#Gary being obvious….

[keebokuun]

Im sooooo normal about them <3333

[forgetbeam]

i’ve seen someone complain about like. why is the only universe where bonnie and marcy have a good relationship the one where they’re both guys (which, not true — bonnie and marcy are very happy together in the main universe now, they just went through a bit of a. rough patch)

but like. gary and marshall live(d) inside simon’s head. of course they’re gonna be all cutesy and lovey with each other, simon’s an old romantic and one of the number one things he always wanted was for marceline to be happy. it’s been pretty clearly shown that simon’s subconscious and the world around him had an effect on fionnaworld while it was still stuck in his dome

[lemonberry-soda]

me, looking at the cast of Hatchetfield characters: hmmm . . . what would make a good dead corpse for a Lord to possess . . . so many choices but no perfect fits . . .

[pendolinopowers]

ontologically correct disco elysium tier list

[oakgreenoak]

Something I've always found kinda interesting about Red and Green in gameverse is how they turn some of the Stock Shōnen Protagonist/Rival tropes on their heads.

This is really long character analysis of these two and various media counterparts of theirs, so I'm gonna stick it under a cut.

In some ways they fit their roles quite well - aside from the obvious colour associations, you have Red as the hero whose sense of justice is stronger than his sense of self-preservation, and you have Green as the privileged rival who cares about beating Red above all else.

But, if you look at it another way - Green's got the light spiky hair, the hot-headed and boisterous personality, the drive to Get Better And Win. He's designed to read as really open and chipper, yet snarky. Sure, he isn't dumb, but he's arrogant, and he's got something of a one-track mind; the guy finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation because he's just that hellbent on fighting his rival, and does not seem to be thinking about anything else. He's also got a motivation - given how the Professor talks to him in the championship room and supplementary material like his Generations appearance, it's not a stretch to think the reason he's so driven to Get Better And Win is to prove himself to his grandfather. It's shown in later games and supplementary works that he's become somewhat of a mentor as he got older and wiser.

Red, on the other hand, is a quiet loner whose only motivation seems to be to get stronger for the sake of getting stronger. He's level-headed and dark haired, his cap rounding off his edges and obscuring his face. He's heroic, but not really sociable, as evidenced by the fact he spends the Johto games alone on a mountain without having told anyone where he went. He seems isolated in a way that later games' protagonists really don't. He may have always been a step behind Green, but he's always better.

Equally fascinating to me is how other adaptations have changed the base designs around and rewritten personalities to suit different purposes, while still being visually recognisable as counterparts to their game-selves.

For example: Red and Green's counterparts in Special slot WAY more neatly into their stock shōnen roles, with Red as the boisterous hero and Green as the broody rival, and it's reflected in their new designs.

Red's hair becomes spiky to reflect his more excitable nature. His hat, in turn, never obscures his face; it's always either tilted back to accommodate his fringe or turned backwards. Green's hair, on the other hand, is not quite as spiked upwards and instead falls into his face, frequently obscuring his far eye in the same way game!Red's hat does.

And then, of course, the anime balanced them in a totally different direction.

Instead of scrapping Green's personality wholecloth, it's become exaggerated in Gary. He's not the broody antihero rival, he's the arrogant, privileged, better-than-you rival. He's always ten steps ahead of Ash, always pisses him off, and is ALWAYS better until the end of his run. The anime also emphasises his intelligence far more, with him doing things like rattling off dex info and the speed of light in mph off the top of his head, to further contrast him with Ash.

Ash, who is of course THE shōnen protagonist. He's dumb, but determined, and always ready to help people in need. Unlike game!Red, the power of friendship (with more than just pokémon) is central to him; any given season of the show is defined as much if not moreso by his travelling companions and interpersonal relationships as it is by whatever he's actually doing.

It's funny to me, though, how most adaptations seem to find the fact that gameverse Red and Green have swapped some stock roles as something to fix. Even Origins, which is probably the closest a high-profile adaption has come to game-accurate, made its version of Red louder and more standard-hero-esque.

I'm not knocking any of these things, of course, just observing. I adore both Special and anipoke. I just think that the way the game characters are written could lead to some interesting dynamics were it to be explored more.

[aethelwyneleigh27]

Some Dad!Cod Character Scenario and Appreciation Post

Characters In Mind: Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra, Alex Keller, König, Keegan P. Russ, Gary "Roach" Sanderson.

The original creator of the picture, they also have so many works that are used in so many fanfics as well so please credit her. I found her account here on Tumblr (@ave661) and here is the post.

AFAB!Reader and used pronouns are "you"

Apologies if this is a bit too short but;

ꕥ HOPE YOU ENJOY! ꕥ

A/n: I've had a good but also bad week (good thanks to @puff0o0 and other extremely sweet mutuals), it's neutral, I'm not here to rant of any sort but my personal life has not been good. I understand that not everyone will like me but it feels as though everyone hates me, most of those people happen to be at school. Sure I'm not really going to do anything about it because I prefer avoiding conflict but those same people are trying to flip the story around as if I'm the one who hates them when in reality I don't and by being mean to me they're giving me a reason to dislike them. Sure I'm average academically, sometimes I have difficulty pulling my weight in group works and I'm not outstanding in reportings but we all have our difficulties. I just don't understand people who love to hate on others because they have nothing better to do.

This is a word of advice to everyone, don't let others let you feel insignificant, you aren't and you have many talents that make you different from them. (I don't really practice what I preach because I love self-deprication, however I don't want people to feel the way I do because I know what it can cause)

Disclaimers/warnings: OOC??, Pregnancy, Implied birth, Children (Pretty sure that was obvious from the title), People who don't want/hate children be warned.

Short note: This is also a dedication to all the Mistki and Hozier fans out there <3

He was so used to the smell of hospitals, the smell of medication, it always indicated death for him but this was a whole new feeling. It was the opposite of what he has seen most of his life

So much so that he refused to hold them, afraid of potentially hurting the fragile little one. He looked at you as if you were crazy when you tried to hand him the baby, "Come on now love, you can't just avoid holding them forever" you said to him as of it was a life or death situation.

Hesitantly letting you guide him through the proper way to hold them, he felt his breath hitch at the sound of cooing. The first time the baby opened it's eyes, the first thing they saw being their dad.

The moment he looked at the baby sealed it, he was going to protect them their whole life, he would go as far as feeling all the guilt of having blood on their hands again if it meant your baby would be protected and cared for.

The baby was so small that it's little head was practically the size of his palm, he didn't know initially what to do when the baby cried and shocked himself when he managed to make them stop.

Once the baby was old enough to crawl, he'd let the baby crawl all over him. The little one babbling non-sense while he just chuckled and replied as if he understood what the baby was saying. Gods be damned if he misses an important milestone such as their first word or their first time walking.

You'd often wake up to seeing him shirtless snoozing on the couch, the tv playing only ads for home appliances late at night while the baby only in a diaper having skin to skin contact with their dad, his huge hand big enough to support the little one from falling.

He almost cried the first time your baby reached for his face an touched it, resting it's tiny little fingers on his cheek, giving him a gummy smile. His little one unaware that they just healed something they never broke.

He NEVER wants to ever see your little one grow up, though sure it makes more memories with them, sometimes they just wish time stops for a second so they can enjoy the moment longer.

Initially was terrified that he'd pass his trauma down but he realized that wouldn't be possible and he will NOT ever let them go through what he did.

Eventually chose to resign from his work because the risk was far too much, what if he died? He'd leave you and your child to grieve over him? He won't be there for them growing up and he'd miss everything.

Sure he's worked most his life to get where he is now but nothing is ever worth more than spending a lifetime with you and your child together. He's been lonely almost all his life until he met you.

You are his family, his everything. He promised that whatever happens, he'll crawl home to you...

[j4gm]

SPOILERS!!! REFERENCES AND EASTER EGGS IN F&C ep. 1: FIONNA CAMPBELL

Here's a bunch of stuff I spotted. Feel free to add more.

During the anime girl hero dream Fionna mentions Hans Brinker, a character from a novel which introduced speed skating to the United States.

The BMO style alarm clock has BMO's voice.

The ducks that steal Marshall Lee's money look like one-headed versions of the two-headed duck from the original Adventure Time title sequence.

Cheers is a real sitcom. Simon previously sang its theme song in the episode Simon & Marcy, and now it seems to have manifested in the human AU due to his connection with it.

Fionna says "stop acting crazy" to Cake with the same meter as Marceline said "stop acting crazy" to Ice King in the episode I Remember You.

We all spotted this in the trailer but there's a Magic Man hat in this shot. Magic Man's hat was most recently seen being worn by Betty.

The Betty statue also suggests that Simon's psyche has significant influence over this world. The fountain includes frogs, a symbol of change that was previously also used in Temple of Mars. And Fionna mentions the statue underwent renovation twelve years ago, which is the same amount of time that's passed in the prime universe since Betty's amalgamation with GOLB.

It would seem Mrs. Abadeer runs a vacuum cleaner company as well as being Fionna's landlady. And Queenie runs an accounting business as well as the tour bus.

The stickers on Marshall Lee's guitar case are all references to real life punk rock bands. X-Ray Pex = X-Ray Spex, Daikini Kill = Bikini Kill, PM might be a reference to AM as in the Arctic Monkeys. I'm not sure what Las Crudas and Dark Eyes are references to. Perhaps someone more familiar with punk rock can let me know?

In case you were wondering, the credits confirm that this is human genderswapped Fern. It's a bit more obvious now that we can see all her green clothes and backpack, and given what she said about her dreams being super messed up. I'm not gonna go through the rest of the cameo characters in this episode because most of them are pretty obvious or already got figured out when the trailer dropped. That said, if anyone knows who the bus driver is meant to be please let me know.

The sword in the window of this games shop looks very similar to Fionna's sword from the original comic series.

The latte that Gumball - ahem I mean Gary - makes in this scene features PB's swan.

Okay one more cameo mention because I feel like it might become significant later. This is Ice Queen.

Fionna and Cake are dreaming about their apartment block in the credits of this episode, but it has a roof like the Tree Fort and the same little boat with a telescope and parasol.

Episode 2 to follow!

[leaf-kei]

NO ONE ASKED FOR MY TF2 VOICE ACTOR OPINIONS

but I really like the way Robin Atkin Downes characterizes Medic while he’s improvising! His interpretation basically lines up with my own—that Medic’s a silly, dorky guy who IS crazy and disturbed, but ultimately means well and cares about his friends. I love how parental Robin’s Medic is to Archimedes… in one livestream he did (which consisted of him contemplating performing surgery on Archimedes with a pizza cutter???), he threw the plush across the room while yelling “fly, my little prince, fly!” and I just like that. I think thats something Medic would say. He’s a weird dork alright

I also like the way he and Gary Schwartz play around with their relationship! They squabble in a very predictable and harmless way, and they’re always making cheesy romance-related jokes (like Heavy telling Medic he thinks they should seek counseling). I don’t think they’re actually that invested in the ship—which is fine, they don’t have to be—but the potential for humor in it is obvious, and they play into that well. The story of TF2 is so wacky and violent that having the characters experience moments of relatable mundanity is surprising and cute. In the Poker Night game, Heavy has a line like “I live in Red barracks. It’s nice! We have foosball table!” and imo heavymedic is funny for the same reason. Contract killers also play foosball, and they also fall in love, and they also have constant tiny arguments with their partners which annoy their friends

…And as far as dirty jokes and innuendos go (there have been lots lol), Heavy’s always suave and forward while Medic’s prudish and oblivious, which I also like a lot??? It’s probably because revealing the muscle brawn gun guy to actually be smooth and romantic is funny (and Medic constantly shooting down Heavy’s suggestions might be a result of Robin being kinda embarrassed and not sure if it’s okay to make these jokes in front of an audience lol)… but i think it converges in a great way ok. These guys just happen to keep replicating my own headcanons for these characters. im Eating

[somewhereincairparavel]

Literally where do people get the idea that Jason was full of himself and that he thought he was better than Percy? This is legit brought up in so many 'why-i-hate-jason-grace" arguments it just screams lack of reading comprehension and obvious Percy bias saltiness. Like just say you are bitter that Jason is written as percy's equal and that you want Percy to have nobody rival him 💀

Never once in his povs did he ever think about how much better he was, on the contrary it's just him not feeling good enough about himself. He and Percy NEVER said anything bad about eachother.

His and Percy's rival is just a joke between two powerful demigods who have rival dads, that's literally it. Even if Jason did indeed think he's better, so what about it? What's the big deal?

he has worked hard and accomplished great things, so he has like, every right to be confident in his power, stop acting like hes all weak and inferior when he canonically killed a titan with like his bare fucking hands till the point Krios swore vengeance on him. No he's not "weak" or morally inferior to Percy as a person. You are merely trying to cope. Not to mention the way people judge a character's worth SOLEY based on their abilities is a huge red flag in itself, but that's a discussion for another time.

he shouldve canonically had more achievments and power than he originally got in the books as a son of jupiter. but rick made Percy too OP and fumbled jason for the sake of keeping percy's spotlight intact. Has it ever dawned on people that Percy is shown to have cool abilities like bending tears but Jason is never shown to have abilities like controlling lungs? Yeah, that's authors privilege for ya.

Y'all put Percy in an obnoxiously high pedestal and that's not a good thing. It diminishes his flaws and makes him appear so saint like and Gary Stu even though he's not. the fact that ppl get so sensitive over their rivalry and try to belittle jason by making up scenarios (like claiming jason thinks he's superior and shit) and go around saying that to ppl to reduce his value DESPITE being well aware that he has like enough hate already, is so insanely petty. BOTH Jason and Percy deserve equal amounts of respect.

God forbid a teenage boy say he's better than the other as a joke, he's such a terrible, stuck up, and shitty person who deserved death for that, isn't he?

[siilvan]

physical touch

characters: kyle “gaz” garrick, johnny “soap” mactavish, john price, simon “ghost” riley, gary “roach” sanderson, yuri

summary: physical touch/affection headcanons!

genre: fluff, gn!reader (no desc. or pronouns)

warnings: none!

note: figured i’d start with something basic sweet after not writing in so long :) my next drafts are both soap – reboot and captain <3

gaz

⋆ so very touchy. even before you’re officially together, he’s always finding excuses to touch you.

⋆ comparing hand sizes, high-fives, patting you on the shoulder, playing with your fingers, nudging you with his leg, holding your waist while sliding past–

⋆ there’s nothing gaz won’t do to touch you, even if it’s just brushing your fingertips.

⋆ it gets even worse once you start dating. he is on you constantly. holding your hand, wrapping an arm around you, kissing you - he’s like a teenage boy in love!

⋆ shockingly, this side of him completely disappears when you’re in the field; he’s very cautious when it comes to affection, so as to avoid putting targets on your backs.

⋆ proud back/shoulder pats, friendly fist bumps, shoulders brushing past each other, nondescript praise, and barely visible smiles–

⋆ gaz utterly adores you, but only when your threats are complaints from the rest of the team.

⋆ a big enjoyer of cuddles, obviously. big spoon, little spoon, in bed, on the couch… he doesn’t care about the details, as long as he gets to be with you.

⋆ secretly so very weak for you sleeping on his chest. he just loves that feeling of protecting you and you trusting him to keep you safe.

soap

⋆ another touchy sergeant! i’m starting to sense a trend.

⋆ much like gaz, soap was touchy before you started dating. except, he wasn’t looking for excuses to touch you - he just went for it every single time.

⋆ bumping your foot with his, patting your shoulder, hugging you after long periods away from each other… soap had a reputation as a touchy guy, and with you he was no different.

⋆ in fact, he was even worse with you. soap was oblivious to his painfully obvious crush until someone pointed out his habit of touching you.

⋆ back hugs are a very common occurrence with him. also favors being the big spoon for the very same reason. "you’re like a teddy bear," he always claims when you point it out.

⋆ in the field, soap treats you no differently than the rest of the team. a few more compliments and brief touches here and there, but he’s capable of saving the pda for secure locations.

⋆ despite his reputation as a physically affectionate guy, he still gets a little embarrassed when someone calls him out for it!

⋆ turns red and tries to come up with an explanation every single time without fail. also never succeeds at said explanation, and ends up making himself even more embarrassed.

⋆ if it’s ghost calling him out, though… soap doesn’t get flustered over it. he simply does whatever he’s doing, but even more. prepare to be squeezed half to death if ghost ever catches you two.

price

⋆ his private and professional lives are like night and day.

⋆ at home and in private, price is quite the romantic. kissing your hands, wrapping his arms around your waist, laying his head on your shoulder - his goal is to make you melt from his affection.

⋆ at work, however… unless you two are completely alone, you’ll be getting the same treatment as the rest of the team.

⋆ it’s not that he doesn’t want to show you off. price is just a very private man, and for good reason. he’s got quite the list of enemies, many of whom would target you if they caught wind of you.

⋆ that being said, he more than makes up for it at home - he won’t let you end up neglected and starved for affection. the generous helping of praise that he casually gives you shows his love, as well.

⋆ when it comes to cuddling, it’s a moment-to-moment thing. price enjoys holding you and being held, but he’s a human furnace, so cuddles in hot weather are a no-go. he’ll still hold your hand or interlock your pinkies if you want him too, though.

⋆ usually is the big spoon. he needs to be free to act if something goes wrong, and free to protect you.

⋆ still, he turns into putty whenever he’s able to lay with his head on your chest. your fingers gently playing with his hair, listening to your heartbeat, with your warmth lulling him to sleep–

⋆ he’s got a tough exterior, but he’s really just a big softie that can seldom tell you "no."

ghost

⋆ it takes him quite some time to be open to physical affection, even after you’re officially a couple.

⋆ it’s not that he doesn’t want to be physically affectionate, ghost just struggles greatly with letting down his guard. patience and understanding is all he needs to start opening up.

⋆ definitely against pda of any kind. if you try to sneakily kiss him while around the team, he’ll gently remind you not to the next time you’re alone. he’s never unkind, just firmly set in his boundaries.

⋆ would probably be open to small acts once you’ve been together for a while - resting his hand atop yours, nudging your knee with his own, holding your shoulder, resting his arm on the back of your chair.

⋆ ghost is secretly starved for affection, so every little touch is significant to him. you can make his heart race just by brushing his arm with your fingertips.

⋆ at home, he’s extremely clingy. trying to leave bed? not happening, you’ve got a 6'3" teddy bear grabbing your shirt and dragging you back under the covers. morning cuddles are one of his favorite things, even if he’d die before admitting to it.

⋆ dozing off with his head on your shoulder while you cook, pulling you into his lap during movies, kissing you before he leaves and after he returns…

⋆ big or little spoon depending on his mood. much like price, ghost is constantly ready to act, even at home. however, he is so desperate for comfort and just needs to he held sometimes.

⋆ if you let him lay his head on your lap or chest, the ghost persona completely melts away. play with his hair, trace your fingertips along his jawline, leave sweet kisses wherever you can, and the "scary" man suddenly becomes softer than silk.

roach

⋆ decently physically affectionate, but doesn’t make a big deal out of it.

⋆ roach is all about the smaller, more casual acts of affection. forehead kisses, hugs, sitting next to each other, holding hands– he’s all about the moments that people would consider less significant.

⋆ still, there is one thing that never fails to make his heart flutter: when you kiss him through his mask.

⋆ whether it’s a peck on the cheek or your lips against his, if you kiss his mask, he’ll turn into a stuttering mess. he hopes you can’t somehow see the blush practically burning holes through the fabric.

⋆ proud little spoon! no matter where you are, roach will gladly fall asleep wrapped up in your arms. his favorite way to nap is with his head on your lap - if you try to move, you’ll end up with a very whiny and clingy sergeant.

⋆ has a habit of falling asleep on you after particularly draining missions. it’s not his fault, really; the rumble of the helicopter’s engine, the adrenaline wearing off, and your presence are a deadly trio.

⋆ if you fall asleep, too, he won’t wake you up. unless you need medical attention or something important, he’ll just carry you back to your room and tuck you into bed. usually joins you, as well.

⋆ these mid-flight naps also happened before you two got together. roach has an entire album on his phone of photos (mostly taken by soap) of you two cuddling after missions.

⋆ finally decided to ask you out after the album reached 100 photos. the rest of the team knew it would happen eventually.

yuri

⋆ much like ghost, it took yuri quite some time to open up to physical affection.

⋆ in fact, he wouldn’t open up to affection at first. even when it could reasonably be seen as platonic and nothing more. he didn’t think he deserved it, be it from friend or lover.

⋆ you finally got him to crack one day, after a tough mission that ended in quite a few (minor) injuries. his back was killing him, so you offered him a massage. despite his reservations, he accepted it.

⋆ yuri didn’t expect to completely melt at your touch. by the end of the massage, his tense muscles were relaxed and he was hungry for more. touch-starved doesn’t even begin to describe how he felt.

⋆ at the beginning of your relationship, he struggled to give and accept affection. it takes a lot of patience and love to build up his confidence, but it’s well worth the effort once he finally starts to reciprocate.

⋆ big fan of back hugs, both in giving and receiving. to him, there’s just something so intimate in holding your partner while they work.

⋆ has a few habits once he’s comfortable in your relationship - interlocking your fingers, resting his hands on your lower back and hips, kissing your forehead… he’d never admit to it publicly, but he’s quite the romantic.

⋆ usually favors being the big spoon whenever you two cuddle. yuri is reasonably paranoid about your safety and his own, so he prefers to be free to move if necessary. knowing that you’re safe in his arms helps him sleep easier, as well.

⋆ that being said, he will fall asleep on your chest if given the chance. the sound of your heartbeat and your fingertips running up and down his back never fails to put him to sleep.

[ranbowkng]

His Kingdom, His Power, My Glory

Gary thinks it'll be a good idea to infiltrate the church. A tired priest, with an adorable face, reminds him why that's a bad idea.

Gary smirked as he pulled the hood of his jacket tighter. This plan was genius. Why keep sending cultists to sneak into the church in the dead of night to make a mess of things when he could just spark turmoil in the middle of the day. The best part, they wouldn't kick him out, and they wouldn't know he was doing it. Perfect.

"Morning Father," he nodded, walking right past the priest standing at the door, greeting church-goers.

"Good morning! I- oh hold on!" The priest grabbed Gary by the sleeve, pulling him back slightly, "You're new here aren't you?"

"Ah, was it that obvious?" Gary smiled, fearing that his genius may have betrayed him already.

"Just a bit," The priest chuckled. Gary got a good look at him, he had dark brown hair, and royal blue eyes that seemed to glow. Gary could have gotten lost in that expression for hours, but he had a mission to attend to, he had far more important manners than pretty boys to worry about, "We actually have a rule, no hats or hoods in the congregation."

"Oh? My apologies," Gary said, pulling his hood down, "My old church was a bit less strict."

"No sunglasses either unfortunately," the priest smiled, but his grip on Gary's sleeve tightened.

"Afraid I can't do that," Gary said, "Got a bad eye disease. Don't wanna scare the kids away."

"Hmm," the priest's look was brimming with disappointment, but he resigned, "Alright then, we will keep you in our prayers, but please consider how you're affecting other members of the church."

"Yes, sorry Father," Gary chuckled, wanting to sigh in relief. He would not have been able to explain the peculiar case of his eyes to the priest.

Once he took a seat, he grinned ear to ear. What a fool the priest must have been to believe such a stupid lie. Regardless, the sermon was starting soon. From here Gary would be able to learn just what happens at a church service, and just how he can tear it apart.

As it turns out, there was too much sitting and standing. Too much listening and not nearly enough talking. Too much and not enough of everything, it was mind numbingly dull. Not even the Order would stoop so low as to make it's devoted followers sit for an hour doing nothing with no freedom to move.

But Gary-begrudgingly-endured it. He was certain that eventually something would happen that would be worth it. Then again, if he had to endure one more of those godforsaken psalms! They weren't quite songs, because a song required being good.

Eventually he found something, a payoff. The priest who had greeted him at the door had finished reading the gospel, and he spoke directly to the audience.

"God loves us all," he began, speaking slowly. You could hear the sound of his careful thought between each word he spoke, "The other day a woman had come to me asking how I knew."

This was perfect! If he wasn't reading off of the text then that only meant one thing, an open discussion. And when people spoke without reading off of their source, they were prone to making mistakes. And one slip up would be enough to pick him apart piece by piece.

"So I was open with her," he said, "I have suffered loss, divorce, and failures over and over again."

"Sounds like God hates you!" Gary shouted. As soon as he spoke everyone turned to him. A smirk was plastered on his face. He'd win over the crowd in twelve seconds flat.

The priest just gave him a tired glare before he continued speaking, "Despite my grievances, I still have the privilege of waking up every day. I have a new chance to prove myself every day. And the Lord tells me that I am his child and he will continue walking with me."

"I thought Jesus was the only son of God!" Gary yelled. He did his homework. Well, he read just enough to know where the hypocrisies stood out.

"We are all children of God under Abraham," the priest spoke through grit teeth, "We will be going over that next week."

"Sounds like God needs to close his legs!" Gary's smirk was growing into a grin.

"Alright," the priest took a deep breath, "Let's start over, since you clearly seem confused. I was trying to explain to a woman that God loves her and is with her through her every struggle. And to do so, I used my own life as an example."

"How did you manage to prove it?" Gary said, "Hey! Father! How do you know it's actually God talking!? Are you-"

"Some of us clearly need to start working on our relationship with the Lord!" The priest said, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to calm himself, "Some far, far more than others, but regardless. God is patient and will wait for us until the end of time."

"If God's so patient why are you getting so upset?" Gary argued.

"God is a patient man, I am not," John said calmly, "And that's okay! Because God gives us strength. Strength to overcome any challenge like frustration, or an inability to respect your church leaders."

"I fail to see how-"

"God gives us strength!" The priest spoke over him, "I believe we all have it in us to become better people through the Lord. Amen!"

Gary wanted to speak up, but the congregation seems to have accepted it was time to shut up. Unbelievable. How does a man who looks so pathetic manage to control the situation so well? Oh well, at least he can still figure out the weak points in the sermon simply by listening.

Meanwhile, said priest was glaring at him. A far older priest had taken over, but he still was looking straight through Gary with furrowed brows. Gary stared back, not that the priest could see past his sunglasses.

When the sermon was over, Gary was about ready to collapse. How does an hour of doing absolutely nothing become so exhausting? He would never blame his acolytes for their boredom during a meeting ever again.

He stood, prepared to leave, only to be stopped.

"Excuse me sir," it was the priest. He had gripped Gary by the sleeve, a soft smile on his face, "May I speak with you for a minute?"

Gary tried not to let his confident smirk falter, "Of course! What can I do for you?"

The priest chuckled slightly, "Oh no, I meant at the front. I have a couple things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Ah," Gary said. Had he been anywhere else, there was no doubt in his mind he'd be able to strike down the priest with a single glance, but this was a church. He was already weakened here, but this is where the priest would thrive. And yet, he was cocky, "Well, I don't see why not."

"Good," the priest said, "Follow me."

The priest waited for the entire congregation to leave. He stared up at the stained glass window as he waited to be alone with Gary. Gary kept a hand in his pocket, rubbing over his claw-like nails.

"I can explain," Gary said, "It's actually my first time in a catholic church, I didn't know the proper proceedings for the gospel."

"No no, I have to thank you," John said, "When one questions the bible, it means they simply wish to apply it to their life. I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to expand on what I had to say."

"Wait, really?" Gary said.

"Of course," the priest said, his nails digging into his palms, "Although, I would like to make a request." He turned towards Gary.

"Oh?" Gary raised an eyebrow, "What can I do for you?"

"Take off your sunglasses," John said, "I'd like to look you in the eyes when we speak."

"But my eyes-"

"I am not a child," the priest said calmly, "I will not panic at the sight."

"But-"

"Is that a no?" The priest asked. Gary felt that he didn't have a choice.

"Yes, of course," Gary said, reaching for his glasses, slowly taking them off. He and the priest's eyes never stopped looking on to each other.

"Mmm," the priest looked at his eyes, black with glowing red irises, "You're a demon."

"Nonsense!" I'm a normal human being just like you!" Gary argued.

"I'm no fool," the priest said, "I knew you were a demon from the moment I saw your face. Your eyes are a simple confirmation."

"I apologize," Gary said, "I simply needed information about the church."

"I'm afraid that this isn't your territory," the priest said, "Now I have to request you leave before I exorcise you."

Gary chuckled, despite the priest's clear advantage, "I'm afraid I won't be doing that." He used a clawed finger to tuck a piece of the priest's hair behind his ear, "For you see, I have a new interest to pursue, and I have no reason to leave just yet."

"Then allow me to give you one," the priest said. Before Gary could even process what was being said to him, the priest gripped him by the wrists and pushed him backwards, slamming his back against the altar, "Leave this church. If you come back I will give you a fate far worse than an exorcism."

"Heh, I suppose you reciprocate my interests," Gary smirked, only for the priest to increase the pressure he was using to hold him down.

The priest glared at him before speaking again, "You will not come back, but I will keep my eye on you. When I find your lair then we can...discuss things as adults. But for now, I expect you out of my sight, understood?"

Gary's breath hitched slightly. It's been so long since someone's given him a command without solicitation, "Yes sir~"

"Ah-ah," the priest said, "Use my proper title."

Gary rolled his eyes before smirking, aiming to piss the priest off, "Sure thing, daddy."

The priest's eyes remained unamused. He slid his right hand away from Gary's wrist and down to his throat, "I said..." his grip tightened. Not enough to constrict, but enough to cause pressure, "My proper title."

Gary did not want to admit out loud the things that those words did to him, "Of course...Father."

"Good," The priest's voice was quiet, mumbled only so he could hear. God he'd kill to have that done to him with a mattress beneath them, "Now go on, get out and don't show your face. I expect to be meeting with you very shortly."

"Of course Father," Gary said, turning to leave before the priest could get any ideas about exorcising him.

After all this, perhaps information wasn't the only thing he could get out of the church. This would be far less boring as well.

[l4long-winded]

HIII! IM NOT SURE IF THIS IS WHAT U WERE ASKING FOR IN UR LIP OR CARMY PROMPTS BUT

I had this dream where they were dating but the team didn’t know and then during a service in the new restaurant and she burned herself once or twice really bad and Carmy was helping and doting on her and evb was just like “ uhm. What?” And then they started to notice other things Carmy did for her and they started to put two and two together

If this isn’t what ur looking for or meant sorry😭 if you don’t want to it’s totes okay I understand!

Remember to drink water!

i don't see carmen as being very big on pda. esp not in the beginning of your relationship.

however,

he's attentive. his looks towards you are longer than necessary, lingering stares over the side of your face when you pick up a dish, a hint of a smile on his lips seeing you approach from halfway across the kitchen. no one notices until he's irate one day, being an asshole to everyone because carmen's emotions get the better of him as the stress rises and the pressure increases.

naturally, attempting to keep up with the environment's demands, you burn yourself. the muttered curse flying from your lips quickly gains carmen's attention. he's with you at the sink in an instant. his tone of voice changes, no longer the hissing or billowing octave. he speaks to you softly, asks what happened, if the burn is deep, if you need anything, muttering apologies for ramping shit up like he's the one who burned you himself. he does all this with his hand on your lower back. protective. soothing. sympathetic.

loving.

tina catches it. she's asking ebra about it, who is absolutely oblivious on the matter, but when she rolls her eyes and asks sydney, syd is quick to point out how she saw carmen fetch you a cup of ice water the other day during a break. it's a small gesture, but reminiscing allows them to piece together other small gestures that don't seem so small after all.

like, as richie notes despite his irritation, how carmen waits for you at the lockers. natalie is able to add how frequent your visits to the office are when he's there, gary bringing up a recent memory of carmen asking if you'd enjoy a certain wine, and marcus swears carmen's dessert leftovers he boxes at the end of the night aren't for him. what's he doing with two slices of princess cake?

these clues should be enough. carmen's sweet on you and it's so fucking obvious. everyone's whispering to each other when either of you will say anything because while carmen isn't in their work groupchat, you are. can't pass gossip about you and him with you in there.

manny, on the other hand, decides to withhold the fact that he saw you and carmen kissing in the alleyway two months ago.

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: Wally hadn't been able to make sense of what you'd said. How had it been possible that he and the others had been trapped for so long without knowing it? With that truth out for him to examine, Wally hadn't been sure he'd wanted to look any closer. He'd felt violated. Betrayed. Lost. What other lies had he been unwittingly a part of?

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.

bon reading

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.14

The world fell away as your words penetrated. Wally stilled, didn't breathe, didn't blink, didn't make a sound. As if he could delay the impact of that truth if he shut down critical functions.

Weakly, "What do you...mean?" Wally croaked, but something deep within himself had always known.

Known it like common sense; the feeling like looking at a green sky and knowing it was supposed to be blue. Like being sick since birth yet knowing that that wasn't what healthy felt like. He'd known and yet never questioned it because he and the others had had no way to be sure their situation was terribly, tragically wrong.

In the earliest days succeeding his untimely demise, Wally had tried to leave the school.

Not to follow his mother home after she'd donated his trophies, helmet, and jacket to display in the stadium entrance. Not to join his friends in Rodney's basement to get stoned after his memorial service. Not to break his own heart by stalking Jenny to the motel where she and her second choice prom date, Gary fucking Reid, lost their virginities together.

Rather, to go for a walk for the sake of getting some air. Despite having been flung back to the field multiple times by then—a lesson that had drilled into him the habit of remaining perpetually vigilant of his surroundings—Wally had had this intrinsic understanding that he could roam beyond what the barrier permitted.

So much so that, one evening, he hadn't kept track of where he'd been going (partly because he'd trusted himself to veer away from the perimeter, but mostly because he'd been relaxed. Not actively chasing down a loved one). It'd been an unconscious series of actions; one foot in front of the other, listening to Eddie Money's Can't Hold Back on a Lost & Found walkman, strolling into the thin smattering of trees on the edge of the grounds, and then wham—

Back to Start.

It had happened a few times after that, too. Rhonda would cackle around her lollipop du jour, roll her eyes, and tell him to, "Get smart, Jockstrap."

When Charley had come along, he'd experienced the same thing. And then Ajay and Katelynn. Learning the lesson after the lesson had been learned. Mr. Martin had calmly and wisely informed them that it was merely the result of not having internalized being dead yet.

But that hadn't sat right with Wally, similar to having been given the excuse of roughhousing when he'd caught his parents in a compromising position one innocuous summer-break afternoon before he'd aged into double digits.

"Babe..." Wally croaked, just above a whisper, the weight of what you'd unveiled slamming into his chest and leaving him winded, "What are you saying?"

Your eyes, marbled and bright—though not outright glowing like they had in the theater—stared right into him for a moment. You were obviously calculating what it meant that Wally couldn't leave the high school, all the hows and whys flittering like dust motes between you and him.

"Unless you're a residual haunter, like Mina or Yuri, you should be able to go wherever you want. How long have you been stuck?"

Wally's throat clicked when he swallowed, "Since I died."

You pressed your forehead to his, hands slotting under his jaw, and, voice laced with grief, said, "That's not possible."

"I mean, maybe it is?" Wally tried to reason, slumping back in his seat and staring at the 5-yard line as he stitched together his own theories based on what he'd learned as an actual dead person. "It's not like ghosts wrote those books you read. Maybe whoever wrote them got it wrong."

Shaking your head, "Actually, they did. Not the physical copies, obviously, but those authors collaborated with ghosts to write those books."

Wally didn't know what to say to that. Didn't know if he could answer a lot of things anymore. Did he even know what it meant to be dead?

You seemed willing wait him out as he turned everything over in his head, one hand on his shoulder, the other lifting the one he'd had on your calf so you could string his arm through your legs and cradle his hand on your belly, your thumb rubbing soothing patterns between the bones.

"What does it mean?" He asked, distant.

Wally could feel himself slipping away, the revelation frosting him from the inside and making him numb. He'd had a similar experience when he'd been fourteen and had broken his collarbone. The pain so intense that his brain had immediately severed its connection to the feeling.

Shock.

"It means that something doesn't want you to leave." You answered once he'd returned his eyes to yours. Your features creased, "Or someone."

Wally felt that statement like a nail through the chest. "How?"

You stared at him helplessly, caressing his cheek and then tilting forward to press your foreheads together again. The action worked to ground Wally, reeled him back from the edge of an existential crisis he wasn't ready to have.

Regretfully, "I don't know, Wally. But we'll figure it out, okay?"

He nodded against you. Closed his eyes and absorbed the warmth of your nearness, the solidity of your touch. Allowed those things to calm him.

"At least we can rule out Mr. A having anything to do with that, right?" Wally snorted in an attempt to lighten the mood.

You pulled back, smiled gently, and nodded, "Right. But he could've used it to his advantage. With her soul stuck here, Maddie wouldn't be able to get back into her body and then go to the police. It also means that he could've safely stashed her body anywhere, so long as he has access to life support."

"You think he dropped her at the hospital?"

"Not here." You said, "Split River isn't big enough to pull that off. He could've driven her to another state? Dropped her off at a big city hospital as a Jane Doe?"

Wally grimaced, shaking his head at the depravity, "That's messed up."

"God, her body could be in Detroit for all we know and it wouldn't get back here until someone in the hospital there made the connection. Unless Sheriff Baxter decides to widen the search."

"Couldn't you ask him? It's like you said, Xavier's your brother from another mother. Wouldn't the sheriff listen to you?"

You didn't seem convinced, reciting in a satire of an upbeat tone, "Hey Sheriff, I think my teacher knocked Maddie out of her body and took it to another state all so she wouldn't tell you about the money he's hiding in his classroom. We should totally look into that."

Wally responded in a responsible manner, "That sounds like an awful idea, let's not do that."

Curling against the back of your seat, voice slightly strangled, you uttered, "So, Maddie's stuck in an In Between 'til I can find her body and bring it back to her."

Wally sensed the granite mass of the pressure you were already putting on yourself. Choosing to steer you out from under it, he diverted the conversation, "Still haven't told me what an In Between is, by the way."

It did the trick, at least for the time being. Your lips quirked up at the corners and the wrinkle between your brows vanished as you informed him, "It's exactly what it sounds like. A plain between plains."

"Yeah, pretty thing, you're going to have to dumb it down more." Wally said, willing to sacrifice his dignity for the sake of making you smile.

Grinning, you set the stage, "Think of plains like different worlds. I'm in the living world, you're in the dead world, right?"

"Got it."

"Now, pretend there are doorways into those worlds. In Betweens are the spaces between the doors." You nibbled your bottom lip and Wally's attention immediately slipped, the urge to lick into your mouth making him twitch. Sweetly unaware, you back-tracked and tried a different avenue, "Not doors...maybe glass walls?"

"The door thing made sense. I mean, I think I get it. In Betweens are those places that anyone can access, whereas the living world is just for the living and the dead world is just for the dead. Am I close?"

"Yeah, you got it." You praised and Wally had to stifle the desire to puff out his chest and preen. "Well, not anyone can access In Betweens, but if your soul can Travel, that's where you go."

"So, when you project, you're in an In Between." Wally stated, though he was hedging for clarification.

"Exactly."

"And you said Maddie's stuck in an In Between, too, right?"

Wally saw the moment you clocked where he was going with that train of thought.

With a lamenting sigh, you said, "Unfortunately, In Betweens are complex. They're unique to all kinds of things like bloodlines and soul-ties—" Wally opened his mouth to ask, but you got there first, "—incredibly deep bonds you make in life with another person." He closed his mouth and listened as you elaborated. "So, me and my great-aunt enter the same In Between and can see each other. But Maddie..."

"Isn't blood?"

"And she and I weren't close enough to form the type of bond you'd need to Travel the same In Between. Either she'd have had to invite me into hers or I'd have had to invite her into mine. It's extremely intimate. Not something you do with someone you only hang out with in a group." You perked up and finally gave Wally a full, supernova smile. "I actually wrote you some notes."

The implication conjured an image of you scribbling notes for him under light cast from a laptop screen, kicking your feet as you lay on your bed like a schoolgirl. All so that he could understand the twisty, twiddly secrets of the universe...

He swooned, barely holding back a wistful exhale.

And then his brain ticked back a few frames to you on an unmade bed. The collar of the oversized t-shirt Wally hoped you owned bearing one shoulder, and the smooth skin of your legs on display.

He couldn't care less about the state of his deadness now, and what it meant that he couldn't leave the school grounds. Instead, he let a slow, devilish smirk slant across his mouth, emboldened by hormones and how receptive you were as he leaned into your space.

He slid his hand from yours and placed it on your thigh, "Gonna let me copy your homework, baby?"

"Gotta get those grades up before the big game." You played along, "Don't want you kicked off the team."

Without hesitation, Wally struck, halfway out of his seat, hand gripping the armrest behind you to hold himself up. He loomed over you, little thing that you were, squished into your seat and completely caged in by him. He hovered, heard your breath hitch, and watched your gaze go hazy.

"Lucky to have a girl like you on my side, then, huh?" Wally said, voice rough, tightly controlled, closing the distance between your lips in increments.

You reached up, wrapped your arms around his neck, "Damn right, big shot," and dipped in.

A throat cleared somewhere over Wally's shoulder, from behind and moderately above, and drove him back into his seat at Mach speed, his hold on you resituating to a socially acceptable place on your ankle. The interruption was accompanied by that arcing of gravity that emitted from a living body which meant Wally was once more on the outside looking in.

"Okay there, hot shot, time to get moving. Students aren't s'posed to be up here outside'a game time." The maintenance worker said, illicit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.

Wally noticed the man wasn't quite looking at you, and, for the first time, he had to wonder what the hell people saw when you and he were together while you were still in your body.

You pulled yourself up as fast as the angle allowed you to without injury, foot still tucked in Wally's lap. As soon as your head peeked above the back of your seat, the maintenance worker clutched a hand to his heart and plucked the cigarette from his lips.

"Jesus, girl, you can't do that to folks." He scolded you, southern accent thickening, "Lookin' like a zombie comin' out the grave or what."

"Sorry," You said and sounded as puzzled as Wally was by the man's overreaction.

"Just hurry up and get goin'." His eyes swept in a strange pattern, away from you then back then away, fixing on a point that would have been Wally's nose if he weren't invisible. "You kids these days thinking you can be wherever you wanna be, huh? Ignoring the rules, like they don't apply to you..."

God, this guy. "Can it, asshole. Give her a minute to get up." Wally snapped, bolstered by the fact that the man couldn't hear him. "Bet you're bent outta shape because all that nicotine makes your dick about as useful as a wet napkin."

He heard you choke on a laugh that you quickly masked under a cough.

The man squinted, lips pursed in aggravation. Surprisingly, he departed with no more than a gruff, "Get gone!" and stuck his half-burned cigarette back into his mouth.

Wally glared after him as the man marched up the stairs toward a ladder open beneath a curtain of cables and metal that spilled from the ceiling. Clearly, the man had been in the middle of fixing something when he'd seen you.

"Fucker." Wally grumbled. He patted your leg, pressed a kiss to your knee before he released you.

"I appreciated the support," You giggled, "Even if it doesn't do much on my side of things, it's nice to know you have my back."

"I've always got you, baby." Wally vowed as he unfolded himself and rose to his feet. He couldn't help tacking on, "Every bit of you," with a wink that made you pink up so prettily.

You wetted your lips, ducked your face into your shoulder; shy after you'd been caught in what might’ve been a very awkward position. "I'm starting to get that."

Wally let you take the lead, enjoyed how you brushed up against him as you shuffled out of the row and onto the stairs. He shot the man one last angry look as he grabbed his jacket and then turned to trail you across the field and out of the stadium.

At the top of the grandstand, feet from the ladder, the man examined his cigarette through a profoundly glum expression.

With a grunt, he dropped it to the ground and crushed it under the thick sole of his work boot, simultaneously pulling the crumpled, two-from-empty pack out of his breast pocket and whipping it into a nearby trashcan.

💀___________________________

PART THIRTEEN - PART FIFTEEN

also available on AO3!

MASTERLIST

[yamujiburo]

One of the funniest side effects of people growing up with Ash being a kid forever since they themselves were kids is that is completely skews your understanding of the ages of the characters. We assume ash's mom must be So Old for having a 10/11 year old but like. I'm officially older than Delia.

I'm also surprised people think TR are teens when they're canonically officially employed, which doesn't seem common of teens in the Pokemon universe. If you see someone with a job who isn't volunteering or in some sort of training, it seems they're usually if not always an adult.

it's fair! especially for dub watchers since it's not as obvious/rarely stated

and like i was kinda getting at earlier, the pokemon world is a cartoon world with cartoon rules and it iiiis kinda unclear what kids can or can't do? like brock's a doctor at 15, gary's recognized as a researcher in DP, etc.

but i do think with team rocket it's a little different since, jessie in particular has been established as having SEVERAL careers. which again, is like,,, idk maybe possible for a teen to do? but she's been to pokemon tech as a kid, she was training to be an idol preteen/teen, she went to nursing school (was likely in her late teens/college aged at that time), was a weather girl, a hostess, a beautician, a wine connoisseur, etc. ALL before even joining team rocket. you could argue that she maybe didn't have these jobs for long but the sommelier job and the fact that she and james have been shown drinking alcohol on several occasions (in a kid's show where i'm pretty sure even in japan the rating wouldn't allow for kids to be shown drinking) should be a giveaway

[would-holden-caulfield-like-nge]

One of Gary's possible futures

So this is an idea we came up with on the Bully Discord, and I got a bit possessed.

Imagine: After the events of the game, Gary decides to give up on society entirely. And so he locks himself in his room. He spends his days on early 2010s internet, making uber edgy cartoons on Newgrounds.

I imagine he would be similar to Shadman and Emily Youcis (Alfred's Playhouse). Just spending all his time making stuff that makes it really obvious there is something wrong with him. I really do think he would love being on the internet, because he could spread his gospel to as many people as possible (and maybe get some admirers willing to feed his ego). Though, a lot of his stuff would probably be standard edgy schlock.

Of course, all of this would make him even more mentally ill, which would lead to him spending more time online, leading to a pretty vicious cycle. Even when he wouldn't be animating or talking to people online, he would be writing manifestos, or sometimes, reading the same few books over and over again. All of that on his bed.

If you wanna be optimistic, maybe he could turn things around and eventually become an animator at Nickelodeon or something. But that would require him to re-enter that gosh darn western society, which would be the last thing he'd want. Or maybe Jimmy could come stage an intervention for him, who knows!

Textless version of the first image

Gary's profile picture. Later on, I made the bright green outline bigger, so the picture would read better even when small.

[strawberryblue-blog]

Love again. Part 1.—Pedri.

summary: You and Pedri were best friends since you were little but then you grew up and things changed between you two.

warnings: none. friends to strangers, strangers to lovers, a lot of jealousy, love triangle, angst.

word count: +4k.

song inspiration: The Last Time by Taylor Swift ft Gary Lightbody.

#SEXYNOTE: There will be more parts soon. Look forward to them. Thank u sm for the support, love youuuu 🩵

Summer nights were your favorite days since you had returned to Tenerife. There was nothing like home, like Bajamar. But you knew that coming back meant other things besides the happiness of being home again. Coming back to see your main problem.

The reason you had run away.

Yes, escaped. Because you had run away from home with the perfect excuse but you knew that at some point you were going to have to go back. And it would be a disaster.

"Look who we have here!" your friends squealed as you approached the group of people. You had been talking to them since your return to Spain and when you finished dinner with your parents, you had arranged to meet up.

You had missed them so much. When they told you they would meet at the beach, like old times, you didn't hesitate to come even knowing he would be here. Hoping that seeing him would change things between you. At least you hope so.

After a while of catching up with your friends, you walked to the bar to order something to drink. When you walk you could see his back from behind. There he was. Pedri with his friends. You recognized your best friend even from far away and not even seeing his face. Nostalgia came to your mind when you heard his laughter in the distance, you had really forgotten how it sounded and hearing it again made you feel butterflies in your belly.

Exactly one year and three months ago you had left Spain to go to the United States to study thanks to a scholarship. It had not been an easy decision but after certain circumstances, you had no other choice. You had spent your entire childhood here with your best friends, Pedro and Fernando, but as you grew up, you decided that the best thing for you was to go your own way.

"Things have changed since you left" said your best friend, Lucrecia. She knew what had happened between you and how hard it was to be here now. So she hugged your shoulders giving you encouragement. You were afraid to ask what had changed but you already knew the answer and that made you feel sad.

Not for Fernando, not for Lucrecia or your other friends.

But for you and Pedri.

Your story was a little complicated.

You had been in love with Pedro González all your life. Or better as you preferred to call him, Pepe.

The little brown boy of small stature who ran to catch you in the gardens when you were inseparable. The teenager who hid your backpack when you were at school or soiled your foul when you were sitting on the beach. The young man who had decided to pursue his life in another city and was completely ignorant.

The same young man who saw everyone but you.

Who had broken your heart and then abandoned you, forgetting your existence. Because that was the story, you were nothing. They never were and you were sure they never would be.

"Y/n?" you asked behind you.

"Fer!" you smiled at the sight of your childhood friend. Fernando opened his arms welcoming you into a hug. "I missed you so much" you whispered nostalgically.

"I thought you'd never come back!" he squealed as you broke away from his embrace.

"Well here I am" you said laughing.

Coming home had not been easy. Coming back was opening a wound you thought was sealed, coming back was remembering all your childhood and life spent with Pedri and Fer.

"Come on, the boys will be happy to see you" he took your hand to start pushing you. You couldn't refuse, it was obvious he didn't know what had happened between you and you couldn't let him suspect.

"Look who we have here" he shouted getting everyone's attention.

The guys were in a round with their bottles of beer as they talked, turning when you came to the group. You could recognize some of your old friends and some new ones. But you knew who they were, everyone in the Tenerife would recognize them. Pedri's new friends, players from Barcelona.

"H-hello I am…" you greeted shyly at the stares. Pedri blinked at you silently.

"You're Y/n?" one of them asked.

Oh my god. Pablo Gavi. You wanted to squeal with happiness at the sight of the player. He knew you? How was that possible?

"It's great to meet the girl who has put up with these two since forever" said another.

Your inner fan blushed at the laughing look of Ferran Torres, he was taller than you thought and super handsome.

Had Pedro told them about you? If he had told them about you, why had he never even thought of calling you? Did he think about you while he was in Barcelona? What had happened between you?

You gave them each two kisses as a greeting, disguising your fanaticism when you approach them like that. You smiled a little when you reached him, your best friend. You got close enough to hug him like old times, hoping to feel the warmth of his arms, but instead, Pedri stopped you and gave you two quick kisses on your cheeks.

As if he was pulling you away from him.

Your heart broke into a thousand pieces. Everything had definitely changed. Pedri. You. The relationship you had. Nothing was the same.

"I'll be back with the girls" you announced, approaching Fernando as the others continued their chatter. You were feeling out of place and what happened with Pedri had left you shocked.

You didn't expect him to behave as if you were best friends again but at least you hoped he wouldn't treat you like a stranger.

"It's okay" he said. "There's a beach party tomorrow, you're coming right?" he asked pointing to the girls. You grimaced not knowing what to answer.

"You have to come, Y/n" Fermin said and you smiled kindly at him.

"And bring your friends" Ferran commented winking his eye. You nodded shyly. "Here" he said reaching into his pants, pulling out his cell phone. "Write down your number and we'll agree"

Everyone was taken aback by his move. Even you.

"Sure" you took it when Fer elbowed you making you respond with an accomplice look. You quickly wrote down your number and handed him back his cell phone, smiling at him. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Pedri roll his eyes with a grimace.

"See you around" you said, waving at them. Everyone waved back. You turned to walk towards your friends starting to leave the group of boys.

"Y/n!" someone shouted. A shiver ran down your back.

You stopped as your feet dug into the sand. You sighed hearing footsteps behind you.

How were you supposed to respond to that? Ignore it and pretend not to hear it? Or turn and fall back on your feet?

With a feigned smile you turned to look at him. Him. Pedro Gonzalez.

"You didn't tell me you were coming back" he mumbled and looked somewhat annoyed. You tried to calm your nerves so you wouldn't say or do anything stupid.

"We didn't talk again since a while and I just wanted to come back and see how everything was" you said lifting your shoulders. He nodded sighing.

And it wasn't your fault they didn't talk. It was his fault, you wanted to tell him.

"So are you coming back to stay?" he asked.

"I don't know yet" you answered flatly.

A silence fell, you couldn't hold his gaze without feeling your legs shaking. Pedri looked different, his words sounded cheerless and he hadn't even asked you how you were.

"Did you know I was coming to Bajamar?" he asked again. You shook at his distant words.

You didn't know what exactly to say. Was he supposed to ask that doubting your return? Did he think it was all about him?

"There was a vacation and I was able to get a flight" you laughed a little to mask the bad mood.

He nodded again.

"I missed you, Pepe" you whispered wistfully, taking his hand. Electric currents shot up for your back with his touch. He just looked at you, though.

"Yeah me too, Y/n" he pleaded smiling a little in response. "But we'd better each go our separate ways as before" he finished saying, your smile immediately wiped away. "We are no longer the same as before, we have different lives now. You with your friends and me with my friends"

You froze at his words.

Why would I say something like that? You had always been friends since you all went to school together. Your friends knew their friends, they were from the same place and they all had contact.

Was he asking you to stay away from him? And his friends? What the fuck was going on with him?

You couldn't even say anything, he let go of your hand and you saw his back go towards his friends. An echo echoed in your chest.

You should never have said that. You shouldn't have come back. You should not have gotten your hopes up.

Your "relationship" with Pedri was over. You only had memories of you. It was clear that he would never love someone like you. You were just that.

Childhood friends. A memory that vanished in the wind. He felt nothing for you, but you felt everything for him.

Confessing your feelings to him before he left for Barcelona had ruined everything. You had ruined it, he only saw you as his friend.

And now he didn't even care about you.