#I thought I was going to hate Liam but he’s so nice and funny | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pollymorgan · 17 days

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Teacher Negan - The Football Game - Part 5

Warnings: Of course, there's still a big age difference and Negan is an asshole. Smut!

-Several months later-

I am probably the only student in the entire school who looks forward to Monday every time. Even though the classes before my sports block are always a little torture and never seem to end. But I am rewarded for my patience. After the double lesson, Negan and I always spend a good hour together, secretly. Every time I sneak back into the hall, where he impatiently waits for me.

Otherwise, we only see each other occasionally by chance on the schoolyard or in the hallway, and every time I feel this incredible tingling in my stomach. By now, I have to admit to myself, I am incredibly in love with him. Even though I tried to suppress it for so long.

My evenings, or rather nights, are often spent playing online games with Negan, while we talk for hours on the phone and discuss everything possible.

Only two topics we successfully avoid. Firstly, his wife and secondly, what this whole thing between us is or could become.

It was also on one of those late evenings when he suggested that I join the cheerleading group, whose football team he coached in his free time.

"Me? A cheerleader?" I asked in surprise into the speaker of my phone, while the situation on the PlayStation was getting pretty intense.

"Of course, you are super athletic and phenomenally beautiful!" he stated without hesitation.

I laughed, "So that's what you're into? Bouncing girls in short skirts?"

"No, I'm into you ... bouncing in a short skirt..." he stated and added "...even if it won't be easy for me to train the guys with a constant hard-on, but the main thing is that we can see each other more often."

So it happened that I really became a cheerleader, and surprisingly, I even had a lot of fun. Not only because I could see Negan more often, but also because the other players and cheerleaders were really nice.

After a while, our team was so good that we planned our first away game. It was so far from our hometown that we rented a bus and planned to stay in a hostel afterwards.

Everyone was pretty nervous and trained hard. The boys, as well as us girls. Even Negan could be seen tensing up as the game approached. Because if there's one thing he absolutely hates, it's embarrassing himself. So he put a lot of pressure on the players during training.

But his worry was unfounded. We won our first away game, and we won big. The joy was immense.

-The evening after the game-

Together we enter our small accommodation, which more resembles a youth hostel than a hotel. We never thought our team would actually win, so the mood was very high.

We settle into our rooms and agree to meet in the common room right after to celebrate the victory. I share my hotel room with Layla. She is also a cheerleader and a few years older than me. I am once again the youngest, but by now, I don't mind. We get along great, and she has become like my best friend. I trust her, and we tell each other everything, well, almost everything, I can't tell her about Negan, which is really hard. After all, he is constantly on my mind.

After freshening up a bit, we head to the common room with the others. It consists of a few seats, a large TV, and a foosball table.

As soon as I enter the room, I look around, but Negan is not here. As I scan the room with my eyes, I see Liam fixating his gaze on me and interrupting his conversation. Liam is a pretty good player on the team, and I have noticed that he has been seeking my attention for some time, which doesn't bother me because he is really funny and considerate. I enjoy spending time with him - of course, only as friends.

Suddenly, he jumps up and stands right in front of me, "Want to go outside for a smoke?" he asks with a smile on his lips.

I shrug nonchalantly, "Sure, why not?"

So we walk down the narrow hallway, at the end of which is a tiny balcony that can only accommodate 3-4 people. Together we step out onto it, and Liam immediately holds out his pack of cigarettes. I gratefully take one and let him light it for me. After the first deep drag, I smile, "Thanks for a great game!"

He grins somewhat embarrassed and waves it off, "Oh, that was a team effort..."

"Don't be so modest!" I encourage him and tap his shoulder, feeling how his confidence is boosted even more.

"Well, you also cheered us on pretty well, so we can only be motivated..." he states, and I notice how he comes much closer to me, "I'm really glad you're here..." he adds in a soft voice.

Speechless, I look at him, as I hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn so quickly.

Suddenly, I startle as the silence is interrupted by the opening of the balcony door.

My heart races even higher when Negan suddenly stands right next to us. He must have just come out of the shower, as his hair is still slightly damp and a wonderful scent of soap and aftershave surrounds him.

Instinctively, I move away slightly from Liam, which is not easy on this small balcony. After all, the three of us are quite cramped.

Without saying anything, Negan snatches the cigarette from my hand and puts it in his mouth. He holds it between his lips and addresses Liam in an annoyed tone, "What's wrong with you?! No cigarettes for minors."

Liam raises his hands in resignation, "Coach, Sam is not a kid anymore... she's almost 19."

"Exactly, almost 19 means 18! So, three damn years until she's 21... or have you become too stupid to do math because all the blood has rushed elsewhere in your head?" he asks calmly.

Liam stutters slightly, "That... that's really not fair," and I have to try not to laugh.

Negan is definitely jealous!

I've experienced a few situations where I thought he was, but always convinced myself that I was imagining things. But now the whole situation is pretty clear, and I secretly enjoy it because it shows me that he really cares about me.

"That's not fair," Negan mimics him.

Offended, Liam shakes his head and extinguishes his cigarette on the wall beside him.

"I'm going back inside, are you coming, Sam?" he asks me, trying to ignore Negan as best as he can.

I briefly catch Negan's gaze and say uncertainly, "Oh... um... you go ahead... I'll be right there... the fresh air is really nice right now."

Annoyed, Liam leaves the balcony, and Negan silently watches through the window as he walks down the long hallway. As soon as he disappears from sight, Negan turns to me.

"That sleazy guy is trying to get in your pants!" he exclaims.

"Mh, could be..." I say, unfazed.

Negan looks at the long hallway once more, and when he sees that no one is there, he pulls me close and kisses my lips.

Slightly surprised by the risky move, it takes me a few seconds to respond to the kiss. But now I don't want to let go of his lips at all. It feels so good to finally feel him again. Seeing him constantly but not being able to touch him is really torture for me.

As we separate, I wipe my lipstick from his mouth.

"Pretty risky, don't you think?" I remark.

He looks at me with a broad grin, "I know how these daring actions make you wet, don't I? And besides, I had to make it clear who you belong to, my sweet! Oh, I have something for you..."

"For me?" my smile turns into a questioning look.

I watch in amazement as he pulls a small black box from his jeans and opens it skillfully. Inside is a delicate golden chain with a small heart pendant featuring a sparkling blue stone. My heart starts to race. Negan has never given me anything, not even flowers. And now he's standing there with a beautiful necklace in his hand.

"I saw it and immediately thought of you... so, what do you say? Do you like it?" he asks.

I take a deep breath and try to hold back my tears with all my might. Quickly, I take a critical look towards the hallway, and when I see that no one is there, I wrap my arms around him.

"You didn't have to do this, it's beautiful..." my words rush out before I kiss him.

-Several hours later-

Some guys are sitting in front of the TV watching some sports show, while the rest of us are gathered around a large table, engaging in lively conversation over a few beers.

Everyone is in this small common room, except Negan.

I catch myself playing with my new necklace and thinking about him. Suddenly, I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Liam loudly announces, "Okay, guys, spin the bottle!"

Everyone cheers, but I ask somewhat annoyed, "Are you serious, isn't that a bit silly?"

But everyone protests, so I resign myself to my fate, and we start the game.

After a few rounds with typical tasks and questions, the door suddenly opens, and Negan walks in.

Some startle and try to hide the hard liquor. Even my heart pumps, but for different reasons, suddenly very strongly.

"I'm officially off duty, so if anyone starts crying because they miss their mommy or gets a paper cut, please don't come to me... and anything else you plan on doing tonight, I don't care..." With this announcement, he grabs a full beer from our table and briefly catches my eye before opening the bottle on the edge of the table and sitting down with a few other guys in front of the TV.

Now I can only see his back.

"Let's continue!" someone suddenly interrupts the silence at the table, "Whoever the bottle points to, has to kiss their neighbor, whether it's the left or right one, they can decide!"

The bottle is spun with full force, and of course, this time it points to me.

"Haha... Sam!" everyone cries out excitedly, and I immediately look to Negan, who discreetly turns around and looks at us. To my left is Liam, and to my right is Layla. I playfully take my time with my decision, even though it's clear from the start. After some hesitation, I slowly lean in towards Layla and take her chin between my fingers. We grin at each other before locking eyes and our lips gently touch. I feel her tongue lightly press against my lips, which initially startles me, but it actually feels quite good, and the thought that Negan is watching us closely spurs me on even more. I let my tongue cautiously explore hers, and the kiss becomes more intimate, with the comments around us getting louder. We take our time exploring each other's mouths hesitantly. Only then do I slowly pull away and give her a loud smack on her full lips as a final touch.

I pause for a moment and look at Negan, who is just turning back to the TV.

"Whoever the bottle points to has to reveal the most unusual place they've had sex..." I say after a brief pause and spin the bottle.

But I don't get to hear the answer because my phone vibrates in my lap. Curious, I look at the display and see a text from "Mister N." My heart skips a beat. I glance at him, but can only see his back. Eagerly, I lean back, making sure no one can see my screen.

"You naughty girl! 🔥" I read and quickly respond.

"Didn't you enjoy the little show? 😉"

"I can't say no. 😉 I just have some worry about leaving you alone with Layla tonight after what I just saw!"

"Don't worry! My pussy belongs only to you! And she misses you so much..🥺"

"I miss her too! How much I would love to run my mouth over her right now and catch every sweet drop with my tongue... I know how much you love that, right?..."

We exchange a few more messages back and forth, even though we are sitting just a few meters away from each other. Each message from him makes my lower body tingle more and my throat gets drier.

-Later in the hotel room-

Layla is already pretty out in bed, while I disappear into the bathroom. When I step out of the shower, I am wearing nothing but Negan's necklace. I look at myself in the mirror, then pick up my phone from the edge of the sink and quickly take a selfie covering my nipples.

"The necklace is so beautiful! 😍" I type underneath and nervously send it to Negan.

My heart is pounding wildly as I brush my hair and keep glancing at the screen. But there is no response. Is he already asleep? I put on my pajamas, and as I'm about to pull the top over my head, I hear the reassuring sound of my vibrating phone.

"Damn, sweetheart. That's not the only thing beautiful in the photo! 💕 Do you know how much I love your enchanting titties? Come on, show me more of them!" he texts.

Unconsciously, I smile immediately and after a few seconds of hesitation, I pull the straps of my top down, fully exposing my breasts, and once again set the camera function on my phone. I take a few photos and quickly choose one to send to Negan.

"Sweetheart, you are way too good to me! Can you imagine how rock hard my cock is right now because of you?"

I type, "No, show it to me, please!" on my phone, and as I send the message, my cheeks glow so much that I feel they might burst any moment.

It doesn't take long before I actually receive a picture of his hard arousal. I never thought something like this would turn me on, but with Negan, it's different. I instinctively squeeze my legs together and bite my lower lip.

"I really want him deep inside me right now..." I type back.

"That's all I can think about right now, damn! We should sleep now, my sweet! The sooner we can be close again..." he writes.

"You're right... pleasant dreams!" I reply, already missing him terribly in that moment. Disappointed, I set my phone aside and put my clothes back on. Then I step out of the small bathroom and, just as I'm about to say something to Layla to distract myself, I open the door. But she doesn't react. Confused, I look at the bed and see her sleeping peacefully.

"Hey Layla?" I ask a bit louder, but there's no response. I look at her once more and make sure she's really fast asleep. Then, quietly, I leave the hotel room and tiptoe barefoot down the hallway. Feeling slightly disoriented, I look at the room numbers on the doors. Of course, I remember Negan's room number. As I get closer to the number, I feel my body pumping with adrenaline. Finally, standing right in front of it, I hesitate for a moment. The risk is quite high. But then I timidly knock on Negan's door, not sure what makes my heart beat faster - the fear of getting caught or the excitement of being able to embrace Negan in my arms.

In the dark hallway, clad in a short pajama shorts and the matching tank top, I look around anxiously. Eventually, I hear movement behind the door and the doorknob turning, sending even more adrenaline rushing through my veins. I try to appear as calm as possible as Negan opens the door a crack and looks me up and down, his grin growing wider with every passing second.

I, too, let my eyes wander. He's wearing only dark gray boxers. Unconsciously, I bite my lower lip as my eyes travel over his slim, defined upper body. His dark chest hair and tattoos make him even more attractive.

On Mondays, after sports, I don't often get the chance to admire him like this. Everything always has to be quick, and we only take off the essentials, so I savor this sight even more. I take a deep breath and meet his gaze once again.

Innocently and softly, I say, "Mr. Smith, I can't fall asleep..."

He slowly licks his lips, and his dark eyes begin to sparkle. Leaning casually against the door frame with one arm, he asks, "Oh, my poor girl, what can I do for you?"

A smile tugs at my lips, and I try to keep my composure and stay in my role. Nervously, I nibble on the fingernail of my right thumb.

"Could you maybe... fuck me hard?" I ask in a pleading tone.

He grabs my wrist firmly and pulls me into his room with a swift motion. As soon as he closes the door, he presses my back firmly against it and starts kissing me passionately.

"I've been wanting to do this the whole damn time," he whispers into my open mouth, just before our tongues meet again.

His tall body presses against mine, and only the thin fabric of my pajamas prevents me from feeling his skin against mine. His right hand travels from my cheek, over my neck, to my shoulder. Skillfully, he takes hold of the strap of my top and slowly pulls it down, fully exposing my left breast. I let out a soft moan as he takes it in his large hand and massages it with considerable pressure. My nipple is caught between his index and middle fingers, and his firm grasp makes it harden. His more dominant touches, which I have yearned for, send a warm sensation directly to my lower abdomen.

"We don't have much time! I want you deep inside me. Please, Negan, I need your hard cock..." I beg him softly. This is not only the absolute truth, but I also know how much he enjoys it when I ask him like this.

With a satisfied grin, he leans his upper body back a bit and lets his dark, sparkling eyes roam over my body.

"You look like a sweet angel, but such dirty words come out of your mouth... My dear, you have no idea how incredible you are! Come on, get on the bed, but undress completely first," he says, smiling, taking a step back to make room for me.

I look at him and remove my top. The way he looks at me with so much desire excites me even more. Slowly, I also rid myself of my shorts and panties, standing completely naked in front of him. Then, I confidently walk past him. His intense gaze feels like it's physically touching me. I'm just about to sit on the bed when he speaks up.

"Oh no, get on all fours... Show me your sweet ass..."

His direct command makes my pussy twitch, and I know he enjoys the fact that I immediately obey his command. So, without hesitation, I turn around and climb onto his bed, ending up in the middle. I stretch out my bottom even more, feeling Negan getting behind me. He places his hand on my back and firmly presses my upper body down. My face presses into the pillow as I grip the sheets tightly.

I feel his teeth on my right buttock and his beard scratching against my skin. It sends a shiver down my spine, and I can sense his warm breath on my sensitive skin. I can tell he's grinning from my reaction. Then, his hand glides lightly along my inner thigh, moving higher, causing me to spread my legs a bit more. Just before reaching my most intimate area, he pauses and then moves back down. Disappointed, I let out a protest.

"What's wrong, my dear?" he asks mockingly.

"Touch my pussy, please..." I plead in a whispering tone.

He immediately grabs both cheeks of my bottom and pulls them wide apart.

"Oh man, you're practically dripping..." he states contently, "... you look so damn hot..". With those words, he buries his face between my legs. His warm tongue leisurely licks through my slit, catching every drop until he reaches my entrance. Slowly, he penetrates me.

Everything in me tightens, my body trembles under his touch as if I'm about to explode.

"Negan, that feels so good..." I moan softly.

With a gentle kiss right on my center, he pulls back.

After giving me a rather hard slap, he then digs his fingers into my butt firmly.

My whole body is addicted to him, to his touch, his tongue, his voice. I want him so badly.

"I want you inside me..." I say, unable to think of anything else.

"First, show me where you want my hard cock, my dear. Come in with your fingers..." he instructs. "I want to see them disappear into your sweet wet pussy."

Without hesitation, I move my hand between my legs and moisten my index and middle fingers with my arousal before sliding them inside me.

"So good..." Negan whispers behind me. Then, I feel him slowly press his index finger into me as well, widening me further. Once his finger is fully inside me, he starts massaging my swollen clitoris with his thumb. My moans grow louder with each passing moment. His index finger is pressed closely to mine inside me, and the more he massages my clit, the more everything inside me tightens, a sensation we both feel clearly.

"Do you feel how good you are...? So damn warm and tight..." he murmurs.

"I'm going to come, Negan..." I pant.

"I know, my dear, I know... come while our fingers are inside you..."

His rubbing on my clit intensifies, and I can barely hold myself up on my knees. My legs tremble as I experience such a powerful orgasm that it takes my breath away.

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derangedfujoshi · 27 days

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Thoughts on s4 of Teen Wolf

Very very good I really liked the whole deadpool situation and intrigue

It was so nice to have more about Lydia and Banshees, they're honestly so interesting because again, it's not every day you see them being used in mainstream media!

Liam is SO cute I need him to 💕suffer💕

Christ Argent you are SUCH a soaking wet kitten bend over babygirl

GREATLY prefer Kira over Allison in the role of the "Not Like Other Girls" girl. I didn't hate Allison ofc but at least I actively find Kira likeable-

The whole Stiles/Malia thing bothers me so much like- it just doesn't make sense to me I have to look away every time they're on screen bleagh I LOVE their friendship tho, it's super sweet but the writers just HAD to make them kiss UGH

The moment between Stiles and his dad at the hospital when he said "Of course I go through all your stuff how am I supposed to take care of you otherwise" and "we're supposed to take care of each other" had me in TEARS I love their relationship SO much they make me weak and emotional ｡⁠:ﾟ⁠(⁠;⁠´⁠∩⁠`⁠;⁠)ﾟ⁠:⁠｡ It's so good to have a father/son relationship with no toxic masculinity involved and where they hug each other and express their love and care for one another. Beautiful.

I truly Do Not Care for Scott. I simply don't. He's slightly more likeable, like, he's ok but also good GOD do I not care.

Parrish is SO cute I need more of him. Stat.

I keep saying Derek is the real victim in this show and I'm sorry but it's also so fucking funny man can't catch a BREAK. He's such s girlfail it's endearing to me...

I really enjoyed Peter this season, I liked the twist of Meredith starting the deadpool after listening to him going slowly insane, however I did NOT appreciate his treatment in the last episode :/ like sure, go lock him up with the guy that will make him go crazy. Again. That man needed actual therapy something like, SIX YEARS AGO CAN SOMEONE UNDERSTAND?? I want to enter inside the show and smack everyone because yeah Peter is a morally questionable fuck and I LOVE HIM for that but also he could benefit from some therapy and NOBODY is being even slightly sympathetic towards his situation like cmon!

All in all good season 7/10 I would've given it an extra .5 point but I deducted them for the last episode being unfair to Peter >:(

#nene watches teen wolf #teen wolf #peter hale #stiles stilinski #hey fellas I ship steter to death if anyone is interested pspspspsps

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realityisweird101 · 1 month

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My Heart is Yours, Do With it as You Wish. (Pt.1)

toxic drake - one-sided drake - drew angst - 2.8k words

cws: mentions of sh (not depicted), mentions of sewerslide (ex: 'it would be better if he wasn't here', 'he just wants to die', 'without ___ he's nothing'), obsession, mentions of violence (nothing really happens), major mood swings, BPD, throwing up, depression, edd, not taking care of oneself rly, implied underage drinking

aka: batshit crazy drew. ur welcome!!<3

Drew's never gotten the ideal of getting friends. Sure, they were amusing, but Drew never felt anything with other people his age.

So he tried. He really did, he tried making a connection, and it worked, since he had friends, but it didn't feel as nice as everyone said it did. Liam and Henry—they were funny people, sure. Drew liked being friends with them, but only a miniscule amount more than everyone else his age.

But—those…freaks. They made Drew feel something other than just tolerance, which was how he felt about almost everyone else. They made his eyes roll, his teeth clench, his smirk turn from just smugness to full on cockyness.

And so Drew made sure they hated him, so he had a reason to hate them.

It was better than just…nothing, after all. So, he became some sort of bully, which wasn't his goal, but it still made that purple-haired weirdo hate him, and so the rest did as well.

But…but then—

Drew's eyes caught chocolate brown ones. They were warm—so warm, and Drew loved them.

Jake.

Jake Sterling.

That name sounded so right in his brain, occupying it's own space, pushing all unnecessary affairs aside.

Jake.

Jake became his new best friend, and Drew finally understood the ideal of getting a best friend. This…this warmth in his chest was better than anything he had ever felt before. Sure, hatred was better than…whatever he felt before, but happiness felt like fireworks erupting in his stomach, like hot chocolate on a cold, cold day.

Drew supposes that was how he felt before. Cold. With twinges of joy and hatred at times.

So Jake remained his best friend. And the music club remained his enemies. And life went on as it should, with equal amounts of hate and joy, which made his life finally feel complete.

_______

Daisy.

Daisy was a nice person, Drew tolerated her a bit more than everyone else.

(But she was the reason why Jake went away, why he left Drew—left forever.)

Jake liked Daisy. He had an idiotic crush on her, which led him to him leaving Drew, and him joining the music club of all things. But, Jake was still his best friend, so it was fine. It was okay.

_______

“Dreewww! Don't you think about anything other than Jake? Seriously, you're glaring at your lunch as if it killed your grandma. Or Jake, since you probably care about him more than your grandma.” Henry said in a sing-song voice. He was probably joking, but now that Drew thought about it, he never felt anything for anyone else. Sure, he wasn't emotionless, but he didn't particularly care if they broke an arm, or something.

Drew never did care much about his grandma. He had never met her, either, so that was probably it.

…he remembered something his parents said about a dead mother or father, but why would Drew care if he didn't feel anything about it?

“Shut up, Henry. And it's just the fact that he keeps on ditching us to hang out with those…freaks. God, they're probably going to embarrass themselves all over again.” Drew grumbled, picking at the school lunch. It looked gross. Even grosser than usual, and wasn’t that strange.

“If I didn't know better, I would think you're in loove!” Liam snickered, winking seductively, and Drew glared at him.

“No, you idiots. We're just friends, duh.” Drew mumbled. “‘Thought that was what everyone meant.” He mumbled even quieter, afterwards.

“Dude, I get that you're…friends. It's just that you never act like that about Liam and I, and you're practically always obsessing about Jake. It's not really best-friend-esque.” Henry said, taking a sip of his signature lettuce juice, which is…gross, by the way.

“Whatever. I like Jake, I like both of you, I don't like the music freaks, end of discussion.” Drew said, staring at both of them in a way that dared them to disagree.

They changed the subject.

_______

Zoey. Zoey was a strange phenomenon. At first, Drew was convinced he liked her. Maybe it was those brown eyes, or the blonde and pink hair.

Or maybe it was the fact that he could barely piece his memories together, since all the ones without Jake had slipped out of his mind.

…and there were far more memories without Jake than with him, at the time. He had to spend a few days rearranging his memories, since he could barely remember what his own name was.

But, he did care about Zoey, a little bit of happiness which drove him to her. She wasn't nice, but she made the perfect model-girlfriend, so Drew didn't care much.

He did care about her though, he wanted her to be happy, so she didn't know that he wasn't.

But after Jake, Drew's care started to dwindle…

______

“Drew? Drew, what's wrong? Drew?” Liam—Liam? That name sounded wrong.

Jake, saying his name, the way his mouth moved.

Jake, blinking, the way his lashes collided as his eyes closed.

Jake, walking, walking closer to him—

Jake, his Jake—

“Mmph.” Drew…Drew, grumbled. His head felt light, and heavy, although his heart felt lighter. He had a headache, and he…where was Jake?

“Drew, seriously, you're scaring me.” Henry said, sounding concerned. Drew didn't know why they were worried.

And where was Jake?

“Wh't's ‘rong?” Drew mumbled, his words slurring together.

Jake, smiling, the way his teeth shimmered in the sunlight.

Jake, holding a remote controller, how he did a stupid dance to celebrate his win.

Jake, crying, as he poured his guts out to him.

Jake, his Jake, his perfect Jake—

“You—you haven't been to school in days, and you won't text us. Or Jake, and you always text Jake back.” Liam mumbled, and he seemed a bit upset by that fact.

Jake, he didn't text Jake back? Oh. Oh Jake probably hated him, and he couldn't have that—

Where was his phone? Wait. When did he get a phone? Why were they in his house? How did they get into his house? How long had it been?

Jake, brushing his hair.

Jake, hugging him, telling him it would be okay.

Jake, calling him when Drew couldn't breathe—

Jake, his oxygen, his sun, his world—

“Drew, talk to us. Your eyes keep on going hazy—have you even eaten? Have you slept? What's wrong?” Henry tried, his hands on Drew's shoulders, shaking him, and Drew blinked.

“‘M okay. Uh…jus’...tired.” Drew mumbled, and tried keeping the haze of Jake from obscuring his vision.

“Shut up! You're not fine, Drew. You're—you're not anything! You're sitting here, doing God knows what! You're not talking to anyone, not contacting anyone, and you won’t even eat, sleep, or anything!” Liam burst out, and, and—

He had eyebags under his eyes, his usually styled hair was messy—as if someone brushed a hand in it too many times, and he was dressed in only sweatpants and a loose shirt. He looked stressed. But Drew didn't care because Jake—

Drew wanted Jake to hold him. He wanted Jake to love him. He wanted Jake, point blank. He…

…felt a tear roll down his face.

“‘M sorry, okay? I didn't—I'm trying, to be a human, to be real, to be Drew. I'm trying to be alive, to eat, to sleep, to be functional. But nothing matters and I'm trying to find something that matters but the only thing that matters is Jake and he's gone.” Drew gasped out, and he was.

“Drew—Drew. Don't—Don't cry. It's—Jake's not gone, he's here, we're here, aren't we enough?” Henry said, and he had tears streaming down his face. Drew couldn't, he couldn't look at one of his best friends cry like that—

He let himself drift away with the haze, because in the haze there were no heartbroken friends, no aching hearts, no need to be human.

In the haze there was Jake.

And Jake was enough for Drew, better than the world, than the sun, than anything else in the world.

_______

Drew looked at the blonde haired boy beside him, and smiled, wider than he had in a while.

Jake caught his eye, and looked surprised for a moment, his eyebrows shooting up, but smiled back widely, if not wider than Drew.

It made a burst of warmth fill Drew.

Jake was his. He loved Jake. (But not like that, he was a guy. Drew doesn't love guys.)

_______

Drew looked at Jake and Hailey.

Hailey, a stupid freak who had stolen Jake.

Jake looked so happy, he was smiling, he was grinning, he was laughing.

Drew wanted to tear her apart, to rip out her heart, to drive her away.

Jake was happy, he was happier without Drew.

He couldn't be, he wasn't he couldn't—

_______

Drew slammed his back against his bedroom door, glad his parents weren't here, and screamed.

_______

Drew giggled, and stared at the photo in his hand. It was a photo of the ‘Jomies’, and there was Jake and he was smiling.

He looked happy with Drew.

(Not as happy as he was with that freak—)

He scribbled the other faces with black marker.

It was Jake, wasn't it? And he was smiling, and he wasn't with those freaks. Oh, it was Jake, fantastic, wonderful, beautiful Jake.

_______

“Go away, go away, go away, go the fuck AWAY—”

The brown haired boy looked afraid, but left him alone anyways.

_______

Drew didn't want to get up. He didn't want to do anything.

He wanted Jake. He needed Jake, but Jake didn't need him.

Oh, wasn't that funny?

The one, one person Drew loved—loved, wasn't that hilarious?—had left him.

And Drew called him a freak, the final nail in the coffin.

God, Drew couldn't, he couldn't he couldn't breathe he couldn't speak because—

_______

Drew: hi

Liam: drew? drew r u ok? that was heated. r u ok?

Liam: shuld i come ovr?

Drew: no. don't. actually, fuck you.

Liam: ???

Drew: fuck u. if u hadn't stayed with me maybe jake would've stayed. maybe

Liam: drew, dude, ur making no sense.

Drew: i dint care, he's gone, okay? he's GONE. don't you fucking understand? he's gone, liam, he hates me. us.

Liam: drew, pls, are u okay?

Drew: fuck you. fuck you. fuck you.

Drew: he's gone, and ur asking if im okay? he's gone, he's gone, liam.

Drew: go away, fuck you, fuck me, i should've done something. i should've just left the freaks alone because i already felt something and so there was no point and it's all my fucking fault oh god

_______

Jake won the competition.

Drew should feel happy about this.

(He doesn't.)

Maybe something’s wrong with him. He knew something was wrong with him. He just…ignored it, because it didn't matter.

But that was the problem.

Nothing mattered.

Everything felt insignificant. He felt things, but he felt things so minorly that most of the time he could barely manage a smile.

And so—so when he felt an actual emotion, it was overwhelming and he needed—

_______

He screamed and screamed and screamed until his throat felt raw—

_______

Crimson.

The color reminded him of something.

Of freckles, eyes, and soft words.

And disgusting jokes.

But all he could think of was chocolate brown eyes.

Of warm hugs.

Of stupid jokes and stupid haircuts.

Of love.

Something hurt.

Maybe it was his heart.

_______

Henry: drew? drewy-bear!!!

Drew: ?

Henry: OH HI I DIDNG THINK U WOULD ACTUALLY RESPOND

Henry: haha i mean hello dude

Henry: uve been ghosting us 4 a while now, u okay?

Drew: yeah

Drew: im fine

Henry: we could come over, if u'd like.

Drew: No.

Drew: don't. I'm fine.

Henry: …

Henry: that wasn't a question, dude:)

Henry: we're coming over.

_______

Drew wrapped bandages around his arms because they were bloody and he didn't know why.

Jake was still gone.

He hadn't texted him, or anything.

Drew felt…he felt…shit—

“Drew! You look like shit!” Henry exclaimed, and Drew jumped. He had a grin on his face, which faltered slightly when he actually looked at Drew. “Really, really fucked up shit.” He added, more concerned that time.

“Yo.” Liam said, looking slightly better than he did the last time Drew saw him. “Oh, you do look like shit. Have you eaten? Or slept? Or showered? It's been like, a week, dude.” Liam asked, and Drew blinked at him.

It felt like much, much longer.

Henry and Liam helped him eat something, and didn't say anything when he couldn't manage anything down.

Henry and Liam helped him take a shower, and brush his teeth.

They helped him re-dye his hair, because his real hair color made him feel antsy.

They helped him clean up his room, which had become a mess.

They helped him go outside. Only for a short walk, but it was something.

They helped him feel human.

They saw his arms, which Drew couldn't clean because he didn't want to see them.

They hid all his sharp items, for a reason Drew couldn't understand.

They played a video game with him.

They stayed the night, and they all had a cuddlefest during the night.

They didn't say anything when he woke up during the night, they didn't say anything when he cried in their arms, they didn't say anything when he couldn't breathe.

(Well, they did say something. But only good things.)

They made him feel human again.

But of course, that just had to get ruined—

______

He screamed, he screamed because he needed Jake and he was gone and he screamed and screamed and—

______

He wanted to cry, to cry and cry and die.

Not die. That was a bit too far.

(But he was nothing without Jake, so what was the point in living?)

______

Everything felt hazy.

He took a sip.

His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

He took a sip.

Where was he anymore?

He took a sip.

He couldn't remember anything.

He took a sip.

He was outside somewhere, wasn't he?

He took a sip.

“Drew?”

He dropped the bottle.

_______

Drew opened his eyes, which felt much too heavy. His arms stung—that wasn't good. He couldn't remember what happened last night, but his head was throbbing and his mouth tasted acidic.

“Drew, you awake?” A soft voice spoke, and Drew felt his heart melt somewhat. “You—you okay?” The voice asked, and Drew hummed.

“‘Mm, ‘m ‘Kay.” He mumbled, “head ‘urts.” He huffed, and opened his eyes a little. The light burned his eyes, as he suspected, but he could see brown hair and red eyes.

Liam.

Huh. Why did he go to Liam's house?

“You're lucky my parents aren't here, y'know. They would kill me if they knew I had a guy over. ‘Specially if it was you.” Liam huffed, and Drew's face twisted in confusion.

“Why especially me?” Drew asked, and Liam didn't answer.

“...Drew. How…how…how'd you get something sharp? I just…I thought me and Henry…” Liam started, and Drew stiffened. He…he didn't—

Liam didn't push any further.

Drew was glad.

_______

The first time Drew went to school without Jake was two weeks after they stopped being friends. No one really noticed Drew was gone, and so no one noticed he had come back.

“Yeah! You're back! The Dromies are back together!” Henry exclaimed, a wide grin on his face.

And…and Drew felt something.

“What the hell are the Dromies?” Drew asked, rolling his eyes. Of course, during his fit Henry and Liam went on to name their trio something stupid.

“Homies, but Drew style!” Henry exclaimed, shooting finger guns at Drew, who cringed.

“Uh. I do not have a style, thank you very much. Never do…that, again.” Drew said, gesturing at all of Henry. Liam let out a choked laugh, and suddenly Henry started laughing as well, and well, if Drew started laughing a tiny bit, no he didn't.

_______

Drew saw Jake in the hallway and his heart dropped.

He looked…so happy.

He was with the freaks—the entire gang, and of course he and Hailey were glued together like peanut butter and jelly. He was grinning, joking around, and laughing whenever Hailey blushed.

Blushed.

Were they dating?

Were they—

Drew rushed to the nearest bathroom, and puked his guts out.

He couldn't even look at Jake.

How pathetic.

_______

And that's the end of pt.1! errm i hope it was ok?? idk. so like it's disorganized in the writing and that was on purpose bc ofc drew's head is a bit mushed up at the moment. if it doesn't make sense at some parts, it probably isn't rly supposed to, but u probs still get the gist that drew is OBSESSED, riggght?

also. the way Henry and Liam are handling what's going on may seem bad (ex: not telling anyone, not getting drew any help) but i don't rly think so bc for teenagers the way they dealt with it was pretty cool, and if they told anyone drew would probs js not improve at all and probs would've gotten worse so like idk js wanted to let yall know that. they were probs kind of freaking out as well so that's a reason.

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imissthembutitwasntadisaster · 2 years

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Perscribed Burning Part 1 - Inklings Challenge

Eleanor had fire-fingers and the rains weren’t coming.

But that’s a lot to throw at you in one go, so let’s back up.

When Eleanor took her first steps as a toddler, tiny baby footprints of fire sprung to life beneath her heels, trailing across the room. They caught the carpet and spread, licking up the walls until the room was an inferno. No one but Eleanor ever noticed.

That room was never put out and the fire soon spread through the house as she wandered back and forth, growing in its constant flickering light. As soon as she could she tried to talk about it, but every time her parents made funny expressions at each other across the table so she soon learnt to laugh it off as a joke. She was young when she figured out to keep secrets, to avoid staring too long at the flames even as they consumed the chair she was sitting in. She wished they would go out inside the house, even just so she could see her way around the rooms clearly, but it never got wet enough in there to douse it.

Outside was a different matter, things still caught alight but Eleanor lived in a rainy part of the world so her footprints didn’t matter much. It was her fingers that were the danger – a sharp dark knot would form just below her heart and flames would begin to swirl down her arms, flashing out from her fingertips. She could have burnt the city down if she tried, she thought sometimes. She didn’t want to try but sometimes it was hard, content never came easy to her. Although, she thought often, no one else ever noticed, maybe if she set the whole world alight they’d just keep on with their lives, hardly looking up as the ash cascaded around them.

Despite the fire, Eleanor had a fairly uneventful childhood – she quite liked Chemistry, hated History, learnt to swim fairly decently but did it rarely because it gave her chills (she expected the fire didn’t like to be put out), dyed her hair red in her teen years, and eventually, as we meet her now, went to university. Unfortunately, to go to university, she moved further south. And most of the year the south wasn’t that much more dry than the north, but it got hotter in the summer and the doom of a drought was bandied about regularly. And then this year there was the problem of Liam.

It should probably be said first that Liam was Not Interested, although (he promised) he still wanted to be friends. It should probably be said second that Eleanor nodded and agreed and said it was for the best and went home and sobbed her heart out on the phone to her mother.

“Oh, sweetheart! Oh no, he sounds horrible.”

“But he’s not,” Eleanor somehow choked out through her tears. “He’s so interesting and he laughs at all my jokes! And he cares so much about like, being mentally healthy, y’know, he said we can still be friends but he needs space but he’ll let me know when that sort of changes, he doesn’t know but it probably will! I mean can you imagine dad saying all those kinds of things?” (Eleanor and her mother both loved her father deeply, but he had very little grasp on self-reflection.) The flames on the girl’s fingers quivered in sympathy.

“Alright, I’m sure he’s very nice if you say so,” replied Eleanor’s mother with a little sigh. She trusted her daughter, but she did always worry for her – something about Eleanor had always been a little away with the fairies.

The third thing you most definitely should know is something Eleanor most certainly would never tell her mother: she had noticed Liam first because he was on fire.

It wasn’t the same as with her, fire from her feet and arms. He was wrapped up in a ball of fire, a great swathe of flame covering his body and a globe of it circling his head. She didn’t know what he looked like. She had mentioned the fire a little once or twice, but he had seemed confused so she passed it off as a joke. She loved him for the reasons she said, of course, but the fire was intriguing; she thought she had seen everything before in the way that young women often do, but this was most certainly new. (And her friends assured her he was attractive, which was always a bonus).

And so, of course, the heartbreak hit her hard, but more than that there was the worry about the fire: grief added to the knot, made it worse, she kept accidentally setting her notes on fire in lecture and having to bat them out without anyone noticing. Sure, no one had ever seen the flames, sometimes she wondered if they even existed at all or she was just hallucinating them (ok, a lot of the time. She wondered that a lot of the time). But she saw them burning things, her home in a constant state of almost-but-not-quite-ash, leaves charring and curling under her toes and when she picked them up they crumbled into the wind. So of course she was terrified that one day they might be strong enough to actually hurt someone else, and the dry spell lasting into late September wasn’t helping one bit.

#inklingschallenge #imagery: fire #team chesterton #genre: intrusive fantasy #story: unfinished #my writing #writing #SO I LIED ABOUT MY STORY AGAIN HAHAHA IT WAS AN ACCIDENT BUT THIS IS THE ONE I'M CAPABLE OF WRITING RN #yes yes I know I'm 10 days late ok leave me alone #also not to spoiler this but a secondary title for this could be: spot the red flags! because El sure won't for a WHILE #because in fairness they're subtle

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rotisseries · 1 year

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scott and malia show up and theo and liam tell them and show them the bodies ans earlier scalia tried to get peter (malia's dad) to join the fight against the hunters but he refused and he just randomly shows up to where scott malia and thiam are gathered like "lets hope this thing doesnt feed off desperation because this room reeks of it." you got that the fuck right, theo's in the room. and he says something else about his perfect car being blown up with him in it by hunters and now he wants the demise of anything that could have caused that and pointedly puts down a charred wheel on the window sill and it shows liam looking back at theo like "yikkkesss😗👀" i thought it was soooo funny and kinda cute and very close after the desperation quote . i wont talk about it tho. ill sound delusional

anyway you may be thinking, jayme, you said scott has been chill with theo, everyone seems like theyre tolerating him just fine, maybe its okay now, they dont have to forgive him but maybe they understand hes trying. im here today to tell you, this is 100 percent not true. scott and malia are tolerating him bc desperate times desperate measures its supernatural vs hunters/humans and theo is unfortunately willing to help. because hes .. yk supernatural. but they will never accept him. like even if scott knew about the dread doctor thing, (which he kinnndaaa does because the dread doctors called him a true failure IN FRONT of scott and he saw how theo reacted.) he also knew deucalion was manipulating theo, leading him to kill his pack. i dont think he would really. care. like scott is very nice but i dont think he could understand him. and also theo KILLED him so i mean. the sympathy only goes so far. hes never gonna be truly comfortable around him again. i think he'll try tho. for liam. and malia. she holds grudges. theo shot her in the stomach and left her to get killed by her mom so. she hates his fucking guts and never wants to see him again but too fucking BAD liam is making him show up to every pack christmas i know it in my soul. anyway liam is bonded to him, he's quickly becoming anchored to him and learning to lean on him and listen to him in crisis and when hes hurt and angry. so. he likes him. he wont say that tho (atm. post s6 4 sure). stiles also rather kill himself than see theo again but he's gotta fucking deal. he likes to make his assumptions about people. not saying theyre always wrong im saying he doesnt Like being wrong and rarely is so hes gonna stick go what he thinks about theo. and continye being suspicious and skeptical of him and make snide comments for the rest of his life. mason saw the aftermath of what happened that night when theo killed scott and. yeah. not fond of him either. and i dont think lydia has strong feelings on the matter besides with tracy being dead. kira hates him but shes not here anymore. so doesnt matter. and corey. corey dislikes him. i think thats the best way to put it. hayden hates him but shes gone. and also idgaf what she thinks😐.

anyway next episode will show you just how deep a certain persons hatred runs. and its the worst possible one and i WILL explain why in detail.

they can't hold on to that anger that's LITERALLY liam's poor little meow meow

#ask #ghoultaffy #hi jayme!

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grigori77 · 2 years

Text

Critical Role Campaign 3 Episode 39

Cash App again ... here we go, this'll be hilarious and awful. And Ashley STILL doesn't know what she's doing as The Thumb ... "I'm so lame." Wait ... a cliffhanger? Really?

Matt's advertising voice-over style is strangely lovable, too ...

I love it when Marisha fumbles a "but wait, there's more", it's quite endearing, really.

Matt: "And now you too can scram ... scram? SCREAM at Sam Riegel."

"It's Thursday Niiiiiiiight!" C'mon everybody, y'know you wanna sing along!

Okay ... with Eshteross dead ... :( Where do we go from here? We got Laudna back, but ... oh man, I'm like SUPER conflicted right now ...

Ah yes, the decorum of informing people without implicating themselves too ... this is gonna be REALLY delicate work to get right.

The pronunciation debate on Seshadri prompting Sean Connery impressions galore, I love it.

Chetney tries to work out if there's a code in the cookie recipe. Makes a beautiful tit out of himself.

"Eshteross' Revengers ..." No, not after they spent all that time on a logo.

Imogen messages Seshadri ... Matt: "Crossing the streams ..." Funny ... and then it gets emotional. HEY!!! NO PHONES!!! Don't they know they're recording? XD

The Otohan orb is still dark ... that's if it still works now ...

Room 69 ... oh dear ... Imogen: "Be discreet." Cue numerous innuendos.

2 gold for a bottle of nice scotch? Pretty sweet.

Evelyn ... yeah, she DEFINITELY shouldn't go back to the house. Man, she sounds so flustered now ...

I think Ashton's ALLOWED to be paranoid right now.

Laudna has NO REASON to feel indebted to the others, they all love her. Necklace and dolls ... oh yeah, those were IN THE SPIRIT WORLD, Fearne! The wish is father of the thought, clearly ...

Oh yeah, Mathilda Bradbury ... but now she's Laudna. So she's happiest staying who she us NOW, it seems. Fearne: "I like Laudna." Yeah, we all do, luv.

It came out of the la la la's she'd sing to herself? That's adorable ... oh hello again Pate, you freaky little beasty ...

No Delilah? Please no Delilah ... REALLY don't tempt fate, guys!

Eldritch Poof ... Laudna: Ashton, catch!" Did she just -- Matt: "Roll 2 D20s ..." Bloody hell ...

She had powers BEFORE? Oh yeah, she did ... hmmm ... okay, maybe she'll be okay?

This guy at the door ... Olly? Oh yeah, the Green Seekers. This is either good or REALLY bad ... yeah, they ARE under suspicion. SHIT.

Orym rolls 21 insight ... WHISPERS!!! Sam has to scramble a plug ...

The emotional wheel ... Sam: "Where's confusion?"

Checking Seshadri's letter ... is he REALLY gonna try and READ IT THROUGH THE ENVELOPE?!!!

Fuck ... he just TEARS IT OPEN ... this can't end well ...

Eshteross was being honest in trusting her ... Laudna casts Mending on the envelope and seal. Taliesin: "Mmmmm ... mail fraud."

Pearl ... BAT BAT!!! Liam: "It's Morphin' time."

Okay ... QUITE the brouhaha in the Spires tonight ...

Fuck ... did Ashton just say PLEASE?!!!

They get BADGES ... Ashton's vaguely insulted. He's so unrepentantly punk ...

Back to the Estste, then. Okay ... here she is! Mistress Seshadri. All righty then ...

Whoa ... are they about go use necromancy on Eshteross? Speak With The Dead, perhaps?

Yup, looks like that's it, yeah. Wow ... she is CREEPY. OH ... I really don't like this ...

Grave Mystic Weva Vudol. Hmmm ...

Oh fuck ... he's reanimated ... I hate this.

Whoa! That's it! Otohan's full on implicated! And the Bells Hells are OFF THE HOOK!!! Phew ... awwwww, and he got his final request fir proper burial rites. Gross, but sweet and kinda romantic too.

Hey, they even get an APOLOGY out of it. Nice. AND Otohan is now a Person of Interest. Yeah ... that's about right, there's gonna be a BUNCH of passes on THAT ONE.

SECOND contract ... oh yeah, Treshi was the first. Right.

Sruwagas. Home of the Stratos Throne. Now THAT'S a mouthful.

Wait ... that was Imogen's neighbourhood? Ooooh ... backstory goodness! Yum! XD

Okay ... so there's the letters. Business time! Here we go.

Chetney "produces the page" ... FCG: "Chetney's dying!"

Laura gets a fly in her coffee ... goes through an existential crisis about whether to spare it or not while Sam and Liam make references to The Fly ...

FCG gets weirded out by Seshadri not reading the letter straight away. Ashton: "Don't make them anxious, you wouldn't like them when they're anxious." Oh yeah, that's right. Don't trigger the Murderbot ...

Vudol notices Laudna ... whoa ... is she getting heart eyes? Holy fuck ... that is DOUBLE creepy ... but also strangely adorable.

Oh shit ... they worked out Laudna just got resurrected JUSY BY LOOKING AT HER? Fuck ...

21 to Insight that ass ...

Travis (singing): "What is mystery?" Tim Burton references ensue ... hmmmm ...

Business done by midday tomorrow, then. That's helpful.

Yeah, no, best not stay in the mansion right now, guys ... oh yeah, stay on the skyship, that's smart.

Time for their final farewells to Eshteross ... oh boy ... so now he seems to be at peace, that's sweet -- and Fearne is now LOOTING THE BODY. For the gods' sake ...

Sentimental ginger. Cute.

Laudna, to Pate: "No, it's sad. Look sad. SADDER!!!" Pate: "I can't! It's my face, it's BONE!!!"

Time is a weird soup ... awwwww, it's back. :3

Pate being a creepy little stealth bugger is cute in the creepiest way ... ooh, ginger AND cinnamon! BONUS!!!

Imogen says goodbye to Eshteross. I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying.

Ashton seeks a memento or two. His goodbye is a good deal more understated, that's about right for him.

The Sit and Swill again. Now what? Call it a night, then. Okay ... but it was only just morning in Whitestone. Hmmm ... okay, so they all sleep in. About right after the day/night they just had ...

Oh yeah, the poison ... that's some nasty shit. Will and Orym's dad ... so they planned to take Eshteross out PROPER. Imogen has a scary point, next time they're probably not going to be so lucky.

Orym and Keyleth backstory goodness ... more yum!

FCG does some Identifying ... oh, not so much for the blood, then. Medicine check ...NAT 20!!! Nice ... he can't make anything of it but on a Nat 20 that actually means something in itself.

Oh, so at least that means he gets the read on Turmoil ... whoa, so it's A SCYTHE?!!! Acts as a greatsword ...

Laudna: "A werewolf with a scythe sounds pretty awesome!" Yeah it does.

Oh yeah, that IS pretty frickin sweet ... AND it matches the size of the wielder? NICE.

Ashton and Chetney are now politely flexing about who gets Turmoil ... okay, maybe NOT so politely ...

Breakfast ... yay, Pretty! Awwwwwwww ... he's so adorable.

FCG: "Is there love in your life?" Pretty: "Well, right now I'm ... exploring my options." :3

The girls are still all single ... FCG, stop ... Pretty continues to let them down gently. I love it.

Pretty: "Well, gotta go drain the bacon grease." And NOW Matt realises what he just said as the others lay into him without mercy ... XD

Yeah, that's probably the best time to go to a break, Matthew ...

The way they're featuring Matt in the M9 Reunion ad makes me smile, love how it's pretty blatantly implicating that Essek WILL BE an official member of the party ...

They're incorrigible? What did they do during the break, Matt? What did they do?

Hello, back to the Silver Sun. Nice.

Oh yeah, they BROKE THE SHIP on the way back. It's only been 2 days ...

Liam gets confused by Matt's NPC work and it's adorable in the most hilarious way.

Mama juice ... XD

Fuck, Matt is going SO FRENCH right now, this is a TRIP.

Looking for Xandis, then. Here we go ...

Ashton: "Is THAT how we're promoting people now? Degrees of unsettling?"

Oh yeah, that's right, Laudna was dead when Xandis last saw her. Way to be sensitive about it, you weird ass Dutchman ...

So, to Yios ... 11 days? Hmmm ...

Ashton, to Chetney: "Why are you talking in ellipses?"

Gloom Jungle's on the way? Perfect.

Yes. Get the Gorgynei. THAT is some solid reinforcement right there.

Xandis jokes about having an escape pod. That's cute ...

Wow, this clerk is just ... wow. Matt, you are evil. Laudna had fun though, that's sweet.

Laura: "We're gonna get some diamonds." Xandis: "You can dress up however you want for this trip." Laura: "I was talking to YOU, Matt!"

ONE FULL DAY to get the right amount of diamonds? Cue lots of argument about what they already have as they try to get around the time wasting ...

Taliesin is ACTUALLY TOYING WITH the idea of MUGGING SOMEBODY to get a decent Ruby quicker ... finally Laura just gives up and decides to wait.

Xandis is conflicted about their chances in an excited way ... he's a strange one, he really is.

Chetney volunteers to help with repairs. Imogen is gonna wait AFTER ALL. They take the extra night and Imogen gets her ruby in the morning.

Woodworking demon Chetney is a bit too turned on right now, I swear ...

FCG wants a special commemorative gold coin and Imogen gets ALL KINDS of flustered in the store. AND Orym takes the piss by requesting a protein shake.

Xandis' "welcome aboard" speech is PRICELESS.

Matt wants to try and scoot through this journey as fast as possible ... how many rolls is this gonna take?

First day uneventful ...

Second day uneventful ... Liam gives Matt exercise envy by describing Orym's daily workout routine.

Third day ... Taliesin rolls 3! Okay ... oh fuck, is that a dust storm? AGAIN?!!!

Chetney gives everybody rope to tie themselves to the ship just in case. Smart.

Laudna flies Pate like a kite and he love/hates it!

MORE THAN HALF the party roll SHITE and now they are flying like yoyos in sll directions on the ends of their ropes. Meanwhile Orym, on a longer rope, is A LONG WAY OFF.

They don't lose anybody, but they DO lose a day. Yeah ...

Fourth day uneventful ... okay, something is happening in the night ...

Ruidus rises ... oh man, the lights are going all red, that's never good ...

Imogen is now dreaming again ... another shadow in the storm ... oh, it's Laudna. She's not answering, though ... oh shit, that's not her! Whoa ... it's her mum!

Chetney's rolling ... 6? Ooop ... great, now Ruidus is having an effect on him too. Not good ... yup, he's wolfing out! Not good AT ALL!!!

Shit, he's gone full on FERAL ... and he's going for Orym. 2 hits! Oh shit ... 14 points of slashing damage! Ouch! Orym gets 16 points in return but it's halved ...

Oh shit this is getting so bad so quick!

And now they're rolling initiative ... Orym goes first.

Orym STABS HIM IN THE FOOT!!! That's just MEAN!!! Considers kicking him off the ship too but resists the urge ... NAT 20 attack on his leg! Super shovey action! Full on CRIT?!!! Ouch! He's not even trying to kill him either ...

Fearne casts Daylight on Chetney! Oh shit she's actually pulling a fucking Black Widow Lullaby on Chet! I love it! XD

It ALMOST works. Almost.

Liam (menacing): "Dance with the Devil in the red moonlight."

And now Chetney's going after Fearne. 10 points of slashing damage! As far as he knows he's just SCRATCHING AN ITCH!!!

Orym pulls a Bait & Switch on Fearne to protect her! Nice! 16 damage down to half. Orym: "Chet, we're gonna keep hitting you until you heal!" Fearne: "What do you mean?" Orym: "We're gonna keep hoping until he passes out!"

For a moment they break him out of it ... and he's under a certain number of Hit Points ... bollocks. Travis tanks the save ... yup, Chet goes apeshit again!

Orym is trying to go for NON LETHAL DAMAGE ... hmmm ... is this actually even gonna work?

Meatzza Pizza!

Chetney is WAY too strong for Fearne to restrain right now, clearly ... oh wait, he's back. He sees what he did ... Chetney (in wolf voice): "Oops ... I did it again." Everybody cracks up.

Fearne remains seemingly immune to Chetney's attempts at guilty flirtation, it seems ...

Meanwhile, back in Imogen's dream ...

Her mother's gone ... she can see Ruidus this time? Hmmm ... Lightning Strike on the hut ... and it's just GONE in the storm.

Up into the sky ... she goes up ... and starts to fall! Oh shit ... she wakes up! Oh boy ...

Casts Sendjng to her mother ...

Imogen's mother: "Imogen?"

Matt: "And THAT'S where we're gonna end tonight's episode!" Everybody goes TOTALLY MENTAL this time!

MATTHEW FUCKING MERCER WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!!! YOU IMPOSSIBLE SADIST HOW CAN YOU LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THIS?!!! AAAAAARGH!!!

#critical role #crit role campaign 3 #campaign 3 spoilers #campaign 3 episode 39 #matt mercer #marisha ray #laudna #travis willingham #chetney pock o'pea #laura bailey #imogen temult #liam o'brien #orym of the air ashari #ashley johnson #fearne calloway #taliesin jaffe #ashton greymoore #sam riegel #fresh cut grass

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talesfromsiteredacted · 2 years

Text

Playdate

Rabbit brings her furry buddy to hang out with the Young Girl. 053 makes a new feline friend, and gets her own fluffy pal.

It's Friday afternoon, and I'm on my way to see 053. I've got Liam, my cat with me in a pet carrier. I'm halfway there when I run into a familiar face. I missed Watch, he's a funny guy, but can still get things done.

"Hey, Rabbit... what's with the pet bag?"

"Taking Liam for a visit. Thought 053 might like to meet my fluffy little nutter. She'll love him, how could she not? He's a sweet goofball."

"Kind of like you, huh? Evelyn is gonna be thrilled. Oh, speaking of, I have to go tend to 035 being his typical ceramic drama queen self, it's not likely I'll be able to see her. Would you kindly give her this? It's a plush cat toy. Which kinda looks like Liam now that I've gotten a look at him. He is a handsome boy, I'll admit." He hands me a medium sized box, wrapped in pink paper, topped with a purple bow.

"You know, you don't need to pull the Bioshock trick on me when it comes to Young Evelyn, I'm happy to visit her. And I'll let her know. Hey, who knows? Maybe you're lucky and 035 might just need a nap or something."

"Unlikely, but weirder things have happened. Thanks, Rabbit. Tell Evie I'll make it up to her with an ice cream party tomorrow. I'll even invite 682, heard he's fond of Rocky road."

"Gotta admit, discount Godzilla knows good ice cream. And Evie will love you for it."

"Dunno, Liam's pretty cute, keep bringing him for visits you may become her favorite Auntie, even take my place as her favorite staffer."

"Come on, Watch. Ice cream sundaes AND 682 back rides? No way I can top that. Besides, it's not a competition, I just want her to have some kind of normal here."

"Normal? You realize where we work, right?"

"You know what I mean. You'd better go, 035 hates waiting. Unless we're waiting on him. Also, would you kindly remind him he needs to keep his clothes on? Ain't nobody want to see him letting it all hang out." Watch laughs at this.

"Using my own tricks on me, huh? Alright. Give Evie a big hug from me."

"The biggest, Watch. I love Evie like she's my own niece. Yes, I know technically I'm an only child, but she's my niece nonetheless." We depart, and I head off to see Evie. I walk into her room, and nearly drop Liam when 053 hugged the stuffing out of me.

"Auntie Rabbit! I missed you." More hugs.

"Hiya Evie! I brought you a new friend to hang out with. Meet my buddy Liam. He's a bit daft, but adorable." I open the carrier, and take out my fluffy little knock-off Turkish Van. Evie squeals.

"He's so fluffy! Is he your cat?"

"Yeah, met my little buddy not long after I transferred here. I found him in one of the site dumpsters, stealing a slice of pizza. Took the little guy in, gave him a bath, and he's been with me since. He likes having his chin rubbed like that, keep going and he'll purr like a jet engine."

"He keeps bumping his head into my hand."

"Yeah, that's him hugging you." I take out the box. "Almost forgot, Watch sent this up with me. He's sorry he can't drop in, he's a bit overloaded with work. It's all boring grown-up stuff, so it's going to be a while. He's got a nice surprise for you tomorrow, though." I hand Evie the box, watching as Liam swats the bow. She opens the gift, and giggles.

"He got me my own Liam! I love him. He really does look like your kitty. He even has the black tail, just like the real Liam."

"Only this Liam won't steal your cheese."

"He steals cheese?"

"Don't most people? He thinks he's a person. And yes, cheese, the odd chip, blue freeze bars but only the blue ones, chicken, he's a food thief. He's not all fluff in the middle."

"He is a little chubby. But really sweet and funny."

"Yeah. He's a good boy."

Evie plays with both Liams, the live cat curling up in her lap. After a few minutes, my Liam starts snoring. He's happy, Evie is happy... mission accomplished.

#scp foundation #tales from site redacted #agent rabbit #scp 053

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loquaciousquark · 2 years

Text

4-Sided Dive Highlights - Critical Role C3E24 - Calamity (July 5, 2022)

Tonight’s guests: Laura, Ashley, Aabria, and Marisha! I didn’t realize how tall Aabria was until we saw her sitting next to Sam in Calamity, and standing next to Laura and a seated Marisha/Ashley, I am impressed anew at her height. Laura is devastated to land host and immediately butchers the pronunciation of “Laerryn”, which is very funny. Also Omar is here wearing a harness, and he’s beautiful!

What the Fuck is Up With That? Laura & Marisha are so sad about Imogen & Laudna’s busted friendship. It was heartbreaking in the moment and they both clung to each other after, while also being pleased at the drama. Imogen is baldly jealous of Laudna’s friendship with Dusk. Aabria: “What’s more girlboss than getting a drastic haircut after a bad breakup?”

There’s an inset Omar cam of a crew member (?) playing with Omar, which is ADORABLE.

Everyone laughs at Ashley’s huge reactions and dropped jaw during the Imogen/Laudna fight. They inset the relevant clip! That’s so nice! Laura remembers big reactions to Vax and Keyleth.

Marisha was trying to listen to Matt in this scene as he portrayed Delilah, trying to glean clues through his dialogue, only to still be blindsided by Delilah’s evilness. “You lied” made Aabria’s whole body hurt. Marisha hates friend/friend conflict but is totally onboard with stranger conflict. She could feel that “burning in the back of my head” to fix this immediately. Laura had to fight her natural reaction of, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I know you didn’t mean to!”

Calamity! Aabria loves that everything we know in Tal’Dorei is technically a post-apocalyptic world. Marisha likes that this previously amorphous conflict now has real grounding. Ashley loved how advanced the tech was.

Laura: “Can we talk about Brennan’s jamming?” Aabria: “Can we? That monster.” Lots of praise for style and lamenting from Laura that she didn’t get to play with him.

When they originally sat down to plan Calamity, Laura was going to play a wizard with a very specific place in the city. Due to scheduling conflicts, she wasn’t able to, and Marisha took the concept and ran with it. “Everything after that was you.” Marisha talks about it almost being a Sam/Liam situation where Laura planted her character seed & Marisha made it real. It gave Marisha a good excuse to not get in the weeds with class selection.

Aabria loved that the brief of “you must play a high-status character” conflicted with the common ragtag band of nobodies many D&D groups start with. She decided to be That Engineer who’s responsible for magnificent tech but never gets around to writing down how it’s accomplished, then has that knowledge lost in the apocalypse.

The lore document for Calamity was 8 pages long (not 20) and broken down by category, including important NPCs for each character. Matt apparently does the same thing for the main campaign; Taliesin and Sam have a “beefy doc” for Bassuras.

Marisha also felt that playing these hypercompetent characters compared to low-level shitkickers who have to learn to care gave her a new lens on the rest of her fellow players, who she feels were also playing at the absolute top of their game. She loved watching Aabria’s & Lou’s assertiveness in their strong, driven characters.

Aabria: In a normal campaign, Purvan Suul is the PC & the Calamity Crew are the NPCs you watch make terrible decisions. It’s not that “one bad wizard made a spicy choice and then everything got bad. No, an entire society bred people who reached too far, and here’s some of them. Even in their poor choices they were people and had moments and hesitations, but they never had that turn of faith or eye or thought at the right moment to stop it.”

Aabria treasured the chance to hook into both the past and future with Niirdal-Poc. She tried to focus on the group that could “hunker down” during the Calamity and extrapolate how they survived. She liked the freedom & less-preciousness of only having 16 hours to build a story instead of the 500-hour-stories of the main campaign.

Laura: what kind of apocalypse would everyone thrive in? Zombie, Children of Men... Aabria posits that a baby-less world wouldn’t be so bad. “Have you met a baby?” Laura, sadly: “I’ve met a baby!” Aabria: “The platonic ideal of a baby is a dog, but worse.” Ashley doesn’t want to live in an apocalyptic world where there’s a chance of turning into something else.

We discover part of the reason Aabria is so tall tonight is that she’s also wearing platform heels. Ha!

Tower of Inquiry! 41: what kind of plant would your characters be? Laerryn: “I have a pretty fiercely anti-plant agenda,” but settles on one of those futuristic LED plants. Laudna: Venus flytrap/pitcher plant. Imogen: a violet, little and purple and dies easily if treated wrong. Ashley: pilea peperomioides, Fearne: oleander, belladonna, nightshade. Patia: orchid. Ashley & Marisha discuss the difficulty of caring for orchids, and Marisha tells a story of her Kentucky dad rubbing mayo on her dying orchid’s leaves to save it. Ha!

Marisha pulls another block. 37: character’s go-to karaoke song. Laerryn: Fiona Apple’s “Criminal.” Fearne: “Kiss From a Rose.” Imogen: Eurythmics’s “Sweet Dreams.” Laudna: Fleetwood Mac’s “Sorcerer,” which she takes back immediately for “Break the Chain.” Aabria suggests “Bring Me to Life,” heh. Ashley complains that “evergreen” is the new “synergy.” Laura challenges us all to listen for it in our Zoom meetings.

The Deep Dive! Dani can’t pass out the tankards because Omar is fully asleep on her feet. It’s so stinking cute.

The skyship was cool for Imogen. “Gee willikers. I mean, it sure was pretty and the sky was nice, and she was not scared once it took off ‘cause then it was a smooth ride.”

Laerryn’s final moments? There was no better way for her arc to resolve than to avert the worst possible scenario and die in the arms of her husband and help Cerrit get out. That was the last possible victory. The entire dynamic between Loquatius (personal note, that name was very funny to listen to for four episodes) and Laerryn was entirely Sam’s idea. He’s been wanting to play a divorced character for years. Aabria was super nervous going into that dynamic in the character jam session since she didn’t know everyone else that well. Marisha liked that they were both right and both wrong & still had chemistry.

Marisha didn’t think she was really really dead the first time Patia died, but then “three hours in, I was like, ‘maybe I am really dead,’“ but then she wasn’t! She was proud to dedicate her final moments to the legacy of Avalir, Cerrit, and his daughter Maya. It was a good group moment of making sure one person survived.

Nana Mori Calloway, Fearne’s grandmother, was heavily inspired by Ashley’s mom, who’s very innocently mischievous. Ashley thought that was a good kernel for a fey-type character. Her mom is an amazing cook: prime rib, custards, cakes, pancakes, fried catfish, cookies--she tried to bring this in with Nana Mori’s pies and cooking. She’s the kind of grandma who paints masterpieces and doesn’t go to bed until 3:00AM.

Imogen feels okay about chasing Armand instead of learning about her powers; too much at once is already overwhelming. Laura doesn’t want to dive too deeply just yet.

Patia and Laerryn always had the dream of outshining the other cities, so the idea of interplanar travel was going to change the world to improve the city. Yes, she’d do it again. It was worth it. “There were gonna be Betrayers. It could have been worse! [The Primordials] seemed bad, and I stopped them, so you’re welcome, and if I could go back and do it again, I’d be even better at it. Laerryn’s learned nothing from this experience.”

Laudna does know that her patron is the same person who put her on the tree. She thinks of her almost like a ghost who can’t hurt her or do anything, just gives her her powers. Laudna’s been like this for thirty years and has grown flippant about it over the years. Aabria: “Is there a part of Laudna who likes what happened to her because it made her special?” Marisha, gasping: “Ooh, I don’t know! Maybe Laudna hasn’t even processed that yet. What the fuck, Aabria?” Laudna has accepted herself and gets a kick out of being weird.

Fearne’s chaos comes from Ashley’s mom & a love of practical jokes. She enjoys being able to do the first thing in her mind like Grog & Jester.

Omar joins us on the couch, then as the centerpiece to an endtable. What a cute pup.

Everyone loved Imogen’s reveal of the Fly spell. It was a very narrative introduction to a new spell.

In re: blighting the tree: nothing is more terrible than realizing as a player that This is Your Red Button that you have to smash to serve the story. “I’d kill it again.”

Laudna’s traveled on skyships before; that was fine. Marisha got emotional as a child learning about the loss of the Library of Alexandria, and that was her inspiration for preserving all her knowledge in the orb & sending it to Maya. “I sent the Library of Alexandria to a fourteen-year-old. It’s in your hands now. Hope this is fine.” Matt refuses to tell her what happened to it in the world.

Ashley picked the Wildfire class for Fearne because it made sense for the character, though she thinks Keyleth’s Circle of the Moon class is the best.

Tower of Inquiry, Redux: 21: Laerynn’s favorite part of Avalir is the idea of constantly reaching further. Aabria loves that they live above weather, which is hilarious. Marisha likes that Exandria is endless, and she loves how it’s grown with other DMs. It’s only more as time goes on. She’s been playing in Exandria for ten years and loves that she’s not tired of it. Laura loves that anything is possible in this world. Imogen’s favorite thing in the world: “Laudna.” Oh, my heart. Ashley loves Jrusar with the spires and bridges and Windowed Wall. Fearne is loving getting away from her glen. Marisha reveals the AC went out in the studio today. As someone who lost her own AC earlier this summer, God bless.

Laura picks 47: character cures for insomnia. Aabria: “Laerryn and Loquatius fuck but as our friends, just going through the Ring of Brass. They bang weird.” Marisha, cackling, fully out of the chair: “Oh my God! Changeling roleplay!” Imogen dives into other people’s dreams. Fearne messes up other people’s sleep out of curiosity. Laudna plays with dolls. Ashley LOVES Pâté. Pâté de Rolo the name came from a play on Percy de Rolo, but funnier because “dead” and “liver.” Sashimi & Escargot also came out of just the idea of naming something a very fancy word for a dead thing. There’s a very funny outro here where they don’t realize the cameras are still going and the producer offscreen has to cut them off for the break. Ha!

Cup of Questions: Beer pong with questions. It’s Laura’s first time ever playing, and Marisha laughs that this should be interesting since she’s super competitive.

Laura doesn’t remember her worst hair day ever, but she laments her Rachel hair cut in high school, which featured in her senior photo along with a red, white, and blue bustier. Ashley sometimes gets lost in Laura’s hair under the table spotlights, hahaha.

Laura is the kind of person to look at other people’s medicine cabinets. She would read people’s minds all the time if she could.

If Grey Griffin (the voice of Delilah in LoVM) was Laudna’s patron instead of Delilah, Marisha hopes she’d be granted with her amazing singing ability.

Ashley & Aabria are really destroying Laura & Marisha in this, haha. Omar & Pâté would have a lovely date in Malibu, with Pâté riding Omar’s back like a GoPro. They have to be home by 10pm because that’s coyote time.

Laura lucid dreams a lot.

Laura finally sinks one. If Chetney hadn’t overslept, “Fearne would have had a very good time with Chetney.”

Aabria would love to take her squad to the Feywild to party. If she could have one selfish machine, it would make her hair shiny like Laura’s.

If Laerynn & Patia were Thelma & Louiseing around the world, they’d go to Dubai, Singapore, Japan. A luxury tour. Patia would have them go visit Ashley in her stolen rainforest (see below).

Laura had no concept for Patia and loved what Marisha did with her. Her initial art concept (unnamed) had strawberry-blonde curls and lots of floating jewelry in her hair.

Brennan told the group he was going to kill them, and Aabria said he had to at least try. “One of my feats was Tough, and that gives you double your level in HP, so that was an extra 28 HP on top. And then I took Eldritch Initiate to grab Armor of Shadows, which gives you at-will Mage Armor. Mage Armor is an Abjuration spell, which means I can spam cast it without spending a spell slot to refill my Arcane Ward, so that was an extra 33 HP on top of that. Laerryn had effectively 175 HP. I built a brick shithouse wizard. Caleb, get good. Ahh!”

If Ashley could steal anything in the world, she’d pick a house by Frank Lloyd Wright or Rick Joy or Peter Zumthor, or a JMW painting. And then a rainforest to protect it.

Laudna is genuinely aware that she’s on borrowed time, because the worst thing has already happened to her. She’s living each day to its fullest.

Laerryn and Loquatius had a huge wedding & Quay invited everyone he’d ever met. It rained during their wedding and she had them leave it, since it never rains on Avalir.

Fearne’s “rats of the Feywild” was just Ashley trying to run contrary to her own opinions on fairies.

Laura gives an off-the-cuff eulogy for Bertrand as Vex. “Bertrand...what can one say about Bertrand. He was...Percy?”

Ashley wins beer pong for her team by cleanly sinking the last shot. GGs all around.

Marisha’s first crush was Josh Hartnett.

Ashley would cast Chris Pratt to voice Mister.

And on that note, Laura outros us out by sweeping up sadly the remnants of the 4th of July Party. A new song plays over the outro; is this a new theme song? It’s catchy!

That’s it! Is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #4 sided dive #4 sided dive spoilers #talks machina #long post for ts #exu calamity

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flowerpowelltales · 3 years

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Like Fall, Like Spring (Drake x MC)

PART SEVEN

A/N: so here’s the next part and *hides under the bed* i hope you’ll enjoy it!

“Hello, Riley,” Drake said and Riley blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming.

Drake was here. In her little village in Vermont. Standing in the doorway of her cottage.

He looked the same but at the same time so different. Dimmed. Like the spark of life he had before was gone.

A t-shirt she saw him wearing many times. Jeans he wore all the time. His shoes. His hair was just a little bit longer. His stubble now was a total beard. His leather jacket that Riley loved so much was on as well. He smelled and looked like the same Drake she knew and loved. But his eyes were different. Warm brown eyes turned icy cold. Angry. Familar man turned into stranger.

How nice it would be to just wrap her arms around his neck and snuggle into the warmness of him. Instead, she just started at him, still in shock.

“How... How did you find me?” she finally asked.

Drake let out a humorless laugh. Even his voice turned cold.

“You leave me with a note and when I finally find you, that’s the first question you ask?” He mocks. “I knew you’d call Olivia at some point again so I had someone track Olivia’s phone calls. Must admit you got yourself a nice home.”

Riley closed her eyes. Every single word he said was full of sacrasm and hidden anger. She felt ashamed.

“I didn’t--” she started but Drake didn’t let her finish.

“You know what’s funny to me? You knew how I felt after my mom left me to run to Cordonia after my father died or when Savannah left and yet you did the same exact thing. Actually, you leaving me was even worse.”

“Drake, I talked to your aunt and I--”

“Staring with excuses? Great, let’s hear it then.”

“Drake, I--” She took a deep breath. That was the reason why she hoped to avoid seeing him ever again. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any excuses. I thought I was doing the right thing, I--”

“Right thing? Leaving me was the right thing? Leaving me in the middle of the night like a fu--” he stopped and took a breath. “Leaving me like a coward was the right thing to do?”

“I didn’t want to ruin your life any more.” She finally admitted.

“Congratulations, Brooks. You just did.” He said and started walking away.

Brooks.

Why did it hurt so bad?

She changed her name to Walker, but Drake always called her Riley, at least ever since they got married. He told her once that calling her Brooks was his way of keeping the distance. And that was exactly what he was doing.

She didn’t want to leave it like that. He deserved an explanation.

“Drake, please, stop,” she pleaded but Drake wasn’t stopping. She ran after him and grabbed his hand.

“Don’t touch me,” he snapped and she let go of his hand.

“I just want to explain. You can hate me but at least know my reasons.”

He looked at her so hostilely that Riley wondered how that kind and gentle man was capable of such a death stare.

“You have two minutes.”

“When we came to Texas, Leona was very hostile towards me and I didn’t know why. I kept asking her why but I she was talking in riddles. Finally she told me everything and made me realize some things. I... She said I ruined your life.” Riley started crying. “She made me realize how much you sacrificed for me. Liam asked you to look after me and you did even though you wanted to be left alone. You almost got killed because of me! You had to agree for a wedding merely a month after we got engaged. A big wedding with all the nobility you hate so much. Something so different from what you wanted. And then you had to accept a title and start living in a palace. You, who hated nobility had to become a Duke! And then had to agree for our child to become a royal heir. You had to agree to live a life that wasn’t even yours. For me. Leona called me a self-centered bitch and she was right. You gave up so much for me. Everything for me. I thought... I needed to give you the freedom back. So you can live your own life, a life that you chose, not the life I made you live with me.”

She looked at Drake but he only stared at her, quiet.

“You won’t say anything?” She asked.

“I thought I was old enough to make decisions for myself.” He uttered each word carefully. “If I was suffering so much, I would’ve done something about it. You didn’t care about me, you cared about yourself.”

“That’s not true! I left because I wanted you to have a better life!”

“No, Brooks. You left because you couldn’t live with the feeling that you might have ruined my life. You left because of your feelings, not because of me. If it was because of me, you would’ve talked to me before.”

“Drake, I knew you’d talk me out of it.”

“Of course. Because everything Leona said was bullshit. Yes, I did give up of those things. But I’m a big boy and I did it consciously. You didn’t force me to do it. But instead of talking to me, you just left. Like a coward. And you know what? Leona was right about one thing.” Drake said.

“What?” She asked through sobs.

“You are a self-centered bitch.”

Riley’s eyes widened in shock and she started shaking. Drake turned away and walked to a car parked nearby. She watched him go, too weak to go after him or to even say anything. She watched him get into the car and drive away. She watch him leave her the way she left him. Broken.

She fell, knees and hands on the ground, her tears soaking into the soild. She felt a pair of feeble arms trying to help her stand up.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Ellen kept whispering while Riley was crying her heart out. The old lady walked with her into her cottage and let her sit on the couch.

“This man, he is your...”

“He’s my husband,” Riley replied. Ellen didn’t ask anything else but she knew she wanted to explain it to Ellen.

~~~~

“Wow. And here I was thinking you suffer from the lack of men! I mean, I kind of expected you had your heart broken but I would never expect... this.” Ellen was pacing in Riley’s living room area after hearing the full story. From the second she first laid her eyes on Drake in the bar to what Leona said and the content of Riley’s letter to Drake. The old lady didn’t say a single word while Riley was talking, letting everything sink in.

“I feel like a monster. What do you think I should do, Ellen?”

“We all make mistakes, dear.”

“So you think it was a mistake?” Riley asked.

“I think leaving someone who loves you so much because their aunt is a meddling bitch is a mistake.”

“I thought I was doing something good for him,” Riley admitted.

“Oh, honey.” Ellen sat next to her and pulled her into a hug.

“How was I supposed to know what to do?” She cried. “ He was my first serious relationship. I don’t even remember my parents and my grandma was already widowed when she adopted me. I don’t know anything about relationships. Ruining Drake’s life was the last thing I wanted to do so I thought leaving him would make him happy. I listened to Leona because she knows Drake longer than I do and I assumed she knew more about his happiness.”

“Knowing someone longer doesn’t mean knowing someone better, honey. You two were close, I’m sure you knew the parts of him that no one else does.”

“But Leona made such good points!” Riley insisted.

“Okay, maybe what she said was true. But maybe you should have talked to Drake before leaving? Or thank him for his sacrifices. Ask him if there’s anything he needs. I don’t kno him personally but I’ve seen the hurt in his eyes when he was here. He must have loved you a lot.”

“But he gave up so much for me! I wanted him to be happy!”

“Have I ever told me how I gave up on going to college, which was my utimate dream, so I could marry George and start a family with him? I had to move out of a big city to start my life here, in a small village. But I never regretted it. You know why? Because I loved him. Going to college was my dream but my dream changed when I was with George. Life with him was worth more than anything else.”

“Ellen,” Riley whispered on a verge of crying. “How do I fix this?”

~~~~

Riley woke up after a very exhausting night. She was in bed the whole previous day, crying, talking to Ellen and thinking of ways to apologize to Drake. Surely Drake would understand she made a mistake wanting his happiness.

She was making tea when someone knocked on the door. She opened it to reveal Drake and she smiled at the sight of him. He had time to process everything and wanted to forgive her. At least she hoped so.

“Drake! It’s so nice to see you, again! Listen, there’s something I need to tell you, I wanted to apo--”

“I forgot to give you this,” he interrupted her word vomit and handed her a manila envelope.

“What’s this?” Riley asked confused.

“I was too mad yesterday and I forgot why I even came here in the first place.” He motioned the envelope. “Liam said he couldn’t annul our marriage. These are divorce papers. Sign them as soon as possible.”

Riley opened her mouth but nothing came out. She stood there, shocked, as Drake walked away and disappeared again.

She looked at the envelope and felt her heart shattering into million pieces.

TAGGING: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @alesana45 @walkerdrakewalker @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @lovingchoices14 @tessa-liam @gkittylove99 @texaskitten30 @twinkleallnight @rubiwalker @differenttyphoonwerewolf @nestledonthaveone @marshmallowsandfire @21-wishes @thequeenofcronuts @iaminlovewithtrr @angelasscribbles @ladyangel70 @tinkie1973 @belencha77

#choices #playchoices #the royal romance #drake walker #drake x mc #drake walker x mc #drake walker x riley brooks #the royal heir #the royal finale #trr #my fics

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damonjuicyscock · 2 years

Text

Pictures of you-Chapter 2 (90's Liam Gallagher X Reader)

Pairing: 90's Liam Gallagher X Reader

Warnings: Language, mentions of wounds, maybe a few spelling mistakes.

Words: 803

Summary: The ferry incident or how it is told by the reader, what happened, and how Liam's and Reader's relationship evolved.

A/N: Heya ! Here's chapter 2, it's short but efficient. Chapter 3 will be uploaded next week and chapter 4 in three weeks because in two weeks, I'll be seeing Gorillaz live ! Of course, I'll put some pictures and videos like the previous time.

Enjoy !

Two years passed and we had been touring with The Verve at first. I think you probably heard about the ferry incident… Well… I was there.

February 17th 1994- The ferry to Amsterdam:

We were on our way to Amsterdam. I tried to get along with Liam, but he didn’t seem interested and was behaving like an asshole with me since the day we met. And God, I hated him.

This event was going to convince me even more about what I thought about him. Happily, Noel was here, and the rest of the band too. If someone left me alone with Liam, I wasn’t sure the others would see us alive again.

We were all watching a soccer match on the telly except Noel, who was reading in another room.

I can’t tell who started first, but there was a massive fight. We all were drunk, except Noel, once again, and Liam and the others fucked up while Noel and I were nice.

It was Manchester City V West Ham, and you all know which team they supported.

Liam was like “It’s punk rock man” But in truth, it was and wasn’t at the same time.

At first, the band was accused to pay their drinks with fake banknotes. Mark Coyle and I tried to calm things down, but it was too late, because a fight started.

A fight that led to another and another. None of us was implied in this fight at first, but the hard-boiled kid that Liam was, was seen running on the ferry deck, chased by cops, then again in the casino, throwing tokens in the air. This kid was fucking chaotic. Then it was Guigsy’s turn. Mark found them down a stairwell, on the ground, with three or four cops trying to get them up. Liam tried to punch one of them but didn’t get to it, and he fell on the ground. The whole band, except once more, Noel and I, got arrested.

And Noel… was furious.

Noel, I think you should calm down first and then call McGee.

Calm down? Y/N, it wasn’t fun, they all fucked up! Am I the only one to be at least a bit mature and sensible?

Yeah, okay they fucked up. But I don’t think McGee will accept to talk to you in the state you are in. So please, before, take deep breaths.

He followed my instructions and tried to calm down. He wasn’t getting angry like his brother, but still, being “calm” during a call is useful.

Okay…Okay, I’m gonna call McGee.

Good, I’m going to join the others.

It was funny of ye though.

What was funny?

Ye, trying to calm me down, knowing ye are the first to get enraged everytime.

Learning to control my emotions Noely. Learning to.

I went to the back of the ferry to see them. Liam and Guigsy were a bit hurt. I asked one of the cops to give me a first aid kit so I could try to cure them. Guigsy apologized, but Liam didn’t. Anyway, it isn’t like him to do so.

I approached him and sat in front of him, taking a compress with rubbing alcohol.

It’s going to sting a bit. I said dryly

Don’t mind, me. He answered

I rubbed the compress on his lip and hurt eyebrow, which made him jump a little and…

Ouch it hurts! Be gentle!

Though you didn’t mind? And were you gentle? You can’t help it, huh?

Who do ye think ye are? Me mam? No, so just be gentle and shut the fuck up. Yer not a member in this band, you have nothing to say.

And here he was, making me angry again. For the millionth time in two years.

I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled them a little.

Listen to me you asshole, I may not be a part of this band, but I care, so stop behaving like a little shit and fucking grow up! We’re sent back to the UK because of your bullshit. You had one fucking job, just behaving and do your fucking gig, but you can’t fucking help it!

Liam grabbed my wrist and squeezed it hard.

Yer know what? I’m not here to listen to yer shit, I’m biblical and this event will go down in history, so fuck ye.

I’d rather fuck Tony, you fucking knobhead.

I fucking hate ye.

No worries, it’s fucking mutual.

I struggled and finished treating him before coming back to Noel.

We indeed were just two to be allowed to enter the Netherlands. On another side, when Noel called McGee, he described this event as brilliant and Rock N’Roll. Wow.

#90's liam gallagher #liam gallagher x reader #liam gallagher smut #liam gallagher fanfic #liam and noel #noel gallagher x reader #noel gallagher smut #oasis band #oasis

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eponymous-rose · 3 years

Text

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E131 (March 30, 2021)

Tonight’s guests are Liam O’Brien and Sam Riegel!

Brian points out that a lot of Caleb’s greatest fears have come to pass. Liam: “It’s funny, because he’d kind of believed for a while that those things weren’t going to happen. After a while, he got complacent.” He notes that it was extra wild because everything with Trent popped up again in the midst of that complacency. And how did it feel to be defiant toward Trent? “I think Trent successfully made Caleb question if Caleb really was in control“ at the dinner party. “I feel like anything that I do is part of his plans for me, or is that just gaslighting? I’m legitimately scared of that dude.” Sam: “Of Matt?” Liam: “Sure.” He highlights the disconnect between knowing that the M9 is mechanically powerful and could possibly defeat Trent in a dice-and-stats battle, versus fearing him in a story sense and being convinced he can do almost anything.

Sam, on Luc’s death: “That was brutal, man. Matt Mercer is a-- he hates children! Clearly. He actively sought to kill a child in the campaign in as brutal a way as possible. He hates children and wants them dead. Canon. No, but to RP, that was horrible.” He highlights that so much of Veth’s arc has been about trying to get back to her family. “We had to choose something and we thought we were making the right choice. It was all Veth’s fault, and it was pretty rotten. My heart was beating pretty fast, and I certainly didn’t want to have my son die live on the stream. I don’t know what Veth would have done. That’s the end, that’s over. It’s almost worse than when your own character would die. This is something that would also kill Veth.” After the episode was over: “just shaken. I also didn’t know what to do next! That felt like a turning-point moment for my character, weirdly so close to what we assume to be the end arc of this campaign. I texted Matt later that night and was like, that’s it, Veth’s out, I’m tapping out.”

There’s an interlude in which Sam discovers a new dream to record an episode of this show from his Peloton. Dani informs him that she will not be inviting him back.

On Astrid, Liam: “I literally don’t know what she’s doing. I know that she’s dangerous, she always was ambitious, and there’s not been a moment where Caleb let his guard down with her. He’s not trying to reestablish what they had. He cares for the both of them, for Astrid and Eodwulf. He thinks about it a lot, still. He can’t tell how much she buys into everything that she experienced and is now living as a full-grown adult. He suspects that she’s bought in and is not going to change things, because she believes in the system, as much as he’d like to peel her away. He does believe that they want what’s best for the Empire, and stopping whatever wants to come vomiting out of a hole in the frozen north is good for everyone. And they’re powerful. They’re not trustworthy, obviously. But there’s enough at stake to make it worth it. He could imagine a situation where they fight each other to the death.” He was convinced Astrid was going to stop them when they left the tower and was really shocked when she held back. Sam: “Not me! I’ve trusted Astrid since day one. She’s the greatest! I sent a letter to her, she’s very nice, I think you guys would be a nice couple. I believe every word she says.”

On having to decide on Veth deciding to go off and save the world after Luc’s death. “Like I said, I was ready to be done. And then I decided somewhere in there that that’s not very D&D. So I thought I’d leave it up to somebody else, so I asked Caduceus to decide for me, essentially. She knows she’s putting her other family in danger if she doesn’t go. It’s an impossible choice, you know?” Liam: “I love watching you grapple with it, because you’re a lovely father and love your kids.”

On the Sanatorium, Sam: “That was brutal, man. Matt lulls you into a sense of complacency. We’d forgotten that Caleb was a stone-cold killer! It had been a while since he went on a murder spree. Still got it!” Liam: “I never meant for this character to be perfect sunshine.” Brian: “You don’t say.” Liam: “He’s very not-perfect, and I think in his brain, he was going in with the impression that they needed to get in and get out as soon as possible. The place is crawling with people with magic ability, and I didn’t have faith that we wouldn’t be sussed out or something wasn’t going to blow an illusion.” Everything was about getting out of there as fast as possible.

Did the conversation with Yeza help with Veth’s decision? “First of all, every conversation with Yeza is a beautiful one. Every time she talks to Yeza, it makes her feel good. In some ways, she’s gotten to the point now where she knows Yeza’s going to be supportive, she knows he’s going to allow her to do what she wants, but maybe that’s too much. Maybe she needs to not listen to him, basically, and be like, no, you need to be selfish now, dude, you need to say ‘come home, I’m sick of you leaving’. At a certain point, being supportive can turn into being enabling.”

Cosplay of the Week: Jester in the snow! (liljerbear47, photography by kairiceleste on Instagram)

On Trent’s motivations for chasing Caleb: “I really don’t know. The simplest explanation is to just hammer down the nail that’s sticking up. It has crossed his mind that all high-level wizards are in danger of their own ambition and egos, so it’s occurred to him that Trent might have the same kind of ideas that Halas had in the past, and maybe Caleb was always meant to be another body to jump into. Maybe in some sick, disgusting, twisted way, he wants him to be his successor. I am thinking of the next campaign, without getting too deep in, trying to do something that is much more ride-along. Caleb is very, very specific, and I thought long and hard about all the different pieces on the chessboard for him. For campaign three, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”

Dani: “Do I need to be keeping lore on your fucking ads?”

On the cursed dagger: “It was a tricky one, because in campaign one, one of the characters was under the influence of a cursed weapon, but it interacted with him and he knew what it was and what it did. And it affected his gameplay as a character. For me, Veth didn’t know what it was, ever. I as a player knew what it was doing, but Veth didn’t know at all. So it was kind of like my dirty, dark secret for many months. I knew this thing was coming perilously close to killing me, but my character didn’t know enough to bring it up to her friends. Nobody ever asked! So I was like, well, I guess this thing’s just going to kill me one day, and it’s kind of going to be a surprise.” Liam: “Sam, you love danger and self-destruction so much, you might as well be Mollymauk.”

On the fight in Yasha’s sequence, Sam: “You gotta put a character in your storm giant creature. It was so fun! It was so great of Matt to involve us in this encounter. It would’ve been fun just to watch, because Matt would have made it amazing and Ashley was sweating bullets, which is always fun to watch.” Sam notes he felt guilty, but Liam was going for the kill. Liam: “Matt’s gotta be careful about giving me that kind of story beat. I do not fucking care, I just fucking flip, I’m like, well, I’m going to destroy you, and I have no qualms about it. It’s too much fun!”

The Beau/Yasha tower date was in part inspired by not being able to give gifts as easily this last year. “This thing that we do together is a gift, but I love finding these moments, like the book for Jester and the tower for Yasha and for Beau. I really just wanted to give both of them a little magic for a night. I wanted them to leave this-- we’re trying to be as entertaining as possible, but shit is having an effect on all of us too, and I wanted them to have an escape, a great place to escape to.”

Fan Art of the Week: an amazing group shot, plus Marion, Yeza, and Luc! (vocaz on Twitter)

On choosing Essek over Trent, Liam: “It would have been so interesting and awful and great! Essek and Astrid and Eodwulf are everything that Bren used to be attracted to that are terrible for him. Essek, hopefully he can with time find a way out of the hole that he dug himself into, but it was only two months ago where he was found out and his ambitions came crashing down around him. Long-term, I have high hopes for him, but I think it’s going to be hard.” In contrast, Astrid and Eodwulf are still “deep in the shit. It would have been really hard to navigate, but fun to play at the table. We made the right choice with what we went with. Essek’s just getting started, and Caleb doesn’t trust him entirely, because he was burned so hard not too long ago. He’s still more trustworthy than the other three. So it’s the better choice. While Caleb has all these ties on the other side, they’re really fucking dangerous. So if you have to choose, you choose Essek. But fuck that die.” Sam: “Veth, much like Sam Riegel, makes instant decisions about whether to trust someone or not and sticks to it forever. Astrid, 100% trust. Eodwulf, 100% distrust. Essek, completely distrust. I still don’t think he’s a good guy. Ikithon? Trust. 100%. Because you know where he’s coming forward, you know what he wants. I still want him dead, but I trust him.”

On Veth’s post-adventuring plans: “Veth is probably still too in it right now to think about what comes next. I, Sam Riegel, have a good idea of what I want Veth to do post-campaign.” Brian: “Maybe you shouldn’t tell us. Save it for the show!” Sam: “All she knows is she can’t do this anymore. It’s very unhealthy to be battle-wounded every other day. It’s fun for a while, but college has to end at some point, and she’s gotta go home.”

On Frumpkin changing appearance and returning to the Feywild: “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but the way it feels now for Caleb is that he feels too enmeshed in everything that has happened, and too much good has happened, and too much needs to happened, that that really narcissistic, selfish goal has the risk of harming everything else, which is more important. And that’s how he looks at it now. So he’s gearing towards letting everything from the beginning of the campaign, and where he started, go, and trying to figure out what use he’s going to be now and what he’s going to do if they’re not all dead. If Matt throws that shit down, I don’t know what I will do, I think about it a lot. But turning Frumpkin white and saying you’re free either way is him preparing to let go of everything he’s been holding on to for a really long time. He’s addicted to that idea that he can fix himself, and we’ll see if that hard choice gets presented, what he might do. But where he stands now, he doesn’t think that’s going to be reality, and he sees a way that he can be of use that he never really anticipated before, so he’s slowly shifting gears towards living with the pain he was trying to remove.”

On the last request scene and confidence heading into Aeor, Sam: “I feel like that’s a good request. I think all of us realized that if we die, that probably bodes badly for the world. I feel like all of us are at a point now as characters and as friends, that the first order of business would be to take care of everybody else’s shit, although we probably have different ideas of how to do that.” Liam: “I want the Empire to be healed, Caleb has all these memories of his parents and what they wanted for the world, and he wants that too. It’s clearly not in place now, the system needs to be broken and replaced. That could be a part of Caleb’s sunset. I don’t want Caleb to die, so maybe he can work on that after. As everything starts to shake out and we start heading towards our destiny, Caleb’s just free-floating. He’s not even going after the same thing he started for. So he’s looking at Veth’s family, and Luc specifically, and seeing that’s me, that’s a little boy in the Empire.”

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

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braxiatel · 2 years

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Sylvanas part 4 (2/2), in which I am too tired to form actual analysis and literally just post the notes I took while reading

(negativity warning on this one because I didn’t bother deleting the parts where I was just bitching about the bits that annoyed me)

That’s... not what happened in the Stormheim campaign

okay but here’s the thing... thus far they’ve done thing to convince me that the afterlives aren’t unjust. The methods are wrong, yes, but Sylvanas isn’t wrong in thinking the system is flawed.

The part where she is thinking about Genn and Liam not being reunited is honestly very humanising, for that matter. Here is someone she supposedly hates, and still her thoughts are on wanting justice for him

“She had abandoned sleep long ago” the way it’s phrased implies to me that this was a conscious choice. This is not important for the character or anything, I’m just making note of it for fic writing purposes

[sicko] he he... gonna write some fic that is so fluffy that was the best sleep they’d had in years

“Even with so much dividing us - life, death, centuries...” oh my god not even the internal timeline is consistent. How old is she. what centuries are these, it’s only been like 28 years since the point she considers their family to have been whole.

genuinely funny how Sylvanas keeps forgetting Nathanos exists only to ten pages be like “he is the only person I need and trust!”

is this why she didn’t realise he was dead in all of 9.0 had she just forgotten he existed again and then as soon as Tyrande mentioned him she was like “oh shit right my not-boyfriend. Wait fuck you killed him?!?!”

“Where is he? Will I ever see her? Are they happy?” trans rights I guess *shrug*

Sylvanas is actually making long term plans now. That’s a nice change of pace

Chapter 27 Sylvanas: there’s an unbreakable bond between me and the Forsaken. Chapter 28 Sylvanas: I do not care about the Forsaken

Sylvanas back on her stupid, pestering Saurfang to answer her weird questions and being surprised he realised something was up

“Sylvanas appreciated the faith her loyalists had shown to her” That’s me! look mum I’m on tv

I know it’s cringe fail of me to defend Nathanos bitchyman or whatever, but like... [gets out conspiracy board] we got so close to having an interesting character arch for him, in which his doubt for Sylvanas led to him defecting from her, and now this book is going to be like “ohno, he was like never doubting her at all.” Please christie golden world of warcraft you’ve already spent so many pages making me despondent and pushing me towards insanity with your wild Sylvanas headcanons, don’t make me look at your bad Nathanos takes too. Please. let me have something.

okay but actually though... him pleading with her to just leave... I don’t know how to feel about it. Shipper me says yes, the me who cares about both characters and their stories says no to how that was handled. I would have had that happen so much sooner.

AU Where Sylvanas agrees to help Anduin escape and none of this bullshit happened

Who is this person in metal armour?

Okay but real talk. Reading through the acknowledgements, you can tell that Golden (and the rest of the team) has a genuine care for Sylvanas. And even if I disagree so much with the writing choices here, I gotta respect that. Golden spent 29 chapters and then some laying out why she likes Sylvanas, and even if those are for the most part not the reasons I like her, I respect that.

The end, thank fuck

#I’m gonna go have a nap or something now to try to recover some of my sanity #Sylvanas Book Spoilers #Sylvanas Novel Spoilers #Sylvanas Spoilers #World of Warcraft #negativity cw #swearing cw

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pasiveagressive · 3 years

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Pen Pal // h.s.

Warning: light language, there is a mention of self harm, and some verbal abuse.

Highschool AU This is really long for me 9.4k words and it’s not really done I am thinking a part 2 and maybe even a 3. Let me know what you think!

When she was five she was given a project from her teacher saying that she had to write to a pen pal. She had no idea what a pen pal was and how she got one, but she had told the class that a pen pal was someone who lived far away and we wrote a letter to them. Their letters were going to England to another class and they had to write them and they had to write back. This sounded fun. Teacher had a hat in her hands and when she passed it around we had to pick out a piece of paper that contained a name and an address. She took her's out and saw the name, it was a boy, she didn't like boys, well that wasn't true, the only boy's she liked were her brother, her best friend and her daddy. The teacher told the class they had to write to their pen pals for the whole school year.

#####

When she was ten, she still wrote to her pen pal, she didn't understand why she had been writing him for the last five years, but she had been. He was funny and easy to talk too, she thought that perhaps this boy was going to be her first crush, something she thought one of her brother's friends would be, but she was pretty sure this boy was. He helped her through a lot, like when Mommy and Daddy argued and doors slammed or when Mommy packed up her suitcases and left or when Daddy didn't come down from his room and her brother had to take care of her or when Daddy changed. He helped her a lot, and she helped him too, they sometimes even helped each other with their homework. She had found a true friend in him, and she hoped he felt the same about her.

#####

When she was twelve her Daddy let her have an E-Mail and she told the boy, he too had an E-mail and they talked on MSN all the time, but they still wrote letters to each other, personally hand written pieces of paper seemed much nicer than typed words on a screen. Her brother was about to be in high school now and she would be starting middle school next year. The boy had started middle school this year and it was the first time, she realized, that she knew how old he was. They would talk about homework; friends and she asked him questions about boys. The boy didn't answer a lot of them but she didn't mind, the only boy she cared about noticing her was him, but then something dawned on her. They may never meet.

When she was fifteen she started High School and the boy was a year ahead of her. Her mother had returned to the city, remarried, and she wanted to see her children, but she refused to go, as far as she was concerned her mother had abandoned her and her brother and her Father had taken care of them, but he had changed even more. Her brother would soon be off to college and she would still be here, her father wasn't so bad, only when he disapproved of something did he get angry, he never struck her, her brother would never allow it, he was protective over his baby sister especially now that boy's had started to notice her. She still wrote to the boy and told him all about her problems, it had been ten years and she could still confide in him and he confided in her and she liked it that way. It meant that somewhere she had someone who cared, someone who listened. Someone who knew her better than anyone.

###

She was sixteen when her world began to change, she still wrote to the boy and now she had a boyfriend, one of her brother's friends, she was a cheerleader and he was a soccer player and was on the swim team. Then she got a letter, it said that he had received a scholarship to her school and he was coming to New York, she was ecstatic and began to write him back when the pen suddenly fell from her hands as she realized something she had been denying. She had feelings for the boy with the elegant handwriting and who always wrote in blue pen. He couldn't come here, not when she had a boyfriend, but who was she kidding, they didn't know what each other looked like, so maybe she could hide who she was from him, the only thing he knew about he was her name and there was more than one Y/N in her school, but he never called her by her real name, when he was ten he gave her a nickname and nobody knew it except for him. She realized how ridiculous she was being, this boy had no romantic interest in her and if he did, what did it matter? She has a boyfriend now.

What she didn't know was when he came to New York her whole life would change and he would be a part of that change.

She had feelings for the boy with the elegant script and blue pen, and they were not going to go away.

"Ugh, how can you eat so much?"

Y/N Y/L/N looked at a friend with thinly veiled disgust, she had no idea where Maya put it all and considering she was eating cafeteria food, it made it just that much worse. Especially because today's menu was all seafood.

"Excuse me for being one of the few girls in the world that acknowledges a love for food." She said and then took a bite out of a fish stick and grinned.

"Hey, I like food just not too much." Y/N said, eyeing what could only be Maya's twentieth piece of fried fish.

"That's because you, my friend, are a cheerleader and must stay in impeccable shape." Maya winked and then went back to eating.

Y/N sighed, it was true, part of the reason as to why she didn't eat a lot was cheerleading, she needed to stay small so she could tumble and be thrown in the air. Maya seemed to resent her for the fact that she was a cheerleader, but Y/N could not help it if Maya did not have great hand eye coordination. She knew Maya didn't really like her, but she put up with having her around because Will and Joel liked her. She didn't know why Maya hated her, she thought it was partly because she was part of the in crowd and Maya thought that they were all snobs.

Y/N was no snob.

Someone patted her head and she turned to look and was looking into the kind eyes of her best friend.

Will Davis.

His brown hair was in his eyes, covering the chocolate orbs. He sat down, his skinny frame folding easily on the chair. He had to push his glasses from the end of his nose back up to where they were supposed to be. Y/N couldn't help but grin at him, he was so normal, that was why she opted to sit with him at lunch and not the—as Maya bluntly puts it—the popular hoes.

Y/N looked over at her other friends, they were crowded around their table near the window, laughing and joking, she saw her best friend Isabella and her brother Jack, they looked annoyingly happy. She was well aware that Jack liked Isabella but his feelings were not reciprocated, but Jack was a star at school, everyone wanted to be with him, especially Kayla.

Y/N hated Kayla.

"Well, I'm done; I'm going to go prepare for class." She smiled at the group and dumped the contents of her tray into the garbage and left her tray on top, leaving the cafeteria, she straightened out her uniform and remembered something.

She had had practice this morning and all of her bag was still in her locker, crammed into the small space. She had gotten a lift with her brother today so she had to put all of her stuff in his car. Huffing, she spun back around and walked over to her brother's table, feeling the eyes of her other friends on her, as if she was betraying them.

She knew that they thought sooner or later she would stop sitting with them and sit with the 'popular' crowd, but she sat with them because they were superficial, they were fun to be around and she liked them, even Maya on her good days.

"Jacky," she said, arriving at the table and stopping in front of her brother. He seemed to be in an overly animated conversation with Liam, her more or less boyfriend.

"Yes?" He looked up at her, sounding bored.

"I need your keys so I can put my stuff in your car." She held her hand out expectantly but Jack made no move to hand over the keys. She was aware that the group was staring and acutely aware that Kayla was practically drooling over her brother, she didn't see the big deal. She could admit that he was nice looking but hot? No way, then again he was her brother it would be weird if she thought he was a god like the rest of the school.

Jack was nearly eighteen and this was his senior year, along with Liam, Kayla and a few others. He received a lot of female attention and people were always asking if they were really related, Y/N could see why, they looked nothing alike.

Jack had silvery blonde hair and dark eyes, he was tall and had a soccer player's build, where Y/N had Y/C/H and Y/C/E, and had a frame that was slightly toned from nearly four years of cheerleading.

Y/N never understood why she was a cheerleader, she wasn't a girly girl and she didn't dress up a lot, she was more into art, but then cheerleading provided her with confidence and made her feel alive like nothing had before, she loved the feeling of being tossed into the air and soaring like a bird. It was freeing.

"How do I know that you aren't going to joy ride and leave me stranded here?" Y/N scoffed at this.

"Honestly, even if I was going to do that, you would never be stranded, I'm sure there are a million people who would give you a ride." She batted her lashes innocently at him.

He could never deny giving his sister anything, he loved her, he had taken care of her when Father had been unfit, he watched over her, he protected her.

"Fine, here, but give them straight back." He said firmly and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah." She said turning back and going to her locker. Maybe she should joyride, just to teach him a lesson, then again, that would be one time that Jack didn't protect her.

Y/N walked to her locker, putting in the combination and opening it; grabbing her bag she hauled it over her shoulder and was about to head out to the student parking lot when a hand gently grabbed her waist pulling her back. She raised her eyes to see Liam, smiling down at her.

Liam was her boyfriend, she supposed, they had been together for over a month now and Y/N was very happy. He was very good looking with brown hair that had a messy on purpose look, brown eyes, like melting chocolate, a tall stature and the build of a soccer player mixed in with the grace of a swimmer.

"Hey," he said as he moved, causing her to walk back and feel the cool metal of the locker's behind her.

"Hey," she said smiling. Liam's hand snaked out to play with a strand of her hair. He always played with her hair, Y/N didn't understand the fascination, it was a big frizz ball as far as she was concerned.

"Any plans tonight?" He asked while still fiddling with her hair.

"Sure, with the most wonderful man." Liam looked confused and let her hair fall back. "You should meet him, ever heard of Edgar Allen Poe?" She smirked as he shook his head.

"You are a devil woman." He moved so that Y/N could do what she had originally planned and put her bag in her brother's car.

"Walk with me?" She asked and he nodded, taking her bag and holding her hand.

She knew a lot of girls didn't understand why Liam was dating her; she didn't understand it herself, he was popular, the whole female population of Anchor Academy wanted him and threw dagger looks at her in the halls, but she revelled in it, for once she was envied, for once people wanted to be her.

Y/N deposited her bag in the boot of her brother's truck and turned to the back seat where she knew she had left her pencil box, she slid them into her brown leather backpack and locked the car—after closing the door—and spun to Liam. He had his hands on her hips and was staring down at her with a burning intensity.

"Do you want to do something tonight?" He asked in a shaky voice. They had never been this close before, they hadn't even done more than pecks, she didn't know what was stopping her but she knew she was grateful that he was patient, she wondered how long that would last.

"I can't, I'm sorry, but I have to finish this assignment." The bell rang then and Y/N now understood the meaning of the phrase saved by the bell. "I need to go, but I'll see you tomorrow?" She got on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, waving as she headed to class.

Y/N wasn't exactly lying to Liam, she did need to finish this assignment, but it wasn't due for another two weeks. Y/N knew why she didn't go out a lot on school days, but that was her secret.

#####

Y/N sat at her computer desk, researching for this English paper when her chat window came up.

Hello Y/N

Y/N smiled and typed back. They had been friends for eleven years now, he knew her inside and out as she knew him, except for the fact that they had no idea what the other looked like, she thought and he agreed that it would be better to keep their faces hidden, like real pen pals.

Y/N remembered the day she had been told she had to write to him and the day he walked into her life, never walking out.

Y/N sat at her seat next to her new friend Will. He was funny looking; he had really big glasses and funny hair. They were friends because Y/N saw him reading and she wanted to read too.

"Okay guy, we are doing a fun new assignment called Pen Pals! This means, each of you will select a name from this hat," She held the hat out for show. "And you will write that person a letter and then they will write you one and you will keep replying until the end of the year. Does that sound like fun?" The teacher was overexcited, Y/N didn't see the big deal, she was writing to a stranger. Her mom always told her never to talk to strangers.

The hat was passed around and Y/N dipped her hand in and pulled out a piece of paper, handing the hat to Will. She opened the paper and saw the name of her 'Pen Pal'.

Harry Styles

Under his name was what she thought was an address. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and began to write her first letter.

Dear Harry...

You're distracting me from homework, Y/N replied to Harry. When she had started that assignment she had no idea she was going to make a lifelong friend, a best friend and she had, in Harry, he had been her first crush, even if she hadn't officially met him, Y/N had wanted him to be her first kiss too, but that was impossible in case she was able to get a plane to England and the little savings she had in her piggy bank, Father gave her money but she always used that on the weekends, going to movies or restaurants or clubs.

Really, what are you doing?

She was about to respond when he wrote something else and she giggled.

More importantly, what are you wearing? ;)

Y/N shook her head; Harry was always a cocky smartass.

Edgar Allan Poe

You're wearing Edgar Allan Poe? Lucky guy

Oh haha! I am studying Edgar Allan Poe and wearing nothing

Harry didn't reply, which was uncommon for him, not much rendered him speechless, in the time they had spoken, be it through letter or internet, she had learnt a lot about Harry and his life, what he was like and what he was hiding, she felt as if she was one of the only people who knew the real Harry and somehow that made her feel lucky.

What poem?

He ignored the naked comment. Smooth.

Instead of typing the title, which he would then Google, Y/N wrote the poem to him, perhaps he could shed some light on it for she was having no luck.

Romance, who loves to nod and sing,

With drowsy head and folded wing,

Among the green leaves as they shake

Far down within some shadowy lake,

To me a painted paroquet

Hath been- a most familiar bird-

Taught me my alphabet to say-

To lisp my very earliest word

While in the wild wood I did lie,

A child- with a most knowing eye.

Of late, eternal Condor years

So shake the very Heaven on high

With tumult as they thunder by,

I have no time for idle cares

Through gazing on the unquiet sky.

And when an hour with calmer wings

Its down upon my spirit flings-

That little time with lyre and rhyme

To while away- forbidden things!

My heart would feel to be a crime

Unless it trembled with the strings.

Y/N awaited his response as she read over the lines of the poem herself. The poem was called Romance and Y/N really hoped Harry didn't read something onto the title.

Well Y/N, it seems you have a pickle in your hands here.

Ever the asshole, Harry didn't help her at all. She sighed, deciding he was too distracting for her to actually get work done.

I'm signing off, you really are no help. Talk to you soon.

Y/N logged off before he could respond. For another hour she pondered what the poem could mean and then gave up and decided to concentrate on her art assignment. She was supposed to draw something that meant a lot to her but she couldn't think of anything except for Harry and she couldn't very well draw him, she had no idea what he looked like.

Then an idea no, more like an image, came to fruition within her thoughts and she began sketching, not knowing where this idea had come from, but she was going with it, it was all the help she was going to get.

Y/N awoke the next morning and sauntered into the kitchen, pouring herself some cereal she went to get milk when she saw the envelope sitting there, with her name written on the front in elegant script and written in blue biro. She knew who it was from immediately and sitting at the table, her breakfast forgotten, she opened the letter and started reading.

She was glad she didn't eat, because she probably would have just thrown it all up with the nausea she felt.

Harry was coming to New York, not only that he was coming to her school.

That was bad, he would see her, who she really was, who her friends were, what her friends were like, her brother and he would see what she looked like. Y/N suddenly felt extremely self conscious and opted not to wear her original outfit and instead wear baggy jeans, a tank top, a giant hoodie and ugly sneakers.

She didn't want Harry to see her because she knew, she knew that he would be beautiful and she was not, he would laugh at her and never speak to her again.

Y/N didn't think she could handle losing her friend, her best friend, her soul mate.

Y/N had never changed outfits so many times in her life.

She had gone from baggy, to slutty, to loose fitting, to tight, to exposing, to completely covered, and finally she decided to go for a mix and ended up in something she would normally wear. Looking at herself in the mirror she realised that being friends with Isabella had influenced her style way too much.

And even scarier, she had never put in this much effort to look nice for Liam.

Y/N was wearing a loose grey shirt with a leather belt that emphasised her small waist, a pair of black skinny jeans covered her legs and her feet were enclosed in ballet flats. Her hair was pinned on one side and her makeup was light, she wore no jewellery and she had her bag slung around her shoulders.

Y/N descended the stairs and grabbed a berry yogurt from the fridge for breakfast and waited for her brother.

Jack came down the stairs a few minutes later and nodded at her, picking up his backpack and an apple, grabbing his keys they were about to leave when their father came out from the study.

He was always in the study.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" He asked Y/N, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol. Y/N looked down at her attire, not seeing anything wrong with it.

"What's wrong with it?" She asked cautiously, standing closer to Jack.

When her father drank, he drank until he couldn't see anymore and he always asked or commented on Y/N's looks and she knew why. She looked exactly like her mother. Jack always came to her rescue when he started on a tirade, she was grateful to have such a loving brother.

"It looks like you are trying to impress a man. I want to know who?" Y/N cringed back at the look her father gave her. She hated it when he was like this.

Ever since their mother had abandoned them, Y/N's father had indulged in Alcohol and, as a result, had lost his job. They had nearly lost their home until, one day; their father had snapped out of it and got himself together. He got another job and was earning good money, Jack got a part time job for extra money and Y/N also got a summer job to pay for art classes.

He still drank and when he did, Y/N would rather avoid him.

"No one sir, I was just trying out a new style."

"What's it called? Whore?"

"Father." Jack stepped in, standing between Y/N and their father. "Enough. You're drunk."

"Just like your mother, she abandoned you kids, I stayed and this is how you repay me? By looking like something out of a x-rated movie?"

Y/N bit her lip and kept her tears at bay.

He wasn't her daddy right now. He was the thing that their mother had made.

"Y/N," Jack whispered. "Go to the car." Y/N did and waited for Jack.

When he appeared she was fidgeting with her outfit.

"Y/N, you look beautiful. Don't listen to him."

She smiled as he unlocked the car. She put her stuff on the back seat and sat, buckling her seat belt and fiddling with the music as he took off towards school.

"But out of pure curiosity, who are you trying to impress?"

My pen pal from kindergarten who just moved to this school.

"No one, just trying something new."

#####

Harry rolled his eyes, walking along behind the chick giving him the tour of the school.

Isabella? That was her name he thought. She seemed to like to talk and look at herself and look at Harry. Typical Barbie teenager, he could have her in minutes if he wanted, but he was far too anxious about where he was and who he knew was here. He felt oddly nervous, but he didn't know why. He knew that he was good looking—okay, that was an understatement—he could get any girl he wanted with a snap of his fingers, but it was different now.

He knew everything about Y/N—except for what she looked like, which was a big thing for Harry. He could admit that he was shallow, he always went for the easy girls as opposed to any other girl, but he doubted that Y/N was easy.

The fact that she had a boyfriend said so.

Harry clenched his jaw at that thought, it was ridiculous to get annoyed over one word, but Y/N having a boyfriend was not the way he had pictured their first meeting to go. He expected her to fall into his arms or his bed, depending on the location.

He had to stop thinking of Y/N like that. They were friends, best friends, and had been since she was five and he was six, he loved her like a friend and cared about her. He lived for the days they would talk for hours. He loved being able to open up to her.

He loved having a girl as his friend that cared about him even though she had no idea what he looked like.

"And this is the cafeteria. You can sit with me, you said you played soccer right?" Harry nodded at Isabella's question. "Good, I sit with some soccer players." They walked into the room; it was white and blue with long tables and benches. There was a lineup for the food but Harry wrinkled his nose.

He never ate cafeteria food; he always brought his own lunch.

He had told his Grandmother this and she had packed him a lunch. His stomach growled thinking about it.

"Did you want some food?" She asked.

"I have some with me." He responded, giving her his signature smirk. She smiled back at him and batted her eyelashes as she trotted off to a table in the back with a group of boys and girls. Isabella sat and gestured to a spare seat next to her in which Harry took.

"Everyone," She announced, gesturing to the group as a whole. "This is Harry Styles, he's new. He moved here from England and he too plays soccer."

"Interested in trying out? We need a new player." A boy with light silver-white hair asked.

"Sure," Harry responded nonchalantly, when really the prospect of playing the game he loved so much gave him a kick of adrenaline.

"Excellent. Come to practice this afternoon." He reached over offering his hand. "I'm Jack, captain, goalie." Harry shook his hand, recognising the name.

My older brother, Jack, is starting second grade next year.

Jack starts high school soon.

My brother got into the soccer team.

Jack was made captain!

So, this was Y/N's brother. He studied the boy, trying to imagine his features on a girl. An image rose. Dark eyes, contrasting with a pale complexion, tall and stringy, like a beanstalk, with a bit of athleticism due to cheerleading and long silvery hair.

Harry wasn't entirely put off by the image.

"That's Isabella, as you know." Jack continued, pointing to the girl next to him. "Cherr captain. Laney and Kayla are also cheerleaders. Liam, Jared are also on the team. The others are around somewhere, but we all prefer each other's company."

Harry acknowledged everyone with a nod, noting that Liam was a boy with dark hair and eyes and was also, he suspected, Y/N's boyfriend.

This guy, one of my brothers' friends, asked me out so I won't be able to talk tonight.

Liam, the guy I went on a date with, asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes.

Harry knew he was much better looking.

Harry looked around the cafeteria, trying to see if he could spot her.

"Ah," Jack said and here comes the most important member of our group.

Harry looked to where Jack was pointing and saw a girl walking towards them, tray in hand. Her eyes met Harry's and everything seemed to go silent. She was beautiful, not a generic beauty, but someone who didn't know how beautiful they were. Hair in a braid at her side, big luminous eyes widened as they looked at Harry. A small frame, with some muscle.

"Who?" Harry asked, not able to tear his eyes from her. His study happened in a split second; no one noticed that they had shared a moment.

A moment he would never forget.

"My sister."

The moment he first saw his Y/N.

#####

"Come on Y/N, you don't want to miss him, he is so hot." Stella, her partner in science, pushed Y/N out of the class.

She was trying to get Y/N to the cafeteria to see the new boy, she had heard about him all day and received an excited message from Isabella saying she was escorting him. She had heard he was hot but she knew something about him that no one else did.

The new boy was Harry Styles, her pen pal for over ten years.

Y/N was nervous as her and Stella approached the cafeteria, Stella scanned the room and her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"He isn't here yet. Let's line up, by the time we get our food, he should be here."

Y/N waited in line, noting that her brother and boyfriend came through and immediately sat down. They never ate school food. Y/N was envious. She hated the oily, bland food they made. She made a note to go car shopping sooner so that she could leave during lunch and buy something.

Y/N got her tray and on it placed an apple juice, a salad, a chocolate muffin and a small bowl of Mac 'n' Cheese.

Y/N decided to sit at her Brother's table today—well Isabella had decided for her—and as she made her way over, she stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes met with him.

His eyes were bright, emerald green and his hair was shaggy and brunette, falling under his chin and just above his eyes. His skin was sun kissed and he had an athlete's build. He was the most handsome boy Y/N had ever seen. Then it registered.

She had never seen this boy before, he was sitting with her brother, her boyfriend and Isabella and he, too, was staring at her.

She felt a lump build in her throat and she didn't need Stella's input.

"That's him, the new boy."

Y/N gulped and suddenly felt the urge to run and hide.

The new boy.

Her boy.

Her best friend.

Harry Styles, her Harry.

Y/N was able to move from her spot once Stella broke the trance she had been in.

She didn't look at him when she got to the table, taking a seat next to Liam and realising with annoyance that Harry was across from her. She couldn't look at him, then they would all know. They would know she knew Harry, she cared for Harry and she couldn't let that happen.

"Hey baby," Liam said as she settled in her seat. Leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. Y/N's eyes inadvertently went to Harry as his lips made contact. His eyes blazed and his jaw tightened as Liam kissed her, but Y/N didn't understand why.

"Ow," Liam said as he pulled away, glaring at Jack. "Who just throws bread at someone?"

"That's my sister," Jack said. "Next time, it won't be bread."

"Jack, you are so overprotective. I am not a baby anymore" Y/N said, looking at her brother. It was the first words she had spoken since seeing Harry. She didn't look at him or tried not to anyway.

"Y/N!" Isabella said excitedly, drawing her attention. "This is Harry Styles; new guy from England, your brother is letting him try out for the team!"

Isabella, I know more about him than you, shut up and stop looking at him like that!

Y/N let her gaze go to Harry.

"Really? You must be something special to get that stubborn JACKass to let you try out." She smiled innocently at Jack.

"Oh you have no idea." Harry replied, his voice like heaven.

"We'll see about that." Liam said, slinging his arm around Y/N. "Are you coming to see his tryout babe?"

Y/N looked over at Harry who smirked at her quickly before glancing down at his untouched lunch. He seemed to have packed lunch, Y/N found that cute.

"Wouldn't miss it."

###

Y/N changed into some workout clothes.

"Alright," Isabella said as they stretched on the field. "We are going to practice the cheers for next weeks game, because frankly you suck at it. Let's go!"

Isabella was nothing if not direct.

She looked out at the field and saw Liam; he smiled and waved to her. Jack saw this and whacked him over the head.

Y/N couldn't help but laugh at that.

Then she noticed Harry and all laughter died as they looked at one another from across the field. He was shirtless, and boy did he look good, and he made it no secret to check her out. Y/N turned from him before Liam or Jack saw the look Harry was giving her.

She was distracted all through practice, but luckily, she wasn't the worse one here. A lot of the other girls were distracted by Harry too. Y/N tried not to dwell on that.

As the cheerleaders were packing, Y/N noticed Jack and Harry shaking hands and smiling.

He must have made the team

She saw Liam then and he began to walk over to her, she smiled and walked over to him, after having packed up what she was supposed to, and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers.

"So, Harry is a pretty good player isn't he?" Y/N said as she pulled away from Liam, taking his hand and walking to where she would change.

"Yeah, I guess so, hopefully he will be enough to get us out of this slump."

"I'm sure he will be." They had reached the entrance to the girl's locker room and Y/N looked up at Liam, his brown eyes smiling at her.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

Y/N was about to say no, that Jack gave her a lift to school and would take her home but then she thought about how little time she spent with Liam and nodded, hurrying to get changed and coming back out in record time.

"That was fast." He commented, smirking at her as he took her school bag.

"Well, I wanted to spend time with you." Y/N crinkled her nose. The girl's locker room always smelled like perfume, too much perfume and all of different scents. It got quite difficult to breathe in there.

"Cutie."Liam bent down and brushed his lips over Y/N's.

Liam pulled back grinned, Y/N stood and stared up at him, unable to form words.

The kiss was small, short and...Nice.

"Why Miss Y/L/N I do believe my kissing has stunned you into silence. I am quite good."

Y/N shook her head and shoved his arm playfully, about to say something smartass back to him when something caught her eyes. A flash, retreating into the boys' locker room.

Harry?

She turned back to Liam and they continued walking, they were nearly at his car when she remembered something. Slapping a hand to her forehead. Liam looked down at her in concern.

"Shoot, I forgot my homework in my locker. I'll be right back." She began to run towards the school.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'll meet you at the car in a couple of minutes." She called back to him, dashing into the doors and running to her locker.

She put in the combination and got the book she needed, shutting her locker door she turned to go and jumped, seeing something she hadn't noticed before.

"Well, alone at last."

Y/N looked up at the person before her, feeling her insides melt.

"Harry," She breathed, unable to say anything but his name.

"Well Y/N, we meet at last."

Y/N looked up at Harry. She wasn't ready for this, no matter how many times she told herself she was, she wasn't and she realised she never would be ready to meet Harry. He was someone that she could turn to when she needed a shoulder to cry on. He was someone she could tell everything to—she had told everything to him and he was her best friend, someone who knew her better than anyone and now that he was here, she regretted telling him all those things. She regretted letting Harry in.

"I should go," she mumbled and started to walk away. Harry grabbed her arm and she spun, nearly head butting his chest. For a moment she stood frozen and, annoyingly, a song started playing through her head, one that she should not be thinking about when she had a boyfriend.

At last, my love has come along, my lonely days are over.

"Y/N" Harry whispered and she saw how close their faces were, his lips mere centimetres from hers. If she leaned forward, just a little, they would kiss and she had thought about kissing Harry plenty. Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing. His eyes travelled down to her lips and then back to her eyes. He was about to say something. Y/N wanted to hear it, she wanted to hear what he had to say to her, but the trance they were in was broken when Harry smirked down at her and spoke.

"I always imagined our meeting to go a little...differently."

Y/N didn't like his tone and managed to step out of his grip on her arm.

"You've imagined our meeting?" She asked, her voice coming out a little breathlessly.

"All the time, Y/N," she tried not to think of how her nickname—the name only he called her—sounded like a caress. "I mean, we've known each other for years and we have never met. I've always wondered what it would be like." He grinned wickedly at her and Y/N felt herself respond with a small, teasing, smile. One Isabella had taught her.

Damn her flirting classes to the pits of hell!

"Well, it's great to, you know, finally meet you. We should definitely hang out some—" Harry placed a hand over her mouth and moved his eyes in the direction of an empty room. Y/N felt her brow furrowed in confusion and then she registered the sound of footsteps. She didn't have time to respond before Harry was walking towards the room, with her in tow, locking the door and pulling the blind down.

"Harry," She hissed. "What are you—?"

"Y/N?"

The voice came from the hallway and Y/N widened her eyes as she recognised it. Harry put a finger to his lips in the international sign for silence.

"Y/N, baby?"

Liam was walking past the door and Y/N had to resist the urge to yell out his name, Harry saw this and leaned into her, whispering in her ear. His breath caused her to shiver.

"Y/N, I just want to talk to you alone."

"Harry, he's my ride home and my boyfriend," she said defensively.

"Text him and tell him you need to do something really quickly and you'll be out soon."

Y/N looked up at Harry, planning on defying him and then she thought about it. She would never be alone with Harry again and she had wanted to meet him—talk to him in person—for years. Perhaps she should listen.

She took her phone out and sent a quick text to Liam.

Hey babe. Running late, meet you out the front in a few? Sorry for taking so long xox

Harry gave her an approving look as they heard Liam's phone go off and he headed back down the hallway, leaving the school.

"Okay, you have five minutes, what?" She asked Harry.

The Harry in her head looked like the Harry before her except for the attitude. Her Harry was sweet, funny and romantic. Harry, though funny, didn't seem to have anything sweet in him.

"Cute," Harry said and she looked up seeing one corner of his mouth was turned up in a smile.

"What is?" She asked.

"You," he grinned and Y/N grinned back. Then her smiled faded as he kept looking her up and down. Y/N squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny. He was looking at her like...like a piece of meat, ogling her. This was not how she imagined Harry would look at her; she imagined kindness to shine from his eyes and a feeling of safety to wrap around her.

Right now, all she felt was...uncomfortable.

"Look Harry," Y/N said, raising her eyes to his. "I really need to go," she said firmly, trying to get him to shake off the look of a stranger checking out the best piece of ass. He didn't.

"Oh Y/N, I have been waiting to meet you for over ten years and you're just going to walk away from me?" He shook his head. "I thought we were friends, best friends."

"We were—are—but Harry, I really need to go. I'll—I'll talk to you later, tonight, okay?" He gave her a curious look.

"No girl," he said slowly, "has ever walked away from me. It is unfamiliar and quite disconcerting. I don't like it very much but it seems to make you far more endearing. I enjoy a good chase, Y/N," he raised his eyebrows suggestively. "But be warned, I am quite good at catching what I want."

Y/N looked at him with disgust and shoved past him.

So this was who her best friend really was, an asshat that liked to use girls. Well, she wasn't going to be one of them.

"If I had known this is what you were really like," she said, hand on the door knob, turning to face him, "I never would have kept writing to you."

Harry drummed his fingers in time with the music on the steering wheel of his car.

He was driving to a local corner store, a mini mart of sorts, to get some things for his grandmother. He didn't mind helping her. She was letting him live with her, rent free and even gave him money for doing her favours. Harry didn't want to take it, but she was pushy and would put it in his wallet while he was asleep.

He smiled at the thought.

"I never would have kept writing to you."

His smile fell as that unpleasant thought worked its way into his mind and he slammed his hand, hard, on the steering wheel, berating himself. He couldn't believe how bad his meeting with Y/N went. He was such an ass. He knew he was, he could proudly admit it and also admit to the fact that there was no hidden reason behind his being an ass, no woman who scorned him, no abusive relationship with his parents and no reason at all.

Except that he was an ass and he enjoyed being an ass.

Mostly.

His arrogance only got him so far in life. Sometimes he would have to reel it in and suck up his pride and stop being an ass. Perhaps he should have done that with Y/N.

She had always been there for him, since he was six years old and first received her letter. When he found out she was a girl he was instantly annoyed, girls had cooties, but he wrote back anyway. That stupid egg headed boyfriend of hers had called her baby and Harry had to suppress a laugh at that, he had had so many babies in his short life and knew that more would come. But there is only one Y/N

It had been a week since Y/N had spoken to him and if she did look at him, she glared. It bothered Harry, more than he was willing to admit, that this girl he had known for so long—and had finally met—may hate him. He had no one but himself to blame, it was easy to act differently when typing on a computer or writing a letter.

Harry only acted that way with family and very close friends. Never had he acted the way he had with Y/N with any other girl. He had never given them special nicknames or blown off parties to 'hang out'. He never stayed up all night talking or anxiously awaiting a reply.

He had never wanted someone like he wanted Y/N.

Not in a physical way, although she was remarkably good looking. He wanted Y/N on an emotional level too. He wanted to kiss her if he wanted and do things to her he had done before with other girls, but he also wanted to be able to talk to her, to tell her how he felt and have her listen and in turn, listen to her.

Was this love he was feeling? Had he fallen in love with the girl who never wrote in cursive and never stuck to one pen colour?

Harry thought about it and a startling revelation came to him.

He was most definitely in love with Y/N.

There was no other way to explain his feelings and even—dear god!—the silly grin that was now on his face as he thought about it. He pulled up to a red light and groaned, hitting the steering wheel.

I'm in love with my best friend and treated her like crap.

God he was stupid.

Y/N had been a constant in his life. He had always been able to turn to her for comfort and she had turned to him. He knew more about her than anyone probably did. He knew that when her mother left, Y/N had cut one line along her wrist and then looked at herself in disgust for doing it because her mother didn't deserve her blood. He knew that she hadn't spoken to her mother—Val—since she walked out, and he knew what her father would call her when he was drunk.

He knew her favourite colours, movies, T.V. shows, books and what she wanted to do. He knew her fears and her dreams. He knew that she loved carrots and detested broccoli. He knew that she would only ever dot her I's with hearts if hell froze over, and she liked to draw smiley faces on the toes of her converse.

He smiled thinking about it all and then he saw her in his memory, the way she had looked when he had first laid eyes on her and his heart sped up.

I am in love, aren't I?

He didn't understand how he was in love. He always thought he would fall in love when he was older. He knew Y/N, inside and out and he realised that he had been falling in love with her, slowly, since that first letter and had been in love with her long before he saw her.

Harry jolted with surprise at that, as the light turned green and he continued to drive, he was shallow. He knew it. He only ever paid attention to a girl if she was good looking and flaunted it; tight tops, pants, short skirts, the lot. If you didn't have any of that, he wasn't interested.

With Y/N it was different, he had never seen her before and yet he always wanted to spend his time with her. Re-reading her letters, seeing if she was online, anything really. He made excuses to stay in and talk to her. He would rush home if he knew he would receive a letter from her and butterflies would go crazy in his stomach as he saw the envelope.

She always wrote on nice stationery and sprayed the letter with perfume.

He loved going on her words, tracing them with his fingers.

God, Harry thought as he pulled into the car park for the store and got out, locking his silver Audi and moving to the entrance of the store.

He froze for a moment, the last thought in his mind, whirring around as he looked at the one person behind the counter and his heart soared. They didn't see him and he ducked into an aisle as he calmed his heart and that thought that was still nagging at him.

God, I'm in love with Y/N.

#####

"Isabella, I only have a short break, what do you want?"

Y/N held the phone against her ear and shoulder as she listened to Isabella babble about the upcoming school dance. She rolled her eyes, her school had too many dances. This one was a welcoming back dance, although it wasn't scheduled for another month or so, but Isabella always had to start preparing early.

"I'm thinking blue, maybe. I think I look good in blue and gold for you. Maybe not blue, that would clash with the gold. I know, red! I'll wear red and gold and you can wear gold and red!" She chirped excitedly.

"What's the difference?" Y/N asked, opening her chocolate bar.

"Red is my feature colour, so it will be the colour of my dress and nails and lip stick and I will have gold shoes and accessories. Gold will be your feature colour and red you sub colour. Duh Y/N, have I taught you nothing?"

She rolled her eyes, thankful that Izzy couldn't see her.

"Alright, but red and gold remind me of curtains."

"Curtains?"

"Yeah, like older mansions always had red curtains and gold ropes and poles," she shrugged. "Reminds me of curtains, plus, red doesn't go with skin tone.”

"So what colour would you suggest for yourself?"

"Black."

There was a pause and then Isabella yelled into the phone.

"Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N! You are not going to another dance in a black dress! For the love of God! Wear some colour!"

"But black is—"

"Black is a colour you wear once in a while. Not. At. Every. Social. Function," Isabella ground out and Y/N winced. "That's it! I managed to get you to dress like a girl everyday now I have to get you to dress in colours when we go out. I am scheduling a shopping trip...Two weeks before the dance. For now, we will browse online."

"Isabella—"

"What are you wearing right now?"

"A skirt and top."

"Elaborate, Y/N. Shape, colour, design?"

She sighed but continued, knowing Isabella wouldn't stop until she had an answer.

"A green skirt that is longer at the back and zips up the front and a white tank top tucked into the waist band of the skirt. My shoes are white enclosed with a wedge heel design and I am wearing gold bracelets and a silver necklace with a heart on it."

"Good girl, see? If it weren't for me, you'd be dressed like Will." Y/N didn't try to deny it.

"Isabella, I really think—"

"No excuses. It's written. It's done. Get your fabulously dressed butt back to work and call me later."

Isabella hung up and Y/N stared at the phone for a moment before sighing and putting it back in her bra—girl's gotta do what a girl's got to do—and headed back out to the register, where Mr. Stark had been managing the register.

Mr. Stark owned the small convenience store that Y/N worked at and had been good friends with her father—still was apparently, and she got the job with no problems. The pay was good and the hours flexible.

Smiling at the old man, she took her seat behind the register and waited, flipping through a magazine as she did. She heard the bell above the door chime but didn't look up, until she felt a tingle go through her and when she looked, no one was there. She frowned and then shrugged. They probably went down an aisle.

Returning to her magazine, Y/N thought through Isabella's words.

Did she need to wear more colours? Did Isabella have a point in helping her change her wardrobe from drabby to, as she says, fabby?

Looking down at herself, her style had definitely changed and Y/N liked it, maybe she should stop wearing black dresses to every dance.

Y/N saw in her peripheral a customer approach and stowed her magazine away, scanner in hand. Looking up she saw, to her dismay, who it was that was placing the items down. Locking her jaw, she decided not to acknowledge him and started scanning and placing in the paper bags that Mr. Stark used, insisting it was better than plastic. When she finished scanning, she was annoyed to find that she had to acknowledge his presence.

"Will that be all?" She asked, not quite meeting Harry's eyes. The green seemed to blaze into her.

"I think so, Y/N." The name was like a caress and Y/N had to suppress a shiver of delight. "Actually," Harry amended and Y/N looked up from typing in the total. "One more thing, when do you get off?"

"Do you use that line on every girl?" She asked, typing in the total as Harry fished bills from his wallet and handed them to her.

"Only girls I like." Y/N didn't pause in counting his change, but his words caused a thrill to go through her. "So, when do you get off?"

"Why?" She asked, handing him back his change.

"Because I want to talk, don't friends usually talk?"

"Friends yes, I wasn't aware we were friends Harry," she responded, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Y/N," He sighed. "What I said, it was completely out of line. I—I'm sorry. I was so nervous meeting you. I mean, you imagine something for so long you want it to go perfectly and then you lose all sense and start blabbering." He ran a hand through his hair and Y/N finally met his gaze.

She could see that he was sorry, in the depths of green there was regret.

"I get off at 4," she said, which was an hour away.

"Would you mind—would you mind if I took you home?"

Y/N looked up at him and saw that he was nervous. Harry had always seemed so confident in his letters and typing that she hadn't thought he could get nervous and with his looks, she thought there was no need. Although what he had said to her still hurt, she had known Harry was a player, he had told her as much, but she had never thought—never imagined—that he would treat her like one of those countless other girls, and that hurt more than words could describe.

Her decision was made as she quickly mulled that over and she told him her answer.

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