#I was the poor clueless player | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

earthtooz · 2 years ago

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x : AUGUST 12TH :*+ﾟ

in which: reo sees his birthday marked down on your calender, and it fills him with the courage to win you back. or, he's hiding from the paparazzi... in your apartment, for whatever reason.

warnings: 2k wc, gn!reader, exes to lovers but they're very much in love, they kiss (eww), minor angst and minor embarrassment for reader but it's very cute, very much fluff and happy endings, professional soccer player reo, characters aged to be around 21+

a/n: I LOVE REO. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!

August 12th used to be one of the most important dates on your calender. Now it is one that brings forth bittersweet thoughts and memories whenever you think too hard on it, reminiscing a love that you had to let go long ago, despite how badly you wanted to keep him.

Mikage Reo’s name used to be stamped loud and proud beneath the date, with a heart that you hastily scribbled on due to the awkward angle of the page. His name is still on there, just without the heart, and merely in capitalised letters of your handwriting.

You don’t know why you need to record it down because you remember it regardless, the set of numbers etched in the crevices of your mind. In fact, when August first hit and you were planning the month ahead, the act of recording down Reo’s birthday was a second-hand instinct, and when you did so without realising, a little pool of embarrassment and hurt developed in your chest. You didn’t even have the guts to cross it out either, despite it being almost seven months since you split.

Not a day has passed without you thinking about him, clearly.

But it was nothing to be embarrassed about because no one will ever think too much about it, especially not Reo, because he has no reason to ever step foot in your apartment ever again. If he ever saw it, you might just wither away.

So why on earth was he here now, sitting on one of your kitchen stools? The one that he used to always sit on when he came to see you when you were still dating with the reasoning that it ‘gave him a better view of you whilst you were scurrying around’.

Now you are ever aware of his gaze on you, entranced whilst fixing him a mere glass of water.

Sliding it over to him on the marble countertop, he takes it with a grateful smile. “Thank you for allowing me to hide here, and I'm sorry about bringing you into all of this.”

“No problem, you got lucky that i have nothing better to do today,” you sigh, trying to tune out the clamours of the paparazzi that were residing outside of your apartment complex. Wandering over to the balcony window, you see that the swarm hasn’t decreased from when you last checked.

Your poor, clueless neighbours. None of them deserved to be dragged into this. You wonder when it can all settle down.

“Reo?” You murmur. He glances over at you immediately, attentive purple eyes bright and wide in their curiosity. “Why did you come here out of all places?”

“You’re…” he falters. “You’re the first person I thought of, and I just so happened to be nearby.”

“Nearby? There’s nothing to do around my neighbourhood. What could you possibly have to do here?”

He looks away, shamefully staring down at his glass of water. “Errands. Stuff.”

“Okay,” you trail off, not wanting to prod further. “So how are you thinking of getting out of this situation?”

“Does your apartment have another way out?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Well unless you want me to jump from your window, then my only way out is to wait,” he says with a shrug and you pinch the bridge of your nose. The clamours of the crowd below can be heard even on your second-level home, and no matter how badly you wanted to return to your work, a certain ex of yours is only another reason for your headache.

Since the breakup, you never thought Reo would ever be here again, however, fate seems to have pulled peculiar strings to bring him back to you- on his birthday too.

You won’t admit that this all feels a little set up. Perhaps it was the universe mocking you for not being able to stop loving him, despite it being you who forcibly let him go so he could fulfil his soccer ambitions in England.

The last time you saw him, he was crying at your doorstep, reluctant to go and to let you go. It is a sight that will always haunt you, especially when you then shut the door in his face and ultimately, ending your relationship.

Would you let him go again if you had the chance? No. Reo won’t ever know that, though.

You doubt he wants you back.

“Maybe you needed a better disguise if you wanted to escape the paparazzi,” you mutter.

Reo fiddles with his sunglasses. “Don’t scorn a man who just wanted to go out. I can’t even do anything normally nowadays anymore, not even in Japan.”

“Well, yeah, you’re kind of a big shot, Mr-Signed-With-Manshine-City,” you huff. "It's like high school and your fangirls all over again."

“You remember my team?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It's all anyone talks about, especially after the World Cup.”

“And you listened?”

“Of course I did,” you confess, no louder than a whisper. “I’m happy for you, Reo. You're really amazing.”

Something about your sentimental statement makes the purple-haired frown, looking away as an obligatory ‘thank you’ slips from his lips.

There’s a quip resting on the tip of your tongue about it being his birthday, but it slides back down your throat with the ease of paper, cutting you in the process.

“Can I request something from you?” You question.

“Anything," the athlete looks over at you with hopeful eyes.

“Since you’re using my house to hide in, can I have your Netflix password so we can watch a movie or something?” You murmur, “something’s telling me that you’ll be here for a while.”

He laughs, bright and exuberant and boyish that it makes your yearning expand tenfold. “Sure, as long as I get to pick what we watch.”

Your heartstrings soften a little, “fine. I have popcorn somewhere so let me get that out.”

It only takes one movie for the clamour outside to disappear. You’re sure that your neighbours called the police at some point too given then flash of red and blue that illuminated onto your walls, but there was little conflict, and eventually, the quiet returned. You should be grateful for it, really, because your headache can calm and you can get back to doing your work, but it also means that this is the end of yours and Reo's paths. He’ll leave your apartment, and then Japan, and then your life will return to the seven month-long limbo that it was without him, with possibly no due date this time.

He stays around until the end of the movie, however, and when it’s over, he stands with a huff, hands on his knees to help push him up. If you weren't too focused on your dread, you'd have noticed the subtle reluctance clinging to him.

“I ‘ought to be going now, I’ve been in your hair long enough,” sighs the soccer player. “Thank you for allowing me over.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” you mutter. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Likewise. you lo-” Reo’s eyes widen before he shuts his mouth, visibly shaking the sentence away as you’re filled with an invasive sense of curiosity. You want to pry his words out of his mouth, but you don’t think that’s appropriate for your current relationship. “I’ll see you sometime.”

“Yeah. I’ll be here.”

He nods. During the time of your conversation, the two of you had made it to your kitchen and to your horror, Reo stops right before your calender. He glances at it and has to do a double-take, making sure that his eyes hadn’t failed him.

How will you recover from this one?

Reo turns to you, eyes and smile soft and so so warm. “You still have my birthday marked down.”

“Oh. You’re right!” You laugh awkwardly. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you. I’m honoured you remember.”

“Oh my goodness, please shut up,” you hide your face with one hand and Reo laughs harder.

“Do you remember how old I’m turning as well?”

“We’re the same age! Of course I'd remember-”

“-do you have a present for me? You know I love presents.”

“Go buy your own damn presents, you multimillionaire.”

He laughs harder and you almost want to chase him out of your house. “But I like it when they’re from other people!”

“I don’t have a gift for you, Reo, now can you please shut up?”

“If you don’t have a present then can I ask you for one thing?”

“What is it?”

“A date. Tomorrow, at your favourite place downtown.”

The light, cheery environment dims and you find your breath getting lodged in your throat. “Reo… I- we, we shouldn’t.”

“Why not?” He asks, “do you still love me?”

“I have your stupid birthday on my calender and no one else’s, not even mine, so yes I do still love you.”

He grabs your hands and you feel weak in the knees, clasping onto the warmth you had grown so familiar with. “Then another chance, please, that’s all I ask for.”

“I let you go for your sake, you shouldn’t have someone like me dragging you back whilst you’re in England. Didn't you see how successful you were without me?” You mutter, thinking back to the night that you let him go, recalling all the pain you felt.

And how you might relive it again tonight.

“Dragging me back?” he parrots, voice slightly strained. “I thought about you the entire time I was abroad, every training session, every time I scored a goal, I thought about doing it all for you. It might have hurt me to not have you there with me, but it killed me to know that I didn’t have you at all.”

Reo rests his forehead against yours and you close your eyes, basking in the intimacy that you never thought you could ever experience again with him. “And it killed me even more to know that you wouldn’t be waiting there for me when I came home. You know who was there instead? Stupid Zantetsu, and a few high school friends, but not you.”

“I love Zantetsu though, we get coffee together all the time,” you comment quietly. “He told me that he was going to pick you up.”

“And I can’t believe you didn’t even think of going with him.”

“Exes don’t go to the airport to pick each other up.”

“So be my lover again,” pleads Reo. “Be mine again, be here for me every time I return to Japan.”

“Is it what you want?"

“A thousand times yes.”

You sigh through your nose, memorising the feeling of his forehead against yours one last time before parting from him. “Then pick me up tomorrow, at half past six, and we can go downtown.”

His smile could rival that of a thousand suns, and just seeing it is enough to cure your heart.

“Okay,” he nods, a dreamy sort of look settling in the purple hues of Reo’s gaze. “Okay! I'll be here, without paparazzi this time, and no one will disrupt our date, I'll make sure of it.”

“One more thing before you leave. Stay here!” You command before scurrying through your house and into the study to retrieve a pen. Uncapping it, you then scribble a little heart on the calender, right next to Mikage Reo’s name.

You don’t miss the look of pure elation on his face.

“Call me. My number hasn’t changed.”

“Okay, I will, I will. Watch out for it.”

“Then I look forward to it.”

“Now I really don’t want to leave,” he whines, gently pressing you against the wall with his hands holding onto your shoulders. “It wouldn’t be gentlemanly of me to ask to stay the night, would it?”

“No, but, I think we’re beyond your awkward gentleman-liness.”

“Then, I have permission to do this, right?”

He presses his mouth to yours, hot and needy, you wonder if he’s trying to swallow you whole so you really can’t ever leave again.

“Happy Birthday, Reo,” you murmur against him.

#reo mikage x reader #reo x reader #mikage reo x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #reo mikage #mikage reo #reo fluff #reo x reader fluff #blue lock

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nana-mania · 9 months ago

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“EXPECTING” she delivered a surprise to him

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ oneshot

࿐*ೃ feat : jinpachi ego

࿐*ೃ fandom : blue lock

࿐*ೃ extra : fem! reader, fluff

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ THE Blue Lock facility was just as imposing and intense as you remembered. Even with the countless visits you'd made to see Jinpachi Ego, your husband, the atmosphere inside never failed to make you feel like you were stepping into some grand, high-stakes war room. It was eerily quiet today, though. You guessed that meant the boys were out on the field, which made sense since Jinpachi was holed up in the observation room, glued to the giant screens monitoring each of their movements.

"Hey, Jin," you called out as you saunter into the room, casually leaning against the doorframe. Your voice cut through the silence, and you watched as his head snapped toward you, the ever-present dark circles under his eyes looking more prominent than usual. His focus wavered for just a moment, and you relished that little distraction.

"Shouldn't you be off doing something other than lounging around watching a bunch of sweaty teenagers kick a ball?" you teased, eyeing him up and down. As always, his fashion choices were... questionable at best. His lanky figure was dressed in his usual casual attire-black shirt, jeans, and the bolo tie that seemed to have permanently attached itself to his neck. His Crocs squeaked as he turned in his chair to face you fully, hands still poised over his tablet.

Jinpachi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, raising an eyebrow at your entrance. "Shouldn't you be doing something more productive than pestering me in the middle of my life's work?"

You scoffed, flicking your hair over your shoulder. "Oh, please. Like I'd miss out on an opportunity to make fun of you. I mean, you're practically a caricature of a soccer coach at this point."

He narrowed his eyes, as if considering a comeback, but ultimately shrugged, his focus already returning to the monitors in front of him. "What brings you here, anyway? Don't you have things to do?"

"Oh, I do," you said. "But I figured I'd do my civic duty and check on my poor, neglected husband. Make sure you're still alive and not buried under a pile of instant noodle cups."

"Your concern is touching," he deadpanned, eyes still glued to the screen, tracking a particular player. "I haven't died of malnutrition yet, so you can stop worrying. Now, unless you have an actual reason for being here-"

You rolled your eyes, but a mischievous grin tugged at the corners of your lips. The banter was fun, sure, but you hadn't come here just for that. This was a big moment, and the anticipation of revealing your news made your palms slightly sweaty.

"I have a reason," you admitted, stepping further into the room. You dug into your bag and pulled out a small plastic bag, nonchalantly tossing it onto his desk. Jinpachi didn't even look at it at first, too busy tapping something on his screen. Typical.

It took a few seconds before he glanced down at the bag. His hand froze mid-tap. His eyes flickered back and forth between the plastic bag and your face, obviously confused.

"What is this?" he asked flatly, eyebrows furrowing together in that adorably clueless way that you found so endearing.

You couldn't help the smirk that spread across your face as you crossed your arms, waiting for him to connect the dots. He was smart, but you knew he wouldn't get it right away.

"Well, dear genius husband of mine, I'd think it's pretty obvious."

His eyes narrowed again, this time studying the contents more closely. The realization started to dawn, and you saw his eyebrows lift just slightly. "Who's carrying the demon spawn?"

You nearly burst out laughing, but you managed to keep your composure long enough to reply. "Me, you idiot."

There was a brief moment of silence as Jinpachi just stared at you. His face, which usually bore the expression of someone who had seen too much in life, remained completely blank. Then, without missing a beat, he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Sucks to be you."

You let out a loud laugh, almost doubling over at the audacity. "Seriously? That's your reaction? 'Sucks to be you'? Unbelievable."

But he wasn't done. "Well, it's not my body that has to go through nine months of hell," he stated, almost smugly, though you could tell from the twitch in his cheek that he was just as stunned as you expected him to be. His cool exterior was probably the only thing stopping him from actually freaking out.

You rolled your eyes and walked over to him, leaning down to pinch his cheek-hard. "Listen here, you smug noodle-loving stick figure, you are not going to miss out on this. Every appointment, every scan, every time the doctor tells us what to expect-you're coming with me."

He winced slightly at the pinch but didn't pull away. "What if I'm busy shaping Japan's future soccer geniuses?" he quipped, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice now.

"Nope. Don't care," you responded, releasing his cheek but poking his shoulder for emphasis. "You are not skipping a single thing. We're in this together, Jinpachi."

He glanced away, scratching his neck-a tell-tale sign that he was annoyed, or more likely in this case, unsure how to process the information. "Fine," he muttered, his tone nonchalant, but you knew him well enough to catch the way his fingers curled just a little tighter around the tablet. "I'll come. Just don't expect me to, I don't know, do yoga or something ridiculous."

You snorted. "Yeah, like I'm going to let you anywhere near a yoga mat. I can barely trust you with a fork."

He gave you a dry look, but there was a faint smirk on his lips now.

You knew he was internally processing the magnitude of the news, even as he tried to play it cool. Jinpachi was never one to show too much emotion, especially not in a high-stakes environment like this. You could almost see the gears turning in his head, calculating how this would affect his meticulously structured life.

"Seriously, though," you spoke, trying to shift the mood a little, "I know this is a lot, but think about it. You'll have someone to mold into a future soccer star. It will take a while though."

He raised an eyebrow, an incredulous look crossing his face. "Mold? Is that really the word you want to use? I'd prefer 'cultivate' or 'develop.'"

You laughed again, shaking your head. "Whatever you want to call it, you know you'll be a great dad. Just look at how you handle the players here."

"Yeah, by constantly pushing them to their limits. I'm not sure that's the best parenting method."

"Oh, come on!" you shot back, amused. "It's either that or be a total softie. I'm sure we can balance it out. You can be the tough love dad while I take care of the cuddles."

He rolled his eyes but you could see the corners of his mouth twitching again. "That's a terrifying thought, honestly."

"Yeah? Well, get used to it. This is happening." You leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're going to be a dad, and I can't wait for you to experience all the joys-and chaos-that come with it."

His expression softened for just a moment as he regarded you, the seriousness of the situation creeping into his usual façade of confidence. "I suppose there are worse things than being a dad," he admitted, almost begrudgingly. "I just hope this kid doesn't inherit my inability to function outside of soccer."

You chuckled, the warmth of the moment settling around you. "I think we both know they'll be a soccer prodigy with you as their dad. But maybe we can throw in some art classes or something, just to balance it out?"

He scrunched his nose in distaste. "Art? Ugh. I don't feel like producing a piece of art."

You nudged him playfully. "See, this is what I mean! You need to open your horizons. You can't just be all soccer all the time. What about cooking classes?"

"Cooking classes? Are you serious?" he asked incredulously. "If I wanted to poison our child, I'd just let them eat my cooking."

"Oh, don't act like you can't cook." you challenged, smirking at him. "You're just too stubborn to learn anything outside of instant noodles."

"Instant noodles are an art form," he shot back, crossing his arms defensively. "Besides, if it's not in my contract, it's not my concern."

You rolled your eyes again, though your heart swelled with affection for him. His quirks and stubbornness were part of what made him so uniquely him. "Well, I think you'll have to make some adjustments in your schedule, Mister 'Nothing but soccer.'"

He sighed dramatically, though the corners of his mouth curled upward. "I'll think about it," he said, his voice dry as ever. But you noticed that glint in his eye, the one he always got when he was secretly pleased with something.

"Thinking about it isn't good enough," you countered, narrowing your eyes playfully as you leaned in closer. "You're going to be there for all of it. And when our kid asks you for help with their homework, you better know the answer. No slacking off with the whole 'I only care about soccer' excuse."

"No, you'll do the teaching."

You almost choked on your breath. "What a nightmare..imagine ME, teaching math? Do you want me to fail our child?"

You poked him in the ribs, enjoying the rare moment where you could tease him into a corner. "You better brush up. No instant noodles or spreadsheets will save you when that time comes."

Jinpachi sighed theatrically, pushing his glasses up again, a smirk barely visible at the corners of his lips. "I'll consider it a challenge. Though, I'm not responsible if our child grows up with a warped sense of humor."

"Oh, please," you snorted. "With me as their mom, they'll be perfectly balanced. It's you I'm worried about. You're going to corrupt them with your twisted soccer fanaticism."

He tilted his head, fixing you with a mock-serious stare. "And what, exactly, would be wrong with that?"

"Everything," you replied, matching his intensity. "Because if you think I'm going to sit through endless hours of soccer drills, you've got another thing coming. I'll make sure they're into something else, too. Maybe theater or art, just to mess with you."

The idea visibly made Jinpachi twitch. "Our child doing theater... Horrifying."

You grinned wickedly. "Exactly. And you'll love it."

Jinpachi shook his head, but the fondness in his eyes couldn't be mistaken. You could see it now, peeking through the cracks of his cool exterior. He wasn't just some cold, calculating football genius; he was also the man you fell in love with-quirky, egotistical, yes, but full of hidden warmth that he saved just for you.

A comfortable silence settled between you both for a moment. The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the monitors and the occasional scribble of his stylus on the tablet. You stood there, watching him work for a bit.

You were going to have a baby-his baby. You weren't sure what kind of father Jinpachi would be, but you knew one thing for certain: he would approach it with the same passion he had for everything else.

After a few minutes, you finally broke the silence. "So, when do you think you'll be free to come to the first appointment?" you asked, keeping your tone light but serious.

He glanced up at you, pushing his glasses up again-a nervous habit of his when he was thinking. "I'll make time," he said simply, almost nonchalantly, though you could tell he meant it. "I'm not missing it. I'll put it in my calendar. Between strategy meetings, of course."

You raised an eyebrow. "Between strategy meetings? Really? You're prioritizing strategy over me and your future child?"

"Don't twist my words," he shot back, smirking. "I'll be there. I can multitask."

"Sure, sure," you teased, though you knew he would keep his word. "And make sure to bring something that isn't noodles when we go. I'm not sharing my snacks with you."

He made a face, clearly displeased by the thought. "You're cruel."

You couldn't help but laugh, the sound filling the room. "I'm just preparing you for parenthood, Jinpachi. You'll have to learn to share eventually."

He rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at his lips. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, absolutely," you replied, grinning. "I'm going to hold this over your head for the rest of your life."

Jinpachi sighed, leaning back in his chair again. "Of course you are."

You placed a hand on your stomach. It wasn't just about teasing him or watching him squirm, though that was always a fun bonus. You were building a life together, and this was just the beginning of something incredible.

"Ready for the ride, Jin?" you asked, a soft smile on your lips as you looked at him.

He glanced over at you. There was something real and sincere in his eyes, a flicker of emotion that he rarely let anyone see.

"Yeah," he said quietly, nodding. "I think I am."

You smiled, feeling the warmth spread through your chest. "Good. Because I'm not doing this alone."

He let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "As if I'd let you. I'll be there... every step of the way."

"Damn right you will be," you said, though your tone was softer now, more affectionate. You stepped closer, gently resting a hand on his shoulder, and he placed his own hand over yours.

Jinpachi squeezed your hand gently, his eyes meeting yours with an intensity that caught you off guard. You could feel the warmth of his hand on yours, grounding you in the moment.

"You know," you murmured, stepping in closer, your voice low as you brushed a hand across his cheek. "I'm not always sassy."

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Really? I've never seen the evidence."

"Shut up," you whispered, though you were smiling as you said it. "I'm trying to be sentimental here."

Jinpachi let out a small chuckle, but there was a tenderness in his expression that you rarely saw. He lifted his hand from your shoulder to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin in a way that made your heart skip a beat. It was such a simple gesture, yet from him, it carried so much meaning. Jinpachi was a man of few overt affections, but when he did show them, they were undeniable.

Slowly, he leaned down toward you, his movements almost cautious, as if he were afraid to break the moment. You felt your breath hitch in your throat as his face drew closer, your heart pounding in your chest. And then, with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with his usual brashness, his lips met yours.

The kiss was soft, tender-unlike the sharp-edged banter you usually exchanged. His lips were warm against yours, and for a moment, the world around you disappeared. His hand on your cheek was steady, grounding you, while your own hands found their way to the back of his neck, pulling him just a little closer.

You could feel the warmth of his body against yours, his long fingers brushing the nape of your neck as he deepened the kiss, still slow, still deliberate. It was the kind of kiss that felt like a promise.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested gently against yours, both of you breathing a little heavier than before. His hand lingered on your cheek, his thumb still softly stroking your skin. Jinpachi's glasses had slightly fogged up from the closeness, but he didn't bother adjusting them this time.

"Sucks to be us, huh?" he murmured, his voice teasing but quieter than usual, as if he were afraid to break the delicate moment.

You smiled, still catching your breath, your fingers lightly tracing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Guess we're stuck together now."

"Not the worst fate," he replied, his smirk returning but his eyes soft.

You pulled him in for another kiss, this one quicker but just as sweet, before you leaned back, a playful grin tugging at your lips. "And just so you know, that baby's going to love theater. Deal with it."

Jinpachi groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically, but there was a fondness there that you couldn't miss. "Fine. But only if you handle it. I'll take care of soccer practice."

"Deal," you said, feeling a warmth spread through your chest.

As you stood there, wrapped in his arms, you knew that whatever the future held, you would face it together.

࿐*ೃ thanks for reading this short scenario! likes, interaction and reblogs are deeply appreciated ♡

#blue lock fandom #blue lock #blue lock x reader #blue lock x you #blue lock x y/n #blue lock fluff #fluff #oneshot #fanfic #x reader #bllk ego #ego jinpachi #jinpachi ego #ego x reader #fem reader

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studentinpursuitofclouds · 3 months ago

Note

Hear me out, we all know the farmer is freakishly strong. I mean our characters is casually walking around with bags fuck of ores, fish, vegetable and other shi- but What I wanna talk about is the farmer tools. A normal picaxe is heavy but a gold one is even heavier! So image how heavy the iridum picaxe is. I always headcanon the the iridum tools being a mass of weight that the player just casually swings and walks around with. To the farmer its just tools, to everyone else its like moving a truck. But the thing is no one knows that, everyone in the village thinks the farmer just painted thier tools purple. (Only clint knows)

So time skip the farmer and bachelor/ette are together and happily married. The farmer is either farming, mining, or practicing their sword. Whatever that may be they are distracted, the farmer ask thier spouse to bring them one of their tools only for the spouse to struggle like, it is phyiscally Impossible to move the tool. Which of course the farmer helps them but they now see the farmer in a new light.

Certain characters act out, I now alex would be mad at himself that he is struggling to pick up a tool that their spouse is casually swinging around.

Maru, abby and harvey would think the farmer is a super human and try to make sure they are ok because how are they casually lifting those tool all day without a sweat.

Oooh, i like this! Thank you for sharing this headcanon ❤️

Iridium is indeed quite a heavy metal, so lifting, for example, a watering can made of this pure metal is definitely not an easy task. So the reaction by the spouses (at least some of them) will be amusing, heh...

_________________________________________

I think Alex will not so much act out, but will be truly amazed by his spouse's strength. Whatever training they use, it works pretty well, for to lift such a heavy object like that.... The athlete will look at his beloved Farmer with a puppy eyes full of determination, and say loudly, "Teach me!" (Farmer talks about their raw fish and seaweed diet)

Honestly, Harvey had caught more bizarre things with his spouse that the poor doctor didn't have the energy to react anymore. Farmer was on their seaweed diet, their wounds healed after eating cake/the next day, and so on. Iridium tools that even six people could barely lift? Eh, just another day in the life of Harvey and his chaotic spouse. He'll just accept it and not look for a logical explanation.

Shane is unlikely to pay much attention. Not to say he's weak himself, as I think Shane's arms are definitely pumped (he used to carry boxes of Joja products almost every day), but his spouse carries huge bags of seeds almost as big as him at least twice a day. And that's not even mentioning the constant adventures. So naturally Farmer is going to be very strong, iridium or not.

Sebastian knows full well how heavy iridium is (he may not be absorbed in science like his half-sister, but he knows the table of chemical elements perfectly well), so will make a surprise Pikachu face when he realizes that Farmer's tools are made of pure iridium. "You mean.. and a watering can too?" Hardcore, Sebby likes it. Although the emo himself realizes that he's no use in tossing Farmer tools.

"My soul, what did our local blacksmith even make that axe out of?" The answer says nothing to Elliott, as the writer has slightly forgotten his chemistry lessons. That's not a problem for him, because there's always the library available. Elliott is sure to be shocked at the results: iridium is 3 times heavier than iron and 2 times heavier than lead! He knew that farm work would keep anyone in shape, but to have that kind of strength....

Sam kept trying to lift Farmer's scythe, but after about ten minutes he gave up, collapsing to the ground all sweaty with exhaustion. Like trying to move rocks, honestly.... "Babe, what's it made of?" Well, the word 'iridium' wouldn't explain much to the musician, since he's clueless about the metal, but take Farmer's word for it that it's definitely heavier than iron. Oh wow, his spouse is so strong....

Of course Haley's spouse is strong - did you saw how they opened a pickle jar for her without even breaking a sweat! The blonde-haired young woman says nothing to the fact that Farmer's tools are pure iridium. Some kind of heavy metal, yep, she's pretty sure of that, so she won't even try to lift a tool for her spouse - she just can't physically.

On the one hand, Leah is surprised to see Farmer so strong, on the other hand.... honestly, why should she be surprised? Farmer had easily lifted her when she was in the Cindersap forest trying to pull a fruit from the branch of a tall tree. She had heard that iridium was a very heavy metal, but her spouse also did heavy exercise all the time.

Penny couldn't even lift an iron pickaxe for her spouse, so she won't even try with an iridium one (she'll only hurt her back). Of course Farmer is super strong, they almost daily break rocks with a pickaxe on their farm, chop trees and carry a bunch of ripe crops like pumpkins and giant melons, so it's not a revelation to her.

Maru almost fainted at the realization that the metal on Farmer's axe was not painted iron, but iridium, a chemical element she knew well. At the very least, it's heavy as heck! How?! How does a Farmer lift that axe with ease?! She need do some experiments... Uh, just measure their strength, nothing more!

It doesn't work, no matter how much Emily tried to lift the iridium axe. She couldn't even move the tool a centimeter, let alone get the axe off the ground for even for a few seconds. So of course she will be very pleasantly surprised that Farmer picked up the axe without difficulty, but like many other bachelors/ettes, will not pay much attention (farm work is hard, no wonder her partner is strong).

Abigail already had several theories about her spouse's extraordinary strength when she realized they were carrying iridium tools without any problems. The first was that the Farmer wasn't quite human, or not human at all. The second one - magic, or rather the spell or potion that gives them such power. Either way, it's all very intriguing and she will (respectfully) ask her spouse a lot of questions.

_________________________________________

So yeah, thanks again for sharing your idea! Have a wonderful day ❤️

#stardew valley #sdv #sdv shane #sdv alex #sdv sebastian #sdv harvey #sdv sam #sdv elliott #sdv abigail #sdv maru #sdv emily #sdv haley #sdv leah #sdv penny #sdv headcanons #thanks for the ask!

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leviscolwill · 2 years ago

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— dad!jude bellingham headcanons !

pairing: dad!jude bellingham x fem!reader

req: could you write dad!judebellingham ml <3

note: i tried writing headcanons because i feel like my writing is very 👎👎🍅🍅🍅 at the moment, i hope you'll like it still !! reblogs are VERY appreciated since the tags are in a silly goofy mood right now #useless 😝🤪

tag list: @ceofmercedes <3

it's well established on judeblr that he is a girl dad, so girl dad it is

i think he would spiral a bit over the fact that you're growing a whole human being in you

he would say random shit like “no but do you feel her legs grow ?”

and you're like 😐😐😐 of course not

but the poor boy is just clueless 😪

he would always remind you of how you're the most beautiful woman on earth, even when you're crying your eyes out because ron fell off his chess piece in the philosopher's stone

now,, i think we're all well aware he would spoil your daughter rotten

getting her new clothes or new toys whenever he passes in front of a store because “she might need it one day”

but !! he would never let her turn into a “daddy i want a squirrel” kinda girl

you would both make sure she's very well mannered because he is very aware his parents' education played a big part in who he is today

i feel like being strict wouldn't be a problem for him either

yk being the eldest in his family, he wouldn't be swayed by your girl's pleading eyes when she acts wrong

he would 100% cry on her first day of pre-school (it's the cancer in him)

and he would try to drop her / pick her up from school as much as he possibly can with training and stuff

if you speak another language, you'd learn it to your daughter and use it to talk shit about jude 🤭

“have you seen what he wore today ?” “yeah daddy's shirt is very ugly”

in my case she would say quoicoubeh to him

i feel like he'd get so frustrated and start sulking amd pouting before your daughter reassures him

okayy bc it's spooky szn rn 😋

family matching costumes !! (call it corny 😡 i do not care)

monsters, disney characters or the adams family... he'd have soooo many ideas

he'd go trick or treating just to eat all the sweets

playfights with your daughter for their girl's attention

“it's my mommy !”

“oh yeah ? but mommy liked me before, so i'm the number one in her heart”

“it's not true ! mommy tell him he's a liar”

you can only roll your eyes because he really has beef with a whole child ???

but he's just a kid himself !!

everytime she gets to see uncle jobe she's overly happy

and jude would smack the back of his head when he says a bad word

(like he's not the one to curse at home yk 🙄)

is it a bad thing i think he would secretly hope your daughter has a bad dream so she'd have a good excuse to sleep in between you both ?

because he would

just to cuddle with her

then he regrets it when she wakes him up early in the morning

when she grows up he would be soooo invested in her school's dramas

like, actually asking for updates during dinner like he's dan from gossip girl

“what do you mean ben is dating his ex's best friend ?? he's such a di... bad person”

he'd be so gassed whenever she would wear his shirt (especially at school)

like you got all these clothes but chose this particular england shirt ? 🥹🥹

(as if half her wardrobe isn't his jerseys from every club he's been at)

(+ jerseys he exchanged with other players and signed jerseys by football legends)

he would sooo show her off to his teammates

“yeah my girl knows how to read now” 😎

and show every picture of her EVER

even the embarrassing ones

100% would introduce his friends as uncles

“say hi to uncle gio” (🫠)

now hear me out bc i think it's my favourite idea

he would totally look up hairstyles tutorials for your babygirl and try them out

once he gets the hang of it, he would never stop finding new ones

and since he doesn't have a sister, he would go to his mum for advice

on hair, but also girl stuff so he can pretend he already knows it all in front of you

you'd also go to his mum to advice tho, because being a parent (especially a mum) is never easy

and she would gladly share all of them with you

when you get into fights with jude your girl would always try to make it better

“dad says he's sorry”, “mum said she's not mad anymore”

of course you both know she's lying but somehow it always works ???

so your relationship is the prime example of what she's looking for when she grows up

and she secretly hopes she gets to love her s/o just like her parents love each other (too corny now ?)

anyways jude would treat you both like his little princesses, and he's so so so grateful he gets to live a lifetime with you two

or maybe more than two who knows 🚶‍♀️

#is it too messy ??#or is it readable ?#is this too much ?#yeah probably #jude bellingham x reader #football x reader #jude bellingham one shot #jude bellingham imagine #jude bellingham blurb #jude bellingham #jude bellingham headcanons #football one shot #football fluff #football imagine #football headcanon

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cr4yolaas · 6 months ago

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WHIPLASH — DISTRACTOR

she loves journalism, she tells herself for the umpteenth time this week to cope with the immense overload. there's nothing about this industry that she could possibly hate. not at all. totally not.

003. look back / masterlist / 005. so clueless!

At 5 PM every day, just when she's about to leave the office for the day, she gets an overwhelming rush of energy. Not the good kind.

Her spine creaks and aches from constant attempts to keep her posture upright while reading email upon email upon email, the lines scrolling past as she orders them all neatly in her head — a waste of her time, something to keep note of later on, and the urgent stuff. It's routine. The click, click, click of her foot on the ground is almost in time with the clock at the front of the room, and she can feel each fiber and strand of fabric that prods at her skin. Her desk is the same every time, featuring a poor, worn-down notepad with barely legible notes and papers passed down to her through the journalistic hierarchy (however, most of them are from her editor-in-chief), and she can't be bothered to fix it because it's the only way she can find anything.

She adjusts her top, just as she has been every ten or so minutes. Another one gifted from Nobara, with the remark that she'd "sway all of her editors' hearts." And while it did prove to be true, she can't say she enjoys it. All the same, she knows it's the only way to survive in the industry.

It's systematic. Her fingers click and clack away at her keys while she goes over another writer's work — a new one that just transferred from the Lifestyles department into Sports, with the argument that he'd "find more opportunities here."

It's sloppy. He can't tell the difference between their, they're, and there. There's a significant lack of Oxford commas everywhere she looks. And on top of that, the tone reeks of bias, namely towards the volleyball player he's supposed to be neutral about.

She straightens up again before angrily typing in her edits. Add a comma here. Simplify this — no points are being made here. Elaborate? Reword this. By the end of it all, his page is littered with highlights and comments, likely a new record for her.

It's all too much.

There's a ticking in her head that, by whatever force of nature, powers over the sound of her fingertips slamming into the keys, and a ringing in her ears that lies beneath it. Her eyes burn with every second she spends staring at her screen. The hairs on her head — neatly done, to please the "office worker image" that her editors seem to love — feel as if they're falling out of her scalp by the minute. Every sensation washes over her. It's exhausting.

She looks up at the clock. One, two, three more seconds pass, and when the hands switch to the neatly printed 6, she almost jumps out of her seat, her documents haphazardly stacked and stored away into her drawers and her laptop falling shut. Every extra moment spent only allows the rot in her head to fester. Before she can process her actions, her bag (the new Samo Ondoh one she picked up last week, after much deliberation) finds its way to her shoulder and her feet are firmly planted in the elevator.

After five seconds, she heaves out a long, heavy breath.

Her head thumps softly against the metal wall behind her. It’s a gentle noise. She watches the numbers count down until the lobby, the doors opening slowly. Almost too slowly.

She loves her job. She really, really does. It's what she tells herself as she rushes out the main doors, and it's what she'll continue to tell herself until the end of it all.

★ there’s supposed to be another msg from yn before the “left my keys @ work” text </3 i’ll leave u guys to fill in the blank with ur imagination

★ sorry not sorry for pushing the cr4yolaas workaholic yn agenda …

★ maki loves zelle she refuses to use paypal or apple pay or anything else

★ it’s her beige flag i fear

★ also the last time she tried to drive yuta’s car was right after she got her (much delayed) license … n she almost totaled it completely </3

★ she’s a wonderfully intelligent woman in stem but u do NOT want her as ur designated driver

★ nobara begs to use maki’s digicam every time they go out like a little kid asking to play games on their parent’s phone

★ 50% of the time it’s a yes

★ yn’s EIC is heavily inspired by mine from 2 yrs ago 😙 i dislike her so bad she acc made me quit LOL

★ yuuji and yn’s dynamic is like best friends since diapers but they’ve known each other for 6 months max

★ they met thru toge and toge gets a little jealous of their dynamic #enviousking

★ “were u there when she shat her pants on the way home from elementary school? didn’t think so”

TAGLIST: @kameyyy @s777athv @solecitoszn @1l-ynn @valvoria @standcom @kissunday @hqnge @applepi25 @fushiguruuzzzz @reveurdoll @anotherwriternamedclara @sh0ot1ngst4r @starrysho @lizbix @diearama @cherryredribbons @asuritam @tiramizuloz @saltypuffin1040 @burnishingbagels @beepbopzlorp @reezerdotcom @tibibibi123 @carneries @gumims @chososcamgirl @anngelllla @fefesooli @vrxouei @s3ns4ti0n4l @lucentwings @sentifua @in-the-marina-trench @k4ss11333

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magicalmysteries777 · 1 year ago

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"You're clueless, you know that?" - Reader x Eddie Munson & Reader x Steve Harrington (fake)

Summary: You agree to accompany Steve to Enzo's for Valentine's Day with only one shared goal in mind - to make Eddie so jealous he has no choice but to have the one conversation he's being avoiding.

Pairings: F!Reader x Steve Harrington & F!Reader x Eddie Munson.

Chapter: 1 of 1.

W/C: 2314.

A/N: Happy Valentines Day, besties! This trope paired with Steve and Eddie has had me in a chokehold for a while now and I'm so happy that the lil ADHD gremlin in my brain has finally let me write the damn thing. <3

This one-shot can also be found on AO3 here.

“You really think that’ll work? Pretending to go on a date with you?” you asked, leaning against the counter at Family Video.

“It better work. Personally, I’m sick of hearing you pine over him. He’s had a thing for you ever since you joined Hellfire but he’s completely clueless when it comes to all the hints you’ve dropped,” Robin chimed in without looking up from the ‘returns’ pile of videotapes she was sorting through.

Clueless didn’t even begin to cut it.

You’d known about Eddie’s crush on you for months now, ever since Dustin slipped up and spilled the beans at lunch one day. The poor kid made you swear on your own life that you wouldn’t tell Eddie you knew.

True to your word, you kept the secret and began dropping hints instead. Eddie couldn’t read the room to save his life.

Any time you caught him staring, he’d break eye contact before you could smile back at him. Any time your hands accidentally touched, he’d move his hand away and play it off if you didn’t keep your hand perfectly still.

“I think it’s perfect,” Steve smiled. “There’s nothing like a bit of jealously to make you realise what you want.”

“I dunno,” you mumbled, chewing your cheek while you weighed up your options.

“When he sees you all dolled up, thinking it’s for me, the dots will connect. Trust me.”

“Fine, I’ll find out when he’s working.”

Steve’s plan had been in the back of your mind the whole time you’d been sitting around the table with your fellow Hellfire members. It was a long game of highs and lows all night. Despite the distraction, you’d manage to come out of the battle victorious with a mere five health points left. The party, albeit a little bruised and battered, was one step closer to defeating Myrkul and Eddie was in a good mood.

It took the usual fifteen minutes to pack up Eddie’s maps, dice, tokens, and other various game pieces before you climbed into the passenger side of his van. “Sorry for the mess,” Eddie apologised.

“You say that every week and yet you never clean it.”

“I do, it just gets messy again,” he smirked.

You were halfway home when you glanced over at Eddie. His hair was frizzy, sticking up in places from all the near misses in battle where he’d had his hands running through it. The rings on his left hand were glowing gently from the reflection of his lit cigarette as he used it to control the steering wheel. His right hand was methodically fiddling with the busted cassette player that he’d been meaning to fix for months. As always when Eddie was concentrating, his tongue was sticking out and resting against his top lip.

“Got it!” he exclaimed as Rainbow in the Dark started blasting from the speaker, a huge grin spread across his face.

“When are you going to buy a new one?” you chuckled, prodding at the battered box.

“Stop touching it,” he slapped your hand away. “It’ll start crackling again. I’ve picked up some overtime next weekend, I’m hoping the gents will be tipping big to impress their dates.”

“No Valentine’s plan with anyone special then?”

“Nope, just work. Doubt there’s anyone out there who would want to spend their Valentine’s Day with the ‘Freak of Hawkins’ anyway.”

“You’d be surprised, some people like their men a little freaky.”

“What about you? Any plans?” he asked, the change in tone rather subtle.

For a moment, you weren’t sure if you were going to go through with the plan. Steve’s words echoed through your mind listed the pros and cons. ‘Trust me.’

“Yeah, I’ve got a date at Enzo's. At least I don’t have to worry about it going bad now if you’re working, you can come over and scare him off for me.”

“That’s great. Wow, a date. Um, yeah, I’ll fend him off for you if things go pear-shaped. Do I, uh, know the guy?” he stuttered.

“I don’t want to jinx it,” you answered, remembering Robin's claims that a little bit of mystery would be the key to the whole plan working.

“Of course,” Eddie agreed, a sarcastically dumb look plastered on his face. You couldn’t help but notice that this was exactly how he used to act when Dustin mentioned Steve. “Would you look at that? Here we are. Once again, dropped off in one piece, as requested.”

“You okay, Ed?” you ask, one eyebrow raised.

“Yep. Fine. Tired,” he mumbled through an unconvincing yawn. “Long game. I’m gonna go and, uh, get some sleep. Night.”

“And he said it exactly like that?” Steve asked.

“Yes, Steve, how many times do I have to go through it? He basically kicked me out of the van,” you answered.

“It’s definitely working.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent. Wait until he finds out it’s me, he’s gonna freak.”

“He might not react at all. Believe it or not, he is professional at work.”

“Bet on it?”

“Shut up.”

Eddie had been an asshole all week.

Jeff and Gareth got the worst of it. You, however, had been getting the silent treatment. It was Thursday lunchtime when Eddie finally acknowledged you again.

“So, what are your plans this weekend?” Dustin asked Mike.

“Movies with El then dinner, you?”

“Arcade with Will. What about you, Eddie?”

“Work and band, why?”

“It’s called small talk,” Dustin answered. “What is with you this week?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he snapped.

“Tell your face that, man,” added Jeff.

“Lay off it. Why don’t you ask her what she’s doing this weekend instead and leave me alone?” Eddie prompted, gesturing in your direction. He did not stick around to hear the answer, walking away dramatically.

“Well, what are you doing?” asked Dustin.

“I’ve got a date,” you answered quickly and quietly, sinking into your seat as a sense of guilt began to creep up on you.

“You what?!” asked Gareth.

“I said I’ve got a date.”

“Yeah, I heard you. The fuck do you mean you’ve got a date? With who?”

“Does it matter?” you ask asked.

“Evidently it does. I’ve been taking the brunt of his crap all week and you’re telling me it’s because you’re going on a date?”

“How was I supposed to know he’d react like this?” you quickly try to defend yourself.

“Are you blind?” Jeff asks.

“No, but he is. I’ve dropped hints. Lots of them. If he doesn’t want to acknowledge it then that’s on him.”

“Wow,” smiled Steve, looking you up and down. He took your hand, albeit rather dramatically, and began leading you to the car.

“Save it for the restaurant, you dingus. Does this look okay then?” you ask.

“The dress alone might kill him, never mind the heels and hair.”

Ten minutes later, Steve parked up outside Enzo's.

“When we get in there, sit with your back to the bar. You’re about to get the full Harrington charm, okay?” he asked.

“Got it.”

“Hi there, table for two under Harrington,” Steve told the hostess.

“Follow me.”

“Here we are,” the hostess said as she gestured to a small table. “Here are your menus, the waiter will be over to take your order shortly.”

“Thank you,” you replied, taking the seat that Steve had pulled out for you.

“So,” you began.

“So,” Steve replied with a grin.

“I’m not going to lie, Steve, I feel really awkward.”

“I can tell,” he responded. “Relax. We’re just two friends, dressed up, and having a nice meal. Loosen up a little and have fun, or this isn’t going to work.”

You tried to relax, really, you did. But you couldn’t help shake the feeling that Eddie was burning holes into the back of your head with his staring.

“Welcome to Enzo's, my name is Ruben and I’ll be your server this evening. Any drinks to start?”

“Sparkling water for me, and…” Steve prompted.

“Lemonade, please.”

“Awesome, I’ll get that put in at the bar for you. Any starters today?”

“Do you-” Steve began, turning his attention back to you.

“More of a dessert person,” you answer.

“Me too,” smiled Ruben. “What mains would you like?”

“Lasagne for me, please,” answered Steve.

“Chicken Alfredo, please.”

“Awesome. I’ll get all that put in for you, enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you, ‘preciate that,” Steve told him before he left the table.

After a couple of minutes of the usual “how was work?” and “how was school?” small talk, Steve’s gaze quickly shot behind you as he sat up a little bit straighter.

“Here’s your lemonade,” Eddie announced, placing the glass down in front of you.

“Thanks, Eddie. How’s your shift?” you asked with a smile.

“So-so. Started going downhill about twenty minutes ago,” he answered.

“Nothing worse than a shitty Friday shift,” Steve chimed in.

“Evening rush,” Eddie responded, unwilling to meet Steve’s gaze. “Everything okay over here?”

“Great, thank you,” you respond.

“Harrington,” Eddie muttered, placing Steve’s water in front of him with a little bit more force than he did the lemonade, before heading back to the bar.

“He won’t even look at me, this is working even better than I thought,” Steve chuckled.

One hour and one chicken alfredo later, Ruben returned.

“Well you two are looking cosy over here,” he told you. Steve had been giving you cues on how to sit and when to laugh all evening. “How about that dessert? I highly recommend the ‘brownie and ice cream for two.’ Chef special tonight.”

“Sounds perfect,” answered Steve.

“Alrighty, that’ll be about ten to fifteen minutes. Any more drinks?”

“The same again, please,” you answer.

A couple of minutes later, Steve gave another instruction.

“Rest your left arm on the table.”

“What?”

“Now.”

Steve let out a sudden laugh and adjusted himself in his seat. He placed his arm on the table, his fingertips slightly brushing against your own.

A loud crashing noise from behind you had heads rolling to see what was going on. Every pair of eyes in the restaurant landed on Eddie.

“Sorry folks,” he announced. Eddie quickly began picking up the larger shards of glass whilst another bartender brought over cloths and a broom.

“Hook, line, and sinker,” Steve whispered, loud enough for only you to hear.

You really were getting the full Harrington charm, as promised. Steve had been feeding you brownie on and off for ten minutes, his glancing over to Eddie quickly now and again.

“It’s almost time,” Steve whispered.

“Time for what?”

“The grand finale.”

Steve leaned in slightly and wiped the side of your mouth gently with his thumb. “Ice cream,” he smirked.

“Is that really necessary?”

“One hundred percent. On my cue, you’re going to excuse yourself to go to the bathroom,” he began.

“But-”

“If this whole fake date has gone to plan, which by the way has been lovely, then I do believe Munson won’t let you make it that far. Go now.”

As instructed, you excused yourself from the table and made your way towards the bathroom. Just as you got to the door you felt a hand close softly around your wrist.

“Hey, can we talk?” Eddie asked.

“Everything okay?”

“No, actually, it’s not,” he answered. Eddie glanced around before pulling you through a door labelled ‘staff only’.

“Eddie, wha-”

“You can’t date Steve.”

“I can date whoever I like Eddie,” you respond.

“Why him?” he asked, his hand still wrapped lightly around your wrist.

“Why not?”

“Because,” he began, pausing in thought. “Because he’s… he’s got a reputation. Surely you’ve heard all the rumours?”

“And we both know him well enough to know he’s not that person anymore,” you answer, your gaze locking with Eddie’s who, surprisingly, held it.

“You just can’t, please,” he pleaded.

“Give me a good enough reason as to why I shouldn’t go back out there and I won’t.”

Eddie stayed silent for a few moments, his big, brown eyes locked on yours. The small staff room became stuffy all of a sudden, the air so thick it felt like you could barely breathe. You held your ground, waiting for him to speak, but he didn’t. You stared back at Eddie, your eyes pleading with him to just say something. Anything.

You broke your gaze from Eddie’s and turned towards the door, ready to give up and go home. Eddie’s grip on your wrist tightened and he pulled you back towards him, using his free hand to cup your face as his lips met yours.

You weren’t sure how long you’d been there, Eddie kissing you, but it felt like forever. The tension in the air vanished, leaving you with a cozy feeling deep in your stomach, where the butterflies used to live.

“You can do better than him. You deserve better than him. You deserve someone who knows that you take extra sugar in your coffee when you’re studying. Someone who knows that you’re a completely evil genius in the best way possible when it comes to D&D. Someone who knows you’d rather be in bed with a book at-” he glanced at his watch, “nine o’clock at night. Someone who apparently isn’t very good at making the first move.”

“You’re clueless, you know that?”

“I am?”

“Yeah,” you replied, leaning in to kiss him again.

If it wasn’t for Ruben who knows how long you would have stood there, entwined together, lost in the moment.

“Hey man, you heading home?” Eddie asked casually, placing a little distance between the two of you.

“I was, but turns out I’m staying late. Guy with the hair on table twelve tipped me a hundred bucks to finish your bar shift and fetch a fresh brownie out. Said you ‘owe him one’ and you can ‘square it up later’. Brownie will be out in five. Enjoy.”

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #steve harrington #steve harrington fanfic #fluff #fake date #fake dating #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie x you #steve harrington x reader #steve x reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #eddies a big baby #smart steve #platonic steve harrington

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theoutcastrogue · 9 months ago

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I've come across many posts on tumblr claiming or taking for granted that there's a d&d 5e play Culture™ out there where the dm is expected to do all the work, to the point of players NOT being expected to learn the rules, not even how their own characters work mechanically.

This is several light years away from my personal experience. Of course, I'd never generalise or extrapolate anything at all from my personal experience, so I'm not presenting this as anecdotal evidence to the contrary of the claim. But I would ask for (similarly non-anecdotal) evidence to the support of the claim. Who THE FUCK are these people who think it's normal to not even try to learn the rules of the game they're playing? Where do they congregate? Are they somewhere online?

The 5e-related online spaces which I visit from time to time (roleplaying forums, reddit, etc) are, broadly speaking, Not Like That. Sometimes they're the opposite, and there's a lot of rules-lawyering going on. Sometimes there'll be a story about a Problem Player who refuses to learn their own character's abilities, but, and this is very important, it isn't presented as a norm, as THE Culture™. It's presented as a faux pas, a deviation from the norm. And I've NEVER come across such a story told from the Clueless Player's perspective. Like, I've never seen anyone go "lol my DM expects me to know what my character can do, that's your job, stupid!".

But just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Perhaps the internet is full of stuff like that. So I ask all of you, and especially those who do consider this phenomenon "a 5e culture", where is it? Where do I find it? (I'm curious!) Are there like discord servers dedicated to celebrating your own ignorance at the expense of your poor dm?

Or do we have scattered anecdotal evidence and personal horror stories here and there, which somehow led to the theory that this a whole-ass 5e Culture™?

Note: I'm assuming we're talking about deliberate ignorance. No one should expect a first-time player to know and remember everything. Rules mastery comes over time, with experience. Even the most experienced and engaged player/dm will occasionally forget, misremember, or misunderstand the rules. (It's d&d! There's a fuckton of them!) Some rules slip through the cracks because the books aren't well-written (the best feature of the 2024 PHB is undoubtedly the Rules Glossary). And if you don't play regularly, if there's a long gap between sessions, if you're very busy or distracted or stressed IRL, of course it's more likely to forget things. So I'm not talking about any of this, I'm only referring to stories about players who clearly think it's not their job to learn the rules of the game.

#d&d #5e #how to rogue #roleplaying #trs

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kyoshithewriter · 2 months ago

Text

Level the Playing Field.

Warnings: mature themes (18+), angst.

Part five: Rivals.

A/n: what can I say? I like my men jealous and little unhinged (remember this is fictional lmaoo) enjoy?

The silence stretches uncomfortably between them. It feels weird having the height advantage over him, but she was firm about her conditions of him coming over. She needs a lot of space to make sure she’s able to think clearly, so he agreed to sit on the floor. Sadé pretends to be busy on her laptop, but the truth is- she can feel the heat of his stare and she isn’t ready to deal with it. It’s been like this for the past twenty minutes. He’s supposed to be reading but he’s opted for staring at her instead.

“Explain the term social stratification to me.” She demands without looking away from her own notes.

“Uh, social what now?” There’s not a hint of humor in his voice. Sadé pinches the bridge of her nose.

“How many classes have you even attended since the semester started?”

He shrugs carelessly.

“Not much, I train a lot or I need rest from training a lot.” He swipes his index finger across the pad of the laptop as soon as the screen goes dark.

“Who writes your papers then?” She just can’t wrap her head around how he’s so clueless about the course.

“Some girl in class. It’s not what you think though!” There’s almost an edge of panic to his voice when he rushes to add the last sentence.

“Don’t care.” Lie. “I’m just concerned about how little you seem to know, Jude. Is the test coming up a mock or is it a part of your coursework?” End of term exams aren’t for another few weeks, but she knows some courses administer tests as a part of coursework pieces that make up your grade. If it’s the latter then he’s well and truly fucked.

“It’s a coursework grade.” Sadé sighs heavily realizing she might need to take matters in her own hands. She reaches over to her nightstand, opening the drawer to remove flashcards, one of her notebooks and different coloured pens.

“Let’s pick up-” she cuts herself off mid-sentence, not wanting to rekindle memories of their last attempt at studying. “Let’s start from the basics.” She looks at him a couple feet away on the floor knowing explaining to him won’t work unless he can see her illustration. After contemplating briefly, she decides to join him on the floor; it feels safer than allowing him on the bed. Sadé sits cross legged beside him, pressing her notebook on the ground to make a poor illustration of a football pitch. Her body stiffens as she sees him scooting closer in her peripheral vision but she doesn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she draws eleven circular dots to represent the players.

“Okay, let’s try wording it in a way you care about.” She tries not to tense as he scoots even closer.

“What happens in a game after a player gets a red card and is sent off?”

“It disrupts the whole flow of the game, makes it harder.”

“Exactly, every single player on the pitch is important, functionalists believe the same about society. Social institutions, like the players, all work together to keep society running smoothly. Government, family, religion, education…”

They stay like that for a little over an hour before Sadé decides they should take a little break.

“Wow, if only you lectured my classes.” He sounds as if he’s in awe.

Sadé chuckles softly. “I learned a long time ago that interest is important in learning. And because I wasn’t allowed to fail, I had to find very creative ways to study, I was hoping it would work for you too.”

“I learned more in the past hour than I have all semester.” He still has that tone in his voice, like she just performed some sort of miracle.

“Well maybe if you’d attend your lectures, Jude.” She rolls her eyes at him playfully.

“Wouldn’t matter, I’ve slept through the few I’ve attended anyway. None of them have ever captured my attention like you just have.” He says earnestly. They make eye contact briefly before Sadé loudly clears her throat, needing to break the tension she can feel wanting to build. No.

“Well, I’m glad to be of service. Keep refreshing yourself on what we just did. I’m going to do some reading of my own then we’ll get started on another unit.” She returns to her place on the bed, trying her best to not look in his direction. She knows attempting to study with him in the room a few feet away will be futile but she tries her hardest anyway. It takes another 15 minutes of her re-reading the same slide over and over for him to break the silence.

“Okay, I think I’ve got this down pat now. Let’s move on to the next one.”

Sadé is proud to say they managed to get through two more hours in a similar fashion. She tried her best to link topics to the sport to keep him engaged but with some things, it just didn’t flow. In any case, he still paid attention, he must realize the gravity of the situation he’s in.

“Wow, this is actually really interesting when you pay attention to it.”

Sadé stretches her arms above her head, joints loosening with audible pops.

“It is, I only did it for two years in sixth form and loved it so much. The different perspectives on certain behaviors and society as a whole are really interesting.”

“Why didn’t you choose to study it here then?” He cocks his head to the side like a curious puppy.

“Didn’t sound fancy enough for my mother.” she says absentmindedly, still scrolling on his laptop. They just covered two units, they have just one more until he’s all caught up.

“You’re getting tested up to unit 4 right?” At his lack of response she finally looks up at him. Sadé is surprised to see the look of anger he has directed at her.

“How long are you going to allow it?”

She swallows. “Allow what?” She asks meekly.

“You know what I mean.” There’s an edge of irritation in his voice.

Sadé looks around helplessly. She knows he means allowing her mom to control her every move. But what can she do?

“She’s my mom, Jude. What am I supposed to do?”

“Rebel!” She’s never seen him this angry. She tries to tell herself his anger is not directed at her but it doesn’t help. She starts choking up.

“I can’t. She still supports me financially and even if I can find a few part time jobs they would barely cover accommodation much less tuition.”

“You’re a straight A student! Have you even tried applying for scholarships?”

“I received one for my freshman year but it only covered half of it. I haven’t tried for another one this year though.” She admits and she feels embarrassed about it for some reason.

“If they’re funding people with Cs and Bs full time because of athleticism then I’m sure you can find opportunities too.” He sounds so frustrated that it makes Sadé curl in on herself. She’s so afraid of change, afraid of breaking routines.

“Remember I’m not from here, Jude. I don’t know about the institutions that offer funding and stuff.” She tries but the excuse sounds lame even to her. She could’ve asked, researched on her own. The truth is, even in moments of frustration or fear, she had thought about it- thought about cutting her mom off and trying on her own, but she knew she couldn’t actually do it.

“That’s the excuse you’re trying with me, Sadé? You just sat here and taught me almost a semester’s worth of work in about two hours and you’re trying this with me?”

“Why do you care so much?” She asks, desperate for the conversation to end. It’s reminding her of just how pathetic she is.

“Because! I have a parent who’s just like that. And if I didn’t go against my father I’d be sitting miserably studying medicine just to fulfill his dream of having a son who’s a doctor. Even now, when it’s obvious my future in the sport is bright he still hasn’t acknowledged my achievements in any way. If you don’t put a stop to it Sadé, it’ll never end until she molds you into the perfect version of herself that she wanted to be but couldn’t. Be your own person.” Sadé stares at him wide eyed. His confession is surprising but she can tell he’s being honest, it ignites a tiny flame in her chest.

“I’m scared.” She softly admits. He gently grasps both her hands folded in her lap and brings them to his lips. He kisses the back of her hands softly.

“I’ll help you. We’ll start with that scholarship for next year.” The tension bleeds from her limbs one by one and something warm takes its place. Fuck, why is it so easy for him to make her feel like this?

“By the way, congratulations on your signing. That’s a huge achievement and you deserve it. You’re very talented, you’re going to be a star.” she looks away from him bashfully. “I’m sorry for how I acted the other day.” Sadé looks up at him shyly from under her lashes. There’s a frustrated furrow between his brows and his eyes look… conflicted.

“Don’t apologize, Sadé. I’m an asshole.” He brings a thumb to rub at her cheek.

“Do you… do the other girls know that you, um, sleep with other people?” She immediately regrets the question. Why would you ask him that?!

Jude laughs softly.

“Yes. We always establish from the beginning it won’t be more than sex.”

“Why so many people?” She’s really, really curious.

“I don’t know, honestly. They want to and so do I, but it’s not in the way that people talk about me.” He pauses to look at her windowsill, she’s sure he’s noticed the orchids she left there in a glass filled with water. “I don’t just go around fucking a different person every day of the week. When things get weird with… Annita, I just… I like sex.” He finishes lamely with a lazy shrug. Sadé bites her bottom lip, contemplating.

“Is it… is sex really that good?” She doesn’t mean to sound so breathy but her heart rate picked up as soon as she thought of the question. She’s not completely naive about the topic, but all she does know is from an educational standpoint as well as from videos she’s watched when the guilt wasn’t too consuming. And she knows realistically that neither are great measures for real experiences.

He gives her his full attention again. Eyes locked on her own.

“It can be. Depends on a lot of things.” He leaves the statement hanging, challenging her to ask further. Sadé swallows, mouth suddenly feeling dry.

“Things like what?”

“Things like, the person. Some people fuck just for their own pleasure, Sadé. I hate them. The right people know it begins with the mood.” His voice seems to have dropped an octave lower and it forces her to uncross her legs to subtly squeeze them together. His eyes follow the action.

“Get the mind in the right place first and the body will follow. The right person will take their time to figure out where to touch to make you feel good. Like, with you for example. I know touching that pulse point at your neck makes you feel good. I know touching you right below your belly button makes you feel good. I know you like when I lick the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth.” His eyes zero in on every part of her he mentions. Sadé wants to rock her hips against the seam of her cotton shorts so fucking badly. She squeezes her legs tighter, so much so that they visibly tremble. His eyes lock onto her nipples straining against her brown tshirt.

“I bet you’d be sensitive there too. You’d probably get worked up just from having them teased.”

Her breath audibly stutters. “Jude…”

“Hm?” Is his only reply as he watches her fidget. Sadé is trying so hard to not undulate her hips to ease the pulsing between her legs. She can feel how wet she is, already beginning to dampen her cotton panties.

“I- more.” Her voice breaks with desperation.

“That’s it, the right person knows that they should only take your panties off when you start begging. When you sound like you’re desperate enough to cry for it.” He pauses to suck in a breath, “the right person, especially… In your case” Sadé knows immediately he means someone who’s never had sex; “they’d want to make it so so good for you baby, they’d use their mouth first-get you worked up and soaking. Then they’d use their fingers because you’ll need to to get a feel of that…foreign intrusion.”

She chokes, hips raising to rock against air- wanting, no, needing friction. Anything to take the edge off.

“Then, only then would they…” he huffs a frustrated breath. “Find the right person, Sadé.” He stands with his laptop still open, shielding the front of his black sweats before storming out her room.

Sadé is too turned on to be confused. She doesn’t even attempt to get to her bed; instead, she reaches beneath her shorts and panties without finesse. She’s absolutely soaked. She rubs once, twice and a third time before biting into the palm of her other hand so she doesn’t scream for the entire building to hear. Fucking hell. She sits, panting. She should feel pathetic about getting off on the floor but it was too good. It has never felt like this when she got off in the quiet of her room. Find the right person, Sadé. Keeps ringing in her head because she knows- they both know that she has.

*********

“He didn’t touch you?” Celine asks. She’s kneeling on the couch, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Not once, he just sat there, telling me all the things ‘the right person’ would do to me. I swear if he spoke another minute longer I would’ve gotten off without even touching myself.”

“Wow.” Mikayla whispers. She reclines on the couch- eyes focusing on nothing in particular.

“Please don’t start having fantasies about Ryan right here in front of us.” Celine groans.

“I need to get laid. We should go clubbing.” The suggestion is so absurd that Mikayla and Sadé both turn to stare at Celine as if she suddenly spoke mandarin.

“Stop looking at me like I suggested we pull off a heist. It’s a Friday night and we’re young and hot! Let’s go clubbing.” Oh, she’s actually serious.

“I don’t know Celine, even if we were considering it, it’s past 10 pm already. By the time we get dressed it would be like 12 am.” Sadé nods in agreement with Mikayla.

“That’s a very reasonable time to get to the club guys. It closes off at 4 or 5 am.” Celine huffs at the doubtful expression on their faces still.

“How about we try for tomorrow night? I have a hair appointment at 11 for braids but I should be back before 8. We’d have plenty of time to go.” Sadé suggests. Celine immediately perks up, looking towards Mikayla with a pout and wide eyes.

“Okay, we can try it out.”

**************

Sadé gets back from her hair appointment at some minutes past 7. The small knotless braids are waist length and perfect. Back home, her mom would never allow her to get her hair this long. Being away from her has allowed her the smallest amount of freedom of wearing what she wants to and styling her hair the way she likes it. She reaches for her phone, checking the time to see if she can squeeze a nap in before she has to start getting ready. She’s actually going to the club, she can’t believe it. There’s a thought nagging at the back of her mind, the thought of how she hadn’t heard from Jude all day. She tries to not think about it too much, it’s been a couple of hours, no big deal.

“7:20, I can squeeze in a 40 minute nap after my shower.” She mutters out loud in an attempt to drown out her thoughts. She can’t believe she’s right back where she started when it comes to him.

“So pathetic, Sadé.” She berates herself as she heads into her bathroom.

*******

Two hours later, Sadé finds herself dressed and waiting in the kitchen. She carefully sips on a glass of cranberry juice, mindful of her makeup as she scrolls aimlessly on her phone. She opted for a bodycon backless black mini- leather dress. The black heels on her feet are a solid four inches and strappy. She looks sexy and Sadé imagines that if her mother saw her right now she would probably have a stroke. A notification from Celine on her phone alerts her that she’s at the door.

“Fucking hell, Sadé” Is what Celine greets her with as soon as she opens the door.

“Fucking hell at you too.” Celine took their night out seriously and it shows. She went shopping earlier with Mikayla today. Sadé didn’t need to because she’d always ordered things she liked, whether she’d have the chance to wear them or not, it’s her small act of rebellion. Celine also chose a mini bodycon dress, but hers is a dark blue with long sleeves. The heeled sandals on her feet are rose gold complementing her purse and jewelry.

“Let me guess, Mikayla still isn’t ready?” Celine asks, exasperation clear in her tone.

“I’m coming!” Mikayla’s voice drifts from down the hall with the click clack of heels accompanying it. Mikayla’s outfit for the night is a pair of high waisted blue jeans that seems to have been painted onto her body, with a brown corset top and black heels.

“Okay. We actually look like we’re going to the club.” Mikayla utters in shock.

“We’re actually going to the club…” the trio pause as the weight of Sadé’s words settle over them.

“I got us a cab already so we’re not backing out.” But even as she says it, Celine’s eyes are still wide.

********

Celine was very specific about the club she wanted them to go to. And now, standing outside seeing the line waiting to go in, Sadé wants to scream.

“Celine, even if we eventually get in it will be packed tighter than sardines in there.” Sadé bodily shivers as if Mikayla just described a scene from a horror movie. It might as well have been. They don’t do well with crowds.

“It will be fine! It’s huge in there… apparently. But Scarlett is the hotspot around here.” Celine insists.

“But why do we have to go to ‘the hotspot?’ Any club would’ve been fine.” Sadé whines as Celine shuffles them toward the back of the line.

“It has to be Scarlett okay?!” She whisper- yells at them like disobedient children. Mikayla and Sadé share a frightened, confused look at their friend’s weird behaviour. It takes a few minutes of them waiting in line for Sadé to figure out why Celine is so fixated on this particular club. A group of five players from Erlhedge stroll directly to the top of the line to speak with the bouncer. The burly man checks- what she’s assuming is a list- before they’re let in ahead of the line they’re in.

“Let me guess, you somehow figured out that players would be here tonight and that’s why you chose this club.” Mikayla mutters, clear annoyance in her tone.

“What? I thought you’d be happy too! Sean will be here and of course Ryan and Jude.” She shrugs her shoulders feigning nonchalance.

“You could’ve at least given us a heads up Celine, what the hell?”

“Yea you made it seem like it was a girl’s night out to meet new people.” Sadé adds, agreeing with Mikayla’s words.

“Look, I’m sorry.” She doesn’t sound sorry, “I just heard about them celebrating here tonight because of signings so I thought…” Celine trails off.

“So wait, you asked us to go lastnight knowing we’d say no because of the time but would try making up for it by suggesting today, all of that instead of just telling us what was going on?” Mikayla asks bewildered. Now that Sadé thinks about it…

“You’re right, it’s just…” celine licks her lips nervously, dampening the matte red of her lips; “You both finally got some attention from the people you want in one way or another. Sean still doesn’t even know I exist. I was scared you’d both say no to coming because you’ve gotten their attention already.”

There’s a hint of melancholy in her voice and Mikayla immediately pulls her into hug. Sadé still stands off away from her, she understands her point but she hates being lied to. It doesn’t matter what her excuse is, that was manipulation- maybe a bit harmless but still.

“Well, we’re already here might as well enjoy it. How do you plan on getting his attention?” Mikayla asks her upset friend but Sadé tunes out the conversation. The reality of it sinking in- Jude will be here.

“Right Sadé?” Mikayla’s voice interrupts her thoughts.

“What?”

“That we forgive Celine.”

Sadé looks at Celine. She’s curled into herself trying her best to look ashamed and remorseful. She doesn’t buy it.

“Yea, sure.” Sadé shrugs, her intentions weren’t sinister so she guesses it’s fine.

When they finally make it inside the club, Sadé is in awe. She now sees why the club was given its name. The interior, while large, is really packed. News of them celebrating here must’ve reached everyone but her and Mikayla apparently. The lighting inside is low but a deep, dark red. It feels… sultry, like the club was made with the intention of seducing anyone who enters. There’s some smoke visible in the air and it seems to be scented with a hint of cherry. The bass reverberats as tinashe’s ‘2 on’ rings throughout the club and there are women dressed in red lingerie and masks maneuvering their way through the crowd serving bottles and drinks on trays. There’s a huge balcony up a flight of stairs that Sadé guesses is the VIP lounge and she can immediately tell that the players are up there as she spots Liam’s form heading up the stairs. She can’t really decipher who else is there among the bodies because the lighting in the club is so low. Sadé stands awkwardly beside her friends, hand clutching at her black purse.

“Um? Bar?” Celine tries to yell over the music.

Sadé nods simply because she’s not sure what else to do. The trio join hands as they navigate their way through the crowd. The bar has four people behind it, all busy taking orders and making cocktails.

“Fuck, how do we get their attention?” Celine yells while waving madly at the bartender closest to them. The tall, cacausian man with a buzz cut looks in their direction and holds a hand up signaling he’ll come to them soon.

“I guess that’s how.” Sadé whispers. She takes the time to survey the club once more. It’s just a little past 10 and it’s already packed like this. She’s hoping there’s a capacity limit because if more people keep pouring in it’s going to get to a point where it’s hard to even breathe. A figure approaches in her peripheral vision but Sadé pays no attention, assuming they’re just headed to the bar.

“No panic attack today?” It’s shouted directly in her left ear. Sadé cringes as her ear rings from the volume of the voice. She turns her offended gaze on Annita. Of course she sees me among the sea of people in this dimly lit room. Just my luck. The curly haired brunette scowls up at Sadé, crossing her arms just below her generous chest that’s exposed in a pink dress with a plunging neckline. Sadé returns her heated glare in lieu of responding.

“What is it about you? I know he’s sleeping around until we decide to make it official, but seems to can’t leave you alone. Why?” She spits bitterly. Mikayla suddenly flanks to her right, realizing the tension between them. It’s then Sadé notices the duo behind Annita as well.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She answers coolly.

“what’s going on?” Mikayla whispers in her ear.

“I’m not here to fight in the club, put the claws away. Just wanted to remind your friend here to know her place with my man.”

“Is he though?” The simple question from Sadé wipes the smirk off her face instantly.

“Don’t worry about that. Just keep your eyes on the VIP section tonight, we’ll put on a show just for you.” Annita’s voice is full of promise. She walks off into the crowd with a sway to her generous hips.

“What the fuck was that?” Celine yells from her place at the counter. Sadé swallows, looking at the people in their vicinity to see if anyone else witnessed what just happened. She sighs in relief realizing that everyone is just too eager to get drunk to care about petty arguments.

“I don’t know, let’s just get fucked up so I’m not coherent enough to have thoughts.”

*********

Three drinks in is enough to have Sadé feeling confident enough to slow grind against Mikayla as ‘La Modelo’ blasts through the speakers. At some point, the club became a bit more illuminated and they drifted away from the bar. No matter how tipsy she is, she keeps it in the back of her mind to not allow her eyes to drift upstairs; she does not want to see the show Annita promised. Mikayla giggles as she tries to keep up with the movement of her waist while Celine stands off to the side. She keeps eyeing the balcony upstairs. It’s almost desperate enough that Sadé wants to tell her to stop and have some fun, but that’s because the liquor in her system is making her feel good. Those cocktails were 80% vodka for sure.

“Sadé!” Celine’s voice is full of urgency.

“Huh?”

“Trevor has been staring at you!”

Sadé gives her a quizzical look.

Celine sighs exasperatedly, “he’s a player from Mayberry! He also got signed to some big club in Germany, whatever. The point is, he’s upstairs, he might ask you to come up and you have to agree and take us along with you.” Sadé’s body locks up. But They’re upstairs.

“Celine how do you even know he-”

“Excuse me ladies.” It’s a scantily clad, bottle girl that interrupts their conversation. “The guy in the black satin button down asks if you and your friends want to join him upstairs for the night.” And just as Celine said, the words are directed at her. Sadé tries ignoring Celine’s pleading eyes in her peripheral vision. If she goes, she’ll be a lot closer to Jude and Annita than she’d like. Her eyes trail up to the VIP section and immediately finds Trevor. He’s standing close to the stairs and it’s obvious he’s looking in their direction. She can’t make out a lot of his features from where she stands, but it’s clear he’s tall and lithe. Fuck it.

“Do you want to, Mikky?” She knows how Mikayla is, if her friend is not comfortable they won’t go.

Mikayla looks over at Celine before shrugging. “As long as you’re okay with it.”

Sadé smiles at the woman. “Lead the way.”

******

Trevor is brown- skinned and sports cornrows. He has a neatly trimmed goatee and the plumpest lips. He’s gorgeous. Has nothing on Jude though, her mind unhelpfully supplies. The VIP area seems to be sectioned off into cliques. The players from Mayberry and their friends are further left away from the stairs, meaning, Sadé will have to walk directly past Them to get to Trevor’s section. The group from Erlhedge is large- she’d give a rough estimate of about twenty, a mixture of about 7 players who got signed and the others being friends of either them or the women they’re with. Sadé straightens her spine, gaze locked straight ahead as she struts past their section. Her skin prickles and she doesn’t have to look to know it’s Jude staring. She can always feel it. It’s almost as if her body is wired to know when he’s close. Even then, she doesn’t return his stare- he brought Annita here as his date while she didn’t even get an invite. That again speaks volumes. Trevor’s section is noticeably made up of fewer people. A few glance their way briefly out of curiosity but go back to their own thing immediately after. Mikayla and Celine take a seat on the long, leather couch. However, Celine angles her body towards the Erlhedge section, toeing that invisible line that separates them. Sean is only a few feet away, with his back turned to them. He’s gesticulating wildly as he speaks to Liam.

“Just go talk to him.” Mikayla encourages.

“I can’t, Camille is there. I know they aren’t dating but he brought they are somewhat of a thing...” Seems to be a common theme among players at this school.

Sadé sighs at Celine and her Sean saga. Trevor gently pokes her in her side to get her attention. The area on her body’s so ticklish that she jerks almost violently and it makes him chuckle.

“I’m sorry, just wanted to get your attention without yelling in your ear.” His voice is smooth, the kind of smooth you hear over some radio program at 2 am in the morning.

“It’s okay, just ticklish there is all.” She smiles shyly up at him.

“I’m Trevor, you are…?”

“Sadé.” She supplies, shaking his offered hand.

“Nice to meet you, Sadé.” Sadé’s skin warms from face to feet.

“You go to Erlhedge?” He turns away from her to retrieve cups and a bottle of some kind of unopened Rosé from the table closest to him. He pours three cups, offering one to each of them.

“Thank you, and yes. Sophomore year, biology major.”

Trevor’s eyebrows raises up his forehead.

“Biology huh? So you’re also smart? I might have to propose to you in the middle of this club.” He teases.

“Do it then.” she smiles cheekily, playing along.

“Bet?” Is all the warning she gets before he actually drops to one knee in front of her. She falls into a fit of laughter, grabbing at his arm to pull him up from the floor as a few people start to look their way. Mikayla wiggles her brows at her from behind Trevor’s kneeling form. Trevor eventually stands, holding her giggling body upright.

“Guess we’re engaged now, Sadé. You’re stuck with me.”

Sadé opens her mouth to respond but doesn’t get the chance to.

“You’re Trevor, right?” The voice coming from her right is awfully familiar. Sadé tenses. Jude’s smiling but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“And you’re Jude, right?” Trevor fires back. She knows immediately there’s tension between them. She figures it’s because they’re rivals, but it seems to go deeper than that with how tense Trevor’s body is to her left.

“Ah, stop it. I know you know me. We both know you know me all too well, Trevor.”

“Um…” she mumbles awkwardly. She’s sandwiched between the two and it seems their standoff has now gotten the attention of everyone in the area.

“How’s Ashleigh?” The name from Jude’s lips seems to flip a switch in Trevor. He pushes Sadé out the way and leaps at Jude’s smirking form. Sadé stumbles to the side but is caught by Mikayla before she can land on her ass on the floor. She cries out, feeling a sharp pain as her right foot twists at an awkward angle. It’s pandemonium after that. The other players immediately jump into action as soon as Jude and Trevor start going at it. They’re of similar build but Jude has a slight height advantage on Trevor. Jude tackles him into a table that immediately crashes under their joint body weight. The other players from Mayberry rush in their direction to Trevor’s aid but they’re met by Jude’s friends.

“We have to get the fuck out of here.” Mikayla shouts in pure panic. The sound of glass shattering in the background over the music sends her heart in a frenzy.

“My ankle, I need help.” Sadé cries out. Mikayla and Celine loop her arms around their shoulders as they rush to move around the fighting and screaming before they get sucked in the middle. Security rushes past them on their way down the stairs, heading in the direction of the fight. When they finally make it outside, Sadé ducks out her friends’ arms to sit on the curb. She doesn’t care what she looks like sitting her bare ass on the streets outside of a club, she just needs the pressure off her foot that’s obviously sprained.

“Holy shit! Are you okay?” Celine asks, frantic.

The question sends her over the edge and she cries. The sobs are gut wrenching and she doesn’t care. Even as people begin pouring out the club in waves, yelling about threats of the police, she sits and bawls. Not only because of the throbbing pain in her right ankle, but because of Ms. Summers, because of Annita, because she knows that whatever that was inside, it’s her fault. She knows Jude came over to antagonize him on purpose because of her. All those people hurt, property destroyed. She hates him, she hates Jude so fucking much. Everything has become a whirlwind ever since they crossed paths. He’s too much for her to handle and she has to stop trying to. Sadé is in no way built for people like him and she needs to accept that before he really fucks up her life.

“Sadé, do you need to go to the hospital?” Mikayla asks softly. She’s stooped to her level beside her. Celine stands off to the side, looking around frantically. Sirens sound in the distance. They need to move. The last thing she needs to top this night off is to be harshly interrogated.

“I think it’s just a sprain.” She sniffles wetly, examining her foot. It’s already beginning to swell.

“I should be fine with some painkillers and ice for now.”

“Okay, I’m calling a cab. We need to move away from here in the meantime though.”

“Is she okay?” The voice comes from a 5’11, olive toned figure. His long, black hair is pulled into a bun at the back of his head that shows off the perfect structure of his face and green eyes. Ryan.

“Uh… she… ankle.” And even in her current condition Sadé giggles quietly. Mikayla’s a wide- eyed stuttering mess. Ryan smiles, obviously endeared.

“I can help, we need to clear the area before the cops come.” He looks directly at Mikky’s blushing face.

“I… okay. Yea.”

Ryan silently asks Sadé permission with a raise of his brow. She nods, immediately understanding what he intends to do and lifts her arms to wrap around his neck. He scoops her up easily, carrying her bridal style.

“We should head to the deli around the corner.” Ryan suggests and the trio agrees.

They walk in comfortable silence. Sadé makes eye contact with Mikayla every once in a while and gives her friend a sly smile to which she’d respond by blushing deeper and threaten her silently with her eyes. Ryan doesn’t stumble once with her in his arms. He looks over at Mikayla for a moment.

“You followed me on IG the other day right?”

“Uh, yea. Yea I did.” Mikayla ducks her head after responding.

“What’s your name?” Sadé tunes them out and focuses on Celine. She walks a few feet away from them with a far away look in her eyes. Sadé files it away to have a serious conversation with her friend later. The deli is blissfully empty- thank God- and the owner immediately rushes over to them with a chair after Ryan explains the situation. He sits her down gently.

“Thank you so much.” He waves Sadé off, typing away on his phone.

“It’s nothing. Since we’re here, are you guys hungry?” And suddenly, in the moment, nothing sounds better than getting home, showering and stuffing her face with an Italian grinder sandwich.

“Yea, actually. I could eat. I’ll take an Italian grinder, no onions.”

Celine declines the offer and Mikayla looks at Sadé worriedly. Sadé shrugs in response.

“Come order with me?” Ryan directs the question at her blushing friend. Mikayla gives a shy nod and the pair head in the direction of the man behind the counter. Sadé works on unstrapping her right shoe. The throbbing has gotten worse and the straps digging in her skin aren’t helping. Sadé cringes at the sight of her foot, it has gotten even more swollen in the small time frame it took for them to get here. The bell above the door dings as someone steps through. She lazily looks up from her disfigured ankle towards the entrance of the shop. She tenses and her chest heaves with anger as she glares with all the hatred she can muster.

“Let me take you home.”

#football #black woman #real madrid #jude bellingham x reader #soccer #jude bellingham #jude bellingham x black reader #football fanfic

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justacatiguess · 7 months ago

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When I first met Bellara in Veilguard, I didn’t think I’d end up enjoying her company as much as I do now. At first, she felt… superficial. Her initial dialogue seemed too on-the-nose, and her habit of predicting game mechanics—like saying, “This is the last barrier!” or “We’re almost there!”—came across as overly fourth-wall-breaking or hand-holdy. I remember thinking, How would she even know that? I dismissed it as bad writing and moved on.

But as I got to know her, something started to shift. During one of her personal quests, there’s a moment where you’re disabling a power source, and she implies there will be a second wave of enemies. A companion asks how she knows and she points out it's a pattern from previous battles.

It reminded me of a codex entry where she talks about a book she read for the team's book club—how she lost the book halfway through but still guessed the twist correctly.

It hit me then: this is just how her brain works. And that’s when I started to see myself in her. I think a lot of people with neuro-divergent tendencies, like me, have the knack for predicting stories/patterns or drawing correct conclusions faster than others or from seemingly out of nowhere. I started warming up to her as I saw more of myself in her personality.

But my newfound affection for Bellara lasted until exactly the next part of the quest, where we came across a door puzzle. Bellara decided, despite my gameplay settings of no hints or quest direction, to explain every little nuance of the puzzle in quick succession as I explored the room.

I got so annoyed. I remember thinking, Why won’t you just let me figure this out? Sadness grew as I realized poor writing had stunted my gameplay.

And then it hit me: Oh. Wait. This is me. I do this all the time to people.

If people or situations are moving too slowly, I start trying to take control. Not intentionally. Usually from nervous or excited energy, when my filters are weak or emotions are high. At this point, Bellara is very motivated to get to her destination, so it makes sense she would react this way.

So for me, her too-obvious statements and unsolicited advice is actually great dialog writing, because it fits the character's point of view, AND it elicited an emotional response from me as a player, where I had to figure out why the heck she was being so annoying in the first place. I like when games make me frustrated and I have to step back to see why a character was motivated in some way.

Bellara IS hand holdy. But not necessarily to cater to a clueless player. She can't help it. She's smart, knows things, and Rook is too slow to come to conclusions on their own, and she has places to BE.

#dragon age veilguard #bellara #dragon age #datv #Veilguard

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literaryavenger · 5 months ago

Text

PARTNERS In CRIME - ch. 2

Summary: Desperate to see Thor and Bruce together, you make a plan and try to recruit Bucky.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Swearing. Teasing. My poor attempts at being funny. Bucky being a flirty little shit. Not much for this one either.

Word Count: 4.2K

A/N: Yes, I've already broken my one-chapter-a-week goal. 2025 is kicking my ass barely two weeks in... I'm hoping it goes better from here on out.

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

You walk to your mechanical engineering class next, which you take alongside Bucky and Tony. When you get to the mechanics lab, Bucky's already there so you take a deep breath before sitting next to him, your conversation with Steve still fresh in your mind.

“Hi, Bucky.” You say as casually as you can, trying to get the conversations you had with both Steve and Bruce about Bucky out of your head.

Bucky looks up from the project he’s working on when you sit down next to him. “Oh, hey.”

You try not to make eye contact as you take out your notes from the previous classes about the project you’ve been working on, and Bucky, ever the perceptive one, seems to take notice.

He sets down the screwdriver he’s working with and turns to face you, raising an eyebrow. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah.” You quickly reassure him but suddenly a thought pops into your head. “Actually…”

“You're pretty close with Thor, right?” You ask him while turning your body completely towards Bucky, your own project forgotten. “I mean, we're all friends and hang out together, but you're like close, right? Like football-players-teammates-comradery-and-all-that type thing?”

You move your hands around while you talk and you realize that you sound and look a little crazy, but you know the football team is close, that's why they work so well together, and they also spend a lot of time talking in the changing room about everything, love interests included, something you could use to your advantage in setting up Bruce and Thor.

Bucky just snickers as he listens to you talk, thinking about how adorable you look right now. He thinks it's really cute how you move your hands around while you talk and how you get all excited talking about all this.

“Yeah, I would say that we're pretty close.” He smiles a little. “I mean… we're teammates after all, we have been since freshman year.”

He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a curious grin. “Why? What's on your mind about Thor?”

“Okay, I know there's a tactful way to ask this, but I can't think of it.” You deadpan before just coming out and asking directly. “He's gay, right?”

Bucky's surprised by the way you just ask that so directly. For a split second, he feels like telling you no just to mess with you, but he stops himself. Instead, he just nods. “Yeah... he is.”

“I knew it!” You say victoriously. “He's into Bruce, right?” You ask Bucky excitedly.

Now Bucky is really surprised by how direct you're being about this. Though, to be honest, he can't exactly tell you that you're wrong either. He just laughs for a second as he thinks.

“Yeah, I would say that he's… you know, interested in Bruce.” He leans in a little. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

“Because Bruce likes him too.” You say even more excitedly now, but leaning in a little and lowering your voice so nobody else overhears you. “He's just too shy to say anything. For a genius, he's way too clueless when it comes to these things to see that Thor likes him back.”

You lean in more, talking conspiratorially with Bucky with a grin. “So we are gonna help them get together.” You say confidently, not even bothering to ask him if he's in and deciding yourself that he's gonna help with your plan.

Bucky can't help but smirk at your confidence. He can always get behind a good love story, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. But he’s still gonna tease you a little. “Oh, are we now? How do we plan to do this then?”

He's curious as to what you have in mind now. Especially since you didn't even ask him, you just decided for both of them. Though, he has to admit, knowing both Thor and Bruce, it does seem like they would be perfect together… And he could help make his friends happy by helping you.

“I don't know yet…” You admit sheepishly before quickly adding, “But all we have to do is get them talking. They've never actually spent any time alone together, so we just have to make sure they do.”

To be honest, this might be a ‘two birds with one stone’ situation. You really do believe Thor and Bruce would be great together, but now you also have the opportunity to spend more time alone with Bucky. Maybe you can even try to find out if Steve was right after all.

Bucky chuckles at how simple you’re trying to make this sound. He knows all they really need is a push and you and Bucky could do just that. He seems to like this idea of yours a lot now.

“Yeah… that's all we have to do.” He raises an eyebrow. “So… How do we do this? Do we just tell them to do something together alone? Or do we have to be more subtle about it?”

“Obviously, we'll have to be a lot more subtle than that.” You chuckle, turning back to back to your engineering project. “It'll come to me.” You say confidently and start working on your project while the gears in your head start turning as you try to come up with a plan.

Bucky can't help but find your confidence hilarious, but he also finds it really cute. He chuckles as you say that it'll come to you eventually.

“Oh, right… I’m sure you’ll get it. I just have one question…” He grins mischievously. “Are we gonna set aside some time to discuss this plan of ours?”

He's definitely teasing you now, but he also means what he's saying. He'd love to have some more time alone with you and have you all to himself, even if it’s just for a little bit.

You glance at him and can't help but smile because he wants to spend more time with just the two of you, which almost never happens.

“Yeah, we can… We can strategize sometime.” You say while chuckling, internally cringing as you realize how ridiculous you sound.

Bucky looks away for a second, hiding his grin. He thinks you're so cute with the way you talk and how you act when you cringe at your own words. There is not a single ounce of negativity in him when he decides to tease you further.

“It sounds like we have a plan.” He grins, his voice playful. “You can be the genius in the relationship… and I'll just be the guy that looks good by your side.”

“You want to be arm candy?” You tease him back with a grin. “I thought you were going to be the muscle, why do I need you then?”

Bucky chuckles at that, clearly having so much fun with you. “I mean, you don't need me. But, I am the one who's hot, right?”

“Excuse you, Mr. Football player,” You fake being offended. “but some people think I'm pretty hot too.” He grins, loving how witty you are and how you never back down from his teasing.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” He chuckles again, teasingly and shaking his head at your response. “You're not bad looking yourself, but I'm sorry, I'm hotter. I mean, I do spend time in the gym, after all. My body is more sculpted than yours.” He says with a smug grin on his face.

“Well, now you're just bragging.” You chuckle. “Although I am a cheerleader so I'm probably much more flexible than you.” You say with a grin, testing the waters by flirting a little with him.

Bucky leans back and he can't help but smile, enjoying your flirting and not about to miss this opportunity. “Oh yeah, you're probably more flexible. But, I’m sure I have more endurance when it comes to physical activities.” He grins.

“Besides, it doesn't matter…” He leans in slightly, testing the waters himself. “because if we were going to get into something, I bet I could win you over without breaking a sweat.”

You giggle despite yourself, looking away from him and back to your project to hide the faint blush. “Yeah, you wish, Barnes.” You say, trying to appear confident.

Bucky can't help but laugh at your response, but he can hear the doubt in your voice when you say it. He thinks it's pretty adorable how he's made you flustered now and how your guard is already down a little bit.

Not even trying to be subtle this time, he leans in more, intentionally invading your space a little bit more.

“Oh yeah?” He's clearly trying to flirt with you and test your limits here. “How do you know that I couldn't win you over without breaking a sweat anyway?”

“When did you get this confident, James?” You tease him, trying to subtly change the subject and starting to regret initiating the flirting as you try to keep hiding your blush.

But you’re actually curious about the answer. Bucky's always been shy and closed off, when did he start openly flirting with you like this? Was Steve right, does Bucky like you and your dumb ass just never noticed?

Bucky feels almost taken by surprise by your sudden use of his first name. It feels new, he's definitely not used to hearing you, or anyone for that matter, call him that, even just teasingly like this. He doesn't quite show you how he feels, though, just chuckles and then looks away.

“I've always been confident, you just never noticed, I guess.” He's pretty good at hiding his emotions and he says this casually, but he's feeling a lot of things right now. Things like excitement, joy and hope, all things he's not used to feeling.

“I've known you for almost three years and I've never seen you act like this…” You point out quietly, pretending to be more concentrated on your project.

Bucky simply shrugs. “Well… I guess I've never had much reason to be this confident around you before…” He chuckles weakly, though he’s still hiding his emotions well.

However, that doesn't mean he's lying either. Bucky has liked you for a while now, and he’s always had a hard time feeling confident around you. He has no idea where all this confidence is coming from, either. Maybe it’s because you started flirting first, maybe it’s because you looked so adorable to him while talking about Thor and Bruce and he just couldn’t hold back anymore, or the way you actively seeked him out to help with your plan. It doesn’t matter… He's trying to play it all off casually, but his emotions are running wild right now.

“We've been friends since freshman year,” You have a small frown now, your voice still quiet but you don’t look up at him yet. “why would you not be confident around me?”

Bucky thinks about this for a moment before speaking. “Well… We've never really spent time just the two of us before. It's always been with the whole group. So I never really had a proper opportunity before…”

He hesitates for a sec, trying to pick his words carefully. “I guess… I just wasn’t sure that it was okay for me to actually flirt with you and be openly confident around you…”

“And… Now you are?” You ask slowly, still looking down at your project and tinkering with a screwdriver but your attention is fully on Bucky.

Bucky hesitates for a moment, before he finally answers your question with a small smile on his face. “Yeah.”

He leans in, deciding to relax a bit while watching you tinker with your project. He's not ready to admit how much he wants you, but he's certainly enjoying being in this moment with you. He leans in a little more, still invading your personal space, but being more casual and relaxed.

You don't say anything for a long moment until you sigh softly. “You're staring, James.” You point out, your eyes still on your project as you’re now trying to concentrate on it.

Bucky chuckles a little at that, realizing that, yeah, he has been looking at you for probably too long now.

“Yeah, yeah. I am… sorry…” For a moment, he lets himself check you out openly.

He hasn't had much of an opportunity to do that, but he's enjoying himself. You look pretty hot as usual, but he’s not gonna tell you that.

“And yet you're still doing it.” You say with a small grin, your eyes never leaving your project.

You can feel him staring and you’re starting to feel amused at his antics. You hate to admit it, but it's kind of flattering having Bucky openly and shamelessly checking you out.

He chuckles. He knows you know he's checking you out right now, he’s doing nothing to try to hide it. He knows that, with every glance he takes, you feel his gaze on you and it's definitely not going unnoticed by others either as he’s completely forgotten about the project he’s supposed to be working on. He likes that you're amused and that you're not yelling at him to stop.

He leans in closer. “And yet you don't stop me…” He whispers into your ear.

Your hands stop suddenly, his comment catching you off guard for two reasons: One because of how close he suddenly is and two because he's right.

You’re not stopping him and you don't want to stop him. Not only do you like him, but it also feels weirdly validating that out of all the girls that have been drooling after him since freshman year, he's chosen you to flirt with, even if it’s taken him three years to do so.

Thankfully before you can do or say anything you’ll regret, the bell rings and class is over.

You gather my tools and get up then, against your better judgment, you turn back to Bucky. “You wanna walk together to meet the others for lunch? Talk about our plan to bring Thor and Bruce together?” You ask as casually as you can manage.

Bucky has a small grin because he knows that he has won you over a bit more. You still seem a little flustered even if you’re trying to hide it, he's definitely invaded your space more than he’s ever done and he's still got you talking to him. Not only that, but now you're willingly wanting to keep talking as well.

“Yeah… sure.” He answers calmly. He hides all his excitement well, he's playing it cool. He also realizes that he might have pushed it a little too far and needs to take it down a bit.

“Okay, so… I'm thinking,” You start with your plan while you leave the classroom and walk to the cafeteria. “You ask Thor to hang out, I ask Bruce to hang out, then the four of us ‘coincidentally’ bump into each other, so we decide to all hang out together.”

It's not exactly getting them together alone, but baby steps.

Bucky thinks this over for a second. While he likes the idea of the four of you hanging out more, he would've preferred to have them alone. Still he does enjoy the fact that he'll be spending more time with you with this plan.

“Yeah... that can work.” You arrive at the cafeteria. “So… when do we want this to happen?”

“Saturday Tony's planning that party, so if we do this on Friday, then we can find a way to leave them alone together at the party on Saturday too.” You point out with a mischievous smile while you get your food before walking to the table where almost all of your friends already are.

Bucky nods. Friday sounds like a good time to do this so that, by the time of the party Saturday night, you’ll know whether or not they'd really be good together.

“Yeah, this plan could actually work.” Bucky whispers to you before he sits down with the rest of the group and eats his food.

He's definitely still thinking about his short time with you today and how he's enjoying spending time alone with you. And he's definitely not trying to hide the fact that he's smiling like a moron now.

“Hey T, why weren't you in class?” You ask Tony as you sit down since he missed the mechanical engineering class he usually takes with you and Bucky. Not that you minded spending the class alone with Bucky.

Tony glances at you, thinking it's pretty cute that you missed him being around in class. But he tries to avoid your question.

“I… had something come up.” Tony responds. You can see he's clearly lying as he looks away. “Okay…” You say slowly, dragging out the word while looking at him suspiciously, but don’t push it. He'll tell you when he's ready. So you turn your attention to Nat and Wanda.

“Do we have to go to cheer practice today? I'm already exhausted. You think anybody will notice if I'm not there?” You say playfully.

Wanda and Natasha both smirk a bit and Wanda answers you as she chuckles. “I think people will notice the head cheerleader missing… but it's probably fine for you to skip one day. You're allowed to do so, it's only really the freshmen that have to go to practice every day.”

Nat nods as well, before adding. “God, do you remember how hard it was to do cheer practice everyday freshman year?”

“How did we get through that?” You agree with a huff, thinking back at all the training you used to do. Now in Junior year you have less practice because you have more and harder classes and it's still exhausting.

Nat and Wanda both chuckle at your response. “Yeah, sometimes I look back at my days of freshman year and wonder ‘how did I even survive that much physical work?’” Nat shakes her head a bit.

Wanda laughs with her, shaking her head as well. “We did so much training back then… all those hours… all that hard work.”

The three of you chuckle together, reminiscing about it all.

“To be fair, we had some motivation.” You say playfully while grinning. “We got to watch the football players during their own practice.” You nod towards the guys while making no attempt to not be heard, wanting to tease them a bit.

All the guys suddenly turn towards you as you tease them, but they say nothing. Most of them roll their eyes playfully at your flirty comment, except for Steve and Bucky. All of them are already used to your teasing, Steve simply chuckles and shakes his head while Bucky…

Bucky actually blushes a bit and looks away from you. He's clearly enjoying the attention, though he's keeping it cool for now. He's always enjoyed your flirtatious teasing, although he never thought anything of it since you tease all the guys in the group just the same. You really don’t mean much by it.

But after your flirting during mechanics, Bucky can’t help but wonder if maybe you think of him a little differently than the others.

You, Natasha and Wanda are giggling at the guys' reactions, always enjoying teasing them, when you're then joined at the table by Bruce, Clint, Thor's younger brother, Loki who’s a Sophomore, and Wanda's boyfriend, Vision.

Vision does a quick wave as he joins the table and sits next to Wanda, while Clint gives you a quick hug and a smile as you chuckle at him as he sits next to you. To be fair, you haven’t seen him since yesterday at lunch.

Bucky looks over at the two of you so you subtly wink at him and see him grin before you go back to your conversation with Nat and Wans.

Bucky chuckles softly, the smile still on his face as he takes into account that you actually just winked at him, his grin only widens the more he thinks about it.

And nobody fails to notice. This is such a far cry from the Bucky they’re all used to… the one who’s so shy and closed off, barely talks, and only really gets comfortable around the guys on the football team. Now he keeps on grinning and, though only you know why, the rest of the group can’t help but wonder what suddenly has him in this uncharacteristically good mood.

After a bit more chat, the whole table falls silent as you all eat our food and you can’t help but think about how surprisingly well you all get along. As much as you're all friends, you're also a large group of very different people.

Everyone is silent for a moment, seemingly lost in their own thoughts, which is fairly new. Normally, with a lot of these guys, it's never quiet if not for a few seconds. However, it's strangely silent until Natasha clears her throat and asks a question.

“So… anyone have any plans for tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow's Wednesday, Tasha”. You point out and she looks at you weirdly so you elaborate with a playful eye roll. “We can't get drunk on a school night.” You say, already knowing where she's going with her question.

Natasha laughs at this and nods her head back at you, knowing that you understood perfectly what she was getting at. “Okay, I get what you mean… but what about Friday night? Anyone have plans for Friday night?”

You and Bucky exchange a look since that's the night you want to start your secret plan to bring Thor and Bruce together, but can't really say that out loud. So you quickly look back at Natasha and subtly change the subject. “Aren't we getting all together Saturday night for Tony's party?”

“Yeah, we are…” She shrugs, “But… does anybody have anything planned for Friday night? Not a party, just us hanging out?”

Bucky's eyes quickly shift over to yours again and you subtly shrug at him, trying to come up with a quick lie.

“Bruce and I have to study.” You say quickly, knowing damn well it's a lie and it's gonna weird Bruce out a little, but he'll go along with it because he knows you and you guys always study for your chemistry class together so he'll just assume that's what you’re talking about.

Natasha simply nods. She and everybody else at the table are pretty used to your busy schedule so studying, even on a Friday night, isn't entirely surprising. After all, you've always been such a hard worker.

Even if Bruce does know that you and he didn’t actually talk about studying on your own, he still doesn’t find it odd to hear that you are.

“Well… have fun studying with Bruce, I guess.” Natasha says with a playful eye roll.

You shrug and chuckle at Natasha before looking back at Bucky and glancing a few times between him and Thor, silently telling him to make up a believable lie that Thor will go along with for which the two of them also can't hang out with the group.

Bucky thankfully takes the hint and immediately jumps in, though he also gives you a quick wink as he does so just because.

“Thor and I are going to a movie.” He says casually and Thor looks over, seemingly surprised by this, but he doesn't say anything other than a shrug as he looks back at his food.

You hide a smile at Bucky's quick lie, impressed that he made something up that Thor didn't even bother to say no to, but also slightly flustered at his wink even if you wouldn’t admit it.

The conversation goes on and everyone else makes plans to get together and hang out while leaving out you, Bucky, Thor and Bruce, everybody seeming to accept the answer that you four are busy on Friday night.

The conversation continues for a little longer before you all finally finish eating and you ask “What class do you have next?” to no one in particular.

You know Steve, Wanda and Bucky have art class with you, but you’re curious to know what everyone else is doing next.

The entire table answers your question: Nat has photography, Clint and Tony have biology, Thor and Pietro have history, Vision and Bruce have advanced physics, and Loki has a free period.

This prompts even more back and forth about their classes, you all talk about what class they have next until Steve makes a quick suggestion.

“Hey, why don't we go study in the library after classes?” He asks the group. “We could all study together for our exams coming up.”

“Sure, but we have cheer practice at 5.” You say pointing at Natasha and Wanda, but you also know the guys have football practice, also at 5, so you get an idea. “We could all go together after studying.”

Everybody at the table nods their head and agrees that you can all go and study in the library after class so you can help each other and then walk together to practice at 5.

You notice that Bucky and Nat seem to have a very mutual grin between them at this idea and you frown a little, but think nothing of it as you all get up from the table and walk out of the cafeteria together before going your own ways.

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