#and PINK !! but a light pink so it's perfect <3 for bracelet/ring i just wear those from my parents or friends though

[astrxealis]

got really cute earrings during my school fair! the person selling them (a cute girl hehe made them too) got amused with me and lune being twins that i think she gave us a discount (either because of that or because we bought multiple hehe) <3

[starsinthesky5]

you belong with me IV part 1 || joe burrow x reader

description: you and joe attend your sister's wedding together and relish the blissfulness that a new relationship brings

a/n: whew this one is longggg. and this is after splitting it up so the original version was going to be even longer 😭 anyway, hope you all enjoy it ;) this also features a flashback requested by @joeys-babe! ilysm girly💕 also, there may be a few faint fearless album references here and there (told you that these two reminded me of that album's love songs)

part 2 will be out next week!

word count: 19 k

warnings: smut, language, slight angst? 

you belong with me masterlist (parts 1-3 located here)

—————————————————————

January 3rd

You finished applying the last bit of lip gloss to your lips before stepping back from the mirror, straightening out the strappy-silky blush pink dress that hugged your body in all the best ways possible and the high slit showing just enough leg. Your hair was curled and clipped back with two pieces hanging in the front and your gold jewelry glistened in the warm light of the bathroom, specifically the ring on your left hand which was a permanent & constant reminder of the person in your life that meant the most to you. 

“Y/N, you look amazing,” your sister said from behind you, interrupting your daze.

You turned around, your sister standing behind you in her robe, her hair done up in her ‘wedding look’, with two glasses of champagne in her hand. 

“Thanks, Kay,” you smiled as you walked over to her, grabbing the champagne glass she was offering you and taking a good sip to hopefully take the edge off and cool down your brain that was operating at 100 miles per hour because of the fact that it was Wedding Day.

“I see you went with gold jewelry per my suggestion,” she gloated as she looked at your earrings, your necklace, the bracelets on your wrist, her eyes stopping at the ring on your left hand (which was the only ring you were wearing). 

“Hm, that’s new,” she said as she grabbed your hand and pulled it up to her face. You froze as she examined the ring, the ring Joe had given to you in December. 

“Yeah. I, um, got it at an antique shop a few weeks ago,” you lied as you took another sip of champagne. 

“Really? It looks so authentic. I’ve never seen such real-looking fake diamonds and jewels,” she said as she studied the ring. 

Before she could ask any other questions and you blabbed about who the ring was actually from, you quickly changed the topic. “Shouldn’t you be getting your makeup done right now?” you asked as you looked over at the clock. 

“She’s almost done with Veronica and then I’ll go out,” she smiled as she let go of your hand and reached up to tuck in a flyaway hair on the top of your head. 

“Thanks,” you nodded as you started to take another sip of your champagne. 

“Of course,” she nodded. “I have to make sure you look perfect for Joe,”. 

You nearly choked on your drink, your eyes widening in shock as your brain registered what your sister was suggesting. 

You hadn’t told your family about the two of you yet, you were practically a secret. You wanted to tell everyone, but the two of you also wanted to enjoy this for a little bit without it being out in the world. But you were also playing a risky game, one tiny slip-up from you and your sister would be cracking the case she had been trying to break open for years.

“W- What?” you coughed.

“Relax, Y/N,” she said while rubbing your arm. “I was just messing with you,”.

“R- Right,” you coughed again. 

“But you did bring him as your date, no surprise there though,” she smirked, your eyes rolling at her relentless attitude. “Just like how he brought you with him to that Christmas party last month. You sure you don’t have anything to tell me,” she warily asked you. 

“Nope,” you voiced, remaining calm and collected so that you wouldn’t give it away. 

“God, when are you going to make a move? You guys aren’t getting any younger,” she asked, playfully shoving your shoulder.

Little did she know, you already did. You already made a lot of moves.  

“Kay, we’re just friends. I’ve told you that many many many times,” you lied, attempting to hide the growing blush on your cheeks by walking out of the bathroom, Kaylee following you back into the bridal suite. 

“Actions speak louder than words,” she teased as she walked over to the now-empty makeup station and sat down on the comfy chair. 

You shook your head while turning around and walking over to the dining table, walking past the other bridesmaids who were trying on different shoes to pair with their dresses.

“I can’t believe Joe Burrow is here,” you overheard your sister's friend Veronica say to the other girls. 

Your heart skipped a beat when you overheard his name being mentioned, your face heating up at the nature of the conversation.

“Shhh, he’s Y/N’s date,” her other friend Lacy said as she glanced over at you.

“So? From what I’ve heard they’re just good friends and if she’s not going to go for it, then who’s stopping me?” Veronica laughed. “I mean, have you seen Joe? Give me 5 minutes with him alone and he’ll be stuck to my side,”. 

“Yeah, but that’s still her best friend and she brought him as her date. Besides, don’t you ever see the stuff online about how none of his girls seem to stick around? And then don’t you see the stuff online about how people think Y/N and him have something going on which is why he doesn’t really have a girlfriend,” Lacy attempted to whisper but was doing terribly. 

“Who cares? If she really likes him, she’s doing a terrible job at showing it because as far as I see, he’s still on the market,” Veronica said with a grin. 

You rolled your eyes again because of how childish it all sounded. You wanted to say something to them, defending your relationship and getting them to back off but how could you defend a relationship that people didn’t even know was a relationship yet? You felt like a teenager, hiding her first boyfriend from her family and friends and sneaking around like you had something scandalous to hide.

“Whatever,” you whispered as you placed your champagne glass down on the dining table. You reached for a chocolate cupcake but were interrupted by a knock at the front door, nobody noticed but you. 

“I got it,” you said aloud to everyone, nobody listening as your sister was wrapped up in a conversation with the makeup artist, and the other girls were busy trying on their shoes and talking about your boyfriend. “Okay,” you sighed as you walked over to the door of the suite. 

You opened the door, your eyes staring at the shoes of the person standing in front of you, slowly moving up their body as you met their face. 

“You look gorgeous,” Joe said, a cheeky grin on his face as he stuffed his hands in his pants pockets, his eyes moving from your toned legs, to your perfect hips, and up to your beautiful face.  

“Joe,” you gasped as you stepped out into the hallway with him, closing the door behind you. “What’re you doing up here,” you asked him as you took in how handsome he looked in his suit, the urge to pull him into one of the rooms by his tie incredibly strong. 

“I came to see my stunning girlfriend,” he smiled as he backed you up to the wall. 

You blushed when you felt his hand brush against your waist, “If Kaylee catches us out here-,”.

“We’ll be fine,” he said as he grabbed your hand, toying with the ring on your finger. “I just wanted to see you for a few minutes before the ceremony,”.

“Oh yeah?” you beamed as you ran your hands up his suit jacket to his broad shoulders. 

“How’s it going in there? You guys at each other's throats yet?” he asked, knowing how you felt about some of your sister's friends. 

“Well, Veronica was going on about how she apparently needs 5 minutes alone with you to get you stuck to her side,” you said, rolling your eyes as Joe’s mouth dropped. 

“No way,” he said.

“Yes, way. Future Mrs. Burrow is probably in there talking about baby names right now,” you teased, Joe clearly not liking the joke as he wasn’t laughing like you were. 

“Please, the real future Mrs. Burrow is standing right in front of me,” he said, giving your waist a gentle squeeze as he gazed deeply into your eyes. You felt your heartbeat pick up, his touch sending shivers throughout your body much like the words that came out of his mouth. 

“It doesn’t bother me. She’ll figure it out at some point,” you smiled confidently.

“As much as I hate other girls talking about me like that and how much I’d love for you to shut them up, I like that we’re just enjoying this for now without having it out in front of everyone,” Joe nodded, referring to enjoying each other’s company without having everyone know you were officially a couple. 

“Me too,” you smiled. “By the way, you look amazing,” you said as you gave him another once-over. “I need to see you in more suits,”. 

“No, you look amazing. This dress is reallyyyy doing something to me,” he said as he moved his hands to your lower back, feeling the strappy design that was exposing a little too much of your bare back for his liking. “You look stunning with it on,”.

“If you play your cards right tonight, I might even let you take it off,” you teased as you threaded your fingers through his hair, your head leaning against the wall. 

“I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior then,” he mumbled as he slowly leaned in for a kiss, you moved your head off the wall and crashed your lips against his, his hands pulling your body closer to his as you meet for a fiery kiss. His touch sent electric jolts throughout your body as his hand went from your back to your ass.

“If we were alone right now,” he said between kisses. 

“I know,” you panted as you pulled him back to your lips, your arms looping around his neck and pulling him closer. 

The feeling of his lips against yours was sending you into a frenzy, not a single coherent thought in your mind as you melted under his electrifying touch. You felt his lips move down, pressing kisses from your chin down to your neck and his hands sliding across the silky fabric of your dress. 

“Joe,” you whispered as you grabbed his hair and moved him back to your lips.

“Mm, I can’t get enough of you,” he said between kisses. 

A few heated seconds later, you heard the doorknob make a few clicking noises before hearing the door slowly open. 

“Fuck,” Joe whispered as he quickly pulled away from you and backed up so that you both had enough space between you.

“Stay cool,” you mouthed as you saw your sister walk out from the corner of your eye. 

“Hey, lovebirds. I’m not interrupting anything right?” she teased. 

“Uhh….,” you nervously stalled as you tried to come up with an excuse as to why Joe was up here.

“No, not interrupting at all. I just wanted to check our reception seats with Y/N. I think we’re sitting with your parents so I wanted to make sure she was cool with that,” Joe said, saving you both from being caught with a somewhat believable lie. 

“Ah, I see,” she nods, not fully believing him as her eyes darted back and forth from him to you. She noticed that you looked a little shaken up—which you were since she almost caught you both in the act—and that you were anxiously fidgeting with the ring on your left finger. She also noticed that your lipgloss looked smudged and his lips looked more pink than usual.

“Well, I just came to grab Y/N. The girls need your opinion about their shoes real quick since you’re Maid of Honor and apparently your opinion holds more weight,” she said as she turned to face you, not bothering to grill you about how this looked. 

“Right,” you nodded as you glanced over at Joe.

“Go ahead. I’ll see you down there,” Joe said to you with a feverish look, his hand touching your exposed back, sending shivers throughout your body before he said bye to your sister and turned around.

“See you in a bit,” you said as you turned back to look at him, your mind fixated on the heated look he gave you as he turned around again before he walked back down the hall to the elevator. 

You look back at your sister, noticing her skeptical facial expression. “What?” you laughed as you crossed your arms. 

“Ohh, nothing,” she smiled as she grabbed your hand and pulled you back into the room.

After the Wedding Ceremony 

“I got you your favorite,” Joe said as he handed you a peach mojito and sat back down next to you with his drink.

“Thank you,” you said to him, squeezing his thigh underneath the table as you took a sip of the fruity beverage. The wedding ceremony had concluded a few hours ago and it was nothing short of magical and fairytale-like. You and Joe were currently seated at the table with your parents, having a few drinks and catching up while your sister and her husband were making their rounds around the party. 

“So Joe, how’s football going? Think we’ll see another AFC title this year?” your dad asked him.

“Dad,” you said, sending him daggers with your eyes. “I told you, no football talk tonight. Let Joe have a rest day,”.

“It’s Okay, Y/N,” Joe laughed, grabbing your hand underneath the table and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I hope so. We’re taking it day by day still but I feel good about everything but I know it won’t be easy,” he said to your dad. 

“Well, just know that we’re proud of you and you’re doing great,” your mom chimed in. 

“I’ll double down on that,” your dad added.

“Thanks, guys,” Joe smiled. 

Your parents had seen Joe’s football journey since the beginning just like you had. They were practically a second set of parents for him given how close you two were and his relationship with them was something Joe held incredibly close to his heart, something he wouldn’t ever want to replace. 

“Y/N, you really outdid yourself with these flowers,” your mom pointed out. “You better keep the contact of whichever florist you found because this looks amazing,”. 

“Actually,” you said, looking over at Joe. “You should be thanking Joe. The original florist canceled at the last minute a few weeks ago and he actually pulled a few strings and got one of the best florists money can buy to come through. Even picked out most of the flowers himself,”. 

“Well that was sweet,” your dad smiled as he took a sip of his champagne. 

“Very,” your mom added. “But did we expect any less from him? He has an excellent track record of coming to Y/N’s rescue whenever she needs to be saved. He’s always been so good to her,”. 

“Okayyyy, that’s enough of that. I can just feel his ego getting bigger by the second,” you laughed as you poked his shoulder. 

“Someone’s just mad that I have exceptional taste in flowers,” he said as he turned his head and leaned in closer.

You raised your eyebrow, “You wish. I would’ve done just fine without your help,” you scoffed as you leaned in closer, your eyes navigating down to his plump pink lips. God, you wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now.

“Okay, let’s not get into a fistfight at your sister's wedding now,” your mom said as she got up with your dad. “We’re going to go make some rounds around the room. Try not to murder each other while we’re gone,” she smiled. 

“No promises,” Joe joked as he watched them walk away, his head turning back to look at you, watching as you were laughing to yourself.

“And what’re you laughing about?” he asked.

“They thought we were going to fight, that’s funny,” you giggled. “More like kiss the hell out of you but I guess they couldn’t catch onto that,”. 

He leaned in closer and you could feel his heated gaze on you as you started fidgeting with your ring again. “You know, we didn’t get to finish what we started in the hallway earlier,” he whispered into your ear. You felt his hand creep through the slit of your dress and to your bare thigh, your cheeks heating up again as you could practically hear your heartbeat.

“Joe, we’re in a hall filled with people,” you whispered, moving his hand out from under your dress. 

“So?” he said looking around. “Everyone’s doing their own thing, nobody’s looking at us,” he said as he moved his hand back to your thigh. 

“I’m not going to kiss you in a room filled with people who think we’re just friends,” you laughed. “I’ll have every single female in this room out for my blood,”.

“Who said anything about kissing?” he whispered as you felt his hand creep up your thigh, inching closer to your heat. Your breath hitched as you felt his fingers ghost over your core through your lace panties, your body jerking when you felt his fingers against your folds. “Joe,” you whispered.

“What, Baby?” he whispered in your ear.

You turned your head to meet his eyes, opening your mouth to say something but before you could, someone interrupted you. 

“Y/N! There you are,” you could recognize that fake tone of voice anywhere. Veronica. 

You turned your head to face her, watching as she sat down across from you and Joe, the fakest smile plastered on her face and a glass of champagne in her hand. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she smiled.

"Were you looking for me or looking for my boyfriend?" you thought to yourself.  

“Hey, Veronica,” you forcefully smiled and nodded at her. 

“And you must be Joe,” she said, turning her head towards Joe and batting her eyelashes. 

“Nice to meet you,” Joe smiled, his finger sliding your panties to the side causing you to bump your leg against the table at the sudden movement. You looked over at Joe who was looking straight ahead at Veronica, a smug look on his face as she was introducing herself to him. 

You gasped lightly when you felt Joe’s fingers sneak up to your clit, his thumb toying with the sensitive bud which made your body jerk again, your hand gripping the table as he entered two fingers into your soaking core. 

“Mmph,” you quietly moaned into your hand as you placed your elbow on the table and covered your mouth.

“So Joe, Is it true what they say about professional athletes’ taste in ice cream?” she smirked at him, clearly using ice cream as a relationship and sexual innuendo. Your eyes widened at her boldness and at the fact that Joe was pumping his fingers in and out of you with zero shame. He started to rub circles around your clit with his thumb, your leg twitching as you started to feel restless. 

"This Bitch.." you thought to yourself as you squirmed in your seat.

“Uhh, what do they say?” Joe asked her as he glanced over at you, your pleasure rapidly building up as you were struggling to stifle your moans. 

“Hm,” you lightly inhaled as you sat back again and tried to act normal, but it was not working very well.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Veronica asked as she looked over at you, the suspicion on her face evident.

“Yeah, uh, I’m fine,” you winced as you felt his fingers pick up the pace, your arousal begging to be released, your eyes looking over at Joe a few times who was still looking ahead with a smirk on his face. Just a few more pumps and you’d reach your pleasure, you wanted him to stop because if you got caught this would be incredibly hard to explain, but you needed him to keep going. 

“Oookay..Anyway,” she said as she looked back over at Joe. “That they don’t stick to one flavor so they can try every kind without feeling the need to have the same boring one for the rest of their lives?”.

“Hmph,” you moaned into your hand as you covered your mouth again, the urge to slap Veronica across the face almost as strong as the urge to come undone right now. You felt your belly flutter at the gentle shock of pleasure vibrating throughout your body once Joe had hit your sweet spot, your hands gripping the tablecloth incredibly tightly as you were just seconds away from feeling pure bliss.

“Uhhh,” Joe nervously laughed as he gave your core a few more pumps, feeling your walls start to tighten around them. You were so incredibly close, but then he slipped his fingers out of your core, leaving you stranded on the edge. You felt everything go still as you let out a shaky breath when you looked over at him, your eyes widening at what he had just done. 

“I see you’ve tried a few flavors before but none of them seem to have stuck with you, it seems like you got bored. Hm, have you thought about trying strawberry?” she winked, clearly referring to herself and her obnoxious red hair. 

“No actually, I haven’t. I’m not a big strawberry ice cream kinda guy.” Joe laughed again, sliding his wet fingers across your bare thigh and giving your twitching leg a few loving squeezes. “Is it good?”.

Was Joe just painfully oblivious to what she was actually talking about or was he doing this on purpose? Whatever it was, you couldn’t sit there for another second and listen as the ache between your thighs was getting stronger and the incredibly needy comments Veronica was passing were making you sick to your stomach. 

“Uhh, excuse me,” you said as you quickly got up from your seat. 

“You Okay?” Joe innocently smiled at you as if he didn’t know what was wrong. 

“Yeah, I just feel sick all of a sudden. Might be from the shrimp I had earlier, I’m going to take a breather,” you lied as you looked over at Veronica, wanting to wipe the grin off her face as she was practically making googly eyes at Joe. 

You quickly walked away before Joe could say anything else, your stomach doing backflips as your brain started to register what had happened underneath that table. He actually just did that in front of Veronica, in front of everyone. 

“I should go check on her,” Joe said as he glanced back at your figure that was getting further and further away. 

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Veronica chirped as she watched Joe get up from his seat, a scoff following as she watched Joe ignore her and walk away. 

Meanwhile, you hand wandered out of the Reception hall and were leaning against the bathroom door, staring off into space before you felt a familiar pair of lips press a kiss on your shoulder. 

“Absolutely not!” you clamored as you turned around to face Joe. 

“What?” he innocently chuckled.

“You know exactly what,” you huffed, crossing your arms and sending him a look that he would easily understand.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that my boyfriend just fingered me under the fucking table, didn’t even finish me off, and then proceeded to blatantly flirt with the same girl that was talking about making a move on you earlier right in front of me,” you grumbled. 

“I’ve never seen you Jealous before,” he smiled. “It’s kinda hot,”. 

Your mouth dropped open, “Are you serious right now?”. You were a little mad about the Veronica thing but it didn’t really bother you because you knew that Joe wouldn’t ever look at another girl the way he looks at you, and to be completely honest with yourself you were more mad that he did that under the table and didn’t let you finish. 

You scoffed and started to walk down the hall, glancing back to see if Joe was following you, which he was. He walked a little faster and grabbed your hand, pulling you back towards him in one strong pull. 

“Okay, Okay. I’m sorry for feeding into her terrible attempt at flirting with me,” he said, his eyes filled with adoration as he squeezed your hand. 

You continued to stare at him, not responding to his apology on purpose before you felt him pull you into his chest, his mouth inches from your ear. “Let me make it up to you,” his hot breath made your core throb again. 

“How?” you whispered to him.

“Let me finish what I started under that table,” he whispered into your ear again. “We both know that’s the real reason you’re mad,”

You looked back into his infatuated eyes, a smile creeping onto your face as you looked behind him and then behind you to make sure nobody was around. The ache between your thighs was still there, calling his name just like how your heart was. You couldn’t stay mad at him, not when he looked at you like this. 

“Deal,” you whispered as you grabbed his hand, urgently pulling him down the hall.

“Where are we going?”. 

You stopped once you got to the bedroom suites, slowing down your pace as you walked past each room before reaching yours. “My room,” you smiled at him, pulling out your keycard and unlocking the door. 

“Thank God for wedding venues with bedrooms,” Joe mumbled to himself as you dragged him inside, quickly closing the door and backing him up against it as you got straight to business. Your hands tangled in his hair as you met for a passionate kiss, your lips then trailing down to his neck where you absentmindedly nipped his skin while kissing it. 

“We have to be quick,” you panted as you pulled away from him. 

He nodded before pulling you into the bathroom, quickly helping you onto the countertop before unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants and boxers down in one swift motion. He moved his hands under your dress, sliding your drenched panties to the side before thrusting into you, a throaty moan coming from your lips at the sudden intrusion. 

You’d never get sick of this feeling. Ever since you and Joe got a taste of what this felt like with each other, neither of you could resist sneaking away for a few moments and feeling this way again and again. It didn’t matter where you were, it didn’t matter when it was, but it always started & ended with you both feeling like horny college kids. Call it making up for lost time if you will? 

“Joe,” you whimpered as you grabbed onto his shoulders, his thrusts picking up as the sounds coming from your lips got louder. 

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he smiled as he dropped his head to your shoulder, your hands finding themselves in his hair. 

“Fuck, harder,” you moaned into his ear, his merciless pace doing wonders for you. He smiles, moves his head back to yours, and captures your lips in a sloppy kiss as he quickened his pace, rapidly thrusting into your slick core which meshed with both your moans and created a familiar harmonious melody that echoed throughout the room. 

He moved deeper and deeper inside your core with each well-placed thrust, your cushiony walls beginning to tighten around him as you moaned against his lips. “Joe, right there,” his lips glossy and swollen from being attached to yours for too long. He used his hand to spread your legs apart a little more, the increased space allowing him to hit an angle that he hadn’t before. 

“J- Joe,” you struggled to moan as you dropped your head on his shoulder. 

“Remember, you’re the only girl I want,” he moaned as he peppered kisses around your jaw. “Okay?”.

“…Yeah,” you moaned as you felt him hit your sweet spot. “I’m the only girl you want,” you whimpered as you threw your head back against the mirror, the band in your belly tightening as he picked up the pace.

“I’m close,” you whined as you felt yourself clamp down on his thick cock.

He moved his hand underneath your dress again, his fingers coated with your arousal as he began to rub circles around your clit. “Joe, oh my g- god,” you moaned as you felt the band snap, your walls convulsing around him as your body started to shake from the intense feeling. 

“Hang on,” he panted as he picked up his pace again, his hand gripping your waist, his cock twitching inside of your core as he felt himself getting closer to his pleasure. 

A few moments later, you felt him still inside of you as his cum coated your walls, his head dropped to your shoulder again as he bit down on your skin to prevent himself from being too loud, his high washing over him as you were recovering from yours. 

“Shit,” you panted as you rubbed his neck, Joe gently thrusting into you before tapering off.

“If you ever think that I’d want anyone else, you’re crazy,” Joe smiled against your shoulder before tilting his head and pressing kisses to your flushed cheeks. “I don’t give a damn if I have to taste the same flavor of ice cream for the rest of my life,”.

“My kind of ice cream is incredibly delicious,” he said with another kiss on your cheek. “Sweet,” he said with another kiss, this time to your neck. “Kind and gentle,” he said as he kissed your shoulder. “Is 2 in 1 because she’s the love of my life and best friend all in one,” he said with a kiss to your chest. “And far from boring,” he ended with a passionate kiss to your lips, the kiss so intense that it sent you back towards the mirror again. 

“So you do know that she wasn’t talking about ice cream?” you rasped, your voice tired from screaming his name as you felt your heart flutter at his softness and kind words towards you. 

“Obviously,” he laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “She wasn’t exactly subtle about it,”.

“Then why were you playing along?”.

“Because I knew it’d make you a little jealous,” he winked. 

“Asshole,” you playfully grumbled as you lightly slapped his chest. 

“I may be an asshole but you still love me,” he said as he raised an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately, that’s something that’ll never change,” you sighed.

“Unfortunately?” he asked. “You say it like it’s a bad thing,”.

“It’s definitely not a bad thing” you grin. “It’s just I love you too much to care about the fact that you did that to me under the table at my sister's wedding, in a room filled with people, and then we proceeded to sneak off mid-party to hook up in the bathroom. If I was with any other guy, I would never even entertain these thoughts. We’re so scandalous,” you said as you wiggled your eyebrows which made him laugh.

“You know I'm not a bad girl, but I seem to be doing bad things with you. I should care, but I don’t,” you blushed. 

“And that’s exactly why you're far from boring; you always seem to surprise me,” he said as he pressed a kiss to your jaw. 

“Love you,” you lazily smiled as you grabbed his face to kiss him again.

“Love you too,” he smiled against your lips. 

A few minutes later, you were both cleaned up and fixing yourselves in the mirror before heading back to the reception. “I hope they didn’t notice we were gone,” you laughed as you fixed a few stray pieces of your hair. 

“I doubt it. They were probably too wrapped up in the party to realize,” he smiled as he fixed his tie. “You ready?” he asked after he was done.

“Mhm,” you nodded, leaning in for one final kiss before getting ready to head back. 

Joe opened your door and stepped out into the hall, you followed him out and closed the door behind you, laughing at a joke he made about how you guys went from sneaking out of weddings to raid the bar to make stronger cocktails to now sneaking out of weddings to have hook up in your room. You were about to reach for his hand before you heard a shriek come from down the hall, your heart stopping when you realized who it was. 

“Busted!” the familiar voice screamed.

“Oh, fuck,” you froze as you realized who it was, being able to recognize that voice anywhere. 

Kaylee. 

You and Joe both looked at each other before looking at Kaylee who was speed walking down the hall to you, both your cheeks turning red as you were caught red-handed. 

“Kaylee,” you forcefully smiled.

“I knew it. I knew it. And you said you were just friends…Ha…Funny,” she laughed. 

“Uhh, Kaylee are you okay?” Joe asked her, his palms getting sweaty as he quickly glanced over at you. 

“I’m great, Joe. Are you okay? You got a little something on your neck,” she said, pointing out the tiny purple bruise on his neck. 

“Fuck,�� you mumbled under your breath. 

“Oh, and Y/N, did you bump into something?” She said as she moved her hand to the mark on your shoulder, leaning in to look at it closely. “Oh wait, that looks like a bite mark?”.

“Shit,” Joe mouthed as he looked into your eyes, both of you frozen and having no idea how to play this off. 

“We were just…,” you started to say but not being able to come up with anything.

“We were just taking a breather,” Joe interrupted. 

“Uh huh,” your sister nodded. “So that explains the flushed cheeks, obvious hickey, bite mark on your shoulder, and the fact that Joe’s lips are covered with lipgloss,” your sister said looking at you. “Not to mention whatever I interrupted in the hallway outside the bridal suite earlier was clearly the first part of whatever happened in that room,” she smirked as she pointed behind you.

You quietly stared at your sister, your mind completely blank as you had no idea how to lie to her because she quite literally had caught you both in the act. 

“I…” you trailed off before you felt Joe lightly bump into your shoulder, making you look up at him. One thing about you and Joe was that you could tell each other a thousand words by just looking into each other’s eyes. He didn’t need to say anything but you knew exactly what he was saying to you; his soft gaze calming your nerves, the warmth in his eyes showing that he genuinely cared about you, the adorable crinkles in the corner of his eyes coming out, and his gentle and steady eye contact reassuring you that everything was perfectly fine. 

You nodded your head once you got the message he was trying to convey and looked back at your sister. “We’re dating,” you blurted out.

Kaylee stayed quiet for a few moments and looked back and forth between you two, “Well obviously,” she laughed.

“What?” you deadpanned, your heart-stopping. 

“Y/N, I’m your sister. I know when something’s up with you,” she grinned. “I had a feeling something was going on after that Christmas party you went to together. You started acting weird after that and the phone call we had the night before the party was strange so then I put 2 and 2 together. There was a high chance that I could’ve been wrong but I had a gut feeling,”.

“Damn,” you whispered to yourself. Were you really that bad at hiding it or was Joe’s effect on you just that noticeable? 

“But I’m really happy for you both,” she said. “I always knew you two were meant to be but I was called delusional every time by Y/N over here,” she laughed as she looked at Joe. “Besides, I see the way you look at her, Joe. The eyes never lie,”. 

“Only took us about 9 years but here we are,” Joe said, pulling you closer to him and kissing your forehead. The blissful looks on both of your faces right now matched how you felt with each other. 

“This is the best wedding gift you could possibly give me. My baby sister is finally with her Prince Charming,” she cooed as she gently punched your shoulder.

“Yeah,” you said. “I guess I am,” you smiled up at Joe.

“You know, the wedding setup is still here and I bet my wedding dress fits you,” your sister teased. “You guys can pull a fast one on everyone. I won’t snitch. You can even use that ring on your left hand, Y/N. By the way, Joe, nice taste in jewels,”.

“How did you..,” you questioned since you thought she believed your lie about the ring being from an antique shop.

“I had a hunch,” she winked at you and Joe. “That ring screams expensive,”.

“What were you going to do if you didn’t catch us together like this? Because we weren’t planning on telling anyone for a little longer but it sounds like you were on the case for a while now,” you wondered. 

“Hmm, I probably would’ve encouraged Veronica to steal Joe for a dance to get you to rile you up and get a reaction out of you. No way you’d let her be alone with him,” she giggled.

“I would’ve killed you if you did that,” you scowled, feeling Joe laugh above you at your adorable defensiveness. 

“Okay, Okay,” she laughed while throwing her hands up. “Note to self, steer Veronica away from Joe if I want to live to see my honeymoon,” she giggled.

“Mhm,” you nodded.

“I should get back to the party considering I am the lady of the hour but I want details later. All of them,” she pointed at you both.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Joe saluted before she opened her arms and lept onto you both, pulling you in for a tight hug.

“Ahh, I can’t believe you two finally did it,” she hooted as squeezed you both. “This is the best thing ever!”. 

You looked up at Joe with a heartfelt smile, one that said everything without saying anything just like the looks in both your eyes. Your sister released you both from the hug a few seconds later and said “Make sure to cover those up before you go back in,” while pointing at your shoulder and his neck.

You covered your face with your hands out of embarrassment and let out a soft whine as she walked away, “Remember, no babies out of wedlock! Wrap it before you tap it,” she laughed.

“Oh my god,” you said, your face reddening as you looked over at Joe who was laughing to himself about how comical this situation was.

“If you had told me a few years ago that your sister would be warning us to have protected sex to not have a child out of marriage, I would’ve laughed in your face and walked out the door,” he smiled. 

“That makes two of us. God, I cannot believe she saw that,” you smiled as let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding before looking back up at Joe, his cheeks a little red and his eyes glistening. “You look happy, though,” you said, rubbing his shoulder. 

“That’s because I am happy,” he hummed before he leaned down to press a sweet kiss to your lips. “I love you,”.

“And I love you,” you smiled at him before pecking his lips again.

“I guess we should probably tell your parents now that your sister knows,” Joe said as he grabbed your hand and slowly started leading you back to the reception hall.

“I guess so,” you sighed. “Be prepared for my Mom to hound you with questions about your intentions though. She loves you to death but you’re the boyfriend now and not just the best friend. There’s some pressure on you,”.

“Oh, I’m prepared. I know what my intentions are and I'm not afraid to voice them,” he winked at you, another chill running down your spine as you could practically feel the tenderness and reassurance in his voice. 

A few minutes later, you’re back inside the hall and sitting at the table again with your parents who thankfully hadn’t noticed your absence. They were talking to Joe about needing some help with moving some furniture out of the house and given the gentleman Joe was, he happily said yes. 

You cleared your throat a few moments later and sat up, squeezing Joe’s thigh under the table to get his attention. He looked over at you and met your eyes, your eyes once again telling him everything without needing to say anything. He gave you a small nod before you turned around to your parents.

“So, Mom, Dad,” you said, looking at both of them. “I have something to tell you both,”.

“Go ahead, sweetie,” your mom smiled as she placed her drink down.

You took a deep breath, “I’m seeing someone,” you smiled, feeling Joe grab your hand under the table.

“Really?” your parents asked, both of their eyes lighting up. 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “I have been for about a month now,”.

“Do we know him?” your dad asked, putting his elbow on the table and grabbing his drink.

“Yeah actually,” you laughed as you saw Joe blush from the corner of your eye. “You know him pretty well,”.

“Are you going to tell us his name?” your Dad laughed at your vagueness. 

“Honey, I think she wants us to play the guessing game,” your Mom chuckled. “Am I right, Y/N?”.

You bit your lip and nodded your head, Joe’s fingers softly rubbing your hand as he tried hard to remain quiet. 

“You always loved to play the guessing game as a child, I should’ve seen this coming,” your Dad shook his head.

“Okay then, what does he do? Does he have a stable job?” your mom asked. 

“He’s involved in sports, it’s very stable and it pays very well,” you said, glancing around and not meeting her eyes because this could make it so obvious.

“Okay,” your dad nodded. “How is he? Describe him,”.

“Well, he is the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. He’s really kind, super smart, genuine, caring, and has a great sense of humor. He’s also a big nerd but never likes to admit it because he has this cool guy attitude on the surface,” you say as you feel Joe bump your leg with his leg under the table, making you look over at him and see him give you a look that makes you want to explode into a cloud of pink dust. 

“He’s really athletic too. One of the absolute best at what he does,” you bragged as you looked back at your parents.

“Is he an athlete or something?” your mom asked as she took a sip of her water. 

“Mhm,” you nodded. 

“What sport?” your dad asked. “This guy might be giving Joe a run for his money,” he laughed as he looked at your mom.

You pursed your lips to hide your smile, watching as Joe laughed along with them from the corner of your eye.  

“If I told you the sport it would give it away,” you said matter-of-factly. 

“Okay, well keep going then. You seem to be in a secretive mood tonight,” your mom said.

“Okay, he never fails to make me feel like the most important girl on the planet, never fails to tell me how beautiful and special I am, and never fails to tell me and show me how much he loves me. He cares a lot about me and I feel at home whenever I’m with him, and I haven’t felt that way with any guy before. And whenever we’re around each other I can’t help but fall even more in love with him,” you blushed. 

“Love?” your mom said as she raised an eyebrow. “It’s only been a month though?”.

“It’s only been a month since we’ve been dating but I’ve known him for about 9 years,” you smiled as you leaned back against your chair and looked over at Joe.

“9 years? So she met him in college?” your dad said as he looked at your mom.

“Y/N, why didn’t you bring him to the wedding? No offense Joe, you know we love you, but you should’ve told this mystery man to come. I’m sure we could’ve added an extra invitation,” your Mom said.

Joe was about to say something before you grabbed his hand, “Actually,” you said while picking his hand up from under the table and pressing a kiss to it in front of your parents. “I did bring him with me,”. 

Your parents went silent as they looked at you both and then at each other, “Oh. Ohhhh,” your Mom said as she looked back at you with realization, her eyes softening once she put the puzzle together in her head. “You two,” she said, choking up a little and placing her hand over her heart. “Oh my god,” she said as she looked over at your Dad. 

“Well, would you look at that? It’s about damn time,” he cheered as leaned back and crossed his arms, a huge smile on his face. “I knew this would happen at some point,”.

“Did everyone see it this entire time except for us?” you shook your head as you looked at Joe. 

“I guess so,” he grinned as he placed his arm around your shoulder and brought you in closer. 

You looked over at your Mom who was using a tissue to soak up a few tears in her eyes, “Mom, are you crying?” you pouted. 

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “You have no idea how happy this makes me,”.

“That makes two of us,” Joe said, looking down at you with what looked like real-life heart eyes. 

“I mean you two have been such good friends since college and seeing you both like this,” she said as she felt more tears coming. “I’m just so happy for you both. I couldn’t ask for a better man for my Y/N,”. 

“Ditto. You two are excellent for each other, it all makes perfect sense,” your Dad nodded with a fervent smile. 

“Thanks, Mom and Dad,” you smiled as you dropped your head against Joe’s shoulder, feeling him press two kisses to your forehead before feeling him rest his head against yours.

“You have to tell us everything. How did this happen?” your Dad asked as reached for a glass of water to hand your Mom. 

“It’s quite the story,” Joe smiled as he placed his hand in your hand and started to tell them how this all came to be, your heart growing from all the love you were feeling around you, a majority of it coming off of the man next to you. 

A week later 

“You ready?” Joe asked as he turned the key to the golf cart.

“Absolutely,” you grinned as you crossed your legs and leaned back. “I still can’t believe you bought a golf cart,”.

“Well, this neighborhood is pretty big and there’s a lot of trails and paths around so I thought this would be the right investment,” he smiled at you as he backed out of the driveway. “And also because once you move in we can do nightly drives instead of nightly walks so we don’t get tired halfway through and you beg me for a piggyback ride home,”.

“Hey, don’t act like you don’t enjoy it just as much as I do,” you pointed at him. “But anyway, I can’t wait to move in with you. One more month and I’m all yours,” you bit your lip while rubbing his thigh. 

“You’re already all mine,” he said, leaning in for a quick peck before beginning the drive. 

“That I am,” you smiled as you turned your head back to the road, watching as the sun set over the beautiful Ohio River where you and Joe were driving down to as his house sat right by the water.

“I’m getting major Deja Vu,” he said as he turned onto the grassy path that led down to the river. “Do you remember when we stole that neighbor's golf cart when we went on that beach trip during spring break back at Ohio State?”.  

“You mean the beach trip from hell?” you giggled. “Oooh yeah, I remember,” you nodded. 

Flashback to Spring Break - Ohio State 

“Joe, what if someone sees?” you whisper yelled at him while he was trying to grab the keys to your neighbor’s golf cart from the patio table, your eyes darting back and forth from the door to Joe. 

“Almost..got it…,” he whispered as he grabbed the keys from the table, then carefully sneaked past the windows and made it to the ledge. “Let’s go,” he said as he hopped down from the patio.

“Fuck, we’re going to get in so much trouble,” you laughed as you slid into the golf cart, Joe doing the same and then turning on the cart. 

“I honestly could care less. Anything to get me the hell out of this house for even 10 minutes will suffice,” he said as he quickly backed out of the driveway and started driving towards the beach. 

“Are you alright?” you asked him, rubbing his shoulder as you noticed his exhausted body language. 

“Could be better,” he sighed as he turned onto the beach, driving you both alongside the ocean.

“You wanna talk about it? You know I’m always here,” you said.

He stayed silent for a few seconds, your heartbeat picking up because he wasn’t saying anything and you were getting worried because he was usually quick to confide in you.

“Joe,” you said, gently squeezing his thigh.

“It’s Audrey,” he sighed. 

You went silent at the name. Audrey was Joe’s girlfriend, or situationship as everyone liked to call it. 

“What happened now?” you asked, pulling the hood of your sweatshirt up as you tried to block the cool ocean breeze out. 

Joe turned the cart to face the water before putting it in park, giving you both some time to talk while enjoying the view of the ocean. 

“Just everything,” he sighed as he placed his arm around the back of your seat. “Nothing I do is good enough for her. No matter how hard I try to make things work, she always does something that ruins it,”.

You felt your heart drop at his words, you wished you could do something to make him feel better but you couldn’t. You promised yourself that you’d never put yourself on the field in Joe’s love life. You’d watch from the sidelines, cheering him on with whichever girl captured his heart, even though silently you wished that the girl was you. 

It was enraging watching as Audrey played with Joe’s feelings, always dragging him along even though she clearly didn’t treat him the way he treated her. He knew that he deserved better but each time he tried to pull away, she’d always bring him back and give him hope that things would be different but they never were.

“I mean, just this morning I woke up early to make her breakfast but she decided to go out and get an acai bowl or something and then got mad that I was making you breakfast when she got back,” he shook his head. 

“Are you serious?” you laughed. “Why is she always so petty about everything,”.

“I wish I had an answer. It’s just exhausting being around her. We have moments where things feel normal but they’re very very short moments,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Have you tried talking to her about it?” you asked.

“I did…Just before the trip. I told her that I wanted things to work and she agreed, I also told her where I stood and how this trip was a kind of ‘make it or break it’ for us,” he said.

“What’d she say? you bit your lip while playing with the bracelets on your wrist. 

“She said she understood and gave me the impression that things would be different this weekend. But ever since we’ve been here she’s been on me for literally everything. It was the breakfast thing this morning, then it was her getting mad that we went out for ice cream yesterday without her even though we didn’t even ask the others if they wanted to come so it’s not like we specifically left her out, and then it was her getting mad that we all wanted to go to the pier last night but she wanted to stay in and watch TV,”

“Who stays inside and watches TV while you’re at the fucking beach?” you grimaced. 

“Then it was her getting upset that you were even on the trip in the first place even though I literally told her you were coming,” he shrugged, his eyes quickly darting to you as he realized how bad that sounded. “Sorry about that. I know she isn’t exactly the nicest to you,”.

“No offense taken. I get a vibe from her that tells me everything I need to know,” you sighed. 

“You know what? That’s another thing. She knows you’re my best friend but still treats you like shit for absolutely no reason. It’s like she doesn’t care about anything important in my life,” he ranted.

Important. You were important to Joe. 

You looked at him for a few seconds before dropping your head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping around you as if it were a reflex. “I’m sorry,” you said to him. “I know it’s hard and you deserve so much more,”.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one that has the worst taste in girls,” he softly chuckled as he rubbed your shoulder, his phone vibrating on the dash which diverted his attention. 

He leaned forward to see who it was, “Speaking of…,” he said as he grabbed his phone.

“It’s like she’s listening to our conversations,” you joked. “You sure she didn’t bug you?”.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if she did,” he laughed as he opened up the texts.

You watched as Joe’s smile dropped as his eyes skimmed her lengthy text message.

“What’d she say?” you asked.

“Basically asking where I went and why didn’t I tell her I was going somewhere. Then accusing me of sneaking off with you since she doesn’t know where you went either,” he said.

“Well, she’s not wrong about that part,” you shrugged.

“Then she said this isn’t working, I’m not trying hard enough, and that she’s been miserable since she’s been here,” he said as he turned off his phone.

“Damn, no text back?” you said while looking out to the open waters. 

“Nope. I’m done with this bullshit. If she thinks I’m not doing enough then she needs to wake the hell up,” he said as he pulled you in closer. “I’ve tried to do fun stuff with her since we’ve been here but she doesn’t want to do anything other than sit and be mad at me for no reason. I’ve been trying for months. A relationship is a two-way street and I’m not going to work on it if she isn’t going to try. It’s draining and I can’t do it,”.  

“You deserve better, Joe,” you say, tilting your head to look at him. “You’re such an amazing guy and have so much to offer and if Audrey can’t see that, then she isn’t the one,”. 

“I know,” he sighed. “It just sucks when you spend time on someone who you thought was your person,”. 

You looked out at the ocean again, “Did you know that 80% of the ocean is unexplored?”.

“Yeah..” he confusingly said, wondering what this had to do with what you were just talking about.

“Well, the unexplored parts of the ocean probably have new species, new ecosystems, and things we haven’t seen before. In love, there are so many things to explore just like in those unknown parts of the ocean. So many chances to find a deeper connection, to find out things about yourself and other people, to do new things and see new places, and so many chances to find your person. There are endless possibilities. You’ll find your person, I know she’s out there. It might take some exploring and some waiting, but you’ll find her one day,” you said, feeling a visceral ache in your heart because you wanted to be his person so badly. “And she’ll be the one who showers you with all the love you deserve and the same love you give to others,”. 

“You know, you should really do a Ted-Talk episode one day,” he laughed, squeezing your shoulder gently. Your words meant the world to him, especially since he had a secret crush on you, and hearing you talk to him about finding his person just made him think of you. He wanted you to be his person, he wanted to explore these things with you.   

“I think I just might,” you grinned. 

“Thanks for that though. You always know how to make me feel better, I don’t know how you do it, but you always say the right things every time,” he said, shaking your shoulder and looking down at you.

Before you could say something, you heard a piercing shriek come from behind you. Both of you jumped in your seat and turned around and saw Audrey speed-walking towards you both with a fearful look on her face. “Joe!” she screamed. “Why the hell are you out here with her?”.

“Uh oh,” you said as you turned back around, watching Joe quickly switch the cart from park to drive. “What are you doing?”.

“Getting us the hell out of here,” he nodded as he turned the steering wheel and floored the cart. 

He told you to hang on as he tried to get away from her as fast as he could, which was pretty fast because you were practically zooming down the beach and Audrey’s figure quickly faded into the background.

“Oh my god,” you screamed as you hit a bump on the sand that nearly caused you two to spin out, the adrenaline rush keeping you from making him stop the cart.

“Hold on,” Joe yelled as he quickly made a turn onto one of the streets that led down to the main road, your hands clutching onto his arm as you pulled yourself closer to him.

“Joeeee, slow down,” you laughed as you tightly held onto his body, the force of the cart & wind giving you whiplash.

End of flashback 

“I can’t believe she snitched on us for stealing the cart because we drove off,” you laughed. 

“I remember seeing steam practically coming off of her face when she was walking towards us. Scary sight,” he said, bumping into your shoulder as he drove you two along the path. 

“The latter half of the trip after she left was pretty enjoyable though,” you said as you propped your feet up on the dash of the cart.

“Very. I still can’t believe you threw up in my hat after we rode the slingshot,” he chuckled as he placed his arm around your shoulder.

“Please don’t remind me of that ever again. That was so embarrassing,” you said as remembered the grotesque memory and hid your face in his chest.

Joe pressed a kiss to your head before changing the subject, “Okay, I won’t make you relive that but we should really go back there this off-season. Just the two of us though,”.

“I’d love to, we made some pretty great memories on that trip together,” you said as you pressed yourself closer to him.

“This time, make sure to not eat a soft pretzel and funnel cake before getting on the slingshot,” he warned you.

“You got it,” you saluted. “I can’t believe this is my first off-season with you,” the river trail getting closer to you both as you continued talking. 

“What do you mean? I usually spent a lot of time with you in previous off-seasons,” he said. 

“I know, but I mean this is my first one as your girlfriend,” you say, playfully poking his shoulder. “I get to do a lot more with you now,” you beamed.

“Oh yeah?” he smirked. “Like what?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows, his words laced with mischief. 

“Ohhh I don’t know, maybe watch some movies, teach you how to cook some more, swim in the pool, amongst other things,” you tease.

“What are the other things?” he said as you made it down to the trail, now driving alongside the river.

“I guess you’ll just have to find out when the time comes,” you winked.

“Such a tease,” he shook his head before slowing down once you reached the rocks that you two would sit on by the water when you came down here.

Joe switched off the golf cart before hopping out and helping you out, then carefully led you down to the rocks–making sure you didn’t almost fall like how you did the first time–and then sat you down on a rock he deemed stable and secure and then plopped down on a rock next to you. 

“This is nice,” he said, letting out a relaxed sigh as he watched the sunset.

“What is?” you laughed as you looked over at him.

“Doing stuff like this with you. Everything just feels so easy with us…like I don’t have to jump through hoops to make this work,” he said, looking over at you and seeing how the cool January breeze made your nose red. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy and at peace in my life,”. 

“I’m glad you’re happy, Joe,” you grinned as you pulled your sweatshirt sleeves out to cover your chilled hands. “You deserve it,”.

“Are you cold?” he asked as he sat up.

“A l- little,” you mumbled as you felt a chill run up your spine.

“Here,” Joe said as he opened up his legs and scooched back. “Come sit with me,” he said, pointing at the space between his legs. 

You smiled and got up, carefully moving over to where he was, and sat down between his legs. His arms instantly wrapped around your waist as he pulled you back into his chest, his body warmth quickly heating you up. 

“Mmm, you’re so warm,” you hummed as you rested your head against his shoulder and turned your head to press a kiss to his fragrant neck; the smell of his gentle cologne filling your nostrils.  

“Are you happy?” Joe asked as he continued to stare out at the water, his grip on you tightening. 

You were quiet for a few seconds before speaking up, “Of course I’m happy, this is all I’ve ever wanted. You’ve all I’ve ever wanted. And now I have it and it’s even better than imagined. It quite literally can’t get better than this,” you smiled up at him. 

“I’m glad. It’s not just me who deserves it, we deserve it,” he beamed as he leaned down to kiss you. 

After holding the kiss for a few seconds, you both pull away and look ahead at the slowing descending sun, the sky getting darker as the moments go by. “You excited for the first playoff game tomorrow?” you asked him as you placed your hand on top of his. 

“Excited, prepared, a little nervous,” he sighed as he laced his fingers with yours. 

“You’re going to do great, I have full confidence in you and the guys,” you told him. “You’ve been playing really really well recently and I know that tomorrow's game is going to be good,”.

“I hope so,” he nodded before looking down at you, an idea coming into his head. “Hey, you should come down to the sidelines before the game so I can see you,”.

“What? In front of everyone?” you asked as you felt a little nervous at the thought of being down there in front of everyone, usually a spot that was reserved for the family of the players. 

“Yeah, why not? You’re my girlfriend and girlfriends get to come to the sidelines along with other immediate family if they want to,” he smiled. “Besides, only a matter of time before the fans figure out that we’re together which would confirm their already established theories,” he giggled. “And I need my good luck kiss,” he sneaked in.

You let out a soft laugh, “Okay, I’ll be there,”. You always supported Joe when it came to football, even if it was from a distance; but now it was time for you to be front and center.

“Wear some of your peach lip gloss too,” he mumbled as he kissed your cheek. 

“That’s your favorite I assume?” you asked.

“Mhmmm,” he hummed as he kissed your cheek again. “Although, watermelon might give it a run for its money. We may have to test it out some more,”.

“Deal,” you grinned. “Just promise me you’ll win the game,”.

“I promise,” he nodded. “I’m going to win the game and then I’m going to take you out for dinner after,” he added.

“Won’t you be tired though?” you furrow your brows. 

“Probably, but that’s fine. If anything we can just bring it back to the house and stuff our faces with delicious food while sitting on the couch in our jammies and watching the latest episode of Love Island so you don’t miss it,” he smiled. 

“I like youu,” you grinned like a little kid at his tempting words.

“Guess what?” he asked you. 

“What?”.

“I like you too,” he whispered into your ear as he found himself remembering a similar moment like this from a few years ago. 

Flashback to LSU – 2019 (in the same flashback period as the 2019 LSU flashback from part 1 & post-breakup with your ex jake)

Today was the day.

Today was the day Joe was going to tell you how he felt about you.

You had flown in early yesterday morning and had surprised him last night at his game and were staying in Baton Rouge for 3 more days. Joe made it his mission to come clean about his feelings within these 3 days, hopefully today so that he could get it over with. He just couldn’t keep it in anymore. He thought about you every single day and being away from you killed him, especially because he had absolutely 0 idea what was going on in your life (or who was in it) when he wasn’t physically with you. You could only talk about so much over Facetime, 90% of the time not talking about your relationships since neither of you liked to travel into that territory with each other because of how you felt about each other even though you both were incredibly curious about that subject. 

He needed to tell you how he felt before it was too late (preferably before another guy came along), even if you didn’t feel the same way. Those feelings he’d been keeping to himself for years were eating away at him and he could only hold on to them for so much longer. You told him yesterday that you and your now ex-boyfriend Jake had broken up but you weren’t dwelling on it because you hadn’t been together for that long and you were too excited to see Joe to feel bad about the breakup. Joe still felt a bit weird about coming to you with his feelings as you just got out of a relationship but he also just couldn’t keep it in anymore, he was basically a ticking time bomb. He was going to tell you this time, no matter what it took.

This morning Joe brought you and his parents to one of his favorite breakfast spots downtown. You were busy having a conversation with his Mom and Dad about your Thanksgiving plans since it was only a few weeks away while Joe was sitting next to you in the booth picking away at a thumbnail as he couldn’t be more uninterested in the conversation. The only person he wanted to talk to was you, and the only thing he wanted to talk about was his feelings. 

“Ooo, Jimmy look at that,” Robin said as she pointed across the street through the window at your booth. She was pointing over at what looked like a local artist selling paintings of the LSU football team as well as some custom merchandise.

“We should go check it out. I think we have room for a few more paintings around the house,” Jimmy smiled as he got up from the booth and helped Robin up. Both of them excitedly rush to the door and make their way across the street without saying a word to you and Joe, causing you both to laugh. 

“I don’t even know how many paintings or wall pieces they have up in the house anymore. It’s like every time I go back a new one spawns out of nowhere,” Joe shook his head. 

“You’re their golden baby,” you said while rubbing his shoulder. “Embrace it,” you said softly as you placed your chin on it, your lips just inches from his face. 

“I think if I embrace it even more than I already have, I’m going to explode,” he joked as he felt his heart pounding because of how close you were to him.

“Hey, maybe in 15-20 years we can open a Burrow Museum? Get all of the paintings in there, your awards from High School, your eventual Natty and Heisman that you’ll be getting in about 3 months, your future Super Bowl trophies, rings, and MVP awards,” you smiled when you moved away, noticing how his cheeks turned redder while you continued talking.

“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves about the awards and championships,” Joe said while running his hands through his hair. “I’m not even sure if I’ll be getting any of that stuff,”.

“Please,” you scoffed. “I beg to differ,”.

“Anywayy,” Joe changed the subject before you went on another rant about how you thought he was the best college football player in the league and was going to become the top NFL prospect in the next few months. He appreciated when you praised him like this, it meant the world to him especially since it was coming from you, but he also didn’t want to look too far ahead into a future he had no control of. 

He turned a bit more in his seat to face you, taking note of how adorable you looked wearing one of his LSU football shirts which was a few sizes too big on you, your hair in a messy bun, and your beautiful natural face on display. “How are you doing about the whole Jake thing? I didn’t get a chance to talk to you about it and just wanted to know if you were doing okay with it,”. 

You paused for a few seconds, both of you inching into territory that you usually avoided. “I’m fine,” you reassured him. “I kinda saw it coming and came to terms with it a while ago. And you were right, he’s 100% Mr. Lovebombing,”.

“Y/N, I wasn’t being serious when I said that,” Joe said, his smile dropping a bit because he knew how awful it felt to feel that way in a relationship. 

“No, you were right though. One second he was all over me and telling me how I’m his world, the next he was doing anything and everything to dodge having a conversation with me and refused to see me,” you rolled your eyes. “I’m glad I’m done with that BS,”. You honestly weren’t that affected by the breakup as you’d been through much worse many times before. You were too busy looking forward to seeing Joe after 5 long months to think about Jake. 

You both remained silent, Joe not knowing how to go about this since if he confessed his feelings after you said that, it would seem weird and almost selfish. “But enough about me and my sad dating life, what about you? Any girls I should be warned about?” you painfully laughed, not wanting to hear him say ‘yes, there is a girl’. 

He cleared his throat while glancing around the room before meeting your eyes, his palms getting sweaty because he knew that this conversation could lead to him telling you how he truly felt about you. “Uhh, not really. I’ve just been focused on football,” he nodded.

“That’s great,” you smiled, mentally doing a little dance because he didn’t have any other girl in his life but then stopping once you realized how weird that could have sounded. “Uh, I mean. That’s good because you’re focusing on football, not because you don’t have a girlfriend. That sucks,” you blabbed as you scrambled to make it sound better. 

“It’s okay,” he laughed. “I know what you mean,”. 

“Here we go, Joe. Just tell her. It’s the perfect opportunity. It’s not weird or wrong for you to tell her how you feel, and you know how much she appreciates honesty,” Joe thought to himself.

It honestly was the perfect opportunity, his parents weren’t around, and you reassured him that you weren’t bothered by your breakup so it wasn’t like he was pushing you, and it wasn’t out of the blue since you were talking about things related to that subject.

He just had to say it; those 3 words he’d been eager to say since he met you all those years ago. It couldn’t be that difficult to say it, could it? 

“We really have the worst luck when it comes to dating. I mean, why is every person we end up dating such an asshole?” you complained while taking a sip of your orange juice. “Like hello? Universe? What did we do to you?”. 

“Y/N, I have something to tell you,” Joe said while looking over at you, his tone of voice and the look in his eyes changing from playful to serious all of a sudden. 

You placed your glass down, “What is it? Is everything alright?” you asked as you placed your hand on his that was resting on the table. 

“Everything’s fine,” he laughed. “It’s more than fine. It’s just I-,”.

“We’re back!” Robin interrupted as she placed a few bags on the table, your hand quickly moving away from Joe’s. 

“Y/N, we got you a few sweatshirts we thought you might like,” Jimmy smiled as he pulled them out of the bag while Robin pulled out some of the artwork they picked up to show you. 

“Are you serious,” Joe thought to himself as he watched you get distracted by his parents, all of you once again in a conversation while he just sat there and watched. 

“It’s okay, Joe. Just tell her once you're back at your apartment, you have time. Mom and Dad won’t be there,” He thought to himself as he watched your face light up when you saw the artwork that had Joe front in center, your eyes then meeting his with a proud smile. 

A few hours later – Joe’s LSU apartment 

“Your apartment is so comfy,” you giggled as you sat down on the couch across from Joe.

“So it’s not giving Man Cave or Bachelor Pad vibes?” Joe said while pulling your feet into his lap.

“Nope. It’s giving I have a best friend who has excellent taste in decor and she doesn’t mind ordering nice stuff for my apartment,” you winked. 

“I’m a lucky guy,” Joe said, squeezing your foot.

“That you are,” you replied, leaning your head back against the couch cushion and closing your eyes. “I wouldn’t do this for anyone else,”. 

Joe looked at you for a few quiet moments, his heartbeat picking up once again as he found himself thinking about his feelings towards you. This was the perfect moment to tell you how he felt, it was just the two of you. No distractions, interruptions, or oblivious parents in the way.  

“Hey, can I talk to you about something for a second,” Joe said, breaking the silence and causing you to open your eyes and look up. 

“Yeah, of course,” you smiled at him as you moved a few strands of hair out from your face.  

“Okay, come on Joe. Just tell her,” Joe’s subconscious said to him. “It’s just 3 words. 

I. Like. You.

Just say it,”. 

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, but just before he could open his mouth you both were interrupted by a knock on the front door. 

You turned your head back to look at the door, “I got it,” you said, glancing over at Joe before getting up from the couch. You unlocked the door and opened it, the person standing on the doorstep making your face light up, but Joe’s face drop. 

“Ahh, there’s my favorite Ohio-an. Damn, I missed you Girl,” Ja’marr said as he stepped inside Joe’s apartment and pulled you in for a hug.

“Are you kidding me? Why does everyone keep interrupting us?” Joe thought to himself while rolling his eyes. 

“Missed you too, Ja’marr,” you laughed as you gave him a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “How’s Claire?”. 

“You mean Samantha?” Joe said as he stood up, a little upset because he interrupted you two, prompting both of you to look back at him because of his bitter tone. Joe was a little more than a little pissed off right now. This was the best chance to tell you how he felt since you were fully alone this time, but the universe (or Ja’marr) clearly had other plans. “Or was it Laila?” he huffed out. “I can’t remember. Might be because Ja’marr over here can’t ever keep it in his pants and feels the need to-,”.

“Aye, what’s your deal,” Ja’marr scoffed.

“My deal is that you just-,” Joe started to say as he stepped closer before you interrupted him. 

“Okay! I’m not in the mood to deal with two caveman football players right now,” you reprimanded them. “Ja’marr, let’s go over to the kitchen and get some drinks. Joe, go take a breather or something,” you said, sending him an intense look.

“I just-,”.

“Joe,” you said, sending him another look that he easily understood before he let out a loud sigh and walked past you and Ja’marr to the porch outside his apartment.

“What’s his problem?” Ja’marr shrugged as he followed you into the kitchen.

“Don’t ask me. He’s your best friend,” you laughed as you opened up Joe’s fridge.

“Uhh, he was your best friend first,” Ja’marr pointed out. 

“Hm, touché,” you smiled while pulling out 3 cans of soda. 

Meanwhile, Joe was standing outside the apartment, his heart getting more and more tired from having to wait to tell you how he felt. It’s like every time he opened his mouth to say something, the universe sent something to stop him. 

Was it the universe that was trying to stop him? But why would the universe be doing that? 

“What the fuck,” Joe sighed as he leaned against the wall and dropped his head. “Why is this so hard,”. 

“No, don’t give up Joe. The universe isn’t doing anything, you just have bad timing. You’ll find time to talk to her. You still have the rest of the day. Just breathe,” his subconscious said. 

So that’s what he did. He took a deep breath, walked back inside, apologized for his attitude, and went about the rest of the afternoon like he didn’t have something poking away at him until Ja’marr left. 

Now, you were finally alone again. You were in his bathroom freshening up and Joe was sitting on his bed, anxiously playing with his wristbands and waiting for you to come out so you could talk. He heard the door open and immediately looked up and saw you stepping out from the steamy bathroom in just a plain white towel, your wet hair falling against your shoulders.

“Sorry, I left my clothes on your nightstand,” you blushed as you walked over to the nightstand next to his bed. 

“Y- You’re good,” Joe gulped, his heart skipping a beat or two while watching you walk around his bedroom in just a towel. 

“I’m almost done and then you can go shower,” you gave him a thumbs up before going back into the bathroom and closing the door again. Joe nodded and then let out the breath he was holding in and cracked his neck, relieving some built-up tension you were creating for him. 

“She’s driving me insane in the best way possible,” Joe thought to himself. You were the only girl who could get him to feel like this, and that should be enough to validate his feelings for you. 

A few minutes later, you came back out in a white short skirt and black tank top, both of which were showing off a little too much skin for Joe’s liking but also making him even more attracted to you than he already was. 

“How do I look?” you asked as you gave him a twirl.

“You look..great,” he smiled (deep down wanting to say that you looked incredibly sexy) as you walked over to your suitcase and pulled out a pair of black-heeled boots. “But don’t you think it’s a little…”.

“Skimpy?” you chuckled. 

“I mean, I guess,” he said while scratching his neck. “It’s just that a lot of dudes around here have wandering eyes and well…”. 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just pretend you’re my boyfriend,” you stuck your tongue out and teased, his heart stopping for a second because of the word ‘boyfriend’. “Their eyes will be focused on your fists instead of my ass if I call your name,”. 

“That’s…probably true,” he shrugged while he watched you zip your boots up. Nobody wanted to mess with the LSU star quarterback, and surely nobody wanted to mess with his girl. 

“Nice song choice by the way,” you pointed out, humming along to ‘Be My Baby’ by The Ronettes. 

Joe didn’t even realize what song had come on because he was too lost in thought to pay attention to what was going on around him. The fact that the song was about an instant love connection and the girl pining for a particular man was ironic considering it mirrored his situation except the roles were reversed and he was pining for the girl. 

“Our playlist as usual,” he winked, you sent him a warm smile in return. "It's nice to actually listen to it with you here,".

"It doesn't hit the same when we're listening to it alone, does it?" you asked.

"Nope, not even close," he shook his head.

“Check out my new boots,” you said while giving him another twirl, this one was a little unbalanced given that the boots were new and the heel was a little bigger than normal for you. 

“Woah, be careful,” Joe warned as he noticed you almost losing your balance. 

“I’m fineeee,” you twirled again, this time moving closer to Joe who was sitting on the bed. “Shit,” you yelped as the heel got caught in the carpet which caused you to trip, your body crashing down on Joe’s, sending him back against the bed and lying flat with you on top of him. 

“Oops,” you giggled as you lifted your face from Joe’s neck, his arms holding you in place as they were wrapped around your back, your chest pushed up against his, and your legs almost straddling him. 

“See what happens when you wear heels too big?” Joe laughed as he tried to stay calm over the fact that you were on top of him right now. “I thought you would’ve known better considering what happened on your 21st birthday,”.

“Crashed right into the waiter holding a platter filled with shots of Tequila,” you shook your head at the embarrassing memory and looked down on Joe his eyes stuck on your face as if he was lost in thought–which he was.

Once again, Joe was thinking about what he had been wanting to tell you all day. The feeling was only getting stronger as the moments passed by with you, and it was driving him insane. 

“What?” you laughed as you moved his hair out of his eyes, noticing the look in his eyes.

He didn’t say anything and just continued to stare into your eyes, his breathing getting deeper and his heartbeat getting louder. You looked absolutely gorgeous right now and all he wanted to do was kiss your pretty pink lips and forget about everything else around him, but he couldn’t do that until he said those three words to you.

“Joe, what’s wrong?” you said again, this time a little more seriously. 

“Y/N, I-,” he started to say before his phone interrupted you both. 

“I swear to god,” Joe thought to himself as he pulled out his phone from his pocket, his face going from cheery to irritated.

“Who is it?” you asked.

“Justin and Ja’marr. They said they’re hitting up the bar with some friends and asked if we wanted to come with them,” he sighed. 

“But what about dinner? I know you were excited to take me to that new Mexican place,” you pouted. 

“We can go with them if you want. I know you missed seeing everyone and I don’t want to keep you from them. We can grab dinner tomorrow,” he nodded. 

“Are you sure?” you asked as you slowly got off of him and sat down on the bed next to him once he got up. 

“Yeah,” he smiled at you. “I’m just going to take a quick shower and then we can head out,”.

“Okay,” you said while absentmindedly rubbing his hand which sent electric jolts throughout his body. 

He looked down at your hands, you quickly move it away once you realize what you were doing. “S- Sorry,” you blushed, your cheeks heating up as your stomach did a backflip.

“It’s alright,” Joe smiled, placing his hand on yours and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

Joe got up from the bed and grabbed a few things before going into the bathroom, stopping at the sink mirror and staring at himself for a few heartbeats. “Why can’t I just say it,” he whispered to himself.

Were these constant interruptions really from the Universe? It was starting to feel like they were and it was a sign telling him not to tell you, almost like a cue that he should let it happen naturally. 

“Naturally?” Joe whispered to himself. 

“Don’t force it, Joe. If you keep getting interrupted, this might be a sign that you shouldn’t force things between the two of you. This could screw things up with her but if you let everything fall into place on its own you might save this from crashing and burning,” his subconscious mind said. 

Maybe his subconscious mind was right. Maybe he just needed the world to give him the green light. These interruptions were the yellow lights warning him that if he told you how he felt, he might be facing a red light. If you didn’t feel the same way about him your friendship could be ruined and he didn’t ever want that to happen, so waiting might be the best way to go. If you were to bring it up, then he would tell you. But until then, he decided to not mention it again even if it was killing him internally. 

Joe never would have thought a girl could ever drive him so insane. You had the keys to him, the only person who could access his heart and the most intimate parts of him. So much of him depended on you; his happiness, his sanity, his mood. When you smiled, he smiled. When you shined, he shined for you. Your laughter was the best sound he had ever heard and he wanted to hear it for the rest of his life. Every time you talked, he couldn’t focus because all he thought about was how you two should be together. When he sat and watched you break down, he wanted to hold you and tell you that he was never going to leave you like the others did. When you would jump and fall, he wanted you to fall into him. He was all in for you, and he needed you to know it. But maybe the Universe was trying to prevent him from ruining what you two already had. 

Joe looked at himself in the mirror before letting out another exhausted sigh and dropping his face, “What are you doing to me, Y/N,” he whispered to himself before heading into the shower. 

A little later, Joe was freshly showered and had a clear mind for the first time all day and was lacing his shoelaces while you were laser-focused on the episode of SpongeBob that was playing on his TV, almost like you were caught in a trance.

He got up from the bed and grabbed his wallet and phone, slipping both into his pocket before looking over at you. “Y/N, we’re gonna be late,” he softly laughed.

“Shhh, it’s the hash-slinging slasher episode,” you said as you waved him off. 

Joe should have known better to put an episode of SpongeBob on in front of you. You would practically stay glued to the TV until the episode ended, maybe not even getting up after that because you would stay seated for the next episode. This was something you both had in common, no matter how old you two got SpongeBob would be a staple for the two of you. He always admired how you shared some of the same childish interests as him, no other girl being able to match his personality unlike you. 

Joe turned around and grabbed the TV remote, switched the TV off, and then walked in front of the screen and saw your upset face.

“Hey,” you grumbled, crossing your arms like a little child in annoyance. 

“We can finish it later, I promise,” he said, extending his hand out for you to grab and stand up. You stared at him for a few moments, not budging from your seat.

“You know I never break my promises,” Joe lightheartedly added, giving you a charming smile that warms your heart. It was true, he never broke any of the promises he made you. Wether it was sweet and silly like promising to buy you ice cream and call you after his games or serious like promising to never lose the connection you two had once he moved down to Louisiana for football; he always kept them. 

“You do have an excellent track record of living up to your word,” you smiled as you placed your hand in his. 

“And I intend to keep it going,” he said as he pulled you up from the bed.

About 20 minutes later, you made it to the bar and were walking towards the entrance. The loud music vibrated throughout the entire block and the strobe lights peeked through onto the street. “College bars are something else,” you laughed as you looked over at Joe, who was once again seemingly lost in thought. 

“Hey, you alright?” you asked him as you stopped walking, Joe not noticing until a few seconds later and then backtracking to you.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he nodded, his tone and demeanor not reassuring you that he was. 

“Joe, I know you too well to know when something is bugging you. You’ve been lost in a trance at least 4 times today and that’s way more than usual for you,” you said.

“She noticed? She noticed me lost in thought because I was thinking about her?” he thought to himself. 

“Are you bored? Am I boring you?” you giggled. 

“No, No. God, No,” he quickly shut that thought down. 

“Then what is it?” you questioned. 

“It’s nothing,” he brushed off, his secretiveness not sitting well with you. 

“Wait. You’ve been wanting to talk to me about something all day but we kept getting interrupted,” you said as you looked up at him. 

“Yeah..” he slowly nodded, his heartbeat picking up again because of where this was going.

“That’s what’s bothering you, Obviously,” you realized as you smacked your head. “And I kept forgetting that you needed to talk,”.

“It’s not a big deal Y/N,” he nervously laughed as he glanced around and refused to meet your eyes.

“Uhh, yes it is,” you said, moving your head so that his eyes met yours. “We always talk about important things with each other and I don’t want that to stop because of silly interruptions. So before we go with the others and end up getting super trashed and wasted, we should talk. What was it? What did you want to talk about all day?” you said while staring deeply into his eyes which looked like they were hiding something. 

Joe paused for a few seconds, his brain freezing just like his face. This was it. This was his chance to tell you what he had been feeling for years. He could finally tell you how much he liked you which was way more than the normal amount. You were it for him, and now he finally got you alone to tell you.

“This is it, Joe. This is what you’ve been waiting for. Tell her how much you like her and get your girl,” his mind was saying. “This is the universe letting it happen naturally. She brought it up this time, not you,”. 

“I-.....” he opened up his mouth, nothing coming out. 

“What is it?” you nervously chuckled while brushing your fingers over his hand. 

He paused for a few seconds, his heartbreaking before the words came out of his mouth. 

This time instead of his mind and subconscious, his heart spoke up. “It’s not the time,”.

“Never mind,” he forcefully smiled. “It’s not important,”. 

End of flashback 

It was so hard for him to say it to you back then but now it was like a reflex, he almost had a hard time stopping himself from saying it. 

“I love our life,” you giggled as you felt Joe smother you with kisses. 

“And I love you,” he smiled against your cheek. “More than anything in the world,”.

“Even more than you love Pumpkin Pie?”.

“Even more than I love Pumpkin Pie, my Looney Tunes sweatshirt, my gray jeans, and Football,” he said while giving you a loving squeeze.

“Wow, that’s a lot of love,” you raised your eyebrows. All 4 of those are things Joe couldn’t live without.  

“You sound surprised,” Joe laughed. “You’ve had me down bad for you since the first time I saw you,”. 

“Shut up,” you laughed as you turned your head to kiss his cheeks which were turning a little pink because of the cold weather.  “You should probably be getting ready to go to the team hotel,” you said as you looked down at your watch. 

“Mmmm,” he whined as he pulled you closer.

“I know, I know. But they’re going to send out a search party if you don’t make report time,” you giggled as you gently got out of his embrace and stood up, reaching out and pulling him up. “And I should probably head back to my place and get some sleep for tomorrow,”.

Joe looked up at you like you had two heads, the look on his face matching how he felt. “Back to your place? Just stay here,”. 

“At your house? Alone?” you questioned. You hadn’t stayed over at Joe’s place alone before, and truth be told it felt a little weird being there all by yourself even though you were literally moving in with him next month. 

“Correction, our house. And yeah, you’re moving in next month so why not?��� he said as he reached out for your hand, helping you up the rocks and back to the trail where the golf cart was parked. It was weird for him to refer to his house as your house as well, the thought not registering in your brain yet.  

“It’s so weird to hear that,” you laughed. 

“Why? Am I that terrible to live with,” Joe said as he slid into the driver's seat.

“The worst,” you grumbled, sliding into the seat next to him with a cheeky grin on your face. 

“Ha Ha, very funny,” he said in the most monotone voice possible. 

“I’m just messing with you,” you said while running your fingers along his arm. “It’s just weird because I would have never expected to hear those words..our house,” you said. “It’s like a fairytale,” you said as you looked at the growing smile on Joe’s face, the smile that would take you to another planet. 

“Things change pretty quickly, don’t they?” he said as he glanced at you. 

“Very quickly,” you said as you leaned your head against his shoulder as he turned on the golf cart and started driving you both back up to the house. “But I'm also very glad they did,”.

“Me too,” he grinned. Joe was truly the happiest he’d ever been in his life at this moment, and it was all because of you. 

A Half-Hour Later 

“Did you get everything you need?” you asked Joe as you spun around on the kitchen barstool you were seated on. 

“Yeah, but I’m still going to come by tomorrow morning so I don’t have a ton to take with me right now,” he smiled as he placed his duffle bag down. 

“You’re not going straight to the stadium?” you asked as you took a bite of the brownies you had made earlier. 

“Nah. I’m gonna come by and then we can drive over together,” he smiled while walking over and grabbing a brownie from the pan. 

“Hmm, I don’t think you’re supposed to be eating that right now,” you said, grabbing his wrist. 

“One brownie won’t hurt,” Joe said, transferring the brownie to his other hand and taking a bite.

“Sweet treats can wait until after the game tomorrow,” you shook your head.

“Oh, trust me. I’ll be getting a sweet treat then too,” he winked at you before moving over to grab his water bottle from the counter.

“Focus, Joe. Focus,” you laughed as you placed your elbows on the kitchen island and your face in your hands, intensely staring at your boyfriend's muscular arms and then his dirty blonde curls that were being controlled by his backward cap.

“What’re you looking at?” Joe asked as he caught your gaze on him.  

“Just admiring you, like usual,” you smiled. 

“Admiring anything in particular?” he asked, placing his elbows down and mirroring your position. 

“Hmm, just your deliciously impressive biceps and your easily pullable hair,” you said as you gave him a heated look. 

“I should get going before this ends up going somewhere else,” he said as he stood up straight. 

“Probably a good idea,” you grinned as you slid off the barstool and walked over to the fridge, pulling out a container of some pumpkin bites you made with the brownies earlier.

“I thought you said no sweet treats?” he said while examining the continents of the container. 

“Well, there’s always a loophole for everything,” you shrugged. “These are healthy pumpkin energy bites. All the goodness of normal pumpkin bites but with healthier add-ins and ingredients,”. 

“You made these just for me?” he grinned as he took the box over to his duffle bag, then carefully placed it inside.

“Mhmmm,” you skip over to him and say. “You can eat them tonight or tomorrow morning. Up to you,”.

“Thank youu,” he said, grabbing your wrist and quickly pulling you into him causing you to bump your head against his chest.

“Mm, Hi,” you quietly laughed as you loop your arms around his neck and look up at him, his arms settling around your lower back with his hands firmly placed on your butt. 

“Hi,” he grinned while nuzzling his nose against yours before leaning in to kiss you, both of you relishing the taste of the chocolate from the brownies on each other’s lips. The kiss quickly became more intense as his hands started sliding up and down your body and the heat between you two increased from how close your bodies were to each other.

“Okay,” you panted while pulling away from the kiss, a dazed smile on your face.

“Focus. We need to focus,” he cutely nodded. 

“I gotta get you out of here,” you laughed while stuffing your face into his neck. 

“I’ll get myself out of here. No need to lift a finger,” he smiled while pressing a kiss to your head. “You just stay here and be Queen of the house,”.

“Bow to my throne you worthless peasant,” you teased in a silly voice.

“Damn, it’s already going to your head,” he raised his eyebrows. 

“I’ll have a crown and a butler by the time you’re back tomorrow morning,” you winked. 

“Okay,” he laughed. “But seriously, act like the Queen. Make yourself at home, this is all yours just as much as it is mine. You can go in any room, sit anywhere, re-arrange my things, do whatever. It’s all yours,”.

“So you don’t care if I sit naked in your office and re-watch hours of game tape of you looking sexy as hell while throwing a football?” you joked while wiggling your eyebrows.

“Nope,” he smiled. “Well, I do care about the naked in my office part. Maybe sit in there fully clothed and then we can do the naked bit after the game if you really want to,” he whispered in your ear. 

“You’re crazy,” you giggled as you looked lovingly into his starry blue eyes.

“Crazy about you,” he said before sealing the statement with a kiss. 

After a few more minutes of kissing and teasing each other, you were standing at the doorstep of the Garage and watching Joe put his stuff into the car. “Remember, call me if you need anything,” he said while opening the driver’s side door. 

“I will,” you smiled. 

“Okay,” he sighed as he quickly jogged over to you. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I love you,” he said before pressing a final kiss to your lips.

“I love you, my perfect boyfriend,” you said while pecking his lips and ruffling his hair.

You watched as he got into the car and backed out of the garage, then gave you a quick wave before closing it and driving off. You turned around and closed the door behind you, letting out a deep breath as you looked around the quiet house, a smile forming on your face once you realized that this was your house now too. You loved this house, you loved your life, and you loved Joe, you just loved everything. There was so much love inside of you for the first time in a long time, and Joe was the one who brought it out. 

An hour later 

You took a quick shower in Joe’s bathroom (now your’s as well) and were now inside the massive closet, searching for another comfy sweatshirt of his to steal. “Hmm, this one should do,” you giggled as you pulled out another one of his many Bengals hoodies and slipped it on, his scent still lingering on the fabric. “Mmm,” you hummed as you brought the collar to your nose.

You were about to walk out of the closet before something caught your eye in the corner, your curiosity spiking as you walked closer to the little stand that he used to keep his cufflinks for his suits, but that wasn’t what caught your eye. What caught your eye were the photos taped to the wall above the stand.

There were 3 photobooth film strips taped to the wall, all of which were of you and Joe. 

“He’s such a teenage girl,” you giggled to yourself as you ran your fingers along the strips. The first one was from when you both went and saw Avengers Infinity War at the movie theater on opening night together back during your Ohio State days–both of you were raging Marvel nerds. The second one was from the Bengals pre-season party from last year–another event he brought you to before you were dating. Both of the photo strips were tied to sweet and flavorful memories until your eyes went to the third photo strip. 

This one was from LSU.

Flashback to 2019 – LSU

“..He told me he loved me, and I thought he m- meant it,” you cried into Joe’s chest. “ Am- Am I not enough?” your voice cracked as the tears fell harder. 

“Y/N you are enough, don’t ever say that,” Joe said as he rubbed your back, pulling you in tighter as you were both sitting on the curb of the parking lot.

“Then why did he go to her? Why did he feel the need to-,” you sobbed, your eyes burning from the amount of tears that were pouring out from your eyes. “As soon as I leave, he goes to her,”. 

You were currently visiting Joe at LSU during your Spring Break and he had brought you to Snappy’s Arcade tonight which was one of his favorite places to go around town. You spent some time playing air hockey and skeeball, shooting some hoops, playing all the old classic arcade games, and even winning a few prizes along the way. You both hit the photo booth per Joe’s request as well, making countless silly poses and memories that would last a lifetime not only in picture form but also in your hearts. You always had the most fun when you were with Joe, all of your worries instantly disappearing once you heard his adorable laughter and saw his comforting smile. Everything was going great until you looked at your phone which was blowing up with messages from your friends, messages you wished you had never read. 

“It’s like he was planning it. The second I’m 14 hours away he pretends like he doesn’t have a girlfriend, washes everything we’d built over the past year down the drain, and goes and does that with her? Knowing how hard it took me to open up to him in the first place because of what happened last time,” you sputtered. “And it’s even more fucked up because he knew how excited I was to come down here and see you,”.

“Y/N…,” Joe said, his heart hurting as you cried harder into his chest. 

“It’s not enough. It’s never enough,” you interrupted, your body shaking as a result of the plethora of emotions you were feeling. “I’m never enough, not for anyone,”. 

Joe felt his heart sink seeing you like this, especially because of a guy. You didn’t deserve to feel like this; unwanted, unloved, not enough. He wanted to mend your broken heart by telling you how extraordinary you were and how you had someone in your life who loved you beyond words and could give you the same love you gave others, but he just couldn’t get himself to tell you the second part—not now. But he could tell you the first. 

“Hey, look at me,” he said as he cupped your cheek and lifted your head to meet his soft eyes. “You’re so much more than you think you are. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you’re not enough. You’re one of the most loving and special people I’ve ever known and you deserve to be treated the same way you treat others, with limitless love. If Ryan can’t do that for you, then screw him,” Joe said as he rubbed your back again to calm you down. 

“Y/N, you deserve the world and more. You’re going to find someone that can give it to you, I promise,” Joe said as he gazed deeply into your red eyes, telling you the same thing you told him a few years ago on that beach. He wanted to be the one that gave you the world, so badly. 

“You’re literally anyone’s dream girl. You’re kind, funny, selfless, beautiful, and can hold a conversation about anything from which flavor of Gatorade is the best to a conversation about Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Epistemology. You’re nerdy as hell but you're also the most football-involved girl I know, which shocked me when we first met considering most girls I know just like football for the eye candy. Anyway, you’ve got the looks, you’ve got the brain, you’ve got the personality, but most importantly you’ve got what’s in there.” he said as he pointed to your heart. “You have so much love inside of you. So much love to offer and show the world. You have it all. You’re more than enough,” he said. 

You looked into his deep blue eyes and could tell his words were genuine, he meant everything he said to you. His eyes always had a way of telling you things he couldn’t say with his mouth, and right now they were telling you many things. “Thank you,” you said as you stuffed your head back into his chest. “I swear you always know exactly what to say to me when I’m upset about something. It’s like you’re incapable of saying the wrong things, I don’t know what I’d do without you,”.

“You won’t have to worry about that. I’m always going to be in your corner,” he smiled as he moved you closer to him, both of you sitting on the curb in silence and just enjoying each other's warmth; his gentle touch soothing your worries. 

“Fruit Punch is the best by the way,” you spoke up a few moments later as you looked up at him.

“Hm?” he asked, a little confused by what you were talking about.

“Gatorade. Fruit Punch is the best,” you giggled.

“You’re insane. It’s obviously Lemon-Lime,” he shook his head as you laughed underneath him, the smile he loved to see coming back onto your face as your tears dried up. 

End of flashback 

You smiled at the end of the bittersweet memory, the one that would normally leave a sour taste in your mouth but didn’t because of Joe. He told you that you’d find someone who could give you the world, and he promised you this.

One thing about Joe, he always kept his promises. 

The person who could give you the world was under your nose the entire time and you had no idea. He was the one that wiped your tears every time you cried, he was the one that made you laugh until your stomach hurt, he was the one that always thought about you, he was the one that truly loved you. He promised you that you’d find that person who could give you the world, and you did.

Joe was the one that could give you the world.

—To be continued—

[sports-on-sundays]

prince not so charming / CL16 / PART 4

Warnings : Switching between second and third person, Making out, Nudity (not described much), Sexual activity (NO sex. And NOT described much. I do not write people actually having sex- I don't write smut.)

Summary : Prince!Charles x Princess!Reader - Prince Charles finally gets to marries his princess.

Author's Note : Link to Part 3, which has a link to Part 2 attached to it, which has a link to Part 1 attached to it. After this one, there will be one more part, making this a five part story. Funnily enough, while writing this, I was listening to Charles' songs. Tell if there were any warnings I missed. Enjoy!

Requested? : No.

Four hours.

After the kiss at the ball, it was decided that your wedding should be rescheduled for a week earlier than originally planned, because according to Charles' advisors, 'You can not be doing such open and dramatic things with each other before you're married, and especially not in public."

You don't mind it being a week earlier. It means you can get the wedding over with. It's happening no matter what, so who cares if it's a week early? It's been making you nervous enough for the past weeks, anyway. At least after it's over, you won't feel nervous about it anymore.

You're trying on the dress you'll be wearing for the wedding. At the beginning of courting, you were measured, so that a dress could be fitted for you, but now they're just putting on the finishing touches.

You feel simply gorgeous in it, and you suddenly feel the excitement and nervousness hit about the wedding for the first time.

But there's no time to dwell on it, as female servants fuss over you, making sure you look perfect for your prince tonight.

Four hours.

"Are you excited?"

"Of course!" Charles replies to his older brother. "I love this woman! My God, I can't wait to see her... To put the ring on her finger, and kiss her, and then eat the cake with her and dance and then after the ceremony and the dance..."

Lorenzo chuckles. "I don't want to hear you describe what you two will do after the ceremony and the dance."

But Charles mutters under his breath, "In a way, that's the part that I'm most nervous for."

For, of course, in tradition, after the prince marries his princess, they go into his bedroom and sleep together for the first time. And there's no way Charles is going to be breaking that tradition- he and his wife are already twenty-five, and it's important they have their babies as soon as possible. Many men his age already have three children.

"Well, Charles, I know you'll be fine. Just enjoy your night. Because it's all yours. Now I'll leave you and the servants for you to get ready."

Charles nods, fidgeting with the bracelets on his wrist unconsciously.

"Do you want to see yourself in the mirror?"

"Of course," you nod, standing up. The dress has a sweetheart neckline, and hugs your waist and chest, with embroidered little flowers. It fades out into a flowing skirt, the embroidery flowing out along with it. You twirl in a circle with a soft giggle, excited to see the intense love in Charles' eyes that you know will be there when he sees you.

You lift your veil, which is being held by a sparkling flowery clip, to view your makeup. Your eyebrows are darkened, and so are the outsides of your eyes, making them surprising and striking when the veil is lifted- something Charles will need to do, of course, in order to kiss you. There's pink blush on your cheeks, and your lipstick a light red. All your freckles and imperfections are covered, except for a few beauty marks. You're glad they decided not to cover those. Your earrings and necklace match the clip in your hair, which is tied behind in a complicated braided bun.

There are only two extreme discomforts- one being the heels you're wearing under your dress, and the other being the tightness of your corset. But you figure you'll just have to get over those unconveniences.

Regardless, you can't wait to walk up that aisle to your prince.

Your prince charming.

It's crazy that less than a month ago you were thinking precisely how not charming he seemed.

Now, somehow, he's changed your mind.

Charles listens to the piano play as his nerves rise practically above his head, standing up there in the front of the chapel, in front of all those spectators and eyes, waiting for his princess to come to him. His wife. His...

Yes, his love.

And then, she enters.

And his heart practically stops.

Her in that beautiful dress. He can't even see her face very well from here through the veil, which just raises his nerves even more, in excitement to see how gorgeous her face will look.

Then she makes it to him, and stands, facing him. They hold each other's hands. She's wearing smooth silk gloves. Charles can only really see her striking eyes well through the veil, and realizes now that must be the point. It must be the point, to make him only be able to see his beautiful wife once he lifts her veil.

As they go through the ceremony and the vows, Charles hardly listens, in awe of the princess. The young couple stares at each other, both taking in the electricity called love in the other's eyes.

And then finally, the words.

"The Prince Charles and Princess Y/n may express their love in marriage in a kiss."

And, goodness, does Charles express his love.

He gently lifts the veil, and his breath slightly hitches in surprise when he views his beautiful new wife. But then his hands slip to her waist, and as he kisses her, her arms wrap around his shoulders and neck.

A passionate, slow, long kiss. It goes longer than it should, but neither of you care. You're just enjoying each other's sweet lips, and the sensation of really, actually kissing.

There's so much love and adoration...

It's glorious. The best kiss you think you'll ever receive.

So you savor it.

Finally, he pulls away, looking at you with an intense but gentle, half-lidded look in his eyes, and it hits your heart like an arrow when you finally realise what that look he seems to give you every so often is.

It's pure love in his eyes.

You wish that kiss never had to end.

And then you take his hand, entwining your fingers in his, and you walk down the aisle together. He squeezes your hand, and the guests leave the chapel behind you as you head down the hall to where the ballroom is.

"You're so lovely," Charles whispers to you.

"You're stunning too, you know." He's wearing very fancy clothes. Nothing you haven't seen him wear before, though, but regardless, on this day, there's a look in his eyes that make him look extra handsome.

You head to the table and sit together in front of your cake. He has his arm around your waist, and once all the guests have arrived in the room and are seated, Charles cuts a piece for you, and then for himself. Arthur raises his wine glass and calls, "Cheers to Prince Charles and his new wife, Prince Y/n! May they be blessed with happiness, wisdom, joy, contentment, long life, and many children!"

And at that, all the raised drinks clink together, and everyone drinks to that. Including you and Charles.

Once the meal is over, Charles gives Y/n's waist a little squeeze, before whispering, "Care to dance, my love?"

She seems to blush, and giggles softly, before nodding. "I'd love to, Prince Charles."

He nods and takes your hand, and the two of you stand up. He takes you onto the floor, and right away the music starts. Other couples enter the dance floor as well when they see the two of you beginning to dance. But once again, just like the last time you danced together, they all seem to disappear, and it's just you and Charles. Since you've already practiced before, right away Charles twirls you and dips you and swings you, and there's no shame having all eyes on you as he kisses you more times than you can count throughout the night, because this is your night.

And it's lovely.

As the last song slows and comes to an end, and you look into his eyes, you know this is a night you will never, ever forget.

Soon, then, he thanks everyone involved with the ceremony, before saying as he dismisses himself, holding your hand, "Now me and my wife will be going to my bedroom to be left alone." And he picks you up, carrying you bridal style (this time you actually are a bride), and carries you out of the room.

And this time, as he walks, you decide not to tell him to put you down. You are married, after all. And you're tired after all that. Your feet ache terribly, and many times you felt just slightly light-headed from the tightness of your corset.

You lean your head against your chest as you brain rushes through everything that has happened in really the last month.

It's scary.

You went from single and happy to married to the most handsome prince on the continent.

You went from walking in dirty, wearing servants' clothes, to being carried in this man's strong arms, feeling more beautiful than you've ever felt in this wedding dress.

The quickness of it all is frightening.

But you suppose there wasn't much you could do to help it.

The only thing you can think to reassure you is if he saw you and loved you even when you were dirty and in a peasant's outfit, he saw something within. So hopefully he didn't make a mistake.

Soon enough, you're at his bedroom door, and he opens it, setting you down gently. You wobble on your aching feet, and as he's shutting the door, take off your heels.

Then Charles comes back to you, and immediately, his lips meet yours once again. You kiss each other, and apparently he was pushing you forward in the kiss, because soon your back is against the wall.

Finally he leans away. He sighs deeply, before reaching behind your back, starting to untie your dress. You swallow. "So... We're going to do this."

He just nods. You can't tell if he wants to or if he doesn't.

Either way, you nervously look him in the eyes as he slips the veil clip out of your hair, setting it down on his dresser. He looks your face over, before taking all the pins and pieces out of your hair, unraveling it, so that it's down, over your shoulders.

Then he slowly slips your dress down, and suddenly you get a pit in your stomach when his eyes widen, looking at your body, which is still covered by your underclothes- bra, corset, underwear. You don't have enough time to think about what the look on his face could mean, before he says, "What is this?"

Oh, God, no. No. No, no, no. "What is what?" you manage.

"How do I get this off of you?" he says, putting his hands on your corset. "I know it's a corset but... It's squeezing the life out of you. Did they make you wear this?"

You sigh in relief. His reaction wasn't disgust about you. It was disgust about the corset. "Yes, Charles. Many women wear them. It's nothing to worry a-"

"Yes it is," he says, immediately going to taking it off of you. "Surely this is terrible uncomfortable, and for your wedding day!"

"Charles, it's not like the heels are comfortable either... I had to look beautiful for you."

A look of confusion with the slight disgust that's already there forms on his face as he shakes his head. "I personally don't think my love suffering when it should be one of the best days of her life is a beautiful concept at all. You're beautiful either way, whatever you wear! You don't have to destroy yourself in order to 'look beautiful for me'. You're already stunning to me, without even trying! Curse whoever made you wear this! I'm going to be having some words with them!"

"Charles, no," you say softly, seeing how fired up he's getting about this. "You talking with someone isn't going to change anything. Most men would be disgusted if their wife wasn't wearing a corset on her wedding day. You're different than most, which is good, but still, that's a minority. It wouldn't do anything good. It would only give people an even lower opinion about you. It's just not worth it."

He shakes his head, throwing the corset on the floor as if it's the Devil himself, saying, "I don't think you need that. You don't need to wear that for me, at least. I don't want you to. It looks like it hurts."

"It is quite tight..."

He nods, putting his hands on your bare waist gently, which gets your heart rate up faster. He looks into your eyes. "You're much more beautiful with a natural waist than with that thing. You don't have to go through the pain for me. I don't care about high heels, either. You don't have to wear those things for me."

You nod. "Thank you... You're... Every day, I like you more and more."

"For me, I'm at the point of love," he says softly, stroking your cheek.

"I'm approaching there too... I think. It's just crazy this has happened all in one month. A month ago, I didn't know you. I hated you. I had so many incorrect judgments about you."

He chuckles. "Well, I'm glad you changed your mind."

He then slips his coat off, hanging it up next to your dress, and unbuttons his vest. You sit down on the side of the bed. He lights some candles around the room, and closes the curtain. Then he gets some incense burning, before finally going to unbutton his last shirt. You stare as his toned chest slowly becomes revealed to you. You stand up, walking to him, before your kiss meets his bare shoulder. You kiss him all along his collarbone, before looking back up to him, staring into those lovely eyes. He's smiling softly, and kisses your forehead. You sit back down on the bed, as he slips off his pants. He ruffles his hair a bit, before looking to you.

Suddenly, he pushes you onto the bed, leaning over you. He makes out with you, slipping his hand under your bra, you slightly gasp into his kiss, but he ignores it, and keeps kissing you, more aggressively than he was before.

You feel yourself heating up as your heart beats quicker and quicker. There's a bubble of nervous anticipation and excitement in your chest, which is spreading out to your whole body. It causes you to giggle into his kisses at the beginning, before you settle into the love that he is showering over you.

Finally, he pulls away with a soft grunt, before whispering softly to you, so that you can feel his breath on your ear, "Are you ready to go further now, ma chérie?"

You find yourself panting as you nod. "Do whatever you want to me."

[jabberwock-islanders]

Characters We Desperately Want To Look Like (a slideshow)

Even though some of them contradict each other a little bit lmao

Each attached image will have a written version of what's written in the image

Ethan from Spooky Month

Twink goals

Red and black alt aesthetic

Something about him speaks to the trans masc within us

Dyed hair <3

Also shaggy hair being tied up in a small ponytail <3

He is our favorite flavor of man and we need to be that flavor of man

Honestly if we had to choose one character in this list to model our entire visual identity after, it would be Ethan

Ibuki Mioda from Danganronpa

Scene girlie!!

She's so colorful and vibrant and we want to Bleed Neon

Dyed hair part 2 <3

Accessorizing school uniforms? Yes!!!

Piercings and bracelets and cute stockings and and and and

This is one of the few times we'd accept wearing a skirt tbh

Sometimes you wanna dress like your entire personality is Paramour, fight me

Light Yagami from Death Note

Hear me out

He's a plain brunet what else is there to want

Also we shair hair colors! That's something!!

Idk what else to say he's just gender envy in the most normal way possible

And sometimes you just wanna be normal

Also he calls to the burnt out gifted kid sleeping in our bones

Cole from Ninjago

HEAR ME OUT.

Big strong teddy bear

We long to hold the people we love with strong arms like those

Idk man sometimes we long to be a Big Strong Man

Shaggy tied up hair part 2 <3

(Yes I know I'm using fanart here but it proves our point better than Lego Man ever could)

Honestly, this is the least realistic on our list LMAO

Izuru Kamukura from Danganronpa

Just look at him

He's the emo twink of everyone's dreams

We either want short hair or super long hair and there is no in between, can you tell? /silly

Also, pale pretty boy aesthetic

And we're already pale as shit so it's perfect!!

While Hajime isn't on this list, he's an honorary mention

Kazuichi Soda from Danganronpa

Pathetic boy appeal

His fashion sense is Trash but in a good way

Sometimes you just wanna look like the sad pathetic loser boy you are

Also pink!!

We vibe with pink sometimes

Beanies are always a win

(Tbh I think we like him better in blue than yellow)

(His jumpsuit is fucking Piss Yellow, denim blue will always beat piss yellow)

Leon Kuwata from Danganronpa

GIVE ME YOUR WARDROBE SIR

Tbh I think we just desperately want to live his life and become him in any and every way (we have a Leon introject in case you were wondering LMAO)

His jacket?? Hand it over???

Giant safety pin accessory is so real and we wish we had one to put on our jackets

Ignoring the facial hair though

Anyways HIS RINGS we want his rings

And his chain

Lloyd Garmadon from Ninjago

Hear me out part 3 I suppose

Sometimes. Sometimes you wanna be a golden retriever boy

We wanna be his specific brand of cute

Like look at him, he's fucking Cute

The hair style is also part of the appeal

In case you haven't noticed, we love men with mid-length hair

Also his bangs??? GOD he's so gorgeous

We'd do so much to be a gorgeous boy like Lloyd

So. Much.

Selever from Friday Night Funkin' (Mod)

...I can't defend this one tbh

The nonhuman desire to just... be a silly little demon guy

There isn't much more I can say, he's just Gender

Also his outfit? We want that shit

The boots... We would kill for those boots

Tbh he's just black and red part 2

Even though he's more maroon than red

He's babygirl, what can I say

Anyways, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

[loganslowdown4]

I’m gonna attempt to break this down and point out all the stuff in the guys’ rooms for the newest episode because there’s a ton of Easter eggs in here and it’s fun to compile a list!

🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸

And I’m a complete nerd 🤓

Ok let’s start off with

PATTON’S ROOM!

* Ernie plushie (Sesame Street) in homage to LNTAO

* Light blue dad pyjamas

* Chocolate (baby Pound Puppy plushie) from Moving On

* Winnie The Pooh quilt

* Reindeer plushie bean baby from the 80s (I literally used to have these)

* light blue Cat poster

* Orange tabby cat statue (he loves cats, ok?)

* Mrs Fluffy Bottom (bunny plushie from Prince vs Villain short)

* The creepy glowworm from babyhood

* ‘You make me want to die.. of laughter’ misleading compliment card from Virgil from the 12 Days of Sanders Sides (Xmas)

* His glasses

* A plate with a cookie (and a second cookie because he earned it)

* Framed photo of friends (combats the lonely feelings)

* Catholic Youth Bible (from swearing Oath in SvS)

* Braided friendships bracelets in the Roman Virgil and Logan’s colours

* Embroidery thread to make more friendship bracelets in his, Janus and Remus’ colours

* Pizza plushie (from opening shot Thomas saying ‘YouTube Time’)

* Light blue lamp

* The smell of Christmas (in a box!) from Moving On nostalgia episode

* Stitch plushie from opening scene ‘YouTube time’

* Plus the room has the glittery quality that his room did in the moving on episodes

ROMAN’S ROOM!

* Red plush blanket and red silk pillow case fit for a prince

* Red/pink full face cooling sleep mask for beauty sleep

* Wearing his (Beauty and the) Beast onesie from ATHD

* Up poster (part of his 101 Disney poster collection) (plus it mentions ‘adventure’ which is what Roman would want to dream about)

* Glitter/sparkle aesthetic in his room magically flying around; also a soft rainbow glow overlay

* STAR THINGIES (he got them back from the echo-y mind palace)

* Reading Lord of the Rings (TFOTR) (red and white cover!) plus dudes on an adventure with a king and hot elf? It does scream Roman, doesn’t it?

* Plus multiple bookmarks so he can reread his favourite parts (or find parts that the other sides would like)

* Oh hey Katana

* Little Roman fan made wooden dolls

* Pictures from skirt PS, 80s PS, selfie as Prince from vine days

* Sticky notes (red): YOU GOT THIS PAL! (either from himself or Patton); WWLOJD? (What Would Leslie Odom Jr Do?) plus a picture of the man himself (a crush? 😏); Take Dance Classes AGAIN (is this in reference to Thomas can’t dance? ‘I can box step with the rest of them! 5 6 7 8 no need to demonstrate!’)

* Scented candles for sleep

* REMUS omg was I right about them sharing a room? Hahaha he steals a star thingie because he knows Roman loves them

* Roman Youtooz toy from last year

* Lavender sprays for sleep

* Moisturizer for skin care (a prince has got to slay)

VIRGIL’S ROOM!

* Dark aesthetic from Accepting Anxiety episode

* Purple and grey bedding

* Watching a Jack the Ripper conspiracy video on his computer (re: what videos he would make if he had his on YouTube channel from Q&A)

* Green Day t-shirt (specifically American Idiot album) (also featured album on wall in Accepting Anxiety episode)

* Plain purple sleep hoodie (the man cannot be without a hoodie)

* Whiteboard with ‘# of days since last total disaster: 5’ but who knows what his definition of disaster is…

* Black dry erase marker for whiteboard

* Cobwebs on night stand

* MARCUS! Plushie spider

* Patton’s FamILY card

* Huge (almost empty) purple bottle of melatonin (used to aid sleep)

* Book for Grimms fairy tales (decidedly did NOT swear on his ‘bible’ from SvS)

* Nintendo switch

* Not sure what the things standing up are? Maybe candle/lights?

* Also a mood light off to the side

LOGAN’S ROOM!

* The periodic table on the wall with rainbow colours (that’s just perfect)

* Dark blue dad pyjamas and eye mask (probably for a proper nights sleep) plus he replaces his glasses with an eye mask

* Dark blue matching bed sheets because UNIFORMITY

* All the plushies! All of them. I think he needs the most comfort

* Gravity Falls journal #3

* Another self insert fanfic from Roman! (Possibly not the Sherlock one that Roman wrote for Christmas because this is thinner and has different stickers on the cover, but ahhhh that’s so SWEET)

* Blank cue cards for new slang words to learn

* A FINISHED Rubix cube

* His glasses

* A crossword day by day calendar

* A blue alarm clock 11:30pm? (although it’s pretty late, Logan, is that really a good sleep schedule?)

* An empty jar of crofters (because they are so darn collectible)

* A 10th doctor funko pop (and a Tardis underneath all the plushies!)

* A blue mood light behind the plushies

* And he has a Clapper lol

THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE!

[planetsano]

ring, ring, ring.

synopsis ↷ megumi gets hard when you decide to show him that cute dress you brought earlier that day.

warnings ↷ college au, mutual masturbation, facetime sex, needy/bimbo reader, dirty talk, mentions of breeding, & established relationships.

character ↷ megumi fushiguro.

wc ↷ 3.OK

“‘Gumi ‘Gumi,”

Megumi wasn’t looking at his phone screen and yet he still heard the pout on your lips. A particular whiny and needy tone clinging to your voice that usually meant one thing: you needed something from him— 99.99% of the time it's for his attention.

By now, the ravenette is used to your overall clinginess and want for his attention. Megumi finds it endearing how you sneak your hand into his larger one to interlock your fingers with his or when you cling onto his arm and leave a kiss on his shoulder as a silent reminder that you’re completely infatuated with him and of course, when you call his name so sweetly and he’s met with your pleading eyes. Pleading eyes that are desperate for any kind of interaction from him. The same eyes that twinkle with admiration when he does something so simple like give you a genuine smile and pull you in by your neck to leave a chaste kiss on your forehead.

“Yes? What is it?” His eyes drifted from the laptop he was currently typing away on and onto the phone that was slightly off to the side and propped up against a stack of textbooks. Your face was brought up cutely in the frame of the camera, the angle was hardly flattering but honestly Megumi found you attractive regardless. You both were well past the pressure of “appearing perfect 24/7 for your partner” stage of the relationship.

“Talk to me.” You chirp as a small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. You held the phone further away from your face revealing that you were sitting in bed from the soft looking blankets laying on the mattress behind you. You’ll never really get over how effortlessly handsome he is— even now while he’s working on a university assignment. The only light in his room was coming from a lamp sitting somewhere on his desk off camera and the laptop he was actively using. The warm light illuminated his soft features so nicely— Megumi looked so soft sitting so pretty with his plump lips that were the faintest shade of watermelon pink and his long black lashes that fluttered every time he blinked. He wore a white oversized t—shirt that barely clung onto his collarbones and a beaded bracelet that was hanging loose on his wrist.

“We’re talking right now.” He says and the sound of soft keyboarding resumes as he looks back at his computer screen. You let a dissatisfied whine leave your lips.

“I’m talking and you’re not paying attention.” You say.

“I’m listening.” Megumi replied with a slight edge to his voice, his patience was wearing thin at your juvenile temperament but he couldn’t be too upset as it was just in your nature. Any other time he would be glad to fully engage in conversation with you, but he was busy and you’ve never been used to hearing “no.” He really needed to get this essay finished soon because the deadline was approaching very soon. It was supposed to be finished days ago but he got caught up in other studies, Megumi never really liked to do things last minute and this report was pushing it.

“Then what did I just say?” You ask and he rolls his eyes before responding.

“You said: you’re the one talking and I’m not paying attention.” Megumi answers. He wasn’t wrong but that wasn’t fair because it happened seconds ago.

“Nuh uh, before all that.” You press playfully.

“You said that you got your nails done today and you showed me. They’re the same color as my eyes.” He was right, again.

“Mhm, and what else?” You continued to tease him with a warm feeling spread throughout your chest. The confirmation that he had actually been listening to your trivial rambling when he was occupied with something else and you feel acknowledged and heard.

“(Name), please.” He let out a slightly exasperated sigh.

“I’m sorry that I miss you! It’s lonely here without you, I dunno why you couldn’t just sleep over tonight.” You place the phone against your headboard sitting on a stack of pillows.

“Because I have to study and you would only distract me— much like you’re doing now.” Megumi’s tone was soft and had a hint of banter to it. His face softens when he sees how you look in the camera. You’re looking down and twiddling with your fingers and nails with your signature pout. He feels a little guilty. To be fair, he was nearly done with the assignment. It could wait until tomorrow morning to be finished and edited.

“I think I can manage to finish this tomorrow morning.” He says as he shuts his laptop.

“Really?” Your eyes lit up as you looked at the camera. “Oh! Baby, do you want to see the dress I bought today? It’s so cute.”

“Sure, let me see.” Megumi nods and leans back in his desk chair, his legs moving in a lazy rhythm causing the chair to pivot from side to side.

Your boyfriend watches you excitedly get out of bed to set up your phone on the vanity. The new position gave him a full view of your body and most of the room he’s visited so much behind you. Megumi smiles a bit when he sees you wear one of his sweaters, specifically the black one he had been looking for that morning. It was big on you making it look like you were wearing one of the sweater dresses he sees some people wearing. He also thought the sweater paw effect it gave you was a cute touch. He thought maybe he’d let you keep it since it looks better on you than it does to him anyway— but then he remembered that you’d only return it and take another article of clothing because it doesn’t “smell” like him anymore.

“I’ll be right back! Close your eyes.” You smile before walking off shot. Megumi’s head rolled back, resting it on the back of his chair with his eyes shut like you asked. His mind wandered for about two or three minutes while waiting for you to return. You always liked to show him your outfits asking him for advice and his thoughts as if he had a single clue about fashion. But honestly, you just like to hear what he thinks. A simple “I like it.” or “I don’t like it.” is good enough for you.

“Open!”

Megumi’s brows knit upward in the center when he sees you. You hold your arms up and out to do a little spin for the camera, well, him. The dress has a simple but very effective design: a classic little black dress with heavy emphasis on little. The silhouette of the garment was skin tight causing it to extenuate the curves on your body almost as if it were a statement. Your legs and the vast majority of your upper thighs were exposed to him— there was no possible way you would be able to bend over if you dropped something without your panties on full display for the lucky souls standing behind you. The neckline of the dress is straight but low cut causing your cleavage to almost spill out out the top. The thin noodle straps seemed like they were there just for decoration giving little, if any, support to your breast— you definitely wouldn’t be able to do any remotely strenuous activities or else your tits would be, well, out.

There was something very erotic about the combination of the dress and the intense red lighting from the LEDs in your room. The way the dress hugged you in all the perfect places and how the red lighting engulfed your skin and body so sensually.

Megumi felt his cock twitch to life.

“You don’t like it?” You brows furrow in worry as you adjust the top of the dress, studying his face as you lean in closer to the camera.

“I do,” He says and places his hands over his crotch in an attempt to hide his growing hard on. “You look beautiful as always, princess.” Megumi gives you a genuine smile but you’re still skeptical.

“Then what was that face for?” You ask.

“It's a little too short, don’t you think?” He tilts his head.

“Hm,” You think for a second, turning around and looking at your ass in the mirror from over your shoulder. From the “Maybe a little. But you always pull down my dresses when they ride up.” You say.

“Mm,” He hummed in agreement. It’s true he can’t remember how many times he’s come up from behind you to tug down your dress— or better yet, how many times he’s lifted them up so he can push your thong to the side to bury himself deep in your hot cunt. You know? Megumi loves those dresses now that he thinks about it. He can practically fuck you anywhere, everywhere and at any time he pleases. Just the thought of it makes him fucking leak.

“Megumi?” Your voice brings him out of his little trance.

“Hm?” His eyes refocus on you, not even realizing you can see him palming at his cock through the black joggers he was wearing.

“Are you.. hard?” You ask with a slightly tilted head and an amused look on your face.

“I am.” Megumi answers shamelessly. Why should he be embarrassed? You were the cause anyway.

“For me?” You smile.

“If not you, then who else, dolly?” His hand continues to squeeze and palm at himself.

“Dunno,” You bite the tip of your nail with a mischievous glint in your eyes. “Want to know something fun?”

“And what’s that?” He asks.

“‘M not wearing anything under this.”

“No?” He replies. You can see his cheeks becoming flushed with a light shade of pink.

“Uh, uh.” You shake your head. “Wanna see?”

“Fuck— Please.”

Megumi’s eyes are locked on your movements, watching you pull your dress up over your thighs. The first thing he sees is the puffy lips of your cunt making a low groan emit from the back of his throat. He can feel himself throbbing and the precum cum involuntarily ooze from the head of his cock. The ache of his arousal is only getting more and more unbearable the more you lift your dress to expose your nude form to him and soon the dress is long forgotten about and now tossed somewhere on the floor. Megumi can’t tear his eyes from you because everything about you is perfect, every single fucking inch. You drive him absolutely insane and his want for you feels insatiable when he’s turned on like this. The only thought running through his head his fucking you until you’ve both become incoherent.

“‘Gumi, will you touch yourself for me?” Your bottom lip was tucked in between your teeth while you kneaded at your tits, pulling at your pebbled nipples. “Wanna watch you cum.”

Megumi wastes no time letting hand slip past the waistband of his joggers to pull his cock from it’s prison. He winces when he feels the cool air come into contact with his glistening member before grabbing himself by the base to squeeze. You let out a whimper when you see his pretty cock on display for the camera. He was a solid six and a half inches and a bit on the thinner side with a slight curve to him that hit your sweet spot every time. It was pale with a head that was flushed with a cherry red and prominent veins that ran up the sides of his shaft. Your hand travels between your thighs stopping at your pussy that was crying for attention. It was amazing how quickly he got you riled up. He had you wrapped around his fingers and you knew it.

“Fuck, you have such a big cock, baby. It hurts so good when you put it in.” You whine through your breaths as you rub light circles around your clit.

“Yeah? It’s because your cunt is so tight.” Megumi lets out a breathy sigh and brings his hand to his lips and spits into it, coating his shaft with a sufficient amount of slick even though the amount of precum he was producing alone would have been enough lubricant. He moans out loud once his hand wraps tightly around his cock and begins to give himself long and lazy strokes while his eyes zoned in on how you rubbed your clit.

“Get on the bed for me.” He says softly, his hand never stopping. You quickly do as you’re asked and grab your phone hoping onto your bed to give him a better view of your cunt. Soon your phone was propped against the pillows on your headboard once more and you were sprawled out on the sheets. Your fingers dipped in and out of your tight cunny while you hopelessly whined and begged for your boyfriend who was miles away from you. Megumi’s pretty moans were just as prominent as yours as they left your phone’s speakers. A mixture of curses, whines and the calling of your name were the only things that left his lips and it only turned you on even more.

“I want to feel you fill me up so bad. My fingers aren’t enough anymore.” You say with a look of desperation on your face. That was probably one of the most frustrating things about getting off without him there to help you: your fingers weren’t enough ever since you got sexually active with Megumi. His cock just filled you up so well and there was no dildo or sex toy that could ever compare to the way he fucks you.

By now, Megumi pants and boxers are around his milky thighs and the bottom hem of his shirt is behind his head exposing his pecs and toned abs. As his hand moves up and down his shaft, he’s twisting his wrist for further pleasure while his other hand flicks and tugs at his nipples. He looks so fucking hot right now: lips parted, hips squirming and cheeks flushed. You can see the thin layer of sweat shining on his skin giving him a further glow.

“You get lovesick just thinking about my dick, don’t you?” He asks, his voice making your walls flutter around your fingers.

“I do, you fuck my pussy so good, ‘Gumi.” You give him a fucked out smile and he nearly loses his mind.

“You have a filthy mouth.” Megumi grits through his teeth.

“Yeah, but you like it. Makes you cum doesn’t it, baby?” You tease, your fingers slipping in and out of your hole faster as you approach your high. “You like when I say dirty things like that.” You whimper out, losing all of the confidence in your voice when you feel your sweet spot.

“Christ, I’m not going to last long.” His fist began to pick up speed immediately until he was outright pounding up into his hand pretending that it was your sweet cunt instead. His eyes never left his phone screen and the view of you struggling to cum. You were so needy for him, your fingers weren’t enough but your will to cum was. It was a beautiful sight really, your legs spread as wide as they could possibly go, while not only you pumped your fingers into your gushing hole, but your hips bucked and squirmed into your hand too— pleading for a release.

“Please cum for me, baby. If I was there with you I’d let you fill my cunt up.” You whined.

“Fuck— You want it, pretty?” He asks, the feeling of his orgasm creeping up on him made his balls clench. God, it was fucking unbearable. He needs you so bad.

“Yes, yes, yes, please fill me up, ‘Gumi-! ‘M your cumdump.” You babble, you’re so, so, so close and Megumi gives you that final push you need.

“You’re so pretty for me. Cum, princess. Do it for your ‘Gumi.”

“Oh my god, baby, ‘M cumming-” You let out a pained cry as your release finally washed over your body. Your legs close around your hand while your high spreads throughout your lower half in strong and euphoric ripples leaving you a shaking and whiny mess. The only thing you can do is whimper your boyfriend's name. Seeing you come undone was the nail in the coffin for Megumi himself.

His entire body seems to freeze, his abs clenched in a tight ball while his hand is the only thing on his body still moving. He’s not breathing either as he feels the raw intensity of his orgasm overcome his body. His head draws back into the back of his chair and soon he’s shooting his thick white ropes from his cock. Some of it landed on his stomach and chest, while the rest leaked down slowly on his knuckles.

You both laid there in silence feeling the aftershocks of your highs and regulating your breathing. Megumi was the first to move, letting go of his softening cock to grab a few of the soft tissues resting on his desk. He wiped himself clean, checking his phone every now and again to see if you were okay. By the time he fixed his clothing, putting his shirt back on properly and pulling up his pants, you finally moved— sitting up and bringing the sheets up to your naked form.

“Are you alright?” Megumi asks, grabbing his phone for the first time since the facetime call started.

“Mhm,” You nodded cutely. “Felt good.”

“I’m sure it did.” He smiles watching you hide your flushed face into your hands.

“Come over.” You pouted.

“Right now?” Megumi asked with a raised eyebrow. He was opposed to seeing you, he never was.

“Yes, please!” You chirp.

“You’re annoying, you know that? But, fine. I’ll be there in a bit.” He says earning an excited giggling from you.

© all content belongs to rekiri 2021. do not modify or repost.

[fruitcoops]

hey! i love your work so much and i had an idea. what about the whole team going to pride? or maybe just the cubs or coops, but i would love to see the whole team supporting and maybe breaking out flags of their own. :)))

Happy Pride, everyone!!! It has been such a wild year, but I hope you all find comfort and joy during this month <3 I'm sending you all love and hugs (or high-fives, if you prefer), as well as positive vibes for the summer. SW credit belongs to @lumosinlove as always!

Credit to @queercanoe for the the rainbow bracelet idea <3

“This is…this is really nice,” Sirius said as they stood in line for popsicles. His face glowed with happiness and Remus squeezed his hand where it laid over his shoulder.

“Better than last year?”

He hummed in thought. “I like being here without the Cup and all the cameras. It’s just us.”

“And half the team,” Remus added.

“True,” Sirius laughed, bending down to kiss his forehead. Some of the glitter Lily had managed to sprinkle over his head and smear on his cheeks fell onto Remus’ shirt, and he brushed it off with a laugh. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. The kids are still arguing.”

Sirius glanced behind them and snorted; on the other end of the block, Leo hitched Logan higher on his back as he held Finn’s baseball cap out of reach. Talker and James had started an impromptu game of volleyball with a stray balloon, and the sight of Regulus playing peekaboo with Harry using his pride flag cape sent a burst of happy butterflies through Remus’ stomach.

“D’you think they’ve even noticed we’re gone?”

“Doubt it.”

They tapped their popsicles together in a toast and meandered back to the group—the afternoon heat toned down some of the manic energy of the morning parade, and Remus was content to just wander hand-in-hand with his fiancé for a while.

Not your fiancé for long, he reminded himself as the ice cooled his mouth. Just five more days, and then you’ll have a ring, too.

He stood on his toes, still a little sore from dancing earlier in the day, and kissed Sirius’ cheek. “What was that for?��

“Nothing. Just ‘cause I love you.”

Sirius let out a slow breath and squeezed him a little tighter around the shoulders, catching a drip of syrupy red before it slid down to his elbow. “This is the perfect day.”

“It is, isn’t it? Ooo, blue raspberry.”

“Can I have a taste?”

“Of c—” Remus was cut off by warm lips against his own, shorting out every braincell in one fell swoop. You sly little shit, he thought, smiling into the kiss as Sirius dipped him back.

They straightened up after a moment and Sirius raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s pretty good.”

“Your lips are purple.”

He licked his own half-melted popsicle before dragging Remus in for one more kiss, though both of them were almost laughing too hard for his plan to work. “There. Now we match.”

“Thanks, babes.”

“Hey!” Finn cupped his hands around his mouth, clearly giving up on retrieving his hat. “Are you done yet? I was promised popsicles!”

Remus flipped him off and pulled Sirius down by the collar of his shirt, suddenly uncaring of the stickiness making its chilly way down his forearm. It was their day to do that, after all; their day to be flamboyantly affectionate to anyone in sight, regardless of contracts and media and expectations. It was a day drenched in popsicle sugar where he could turn his soon-to-be-husband’s lips more purple than the dahlias he loved so much.

“You could’ve just said ‘no’,” Finn remarked as they rejoined the group, both a little flushed.

“As if you’ve kept your hands to yourself,” Remus teased, gesturing to the various smudges in Finn’s face paint.

He hesitated, then shrugged. “Good point.”

“I have them on occasion.” A burst of giggling caught both their attention and softness bloomed in Remus’ chest as Sirius tossed Harry a few inches into the air, making rocket ship noises. Next to him, Leo had set Logan down so he could lift Katie up and tickle her until she shrieked with joy.

“God, they’re cute,” Finn said around a mouthful of syrup-soaked ice. The look in his eyes was unmistakably fond, and Remus knew it was reflected on his own face.

“They are. The boyfriends aren’t bad, either.”

Finn snorted, then spluttered as he nearly spat out his popsicle, sending Remus into peals of laughter. “Stop it!” he complained, though the didn’t sound very upset at all. “I’m gonna get a brain freeze!”

“A brain freeze?” Sirius turned to Harry with exaggerated shock.

“Oh, no!” Harry gasped. Behind them, James stifled his smile in the side of Lily’s neck.

“It’s not lookin’ good, buddy,” Finn said with false gravity. “Popsicles are a dangerous food.”

Harry made grabby hands until Finn settled him on his hip, then took his face between two chubby hands and looked deep into his eyes. “Your lips are blue,” he proclaimed after a long moment.

“Are they?”

“Uh-huh. Tremzy’s got red lips, an’ Knutty’s got red lips, and Mama has pink lips, and Uncle Pads has purple lips.” Harry poked the side of his mouth. “You’ve gotta have purple lips, too.”

Finn raised his eyebrows at Remus over Harry’s shoulder. “Not a chance, Harzy.”

“We’re better kissers anyway,” Leo said with a grin as he sidled up and gave Finn a light peck. “Better, Pocket Pots?”

Harry stuck his tongue between his teeth in a comical imitation of Sirius’ concentration face; Remus shoulders shook as he held back his amusement. “Almonds.”

“What?”

“Almost,” Sirius corrected gently. “Not almonds. Close, though.”

“Tremzy!” Harry called. Logan looked up from Katie, who was quite happily upside down as he swung her like a clock pendulum. “You’ve gotta make Harzy’s lips purple!”

“Do I?” Logan glanced back down. “Can I set you down, ma princesse?”

“No!”

“Okay,” he laughed, hauling her over with careful steps. Finn leaned down to kiss him; over his shoulder, Leo and Harry made faces at each other.

“This is perfect,” Sirius murmured, resting his forehead against Remus’ (admittedly sweaty) hair. Remus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let the stress of wedding planning roll off his back. He could be surrounded by their family in a sea of color for just a little longer—they could be there together.

“I’m proud to be with you,” he said as Regulus clambered onto Leo’s back for ‘a better view’.

It was a cheesy sentiment, but they had never shied away from romcom moments before. He felt Sirius’ soft huff of breath on his temple. “Re…”

I’ll never get tired of the way you say my name. “That’s me.”

The sigh turned to quiet laughter and a kiss. “We are such a cliché.”

“But you love it.”

“Damn right I do.” His lips were sweet and a little sticky, still; Remus wanted to drown in the feeling. “I will always be proud to be with you.”

“Uncle Pads!”

“Yes?” Sirius lifted him out of Finn’s arms with a dramatic groan. “You’re growing up too fast!”

Harry squished his cheeks, then poked the tip of his nose. “Why don’t you wear rainbows?”

Sirius frowned slightly. “I’m wearing rainbows right now.”

“But you only wear them now.”

“You want me to wear rainbows every day?” He cast a look at Remus, who half-shrugged.

“You do look good.”

“Everybody should wear rainbows all the time,” Harry declared. Down the street, a series of party poppers went off, followed by loud cheering from another group.

“Excuse me?” a timid voice asked. Remus startled slightly and turned around; a small group of teenagers was huddled by the massive balloon arch. One young man held his phone up. “Could we—uh, could we get a picture with you guys?”

“Do you want me to take it for you?” Leo offered as Finn took Harry again.

The kid’s eyes went wide, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, thanks!”

“Alright, on three!” Leo squinted in the sunshine as they gathered in a semicircle. “One, two, three, smile!”

“Could we get one with you, too?” one of the girls asked when he lowered the camera.

Sirius took the camera as they shuffled around and swapped positions, crowding close to the rainbow balloons while Harry played with Remus’ colorful suspenders. “Ready? Say cheese!”

“Cheese!” they chorused.

“I got a couple, just in case.” He handed the phone back to the first boy with a smile. “Are you guys having a good time?”

“Yeah, this is amazing,” he answered, a little breathless. “It’s—this is so cool. Thanks again.”

“Pas de problem.”

Remus glanced over just in time to see the girl bump her own rainbow bracelet with Leo’s; both of them were grinning broadly. “Have fun today, okay?” he said, giving the shortest of the group a high five. A jumble of goodbyes answered before they hurried back into the crowd, whispering among themselves while their pins flashed in the sun.

“They were cute,” Sirius said, watching them go with an indecipherable look. “Feels good to know it meant something, y’know?”

“It always does,” Remus agreed, snuggling against his side despite the heat. “I wish—”

Sirius looked down at him when he faltered; Harry yawned so wide his eyes closed. “What?”

“I wish we had this when we were kids.”

Regulus and Leo tumbled out of the rapidly-growing crowd, bickering over who got which part of the cotton candy, while Kasey stood as still as he could so Natalie could finish the small bi flag on his cheek. Sirius’ whole face lit up as he watched them. “It’s even better now.”

Remus watched the second wave of the parade build around them—people of every shape and size were decked out in a whole spectrum of colors, turning the street into a living rainbow in the afternoon sun. He tucked his hand into Sirius’ back pocket and laced their free hands together, listening to his heartbeat under his cheek. “This is the best thing we’ve ever done.”

“Coming to Pride?”

“No.” He held their hands up, and Sirius’ ring caught the light. “This.”

[southernchicstyle]

Swan Princess Party

A magical black and white swan princess party with pink, of course!

The idea of a swan party was inspired by the swan pool float we have had for a few years. It just so happened my daughter was into Barbie’s Swan Princess movie when I started planning her 4th birthday.

So, the swan idea came to life around swans and princesses  - feathers, ballet shoes (as an ode to Swan Lake), swans, and black and white accented with pink. Cake by Wink by Erika with added “4″ candle, photos by Johnny Than.

Black linens on the table with our white charivari chairs pulled in the colors perfectly! And, the cute swan plates looked great on the black linens. To turn the swan plates into swan princess plates, I found gold crowns and added them to the plates. Ta-da! Swan princess plates. We added the gold crowns to the swan masks, as well.

Behind the kids’s table, we hung silk wisteria on fishing line to have a hanging floral accent. It took way more pieces than I imagined (and I still wish I’d done more of them), but it was a fun photo spot.

The  centerpieces were one of my all time favorites! I found the set of three swans in different sizes and ordered 2. My mom arranged the fresh flowers for the party and put them in the swan planters.

The food even reflected the black, white, and pink theme! Black licorice, chocolates, and chocolate goldfish were spread with yogurt covered pretzels, vanilla sugar wafers, iced animal cookies, vanilla ding dongs, white M&Ms, mini white chocolate Oreos, white chocolate covered mini Rice Krispie treats, white swirl suckers, white chocolate truffles, and pink M&Ms on my favorite melamine platter.

Another tray had the almost black colored grapes and an assortment of white cheeses, marcona almonds, macadamia nuts, and Pirate’s Booty.

We also used black rock candy in a container with more of the white chocolate pearls.  And, I found a great jewelry stand to display powdered donuts and chocolate donuts. Now the jewelry stand holds my daughter’s headbands.

White feather boas were great for draping around platters and decorations. And, we used the same flowers from our daughter’s Garden Party first birthday to add pink accents to the feathers (seriously the best faux peonies I’ve ever found).

For decorated cookies, I chose a “4″ for the 4 year old along with a feather and swans. These were done by Sweets by Shey and were tasty and on theme. She even added a little sparkle to the 4s.

The tiered serving piece has become my go-to piece for the decorated cookies at the parties, so I’m linking it here.

Another tray of food included White Cheddar Cheez-its, Pirates Booty, white cheddar popcorn, Chicken-in-a-Biscuit, Wheat Thins, and pink Goldfish to continue the white and pink foods.

I really enjoy carrying a theme all throughout the party, if you can’t tell.

I found the cutest swan cups for all of the kids that we kept on the beverage table alongside “Swan Lake Lemonade” (pink, of course!) and the cutest swan mugs from Manor used for additional florals.

The floral swan printable sign was perfectly on theme and is linked here.

In addition to the feather and floral decor, we used swan stuffed animals like the ballerina swan pictured below from Manor.

Isn’t she a beauty with her crown and ballet slippers?!?

Now to discuss my sweet girl’s dress! 

Every year Cuteheads makes a custom piece for the birthday girl to wear. This year, Esther must have read my mind because she created this piece that was perfect for a Swan Princess Ballerina party - light pink tulle with swans all over accessorized with ballet flats and a peony hair piece. 

Our swan princess ballerina was overjoyed when Rapunzel showed up to let her know Odette from Swan Lake sends birthday wishes! Fairest of All Parties has the BEST princesses in the Houston area. They worked with me tirelessly to try to have Odette from Swan Lake, but the costume was nowhere to be found and there was not enough time to create one. 

My daughter’s favorite princess at the time was Rapunzel, so it was a welcome surprise for her. Rapunzel sang (beautifully) with the kids, told stories, and shared a treasure chest of treasures. She even did face painting on the kids. 

We loved her so much, we used Fairest of All Parties for the 5th birthday (post coming soon) and are now planning number 6 with another Fairest of All Parties princess. 

Favors for the kids included a swan princess holder, swan princess “Thank You” sticker, princess crown full of candy, princess lip balm, princess rings, princess bracelets, and stickers tied with tulle.

Here’s a complete source list of all of the party things:

Ballet Slippers $35

Ballet Shoes (on birthday girl) $14.59

Balloon Garland (used black, silver, & white on balloon tape accented with greenery and feathers) 

Black linens (pintuck taffeta): Round $28, Rectangle $30

Candle (pink number 4) $6

Cake: Wink by Erika

Ceramic Swan Mugs: The Manor $20

Cookies: Sweets  by Shey

Dress: Cuteheads

Feathers: 12-14″ $12.99, 5-7″ $7.50

Feather Boas $8.59

Feather Garland $11.69

Flowers (hanging silk wisteria, 6 pieces) $12.99

Gold Crown Stickers (pack of 100) $11.85

Invites $8 (pdf & printed at Katie & Co.)

Ostrich Feathers (12-14″, 10 pieces) $12.99

Peonies $9.99 per bunch

Peony Hairpiece $15.98

Princess: Fairest of All Parties

Princess Crown in Favors (12 count) $12.99

Princess Lip Balm (8 count) $7.32

Princess Ring (36 count) $13.99

Rose Gold Cups, Plates, & Silverware (150 count) $27.99

Rose Gold Crowns (12 pack) $8.99

Swan Backdrop $18.90

Swan Ballerina: The Manor

Swan Cake: Wink by Erika

Swan Centerpieces (set of 3) $34.99

Swan Cupcake Toppers (12 pack) $12.07

Swan Cups with Straws (set of 8) $20.58

Swan Lake Lemonade Printable Sign (Invite designer made it at my request)

Swan Masks/Photo Glasses $4.99

Swan Plates (set of 6) $2.39

Swan Princess Favor Box (set of 6) $3.77

Swan Thank You Stickers (40 count) $8.99

Swan Yard Signs (10 count) $39.99

Photos by Johnny Than

                       _______________________________________

BIRTHDAY ARCHIVES

3rd Birthday: Sundae Funday

2nd Birthday: Bubble Bash

1st Birthday: Garden Party (I managed to never share these... will have to post them once I catch up on parties for you all)

[scandinavian-girl]

Valentine’s Day

A/N: Happy (late) valentine’s day. Remember to always give love to everyone and to spread as much love as possible.

Summary: valentine’s day with the heartthrob of Hogwarts, Barnaby Lee.

Warnings: None. Maybe spoilers if you are playing Hogwarts Mystery?

You have never really had a valentine’s date before. It had never really interested you because you were focused on school, tests, and the cursed vaults inside of Hogwarts. But being in your 5th year, being a prefect and being on top of the classes, you now thought it would be a good time to try to get a valentine’s date.

In your friend group there was a few possibilities when it comes to dates and a possible partner. After some time of going back and forth, you had decided to be with Barnaby, the heartthrob of Hogwarts.

Barnaby is well built, maybe not that clever when it comes to school, but his heart is made of pure gold. He loves magical creatures, and he cares for his closest friends. Plus, he was quite ambitious when it comes to his beloved creatures.

Today was Friday and there were only two days left until Valentines, so today you had to ask him if he wanted to be your valentine’s date.

Currently you, Barnaby, and the rest of both Ravenclaw and Slytherin from your year was having Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Professor Kettleburn. Kettleburn was talking about fairies in todays lesson. A subject Barnaby was quite excited about. Barnaby have talked about getting a fairy in the future, but only when he has moved away from home and in with a possible girlfriend or just a roommate.

“Uhm, Barnaby?” you asked quietly so you would not interrupt Kettleburn.

Barnaby looked at you with his light green charming eyes. “what?”

“Can we talk for a moment after class? I have an important question.”

“Sure. But please let it be quick. I’m quite hungry.” He answered shortly and gave his full attention back to Kettleburn.

As the lesson went on you and Barnaby kept making eye contact for a couple of seconds before putting your attention back to Kettleburn. The love tension between you and Barnaby was thick, in the good way. Every time you two made eye contact you could feel your stomach doing turns and making you both happy and nervous.

**

The class had just ended. You and Barnaby were walking together back to the huge castle.

“So, what did you want to ask me?” Barnaby asked you with a soft smile as you two walked by Hagrid’s garden and house.

Before you began to talk, you knew that he was not the cleverest one to solve a riddle, so you just had to be straight forward with him.

“I want to ask you to be my valentine’s date this Sunday.” You asked blushing.

“Oh really?” he stopped you from walking further and held your small hand in his.

You nodded with a shy smile. “I know how much you hate riddles, so I thought it would be easier for you that I straight up told you the truth.”

“To be fair, if the riddle came from you, I wouldn’t mind it, because I quite like you… in that way.” He smiled and looked away.

“We both know it would take you days before you could solve it, Barnaby.” You giggled.

“You’re right,” he smiled shyly.

**

When Sunday finally came, you woke up being nervous. You had a date with Barnaby, the heartthrob of Hogwarts.

What were you going to wear?

What about makeup?

But before you had to worry about any of that, you needed some breakfast.

Down in the great hall, there was already served some breakfast to start the day. The hall was decorated with flowers of love and the sky had the colours of the dawn.

You looked out over the tables to see where there was place for you to sit and eat. Luckily for you there was some empty space up by the teacher’s table. You sat down and began to eat. Since year 3, you have had a fairy as a small company, who was buy your side most of the time.

She sat by your plate and ate some human food and buzzed every time she enjoyed a bite. Out of the corner of your eye you spotted a person coming towards you.

It was Barnaby. Since it was Sunday, he was only wearing some loose emerald green pyjamas pants and a black hoodie. Normally he was dressed up in his uniform with his silver rings and silver bracelet he had gotten from a distant family member.

“Good morning, sunshine.” He said sitting down opposite you.

“Good morning slept well?” you asked softly while you took a bite from some bread.

“Slept like a dream. Got to get my beauty sleep for my date later today.” He smirked at you as he took food onto his plate.

“So, I was thinking that the date should start before dinner and right before sunset, we could walk down to the lake or go up to the astronomy tower?” he asked and took a big bite of his food. Typical Barnaby to stuff his mouth.

“I really need to teach you some manners.”

“Why?” he swallowed some food. “I have perfect manners.”

“Then why are you stuffing your mouth with so much food?” you said with a smile and drank some water.

“I’m hungry and I need my protein so I can keep my muscles big and beautiful.”

“I still need to teach you manners.”

**

It was 4:30 in the late afternoon. The sun had begun to set. Even though you wanted to visit the lake, both Penny, Rowan, and Professor Flitwick, that tonight it was better to stay within the castle, so it was a date up in the astronomy tower.

It was perfect for you and Barnaby. Neither of you feared heights or the thought of falling. As the sun was setting slowly over the lake, Barnaby and you were walking up the stairs of the tower.

The you reached the top the suns rays filled the tower with beautiful colours.

You had decided to go with a longer pink dress with sparkles and your hair had been curled with massive curlers, so it had become more voluminous. The tips of your hair were the same shade as pink as your dress. So cute.

You and Barnaby stood by the railing, talking about school, life, and the life after Hogwarts, when he mentioned your Brother Jacob.

“I know it’s a touchy subject for you, sweetheart, but I have a feeling that, if we find your brother, no other day of this journey will matter to you,” he started.

“Barnaby,”

“and for that reason, I want to give you a gift, in the memory of this valentine’s day,” he smiled and went into his pocket to get a small bow. It was a bigger box, so it was not a ring. Maybe a bracelet?

“It’s a silver bracelet. Just like mine but much more feminine. It has todays date graved into it. 14/02/1988.”

He picked it up from the box and put it on your small wrist.

“Perfect match,” he smiled. “Both Penny and Rowan helped me get the silver colour and graving perfect, so you mostly have to thank them.” He confessed with his shy signature smirk.

“No matter who made it, I love it. You gave it to me, and it already means the world to me. Just like you do, Barnaby.” You smiled and stepped a little closer to hi warmer body, who was dressed in jeans, formal shirt and a long coat.

“You mean a lot to me as well. More than magical creatures.” You both giggled.

Even though you were 15 and he 16, something between you two just felt right. Both of you could feel it.

He leaned down as you leaned up and before you knew it, you have had your first kiss with Barnaby Lee, the heartthrob of Hogwarts.

[artificialqueens]

Ever in Your Favor, Chapter One (Rosnali) - Athena2

Summary: For the 75th Hunger Games, tributes will be chosen from each district's living victors.

Denali and Rosé, two women with a shared past, are the only living victors for District 12. They’ll grow a lot closer than they planned in their effort to survive.

A/N: Bringing my love of fantasy AUs to Rosnali! It's been a while since I've done a multi-chap, but I'm excited for this one! You can probably read this without knowing the books/movies, but it's helpful if you look up the basics if you're confused. There will be blood, violence, and injury throughout, but nothing more graphic than the books/movies.

Thank you so, so much to Writ for supporting this idea and helping me with it, and FaceTiming me to scream with your reaction. I love you <3

I really hope you enjoy, and please leave feedback if you like!

Read on AO3.

The blood is everywhere.

It stains the grass, trickles down Rosé’s pants, burns in her nose. It’s sticky on the side of her face. It pours from the fresh gash across her shoulder. It’s caked under her nails. It soaks the bodies on the ground.

The bodies.

One is still clinging to life, wheezing through the hole in his chest.

Rosé made that hole.

Rosé waits, not releasing her blood-soaked grip on her blood-soaked sword, until he gives one last wheeze and the cannon goes off, announcing her as winner of the 59th Hunger Games--

“Rosie, wake up. You’re having a nightmare again.”

Rosé shoots upright in bed, soaked with new sweat and old blood.

“It’s just us here. You’re safe.”

It’s her sisters in front of her, just her sisters. No bodies. No blood. No sword in her clenched fist. She sucks in a deep breath as her sisters watch in worry.

Rosé’s the only one who officially lives in the Victor’s Village house, but more often than not, Jan or Lagoona or both will come over for dinner and occasionally stay the night with her. She knows it’s mostly because they love her and want to, but it’s partly so they can make sure she eats and sleeps. She was the one who taught them to braid hair and jump rope, who used to check for monsters under their beds, and now they have to watch her eat and put her to bed and tug her out of nightmares. But Rosé doesn’t even care, because she loves her sisters more than anything and it feels so normal to have them around. She’s able to laugh and smile and forget, and she just pretends not to see the concerned looks her sisters exchange on her behalf.

They both stayed tonight, because they know what tomorrow is.

Rosé nods as she comes back to herself, holding back the apology on her lips because she knows they’ll just brush it off.

“Are you okay to go back to sleep?” Jan asks.

Rosé shrugs. If she looks at her hands too long, blood stains appear, but that’s not something she wants to worry them about. She hates still having the dreams, clear as if they happened an hour ago, not sixteen years ago. Plus it’s almost four, and she needs to be up in a few hours anyway--

“Let’s make cookies,” Lagoona says, coming to the same conclusion.

It’s what they did as kids, helping their parents with the bakery after school and on weekends. They’d line up at the counter, and Rosé would cream the butter and sugar, Lagoona would add the rest of the ingredients, and Jan would scoop the dough on the baking trays. Their mom always says there’s nothing a cookie can’t solve, and maybe that’s true of failed tests and middle school heartaches.

It’s a little harder when you had to kill people to stay alive.

Rosé tries, goes through the motions with her sisters, grateful that she has them. Wishing she could be better for them. She tries to hold herself together with sugar and butter, erase the blood on her hands by replacing it with melted chocolate. She’s calmer by the end at least, the tightness in her jaw loosened.

She notices that the lights are on in the house across the path. There’s only one other occupant in the Victor’s Village, and she’s not sleeping either.

---

Denali has long been awake when Reaping Day comes. She’s always up early to go for her morning run. She doesn’t need to run for her life anymore, but she runs from the memories just the same. It’s a normal thing to do, like when she used to wake up early every morning and hunt, and she likes convincing herself she’s normal.

Normal people don’t sleep with a knife in their hand and a bow at their feet.

Running. Always running.

She wishes she didn’t have to come back from her run today. The reaping starts in a few hours, and she’ll be paraded across the stage, one of two victors for the district. And then she’ll get assigned some poor kids she’s supposed to mentor, and no matter what tips she gives, what favors she tries to get from rich sponsors, it won’t be enough. Those kids will never come home. Not like Denali did.

Her right knee is screaming when she stumbles in the door. She’s gone too far on it today. It had been mangled in the final fight in her Games--dislocated, muscles torn, bones shattered. The doctors fixed it up enough for her to walk painlessly, but her punishing runs are sometimes too much for it.

She makes breakfast but can’t bring herself to eat it. She never ate on Reaping Days as a kid, worrying that if the impossible happened and her name got called, she would puke in front of the whole crowd, which in her teenage mind was as bad as getting called. And then she was seventeen and the impossible did happen, and instead of being free from this once she passed eighteen, the Capitol’s rules of her serving as mentor meant she’d never really be free of the Games. Not even winning them had been enough to escape.

Donut yips at the door, and Denali realizes someone’s knocking. She pets her dog--she always wanted one as a kid, and it’s another attempt at normalcy--and opens the door to see Kandy and Kahmora on the other side.

“We’re here to cheer you up before today’s shit show,” Kandy says bluntly.

Denali manages a smile. She doesn’t see her friends very often--they’re busy with work, and her house and whole life are so dull she doesn’t blame them for not wanting to spend time here--but they always make it a point to visit on Reaping Day, and Denali is so used to the loneliness that it’s both nice and strange to have friends over. They’re the sole reason Denali has extra coffee mugs, which collect dust in the cupboard 364 days of the year.

“What do you think Manila will wear this year?” Kahmora asks, her way of avoiding the unavoidable.

Denali wouldn’t mind if she brought up the Games outright. She’s become something of an expert in them, rewatching old footage over and over, looking to lessen the Games’ power on her, or give her something that would help a tribute. If you know every second of every Games, if you’re prepared for anything, then you can’t get hurt.

“It can’t be worse than that pink coat from last year,” Kandy says.

“At least you’re not dressing her,” Denali says. It’s the first joke she’s made in months, and her laugh sounds hollow. Fake.

But they both laugh, continuing to talk about what Manila will wear to pick tribute names, and Denali can pretend she’s normal, even if normal people don’t have their back to the wall and eye on the door, ready to run if needed.

It’s fine.

She’s fine.

The reaping will be over soon, and in a few weeks, the Games should be over. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll be lucky enough to succeed and bring a kid home this year.

---

The doorbell rings minutes after Jan and Lagoona leave, and Rosé knows the time is officially here.

Denali gets her every year and they walk to the reaping together. It’s nice, not having to do it alone. Almost like having a friend, though Rosé doesn’t actually know what to call their relationship.

Denali was best friends with Jan, and Rosé remembers her climbing trees and making jokes, practically another sister to Jan. Hell, Denali was practically another little sister to Rosé. She could remember helping Jan and Denali with their math homework and teaching them to weave friendship bracelets. Rosé didn’t see her much after she got back from her Victory Tour--but then again, she didn’t see anyone much after that, didn’t really leave her room. And then five years passed and suddenly she had to mentor a seventeen-year-old Denali who was so much stronger and fiercer than the kid Rosé remembered, determined to be the best and win the Games. Rosé knew Denali could win, and did what she could to make it happen, giving tips and begging sponsors, and Denali came home. Their district hasn’t had a winner since.

“At least the weather’s nice,” Denali says as they head into town.

“Yeah.”

The weather. Rosé had helped Denali learn fractions so she didn’t tear her notebook out of frustration, had helped her perfect her grip on a knife, had included notes of encouragement with Denali’s parachutes in the Games, and they’re talking about the weather. It’s like this every year, every time they have to mentor, the bare minimum of small talk and work talk. It’s like their past is so fragile they’re afraid to bring it up, that even the slightest mention of what they share will shatter the glass, and the images of them inside it.

The Games are the biggest thing that unite them, an experience and horror they share. But the topic is an ocean between them, one they hesitate to stick their toe in with each other, one they have their own ways of dealing with. Denali thrashes through the ocean; Rosé sees her go for a run every morning, and then walk her dog later, and then do yoga after that, careful activities that let her stay above the tide, fighting the forces that want to pull her under. Rosé just lets herself drift in the waves while trying to avoid that she’s in the water at all, and hopes she has enough air not to drown when the water swells.

“Your--your hair looks nice,” Rosé says. Whatever pointless things they talk about, she’s always nice to Denali, still has it in her to do that much. And her hair really does look nice, twisting down her back in a long braid.

“Thanks.” Denali’s cheeks flush pink. “Yours does too.”

“Jan did it for me.” She touches her waves self-consciously. It’s been a while since her hair’s been this nice, and she kind of likes it. She’d do it more often, but what’s the point when she sits at home all day?

“She was always good at hair stuff. She used to do all these braids for me at school when we were bored.” Denali stops suddenly, biting her lip like she knows she’s upset the balance, bringing up anything besides the safety of the weather.

“Yeah, well, I taught her how to do them in the first place,” Rosé says lightly, not wanting Denali to worry she’s done something wrong. She hasn’t, really; she hasn’t directly brought up the Games, at least. And it’s not like Rosé has ownership of mentioning Jan, not when she and Denali were so close and still see each other from time to time.

Denali smiles, and they talk about weather for the rest of the walk.

---

The stage is set, the dry grass ready to be trod on by the anxious steps of teenagers. Manila is poised at the microphone, warming up her throat. Her feathery yellow dress is blinding, as is the smile she flashes when Denali and Rosé reach the stage.

“That dress should come with a warning,” Rosé mutters, and Denali snorts. Rosé’s been a little more talkative this morning, even if everything comes out through clenched teeth, and Denali welcomes it.

“Our two lovely victors!” Manila says cheerfully, shaking both their hands.

“The only victors,” Denali says dryly, but Manila still laughs like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard.

“Yes, well, lovely victors just the same. Take a seat. The crowd will arrive soon.” She ushers them into the plain black chairs they sit in year after year, watching terrified kids trickle in.

The twelve-year-olds come first, and they look so young. Denali thinks they look younger every year. They struggle to stay in a straight line, tripping over uneven grass and bumping into each other, the fear radiating off them.

She risks a peek at Rosé. Her fists are clenched so tight her knuckles are white, and she keeps her eyes on the stage floor, like she can’t bear to look at the kids.

Denali remembers being in their shoes, standing on the same grass. Sometimes she remembers her first reaping clearer than the one when she got picked. Everything was a blur after her name got called, and watching the footage of that day is like watching a movie of someone else, because she doesn’t remember walking up to the stage. Doesn’t remember any of it.

But her first reaping exists in perfect clarity.

Denali holds her breath as Manila reads the slip of paper clutched in her neon orange nails. She’s only feet away from the stage, and it feels like Manila can see through her, like she knows she’s reading Denali’s name and knows exactly where to find her.

But Manila doesn’t read Denali’s name.

She reads her best friend’s name instead.

The whole row of kids gasps, like they can’t believe the reaping came so close to them--came to their very row--but is leaving them untouched. Kids are already giving Jan a wide berth, like they don’t want her bad luck to pass to them. In the back of her mind, Denali wonders if she should worry about that too. But she won’t leave her friend.

Jan is frozen in place at Denali’s side, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. Denali doesn’t even think she’s breathing. The purple bow in her hair is crooked, which she would never allow, and Denali knows things are bad.

Denali wants to tell her it’s okay, wants to help her, but how can she? Everyone knows a twelve-year-old tribute is as good as dead, and Denali doesn’t know if she can pretend otherwise.

“Jan…“ Denali tries.

Jan cuts her off with a sudden breath, nodding to herself and preparing to move. But before Jan can take a step, someone sprints to the stage in a blur of red hair.

“I volunteer,” the redhead says breathlessly. “I volunteer as tribute.”

The crowd erupts into whispers, but all Denali hears is Jan scream as she recognizes the volunteer.

Rosé McCorkell. Jan’s older sister.

Jan lurches toward her sister, trembling so hard that Rosé grabs her waist to keep her upright.

“No, no, Rosie, please!�� Jan is sobbing, her face a mess of tears, fighting to break her sister’s grip.

“Jan, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Rosé says softly, though Denali can see her legs quiver for a second. “I’ll come home, I promise. I love you.” Rosé rubs Jan’s back, soothing her as she cries, and though it almost feels too personal for Denali to witness this, she can’t look away from the firm set of Rosé’s jaw, the determination on her face.

Rosé fixes the bow in Jan’s hair, kisses the top of her head, and walks up to the stage.

Manila’s voice, unchanged even after all these years, pulls her into the present.

“Now since this is the Quarter Quell,” Manila begins, “things will be a little different this year.”

Something tugs in Denali’s stomach, her heart picking up speed, all her senses on high alert. The Quarter Quell is always something different; maybe double the tributes, or half of them. But the uncertainty is bad enough, straying from the careful routine Denali expected. Something’s not right; her body senses danger. But her body is always sensing danger. Maybe she’s just being paranoid.

“To honor the Games’ history and glory, this year’s tributes will be chosen from each district’s living victors.”

Rosé’s sharp intake of breath tells Denali she’s figured it out. When Denali realizes, she doesn’t breathe. She doesn’t move. She’s seventeen again, hearing her name at the reaping, the words repeating over and over as she walked numbly to the stage.

Two tributes for each district.

Two tributes from each district’s living victors.

Their district only has two living victors.

For all the rewatching Denali’s done, all the times tracing every twist and turn of the Games, she never prepared for this. Already, her legs are burning with the urge to run like she did in the arena, running from the enemy with a constant look over her shoulder. She can’t run from this. She couldn’t as a teenager and she can’t now, when the Capitol could kill her for it.

Though she might not survive anyway.

It’s too much for her mind to process. The world becomes a formless blob and all she can hear is her heart pounding in her ears. Pounding not only in fear, but anger, anger for her and all the victors. Anger at a system that praised them for winning and said they’d have peace afterward, but never really let them be free from the Games. They did their time. They survived the Games, emerging covered in blood and sweat and tears, scars on their bodies and in their minds. Reliving the Games through mentorship each year is bad enough. How could anyone make them do this again?

Manila is handed the huge glass bowl she always uses, but instead of a mountain of slips, only two pieces of paper lie at the bottom. There’s no escape.

“Our first tribute--”

“What’s the damn point?” Rosé asks, rising from her chair, and honestly, Denali doesn’t know how she’s standing. Rosé’s face is pure white, and she quickly hides her shaking hands behind her back. She has the same look in her eyes as when she volunteered for Jan: the look of an animal who sees the hunter and knows the arrow is coming, but stands their ground anyway, brave and defiant to the end. “It can only be us.”

Manila takes a flustered breath, cheeks flushed even through her thick makeup. “Well, tradition and all--”

Denali rises too, locking her wobbly knees. “Fuck that. Rosé’s right. No sense drawing this out.” Her mom always made her drink cough syrup in one bitter swallow as a kid, and Denali would rather get the misery over with.

Rosé gives a nod of approval, and Denali blushes. Part of her still sees Rosé as Jan’s older sister, as her mentor, someone Denali desperately wanted approval from. But approval or not, she agrees with what Rosé’s doing--taking some power from the Capitol, defying the rules and going into this with their anger known, instead of sitting by and letting a piece of paper and fanfare dictate it for them. If they have to do this again, they’re doing it their way.

Manila clears her throat and takes the microphone again, instantly silencing the crowd. “Well, then. I present your District 12 tributes for the 75th Hunger Games--Rosé McCorkell and Denali Foxx. May the odds be ever in your favor.”

The words wash over her as they did eleven years ago.

Denali’s going back into the arena, and Rosé--her old mentor, her old friend--is coming with her.

[akaashisbabydoll]

that tsukishima fan aesthetic made me love him even more (if that was possible) 🥺🥺 could u make a fashion aesthetic one for nekoma ? 👀👀 u don't have to do absolutely all of them but i'd love to see kenma's and lev's

HI THANK U FOR UR ASK! I HOPE I GAVE JUSTICE TO NEKOMA'S AESTHETIC! And we gonna do them all, we’re not gonna leave anyone behind 💖 its fun to know their personality for the aesthetic 😌

NEKOMA TEAM: Fashion Aesthetic

Tetsurō Kuroo

The captain and the mama cat. He loves to wear shirts with quotes or just images on them. He doesnt wear plain shirts. Mostly his shade is dark. He loves to wear plaid shirts so that his thighs can breathe and at the same time he loves to show it off. He loves wearing accessories, sometimes he wears chains on his pants, belts and bracelets. He usally doesnt wear a watch but he has peircings, not too much just enough that would make him look hotter. Doesnt usally bring a bag, it'll ruin his aesthetic. He loves to wear boots! Black boots! The one that looks heavy af.

Nobuyuki Kai

Boo boo bear 🥺 the warmest of them all. The most approachable one. Everytime you see him you always want to hug him. He loves to wear warm and soft clothes. He has a whole ass closet of knitted clothes. Kuroo once introduced him to plaided pants and he actually liked it and realized that plaid pants are softer on skin compared to jeans. His shade is light, like creamy white kind of color. He doesnt go dark. He loves to wear sneakers or rubber shoes. Doesnt wear any accessories except for a ring that was once gifted by someone. He only carries his wallet and phone.

Morisuke Yaku

Ahhhh the e-boy of the group. The angst aesthetic. He loves to wear necklaces, chains on pants and rings. He doesnt have earings tho. Does not also wear a watch. His shade is dark. His overlays or outer clothes are always dark but inside are light colored clothes, its like a representation of his personality. He doesnt carry a bag that much but when he does its always black, dark blue or dark brown. He loves to wear black boots/black leather loafers. He is very careful on choosing what belt to wear too. The highlight of his aesthetic are the accessories.

Taketora Yamamoto

This guy loves to wear it simple but! He goes with Yaku so they shop in the same necklace store. He doesnt know much about accessories, he just wears them. He loves to wear oversize shirts and pair it with cargo pants, he once wore ripped jeans but when cargo pants was in he definitely went for it. He doesnt go simple with shoes tho. Doesnt wear basic shoes its always chunk or the Balenciaga ones that looks very heavy. He has a collection of chest bags, different types, colors and sizes. Of course the beanie! He loves beanies!

Kenma Kozume

This adorable baby has the same aesthetic as Kuroo. Not really similar, theres a few difference. Unlike Kuroo, Kenma loves to carry bags. Thats where he place his extra batteries for his game or chargers. One necklace is enough for him. He loves to wear turtle necks type of clothes he easily gets very cold. He overlays them with oversize flannel shirts or hoodies that you thought he is wearing Kuroo's clothes. The shoes he wears are rubber shoes, he loves nike! He got that one ring on his point finger still a mystery why he wears it that way everyday.

Shōhei Fukunaga

The quiet one who loves comedy and to cook. He loves to keep it cool and simple but still looks good. When you see him he's like a wind breeze passed through you. His shade is always warm, from white, blue to yellow. He doesnt wear any accessories nor belts. He loves to wear shorts that even his old jeans are altered to shorts. Sometimes he wears a baseball cap or a bucket hat. He mostly wears a sandal, he got different types of sandals. He's the simpliest of them all and the most light member.

Sō Inuoka

He loves to wear 2 clothes in 1. He prefers those cut sleeve hoodies and overlays them. This guy also prefers jeans than plaid pants. He loves to wear pink or any bright colors! He's into printed socks too. The shoes he wears are vans or nike. He loves those expensive fashionable nike. The only accessories he wears are those personally made bracelet and watch all on his left wrist. He's very specific on how he chooses his phoncase too. It's like every week he changes his phone case.

Tamahiko Teshiro

He's one of the guys who wants to wear it simple. He doesnt wear any accessories because its heavy. He prefers regular light pants than jeans and plaided ones. His shade is always light, he doesnt go dark. He wears a watch and thats it. He loves to wear converse. Doesnt carry a bag too, just purse for men.

Lev Haiba

Everything looks good on him. With his foreign face and tall structure, basically everything goes very nicely. But his fav aesthetic is the one that made him look expensive. The long blazers, turtle necks, dark pants, expensive watch and belt and he carries a hand bag. He likes his turtle neck either cotton or knitted. He loves to wear boots/loafers/derby/oxford shoes. It depends on his mood. Obviously he likes to wear dark clothes to make his hair and eyes stand out more. He doesnt really wear the blazers tho, its only for aesthetic purposes and he nailed that expensive neat looking kind of man indeed.

Yūki Shibayama

Like the other half of the members he loves to wear chains. His usual colors are brown, black and red. He doesnt explore that much with colors. He always wears a fanny pack. Wanted a perfect fitting for his structure. Doesn't want it too tight nor too much room for the breeze to come in. He likes plaid pants but not as much as Kuroo loves it. He always wear black socks no matter what. The only accessory he wears is the chain and thats it. Fav brand of shoes? Nike!

note: got the photos from pinterest, credits to the rightful owners <3

Go check out my masterlist for other teams <3

what team should i do next? Open for requests! 😊

[midnightmoonkiss]

I was told by your wonderful wife, birds-have-teeth that you were in need for some asks/requests. How about Izuku and S/O on their wedding day?

She truly is a wonderful wife 🥺💜

Ahh! I dont usually take requests, but this was just too cute to pass up!

I hope you don’t mind that these are headcanons!

Izuku Midoriya X Reader

Wedding Day.

Category: fluff

——————————

First of all! I think their wedding would be set sometime in spring. The time of year where it’s not too hot and not too cool, just after all the leaves and flowers bloom. I mean think about it, Sakura petals flowing in the wind on your wedding day? What a dream.

It sounds crazy, but I always imagined Izuku as the type of person to want to have their wedding outside.. Kind of like- in a garden? Or a forest? You know that the wedding Bella and Edward had in the forest? Kind of like that! Except surrounded by flowers!

Flowers like.. Magnolia, forget-me-nots, tulips, and of course - sakura! Or, well, Cherry blossoms~ Just! Flowers that really brighten up the secluded space. You’d need seclusion, after all, especially since you are marrying the number one hero.

Wouldnt it be so cute to be married under a willow tree, a brilliant white arch covered in white roses and vines standing above you both? Ackk vines.. So beautiful. Oh! Maybe there’s even a little rock pathway down the aisle?

The air is fresh.. Because you’re in the countryside! Maybe even in the mountains. Somewhere where a little babbling brook is not too far behind the trees, its soft bubbling noises relaxing the party-goers. 

Speaking of! Wouldnt a little plant themed engagement ring be the cutest? Something like this! 

Wedding ring.. Well you both have to pick that out dont you?

The wedding day is obviously going to be the most important day for both of you! But also, nerve-wracking as hell. Im positive Izuku has probably freaked out five times since he woke up at 6AM. Maybe a mental breakdown. Yknow. 

He’s a sensitive guy! And he’s terrified! Nono, he doesnt have cold feet. He wants to marry you! He cannot imagine his life without you in it, but God is he absolutely terrified that you might be the one leaving him at the altar.

Not that he doesnt have faith in you! It’s just.. His insecurities and anxieties taking over him. Even after all these years of unconditional love, he still cant help but feel you deserve someone way better than him. And he fears one day you’ll wake up and realize that as well.

But you’d have to be absolutely crazy to even think about doing that, huh?

So yeah. Wedding day morning is filled with Izuku’s best man - Shoto - trying to calm the sporadic man down, bringing Toshi and his mom in to aid as well. He may have thrown up. Who’s to say.

You, on the otherhand, are having a great morning. You’re bouncing with excitement! Ready and oh-so impatiently waiting to marry the man of your dreams in the most scenic area you could find. It truly was a catch! A relatively cheap place - the majority of your funds were spent on food and flowers. You can get pretty good deals on wedding dresses if you’re marrying the number one hero, apparently. So long as they get to display one of your wedding photos.

Hell, it’d help a local business boom, and who wouldnt want that? You got a discount on your bridesmaids dresses as well~

A dream.

But the start time was quickly approaching. Tick-tock!

Soon enough, the both of you are ready to start a new chapter of your lives together.

The scene is set! Your husband-to-be stand beneath arch drenched in morning dew, light breaking through the trees reflecting on each little droplet and showering the little patch where your wedding was being held in brilliant lights 

It honestly looked magical, straight out of a fairy tale. Hell, you were about to marry your prince, after all

God this wedding is like every outdoorsy kid’s dream

The piano starts up once the player gets the queue that everyone is ready.

Your friends walk down the aisle first in pairs, bridesmaids with bridesmen, silky gowns flowing in the gentle spring breeze

Soon enough the flower girl trots happily down the aisle, throwing Sakura petals every which way with a happy little smile on her face, dress as white as snow and a little pink belt. 

It was truly a miracle no one tripped on the rocks yet.

Once everyone was in their place, a traditional wedding song began to play. 

Showtime.

Izuku swore he saw an angel the moment those vines swayed to reveal you.

A sunbeam hit you from behind, its golden glow cascading down your body.

Tears formed in his eyes as he watched, paralyzed, as you walked down, heels clicking against the floor

The biggest, goofiest smile cracked onto his face, eyes connecting with yours. All was going to be alright. He had nothing to fear.

He’d probably openly sob while stating his vows, hands trembling as they hold onto yours.. It’d probably be something along the lines of.. “Ever since the day I met you, i’ve become a better man. You helped me grow into who I am today. You guided me towards the path that would lead me to happiness with your loving embrace, with every word of endearment you’d whisper to me, and with love as a whole. I always wondered what it’d feel like to be loved like this, and now that I have it, and that I have you, I don’t ever want to let go of it. Because you’re it, princess. You’re the love of my life, my one and only, my soulmate, and so much more. Every day we’re apart I always think of you. You keep me going. Without you, I wouldn’t be me.”

Something cheesy, yknow! Somethin sweeter than candy corn. <3 what a sap. 

He may have had to wipe his tears a few times… cough.

Surprisingly though, his hands are super steady when he slides that ring on.

A shaky yet firm “I do,” green eyes now a shimmering viridescent as he stares at you with the purest form of love swirling in his gaze.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

His hand reaches up, delicately placing itself on your cheek. He cant help but take this moment in, condemning your smiling, angelic face to memory, the flashes of photos being taken completely ignored as he slowly leans in. 

His lips are softer than they had ever been in that moment, the kiss itself so sugary sweet - the embodiment of innocence and passion. Love.

Eyes fluttering closed, he cant help but kiss you over and over again, each one making both your smiles grow larger until giggles erupt between the two of you.

Oh boy. He had lipstick smudged all over his lips. He couldnt care less, though. Pulling you close to his body, he smiled cheekily over at the photographer for a photo.

HE’S YOUR HUSBAND NOW! IZUKU IS YOUR HUSBAND! Praise the lords. (Y/N) Midoriya has a nice ring to it, doesnt it?

Inko welcomes you to the Mrs. Midoriya family with a hug.

The rest of the day was filled with you and Izuku being stuck together like glue, surrounded by friends and family.

The wedding photos would be filled with you two standing in a meadow, sun raining brilliantly down on the two newlyweds.

ackk just.. sakura petals flying in the wind~ how pretty. Maybe one even lands in your hair and he gets to pluck it out. <3

He’s the happiest he’s ever been.

Hell, he’s sure this is what being high felt like. 

He cant stop smiling! He’s just so so cute.

Of course, a few goofy photos have to take place! Maybe Uravity uses her quirk to make it look like the number one hero is floating away whilst you ‘run’ to try and get him.

There was even one where he and his bridesmen wear parts of their hero costumes to show off a bit. Like Deku wears his hood, Shoto wears his.. Bracelets and backback..? Stuff like that! Truly it’s a weird fuckin photo. But so so dorky and so them.

His favorite photo is definitely the one where he has you sitting on his arm as he flexes. Yep. He turned into a bit of a show off. Could you blame him? Haha.

At night is when the real fun begins. Mainly because of the party! Lanterns are set up everywhere, and due to being so far from the city- the stars are shining in the sky! Much more than youre used to.

Izuku took a dance course, unbeknownst to you (Shoto and Bakugou were forced to join him- talk about chaotic!), so that first dance together is honestly breathtaking. He’s so gentle with you, leading the way and twirling you around.

May or may not have bawled when you danced with Toshinori. 

CUTTING THE C AKE. OKAY OKAY.

It’d probably be forest themed. Green and white blending beautifully together, maybe even a little frosting stream cascading down the side. Hand made models of you and Izuku stood proudly at the top. I guess the flavor would be something you both chose together?

He loves touching your soft hands so holding that knife together is awesome for him.

Oh yea. After the perfect photo is taken, he definitely smears frosting on your cheek - just so he has an excuse to lick it off.

Sticky!

You both leave in a black limo, a “Just Married!” sign placed on the back.

Ahh. honeymoon time.

It’s going to be a long night,

Mainly because..

Well. Traveling- and.. Y’know (;

All in all! It starts off as stressful, and ends in the sweetest way possible.

[spine-buster]

the storm before the calm (f. andersen) | 3

A/N: I continue to be baffled by the response to this fic.  It’s overwhelming!  Keep those canon questions coming!

TW: mention/explanation of EDs, EDNOS/OSFED

While alone in his hotel room one night, after most of the guys had left to go to a bar, Fred decided to conduct an in-depth search of Aleida Casillas.  He knew there were a lot of things she wasn’t telling him, and that he couldn’t really trust the word on the street from girls like Serena.  So he went digging.

The first links that came up were fashion related.  Things she wore to events put on by the Toronto International Film Festival, by Toronto Life magazine, by various other institutions in the city that always liked to have charity galas and fundraising parties so people with money felt like important, morally conscious philanthropists when they wrote $10,000 cheques for their tables.  There were a lot of pictures.  And she looked beautiful in all of them.  Stylish and classy and just plain good.  Everything fit to perfection.  He could see why she was a model – at least an apparent model – even though she never talked about it.  Her body was to die for.  People went under the knife to look like her.  

Other articles appeared from her past.  There was a photo of her as a teenager, posing in her school uniform, the kilt and blazer in full effect.  There was a family photoshoot when Hello! Magazine did a ten page spread of their newly renovated mansion in Rosedale, another spread from when their dad celebrated his 60th birthday party at the Shangri-La, and modelling shots from her Instagram profile and designers’ Instagram profiles.

World-renowned cardiologist, Dr. Felipe Casillas, and his wife, plastic surgeon Dr. Leonor Casillas, invite us into their home!

Youngest daughter Aleida, 17, who was just recently accepted into the University of Toronto’s faculty of music, poses with her older sister Alejandra, 21, recently accepted to the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine, are pictured above.  Alejandra is keen to follow in her parents’ footsteps and enter the medical profession.  “It’s important to me to carry on the legacy that my parents have established in Toronto,” she says.  

Aleida, for her part, loves music.  “I think if Aleida could sing every day, she would,” Leonor laughs.  “She has been playing piano since she was a child.  Aleida is far from a doctor, so it’s only natural for her to want to pursue it instead of medicine.”

Fred was irked at the comment.  He clicked on other articles and read on.

Aleida Casillas, 21, poses front row at Alexander McQueen’s London Fashion Week show.  Casillas has just graduated with a degree in music.  “Perfect for serenading,” she flirts into our camera.

Click.

Toronto socialite and all-around beauty Aleida Casillas knows a thing or two about fashion.  After attending Branksome Hall with up-and-coming designer Genevieve Jones, the daughter of renowned cardiologist Felipe Casillas and plastic surgeon extraordinaire Leonor Casillas knew it was a no-brainer to support the designer as she launched her first collection.  She does, after all, have all the best connections.  Who wouldn’t want to attach themselves to Aleida?

Click.

TDOTDIRT.com: Aleida Casillas is hot – we all knew that.  But did we know she’s fuckin’ smokin’ hot?

Check out her tits in her newest modelling shoot for Genevieve Jones. Those nips poking through?  Nice.  And let’s not get started on her ass…

Aleida is probably the hottest girl in Toronto.  Too bad she’s got a stick up her ass.  

Click.

Aleida Casillas sits front row at the Genevieve Jones fashion show after modelling for the brand.

Click.

Aleida’s tight body—

Click.

Equestrian pursuits have always been a passion for the Casillas family.  Dr. Felipe Casillas, the cardiologist responsible for the successful quadruple bypass of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, brings us to the horse farm where his family’s horses are kept.  Left, Dr. Casillas’s youngest daughter, Aleida (15), poses with her horse Concordia.

Click.

Who wouldn’t want to slap Aleida’s tight ass—

Click.

TODIRT.com: Sent to us from a reader: If ANYONE ever runs into Aleida Casillas RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!!  That girl is the BIGGEST BITCH in the city of Toronto.  She thinks she owns the city cause her family is rich!  I PERSONALLY saw her ruin a date right in front of me by FLIRTING with the guy IN FRONT OF THE GIRL!!!!!  She’s a heartless bitch!!!!!  And she thinks she’s such hot shit because she’s in magazines and models and is popular on Instagram, but NOBODY LIKES HER!!!!!

Click.

Aleida Casillas keeps her Cuban roots close to her heart.  She returns to Havana every year, where her family is one of the few who own a historic mansion in Miramar, to return to the place she has such find memories of.  

Click.

If u check the insta of @aleidacasillas she posted a story of her at the leaf game. she’s def in the wag section. is she dating someone on the leafs?

Who?

omg aleida casillas is at the leaf game. basically confirms she’s dating someone on the team.

Who is this girl you guys keep talking about?  Is she a known bunny?

Aleida Casillas is one of the biggest socialites in Toronto.  These anons are reaching.  If she was dating a Leaf, we’d know about it.  Trust me.  She’d make us know about it.  She has no shame.

Um okay?

Click.

Lock.

He was left more confused than when he had started – at least somewhat.  There was so much to know about her, so much that she was already telling him but so much he still needed to know.  More than anything, he didn’t know how he didn’t know her before this.  How it had to come to finding her crying in order to know who she was when she was already in the public eye and there was so much to find out about her.  

He sighed.

He unlocked his phone again.  

You have horses? he typed and sent off the message.  He had no idea how she would react.

I have one horse, Mars.  I’ve had horses.

Who told you?

I googled it

You must have found out a lot then

Nothing as important as what you tell me when we’re alone

God, he didn’t expect that to come out like it did.  He was a grown man who wanted to hide beneath the covers.

Well aren’t you a lucky boy

I didn’t mean it like that

I know you didn’t

My attitude doesn’t come through via text.  Sorry.

What are you up to?

Why haven’t you told me about your family?

Because I don’t think they’re very proud of me 

I don’t think I ever lived up to their expectations, but my sister did

And that’s created tension

At least to me

They try to hide it but I know they’re disappointed

I doubt they’re disappointed in you

You’re successful

No I’m not

Not like them

Fred stared at the message for a long time – probably too long.  Because before he could begin typing out a message – what he would say, he didn’t know – she’d already sent something again.

Go to bed Fred.  Big game tomorrow.

God forbid people find out I’m the one to keep you up, right?

***

Fred watched intently as Aleida walk into the café.  She was dressed in tight black pants, a tucked in black turtleneck, and a stylish brown plaid blazer.  Her hair was styled in loose curls and it bounced so effortlessly, like she was in a shampoo commercial.  Jewelry dripped off of her.  On her neck, a multistrand pearl necklace hung over her turtleneck, the diamond clasp holding it together shining bright in the light.  On her ears, pearl studs.  On her wrist, stacks of Cartier Love bracelets she had obviously put on recently.  On her fingers, a large emerald cut light green amethyst on a gold band on one hand; an equally as large emerald cut pale pink morganite ring on a gold band on the other.  

He shivered thinking about how much money she was wearing.  Why she was wearing so much money.  She approached the table and set her purse down on it – a Birkin, naturally – obscuring the view of what was on their table from the rest of the café-goers.  “Thanks for getting a table at the back,” she said, not even saying hello.

It was a point of pain for Fred that she was averse to being seen with him in public, unless it was at the backs of restaurants or cafes where very few people would see them.  He tried to not let it get to him, but it was proving hard.  “Yeah, no problem,” he said absent-mindedly.  “Why are you all…” he didn’t finish his sentence, instead deciding to do jazz hands to signify how dressed up she was.  Not that she didn’t dress up all the time – it was mostly a statement on the jewelry.  

“I met with my friend Genevieve,” Aleida revealed, sitting down in her seat.  “You must have heard about her in your readings.”

“The designer.”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head.  “We did some new shots of her new pieces for Instagram, which is why…” she held up her hands, jingling her fingers like he’d just done, and motioned to her necklace.  “Clothes are hers.  Jewelry is mine.”

“You didn’t want to go home and change?” Fred asked.

Aleida’s brow’s furrowed.  “Why?  Do I not look good?”

“No!  No no!  You look incredible—”

“Then why would I change?”

“I – forget it,” Fred shook his head.  “How are you?”

Aleida shook her head slightly.  There were a few moments where it looked like she was going to say something, but she didn’t.  She’d stop herself.  “I’ve been thinking about the stuff we talk about,” she began, getting right into it.  No formalities; no small talk.  “And I don’t…I don’t know why you’re still here.”

Fred was perplexed.  “What do you mean?”

Aleida sighed.  “I’m just not…” her voice cracked slightly.  “I’m not a good person.  And you are.  And I don’t know why you’re sticking around when it’s so obvious we’re like fire and ice.”

“Aleida, when are you going to get it through your thick skull that none of that matters,” he said, reaching over the table to hold her hand.

This time, there was no flinching.  But she did tug away, and there was a sharp intake of breath as his hand refused to let go, even after being dragged further across the table.  “Don’t do that,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“Why not?”

“Because if you do, I’ll melt into you.”

Fred’s heart skipped a beat at her words.  “What’s so wrong with that?” his voice was soft.

Aleida shook her head again, like she was trying to deny not only Fred but herself too of the nonsense that was coming out of her mouth.  “I can’t…I can’t…”

“Why not?”

“I can’t corrupt you.”

Fred looked at her like she was crazy, because she was really sprouting some nonsense now.  He didn’t know where she was getting this from – where her mind would go when she was alone and overthought things – but if this was the result of a mind too active to think rationally, he didn’t like it.  “You’re not corrupting anyone,” he stressed.  

“I’m too much for you.”

“Maybe you’re just what I’ve been looking for.”

Aleida continued to shake her head.  She was stubborn – he had to give her that.  And quite hard-headed.  “You’re looking for balance.  You said so yourself,” she said.  “I can’t give you balance.”

“Who are you to tell me what kind of balance I need,” he said back to her.  “Maybe you’re the balance I need.”

“Fred,” she stressed his name, “you don’t understand.  I’m not in a good place emotionally and I haven’t been for months – some would argue years – and –”

“Aleida, stop it,” he said firmly.  The stubbornness and hard-headedness were hard to get through but he could be that right back at her if she was going to be like this – putting herself to blame for things.  “I’m going to be in your life whether you like it or not.”

“But why?  Why?” she demanded.

“It’s not obvious to you?  I like you, Aleida.  Can’t you see that?”

She looked at him, bewildered.  Like he’d just grown another head.  “You like me?”

“Of course I like you,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “You honestly think I don’t?”

“You – you mean you think I’m beautiful,” she attempted to correct him.

“No.  Well – yes – that too – but besides that.  I like you.  However you present yourself to me.  However you are.  I like you.”

Aleida looked mystified.  Like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Like it was a foreign concept that someone could like her and want to be around her willingly without bringing her beauty into it.  He wondered what made her think this way – what made her think the only reason people stuck around was her beauty.  “Listen, Aleida—”

“Aleida?” a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

All the emotion drained from Aleida’s face as she violently tugged her hand away from his grasp and hid it underneath the table.  She looked up and noticed an all-too-familiar face at the waiting area of the bar.  Fred looked behind him to see a woman walking towards them.  Dressed impeccably – much like Aleida – except with less jewels draping off of her, although he still noticed similar Cartier love bracelets and a gold necklace.  Fred figured she didn’t come straight from a modelling shoot.  Although, the more he stared at her, the more he noticed similarities between the two women.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked, a nice smile on her face.  She had beautiful, clear skin; long dark brown hair slicked back into a ponytail with a trendy headband; full lips painted with a neutral pink.  “Didn’t think I’d run into you here after you didn’t answer my text this morning!  I thought you might have dropped by the clinic.”

Fred looked between the woman and Aleida.  Aleida caught him staring, and when she did, she knew she would have to explain.  There was no way getting out of it.  “This is my sister Alejandra,” she explained quickly, with no enthusiasm in her voice.  “Alejandra, this is Frederik.”

Alejandra.  It took a second for Fred to realize that she was Aleida’s sister.  But after taking another look at her, and noticing their similar facial structure, noses, cheeks, and lips, he wondered why he didn’t see it sooner.  He cracked a polite smile.  “Hi.  It’s nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.  

“So this is Frederik Andersen,” she smiled, shaking his hand.  “You look different without your goalie mask on.”

Fred chuckled slightly.  “Yeah.”

“Sorry if you get that a lot.  When my husband found out Aleida somehow befriended you it was a big shock to us all.”

“Oh, that’s no problem,” he said.  His eyes flashed to look at Aleida quickly, who looked more nervous and uptight than usual.  “It’s nice to finally meet you.  Aleida has told me a lot about you.”

“Did she tell you she was supposed to come visit our clinic this morning?” Alejandra slightly laughed, shifting her attention back to her sister.  “Where were you?”

“I had a shoot.”

“A shoot?”

“With Genevieve.”

“You had a modelling shoot with Genevieve.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, alright,” Alejandra accepted Aleida’s excuse nicely enough.  She didn’t put up much of a fuss.  “Mom was wondering if you’re still coming to dinner Wednesday night.  She didn’t get a text back from you.”

“I’m coming.”

“Fred, would you like to join?” Alejandra asked.

Before Fred could even breathe – before he could even entertain the notion of getting dressed up, going to Aleida’s parents’ house, meeting them and interacting with them for an entire night like Alejandra was proposing – he noticed Aleida’s eyes bulge out of their sockets at Alejandra’s question.  “Fred has a game Wednesday,” she said quickly, answering for him.  

“Oh…okay then.  Next time,” Alejandra nodded, smiling politely again.  She focused back on her sister.  “Did you eat today?  Since you were supposed to come for breakfast.”

Aleida tried not to glare at her sister.  “I’m trying to eat right now.”

“No foam latte for Alejandra!” the barista called out, placing a large takeout cup on the bar.  Fred, Aleida, and Alejandra looked towards the cup before looking back at each other.  

Alejandra smiled at them.  “Guess I better get going – Oliver is waiting outside anyway.  It was really nice to meet you Fred,” she said, extending her hand one last time.

“You too.”

“I’ll have to have you over for dinner or drinks sometime, whenever Aleida lets me,” she winked at them.  “Take care.”

Fred watched as she walked out of the café, meeting with a man waiting that Fred could only assume was her husband Oliver before the continued down the street.  He looked back at Aleida, who was already looking down at her empty plate, not bothering to watch her sister.  “So that was Alejandra?” Fred asked.

“Doctor Alejandra Casillas-Rowe,” Aleida said her full name pretentiously, rolling her eyes.

“She was nice.”

“I guess.”

“You look like her,” Fred commented.

Aleida finally looked him in the eye.  She snorted at his comment.  “She looks like me.  She made herself look like me.”

Fred didn’t want to get into it.  There was obviously something there that he didn’t want to get in the middle of.  Relationships between sisters were notoriously…complicated.  He figured this was no different, especially considering the way Aleida was and what she had already told him about Alejandra living up to their parents’ expectations and Aleida not.  

Instead, Fred reached under the table to hold her hand again.  This time, she didn’t tug away.  

***

“This is the big boy who was looking for you that one time,” Frank, the drummer in Aleida’s band, purred as he was introduced to Fred at Aleida’s house during a “gathering” she was having.  He eyed Fred up and down even as he spoke.  “A very, very big boy.”

“Stop scaring him,” Aleida giggled, pinching the skin on Frank’s forearm.  

“Didn’t you?” Frank quipped.

“Apparently not,” she wiggled her eyebrows.  

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Fred added.  

“You are.  And believe me, that says a lot,” Frank said.

Fred felt Aleida snake her arm around his bicep.  He tried not to shiver at the contact – at the fact that for the first time, it was her that initiated the contact.  “He’s gotta meet everybody else.  We’ll be back.”

Frank scoffed playfully.  “But he’s a tall glass of water and I’m not done drinking!” he complained, giving Fred yet another up-down.  

“Goodbye Frank,” Aleida whisked Fred away.

As Aleida began introducing Fred to everyone, he made sure to keep track of their names and their instruments.  There was Frank, the drummer; and Celeste, the saxophone player; and Malakai, the trumpet player; and his twin brother Marcellus, the trombone player; and Oscar, who played guitar on a vintage archtop; and Gina, the bassist, both double bass and electric; and Aleida of course, the pianist and singer.  As he met them, they all gave him knowing looks.  

These were the members of Aleida’s band, The Havana Cats – her second family.  They had been with her since she was twenty, when they all met magically one night at some bar downtown and realized they all played instruments and had a nagging desire to start some form of band as a means to relax from stressful university workloads.  And they did – they formed a band and jammed in rented out studio space or in someone’s garage.  But then they got good.  Really good.  And then Marcellus got the bright idea to book them a gig.  And they played it and did really well, so the owner asked them back.  Again.  And again.  And again.  And then they incorporated themselves into a business, and got booked at bigger clubs and more exclusive events thanks to Aleida’s name, and soon enough, they were booked a lot.

And they stuck together.

Most had day jobs – Malakai and Marcellus worked for the same financial securities firm, Gina worked as a web designer, Celeste as a music teacher, and Frank as waiter in an upscale restaurant – but their real passion was the music.  They were booked most weekends, at either private events, galas – like where Aleida had performed the same night she met Fred – or the odd jazz bar in downtown Toronto – like where Fred had watched them last.  

Genevieve was at the party too, tall and statuesque, with an air of grace about her that Fred immediately felt the minute he was introduced to her first.  They made polite small talk – she asked about the team, he asked about her being a designer – before the band came over all in one go.  That was when things got hectic.  But despite everybody being there, treating Aleida’s townhouse as if it were their own, eating all the food on the island and playing all the music from the speakers, Fred knew that Aleida was surrounded by people she loved, and people that loved her.  

There were moments when Fred would watch Aleida and he knew she was happy – that the smile on her face and the slight crinkles of her eyes were signs of pure, true, genuine happiness as she was surrounded by them.  There were moments when their eyes would meet across the room and she’d wink at him and he’d wink back, and he knew she wasn’t playing a game – that the wink was a genuine, deliberate act on her part to flirt in front of people she was comfortable with.  There were moments when she’d come up to him sitting at the bar and she’d stand in between his large legs as he sat on a barstool, and her body would be dangerously close to his, and her fingertips would graze his thigh or he’d bring his own hands up to lightly touch her hips or lower back or backs of her thighs and a blush would overcome her cheeks, and he knew she wanted to be there – that she wanted to be close to him, physically close, and that her guard was down, which was why she was even doing all of this in the first place.  She must have taken the conversation at the coffee shop to her heart, because there was no fighting, there were no stupid excuses, and there wasn’t any confusion about the feelings shared.  

Fred was seeing the happy Aleida.  The true Aleida.  What Aleida could look like.  What Aleida was like, at her core.  Without…everything else around her.

It was the most attracted he had ever been.

The band began to argue about whether or not they should jam out a few songs.  Oscar had already picked up the acoustic guitar sitting in the corner and was strumming random chords.  Celeste was offering songs.  Malakai was shooting them all down.  Fred’s hands were cold as Aleida had walked away from him, leaving him unable to touch her and feel his fingers burning as he did so.  He watched her kick Frank off her piano.  A Steinway Model D Concert Grand, it cost over $150,000.  Most people didn’t even have them in homes, because of their size and the fact that it was a concert piano meant for a giant stage, but Aleida did.  It was her baby.  And it wasn’t for fooling around with.  So Genevieve was explaining to him.  

“Aleida’s a treat, isn’t she?” Genevieve was quiet as the band continued to argue.  The sound of a few quick piano chords filled the room.

“She definitely is.”

“You know, Fred, it’s really telling that you’re still here.”

Fred gave her a look.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s a fire inside of Aleida,” Genevieve explained.  “Not many people are able to handle the heat.”

Leave it to a fashion designer to speak in metaphors.  What was the fire supposed to represent?  Her personality?  Her issues?  Fred wished Genevieve would just say what’s on her mind.  “I know she’s going through a lot, and she’s maybe been through a lot, but I’m able to look past the front she puts up with people,” he explained.

“I know you can.  That’s why I’m saying it’s telling you’re still here,” she clarified.  “It’s telling, because a lot of people know about Aleida, and they think they know her just because they see her or hear stories about her, but I’d hazard to guess it’s only the people in this room who know and understand and can see the true her.”

“So what’s that got to do with her fire?”

“Most people just feel the burns.  Only some people can see the fire, Fred.  And you’re one of them.”

Before he could respond, the familiar sounds of a song he knew all too well hung in the air and distracted him, making him focus instead on Aleida sitting behind her piano and on Oscar strumming the guitar notes.  John Mayer.  He watched as she closed her eyes and continued to sing, her voice deep and jazzy and soulful all at once.  Everybody in the room became mesmerized listening to her.  Oscar helped sing the second stanza, then it returned to her.

She and Fred locked eyes.

“Don’t say a word, just cover and lie here with me, cause I’m just about to set fire to everything I see…”

A shiver ran up his spine.

***

When everybody was gone, Aleida found herself nestled into Fred again.  He had to be a gentleman about it.  Despite being touchy feely all night, he had to ask to touch her before she agreed, and his hands were so soft and delicate as he did; and when he wrapped his arms around her, she couldn’t help but melt – do the exact thing she was scared of doing when she spoke to him at the coffee shop.  But she found it harder and harder to say no to him, harder and harder to be so hard and difficult with someone who was only so easy and delicate with her.  

And so as she looked into his big blue eyes, and felt the scruff of his beard along the backs of her fingers, in the depths of her mind she knew he deserved better.  Explanations.  

“You okay?” his voice was barely above a whisper.  

Explanations.  He needed more explanations.  He needed to know what happened to her.  What she had been through.  Other things that made her the way she was.  

So she was going to tell him.

“I had an eating disorder – well – I – I had trouble with food, and I had trouble with my body for a long time, because people paid more attention to it than they did me, and it really fucked me up for a really long time, and I think it’s the other major reason why I am the way that I am today,” she said, finally.

Fred’s eyes stung upon hearing her revelation.  He had never known anyone with an eating disorder, even though he knew the brain was a tricky and complex thing.  He wanted to be more understanding – not just for his sake, but for Aleida’s.  He assumed that she had probably told very, very few people about it – and a part of him wondered, knowing the relationship with her family, if she even told them.  As much as it was painful for him to hear, and as much as it probably took a lot for her to tell him, it was a privilege hearing it.  It meant she trusted him.  “Aleida…”

“What I had was an EDNOS – but now they call it OSFED,” she kept talking, needing to let it all out now that it was out in the open.  “It started my last year of high school…basically the day I turned 18 and was legal.  I wasn’t anorexic or anything – or bulimic – and I didn’t really binge eat often.  But I was obsessed with my body because everybody else became obsessed with my body.  I would think about everything that went into my mouth and how it would affect my body and how it looked.  Like, if I ate a kale salad would my stomach still be flat?  If I ate a donut would my boobs get bigger from fat?  It was all in an effort to maintain the beauty that people were so fixated on, because I was convinced by everybody around me that it was the only thing about me that mattered.”

Fred’s mind was racing a mile a minute, thinking about what she had to go through at such a young age.  He wanted to punch every single person who was responsible for making her feel the way she did; for making her think she was only beautiful and not anything else – a real, three-dimensional human being with needs and wants and emotions just like everybody else.  “How long have you been sick?” he asked.

“It went on for a couple of years before I got help.  It was the worst kind of psychological torture.  You have no idea.  But I finally told my parents – well, my dad, the one who isn’t a plastic surgeon.”

Fred’s mind began to race again, thinking about everything she had to endure.  The pain and suffering of being in a body she had a bad relationship with; the constant guilt of trying to nurture herself with food but fighting an internal battle with herself wondering if it was worth consuming; the harassment from people around her who only focused on the least important part of her; the self-hatred; the loneliness; knowing that everybody around her was obsessed with the one thing she didn’t want them obsessing over, and judging her over the one thing that didn’t need to be judged.  He was at a loss for words, and a loss for actions.  “I’m so sorry,” was all he could say.

She smiled meekly at him.  “You’d think that a doctor who sees Felipe Casillas making an appointment would know better, but apparently not.  The first doctor told my father it was a privileged disease,” she continued to confess.  She noticed Fred’s eyes go wide at what she had just said.  “He told my dad that I had been a bored teenager, and a bored adult, and if my dad gave me something to do, I would grow out of it.”

“That’s horrible,” Fred commented.

“I know.  I’m pretty sure my dad tried everything in his power to get the guy’s medical licence revoked,” she said, slightly smiling.  “I’m okay now, if you’re wondering.  But it was a struggle for a really long time.”

“You’re so strong,” Fred blurted out, the filter between his brain and his mouth non-existent.  “You’re so, so strong.”

Aleida didn’t know whether to believe him.  She didn’t know if she was strong.  She never thought about it.  Other things, unfortunately, preoccupied her mind, and her strength and how she overcame something like that never took precedent.  She almost let it destroy her.  Maybe it did.  

There was nothing left to say.  Fred and Aleida knew there was nothing left to say.  Words exhausted them – he knew he didn’t exactly speak much, but he didn’t need to.  Aleida’s words – the more important words – hung in the air around them.  They continued to just stare at each other, his blue eyes and her hazel eyes communicating things that didn’t need to be said with words.

Then, Aleida moved closer.

And closer.

And then, she kissed him.  And he kissed her back.  And it was soft at first – like everything else to do with Fred, Aleida thought.  And then she kept kissing him.  And kissing him.  And kissing him.  And he kept kissing her.  And kissing her.  And kissing her.  And soon Aleida didn’t know where her lips started and Fred’s began.  And she didn’t need to guess what he tasted like, because he slipped his tongue into her mouth.  And he didn’t need to guess what she tasted like, because she slipped her tongue into his mouth too.  And they kissed.

And they kissed.

And they kissed.

“Aleida?” Fred’s voice mumbled against her lips as they caught their breath.

“Hm?”

“You have to start doing things that make you happy.”

She made sure she was looking him directly in the eye.  “I already am.”

[harryspoutine]

The Cake and Spoon Bakery

Part 1

Hafsa smiled as she opened up the bakery. She'd had this job as a server for 3 months now and she loved it. It was only supposed to be a short term thing, so she could save some money for her mum, but she ended up staying much longer than anyone had expected.

It was a Saturday morning so it was her turn to open up the store. Her converse clad feet padded against the worn wooden floor as she mentally checked off all the things that she needed to do. Once she was finally done, she went outside, turning the sign on the front door. Open. Hafsa sat down behind the teal till and waited for the customers to file in. Hafsa loved the look of the Cake and Spoon bakery. It was perfect, from the smooth countertops, once white now off white with age, to the teal accents scattered around. It had a feel that meant that everyone who merely walked by felt at home, much like Hafsa did.

She leant on her hands, waiting for someone to walk in, for something to do. She blew her long black curly hair out of her face impatiently.She was often restless and found it hard to sit still after her mums..her mums.. what happened to her mum. On edge, she jumped up, anxious for a task to busy herself and fill her empty hands. Grabbing a few naked cakes from under the glass case and a piping bag crammed with a myriad of colourful frosting and began to ice the cakes. One,after another,after another; taking care not to ruin her favourite black  sweater. Hafsa was wearing something very normal but it definitely worked. A fitted black jumper. Crop tops and tank tops had no place in Manchester, where weather is not kind. Her dark washed jeans already coated in flour, she simply shrugged, unable to fix the problem now.She began to lose herself in the mundane yet repetitively fulfilling task until she heard the bell ring, meaning that there was finally a person, someone to interact with. Looking up, trying not to look too hopeful her eyes settled on her favourite customer, Anne. Anne was a beautiful woman,she had chestnut brown hair cut to her shoulder. She wore statement earrings and a beaded bracelet. Anne was anything but old fashioned.With bright eyes and a wide smile Anne greeted her with the same warmth she always did.

"Hafsa, lovey! You look beautiful. How are you?" Anne beamed.

Hafsa blushed."Great thanks Anne, and you?

"Doing even better now M'here" She said as she picked up one of the cake Hafsa was icing and inhaled deeply, a grin plastered on her face.

"Hows Gem? Haven't seen her in absolutely ages" Hafsa gushed.

Annes eyes gleamed,"She's great hun, always asking about you.. wondering when you would come over again"

Hafsa sighed "Soon, soon. I just don't get out much since.."

Anne replied before Hafsa could finish, sensing her discomfort "Yeah I know, but whenever you're ready, remember my doors always open. The whole family misses you."

"Believe me, I miss you guys too" Hafsa responded." So what are you looking for today, you're usual or are you wanting to try something new??"

"Umm" Anne said fingers tapping on the glass counter " Ill go with a latte, a croissant and.. can I make an order to pick up later today?" she asked.

"Of course yeah, just tell me what you want and Ill have it ready whenever.

"Hmm, what do I fancy? Can I get that whole tequila infused cake and can you add a message by any chance?" Anne inquired, pointing over at the 3 tiered hot pink cake in the corner of the glass.

It was supposed to be for a bachelorette party but it was never collected. The edible diamanté edges and finishing glistened in the morning sun. Hmm classy.

"Woah Anne, tequila? Its quarter past 9 in the morning" Hafsa laughed.

"Oi pack it in, don't judge me, its not for now anyways. So can you add a message?"

"Deffo, just write it down with what colour icing you want, any other things you want me to add and then Ill ring it up"

Hafsa hands Anne a post it and a pen and starts making Annes coffee as she hears the scratching of the pen in the background, standing out against the silence in the rest of the bakery. As Hafsa finishes up the order, Anne sliders the post it over the counter.

"Happy 20th Birthday Harry in light pink icing surrounded by different breeds of cats" Hafsa read aloud , confused but also intrigued. "Cats?" She questioned.

"Harry does love his pussies" Anne retorted, with a look on her face, a bit like she needed to poo.

After a few seconds of silence and awe from Hafsa, Anne burst out laughing, "Inside joke" she explained.

Hafsa nodded, still slightly confused but not willing to question much further. Anne handed her the money for the coffee, croissant and the cake.She turned away to put the notes in the till before looking back at Anne. "Harry?"

"My son" Anne replied, much to Hafsa's shock.

"Ive known you for ages and you never told me about your son??" Hafsa almost screeched, shocked about the information she was hearing.

"Yeah he's been away for a while doing his um.. thing, but he's back now for his birthday" Anne explained.

"Ahh okay, that must be nice" Hafsa said, feeling her cheeks warm.

"Yeh, very nice" Anne said, her bright grin returning back to her face. Hafsa was happy that Anne was so happy.

"Okay Ill get this done in the next few hours and you can pick it once I give you a call? Sound good?"

"Sounds great Hafsa, so nice seeing you again lovey" Anne replied, grabbing her latte in one hand and her croissant in the other.

"Bye"

"Bye love"

And with the final slam of the front door, the interaction ended. Hafsa returned solemnly to her half iced cupcakes, once again eager to fill her empty hand and once again, alone.

[softsweetsuffering]

OC LIST (New)

Trey:

Has an ability to mimic or amplify abilities/powers of others, as well as telekinesis

Was previously part of a group of people who also had abilities, however after mistreatment and other issues within the group, he left.

He's got a good wealth behind him.

Extremely gentle

Handsome ;)

Loves photography

Has lavender hair

Respects all

'Secretly' Plays violin

Lowkey a sugardaddy

Hamrish Benat:

Has four eyes!

Pink and blonde hair

He loves parkour (as in climbing buildings and leaping around in gyms)

Has PTSD (There are two AUS of which I default as to how he obtained it)

Ready to deck a bitch

Trained nurse

Loves teddy bears and fuzzy pink socks.

Also goes by Hami/Hayden

Andy peters:

Strong, kind.

The quiet Big Type, doesn't always talk, but his heart is in good places.

Wishes he could do more

Buff + Tall

Wears a pair of dogtags.

Has red streaks in his hair for the fun of it

Is extremely brotherly to Adrian

is friends with Hami

Adrian Géarán:

Nervous Malnutritioned anxiety filled tired mess

Has emotionally linked fire abilities (does not like having them)

likes to make little robots!

Easily bullied

Missing an arm

Struggles with normal life

Blames himself for Andys death

Looks unintentionally vaguely like Fry from Futurama

Chris:

Leader of a summer camp for kiddos

Huge fan of the outdoors

Loves to garden

Red head with freckles

Healthy!

Good build, a little on the below-average male height

Likes to hike

Loves kids

Strong but pacifistic

Great smile

Surprisingly a little shy around other adults

Bisexual

Himbo energy

Douglas Connelly:

Just a regular chubby guy

His chub is only important because this man gives some of the best hugs, he's like a marshmallow

He is outwardly confident about his size, even if it sometimes worries him internally

He loves music, loves to groove in the kitchen while making snacks

Always open for roommates and new friends (one of his roommates is a hot bartender called Donovan)

A bit awkward but he tries his best.

Tucker:

Badass

Bunny hybrid (ears :3)

White hair

Likes to wear denim jackets

Fast runner

Has had experience working in the force

Izekiel Iris:

Bruised and abused in a facility

Was turned from human into A being of made of Paint (Useful? no. Fun? yes. Rainbow blood anyone?)

Loves painting

Wallflower

Easily anxious

Loves to draw on his own arms

Matthew Libelle:

Aka Matty Very delayed development wise as well as Autistic

Very much a texture lad, soft blankets are his thing.

Doesn't like loud sounds ( who does honestly).

Tries his hardest to function normally but it's hard.

Watermelon colours are his fav. Green hoodie is his fav.

Has watermelon pink hair.

Gale:

Eldritch bab

Was cursed by a group of guys who were messing with magics they didn't understand

Did in fact murder said group of guys and is traumatised by the idea he has become a monster

hears voices

Has Tendrils that have burst out of his back

Has the ability to move from this realm to the Eldritch planes and back. (is terrified of said planes)

Doesn't have a home

Black curly hair- frizzy- shimmers like Slick oil

Shy type kinda, tall Pale. cold.

Kinda wishes he could just go back to normal.

Would really like to eat some fresh warm bread.

Rowan maverick

Was abandoned as a teen

Also known as Rogue/Red.

Lost some of their tongues making them mute

Trained Assassin.

Previously part of a cult

Addict to painkillers (Caused by the mental issues from the cult and the loss of tongue.)

Bad with Physical affection

Could use a friend

Jace

Cop/Ex Cop.

Laid off after an incident

Has a pubby called Otis

Likes the occasional beer

Dad energy

Issac Merewen

Was previously a Teacher - grade 11/12s

Kidnapped and kept Drugged the hell up.

Was given the new name: Jess/Jack. AKA The Jester

Now has Amnesia problems .(Anomic aphasia)

Was stored Cramped in box.

Needs glasses. (Long sighted. Cant see Infront of him for shit without glasses. He specifically likes round ones :3)

Natrually Blonde

He was very inspired by the Chitty Chitty bang bang scene, “Doll on a music box”.

- He naturally has two different coloured eyes :D

-He likes podcast n occasionally audiobooks. Its good for learning/remembering words, and way easier than straining his eyes. Although it is upsetting occasionally when he can remember more of a book/podcast he’s into more than real words or real-life things.

Tyrone Li

Incubus.

Wise, Patient, caring.

Brown tattoos wind up his hips and torso, curling around his chest around his heart, and around his back, flaring at his neck.

Glasses.

Loves plants and flora

Sex lost meaning when he was younger. He wants true intimacy again but he wants to find the right person..

Glamors hide the following features:

Tail, brown that gradients into Green, Leaf like tip.

Horns, curled. (green tipped :0)

Glamors break usually after a certain period of time regardless of feeding, however, during bad situations/fight the body may unglamour to reserve the last of its energy.

Caspian:

Basically immortal but can die (Reincarnations)

Not a pacifist, but not instantly into violence

He was blessed by the Heart of the Ocean (Shes wonderful <3)

Can control water, can do minor healing with water

Can make water bubble/ boil when angry

Glowy veins when powers are active

He has had many many lives

Soft..caring..Doesnt remember alot of his past..

Doesn't know how many times hes died

Doesn't have alot of family or friends

Goes on many adventures

Elio Solren.

Nickname: Sunshine

Good lad.

Is a shapeshifter Dealt with being told he was happy and always upbeat. People leaving or ignoring him whenever he wasn't started building this sense of need to be happy all the time for others.

Lots of struggles with self image. Being perfect. Appeasing everyone. Poor self body love/self body image.

Is scared about The hate from humans about shifters. The jealousy and fear about them being able to hide behind other faces.

Smiles to hide the pain

Punk/hipster vibes

Intricate golden tattoos

Doesn't open up easily

Doesn't like to admit to being in pain

Kotori

AKA Corey

Owl lad!

Bright yellow piercing eyes. But is totally blind. (Face scars)

Loves music.

Plays the uke.. hums..sings sometimes.

Big wings- like barn owl.

Likes to perch in trees

Jeremey Caulfield

Winter baby

Was left bleeding in the snow at some point

Father Lovely old man (John)

Mother died (Ellie)

Birthday December 23h

Blue eyes

Black hair

Russel

Box boy

Glasses

Red hair

Real sweetheart

Really needs more dev ; ;

Jules

Loves tofu n chicken

Touchstarved

Stubborn af

Kicks ass!

Has Sass

Wears binders/sports bras for Lotsa running n such

Black hair big messy pigtails

Dark brown eyes.

Has a navy bear sleeps with it ‘doesn't care’ about it but does

Gymnast/kickboxing. Bandages around hands

Loved swinging bars since being a kiddo

Trampolines!!

Participates in Underground fight ring to make easy money

Sleeps on just a mattress

Has a laptop for study work but she's slowly giving up on bothering.

(She's not one originally but Werewolf Jules is one of my fav things)

Miles

Part mole, part orphan

Lives underground

Very light-sensitive

Is colourblind

Absolute nerd

loves tinkering with things

is scared of humans

very foggy memories of his parents.

Leilah/ Lei

Can make/control shadows.

Owns a Magic skull(Speaks to it)

Lives in the woods

Wears a skull to spook off people from her woods

Has Tattoos that are shadow/absorb shadows

Kinda bad at maintaining friendships

Emotionally Distant

Wears a cloak.

Bao Ketsuyki

Blood magic bab

Short

East Asian.

Pink/red medium length hair

Big pretty red flower scar from blood magic use on her shoulder/ back.

Little bit foolish, little bit reckless.

Has almost died a few times from her magic use.

Oran Audun

Pale

Punk

Irish

Plays Guitar

Writes in journal, occasionally song lyrics, occasionally little messy ink drawings.

Easy to aggravate (On edge) however is trying to learn how to meditate and be calmer

Covered head to toe in scars but still tries to find confidence in himself. He doesn't find it unattractive, but he feels like others have no need to witness his scars.

loves wearing leather/fabric wrist bracelets

Unwelcome hands have used his body as a research object

Very very against physical contact, needs to break into it.

Ray

Social worker works mainly with kids.

Has a Shy guy tattoo.

His family consists of a Good ma, younger sister, and super baby brother

Dad died but dad was good.

Dirty blonde hair, kinda messy

Short, 5’

Socks the pupper is his helpful lil buddy (hes so round and white and fluffy)

Super dad vibes.

Owen

a hockey player n gymnast.

His mother died when he was about 9.

has an older brother who is a bit of a big jock type

quite protective and caring of his two much younger siblings.

ended up in a nasty scuffle though at some point during his more competitive years in Hockey

This leads to following his passion for Gym

Pole vault, the rings, trampoline.

Still plays hockey among mates or strangers on the weekends in the cold months tho

Ends up taking a position as a gym teacher for kids after taking a childhood course since he was so good at it.

actually a really sweet guy

Soft but likes his sport and jokes.

He can hold his own somewhat more than he appears.

has blue tips/stripes in his blonde hair.

He often wears varsity jackets or baseball tees. As well as a couple other sport wear shirts. (A. Good few are from his bro ofc. Free merch)

He's short but he's got a fairly decent build on him.

He's got a surprisingly good tackle if you aren't careful. And a good grip strength.

Nohea

but everyone calls him Noah.

Works at a Boba tea cafe..

likes to surf.

has an Epic board.

Back and shoulders all littered with lines and tic tac toe-like scars.

he's the type to brush off any questions and change topic while smiling. But not super bubbly. Just. Go lucky.

has a few friends who like to hang out at the cafe

Was in a surfing accident that involved a lot of rocks.

Ila

4’8 Soft. Short.

Ready to protect.

Loves to bake!!!

Smells like a vanilla cupcake most of the time

Isn't afraid to fight although isn't trained

likes Yoga ( and yoga pants)

Needs glasses but doesn't wear them (tsk tsk, unless tryign to read recipes)

Dyes hair silver/white

Jake

Homeless

Snake hybrid can transform his lower half from human legs to tail

Also has fangs, and therefore venom

He's got a lot of sass

Can be a bit of an asshole but soft around the right people

Isn't used to kindness

doesn't cry easily

Steals food

Mac Hiato

Also known as Caf

5’6

Very Grumpy.

Very often has bags under his eyes.

Hoodie is life

Insomnia has serious trouble sleeping.

Has nightmares of strangulation

Occasionally sufferers sleep paralysis

Scared of dark- night lights

Owns a mouse called Bean

Does freelancing webdesgisn/coding as job.

Sits like a gay.

Lives on coffee

Minorly Lactose intolerant

Has One bad eye

Neema

Egyptian

Mechanic

Her dad's a mechanic and used to bring her to work all the time

dead mum: which affected her ability to emote.

Works part time at the garage

Dad likes to bring gifts on their small catch-ups that happen every once in a while.

Sheeee. Suffers a bit of resting bitch face.

she's kinda stunted emotionally because she was raised by her dad, who, isn't great with emotions himself being a man's man and all.

She's very much a tomboy gal. Doesn't exactly get dressed up. because she finds it tiresome and not "her".

Also if she did/does have friends the nickname Nemo 100% crops up because it's sadly alll too fitting but also kinda sweet.

She's actually really into cars and mechanics. Which is one of the few good reasons her dad and her are close.

She's hard to get to know, very quiet. And if you're someone who dominates the conversation she won't speak up much, but you'll be surprised to how much she's listened.

Just because she looks tired and done doesn't actually mean she feels that way.

Samson (Lemonade boi)

His name is Samson, but he prefers Sun/Sunny. (Other more affectionate nicknames include Lemondrop and Sunflower.)

He really likes going out to markets and stuff like that, little stalls or knick knack shops to find the odd kinda items.

He also really likes wandering big forests. (Hes got some o that fae energy) He collects various cool stones/rocks/plants from some of them. He also has some small vials from waterfalls and ponds he’s encountered)

He wants to practice magic to become a witch! He loves the candles and rocks and other cool things that come with the craft. (He inherited things from his father)

He really likes loose fitting shirts too, like flowy things, ones with sleeves that drape past your fingers, or has extra fabric on the bottom that dangle down past hips. (Sometimes they come from the ladies section just because they’re softer and have more variety. Others from op shops and other niche little stores.)

He bought a cologne from a witch that looks cursed but the only curse is that it makes the one who puts it on smell like citrus..so not much of curse. (The bottle looks fuckin neato tho)

He looves fizzy drinks. Doesn’t mind his alcohol either, however it takes a surprising amount to get him on his ass despite looking like a serious lightweight.

He’s pretty average in build, bit of muscle in his arms, some fat on his thighs. Slight pouch of a tum (cause no ones flat and thats unrealistic :<)

He’s about 5′4. So not tall, but not the shortest of the short.

He kinda likes to backpack about. Not staying in places long if they get boring. Which means he is kinda jack of all trades when it comes to work, offering to fix things for pay, lots of casual work doing various things.(One of his favorites was helping a little old lady run a paint shop.)

He occasionally snorts when he laughs and tries not to.

He has his ears pierced, and he has a little yellow gemed stud in his nose.

The ring around his neck he found in the middle of a patch of mushrooms.

He has a couple other tattoos. One of them is of bubbles up his wrist :3 He also has some stars on his ankle, and a sunflower on one of his fingers on his left hand.

He’s not super in to gardening but he does have his lemon tree. He also wants to grow some mandarins

His eyes look silver in a lot of lights, but occasionally there’s some strange hints of yellow, and other times blue.

He has freckles!!!! that look alot like bubbles ;)

He has a twin brother called Fraser.

Scrunches his nose

Hides his laughter behind his hand

[tzaya]

MAY 4 - FINAL !

Author: tzaya Pairing: Shizuo/Izaya, Shinra&Izaya, Shinra/Izaya Rating: G Parts: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)(10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) Words: 1,537

They say that there’s no other place to go than up after you’ve been knocked down to the ground.  Izaya wasn’t sure if he felt better even though he was being treated like a king, albeit the action only came from apologetic hearts than them actually worshipping him. He let himself get pampered nonetheless. Well – it wasn’t much, just Kururi feeding him bites of cakes while Shinra tended to his wounds (finally!). Oh, and Kadota passing him the gifts he’d gotten for the special day. He wasn’t all that interested in looking at the ones from the girls at school, but he did anyway, after Shinra insisted that it was better to build up to their gifts. As he’d expected, majority of the gifts were chocolates and letters that he barely skimmed over, knowing full well that his exhausted mind wasn’t registering any of the words written on the piece of paper.

Funnily enough, what he needed wasn’t a validation from his so-called beloved humans, but his inner circle of friends, who knew his true worth.

At the sight of another box of chocolate upon unwrapping, Izaya didn’t even bother to tear the rest of the shiny, pink wrapper before he chucked it at Shizuo’s back, who seemed very into a conversation with Celty, both seated on the floor in front of the coffee table. Huh. At least someone’s enjoying himself in this situation, while Izaya’s here stuck with undesired hospitality. That left a hint of distaste in his mouth.

“What the hell is your problem?” Shizuo shot a glare over his shoulder - so dramatic and sensitive, true to that character of a disturbed monster. Izaya could bet on Mairu’s secret yaoi magazine collection that Shizuo felt a total of zero ounce of pain from that hit.

“I’m tired of all these sweets! I don’t even like sweets! It’s as if today’s Shizu chan’s birthday instead.”

“And what am I supposed to do about that? Tell that to your stupid followers!”

“Don’t you have a gift for me?”

“I think I’ve given you plenty of gifts today.”

He knew what Shizuo was hinting at, despite the many looks of confusion thrown their way, hoping Shizuo to further elaborate on that sentence. He didn’t, and Izaya wasn’t about to tick Shizuo off. Granted, Shizuo and him had both agreed to a truce just for the day, but if Izaya was good at anything, it was at making Shizuo lose his cool.

He definitely didn’t want to argue and risk breaking his bones. Shizuo wasn’t someone he could punch his way through with like in the alley earlier. In his current state, he’d be hospitalized! Besides, Izaya wasn’t an ungrateful person. So he merely pouted, huffed (as if that’d bring Shizuo’s attention back on him, who went back to talking to Celty, with the new addition of chocolates that he freely consumed), and accepted the next streams of gifts – this time from the attendees of the party.

The first gift was from Mairu and Kururi, whose gift was a silver chain bracelet that they’d bought during the festival at their school. The bracelet didn’t particularly seem expensive per se, but if Izaya had known that they’d get him something, he’d have given them extra allowance money so they could buy more things for themselves.

“Iza-nii like? (Do you like it, Iza-nii?)” Kururi asked, and Mairu stopped stuffing her mouth with cake to gauge his reaction.

Izaya twisted his wrist around, scrutinizing the design of the bracelet. It wasn’t like he’d be wearing it all the time, since there’d probably an unforeseen circumstance where the bracelet snags his switchblade during a fight. Still, he liked how it was a perfect match to the pair of rings he donned on his index fingers. They must’ve had that in their thoughts when they decided to make the purchase, because knowing how odd his twin sisters were, they could’ve gotten him anything.  

“Yeah, thanks.” He spared them a soft smile.

The second gift was from Kadota. It was a novel in the genre of psychological horror. Apparently he came to a realization that he had no knowledge of what kind of genre Izaya would be interested in, which he should’ve assessed way before he even went to the bookstore. At the last second, he opted for something he thought was closest to Izaya’s personality. Shizuo chirped in agreement, earning an eye-roll from Izaya.  

He still thanked Kadota, despite the slight offense he felt from Shizuo’s response. Rather than being into mind torture games, he’d like to think of it as simply helping to steer one’s thoughts into realizing something in regards to themselves. Putting aside the moral compass, even if most people preached about how he’d ‘ruined’ their lives, it was thanks to him that they managed to delve deeper into understanding the fears and desires they harbored inside.

Next came Celty’s gift. Unlike other gifts, which were all wrapped in wrapping papers, Celty’s took form of a black box made of her shadows. Of course, after choking a bit on her home-cooked steak (if it could even be called steak, because it was in no way resembled a steak, if Izaya was to be honest), he wasn’t surprised to learn that Celty couldn’t wrap a gift either. Really, other than Celty’s magic qualities, Izaya deemed her to be of nothing special. And he knew that that was the only reason Shinra was so entranced by her, too. If she was a normal human girl attending school alongside them, Shinra wouldn’t care to give her a second look.

“If someone could remember, not all of us are monsters.”  He announced it, having attempted to tug the black lid off, but to no avail. Celty merely stared at him for a moment, confused, until she remembered and quickly typed something in her PDA.

[ Sorry! I’ll undo it for you now! ]

The shadows in his hands dissolved into thin air and left behind a long-sleeved shirt akin to the maroon one he often wore underneath his gakuran. However, it was black and its material was far different than cotton. In fact, the whole shirt was actually made of her shadows, upon further inspection.

“It’s a shirt! How wonderful, Celty!” Shinra beat him to providing a reaction, as if the gift had been for him instead.

[ I heard that you got injured a lot today, so I thought you could wear this as an undershirt! It’ll protect you from anything next time! Though it won’t last long away from me… I’d give it a few days at most. ]

“See, Orihara-kun! Celty is not a monster! She’s a loving angel!”

“I guess it’ll be helpful if I run into trouble with the yakuza – or Shizu-chan,” at the last bit of his sentence, Izaya glanced at Shizuo, watching any sign of vein popping on the forehead for the comment.

“If I was hurting you, it’d be because you deserve it.”

Shizuo didn’t add any more than that.

He was left to mull over the weight of those words, gaze following Shizuo’s every move, while the blonde went to the balcony to light a cigarette. For a second, he had half a mind to make his way there as well – but with the way they’d been practically attached at hip all day today, he really would like it if he didn’t appear like a puppy running after Shizuo.

“Now, for the last gift! A grand gift for Orihara-kun, from your beloved friend, me!”

Right.

The last gift.

Shinra’s gift.

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t feel any nervousness creeping up on him when his finger traced the outline of the rectangular box. This was the finale. There was no way that he’d pull another prank, and come on now, the box was way too small for it to be something that could harm Izaya. If he could take a postal box to the rib (courtesy of Shizuo), surely he could withstand this!

He managed to keep a steady hand opening the box up, revealing a set of knives, which he could guarantee literally no one in the room anticipated.

“What…?” Izaya breathed out.

“Don’t be disappointed! That’s not all. I called Chihaya-chan up and told her that I’ll be working on that Russia project with you, so you don’t have to sulk anymore!”

Shinra voice seemed to take a higher pitch with each sentence he uttered. At one point, Izaya couldn’t tell how it became so, but he had Shinra’s arms embracing him. And if they were back in the classroom this morning instead of it happening now, he would’ve punched Shinra in the face. But at this moment, his body was compliant towards the affection; he could feel himself practically melt into the other, despite how his ears began to hurt from all the shouting.

He could see Shizuo’s figure leaning against the balcony railing from this angle, puffs of smoke released up into the night sky.

“And since I know Orihara-kun craves intimacy, even if I have to be away from Celty tonight, I’ll stay with you until the morning comes!”

Maybe he did deserve some kindness, sometimes.