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ryuichirou · 4 months

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I wanna start with I love your blog sm and I’m not trying to jump on the train, in fact I don’t even mind if you just read this and don’t post or even just delete after you read, but I know where the “Rook gaslighter” thing comes from and wanted to explain (I also just LOVE talking about rook even if its negative). Im not explaining to change your mind but rather to inform!! Because I love spending hours analyzing the characters, pls don’t stop drawing rook!! Ever!!

ANYWAYS now that “please don’t hate me I have to uncontrollably explain everything about my favorite character(s) the second someone doesn’t know about one small detail 😭” is over, I will explain! During Vil’s lab wear vignette, Rook asks Vil when he’s going to start his new diet. Vil, confused, is like what??? Tf?? And rook is like “yeah :D you have put on 3 pounds exactly :)”. Vil is lowkey like wtf Rook I haven’t noticed shit and rook is like “okayyy but who do you believe? Me or literally anyone else?” And vil is like “yeah you’re right, I’ll adjust my diet, thank you rook”.

The ‘issue’ with the “rook is a gaslighter” is it’s SOLELY a fandom thing (and maybe with other characters, but still, like. Vil is a world class model he CANT put on weight like a normal person could because it’ll unfortunately affect his career. The beauty world is just like that, irl too. Plus, this is something he wants for himself, even if he admits to hating the diets during his overblot, it’s still a part of who he is). Vil, himself, views rook’s behavior as a helpful thing, he appreciates Rook’s supernaturally keen eye! He might be offended but ultimately he would not have Rook as his vice-prez if he didn’t respect or admire Rook in some way.

I adore the way you draw them together!! The one where vil is like “how dare you! Just because he’s strange doesn’t mean he’s like that!” And rook is behind him with blood on his face, he’s so cute! I recently found another blog that is similar to yours that I also wanted to see if you knew bc they draw rook out the same way you do! @/fadiesismin is so cool and I think you’d love their artwork!!! Also I’m very sorry for the long-winded ask, in my defense, I’m also a Sagittarius. Rook 🫶 Me, xoxoxoxoxo!!

Sagittarius Anon! I’m sorry it took this long to reply.

First of all, thank you for enjoying our stuff and for your support! I am very happy that you like the way we portray RookVil. Their relationship is very interesting and honestly quite nuanced; we don’t usually gravitate towards ships that have this strong of a “they’ve been dating for a while” vibe, but these two are just too charming. Probably because despite them deeply understanding each other and sharing a lot of values and passions, they really aren’t a perfect couple, and we get to see it in moments like the vignette you’ve mentioned, or Rook’s lab wear vignette, or on multiple other occasions. Rook isn’t the perfect boyfriend, in fact, he is quite a menace sometimes without really meaning harm (still, he technically made Vil cry at least once); but there also isn’t another person that would get Vil as deeply as Rook does and support him as well as Rook does. What they have is special, but isn’t perfect at all.

As you already know, we also love talking about characters a lot, so I even though I am late with this reply, I am happy to have an opportunity to talk about these two and Rook specifically. So thank you for sending this ask and waiting!

I’ve seen this vignette being used as an example of Rook being gaslighting/manipulative before, and to be honest, I don’t really get this argument. I understand that the reasoning is usually that Rook sounds similar to a man that lies to his girlfriend about her being fat because he wants her to be even skinnier or just to be an asshole about it, but here is the thing: this isn’t what Rook is doing though. Gaslighter always has ulterior motive behind their manipulations, even if it’s just to mess with someone else’s head for fun or to control this person. But with Rook (both in this vignette and in general), what you see is what you get: the man is brutally honest, sometimes even too honest. Vil himself is very aware of that and has mentioned it multiple times.

It’s just like you said! Vil never lets anyone forget that his looks are important to him (both because of his own standards and because he is a model), so of course Rook would comment on something that he noticed. This is the foundation of their relationship: Rook gives Vil his feedback because Rook sees things that other people don’t. Does it mean that this feedback is always 100% necessary and Vil should change things according to how Rook critiques him? Of course not. Maybe sometimes it would be better for Vil to just take it easy and relax instead of perfecting every single thing, but this isn’t what Vil wants for himself: he doesn’t want to be pampered, he wants to be appreciated for his hard work. Rook enables Vil’s perfectionism, but don’t forget that Rook is that force in Vil’s life that doesn’t let him forget what he is doing all that for (I’ve talked about Rook being protective of Vil’s “beauty” = love for art here). Vil having a toned body is something that Rook enjoys, but this is mainly something that Vil wants himself; I kind of think that as long as Vil’s passionate and unapologetic about things that he does, Rook would find beauty in him no matter how he looks. Remember him at the end of ch6 after Vil’s grandpafication? Yeah exactly.

Alright, I digress. The point I am trying to make is that Rook is very direct with Vil, sometimes even too direct, and this is the opposite of gaslighting. Even when he suggests things “lightly”, he is still upfront about them: he doesn’t try to plant any ideas in Vil’s head.

Rook sounds and acts like a jerk sometimes, but he means well, and it’s not an excuse, just a fact. In Rook’s head, Vil always takes his direct remarks and observations very well, what’s so different this time? Even if you’ve been with someone for years, fuckups are unavoidable, especially for someone who has problems with tact.

To reiterate: could this scene be triggering or upsetting? Absolutely. Are there people who comment on other’s weight to make them insecure or make them doubt themselves? Absolutely. Is this what Rook does? Absolutely not. It just isn’t true to his character: he wouldn’t gain anything if Vil started doubting himself, in fact, he would have hated it. He doesn’t want Vil to be insecure or unsure, this is literally what he confronted him about at the end of Ch5. He also doesn’t need to do anything for Vil to trust him more than others: Vil already does. When he was saying that he knew better than anyone or anything else, he stated the truth, and this is what so fucked up about Rook: he really does know better.

It’s very important to remember that these characters have their own circumstances and their own writing, and we are fucking blessed to have a cast of characters this interesting and complex.

By the way, I am saying all of this as someone who wouldn’t mind Rook being a gaslighter and could see fanon scenarios where it could work, but those need to be very well-written not to ruin his character, because honesty is an integral part of Rook Hunt. For better or worse.

Also, I know you haven’t mentioned Jade, Anon, but since this entire discussion started with comparing the two, I wanted to note that Jade’s Dorm Uniform vignette exists. Vil literally looked at him man and decided not to trust him for one moment, even scolded Rook for even humouring the idea that Jade was telling the truth. And this is just one instance; we are constantly being reminded by everyone in cast about the fact that Jade is shady and we shouldn’t take seriously the majority of things that he says (pretty much verbatim to what Floyd said about him in the Playful Land event). Jade doesn’t care about honesty, he doesn’t care about lying either: all he cares about is what to say to make the others react in the most interesting way possible. He loves messing with people, and the world is his playground….

(I am also pretty sure that he comments on Azul’s diet; this has nothing to do with gaslighting either, just thought I’d mention that since we’re talking about this)

Anyways, thank you again for your ask, Anon! I hope this wasn’t an exhausting read. I always feel like I haven’t said everything that I wanted to say, but fortunately I still have tons of replies to write, so I’ll have my chance..! Probably.

PS. @/fadiesismin’s works are very good!!

#replies #rookvil #about characters

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megalony · 8 months

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Hi!!! i’m seriously addicted to your fics and love reading each one when they come out!!

I have an idea for an Evan x Reader where the reader has narcolepsy, so she’ll just fall asleep randomly and she has a service dog that keeps an eye on her heart rate especially when evan is at work. Her and evan are married, maybe she’s pregnant too or they have kid(s)???

Anyway, i’m thinking it could be something fluffy like they’re eating dinner with the team either at home, someone else’s, or at restaurant, but during their conversation the dog starts to nudge readers arm (which is the dogs sign for ‘you’re going to fall asleep’) and evan sees this and kind of just reaches over and catches the readers head when her eyes start to close. (evan and reader are sitting across from each other)

You can do what you want with it if you decide to write it!! i absolutely love your writing and can’t wait to see what you do with this!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Oh my God you have nooo idea how much I loved this concept when I read it! I hope you like what I've come up with and I'm hoping to do a few more parts and make it into a little series if I can.

thank you so much and I hope to know what you think of it.

XOXOXOXOXO

Have You Slept

#evan buckley x reader #911 imagine #request

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arschbiene · 6 months

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Requests | Update

I'm gonna be doing some B/randenburg P/russia doodles because @doomspiral enabled me so if you want to drop some headcanon or requests in the askbox, now is a good time. I'm leaning towards a theme of: dysfunction vs affection.

while I'm here, let's chit chat

I think I might also be creating a comic master post and I'll link also to any AO3 drabbles that connect those ideas. BTW I still use APH tags because my blog is literally in its teenage years at this point and I don't have time to revamp it. I know there's a lot of old info/broken links, I will try to refresh soon.

Btw, while I am trying to re-connect more with the hetalia fandom, I don't tend to follow back if you're under 20 years old (there are some exceptions depending on blog use. If you are just running a gallery, I might) and I'm 30+ so keep that in mind.

I keep this blog Mostly SFW but can get into mature/dark themes. If you do not want to be exposed to those themes, mute the tag Knight Terrors. Also...please don't send me weird asks asking for odd things with the very young children I draw. I'm not sure what the intentions were with that, maybe I read it weirdly, but if I feel it is in anyway inappropriate, I'm not gonna draw it. I lean towards being pro-ship but absolutely not to that extent.

Also related, but G/ermania head-canon and stuff is primarily me having REALLY bad baby fever and not being a position for motherhood at this point in time. I do not care if you agree and I do not intend for it to be widely accepted fanon. I am only drawing to comfort myself. This is the last time I'm mentioning this lol.

Anyway: Hetalia twitter and Personal Tumblr where I reblog the fandom fanart I want to support. I use this blog to apply for cons and things sometimes so I have to keep it primarily focused on my art.

Thank you everyone for supporting me for all these years, I really value this community and appreciate every kind word. I'm trying to be a bit more active xoxoxoxoxo Assby

#hetalia #hws prussia #aph brandenburg #we're gonna pause on me having baby fever for like six months straight #and do some angst for a bit #before going back to baby fever

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novelconcepts · 5 months

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hey novel, big fan

I just finished don't ever tame your demons (always keep ‘em on a leash) and I'm actually still screaming. I, of course, left a little comment but I'm actually so insane about it that I have to message you again. FUCK bro it was so good I'm shitting my pants and crying and knawing on a piece of rope I found in my backyard. there were SO many moments that actually made me feel unwell (positive) I'm gonna go back and reread it and mark every part that made me have a physical reaction. so just know I'll be doing that. I love every iteration of van you come up with but this little wolf has my heart between her teeth. love is stored in the headbutt, but(t) it's also stored in betrayal and guilt about said betrayal. it's in protection and keeping company and feeling loss and it's all in this bad boy right here. UGH sorry I've just never read something that made me want to actually scratch the walls until they fall just to feel the wood beneath my fingers and I mean that as a compliment as always. okay anyway have a great day or week or whateva love u xoxoxoxoxo

Comments like this are, no joke, the reason I keep publishing the silly little stories I write. And the reason I keep allowing myself to write the really deranged, dark ideas I’m not sure will work until they’re on the page. I am so fucking delighted by how much that fic made you feel, thank you for this (and for the AO3 comments as well).

#ask #kind writing words #writing that I had absolutely no idea how it would be received #and while I feel awful about how much I keep putting van through (my fave! does it show?)#I’m also so excited to see other people being devoured by the same feelings that pushed me to write those stories in the first place #it’s my absolute favorite part of putting fic into the world. the community response is amazing

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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years

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Hi! I just got into the Witcher fandom like a week ago (years late, as I tend to be with fandoms haha) and I stumbled upon some of your meta posts and oh my goodness are they fantastic!! Your analysis is incredible and I'm really looking forward to reading some of the others in your pinned post!

Anyway, one that really struck me was "Geralt of Rivia and Vulnerability." It really got me deep in my feelings about this man 😭. At the end, you mentioned that you could write another whole post about his internal struggle with self worth and so I have to know: did you end up writing that post? Because if so, I may just have to go read it and emotionally devastate myself but love every minute of it.

Thank you for your incredible work! ❤️

ahhhhhh hello lovely Nonny. Thank you for reading my work! xoxoxoxoxo

Just for you, I've made a Geralt of Rivia meta master post so you can see what else I've written just on Geralt. I need to start breaking out my character and relationship metas into their own masterposts because there is so much more there than what I can fit on one post.

As to your question, I haven't done one specifically on Geralt's self worth yet, but I may at some point yet!

<3 <3 <3

Thank you again dear.

#asks #geralt of rivia #the witcher

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iheardarumorthings · 3 years

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Could you do a five x fem!reader where the reader has powers like Wanda maximoff? Either a headcanon or one shot would be good! Thanks so much xoxoxoxoxo

OMG THIS IS SO COOL

HEADCANONS FOR FIVE WITH READER WITH POWERS LIKE WANDA MAXIMOFF

Ok so let’s start by saying you started in the academy because your parents lived next door and found out you had powers. They wanted to keep you, but wanted to make sure that you were trained well so all of the baby food that they gave you would stop flying into the toilet.

Should’ve gotten me gerber, bitches

Reginald had you paired with Five since you were about four. He wanted Five to remember certain equations off of the top of his head, and he wanted you to work on your writing with your mind, so you were assigned to write down the numbers and equations that Five spoke with a pen that you had to lift into the air with your head.

Much harder than it looks, actually.

You two weren’t close then, though

You started becoming closer when you asked him how exactly he could solve the equations. You were six then.

“You don’t know how to solve these?”

“Uh- do you?”

“Of course I do. I’m not an idiot.”

But he taught you anyway. And you ended up being kinda alright.

You two became even closer when you began to read minds and speaking to people through your mind.

Before you knew it you were 17 and emerald green was his favorite color. Why? Because that was the color of your power.

You two were going to time travel. You were excited, scared and everything in between.

But it wasn’t all that bad when he botched the jump.

You two fell in love amongst the flames. Began to trust one another even more because you were keeping the other alive.

When you came back, you stopped the moon rock from hitting the earth, enveloping it and yourself in your emerald wisps.

He’d never loved you more.

#five hargreeves #five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x you #five x reader #tua #the umbrella academy

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ticklygiggles · 2 years

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Ommmgg hiii I haven't interacted much but I have followed you for quite some time bestie and you keep slaying xoxoxoxoxo

As you've opened requests I would like to send one in, the fandom would be tian guang ci fu (hope I spelled that right-)

It's been a while since I've requested something for this fandom even though I absolutely love these idiots and Hua Cheng means quite a lot to me lol, being my first ever comfort character in hard times and NOW even being the inspiration for my non binary name, it's San btw, from San lang you know :>

ANYWAY- I kinda got off topic there hope you don't mind lolol, the request would be maybe something comforting with tkls focused on like the underarms? I've just been not doing that hot and it's my fav spot lololol

Thank you for reading my, perhaps too long but I don't care, ask :3 I appreciate you xoxoxoxo

Aaa thank you so much! I love HuaLian so so much 😭♥️ and I hope you enjoy this!

"Gege, are you asleep?"

His voice was barely a whisper, after all, he knew that Xie Lian was actually asleep, his breathing was still even and his eyes moved from side to side under his closed lids, probably dreaming.

Hua Cheng smiled tenderly. Xie Lian couldn't look more adorable right now. He was laying on his back, body naked under the soft sheet. His hair was messily sprawled all over the pillow and his cheeks were pink with the warmth of sleep.

If there was a beating heart inside Hua Cheng's chest, it might have exploded out of him at that moment. His fingers itched to touch his beloved, but he didn't want to interrupt his sleep, not when he looked so comfortable with one arm under the pillow and the other across his stomach.

He could let him sleep a little longer: five minutes, two hours, six days- as long as Xie Lian wanted, but Hua Cheng missed seeing Xie Lian's beautiful eyes and hearing his wonderful voice as soon as he opened his own eye, and even though he fought the urge, in the end he just couldn't help it and so, he gently dragged his fingertips up Xie Lian's side.

As expected, Xie Lian twitched slightly, his mouth curling into the tiniest of smiles, which could not be compared to the big grin on Hua Cheng's face. Oh, how much he loved how ticklish his lover was. It was definitely one of Xie Lian's many charms. Hua Cheng just couldn't get enough of that sweet laughter filling his ears.

Of course, he wouldn't tickle Xie Lian out of the blue when he was sleeping so comfortably, (at least not today), but he could still stir him up a awake a little, right?

"Gege," he mumbled, fingertips tracing the perfect curve of Xie Lian's waist, his warm skin covering in goosebumps. "Gege, it's time to wake up. Do you hear me?"

Xie Lian made a small noise, something between a hum and a small giggle as Hua Cheng's fingers found his ribs. He traced the bones softly, from the front and all the way to the back, each and everyone of them, causing Xie Lian to squirm slightly and flinch at every extra sensitive spot.

"S-Sahan Lang?" Hua Cheng retracted his hand immediately and he looked innocently at his gege. "What are you doing?" Xie Lian asked, bringing the hand over his stomach to rub at one of his eyes, trying to remove the cobweb of sleep.

"Nothing, Gege," Hua Cheng lied, his smile as mischievous as it could be. "I was just calling you."

Xie Lian hummed, his hand left his eyes to scratch as his tingly ribs. "Hmm, yes, I'll be up... Just a bit more... Yes...?" Before he could get an answer, he fell asleep again.

Hua Cheng looked at him relaxing into their bed again, his chest raising and falling slowly and his hand went into action again. He continued tracing Xie Lian's ribs, chuckling himself as he watched his lover twitch and squirm and even let out tiny giggles the more he moved upwards.

His arm threatened to pull back, but Hua Cheng gently, and quite discreetly, placed his other hand close to Xie Lian's arm as a kind of stopper so that he couldn't lower it. Xie Lian barely noticed.

"Gege," Hua Cheng mumbled, his fingers finally reaching Xie Lian's highest ribs, the one that was making him giggle a bit harder. "What's so funny, Gege?"

Xie Lian let out a giggly hum, arching his back and letting out a delighted squeal when Hua Cheng's fingers traced up his armpit. The touch was light, but Xie Lian was the most ticklish in that spot, so sweet giggles bloomed from his smiling lips, his eyes still closed, clinging to sleep just a little longer, but Hua Cheng thought that maybe that would be unlikely.

He chuckled, "Why are you giggling so much, Your Highness? Are you having good dreams?" He teased, his fingers gently drawing circles against Xie Lian's exposed armpit.

The smooth skin covered in goosebumps as Hua Cheng lightly tickled him there.

"Ahahaha! N-Nohohot thahat plahahace!" Xie Lian giggled brightly, his nose scrunching at the sensations, when Hua Cheng looked up at him, he found Xie Lian's bright eyes trying to focus on what was tickling him. Hua Cheng chuckled.

"Good morning, Gege."

"S-Sahahan Lahang! That- Thahahat-

"What's the matter? Does it tickle, gege?"

The word itself seemed to surprise Xie Lian and he quickly tried to protect his underarm, but Hua Cheng was faster and he gently held Xie Lian's arm in place as he started to scratch at the sensitive skin.

Xie Lian, now wide awake, threw his head back with loud giggles; his legs kicked softly and he weakly tried to pull at his trapped arms, but Hua Cheng knew that he was still lacking some strength after waking up and... Well, he knew that Xie Lian didn't actually minded the tickly attention.

"Your Highness, are you feeling ticklish so early in the morning?"

Xie Lian shook his head. "Nohohot tihihicklish!"

Hua Cheng giggled, as stubborn as always his precious gege, always wanting to rile him up, even if he denied it every time, but that was okay, Hua Cheng could tell what Xie Lian wanted just by looking at him and he'd be happy to provide... Not without being the mischievous Ghost King that he was.

"Eheheek! N-Nohoho! Not thahahat!" Sweet, bubbly and happy giggles filled the room when Hua Cheng cold fingers where replaced by his cold lips. He pressed tender butterfly kisses against the delicate skin and Xie Lian giggled, trying to cover his armpit with his free hand.

Thankfully, Hua Cheng had the upper hand right now, so he carefully caught Xie Lian's wrist and made it join the one under the pillow, gathering both in one of his hands.

Xie Lian squeaked in protest, but to Hua Cheng, he sounded more excited to have his arms pinned than desperate to free them.

"S-Sahahan Lahahang! Ihihit's too ehehearly!"

Hua Cheng chuckled, playfully nibbling at Xie Lian's armpit, making his giggles turn more frantic. "But Gege, I'm just trying to worship you! I don't understand why you're giggling so much!"

"Thihihis is nohohot- wahahait!" Xie Lian protested when Hua Cheng gently ran his fingertips against Xie Lian's other underarm.

The god arched his back slightly, but his arms stayed obediently over his head as Hua Cheng relished on more of that wonderful laugh: his lips pressing kiss after kiss and even some baby raspberries in one of his underarms as his fingers gently fluttered against the other.

Xie Lian's giggles, even though frantic, it was also soft, tender and light. His body, flinching and squirming just slightly, kept pressing against Hua Cheng's attention and Hua Cheng felt hundreds of his dangerous butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

"So giggly today, gege," he teased tenderly, his lips leaving their playful game go whisper against Xie Lian's ear. "Are you having a good time?"

Xie Lian squealed, his cheeks and ears pink. "Sahahan Lahahang is sohoho nahahaughty!"

Hua Chang chuckled, "Am I? But gege, you could've just lowered your arms! I'm not holding you, am I?"

Xie Lian giggled, trying to hide his face away from Hua Cheng. At some point, Hua Cheng had relaxed the hold on Xie Lian's wrists to let his lover cover himself, but Xie Lian didn't even move his arms and held his own hands together, keeping his arms in place.

"Does gege like it when this lowly one tickles him?"

Xie Lian whined, "Stohohop teheheasing mehehe!" He giggled, still suffering from those super light tickles under his arm. "It dohohoes tihihickle!"

Hua Cheng laughed at that and he stopped his playfulness at once, letting Xie Lian relax against the bed again.

"Good morning, gege," Hua Cheng whispered, pressing a tender kiss to Xie Lian's warm cheek.

"Good morning, San Lang," Xie Lian answered, kissing the tip of Hua Cheng's nose before pouring softly. "Why did San Lang tickle me awake again?"

Hua Cheng grinned, "I wonder, gege. I think I just missed His Highness' giggles."

Xie Lian huffed, "didn't you tickle me plenty last night?"

Hua Cheng laughed, "it's never enough, Your Highness," he said, nibbling at Xie Lian's cheek before looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "But why are you arms still up, Gege? Should San Lang tickle you again?" Xie Lian giggled, hiding his face under his pillow, arms still up. "Is that a yes, gege? Is it? Don't scold me later~," he said and his thumbs pressed in, rubbing slow circles hard enough to bring those sweet giggles out again.

"Oh, Sahahahan Lahahang! Thahat's unfahahair!"

"Should I kiss you here again, then?"

"N-Nohoho! Thahahat's embahaharrassihihi- Sahahan Lahahang!"

Hua Cheng of courses peppered kisses there again and Xie Lian giggled brightly and kept his most ticklish spot exposed until they were both satisfied.

#Tian Guan Ci Fu #TGCF #HuaLian #Xie Lian #Hua Cheng #ticklish!Xie Lian #tickle fic #tickle drabble #mia's things #mia's drabbles

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vemuabhi · 3 years

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Monster trio + Law with S/O who loves taking pictures of lightning

@ye-rin164 asked : i was thinking that if its possible for your write either a scenario or a HC ( what makes you comfortable) about The Monster Trio+ Law having an S/O who's into Storms Chasing, like she has the hobby of capturing awesome pics during thunderstorm and especially for lightings, like she never gets scared of going out on this bad weather just to admire it and get good pics, so maybe like once the gentlemen's happens to be free and wanted to know more about how she usually take these awesome pics , and once they see how she risky gets in danger just for a picture they get worried but she's like nothing happened its an awesome adventurous experience so they'd later feel proud about it👁️👄👁️

A/N : Its absolutely an amazing request Yui chan! Thankyou so much for requesting me for it! I loved writing for it!! And the picture you took is awesome!! I wrote them as drabbles if you dont mind! I hope you like it!

Zoro, Sanji, Law under the cut!

Word count : 1.3K

Warnings : Not proof read, but its all fluff so don’t worry!

MONKEY D LUFFY

Oh my god! That’s so cool Y/N!!!

Luffy would be so damn smitten by your hobby of taking pictures of the lightning.

He’d be so impressed to see you in action and would crave for more of it!

He’d take your hobby to a next level and would jump with you in his arms towards the lightning. Yes he’d never let anything happen to you though. The man likes to be in risky situations always.

He’d be the absolute partner for the photography session for you!

Once he took you so close that his hair and your hair stood up because of the close range, indicating a lightning was about to hit you two.

Then the lightning struck you two, but Luffy was there to shield you and protect you! He is a rubber man after all. The lightning would have ZERO effect on him.

You’d inspect for any wounds but he’d give you a grin and say that he is totally fine and lightning had no effect on him.

After that you and Luffy definitely got a lecture from the Navigator and the snipper. Luffy even got some kicks and punches as he almost risked your life.

But you knew you could trust Luffy with your whole heart. That was one of the reason why, you got the absolute best capture of lightning ever.

RORONOA ZORO

“Don’t go too far away! Wait for me! OYE Y/N!”

He’d become the overprotective boyfriend because of your interest in this hobby.

He’d be proud of the way you are being so daring while taking photos, but he’d also be worried because of the way you just go towards the lightning to take photos.

One day, Zoro thought it’d be great to take a nap as the weather was nice and sunny. After some time he woke up to the sound of thunder.

“What the hell?! it was all sunny just a while ago”, he’d think and would look for you, but you weren’t there, also your camera was missing. He suspected something like this would happen so he’d run in the rain looking at the lightning.

Then he’d find you taking pictures with your camera. He’d see how happy you’d look as you took pictures. Making him stop in his tracks.

Trust me, Zoro would forget that he should scold you for leaving without him. But… he’d just look at you. Mesmerised by the way you again run after the lightning.

What?! Running after the lightning again!!! His senses would come back after a while and would come to you and throw you over his shoulder and run away before the lightning hits you.

Zoro would run in the speed of another lightning with you still dangling on his shoulder. But you’d still get amazing shots of lightning anyway. In the way, if a lightning was about to hit, he’d repel the lightning away with a strong blow using his swords.

You never doubted Zoro’s skills and scenes like this made you to appreciate him even more!

“Nice one Zoro!”

“Hehe thank- IDIOT LETS LEAVE!!”, he’d still blush like a baby at your compliments.

These risky situations only made you people to fall in love even more and would stay memorable for you two!

BLACK LEG SANJI

“My dear its dangerous so, Let me prote- Y/N! LET ME COME WITH YOU!!!”

He is really impressed by your hobby but would be terrified as hell because of the way you risk everything to take photos of the lightning.

For Sanji your hobby is amazing too. If he sees the pictures of the lightning you took, he’d be hella proud of you.

Ussop would never hear the end of how amazing your pictures are.

Sanji even brags about you with Zoro saying, “Hey moss head, did you see the pictures Y/N took the other day. You bet your ass, can’t even click one picture properly. Look at my love, so talented”.

Even though Sanji was proud of you, he would still be a bit scared. He tried to put on a brave front by saying he’d protect you, but his insecurities would make him think otherwise.

One day as he got to know that there was going to be a thunder storm. He started to look for you and you were already ahead of him. He asked that he want to come with you and you agreed.

As you take pictures, he would keep an eye on you and the thunder storm. Making sure it’s not getting bad.

Sanji loves to watch you as you take pictures. You seem excited and totally focused on your hobby.

You wouldn’t care about the rain drenching you head to toe. But Sanji was definitely worried about your health.

He gulped every time you look at your picture as you see it after clicking a picture. His heart started to beat faster, its like seeing you for the first time again for Sanji.

You were like an angel to him. No one could be compared to you. You are the one who seemed more beautiful than the nature herself to him.

In between his thoughts about you, he forgot to notice the thunder storm getting bad.

“Oh no! We have to go Y/N come with me”

He’d carry you like a bride and sky walk in an instant to get to safety. As he was doing that, you got the perfect angel from the sky to capture the most perfect you could.

As you both reached a safer area, you showed him the picture and jump on him to hug him. He blushed like hell that time.

“Thankyou Sanji!! I couldn’t have gotten this picture if you didn’t sky walk with me. Thankyou”, you said as you went closer to him and wiped the blood dripping from his nose.

Damn he thought and he still keeps on thinking he is absolutely blessed to have you.

TRAFALGAR D WATER LAW

“Now?! You know you catch a cold everyti- FINE DON’T GO ALONE!”

Law would be totally worried about you going on your little adventures.

Law would be damn proud of the pictures you take but wouldn’t show it. But you knew he was proud because of the smirk he has when he sees your photos.

He even has some pictures you took, stuck on his work desk. Mostly it’ll be covered with paper works and documents but, you know how much he treasures them.

One time you went to him to tell him about going to take photos. He started telling you about how your health would be affected to stay in the rain for so long.

You didn’t care, he gave up and accompanied you on the little trip. The doctor was actually very happy. But he didn’t show his emotions.

Law liked to be beside you during this session always. He loved to see his lover get all spirited and hyped up. It felt happy to him see you happy.

You were the light in his dark life. Or at least he thought it every time he saw you. His life as a pirate captain doctor wasn’t easy. But you always looked like a ray of sunshine in his lonely life.

Seeing the storm getting closer to you people, he’d make sure to be ready to use his powers to leave ASAP.

As the lightning was about to hit, he used a rock to teleport to another place. Just in time.

“Law!”

“What now?”, he enquired only for to see your surprised expression as you looked at the photo you took. He leaned down and saw that, it was a beautiful photo of lightning.

“I love this. Thankyou Law”, you said as you hugged him. He blushed and returned the hug. He wasn’t really used to physical appreciation so he always got flustered whenever you hugged him.

‘Yeah… I love this dork’, he thought before he smiled and hugged you tighter. He loved you and you knew it even if he didn’t use his words. Because his actions always spoke to you.

XOXOXOXOXO

I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading it!

Like/Vote, Comment, Share/Reblog if you like it

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kendallroynsfw · 2 years

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Hi! I adore your fics, I've been following you since your theonsa fics, they were honestly my faves ever. Your style feels both simple but complex in the best way, like when you see some dancer doing a choreography that you know it's difficults but it looks effortless. A weird metaphor I know, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say. Anyways I wanted to ask what are your favs books :)

ahhhh you are so so so kind to say! thank you so much, this message seriously made my day <3 i can't believe i'm lucky enough to have so many people read my silly little fics, and the fact that they actually like them???? insanity.

i've got quite a few fave books, i'll try to list all of the ones that are REALLY special to me (and tack more on as replies to this ask as i remember them! in no particular order fyi

1)The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. my most read and re-read book ever. a work of art on every single page. the “no order” thing above does not apply to this one; tollbooth is absolutely my favourite book of all time. it’s the book that made me fall in love with writing as a child. truly life-changing.

2) Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion. i just love books about women who go batshit you know?

3) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. this book is my favourite of the past 5 years at least - i utterly adore everything kazuo writes, but Klara is just...there's nothing quite like it. it's a masterpiece imo.

4) The Hobbit by JRRT. I don't feel like i need to explain this one!!!!!!!

5) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. if i think too much about the part where he talks about lot's wife and the pillar of salt i will literally go insane.

6) Tin Man by Sarah Winman. it's about the young queer love and longing and tragedy and heartbreak and and and and

7) Neverwhere by my most beloved @neil-gaiman!!!!! i have spent all my life wanting to be Door.

8) Also... Stardust by Neil as well. the most feel-good delight i ever did set my eyes upon, it never fails to cheer me up.

9) do graphic novels count? because if so, Uzumaki by Junji Ito. i love me some deeply deranged horror and uzumaki is just...eesh. it settles into your bones and makes itself right at home there. masterwork.

there will definitely be more that i'll add to this list at some point but those are the main ones, thank you so much for asking ily etc etc etc xoxoxoxoxo

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xiueryn · 3 years

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every time i read a particularly fantastic Miraculous fic that leaves me speechless and giddy, ITS WRITTEN BY YOU. SERIOUSLY. get you alone? fucking immaculate. MDR consumed my life for DAYS. Odette made me happy cry and sad cry. Désirer was literally the funniest thing I've ever read, they swapped bodies when they snEEZED. Coccienelle, DERNIER CRI?!?!?!?!?! and I just finished magnetic moon (pulls me to you). You're literally god tier. Does everyone know about you???? everyone should know about you. Anyway I'm probably like you're biggest fan never stop writing xoxoxoxoxo

dfhdhkljdfjfdj

you're like the fifth person to say this and i'm still 100% baffled. i feel like i'm a gremlin who appears every few months to slap down a one-shot then runs away

i love u!!!! thank you!!!!!!!

#replies #anonymous

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abrakophile · 3 years

Text

pt 2 of those letters, he didnt do all of these in all caps so thank god.

OP’s name 03 SEPT 03

Hullo you, how are you doing? I hope your doing good. Mom told me that you’ve started your first grade! Im very proud of you. When I was your age I liked my first grade. Do you like yours?

I’ll be home very soon. Probably before this letter even gets to you. Mail is very slow here. I also want to say thanks for the picture that you colored for me. your art is improving, and that makes me proud too. And your spelling! I like spelling, I think that I used to be good at it. Im not too sure anymore. I hope that I get to go back to school soon. I want to learn everything. What do you want to learn about?

its been pretty hot here, but lately its been getting cold tat night. You can see the stars very good here. Maybe we can find someplace in Texas where we can see the stars good. Theres millions of them. I’ll be out of the army soon. What do you think of that? Should I stay in the army?

I havne’t been doing alot lately, just trying to get things together so I can leave to go home. I miss you very much. Im sorry that Ive missed so much. Things will be better. What do you think?

Know what? Im glad we dont live here. its much hotter than Texas and very very dusty. The citys are better, but, that are very crowded. The men here wear really long shirts that look like a womans dress. And they sometimes wear genie hats.

HaHaHa.

I love you OP

be good, help mommy around the house.

I’ll be home soon enough

Daddy

xoxoxoxoxo<3x<3x

---

OP “Little Star” (he wrote “little star” here because my Ojibwe name translates to it, I’m guessing? Though I thought it was “north star”. Also our last name is Day so my first name was supposed to be like a pun I guess? its whatever.)

How’s daddies little creepy girl? your mothers silly, I wanted to name you Autumn, or Winter, (Ops name) is very beautiful, thats what your mother wanted. She says she pushes me around alot, but guess what, I let her because it makes her happy. Tomorrow will be your first birthday. I’m sad because I will not be there with you. But I’ll sing happy birthday anyway! Next year will be different because I’m bringing you to love with me and your other grandma and grandpa. Me and your mother will work something out I’m sure. Its not a big letter because you can’t read yet! But happy birthday!!!

From, Dad.

---

OP mom’s name, with a flower drawn on the “i”

“hi” its me, ni(he drew a spiral here)?

trying to think of how to start your letter

how have you been? i miss you very much. if you were (scratched out letter “a”) body parts, you would be legs. because i would miss my legs, i would have to drag mu body all over the ground. but maybe that would be o.k., because I could take (OPs initials) on a mutant slug piggyback ride. How is (OP’s middle name)?

I miss (scratched out letter “m”) our (underlined twice) little girl too. If she was body parts, she’d be my arms. And I’d miss my arms if they were torn from my body, because if i caught on fire, I wouldn’t be able to put out the flames, so i would just run around on fire, screaming!

You (scratched out “to”) two are precise or precious, well..you know, spellings not that great these days. I love you both.

---

OP JUNE 20 2003

I LOVE YOU

I DREW YOU A PICTURE TODAY, I HOPE THAT YOU LIKE IT. I MISS YOU ALOT AND HOPE TO BE HOME SOON.

HOW ARE YOU DOING? MOM TOLD ME THAT YOU PASSED KINDERGARDEN AND WILL BE MOVING TO THE FIRST GRADE! IM VERY PROUD OF YOU, YOUR SMARTER THAN I WAS AT YOUR AGE, YOUR PROBABLY SMARTER THAN ME NOW!

HAVE YOU BEING BEHAVING FOR YOUR MOTHER? IM SURE YOU HAVE. WHAT ABOUT HELPING HER OUT? DO YOU HAVE ANY CHORES?

HOWS (OP’s hometown) DOING? HAVE YOU GONE ANYPLACE SPECIAL LATELY?

PLEASE SEND ME SOME OF YOUR DRAWINGS.

IM GOING TO GO NOW. ILL WRITE TO YOU SOME MORE LATER

I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND BEHAVE YOURSELF

LOVE *hearts and x’s*

Daddy.

(and this one came with a drawing...)

#letters from the guy that was my dad #pt 2

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pinknerdpanda · 5 years

Text

Merry Little Christmas

Word Count: 1,127 (including lyrics) Warnings: Angst, fluff, depression, Sam Winchester. Characters: Sam x reader, Dean (mentioned) Requested by: @shy-violet-soul (xoxoxoxoxo) Beta’d by: @shy-violet-soul (sorry I’m bad at keeping surprises. Thank you for feeding my constant need for reassurance, babes.)

A/N: This was written for my “Merry Manda’s Christmas Drabbles” 2019. It’s slightly self indulgent and a little autobiographical, but that’s part of why we write, right? To use our love of fictional characters to work through some of our own bullshit, right? Just me? Oh. My bad. Anyway. Hope you enjoy this! Happy Holidays, my friends!

Gif Credit: x

Merry Little Christmas

“Stupid holidays.”

Muttering under your breath, you smeared a fat, warm, traitorous teardrop across your cheek and sighed. This time of year held a special place in the hearts of most people you knew. It was supposed to be a time of joy and peace - brightly wrapped gifts tucked carefully under the twinkling lights of a spectacularly decorated tree, waiting patiently to be delivered to family and friends. Hot chocolate and carols, peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

Most years, you could muster enough merry and bright to get through the Christmas season with at least a small spark of joy in your heart. This year, though...this year, you just couldn’t. There wasn’t an especially good reason for the darkness that seemed to engulf you lately. This year, you felt alone. Alone and sad.

A small voice in your head told you how ridiculous that idea was - you shared a home of sorts with your little patch-work family. You woke most mornings to the scent of Dean making you breakfast, a steaming cup of coffee already waiting on the table for you, prepared just the way you liked it. At least once a week, Sam bustled into your room with blankets, snacks and a shiny new DVD declaring it “movie night” before plopping down on your floor and insisting you join him. How on earth could you feel such deep seeded loneliness when you were constantly surrounded by two of the bravest, kindest, most generous men you’d ever had the pleasure of knowing? It felt wrong; selfish.

“Y/n?”

Sam’s rumbling voice paused your self-loathing internal monologue as the sound of footsteps outside your door grew louder. You took a shuddering breath and wiped your face furiously just as a knock echoed through your room.

Clearing your throat, you closed your eyes.

“Come in, Sam.”

The door creaked open, a small sliver of light crawling across the floor as it grew to a wide cone. You shifted, dodging the lowest hanging branches of your tree as you stretched to find a familiar pair of worn, brown boots come into view.

“Y/n?”

The last thing he probably expected to find was you sprawled on the floor on your back, head nestled just under the bottom row of branches of your Christmas tree gazing upwards. While you couldn’t see his expression, you knew the youngest Winchester well enough to picture the look of baffled concern on his face as he took in your supine state. The thought made you smile genuinely despite the painful ache in your chest.

“Everything ok?” Sam’s curiosity carried through his voice.

“Yeah. I’m fine, Sam. What’s up?”

Sam practically snorted, scuffing his left foot against the cold concrete floor next to your arm.

“You never were a good liar, y/n. I can’t even see your face, and I know you’re not telling the truth.’

You sighed, lifting a hand to trace the curve of a red, sparkly bauble above your head. Part of you hated that he could see through you so easily; part of you relished it.

“Y/n?” Sam urged gently.

You weren’t sure if it was the soft endearment cloaking the sound of your name on his lips or simply exhaustion, but the remnants of the strength you’d had suddenly dissolved. A quiet sob broke from your lungs and you clenched your eyes shut, trying to force the tears back. It was useless, however, and they spilled from beneath your lashes, cascading down your cheeks.

Two soft clinks and a quiet rustling noise caught your attention. You turned to see Sam lowering himself to the ground beside you, two mugs sat on the other side of him. The sight of his large shoulders wiggling himself under the edge of the tree, attempting to mirror your position, made you smile despite yourself.

Sam tilted his head to see your face. The soft white lights illuminating the tree reflected in his eyes, setting his hazel gaze on fire. Delicate shadows from the branches fell over his stubbled chin as he pulled his lip between his teeth.

“Wanna talk about it?”

You looked up again, focusing again on the sight above you.

“Not really,” you sniffed.

A heavy warmth engulfed your palm, Sam’s long fingers twining deliberately with your own. The weight was comforting and you squeezed his hand gently.

“Alright. So, what are we doing down here?” His voice came out in a whisper and sounded almost reverent.

Clearing your throat, you spoke. “I loved doing this as a kid. The tree always just looked so magical from here.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw him train his gaze upward as well.

“It’s beautiful,” he marvelled, his voice still low. “I can’t say I’ve ever thought about seeing things from this perspective.”

“I thought maybe if I laid here long enough, I might feel a little Christmas spirit.”

Sam’s thumb dropped to rub against the creases of your palm. “And?”

“Not yet.”

Sam hummed, but stayed silent for several moments.

“Did you need something?” You asked, then cringed realizing how easily that could be interpreted wrong. “I mean, I’m glad you’re here. I just...you probably didn’t come in here expecting this.” You gestured limply with your free hand, looking at Sam once more.

“I know what you meant.” Sam smiled. “Nothing important. I made some hot chocolate and thought you might like some.”

“Thank you.” You squeezed his hand again, smiling.

Sam nodded once and pressed his lips together, looking back up at the lights. His grip on your hand tensed for a moment and you watched him stretch, somewhat awkwardly given the position, to reach into his pocket with his free hand.

Pulling out his phone, Sam tapped the screen a few times before setting the device on his chest and placing his hand under his head. The soft sound of music filled the small space between you as Bing Crosby’s voice began crooning.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let yourself be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.

The sound poured from the small speaker, Bing’s timbre a smooth rumble over the soft trumpets and clarinets. The melody began to slowly soothe the ache in your chest, like putting aloe on a sunburn.

“This is my favorite,” you mused, closing your eyes and letting the music fill your ears.

“Mine, too,” Sam whispered.

You opened your eyes to find him staring at you, a sweet slow smile on his face. Between the warmth of the music, the glow of the lights overhead and the gentle reassurance from the man beside you, the weight of the darkness you’d grown so accustomed to began to ease. There wasn’t some magic solution or quick fix that would put you together again, but this was definitely a start.

“Thank you, Sam.”

Sam squeezed your hand three times, his smile broadening slightly.

“Merry Christmas, y/n.”

-----

Like what you see? Want more? My Masterlist is here. Thanks for reading! :)

My Forever Tags - Stay weird. I love y’all:

@wheresthekillswitch @pretty-fortune @arryn-nyxx @emlostinwonderland @becs-bunker @cookie-dough-lova @impandagrl @maddieburcham1 @trexrambling @beachballsizeladyballs @hannahindie @rosie-winchester @winchesterprincessbride @that-writer-one @fandomismyspirit @angelsandwinchesters @cfordwrites @charliebradbury1104 @mogaruke @luulaachops @supernaturaldean67 @barbedwireandbubblegum @karlee-fay-my-wayward-son @muliermalefici @galaxy-jellyfish-queen @canadianjelly @kathaswings @feelmyroarrrr @lorilane33 @bethbabybaby @myfanficlibrarium @akshi8278 @emoryhemsworth @boxywrites @atc74 @anticipate1003 @super100012 @lovesj2m @masksandtruths @ellen-reincarnated1967 @growningupgeek @there-must-be-a-lock @mrswhozeewhatsis @amanda-teaches @cassieraider @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @its-my-perky-nipples @squirrel-moose-winchester @sandlee44 @paintrider13-blog @arses21434 @petra-arkanian-1497 @sasbb23 @princessmisery666

#Sam Winchester #Sam Winchester x Reader #sam x reader #spn fanfic #spn fanfiction #sam fluff #merry manda's christmas drabbles #merry manda 2019 #panda writes #i lost my queue

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artificialqueens · 5 years

Text

Not Nineteen Forever (12) (Branjie/Scyvie/Ninex)- Ortega

a/n: hey friends! here’s chapter 12 of Not Nineteen Forever, i’m sorry it’s so late but i want to thank everyone who waited patiently and was so polite and encouraging while waiting. it really made me smile! remember i always love and am so grateful for sweet comments either on AQ, through reblog, or on my blog, so keep them coming bc they motivate me no end!! hope u all enjoy this chapter (p.s. finally accepted the ninex in this fic is not in any way background any more xo) xxxxxxx

trigger warning: alcohol n naughty texts xo

please note: this fic contains young adults often behaving in irresponsible/unadvisable ways with regards to alcohol, drugs and sex. if you are someone who feels as if they could be heavily influenced by fic and incorporate what happens in the plot into ur own life, pls steer clear!

summary: Brooke, Yvie and Nina are three flatmates who forged a friendship in their first year of university and picked up some other waifs and strays along the way. Now in their final year, there are feelings that need to be unravelled and confessions to be made whilst navigating drunk nights, hungover mornings, takeaways, group chats, library meetups, cafe gossiping, and the small matter of getting a degree.

last chapter: Monet and Nina continued to be adorable, Yvie and Scarlet continued to be cute, but Brooke wasn’t sure if she wanted the same for her and Vanessa.

this chapter: there’s library woes, a flat party, a lilac-haired, tattooed bombshell, and Yvie confides in Scarlet.

***

Scarlet let a long puff of air out of her cheeks and blinked at her laptop, bored. She’d been so eager for Uni to start back again, so excited to get back to the city and see her friends that she slightly forgot about the whole academic aspect of everything. Lectures had started that week and in between trying to force four different modules’ worth of information into her head she had caught up with Vanjie, chatting before, after and in between lectures when they could. It was interesting, Scarlet thought. Before Christmas she could never get her to shut up about Brooke and how things were going with her but ever since the holidays it seemed as if Brooke was a subject to be avoided. Scarlet knew something must have changed but she didn’t want to push Vanjie for information if she wasn’t ready to share it. They still seemed to be together, anyway, even if things seemed a little strained.

At least she could say that wasn’t the case for her and Yvie. After many long evening Skype sessions during the holidays, the pair of them had decided that they couldn’t bear to be apart a moment longer and so Scarlet had taken the six hour train to go and stay with her girlfriend at her family home for a few days. She had been a bag of nerves at the thought of meeting Yvie’s family, but her Mum had been lovely (and seemingly just relieved that her daughter had settled down), her Dad had been welcoming, if a little quiet (“He’s under strict instructions not to speak because every time he opens his mouth he embarrasses me”), and the brothers and sisters that were still at home and not out somewhere or back to uni themselves were kind and friendly. In the three days they spent together, Scarlet and Yvie went for cold, crisp walks along the beach, curled up on Yvie’s old battered leather sofa the family had had since she was small and watched Disney films, gone ice skating, and looked out over Yvie’s city on a rickety ferris wheel that had looked as if it would take one good sneeze to knock it down.

But all that movie-screen romance was behind her now, as the most romantic Scarlet had been with Yvie in the week since they’d been back at uni was a Tesco Finest £10 meal deal cooked in Yvie’s flat and then watched in front of the TV as a perfect accompaniment to Coronation Street. They were both busy and waiting for their academic life to slow down a little again. The same could be said for their whole friendship group, really. The whole gang hadn’t done anything all together since their Christmas dinner, and Scarlet was itching for a night out where she could get absolutely off her face and forget that she was working towards the degree that would define the rest of her life. Sighing again and feeling the words on her laptop merge into a big blur, Scarlet looked up at the big clock on the wall. Five o'clock. She turned to Akeria who was sat at the desk beside her. She and Silky had come to join her mid-study, the latter having been dragged into the library by her flatmate because she still hadn’t handed in an essay that had been due since before Christmas and Akeria was quite frankly concerned.

“Akeria,” Scarlet whispered, the other girl quickly finishing a sentence she was working on, turning away from her laptop towards Scarlet and pushing her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I want a night out. This is shit.”

“This is what we signed up for, baby,” Akeria gave a small laugh and shrugged, turning back to her laptop. Akeria’s dissertation wasn’t due until May but she had already started writing it, which struck the fear of God into the majority of their friendship group and made them all feel like slackers. “This is uni. This is our fuckin’ degree, girl.”

“You’re really making me feel better,” Scarlet rolled her eyes, Akeria giving another laugh under her breath.

“Hey,” Silky said from her position at the desk across from them, her voice entirely at speaking-pitch and causing a few heads to turn their way. “What’re you hoes talkin’ about? I want in.”

“We’re bitching about you,” Akeria deadpanned, tapping away at her keyboard.

“Fuck off, Kiki.”

“I want a night out,” Scarlet hissed over to her as quietly as she could. “But Little Miss Law Degree wants to stay in the library from dusk til dawn every evening until she graduates.”

Scarlet’s face lit up as Silky bellowed a laugh so loud it caused the girl beside her to put a set of earphones in. Looking at Akeria and hoping she hadn’t been offended, she was relieved to see the other girl giving her a wry smile.

“This bitch can be so savage when she wants to be, Jesus. Ouch. No, I’m just sayin’! This was what we chose to do, so quit complaining,” Akeria rolled her eyes, leaned back in her chair and stretched. “That being said…I do think I’ve earned a night out.”

“Well me fuckin’ too, bitch!” Silky exclaimed incredulously, Scarlet laughing in spite of herself.

“How much have you written, Silk?” she asked, the girl opposite looking down at her laptop, clicking a few times, then looking back up to the girls in front of her.

“You know what…it don’t matter how many words I’ve done, it’s the level of mental energy I have needed to use in order to-”

“Silky, how many words,” Akeria demanded, fixing her with a stare that looked as if it could slice her in half.

“Ninety-four.”

“Jesus Christ on a crystal meth binge,” Akeria sighed, Scarlet letting out a splutter beside her. Silky looked at them both pleadingly.

“Hey, now don’t make me feel bad! We only been in here-”

“An hour and a quarter,” Akeria stared at her.

Silky threw her hands up. “Well I been doing readings an’ shit! Do you know how hard it is to get any articles that have the exact quote ‘Boris Johnston is a piece of dog shit’? Fuckin’ hard!”

“Why the hell are you looking for that?” Akeria blurted out, unable to keep herself from laughing. Scarlet was laughing so hard she thought she would pass out.

“Because, bitch! I want to use that exact wording in my essay but I need some academic shit to back me up.”

“Fuck me.”

“To be fair, that is the worst,” Scarlet shrugged, not wanting Silky to feel too demoralised. “Searching for three hours to find one reference that can back up one of your points. Like, why can’t you just make the point because you want to? You know? Why is your opinion only valid if it’s been previously thought up by a white man in a suit?"

"Very profound,” Silky nodded emphatically. “Anyway, this bitch needs to get her drink on. I’m going to ask the girls."

As she watched Silky pick up her phone, Scarlet was reminded to check her own. She’d deliberately sat on it and put it on flight mode in an attempt to force herself to do work. Now, she felt as if she could excuse a small break. Turning off flight mode, she watched as a small flood of notifications came through. There had been fifteen new group chat messages, Nina had tagged them all in a meme, and she had two messages from Yvie. She checked the latter first, wondering if she would ever get tired of the feeling of her heart soaring like a balloon every time she saw, heard or spoke Yvie’s name.

Y: if i told u i was considering buying a set of faux-leather underwear would that be weird or a turn-on

Y: also that lasagne is even better on the second day u need to have some of it when ur round

S: Sorry this took me so long!!!!!! I turned my phone on flight mode in an attempt to get some work done

S: No such luck

S: Leather look underwear is a yes from me but i’m inclined to ask for pics first xoxoxoxoxo

S: Also yes i want lasagne

S: That’s not a euphemism btw i actually really do want some lasagne

Y: 😈

As Scarlet gave a soft laugh to herself, she checked what had been going on on the group chat since she’d been studying. She wondered what exciting plans could have been made, or what drama could have happened, or if anyone had any exciting or interesting news.

Okay Then: oh my god

Kim Kardashian-West: ??????

Okay Then: has anyone seen the state of Simon Cowell’s face

Scarlet gave a colossal roll of her eyes. She should have known that, at times, the groupchat could become one massive shitpost.

Kim Kardashian-West: No??? What’s he done to it?? Has he been in a crash?

Okay Then: he might as fucking well have been

What followed was a picture of what seemed to be a man whose face had been partially melted with a blowtorch, until Scarlet looked closer and realised that it was indeed the TV talent show judge.

mose: Jesus Fucking Christ what’s he done to himself

Scarlet’s bitch: that’s frightening

Okay Then: RIGHT???

Scarlet’s bitch: that’s what i see in the corner of my room when i have sleep paralysis

Kim Kardashian-West: That is TRULY the stuff of nightmares!!!!

Brooke’s Ford Transit Vanjie: Fucking hell Plastique don’t fucking frighten us like that!!!

mose: He must surely see that he looks like shit? Like how could you not?

Okay Then: how can he see anything when his eyebrows are now entirely obscuring his eyes

Kim Kardashian-West: I am actually quite frightened guys

At this point, Scarlet caught up to the current conversation.

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: AS TERRIFYING AS SIMON COWELL’S FACE IS

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: CAN WE TALK BUSINESS FOR A SECOND?

Kim Kardashian-West: Of course!

mose: I’m all business

Brooke’s Ford Transit Vanjie: Sure you are baby xxxxxxx

Scarlet’s Bitch: that is fucking vile keep that shit off the groupchat u big gays

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: YA FAV BITCHES ARE IN THE LIBRARY AND WE ARE GAGGING FOR A NIGHT OUT

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: WE AIN’T HAD ONE IN AGES

Okay Then: yaaaaaaaaaas bitches let’s do it

Okay Then: thursday night fever

Kim Kardashian-West: Well Monet invited me to this flat party she’s hosting tonight

Kim Kardashian-West: I could ask her if you guys could come too?

Brooke’s Ford Transit Vanjie: Omg yes I’m down!

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: YES BITCH FLAT PARTY!!!!

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: AND IF SHE SAYS NO JUST SAY SHE AIN’T GETTIN ANY PUSS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE

Kim Kardashian-West: SILKY!!!!!!!! THAT IS DISGUSTING!!!

Yvie’s Bitch: We were all thinking it xoxo

Brooke’s Ford Transit Vanjie: AHAHAHAHAHA SILK

Okay Then: YES Scarlet

Kim Kardashian-West: You’re all horrible. And uninvited.

mose: Ninaaaaaa

Okay Then: Nina pls

Scarlet’s Bitch: fuck i’m not even sure i can do tonight ladies

large incongruous silkworm spiced praline: YVIE DONT YOU DARE

Scarlet’s Bitch: i’ve got a 9am tomorrow and i want to get that first u know

mose: Yvieeee the last time we were all together was literally over a month ago

Scarlet pouted to herself, disappointed at the thought of Yvie being the only one not out. Suddenly, an idea began to form in her head. Biting back a smile, she took to her chat with Yvie.

S: Yvieeeee

Y: Scarleeeeet

S: Please come to the flat party :(((((((

S: I’ll do anything you want

Y: anything i want?

S: Yesssss

Y: that sounds like a challenge princess

Scarlet crossed her legs and felt herself squeezing her thighs together. Looking around at the rows of silent people, she turned her phone brightness down to make extra sure nobody could see her messages, just in case the conversation turned the way Scarlet thought it was about to.

S: Well it depends on what you want me to do x

Y: wellllll

Y: i’ve been wondering if u can take a strap like a good girl

Scarlet felt briefly as if she’d been shocked by a defibrillator. Yvie always seemed to go from 0 to 100 real fucking quick, and Scarlet couldn’t help but love it.

S: You know I could baby

Y: i know you could, you’re such a good girl

Y: so how about if i come to this party i get to watch u bounce on my dick until u cum all over it

Scarlet could feel her face growing red. She and Yvie had messaged like this before, when they had been at home and miles away from each other and alone and very much not-in-a-public-place, but this was so fucking different.

S: Christ Yves I’m in the library!!!!

Y: shut up u started all this!!

S: Yeah I kinda did

Y: deliberately getting me to tell u what i want to do to u later when ur sitting in public in a fucking silent building

Y: jesus fucking christ Scarlet that’s so hot

Scarlet felt an urgent pulse of heat between her legs and she squirmed in her seat.

S: Where are you just now?

Y: i’m in bed

Y: touching myself at the thought of u sitting absolutely soaking wet and being able to do fuck all about it

S: So you’re coming to the party baby?

Y: how about

Y: if u can get to the flat before i cum i’ll fuck u into the mattress and i’ll come to this party or whatever

Scarlet nearly jammed her fingers in her laptop in her haste to get it shut, wrenched her charger out of its socket so hard it almost broke, and muttered a near-breathless goodbye to a confused Akeria and Silky all in the space of about twenty seconds as she struggled into her coat and sped out into the stairwell.

Five hours later Scarlet had managed to fit a lot in. She’d hurried round to Yvie’s to find her in bed in the black lace underwear she knew drove Scarlet crazy, and they’d fucked twice (fast, rough and passionate then sweet, tender and gentle) before Scarlet had reluctantly dragged herself out of Yvie’s bed to head back to her own flat and get ready for the party. Nobody seemed to know what the dress code was, least of all Nina who had sent about nine different outfit options to the group chat for opinions, so Scarlet settled on a tight black bandage dress that stopped at her calves, with trainers to dress it down a bit. She’d hurriedly munched down a bowl of pasta a la whatever-was-left-in-the-fridge, then set off across town to meet the girls at the edge of the park, where they had decided they would all meet then walk together to Monet’s flat.

Scarlet heard her friends before she saw them, Vanjie’s distinctive laugh ricocheting off trees and mixing with Yvie’s Bond-villan one letting Scarlet know she was heading in the right direction. Finally reaching the group, Scarlet gave them all a hug in turn and took in each of their outfits. It was still icy and cold, so most of them had opted for trainers over heels- save for Plastique, who always wore them for any night out and Vanjie, who was wearing chunky heeled boots. Much of their clothes clashed with the weather, though. Plastique and Akeria were in tight dresses, Brooke and Silky were in short skirts and tops. Vanjie had chosen some loose-fitting ripped denim jeans and a tiny bodysuit which left little to the imagination. Nina had gone for a light blue t-shirt dress and a chunky pair of trainers, her nerves palpable even in the group dynamic. Scarlet thought Yvie looked the best though in her burnt orange velvet skirt and tight black long-sleeved bodysuit, her unruly hair tamed and brushed into two huge bunches.

"You look nice, Nina!” Scarlet complimented her in an attempt to calm her down.

“Aww, Scarlet! Do I actually?” Nina smiled brightly, then cringed at herself. “Fuck! Why can’t I just take a fucking compliment like a goddamn normal person? I do this with Monet all the time!”

“Because you got a big-ass crush,” Silky shrugged. “It’s almost as big as Akeria’s ass. Not quite, though.”

“Shut up,” Akeria rolled her eyes and shoved her friend.

“Does it even count as a crush if you’re seeing the person in question?” Scarlet wondered out loud. Plastique shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“Don’t know. Ask Brooke or Vanjie.”

The group exploded into laughter, something about it not quite meeting Brooke or Vanessa’s eyes. They were both standing close together, hands entwined, but Scarlet didn’t know. There seemed as if there was something off. Forced, even.

“Okay, let’s go, motherfuckers. I’m freezing my vagina off,” Vanjie said decisively, Nina moving first and making to lead the way.

“Right, a few things before we arrive,” Nina began speaking at a mile a minute before Scarlet could even compliment Yvie on her outfit. “Monet has somehow got it into her head that you guys are cool enough to be invited to this party. She doesn’t know the truth yet, so just try to act like a group of normal fucking human beings?”

“The truth? What the hell is that meant to mean?!” Brooke let out a laugh.

“That you’re all fucking weirdos! And she, for some reason, still likes me, so I am not having you all put that in jeopardy, capiche?” Nina snapped back, only half-joking.

“Jeez, thanks,” Akeria rolled her eyes, Nina instantly protesting.

“I’m joking! I’m joking. But not really. Like Silk, please try not to overdo it tonight?”

Silky raised her eyebrows and sucked her cheeks in. “I’m making no promises, girl.”

“Akeria, please don’t accidentally make out with anyone’s boyfriends?”

“Oh my God Nina! That happened ONCE!” Akeria cried out incredulously.

“And Vanjie, don’t-”

“Nina. We’re not going to embarrass you. Chill the fuck out,” Yvie rolled her eyes and squeezed the shoulder of the girl in front of her.

The girls all finally reached Monet’s old, red-brick building and her front door, and Nina pressed the buzzer nervously. There came a crackly screech of mayhem through the intercom which contained unintelligible speech, and then the girls were all quickly buzzed in. Scarlet looked to Yvie questioningly as she wondered if she’d heard any words, but she also appeared to be as clueless as she was. It didn’t seem to faze any of the other girls though, as Vanjie was already bounding up the stairs with Akeria as fast as her chunky heels could carry her. They didn’t have to walk far, as Monet’s flat was on the first floor. Vanjie moved to open the door first when it was suddenly wrenched open from the other side to reveal a tiny, skinny blonde girl with her hair curled and loose on her shoulders. Her pink dress was as tiny as she was, but regardless of her size she looked ready to fight.

“Who the fuck are you?” she addressed Akeria, barely acknowledging the others. “You here to sell us girl scout cookies, or an Avon catalogue, check our meter readings maybe?"

Just as Akeria looked as if she would instigate a full-scale fight, Nina poked her head out from behind Brooke’s tall frame. "Cracker, don’t be a dick!”

The girl’s face immediately relaxed into a wide, shameless smile. “Nina! Oh my God, you bitch, I never saw you! Come in, God!”

Akeria still bristling and Vanjie not too dissimilar, the girls all trooped into the flat which immediately struck Scarlet as something out of an American teen Netflix special. The hall was dark with the occasional string of fairy lights, and was packed full of people. Scarlet instinctively reached for Yvie’s hand in the crowd and got a squeeze back without even having to look at her. Nina and the girl, Cracker apparently, led them through to a huge bedroom which had obviously once been a living room but had been repurposed by a money-hungry landlord. The room was quieter but still had its fair share of people dotted about in amongst the Morrocan market wall-coverings, tiny elephant incense stick holders, and swathes of printed photos and posters that covered the walls like tiles. A huge bed sat to one side where Monet sat sprawled out with her shoes kicked off, chatting to a black girl with a huge afro that otherwise looked so identical to her Scarlet assumed they must be sisters. Cracker flung herself down on top of the mattress and joined them, gesturing vaguely to the girls.

“Neens!!” Monet suddenly squealed as she looked up, throwing her arms out as Nina launched herself half on the bed and half on top of her. Monet continued, muffled, as the rest of the girls awkwardly lingered. “I’m so happy you came, oh my God, this is so amazing!”

“I brought everyone too. Is that still okay? They can leave if not,” Nina instantly reeled off, Brooke bellowing out a laugh. Monet’s face lit up.

“Oh my God of course not! Brooke! Scarlet! Yvie!! Oh my God, come and hug me,” Monet beamed, her intoxication showing ever so slightly as Brooke graciously leaned down and hugged the other girl them got instantly pulled onto the bed. Monet gestured for everyone to come closer. “Guys! It’s so good to see you all, thanks so much for coming! There’s, like. Endless booze in the kitchen. Feel free to just drink us out of house and home.”

Silky’s face lit up and she immediately grabbed Akeria and Plastique, making to drag them through. “Vanj, you comin’?”

“Get me something? I'mma stay here with my girl,” Vanessa shouted back, giving a smile back to Brooke but finding the other girl looking down at her phone instead. Scarlet frowned involuntarily and then was suddenly distracted by a squeeze of her hand from Yvie (who still hadn’t let go).

“I’m going to go make sure Silky doesn’t give herself alcohol poisoning. You want me to bring you back a drink?” she offered, Scarlet unable to help the smile that spread across her face.

“You’re a sweetheart. Surprise me.”

“A pint glass of tequila it is,” Yvie deadpanned as she walked away, too quick for Scarlet’s hand that swatted at her in response. Scarlet tuned into the conversation that the girls were all having on the bed. It was big, but it was still a bed in a student flat, and so Brooke had her elbows resting on the mattress and her lower body on the floor and Scarlet had had to squeeze up to make room for Vanjie to sit beside her.

“She was guarding the place like fort fuckin’ knox,” Vanessa was saying, a playful side eye being cast to the blonde girl, who let out a laugh.

“You’re an animal,” Monet’s potential sister rolled her eyes. “A living guard dog. We should put a collar on you. One of those ones with spikes.”

“Nah. That’s only reserved for people who want to fuck me. Do you want to fuck me, Bob?” the girl asked easily, before taking a swig of the cider bottle she was holding. Monet hooted a laugh and the other girl didn’t even break her expression.

“I wouldn’t eat your pussy if it was made of chocolate fuckin’ fudge cake. Get the fuck out,” she retorted, Nina looking up at them all from her position on Monet’s tummy.

“Is that not that Lana Del Ray lyric? My pussy tastes like chocolate fudge cake…”

Scarlet let out a laugh that was more like a scream, the others on the bed doing much the same thing. Monet wiped her eyes and took in a deep breath.

“Oh my God, okay. For those of you that haven’t met before- this is Cracker and Bob. Two out of the three girls I have the blessing or curse of living with, I haven’t figured out yet,” she gestured to the two girls in turn and then turned to Scarlet. “And this is Scarlet, Vanjie and Brooke Lynn. They’re Nina’s friends, so they’re obviously amazing.”

“Nina could throw up on your bed and you’d say it was amazing,” Cracker looked pointedly at Monet. Monet shrugged and threw her arms around Nina.

“And what?"

"Nice to meet you guys. Are you two sisters?” Scarlet asked, curiosity getting the better of her as she pointed between Bob and Monet. Monet laughed and Bob rolled her eyes.

“Are you saying that all black people look the same?” Bob asked her with a piercing stare, Scarlet’s entire stomach dropping at the thought of having offended her.

“Oh my God, no! No no no, I just thought-”

“She’s kidding, Scarlet. Being a dick, as usual,” Monet cut off Scarlet’s frantic protests and immediately calming her down. “No, we’re not related. We just look spookily alike.”

“You fuckin’ wish you looked even a tenth as good as me. Hey, where the fuck is Monique?” Bob asked suddenly, both Cracker and Monet shrugging.

“Flatmate number four,” Monet quickly cut in to explain.

“Away making some chaotic cocktail, probably,” Cracker shrugged. Bob gave another roll of her eyes, then turned and smiled at Brooke, Scarlet and Vanessa.

“Nice to meet you anyway. Are you all flatmates too?” Bob asked politely, ignoring the position of the slit on her long skirt as she crossed her legs.

“Not us three exactly. Brooke lives with Nina and Yvie, that’s my girlfriend,” Scarlet explained, her stomach full of fizzy fireworks at being able to say that for real. “Vanj lives with Silky and Akeria over on Antigua Road.”

“They’re the best hoes in the world. They’re through in the other room getting drunk, but you’d love them,” Vanjie cut in. Cracker let out a laugh.

“Oh yeah, shit. Sorry I was so mean to you.”

Vanessa smiled easily, the free alcohol that the flatmates were providing clearly making up for any perceived slight. “Don’ worry about it, girl. We’d probably do the same if some hoes we didn’t know turned up at our party.”

“What about you, Scarlet?” Bob asked politely, instantly seeming far less intimidating.

“I’m over on the South Side. Kinda far out. I found this girl on SpareRooms to live with, but she’s a bit of a dick,” Scarlet explained awkwardly. Cracker leaned in, her eyes shining excitedly.

“What’s her name?”

“Fuck, I don’t want to say in case any of you are friends with her!” Scarlet laughed, but no protestations came. She lowered her voice as she continued. “It’s Ra'Jah? Ra'Jah O'Hara?”

“Oh, FUCK!” Bob cried out, holding onto Cracker for support as she almost fell off the bed. “I know who that is! She’s in my Econ tutorials! Oh my God, she’s an actual fucking moron. I had a group project with her once and she did literally nothing but talk about drugs and bitch about people on our course.”

As Scarlet was about to launch into how horrifically messy a flatmate she was, Yvie came back from the kitchen with two bottles of beer and a tall black girl with a shock of lilac hair swept up into a ponytail and a matching straight fringe. She was wearing a black pair of jeans and a tiny black cropped t shirt which showed off her many tattoos, and in her hand looked to be an elaborate mojito-style concoction.

“I made a friend!” she cried, before slumping herself down beside Vanjie, Scarlet growing ever more squashed up against the bedpost.

“Oh, the wanderer returns,” Cracker deadpanned. “What did you make?”

“Margarita mojito,” the girl shrugged, sipping her drink to punctuate her sentence. “It’s basically a mojito with a big-ass shot of tequila in it. Guys, this is Yvie! She’s Nina’s friend!”

“Oh, you’re Scarlet’s girlfriend!” Bob smiled at her in recognition, Yvie clambering into a tiny space on the middle of the bed, handing one of the beers to Scarlet, and casting her a look through narrowed eyes.

“What have you been saying about me, bitch?” Yvie smiled playfully, the look she was fixing her causing a sudden flash of heat to strike between Scarlet’s legs.

“All good things, baby,” Scarlet smiled innocently, Yvie relaxing and leaning back against Scarlet’s chest.

“This is Bob and Cracker. They’re my other flatmates. You’ve already met Monique, then?” Monet introduced the girls to Yvie.

“Yeah, we bonded over watching Akeria flirt with people. The bitch is a fucking mastermind. She walked into the kitchen and had a guy talking to her within, like, one minute.”

“Introduce me, introduce me!” Monique bounced on the mattress excitedly. Vanjie came dangerously close to falling off the bed and Monique quickly noticed, reaching a hand out to her and pulling her up with it. “Shit, sorry girl!”

Scarlet watched as Vanessa swept some hair out of her face and cast a quick appreciative glance to Monique’s toned arm. “Holy mother of Jesus, I gotta start goin’ to the gym.”

Monique let out a bark of a laugh. Cracker caught her other arm and held it steady, the tequila/rum combo threatening to fly out of its glass.

“Brooke, Scarlet and Vanjie, meet Monique.

Monique, this is Brooke, Scarlet and Vanjie,” Cracker pointed to each of them in turn, finishing with Vanjie who still seemed to be casting her eyes over Monique.

“Well, Vanessa. But these girls call me Vanjie. Or Vanj. You choose, really,” Vanjie explained to Monique, the girl’s ponytail swishing as she cocked her head.

“You ever get called baby?” she asked, feigning innocence. Scarlet couldn’t help her eyes shooting wide and her brain almost went into meltdown trying to register everyone’s expressions at once. Vanjie was laughing, but her face had flushed pink, clearly flattered. Cracker was screeching a laugh, Bob looked long-suffering. Nina and Monet were looking at each other urgently, and Brooke was properly looking at Vanessa with interest for the first time since they all sat down on the bed. Scarlet couldn’t see Yvie’s face, but she’d felt her tense up, and she couldn’t blame her.

“Yeah. By Brooke Lynn over there,” Vanessa finally said through her laughter, Monique not seeming fazed as she cast a glance to Brooke, who was smiling patiently but inwardly seething if the red tips of her ears were anything to go by.

“Oh, sorry girl! I didn’t know she was taken,” Monique laughed pleasantly.

“Yeah, we’re a thing,” Brooke opened her mouth, breaking her silence. Vanessa was smiling at her from across the bed, and Brooke met her eyes and smiled back.

“A thing?” Monique let out a short laugh, spilling a little of her drink. “A thing is, like, a noun. Not a relationship.”

“Technically a girlfriend is a noun too. Thing, place, person,” Nina piped up, presumably in an attempt to diffuse the increasingly awkward vibe.

“Are you a primary teacher, Nina?!” Cracker asked, clutching her chest in faux-surprise. Nina sighed.

“If I could reach a pillow, I’d thump you."

"Monet, you hearing this? Your girlfriend is practically chatting me up,” Cracker laughed, then stopped suddenly as her face became a mix of horrified and regretful, Bob giving her a not-so-subtle thump on the arm. In lieu of gauging Monet and Nina’s facial expressions, Scarlet whispered her thoughts to Yvie.

“When the hell are they actually going to become official? It’s been ages!” she hissed into her ear, Yvie craning her head round to reply.

“Nina would have to be on a cocktail mixer of cocaine, Es and alcohol to gain even half the confidence it would take her to ask Monet, so she’s waiting on Monet to do it for her. The thing is, I think Monet’s not as confident as we all like to think either. Maybe sometimes Nina’s panic can present itself as disinterest.”

“So Monet’s maybe waiting until she knows where she stands with her?” Scarlet nodded in realisation.

Yvie sipped her drink and took Scarlet’s hand, tracing round her fingers absent-mindedly. “I think so. I mean, we all know Nina’s absolutely ass-over-tit in love with her because we’re her friends, but she’s not going to let that show to Monet until she’s ready.”

Scarlet watched as Yvie played with a large turquoise ring on her finger. Her brow was furrowed as she thought about the situation, and Scarlet’s heart felt like an enormous water balloon- incredibly fragile and full and feeling as if it was about to burst. She thought back to Yvie’s words on Christmas dinner night, the ones she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since she’d said them.

Suddenly, she was pulled out of her thoughts by a screech from Vanjie, who was looking at Monique with enrapture as she told a story. Admittedly, most of the other girls were looking at her too, but Scarlet didn’t miss the sparkle in Vanjie’s eyes as she listened.

“And there it was, I swear by almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…a whole baggie of weed, in the bin, covered in Cracker’s vomit.”

It was an odd moment for Scarlet to tune into the story but judging by the roar the girls on the bed gave, it seemed to be over. Vanjie had doubled over laughing and was clinging to Monique’s arm for support, the girl in question smiling down at her as if her reaction was the only one that mattered. Scarlet frowned and leaned into Yvie once more.

“Hey. What the hell is the deal with Brooke and Vanjie?” she whispered, making sure to keep her voice extra low. She instantly felt Yvie tense up in her lap.

“What do you mean? They seem fine to me?” Yvie murmured back. Luckily for Scarlet, she knew that Yvie lied so rarely that it was easy to spot when she was telling one.

“You know something. What is it?” Scarlet hissed urgently in Yvie’s ear. Hearing her give a big sigh, Yvie shifted and then rose on the bed.

“Me and Scarlet are just getting another drink, save our seats,” Yvie announced to the circle, receiving a cheer from Nina.

“Enjoy your sex!” she cried after them, and Scarlet, confused, simply followed Yvie to another room. The hall was quieter now, but the same could not be said of the kitchen, where as they walked in they saw Silky, Akeria and Plastique ringleading a game of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Ignoring their friends, Yvie turned to Scarlet urgently, concern covering her face.

“Okay, Brooke told me this in confidence but you’re my girlfriend so I kind of can’t really keep anything from you, right?” she began, Scarlet nodding quickly and desperate to hear what Yvie knew. “But you CAN’T tell anyone about this, babe. Honestly, it needs to stay between us. Do you promise?”

“I promise,” Scarlet said instantly, her mind in overdrive. Yvie pulled a pained face for a moment, seemingly incredibly conflicted, and then looked to the floor.

“Brooke is having second thoughts about being with Vanjie.”

Scarlet’s face dropped. “What?!”

“Brooke told me that she felt everything was getting too intense, and that Vanj wanted more than Brooke felt she could give her. She’s sticking it out to see if it’s just a blip, but…yeah. Now you know why they’ve both been so weird,” Yvie explained, biting her lip and looking at Scarlet with concern.

Scarlet didn’t know what to think. It all made so much sense, the oddly distant vibes between them both, the strained atmosphere, Vanjie flirting with Monique. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Scarlet. “Does Vanessa know?”

Yvie rolled her eyes. “Yes absolutely, Scarlet, Vanjie is very happy staying with someone who isn’t even sure if she wants things to go further with her, Brooke’s told her everything!"

Scarlet’s mind seemed to fuse. "She needs to know.”

Yvie’s expression dropped. “Oh my fucking Christ, you literally just promised not to tell anyone.”

“Well I didn’t know what it was you were going to tell me! I mean shit, Yvie, imagine that was me and you and I was having second thoughts! Would you want to be kept in the dark?”

Yvie bit her lip and looked to the floor. Scarlet gave a snort. “Exactly, bitch. I’m going to go find her right now-”

“Scarlet, please,” Yvie stopped her quickly, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “Brooke would be fuckin’ raging at me. I told you this shit in confidence. I know it’s hard because you’re close with Vanjie, but can you please…I mean hold off at least. If she asks you about it then, fine. You can tell her. But don’t run through there just now.”

Scarlet’s head felt as if it was a mess. She tapped her foot against the linoleum floor. “Who’s she told?”

“Just me,” Yvie said sincerely, looking into Scarlet’s eyes. “Nina doesn’t know. It’s just us.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I’m pinning all the fucking blame on you if she finds out I know, you know that?”

Yvie nodded understandingly. Scarlet let out a big sigh. The silence between them hung heavy in the air, at odds with the party happening around them. Suddenly, Plastique tottered into their line of vision, her eyes glazed and drunk.

“Oh my God guys! I haven’t seen you like all night! Selfie!!” she cried, sticking her phone in the air. Scarlet felt herself smile weakly but luckily the photo seemed to be too blurry for anyone to notice. Plastique immediately walked off again.

“Okay bye, nice seeing you,” Yvie deadpanned after her. Scarlet pressed her lips together to stop a laugh escaping them. Yvie caught her eye and snorted, and Scarlet couldn’t help but let out the laugh she’d been holding in. The tension had been diffused by a drunk Plastique, and Scarlet was relieved. She ran her hand down Yvie’s arm and squeezed her hand.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I should’ve just kept the fucking secret,” Yvie sighed, lacing her fingers through Scarlet’s own. She smiled at Scarlet, showing the little gap in her teeth, and Scarlet felt her heart jump. “Hey, I kind of want to go get chips, cheese and gravy and then head back to the flat and watch the Scooby Doo movie. You down?”

Scarlet smiled. She was kind of over the party. She’d been so eager for a night out, but all she wanted right now was a night in with her girlfriend. “Sounds amazing. Let’s go.”

The two headed back through to the bedroom to grab their jackets and say goodbye to the rest of the girls. Notably absent from the room were Brooke and Vanessa, and Scarlet was about to mention this to Yvie when they walked back out into the hall and spotted a tall, blonde girl and a small brunette kissing furiously in a darker, quieter corner. As Yvie opened the front door, she turned to Scarlet.

“I feel like they won’t be far behind us. Brooke must have sorted her shit out, then.”

As Scarlet grabbed one last look at the two girls against the wall, she desperately hoped Yvie was right.

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