, and she’s only wearing a jacket- Dream’s. It’s bright green, entirely outside of George’s usual range of colors but- it’s Dream’s.

Dream, the delightful idiot who still hasn’t realized she’s totally crushing on George.

It would be fun to watch, if George hadn’t fallen hopelessly in love with the other girl from the moment of their first meeting. Love is probably too strong a word, but she quite likes it. She spends way too much time just turning it over and over in her mind, Dream and love and love and Dream. 

Dream is fighting with the lock across from George as she stands, shivering, outside the passenger door. George doesn’t know how Dream isn’t cold- she’s still got her cheerleading outfit on, their school colors gaudy against her tanned skin, freckles spilling down her bare shoulders. George wants to touch.

Finally, the locks click open, and George is able to open her door, to slide into the roomy seats of Dream’s car. It’s not a particularly nice car, but George loves it because it smells like Dream. 

It also smells and looks a bit like George, a pair of George’s shoes stashed in the back seat, an empty can of her favorite soda left in the cupholder. George and Dream, Dream and George. As it should be.

Dream is smiling when George looks up, her green eyes bright with adrenaline. She’s told George a million times how much fun she has performing her cheer routines, how good she feels when they go off without a hitch. And tonight had been spectacular, even by George’s untrained eye- or, she supposes, her recently trained eye. An entire season of going to games to watch the pretty cheerleader you have a crush on will give you a good idea of the sport. 

“You did good,” George says, flinging her feet up on the dash. “The whole squad did. Everyone around me was super into it.”

Dream touches George’s shoulder for a moment, an excited little motion. She waves her hands as she explains, the car sitting idle as they talk late into the night, as the parking lot empties around them.

George is more than happy to watch her in all her excitement, the way she picks through every motion of the routine, every place she could have done better, every improvement the other girls had made. She’s critical, but encouraging. Sweet, but smart, and George can’t seem to look away from her plush lips. 

“Oh,” she says, after recounting the end of the game, when they’d rushed the field to celebrate. “Jimmy talked to me on the field.”

George wrinkles her nose. “What did he want?”

“He asked if I’d want to go out with him again. He said it just seemed right, since they’d just won,” Dream is growing slightly, and George hates it. Stupid Jimmy and his stupid ideas.

“And?” George prompts, swallowing back the pit of jealousy crawling up her throat, bitter. 

“I told him I was over him,” Dream says, the smile returning to her face, although it’s lost some of its luster. “That he and Tiffany are good for each other.”

“And you meant it?” George asks before she can stop herself, biting her lip as soon as the words have left her mouth. 

Dream’s eyebrows draw together, and her lips twist as she thinks. “I did, yeah,” she says at last. “I mean, obviously. I never really liked him that much. But why’d you ask?”

“Because he’s- y’know- the football star. Hottest guy in school,” she says the last part with a touch too much of the irony that dogs her words anytime she tries to talk about guys like the other girls do. “All the girls love him,” she tacks on, hoping to hide her stumble.

But Dream only meets her eyes with an oddly knowing gaze. But she ruins it when she says- “Well all the other girls haven’t had to kiss him. It’s like making out with a dog, all slobbery.”

“You’ve made out with a dog?” George asks, faux indignation punctuated by a dramatic raise of her hands to clutch at her heart. “That explains everything.”

“Ew- god no, shut up George, oh my god,” Dream stumbles, giggling. “It was a metaphor. Maybe if you paid any attention in English you’d get it.”

But George is already laughing, chest shaking with it. She has to bring her legs down to rest on the floor, doubling over as Dream continues to protest. They both quiet down after a long few moments, and George sits up to see Dream staring right at her, eyes wide. 

“What- Is there something on my face?” George asks, yanking down the mirror to check. 

“No, no,” Dream says, voice oddly pitched up. “It's just uh- you have a really nice laugh, George.”

George feels the blood flow to her cheeks, heating her face in an instant. “Oh, uh, thanks Dream. You too,” and now it’s her turn to stumble over the words, her eyes darting anywhere but Dream’s face.

“And you have nice hands,” Dream continues, like a dam has been opened. “Like, look, okay, hold yours up.” And Dream holds up a hand between them, fingers spread. George, entirely at her mercy, obeys, holding her hand up to Dream’s.

Her mouth waters when she sees the way her fingers are dwarfed by Dream’s, the way they fit together perfectly. It’s as if all function in her mind grinds to a halt, entirely focused on the point of contact. 

“Wow,” Dream breathes, seemingly in the same position as George. She bends the tips of her fingers so they fold over the top of George’s, only serving to further emphasize the difference. She’s so warm, and George is so gone. 

It’s a rash decision, to move her hand so that their fingers slide together, palms pressed together. It’s even better than before, all-encompassing and George has to bite back a squeak when Dream squeezes, as if testing something.

“This is nice,” Dream says at last, like nice is the sort of word that can encompass the thoughts racing through George’s mind, surely escaping her, projecting her feelings all over the small interior of the car. “Your hands feel so- so different from uh, Jimmy’s,” she says, and flexes her fingers again.

George takes a breath. 

“Good different?” George presses, already knowing the answer. She’s suddenly very aware of how alone they are, how empty the parking lot is. How no one would see if she leaned in, if they-

“Yeah. Really good,” Dream says. She lets her hand fall, drawing George’s with it, to rest in the space between them. And George can see her face again, the way pink dusts her cheeks, the way her pupils have doubled in size.

“Interesting,” George says, like she isn’t buzzing to take and take and take.

“Have you ever had a boyfriend?” Dream asks suddenly, her eyes flicking to somewhere just over George’s head. “If you want to say, I guess. You just never really talk about dating, so I don’t know if you’re comfortable-”

“Nah,” George says, cutting her panicked ramble off and squeezing her hand comfortingly. “I was never really interested in-” boys “-dating.”

“Oh,” Dream tilts her head, as if considering. “So you’ve never- You’ve never kissed anyone before?”

George shrugs. “Uhm, I guess not.” She shifts in her seat, Dream’s gaze hot on her face. “And no, I haven’t kissed any dogs, before you ask.”

That gets a smile and a laugh out of Dream, and George relaxes marginally. Until, of course, Dream says-

“Do you want to try?” 

George blinks at her. Dream blinks back, her makeup somehow still perfect even after an entire cheer routine. Her lips are deliciously pink, and George knows she sees the way her eyes linger there.

“You’d let me?” George asks, breathless. It’s too open, too indicative of the unspoken truth of her existence but- It’s Dream. 

Dream’s throat bobs as she swallows. “I would. It’d be- fun. I think.”

“Okay,” George says.

“Okay,” Dream says.

And George leans in, disconnecting their fingers when she realizes the angle will be off. She sees the way Dream’s eyes flick to their separated hands, the small look of disappointment, before she’s leaning in too, eyes sliding shut. George keeps hers open until the last moment, until her lips touch Dream’s and the world vanishes around them.

It’s a sweet, gentle kiss. Dream, conscious of George’s inexperience, probably, barely moves, just letting the moment go on and on. George wants to live in it forever, but she also wants to move.

So she pulls back, but only just. Dream is slow to reopen her eyes, lips still parted as she stares and stares at George.

“Again?” George asks. Dream nods. “But- You can move this time, okay?” Their lips are nearly brushing already. “Show me.”

[overtrred28]

Stargirl | matildas x original character fic [part eighteen]

Words; 2.7k

Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC)

Warnings; swearing,

masterlist

“Courtney come on, just tell us please?” Astrid whined as she sat on the edge of her couch with Kyra, Courtney pacing in front of them. 

“Okay fine.” Courtney sat down in the arm chair across from the couch. “I’m going on loan.” She mumbled but the other girls caught on. 

“Loan?”  Kyra questioned, letting the information process in her mind as she looked at Courtney. 

“Where? Who?” Astrid asked with furrowed brows. 

“Leicester City put in an offer before the break, they told me this morning and I accepted.” Courtney looked down at her hands as she waited for further reactions. 

“How long?” Kyra asked after a minute of silence. 

“Till the end of the WSL season.” Courtney slowly lifted her head. “And then they have the option to buy after that.” She looked between her two friends who were processing the news, both silent. 

“That’s amazing Nevvy, I’m so happy for you.” Astrid stood up and opened her arms, waiting for Courtney to join her. Courtney stood up with a smile, accepting the hug and holding onto Astrid. 

“Thank you.” Courtney spoke into Astrid’s shoulder where she placed her head, the younger girl running her hand up and down her back. The two girls almost jumped when another pair of arms wrapped around them and a small laugh came from Kyra as she joined the hug.

“When do you go?” Kyra asked softly as they pulled apart but still stood closely. 

“Well I’m still training here for the next week and a half and then I’ll leave to sign there on the 25th.” Courtney relayed what she was told this morning. 

“Shit. That’s soon.” Astrid’s smile faltered as she realised how little time they had together in Sweden.

“I know. But we’ll see each other at camp like every month.” Courtney pulled Astrid into her side. 

“Enough with the sadness.” Kyra spoke sternly while putting her finger straight up in the air, scaring Courtney and Astrid. “Just means we have to do everything together for the next week and a half until Nev leaves us to our own devices.” Kyra directed her last words to Astrid who laughed in return. 

“Oh no I didn’t think of that bit.” Courtney sighed and placed a hand on her forehead in distress, genuinely concerned with how they might actually survive without her as a middle man. 

Contrary to Cortnee’s advice from over a week ago, Astrid and Kyra had yet to speak about New Year’s, or anything that happened that night, but easily returned to their usual selves and like nothing had happened. 

Astrid was still thinking about it at least once a day, questioning whether it was something or not, whether Kyra actually remembered the kiss, and what could this mean for them? The right thing to do to resolve her constant thoughts would be to just talk to Kyra about it, or at least tell someone else. But with the return to football and the World Cup looming above them, she was choosing to ignore the reality of it and keep it hidden deep down. 

After spending as much time with Courtney before she left and eventually helping her move out, it was time for the first game back. Kyra and Astrid had both been selected for the starting 11, ready to make an impact early on in the game. It’s safe to say they did. 

During the first half the pair had linked up on the left side two times, securing two assists for Kyra and a brace for Astrid, which helped the team eventually to their 6-1 win over AIK and a terrific start to the new year. 

After Courtney had left, Kyra had the thought that maybe Astrid should move in and fill the space and so that neither of them were lonely outside of training. Astrid agreed and they began the process of moving her in and getting out of her old place. 

Even now with their closer quarters, neither had yet to mention new years eve or the Fiji trip at all, pushing those few days to the back of their minds and ignoring whatever it was that happened between them. Their relationship stayed as close to what it was before the kiss, but there seemed to be a few moments of distance between them at certain times. For the most part though, the pair had acted as they always did and caused mischief to their club teammates during training sessions and weekly team bonding activities. 

After another 4 matches with Hammarby and another 5 goals added to Astrid’s list, it was time for Astrid and Kyra to jet off home and join the Matilda’s for the first camp of the year. It felt weird going off to camp without Courtney this time, Charli also taking her own flight with Mini and Harper, leaving Kyra and Astrid on the long journey alone. And without anyone else to pester or intervene, they were getting at each other's throat every five seconds, resulting in them rocking up to camp exhausted and annoyed with one another. 

Astrid was always very happy to be back on home soil, especially when they got to play in her hometown and in front of her friends and family, it was always a special time. 

The car pulled up to the hotel and Astrid and Kyra jumped out, their social media team standing outside ready to catch them, forcing smiles onto both of their faces as if they weren’t just arguing five minutes ago about something stupid. 

They were met with the rest of the girls who had arrived from overseas standing in the lobby, all turning around as they heard Kyra and Astrid walking in the front doors. 

“Cha Cha!” Astrid dropped her baggage immediately, yelling as she ran directly towards the blonde defender, a look of fear in her eyes as she spotted the young forward racing towards her. 

“Oh no.” She whispered to herself, preparing for the impact she knew was coming. Astrid all but leaped into Charli’s arms, the girl grunting as she caught Astrid and tried to stabilise herself, stopping them from falling to the ground. 

“Oh thank god.” Astrid shook her head as she jumped down from Charli, gripping onto her shoulders with wide eyes. “It is so good to see you, I have been stuck alone with her for 2 months now!” The her she was referring to stood behind them with a dropped jaw. 

“And I have been stuck with her, it’s torture.” Kyra dramatically sighed as she moved closer to the group of girls. Astrid turned around slowly, meeting eyes with Kyra who had her arms crossed over her chest. 

“I thought you chose to move in with Kyra.” Steph spoke up, pointing her attention to Astrid. 

“Well it's cheaper and safer than living alone.” Astrid shrugged her shoulders, a smirk growing on her face as she awaited Kyra’s reaction. 

“Take that back, you love me.” Kyra ran forward, bringing her hands up to pinch Astrids cheeks causing the younger girl to swat her arms away. 

“Leave me alone!” Astrid squealed as they began fighting, laughs echoing through the lobby as the other girls watched on in confusion, no one ever understood their relationship. 

“Alright, enough you two. The rooms are ready.” Steph was the one who separated them with the help of Charli who pushed them both towards their bags and handed them their individual room keys. “Everyone has their own room this time.” Steph announced to the group who all seemed happy with that, enjoying having the space to themselves. 

After a night of rest and a fuelling breakfast where they took the time to catch up, the team were headed to the stadium for their first day of training with only 3 days until their match against Czechia. 

Training went smoothly like always, the team jumping back into their rhythm instantly and enjoying back together in the Australian sun. Kyra and Astrid paired up for drills, a disaster waiting to happen, and it clearly didn’t take long for chaos to ensue. Though they enjoy one another's company, they also have a way of getting under each other's skin quite quickly. So it wasn’t a surprise when the session was stopped because Kyra and Astrid were now on the ground practically wrestling after getting caught up in each other's feet and falling over. 

A few of the older, more responsible girls ran over and began separating them, putting them with different partners and on other sides of the pitch, in hopes of creating a more peaceful, quiet session. But they still managed to find themselves communicating, loudly, across the pitch whilst they were training and still disturbing everyone. 

“Oi, you two!” Sam’s voice caught the attention of the pair who sneakily made their way back to one another and were whispering at the back of the group before Sam spotted them. Their heads snapped up at their captain and immediately stopped the chatter, their quiet laughs drifting off. Everyone else watched with smirks as Sam began to scold them. “Stop being 5 years olds otherwise you’re not playing on Thursday.” Her threat made them both visibly swallow and start to inch further and further away from each other, avoiding eye contact to avoid laughter.

The 3 days of training had ensured the team could once again come back together like no time had passed and look like they played together each day. They had their meeting that morning, where they would have a final talk about strategies and finally reveal the starting line up, Astrid sitting up the back with her other three counterparts half listening to Tony. That was until something finally caught her attention.

“As our 10 we’re going to have Astrid,” Tony smiled when he saw the young girl's head lift up, jaw dropping slightly in surprise. “You are our central attack to help Sam as the 9.” Tony concluded and Astrid nodded, shock turning into a smile on her face. Her teammates were giving her head claps and shoulder shakes while she stared at the screen, her heart beaming at the fact she would be starting a game in her home town with all her friends and family there. 

During their pitch warm up, Kyra had pointed out Astrid’s family that were sitting by one of the corners, both girls giving them a wave when they passed during drills. Astrid couldn’t have felt better than she did right now. And unlike the last time she was set to start, there wasn’t an ounce of anxiety as redid her hair, tied her boots right to left and finally put on her jersey. 

Astrid was last in the line behind Charli and Kyra, as per the 31 painted under her last name, pushing out any nerves by talking with her mascot beside her. “What position do you play?” Astrid asked the girl beside her. 

“Forward, like you!” The girl pointed up and Astrid's eyes widened as she watched the girl realise who she was, getting even more excited to be standing next to Astrid. 

“Well that means you’re part of the cool kids club then.” Astrid smiled and put out her spare hand for a high five, the girl jumping up and to hit before jumping up and down in excitement. “Unlike Kyra and Charli.” Astrid bent down to whisper but kept it loud enough for the girls to hear her. 

“Hey!” They both exclaimed but they were cut off as the line started moving and the team began their walk out, Astrid and her mascot still giggling together. 

There was so much pride behind Astrid as she walked out on that pitch, seeing the almost full stands of Matildas supporters ready to watch what would be a very intense game. 

During the first half there were so many missed chances from both teams, right from that first touch. Just too high, too far over, a really good block. It seemed nothing was going to happen for either in the first half.

Time was almost up, 3 minutes left on the clock and Astrid was nowhere near giving up on this half. The ball had fallen to Charli who dribbled through the opposition before shooting it off to Kyra in the midfield. Kyra quickly became surrounded and needed to pass it off before she lost it. She found a gap and slipped to a more central position, eying off forwards to pass it too. Courtnee and Hayley were too far back and crowded to slip it in, Sam and Astrid being the only two with a chance of getting it in. Both strikers had their eye on the ball as Kyra kicked it into the air, ready for it no matter who it decided to fall to. It looked as if it was about to fall to Sam who was ready to head it in, so the defenders and goalie headed in her direction. 

But with a slight change of the breeze and an extra step from Kyra, the ball landed to Astrid at her chest, quickly rolling the ball down to her feet. Her proximity to the next assisted greatly as she used her right foot to tap the ball forward, slipping past the hands of Lukášová and bouncing in the back of the net. 

The crowd roared in her ears as Astrid found herself running along the edge of the pitch past the crowd, proudly taking a hold of her shirt, tapping her badge as she ran. The girls had begun to chase after Astrid who had just given them a leg up in the last 2 minutes of the game. She eventually stopped and turned around to find 9 other girls about to land on her and give her more head pats than she could have imagined. 

She was beaming as they finally returned to their positions to resume play, all still with adrenaline pumping and a final fight at the end of the half. And before she knew it, Cortnee was running towards the goal, defenders trying to catch up to her before Cortnee slid the ball towards Astrid so quickly that once again Astrid was shooting the ball into the back of the net. 

A brace within the last 3 minutes of the first half, who would have thought. To celebrate this time though Astrid ran to the corner where her family were sitting, blowing a kiss up to her parents at the edge, almost buckling forward as a whole heap of bodies piled up on her back. The girls were screaming in her ear, most prominently Kyra who was the first person on her back to no surprise, Astrid dropping her off with a bright smile before both Kyra and Charli wrap their arms around the young scorer. 

30 seconds into resuming play the ref called time and the Matildas were leaving the pitch 2-nil up and hungry for more. After time for a breath and a plan revision, the girls were back on the field, an immediate change was made with Aivi to Clare Hunt, marking her Matildas debut. 

Hayley was the one who kept the fire alive early in this half, also scoring herself a brace within the first 10 minutes, giving the crowd what they came to see. Astrid, Cortnee and Katrina played 25 minutes of this half before being subbed off for fresh legs, all happy with the impact they had made to the game. 

The game ended with 6-0 in favour of the Matildas after 2 more goals from Sam and Polks, the girls very happy with their result in front of the home crowd. After their rounds to the fans, saying hello to friends and family, and their group pitch huddle, it was time for the girls to head back to the hotel for a night of rest ahead of their prep for Spain in 3 days. 

to be continued...

[murdleandmarot]

A quick bluebelle painting :))

[megumi-fm]

.

[thedrotter]

not-yet-dead-person

silly comic of a conversation in-game i thought was too funny not to make something proper for instead of a doodle ww

(timelapse + wip images (thus silly process commentary in read more if you like artist commentary :3)

i think the sketch looks silly and goofy and funny so i find it important to share with you the mere presence of the faces i drew on it. i drew it on top of the boxes without staying inside its borders because i find my proportions can get wonky if i draw them cropped in a restricted space. and I feel trapped otherwise and i will draw BAD!!! give me spaceeeee to go wild!!!!

the head circles are there for emotional support

very low res speedpaint because truth is the canvas was much bigger than the space where my comic was placed. i didnt account when exporting my timelapse in 720px that that tiny space would look so pixelated ... but it's able to be percieved, so its okay.

(i will now comment on my process and it is not brief sorry)

usually i would try to clean up my sketches and figure out what goes on top before jumping into linework, but since there are multiple panels and drawings i chose to jump into inking right away for the sake of brevity. i just went in with a brush that uses pen pressure and drew what was needed. i added extra line thickness and contrast in areas around the face because it helps direct your eyes there more easily that way.

according to her equipment rei has a chain belt but i only remembered it existed once I was going to color, and i did not like that discovery... I chose to ignore it to maintain my peace. i already have the color palettes for these characters figured out, and i didnt really want to think about a new element at the moment www I tend to overthink those things a lot so i skipped it

the rest is rather straightforward! not that anything else wasn't, but in here i could turn my brain off and sing. linework and sketching require mumbling so i cannot turn my brain off. just block in the characters with a solid color so i can have a mask (something along those lines,) where the color can stay inside. then just color in !!!

Base colors just had slight cell shading on the skin, and for the hair i airbrush a bit of the skincolor in low opacity near the forehead... I'm not sure what it means, but i can look at the faces easier with it somehow. i like the gentle subtlety it adds even if you cant really tell. it makes things look nice.

background was just me blocking in the color of the wall and floor, shade the wall a bit, then slap a noise and free use wood texture on top. work smarter not harder ! yet it took a bit to make it look stylistically fitting with the characters, and even now i think bottom middle panel looks odd. whatever!!!

for the middle panel i thought itd be funny if the background was a solid silly and colorful one to contrast the next panel's sketchy black one. a contrast to how the word widow is seen. on that note my handwritting is not pointy. i gaslighted my hand into thinking that it was indeed pointy in that moment so i could write "not-yet dead person" in letters that didn't seem cute. my hand did not fall for it but it complied anyway

that's basically it! I'm not sure what else i could say that doesn't feel barebones because it really is that straightforward. if you're curious I used clip studio paint for this. only special brush used was for linework (a brush named Lemon Brush), the rest used were just the default. my computer gets the least credit. it was trying to convince me a 20mb file was going to nuke it all the time and hardly let me save multiple times so i do not appreciate it