#ashlyn is not a happy girl right now

[galaxysharks]

Gina, half-carrying an exhausted Maddox to the car: hey Jet, you sure you know your way back from my house?

Jet, with keys: I mean yeah? I walked home after the Halloween party didn't I?

Ashlyn: What do you mean you walked home after the Halloween party?

Jet: I hadn't gotten my license yet.

Ashlyn: I thought Maddie drove you guys home!?

Jet: no? Maddie came down the stairs like she'd seen a ghost and took off outside. I figured she needed to cool off, and she got home a few hours later with food.

Gina, nudging Maddox: yo Gadget, you might wanna wake up, I think you're in trouble.

[desperate-gay]

Pls pls write for ali

Victory

Ali Krieger x fem!reader

The game is intense. Both teams have been playing hard, leading it to be 0-0 after the full ninety minutes, causing it to head into overtime. It’s 105 minutes in and Gotham has taken control of the ball. Kristie passes it downfield and it continues to move forward as Portland’s defenders scramble to guard the ball, but because they’re a little behind, it leaves a space allowing Katie to shoot the ball and hit the back of the bet.

The whole stadium goes wild, including you standing up with Sloane on your hip, cheering with the crowd. She looks around cluelessly with noise-canceling headphones, making her look even more adorable than usual. Kyle alongside you has Ocean in his arms while pumping his fist up and down at the new lead.

Only 14 minutes later, they are advancing to the finals. Ali looks up into the stands with a bright smile, seeing her family witness her journey through her career, but she is quickly pulled aside by her teammates who continue to chant they’re not finished yet.

After a few more minutes, you and Kyle make your way onto the turf with the kids to meet up with the captain. Kelley, Kristie, and Lynn all talk with her but once she sees you approaching, she excuses herself and jogs over.

“Mama won.” Sloane slurs with a cute little grin.

“Yes, she did!” You exclaim as you continue to bounce the little girl on your hip, something she has always enjoyed for whatever reason.

Ali laughs and takes Ocean out of Kyle’s arms without her smile breaking once. “I’m so happy you’re all here. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“We’d do anything for you, sis. Right, Y/n/n?” He wraps his arm around Ali’s shoulder before nudging you to answer. You divert your attention back to the girl and notice she’s already staring back at you.

“Of course. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

You all stand around and talk for a bit with a few of her teammates. The Portland breeze picks up, making it feel much chillier than it actually is. You’re only covered by a thin zip-up, not thinking the temperature would drop mid-game and freeze you half to death. Your shivering is noticed by Ali, so she shrugs off her coat and rests it on your shoulders before taking Sloane from your hands into her other arm.

“Ali, you’ll be cold now. I’ll be fine-“

“You’re clearly cold and you need to warm up. I’m hot anyways.” She shrugs you off and talks to both of the kids in her arms. You’re lucky that the bitter weather makes your cheeks rosy or she definitely would’ve noticed the deep blush rushing to your cheeks at the gesture.

You have been friends with Ali since forever. Your feelings for her have grown stronger and stronger as time moved on to the point where you’re now sure you’re in love with her. The only problem is that she split from Ashlyn months ago and you were her shoulder to cry on through her heartbreak. To you, it’s still too soon to even think about making a move, especially when she has more important things to think about like her retirement and her kids.

Sloane and Ocean have become important to you as well, treating them as one of your own. The little girl is a goofball and the little boy is a bit of a stinker at times, but nothing makes you love them any less. Ali sees the way you interact with them which makes her melt to the floor, knowing that you’re perfect in any way.

Long before the divorce, she knew it was over with Ashlyn for a while. They both argued constantly and Ali didn’t want the kids to grow up in a toxic environment. When Ashlyn cheated, she weirdly felt relieved. Maybe it was because it made her feel less guilty for growing feelings for you. Her best friend.

When the split happened, she ran to you. Even if she knew it was going to happen, it was still devastating. No matter what caused the divorce, she’ll still always care for her ex-wife, and knowing everything is changing with her career, love, and family, it breaks her. You’re there for it all. Her ups and downs, highs and lows. You assure her she’s stuck with you forever.

So here you are now, in Portland watching the captain survive and advance to the finals. Kyle drove you and the kids since Ali had to arrive a little earlier to get ready, but she insists her brother heads back to his hotel and she’ll take everyone back with her.

“Let me go wash off and gather my things then I’ll meet you here. Are you okay with watching them for a couple of minutes?” The taller girl asks, gesturing to the two toddlers in your arms.

You wave her off the best you can with her busied hand and say, “I’m sure I can handle these angels. Now hurry! I want to get back to the hotel.”

“Jeez, I thought I was bossy.” She snarks, walking away but not before the tip of your foot meets with her behind. “Ow! Meany.” You stick your tongue out on her which she returns, causing the kids in your arms to giggle at their Mama’s banter.

Kelley walks out with Kristie and sees the two giggling toddlers. Rushing over to you, she drops her bag, holds out her hands with a grabby gesture, and takes Ocean from your left arm. Kristie quickly follows and pulls Sloane into hers, allowing her arms to relax from the removed weight.

“I’ve missed you two.” Kelley coos at the boy while sticking her finger out for him to wrap his tiny hands around.

“I want one.” The blonde next to you frowns. “Can I keep her?”

“Mmm, I don’t think Kriegs would be happy with me if I sell her children-“

Your statement is cut off by the locker room door opening, revealing the said girl with dampened hair and a bag swung over her shoulders. “I leave you for a few minutes and you’re already auctioning off my babies?”

“Am not! Kristie is thinking about stealing Sloane!” You defend yourself while pointing to the girl.

“Hey!”

Ali chuckles and wraps her arm around your waist, pulling you into her chest. You don’t know if she realizes what she’s doing, but you’re far from complaining about the closeness. You both watch as your guys' two friends continue to mess with the children before you see them yawn.

“Alright, time to go. Gotta put these two to sleep.”

Kristie frowns but reluctantly hands Sloane over to you anyway. You smile sympathetically and pat her back with your free hand.

“I’m going to call Sam and ask for one now. I’ll see you two later.” The girl hops off on her phone, most likely already face-timing her Australian fiancé.

Kelley also bids her goodbyes, parting ways from the four of you, letting you all finally walk out to the car. You both buckle them in before you settle into the passenger seat and Ali in the driver.

The car ride remains silent besides the quiet hum of the radio in the background. You keep your gaze out the window, watching the unfamiliar buildings pass and the stars in the sky. The two toddlers in the back both fall asleep due to it being past their bedtime and the eventful day they had.

As you pull into the hotel parking lot, you unbuckle your seatbelt and turn around to look at the peaceful two.

“They’re so precious.” You mumble in awe to which Ali hums in agreement, also looking with you.

You both grab their sleeping forms and head into the hotel room. You’ve been staying with Kyle at his, but since she insisted on driving you back, you follow her into her room, thinking she might want to hang out for a bit. When in the room, you both first change the kids' clothes and place them into their little cribs for the night.

Ali sighs and thumps onto the bed in the middle of the room with her hands covering her face. Her shirt rides up due to her arms lifting, exposing her muscular stomach. You sit at the edge of the mattress and admire the beauty in front of you. A clearing of a throat breaks your stare and turns your attention to the brunette who is now sat up staring at you with a ghost of a smirk.

Heat once again radiates onto your face, embarrassing you further proving you just got caught. The best moves and the sheets shuffle from her moving to sit next to you. She nudges her shoulder with hers as she continues to look at your side profile.

Breaking the silence she says, “I’m happy you came with us to Portland. It means a lot to me; you being here through everything.”

“Like I said, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

You look up back at her and your stomach twists at the sight of her gaze remaining on you. With both of your heads turned, your nose is almost hitting against hers. For a second, you swear you saw her eyes flick down to your lips, but maybe your eyes are deceiving you, feeding into your delusional mind that thinks she may feel the same.

Surprisingly, your mind wasn’t faking you out. Her hand reaches out and rests on your cheek, the soft pad of her thumb stroking your skin gently. She slowly leans in closer when she sees you look at her lips, taking it as a sign you’re not going to find her disgusting.

“Is this okay?” The brunette asks as her lips hover over yours. You nod instantly, not trusting your voice at the moment.

That’s when it finally happens. Her lips slot into yours like a missing piece to a puzzle you worked ages on. The kiss is firm, not too soft to make you think she’s unsure, but not too rough to make you think there’s no meaning behind it. As it continues, her other hand moves down and strokes your thigh which makes you crumble even more into the kiss while your hands rest lightly on her chest.

It lasts until you two need air, pulling away you rest your forehead against hers, giggling lightly in delight.

“What are you giggling about?” She smiles at the sweet sound.

“I just can’t believe this is happening. I’m really happy is all.”

Your right-hand slides itself to the back of her neck and rubs up and down, soothing the tense muscles. She sighs in relief from the feeling and pulls away slightly to be able to look at you. If she was a cartoon, hearts would appear in her eyes from seeing you smile softly at her and your doe eyes roaming her face.

Not being able to control herself, she pulls you in again and places multiple pecks on your lips, causing you to giggle at the outburst and try to lightly shove her off. She finally stops when she hears a quiet whine from the crib which makes the both of you pause and see if you woke one of the toddlers up. Lucky for you, they must have fallen back asleep as quickly as they woke up.

Ali moves to lie down on the mattress before opening her arms wide, signaling for you to lay down with her. You slot yourself comfortably into her embrace and cuddle into her chest. She presses one final peck to your head before whispering, “You are the one for me.”

You tap her waist 3 times, telling her you feel the same, something you've both done ever since you started hanging out. Both exhausted from the thrilling day, it doesn’t take long for slumber to take over your bodies, making you miss the quiet buzz from your phone.

brother kriegs<3

im hoping you finally made the move since youre not here. cant wait for you to be my sister-in-law. i have been dreaming of this day since you admitted your feelings xx

[meazalykov]

soft spot

esmee brugts x uswnt x sensitive!reader

summary: a hurt reader starts to feel a soft spot for a girl, even if she tries to fight it.

part one (part two here)

warnings: angst, mentions of betrayal, reader being an Ahole for the first part.

Y/n had spent months preparing for the World Cup 2023 in Australia. As a player for Chelsea, she was no stranger to pressure. But nothing could have prepared y/n for the emotional whirlwind that will hit her. 

Jane, her girlfriend of three years, had called her to talk. Y/n, despite ignoring her girlfriend due to latest rumors, had expected a heartfelt farewell, some last-minute words of encouragement, maybe even a promise to watch every game and cheer her on from afar. Any reassurance that their relationship was good.

Instead, Jane dropped a bombshell. 

"I don't think things are working out between us," she said, her voice devoid of the warmth Y/n had grown to love. 

“Wait what?” Y/n’s mumbled as she processed her girlfriend's words. 

"It's hard with you being away all the time, playing for Chelsea.” 

“You said that wasn’t a problem?” Y/n was confused at her girlfriend's words. At the age of 17, y/n forfeited her college eligibility in the United States to play for the youth academy at Chelsea. She had to leave her new girlfriend in the process, but Jane encouraged her to go live her dreams. Why did she change? 

“Yeah but-” 

“Jane, I feel like you’re lying to me.” Y/n admitted. Over the last few weeks, the footballer had friends questioning Jane’s loyalty in their relationship. The twenty year old woman had a feeling that Jane was emotionally cheating on her with another mutual friend of theirs, Ashlyn.

“I-I’m not.” 

“Sure–whatever.” 

“Ever since you’ve moved away to London, we’ve barely had time to see each other. I’m sorry— I still love you–but this isn’t working out.” Jane spoke softly. 

“Okay, fine.” Y/n hung up the phone as she noticed the tears coming down her bright (color) eyes. She knew Jane was lying which made the pain more excruciating. 

Those words from Jane repeated in Y/n’s mind for days. She had known Jane found the distance challenging, but she never thought it would come to this. She felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, the betrayal amplified since Jane had found solace in Ashlyn, someone Y/n had never suspected could be a threat to their relationship. Ashlyn was a college BIOMED student who spent her time in her books— just like Jane. oh. 

Two days later, Y/n boarded the flight to Australia, her mind a storm of emotions. She tried to focus on the upcoming matches, the strategies, the training sessions, but Jane's words echoed in her head. 

“Hey, what's the matter?” Y/n took her airpod out of her left ear when she noticed her team captain, Alex Morgan, sitting beside her in the business class seat. 

Originally, Emily Fox was supposed to sit beside Y/n, but Emily figured that Alex would’ve been better at figuring out what was wrong with the American right winger. 

“Nothing.” Y/n mumbled, giving a light smile, hoping that Alex would be reassured by that. 

“Well– the dry tears on your cheeks doesn’t make your situation sound like nothing.” Alex said. Y/n always had the strength to speak up about her emotions when she needed to, what could’ve happened? Why is she secretive and independent now? 

The image of Jane and Ashlyn together gnawed at Y/n as she looked at Alex. This filled her with a cold, bitter resolve. If Jane had left her for someone else, Y/n would channel that pain into her performance on the field. However, she didn’t want to open up about it yet. 

“Once I process this, I’ll tell you what's wrong– okay?” Y/n smiled as her eyes began to gain moisture. Alex frowned before hugging the girl fourteen years her senior. Alex knew she couldn't force Y/n to speak up, unless her emotions started to affect the team chemistry.

 

As the World Cup kicked off, Y/n's teammates noticed a stark change in her demeanor. Gone was the cheerful, happy, approachable player they knew; in her place was someone with a steely gaze and an edge to her play that could’ve been described as ruthless. 

In their opening match against Vietnam, this new Y/n was on full display. In the tenth minute, she already side tackled two vietnamese players. This was not her playstyle. Usually, she will take the ball with her feet without needing to take extreme measures. As the game continued on, the number 17 player played with an intensity that was both impressive and alarming, her tackles hard and her determination fierce. Fans were impressed by the forward having defensive approaches, but were concerned once her aggressiveness showed. 

Midway through the second half. Y/n was tackled onto the ground by the Vietnamese left back. Jane couldn't get out of her head during the match, which pissed Y/n off.  During her goal in the 45 + 7’ minute, y/n’s heart fell into her stomach when she realized that she couldn’t do her usual “J” symbol as her celebration anymore. Jane was another girl’s girlfriend now. 

Seeing Jane and Ashlyn in her mind, Y/n stood up at the left-back who didn’t back up from the challenge. Normally composed, Y/n lost her cool and pushed the player to the ground. Y/n had no emotion when the ref flashed her a yellow card. The Vietnamese player, who looked up at the star player, was visibly confused. She stared at y/n in shock as the referee intervened.

The crowd murmured, “What is going on with Y/n L/n in this match? 

The commentators speculated, “It looks like Y/n L/n is playing with her emotions tonight, which is shocking since she's known as one of the more “contained” and “emotionally mature” players on the team at just the age of twenty.” 

Her USWNT teammates exchanged worried glances on the pitch and the bench. Lynn Williams, y/n’s older friend, pulled her to the side and asked “What were you thinking?” to which Y/n shrugged. 

Y/n didn't care about her actions. Her heart was cold, and all she could think about was proving to herself, to Jane, and to everyone watching that she didn't need anyone's pity or concern. Even if they weren't aware of the problem. 

As the match ended, Y/n walked off the pitch with her head held high since she scored and won against Vietnam, but inside, the turmoil raged on. She knew that she had to keep her emotions in check if she wanted to help her team get the World Cup for the third time in a row, but the betrayal by her Ex wasn’t forgotten. 

Lindsey did confront Y/n on her actions, considering that this is Y/n’s first ever yellow card in an International competition. However, y/n brushed it off as being mad about being tackled to the ground. The blonde debuted her reasoning but proceeded to focus on the next group stage match, 

The Netherlands. 

Despite her best efforts to calm her stormy emotions by meditating, going on walks in the Australian weather, and listening to motivational podcasts— the betrayal Y/n felt from Jane's infidelity still burned hot within her.

When the game against the Netherlands started Y/n's aggression was palpable. In the third minute, Y/n pushed Danielle Van, but was excused since it looked as if she was getting the ball. Alex, Lindsey, and Vlatko were nervous each time they saw their star forward clash with an Oranje player.  

Everyone noticed the increased speed that y/n gained when she gained possession of the ball. Y/n ran the ball up the pitch before passing to Alex Morgan, who failed to shoot the ball since the Dutch goalkeeper grabbed it inside the box on time. 

Five minutes later, the same thing happened again. Y/n gained possession of the ball and dribbled her way up the field. 

It wasn't long before her path crossed with Esmee Brugts, #22 on the Dutch National team. Y/n had known of Esmee through social media; they'd followed each other for a while, a year to be exact. The girl didn’t remember how or why but everyone seems to know of each other in this community. 

Y/n would’ve been lying if she said that she didn’t find Esmee attractive currently. The way Esmee effortlessly moved the ball made y/n concentrated on getting the ball from her. However, y/n’s current emotional state made it hard to think of anything beyond the match at hand—and her ex.

During a particularly intense moment in the game, Esmee and Y/n collided. Esmee's shove sent Y/n sprawling to the ground, her face painfully meeting the grass. At first y/n was shocked, looking up to see a standing Esmee who looked forward at the ball who Lindsey Horan gained possession of.

The sudden flare of pain in y/n’s jaw triggered a surge of anger as she was still on the ground– Jane's betrayal flashed through Y/n's mind as the pain got worse. Y/n, not thinking rationally, sprang to her feet, her emotions boiling over as she ran to confront Esmee.

"What is wrong with you?" Y/n shouted, her voice trembling with rage. "She can't do that?!!! That should’ve been a yellow??” Y/n looked over at the assistant referee who didn’t have much to say.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you-"

"Shut up!-- What were you trying to do to me then?" Y/n cuts the dutch #22 player off.

Esmee, taken aback by the loudness of Y/n's outburst, tried to explain more, but Y/n's anger was already spiraling out of control. The Dutch girl knew of Y/n through social media, they’ve had a few mutual friends who described Y/n as a sweet and matured girl. Y/n was someone different here. 

The confrontation quickly drew the attention of players and officials alike, and it took several of Y/n's teammates to pull her away from Esmee as she continued to misplace her anger on the girl with braids. 

The referee, seeing the situation escalating, issued a warning. At the same time Vlatko made the swift decision to substitute Y/n L/n out for Trinity Rodman, before she got a second yellow.

As Y/n sat on the bench, her mind raced. In another place, American commentators speculated on her uncharacteristic aggression, 

“Looks like an altercation happened on the pitch between United States star Y/n L/n and Dutch star Esmee Brugts.” 

“Well– I wouldn't consider that a full altercation. Y/n was the one who had a problem with Esmee’s challenge.” 

“Yeah, for sure, it looked one sided. I wonder if something is wrong with Y/n that the team is starting to notice. She’s played in 23 international matches so far in her career and it seems like the World Cup brought out some new emotions for the young star.” 

After the game, the team captains, Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan, pulled Y/n aside into a private room. Y/n was intimidated by their strict demeanors as they sat her on a blue bench in an all white room. The captains saw enough to know that something deeper was troubling their teammate.

"Y/n, we need to talk," Alex said gently. 

"We do. We know that there’s something wrong— What's going on with you?" Lindsey said. 

Y/n hesitated, the idea of vulnerability after being cheated on caused genuine fear in the girl’s eyes. 

Lindsey noticed this, but as the captain she needed to know how to fix her teammate. “We aren’t leaving this room until we have an idea on what's wrong. We are here for you and want to help you– so please tell us what’s wrong.” 

The concern in her captain's eyes broke through y/n’s emotional shields. 

“S-Sh-um–She cheated.” Y/n mumbled out as tears poured down her dimpled cheeks. 

“What?” Alex questioned. She looked over at her fellow captain, Lindsey, who was just as confused. 

“Jane lef-lef-left me for her.” The floodgates poured down Y/n’s eyes at this point. 

“Jane left you for who, sweetheart?” Alex said as she went to hug Y/n. Lindsey got on her knees in front of y/n, comforting her as she felt pain from seeing her favorite young forward hurt. They knew who Jane was, but never met her throughout Y/n’s three year relationship. 

“Jane left me for Ashlyn. She said she was tired of me being away in England and that we weren’t working out.” Y/n sobbed on Alex’s shoulder. 

“Honey, I am so sorry. Why didn’t you tell us this before, we could’ve helped you.” Alex’s maternal instincts kick in as she sees y/n so broken, so hurt. Y/n was known to be the happiest, most emotionally mature, and a bright light on the team. Everyone seeing her so aggressive last week caused shock among the captains. They understand what’s wrong now. 

“It happened before we left to come here. Wh-What did I do wrong?” Y/n continued to sob. 

“Nothing, you did nothing wrong. You didn’t deserve that.” Lindsey said. 

Y/n confessed everything about Jane's betrayal, the pain that had consumed her, and how it had affected her gameplay. 

“Why did I lash out at Esmee like that too? Her of all people?? What the fuck?? I feel like I am a piece of shit!” Y/n says five minutes later as she processed the moments of today’s game. Tears continued to stream down her puffy face as she admitted how guilty she felt about lashing out at Esmee Brugts.

“She will be okay, y/n. You can apologize later, but we still need to help you with your problems about your ex.” Lindsey softly says. 

"You can't let Jane or that situation destroy you. We're here for you, and we'll help you through this." Alex whispered in Y/n’s ear, which warmed the cold heart in her body.

The tournament continued, but the USWNT's journey ended in the round of 16 with a loss to Sweden. Y/n's performance had improved, but her heart wasn't fully in the game. She made one of the penalties against Sweden, but it wasn’t enough. 

The World Cup ended in disappointment but y/n’s advanced technical skills and goal scoring abilities gained her a new opportunity– Barcelona Femení contacted her and approached her with an offer. Eager for a fresh start, Y/n accepted and moved away from London, hoping that the new memories will help her healing journey. 

(pretend you're sam kerr below)

wosonews

BREAKING 🚨 | FC Barcelona Femeni have completed the signing of Y/n L/n from Chelsea on a 4-year deal 💙❤️

comments

wosowbbfan she's a striker that barcelona needs 🥲 I will miss her ❤️

y/nl/n17_ seeing her and alexia putellas talking after the champions league semi game last season, I suspected this might've happened 😧

indigoblue578 isn't Esmee Brugts almost ready to sign for barcelona too? 👀😬

kerrfan yes esmee will if she doesn't go to arsenal. I'm positive y/n apologized to esmee for what happened at the World Cup ☺️

Indigoblue578 @/kerrfan yeah y/n is a sweetheart, I'm positive the thing with Jane Holland is what caused her to be so emotional during the world cup 🙁

kerrfan @/indigoblue578 I agree

Portthorns9378 She's never going to the NWSL is she? 😭

Barcahive the first American in Barcelona lets goooo 🙌

--

On the first day at training with Barcelona, days before they’re supposed to go to Mexico for a friendly game, Y/n's past summer collided with her present. As she walked into the dressing room, she saw Esmee Brugts, now a teammate. Y/n's heart sank with guilt as she recalled their confrontation back in Australia. 

Meeting most of the team days prior, y/n knew that she was in a comfortable spot and didn’t want to make things awkward or tense. That is not a good look for your first season at the catalan club where most of the girls consider each other a family.

Thankfully, Ingrid Engen noticed the tense look on y/n’s face as she tied her ivory colored cleats. Ingrid had always been perceptive, and she could tell something was bothering someone. Even with y/n who is new to the club. Ingrid walked over and sat beside the younger girl.

“Hey, (reader’s nickname)... is everything alright?” Ingrid placed a hand on the twenty year old’s shoulder. Y/n sighed as she looked around the dressing room, wondering if it was the right time to speak to her mind. Noticing that some people already left to head out on the pitch for training, including Esmee, y/n didn’t see the harm in telling Ingrid what's wrong. She hoped that speaking up would bring some peace to the situation. 

“It’s about Esmee– At the world cup I went off on Esmee over a challenge we had together on the pitch. This was after my ex cheated on me so I misplaced my anger on some people, including Esmee.” y/n sighed. 

“After finding out that Esmee was joining Barcelona this season I felt more guilt than before— I wanted to reach out on instagram to apologize but I didn’t– I don’t know— I – I just feel so bad.” Y/n continued as she whispered to Ingrid. 

Y/n sat in the dressing room, her mind racing. She knew she had to apologize to Esmee for the sake of team chemistry. Luckily, not many on the team knew about what happened during the Netherlands vs United States match, but still— y/n didn't know how to approach Esmee without the other girls around. The memory of her outburst still haunted her, and despite Esmee's seemingly friendly demeanor, Y/n couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that was on her.

As she sat there, lost in thought, Ingrid wraps her arms around y/n shoulders which she relaxes into after a few seconds. Y/n is still getting used to the physical affection that europeans show to each other on a normal basis. 

"I remember that. You were going through a tough time, and it got the best of you. Have you thought about when you want to talk to her?" Ingrid nodded, understanding.

"I have, but every time I try to find the right moment, I just freeze up," Y/n confessed. "I feel like it would be more genuine if I did it myself, but I don't know how she'll react."

Ingrid offered a reassuring smile. "Esmee doesn't hate you, Y/n. She's not the type to hold grudges. Besides, she probably doesn't even think about it anymore. The World Cup ended in a Spanish victory anyways, and everyone's moved on."

"Maybe," Y/n said, uncertainty still clouding her voice. "But I can't move on until I make things right with her."

"Do you want Ale and I to help you?" Ingrid offered. "We can be there for support or even help you set up a time to talk."

Y/n shook her head, a small smile forming. "Thanks, Ingrid, but I think I need to do this on my own. It needs to come from me, and it needs to be genuine."

Ingrid squeezed Y/n's shoulder. "I get it. Just remember, Esmee is a kind person. She won’t brush you off or hold what you did against you. She'll understand. You've got this, Y/n. And if you need to talk afterward, I’m here."

Y/n took a deep breath, feeling a bit more confident with Ingrid's reassurance. "Thanks, Ingrid. I appreciate you."

"Anytime," Ingrid said, standing up. "Now, let's go train and see if you can talk to her after– okay?” The Norwegian took the American's hands and pulled her up from the dressing room bench.

Y/n nodded, determination filling her. She stood up and headed out of the dressing room, ready to go train before going to Mexico with the team tomorrow morning. 

As she headed closer to the door, she spots Esmee in the hallway talking to Bruna and Jana. Y/n felt herself freeze up at first, but fought against herself and approached the group of girls.

"Esmee, can I talk to you for a minute?" Y/n asked, her voice steady despite her nerves. Jana and Bruna smiled at Y/n in understanding before heading outside to the pitch. Training isn’t supposed to start for another five minutes so she hopes she can fit her apology in this time. 

Esmee turned, her expression curious. "Of course, Y/n. What's up?"

Y/n gestured to a quieter corner of the hallway. She didn’t want anyone eavesdropping, as she understood that some of the young La Masia girls loved to do that sometimes. 

"I need to talk to you about what happened during the World Cup---um--- I need to apologize."

Esmee's eyes softened as she followed Y/n. "You don't have to apologize about that, Y/n. I understand you were going through a tough time."

"No, I do need to," Y/n insisted. "I was out of line, and I took my anger out on you. You were playing the game and I couldn’t handle my emotions. It wasn't fair to you, and I'm really sorry."

Esmee smiled warmly. "Thank you, Y/n. It means a lot that you came to talk to me. But really, it's in the past.” 

“I know but I just couldn’t move on until I told you how sorry I am. I’ve moved on from my ex, who caused the outburst, and the World Cup itself– but I just had to apologize to you.” Y/n gave a light smile.  

“I appreciate that a lot. But let's just start over, okay?" 

Y/n felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Okay. "

---

part two here

<3

[womp-womp-waa]

Taylor was sleeping over at Ashlyn's house tonight. 'Girls night' Taylor excitedly called it. Ashlyn never had a Girls night before, she didn't have any friends to do it with. Now she did and that friend was Taylor.

Why did they just have to be friends?

It was hard to describe how Ashlyn felt about Taylor. She cared for the other deeply. And she loved her smile and her laugh. How she can easily make anybody feel better if they were sad. How she loved to share her interests. How she was one of the smartest people she's ever met. Her beautiful long flowing hair that blew just right in the wind to always make her seem like she's in a TV show.

That's how she felt about Taylor and no words would be able to convey that.

And now they were both in her room with face masks on. Taylors soft, small hands undid the braid for the fourth time. Taylor was determined to be able to brajd Ashlyn's hair. Feeling her hands play with her hair made her face flush as a small blush crept onto her face. She was grateful that Taylor couldn't see her red cheeks. She wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment of seeing Taylor's shocked face if she saw her blush.

She really wanted to tell the brunette how she felt. But Ashlyn refused to risk their friendship, Taylor was important to her and she couldn't imagine life without her. So if it took keeping her feeling to herself then that's what she will do. Plus, she's pretty confident that Taylor doesn't even like girls and even if she did she doubts that she would like Ashlyn.

So here they were. In a comfortable silence that neither of them decided to break for a while.

"I like you."

What? Surely Taylor meant only in a friend way, right? No way she would date an anti-social freak like Ashlyn. The shock from the sentence made Ashlyn's voice stop working, which in response made Taylor start stuttering a response

"Well- I mean. I do like you. A-alot by the way. And, um, not just in a friend way-"

Did she just say what Ashlyn thinks she said?

"I do really value our friendship and I get it if you just want to be friends, like that would be cool. But I-" a sigh escaped the brunettes lips "I would love for us to be something more"

Silence fell over the two once more. It felt more tense as Taylor waited for a response, her now tense hands still playing with her hair.

"I like you too."

It wasn't nearly enough to show how happy she truly was, but it felt like Taylor got the message as she slumped in relief and her hands began to flow freely throughout her hair as she started to attempt to braid Ashlyn's hair for the fifth time.

[dummie-writes]

the party walkers

self insert ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* school bus graveyard

words: 4.08k

previous part: a demon inside of my skin

next part: over the horizon, somewhere

note: woah hey I'm back so soon whattt, anyway. sorry that chapter was kinda more scene setting, we only got to interact with the group at the very end 😭 also, I'd like to say this is gonna be pretty self indulgent for the time being bc idk where I want the story to go 🧍‍♀️keep in mind that while I'm trying to keep it gender neutral, at times y/n may lean more feminine,and this is because I am more feminine. please enjoy :3

ii. a rescue mission

again, there's a tension. there has been for the past minute you've been sitting here. after telling them your name and settling down cross legged on the classroom floor, you kinda expected some questions or something. that blonde kid and ashlyn are still having that weird little staring contest. it's as if everyone wants to start, but no one knows how. like you've passed a test, but they aren't sure if you'll actually pass their little assignment or whatever. you were having nightmares, and eerily, the blonde knew to ask you about them even when you hadn't said you'd been having them. so, they were also having nightmares. at least, from what you could infer. 

“um, okay,” a sandy brunette boy with glasses begins. he's not looking directly at you, but instead at your bag beside you in a spaced out manner, his thumbs tapping the wooden pencil in his hand. “nightmares, monsters, right? what kind of monsters?”

     “like, gray ones? they're kinda big? sharp hands?” you say, still somewhat confused. a robotic voice comes from next to you, and as you turn your head, the tallest of the group has his phone held up, the screen facing you. on it, in black lettering, it asks “humanish?”. you blink, and then nod at it. not much of a talker, apparently. the girl who originally spoke to you, sitting next to Tyler and who you've quickly remembered is his twin sister, though you don't remember her name from the beginning of the year, opens her mouth to speak, but then ashlyn cuts her off. 

     “well, that's weird. what notes do you have on savannah?”

     a second of slight whiplash from the subject change, everyone (except for tyler) gives the freckled girl a weird look. they hadn't expected it either, but they aren't going to interfere. she has a colder tone - not entirely mean, but like she knows how to stick to decisions that she makes. actually, you'd seen her before - this town wasn't where you grew up, but you'd been here since middle school. ashlyn always kept to herself, for what rare times you did see her. the only words that you'd really ever heard from her were “excuse me” “thanks” or just glowering. you didn't know when she got all these friends. 

     you also had friends - unfortunately, they weren't really happy with you at the moment. with the whole “several hours or so in hell” situation, you hadn't really been the greatest companion. one too many times had you had to stay home from a group putting, or just slept straight through. they had a right to be upset with you, especially when you wouldn't communicate and were crabby. 

     “again, not really my fault! what am I supposed to tell them? that I'm bleeding out in the bathroom all night?” but, you know, whatever. 

     you pulled out your notebook, reading through the few notes you had written down since the start of the group project. you wouldn't argue right now. maybe they were just weird, maybe they were all in the same boiling pot you were. either way, the six of them didn't seem open to talking about it, which means another lonely night in the bathroom for you. 

     not for them, though. as you tried to be as quiet as possible on the cold, tiled floor, and then moving to the shower so the blood from your back would trickle down the drain instead, they would have a rather rambunctious evening. 

     “tyler, seriously. if they're here too, we need to get them!”

     “that isn't a risk we should be taking!”

     ash cringed just slightly at the volume of tyler's voice, and picked at the peeling fabric of the bus seat she was in. this argument had been going on for about an hour, stopping them from any sort of progress in terms of supplies, information, or anything, really. aiden was seated in the seat across from herself, foot dangling as he rhythmically tapped the seat, smiling as he usually did. his red eyes swung back and forth between the aggressors, not saying much except for the offhand comment or joke. 

     “guys, what if it was one of us? what if it was taylor?”

     “fields, don't even think about using that kind of an argument. it's cheap, and that's my sister. not a random classmate - who, by the way, might not actually even be here! they could just be having bad dreams! but, no, i’m the crazy one, right?”

    ben shifted uncomfortably, tensing and releasing his fists. tyler was defensive, that much was for sure. truth be told, he in fact did not actually like the idea of possibility leaving you stranded somewhere. it wasn't moral. but he was right, he knew he was right. they didn't have the actual information needed, the possibile required resources, and he wouldn't put taylor in any sort of unnecessary danger like that. not when you lived almost four blocks away from where they already were. despite not saying so, ashlyn agreed almost entirely. she wouldn't lose her entire team saving one person. at the very least, not until they were positive you were actually I'm this other dimension. 

     “remind me again why we didn't just ask them if they were here?” aiden questions, his cheeks rising a little as he stared at tyler in an almost dare to reply. 

     “we won't even tell our parents what's going on. if they're just having nightmares, they'll think we're crazy or on drugs. and in that case, who knows what they'll tell the school, or the police,” ash replies in an even tone, raising an eyebrow as her eyes meet aiden's, and then to taylor as she speaks again. 

     “but it isn't right. you know it's not right. and there was that unexplained scream you heard at the hotel, ash,” taylor points out, throwing her arms out as she paces back and forth. her hair was starting to tangle from all the moment, and a stern look in her eyes told everyone this isn't something she would let go of. at least not thus far. 

     ashlyn sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and looking down. a quiet pooled in the bus as the ginger thought through the possibilities and risks. taylor was right. they couldn't just leave you wherever you were to rot, possibly die. even if she wasn't a people person, she wasn't a monster. she couldn't let any phantoms hurt you or anyone else in good spirits, that would just be horrible and wrong. she knew tyler wouldn't mind getting you either, if it wasn't such a huge risk, and a major liability if you actually weren't there. 

 

   a small glow emitted from a couple feet away from her, looking up to Ben's phone screen as her hand slid to hold up her head. “we need more info”.

     logan tapped his foot tentatively, his face soft but unagreeable. he had been making a more logical argument, but was emotion driven nonetheless in his words. having another person would be an advantage. it would come with its own challenges, yes - explaining why they had another person hanging out with them to ashlyn's already suspicious parents, keeping track of an entire other human being, the extra general supplies - but having another person who wasn't a phantom on their side was also a benefit. another pair of eyes, hands, ears. more supplies could be carried. 

     not to mention, you are not just a video game character. you're an actual human being, with a life, with sentience. in the end, that's the defining factor. they can't abandon you. but they won't come looking for you without being sure you'll be there when they search. 

     “this is a stupid argument because we aren't actually arguing about saving them, but about when.” 

     taylor looks up to ash, lightening from how upset she was previously, and her shoulders beginning to drop. an unspoken understanding passes through them as everyone else mumbles something of agreement. 

     “and how the hell are we supposed to pull that off? do any of you even have their phone number? we didn't add them to any group chats because we were still in our own world when class ended,” tyler huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair, a sour expression in the creases of his face and eyebrows. 

     “I could run over there,” 

     everyone stared at Aiden for a second as he smiles in excitement before tyler thwacks him in the back of the head. not hard, but audibly. aiden’s mouth opens slightly, his smile unwavering but now wider as he scoffs in hubris.. “that's not happening, you moron.”

     that next morning is a hard one for you. for one, trying to clean that horrible slash with isopropyl alcohol isn't working. it's making things worse, in fact; the flesh around it is red and dry, it throbs when you move too much, and every so often, it'll crack further down your back because you moved too quickly. not to mention, it hurts like a bitch when you do so. not cleaning it runs the risk of infection, but honestly, you're too exhausted to care anymore. your mind is messed up, clearly. talking to a psychologist isn't an option, you'd get put in an asylum before you could finish your sentence. this was just your life now. and you would properly clean it later. 

     walking into class, you felt the jab of a finger at your back. jumping, you turn around to give a dirty look at whoever was giving you a difficult time, before realizing that it was aiden, from your group project. you take a breath and smile. “hey, how are you?”

     despite it being a very normal question that usually results in a “im fine”, aiden clark is not a normal person (to be fair, you aren't at this point either), and answers with a much more winded explanation. 

     “oh! I'm doing pretty great, haha. last night's homework wasn't all too difficult or anything, and since you're having trouble with your work, you can copy off mine if you'd like. speaking of last night, how'd you sleep? you know, with sleeping issues and everything? sorry about my friends yesterday, they can be a bit argumentative. it think it's funny lol.”

     at this point, ben, who you remember now as being introduced as aiden's cousin and is walking behind, looks at you, nodding and giving a small wave. you, in return, smile widely at him. 

     “well, aren't you just a ray of fucking sunshine or something,” you hear an irritated, grumpy voice from next to you, and then a yelp, followed by “ow! don't pinch me!” and a “then be nice!”

     turning to taylor and tyler, the long haired of the two smiles in a nervous apology. “sorry, he's always kinda cranky in the morning. he didn't mean that, I swear.” as taylor tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and chuckles softly, you notice she has a soft sparkle in her eye. that, and the fact that she has been nothing but kind to you in the entirety of the while you've interacted with th pushes her to be your favorite for the time being. 

     “it's okay, i'm not all too great for the first couple hours too. coffee helps, would you like some? do you have a cup or something?” you're being a little over-nice on purpose, mainly to make him feel bad for being a bit of an ass- but it's a genuine offer. he wasn't downright cruel, just a little mean. and the eye bags on top of his cheeks tell you that taylor wasn't lying about him not being a morning person. 

     tyler scowls, wrinkling his nose and glancing at the thermos you have on your desk. it's your favorite color, and the metal is warm with the creamy, light brown coffee inside. for a second, his face drops a little, and he looks like he's genuinely considering your offer, before rolling his eyes scoffing. “I'm good.”

     rough start for a group that hasn't entirely accepted you as part of their project, but he didn't cuss you out a throw a shoe at you, so you'll count it as a win! you don't have much time to process, because you turn your head again and jump at the bright write paper, half an inch from your face. holding it is a pale hand, and connected to that hand is aiden, wide eyed. actually, that might just be his face. you're starting to think he looks like that more than he doesn't. oh, yeah, actually, that's the homework he was talking about. you had only gotten a couple questions done last night before giving up, and trying to comfort yourself with hot chocolate before midnight arrived. 

     aiden was still looking at you expectantly, so you gingerly pinched the paper, smiling at him again as you took out your own unfinished work, and compared them side by side so you could at least not down most of them before mr. thomas got to class. as you did so, a bright yellow post-it note caught your attention, and in messy handwriting, it reads:

     “what are your nightmares about????”

     your eyebrows knit themselves, and glancing up at aiden, he's already looking at you. he turned away to talk to ben about something almost immediately, but it makes you wonder if he knows something you don't. you peel it off, filling out a few of the questions before glancing at the note again, and flipping it over to scrawl down your response of “why do you want to know so badly”. instead of a blank back, you find a phone number, which you can only theorize belongs to aiden. snatching up your phone, you pat the number in, and then hurry to finish what of the homework you can. after filling out what you think will get you a passing grade, you roll up the work and tap the blond on the shoulder with it. 

     he stops mid sentence to turn toward you, smile widely, take his homework back, and then continues talking to ben. all just as mr. thomas walks through the classroom door.

     actually, the fact that he gave you that post it note makes you giggle a little. it looks like an ad for a psychic. you nonchalantly doodle and scribble on your paper during the lecture, nearly falling asleep a couple times before you're all dismissed to sit in groups. you pause for a moment, glancing to your old group. brandy looks in your direction, smiling and standing up to walk over. oh wait what no don't -

     “hey! listen, so, about yesterday,” she whispered speedily, a note book in her right hand, tapping her pen on the cover with her left. you purse your mouth, nodding. awkward. “I'm sorry if I was being mean. I failed this class last year, and I can't repeat it again. I know that's harsh, but I'm not taking any chances.”

     a silent, uncomfortable nod and pause later, she continues. “I copied down a bunch of my notes for you, because I hope you can still pass. I'm sorry if I made you mad. I'll just, go, um, yeah.”

     a second later, you're holding a few pieces of lined paper to your chest and watching her run off and back to her group. a sinkhole opens in your chest, and you bite the inside of your cheek. would ashlyn's group be expecting you? would they talk to the teacher about getting you removed too, since they might not have wanted to fail as terribly as they already were? your eyes find their circle, where three pairs of eyes are looking to yourself, and there's a large enough gap by taylor's seat for your own. 

a soft grin presses onto your cheeks, relief emanating from you when you sigh, grabbing your chair to haul it over. at least you had a solid group for your project now, even if it was going to fall apart. and, even if your group members were a tad, let's say, bold in how long they stared at you for. not in an entirely creepy way, but in a puzzled way, like you were something to be figured out. 

     “um, he gave you his phone number, right?” logan confirmed, pushing his glasses up his nose with his index finger while he spoke. after the glint from the ceiling light left his glasses, you realized his eyes weren't entirely blue, but had a twinge of turquoise to them. or aqua. something like that, either way, they weren't a strict blue. you acknowledge his question by pulling your phone from out of your jean pocket, shaking it a little. “yep, it's all right here.”

     “good! be-”

     “we have something we should really talk about with you. a few questions.”

     “oh my fucking - you're making it sound like we're a cult.”

     “aren't we kinda?? at this point lmao??”

     “aiden, you're not helping.”

     “excuse me?” your features are slightly scrunched in both confusion and amusement - you're assuming this has something to do with the whole weird “what's in your nightmares” note, and on its own this exchange might actually kinda freak you out. but the way tyler looks like he's about to pop a vein has you beaming and nearly laughing. not to mention, aiden is just kinda, weird. a bit creepy too, but mostly weird. 

     “hey idiots, shut up! it was your guys’ decision to do it this way, and now you won't even talk with them about it properly!” tyler gives everyone a dirty look, noticeably glancing at ben and then not glaring at him. ben has a flat expression, and just glances at aiden, who is already chuckling to himself and looking back at him. 

     “ahem,” ashlyn clears her throat, pointing her eyes at you. as you turn to face her back, tyler huffs, crossing his arms and sitting back in his seat, glaring daggers at you even though you. haven't actually done anything. “so, these nightmares.”

     it's interesting that she's the one to bring this all to a head, after specifically dodging the subject yesterday in class. 

     “tell me about them.”

     when she puts it like that, it feels a lot more individual. you haven't really talked a whole bunch to ashlyn banner, even when you guys have been paired together. she was sorta… floaty. 

     “well, uh, what do you want to know?” you feel stupid for asking, but they were the ones who put you on the spot. and who are also glaring down at you, mostly in a friendly way. you think, at least. it's starting to get a bit stuffy. 

     “what color are the skies?” 

     “kinda, red. typically. but I feel like that's sort of normal. for nightmares.”

     this was weird. this was so entirely strange, actually. maybe you were too sleep deprived to actually notice, but the fact that they're dissecting you like a bug isn't normal. especially when they keep sharing glances like that! 

     “okay, hold on. what's going on? I think I should get to know why you guys are trying to scoop my soul apart with your eyes or something,” you stab a dirty look at tyler, who rolls his eyes and looks away. the rest kinda lose their gaze, sights now wandering the classroom- of course, this is excepting aiden, who's still staring at you. oh well. you kinda expected that at this point. 

     ashlyn gives a low sigh, clenching her teeth together and crossing her arms. her fingers tap on her jacket, and aiden leans over to smoosh himself into her shoulder- which she seems irritated by, but doesn't do anything to push him off because he starts speaking. 

     “I don't think we're getting anywhere with guessing games guys.” his eyelids are low, and he puts his hands behind his head, crossing his legs to put them on ben's lap like he's relaxing. that's when ash gives him a hard shove with her other arm, and he lands swiftly on the floor, drawing a giggle out of taylor. “hey! I'm right! don't push me :(.”

     “I hate to say it, but we might need to be just straightforward here,” tyler interjected, glancing at ash. “that's not a good idea, wh-”

     “hello! hi! I'm still here!” you interrupt, your palms facing upward out you wave your arms around. disbelief crosses your face, and you're about to laugh because, what the fuck? what do they know, and what are they not telling you - and why are they being so rude about it! “I would appreciate someone being straightforward with me! actually! if my opinion matters at all here!”

     “of course it matters!” taylor responds almost immediately, her shoulders dropping and her eyes becoming soft. ben stops for a second, signing “yes” in consensus. for the first time, logan speaks up, his words muddled together too quickly for you to understand for a second. 

     “yeah okay so theresthislike alternative dimensions thingandwedontactuallyknow what'sgoingonbutwould youhappentoknowhatwe're talkingabou-”

     “dude, breathe, what the fuck,” you answer, eyebrows tilted in more concern than anything else. while logan wasn't the type to talk so quickly he didn't enunciate his sentences, he didn't want to be stopped by any of the group - specifically tyler, who, surprise, you'll never guess, was glaring at him. 

    

     “... did you say alternate dimension?”

     “yeah lol.”

     “and what exactly does he mean by that?”

     “exactly what i, um, said. there's a shift, it starts at midnight, and we're there for seven hours. only seven minutes actually pass, but, uh, no one actually gets any sleep at that point.”

     that is… exactly what your little nightmare issue sounds like. 

     “the red skies, the phantoms-” who you're assuming are those demon things. “-they all match with our little, uh, nightly problem. the only thing that doesn't match up is how on earth you're there too. we know what caused us falling through - but why are you there?” logan asks, and the more he talks, especially about something he knows, the more he seems less shy. tentative, sure, but more confident in his words. it makes your heart drop into the pit of your stomach. 

     if he's serious about this, maybe they aren't playing some joke on you- which was already unlikely, but you've gotta cope somehow. if there are who knows how many other people in that little hell hole of an evening, then it isn't only you that you need to worry about, and you can't just hole up in the bathroom if there are others too. 

     “when did you start going?” aiden asks, poking you in the back again so you turn to him. 

     “that night at the hotel after the field trip.”

     “hmmm. anything weird happen?”

     “i mean, I went with my group. and I was kinda lagging behind and got tossed up with another group who was touring some haunted house because the lady thought I was with them.”

     “... what house?”

     “ummmm, seed house? something weird like that? ‘s’ somethi-”

     “the sorrel weed house. “

     that time, ashlyn didn't ask, but stated. it was a ghost of her usual, stronger tone. 

    

     “you must have gotten tossed up with our group.”

     the cold bathroom tile that you sat on was uncomfortable when you awoke that night, but the air was chilled with excitement. you were getting busted out. you'd have to do the more difficult part of maneuvering out of the house with what ashlyn and her group called “phantoms”, as well as trying to grab some stuff on your way out. blankets, first aid supplies, food, bags- anything you could really get your hands on. but escape was everyone's first priority. which is why your ear is pressed so hard to the cheap wooden door, and your breathing is as quiet as you can force it to be. you're listening for footsteps. or tapping. or whatever other noises might hint to otherworldly existence. 

     you hadn't been out of this bathroom in your entire time here. had you been hungry? yeah. but… what else were you supposed to do? you didn't exactly have a group to watch your back while you grabbed a lunchable from the kitchen. 

     nothing. nothing for the past ten minutes. the others should be here in about twenty. that's how long you have. so, with that in mind, you focus on your first location: your bedroom, where your phone, backpack, and blankets were. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

that's right, get part 1'd. hope you enjoyed

next part: over the horizon, somewhere

[mellowmadds]

Candy Hearts | Ricky Bowen

ricky bowen/fem!reader oneshot

fluff :)

summary: attending camp shallow lake wasn���t your ideal summer plan. however getting to spend a few weeks of summer alone with your boyfriend Ricky seemed to make all your nerves and anxiety ridden thoughts disappear.

warnings: anxiety/anxious reader, sad reader, shy reader, ricky bowen has adhd

word count: 3076

⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

Attending camp shallow lake wasn’t exactly how you wanted to be spending your summer, but here you are packing all your essentials. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be spending a few weeks of summer vacation with your best friends and almost too caring boyfriend, it’s just that your anxiety usually got the best of you. As you’re trying your best to fit everything into a small duffle bag that Ricky had let you borrow, your mother gently leaned against the frame of your bedroom door.

“Don’t forget your eyeglass cleaner, I know it bothers you even if it’s just a small smudge.” Your mother laughed while walking forward handing you the eyeglass cleaner and a small cloth.

“Thanks mom.” You said while trying to force a smile onto your face.

“What’s wrong Y/n? I can tell when you’re upset so don’t try to hide it.” Your mother stated as she sat down on your bed and grabbed the teddy bear that always sat on your pillow.

“Just nervous. I don't understand why you’re making me go.” Trying your best to not let the tears that filled your eyes spill down your face.

“Because this will be a good experience for you. Your friends will be by your side the entire time, you know Kourtney will be there for you. She understands how you feel so don’t worry she will take care of you. Besides, isn't Ricky also going to be there?” She was right, you knew that Kourt will always and forever be there for you, that's just the kind of person she is. As you looked back up at your mom she had a smirk on her face as she tightly held the teddy bear Ricky had gotten you a while back. You took the teddy bear from her arms and threw it on the pile of clothes you started folding so you could pack them into the duffle bag.

“No mother would ever be this happy that their daughter is spending a few weeks of summer vacation alone with her boyfriend, not to mention camp is also a few hours away from home.” As you stood up grabbing some more clothes to fold your mother also stood up and pulled you into a hug.

“That’s because I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.” She said trying her best to keep a straight face.

“Okay enough with the mean girls quotes, but sure you're the coolest mom in the world.” You said hugging her back trying your best not to be so anxious about going off to camp.

Finishing up packing wasn’t the easiest trying to fit everything you were taking into that small duffle bag was a challenge however you did succeed without breaking the zipper. You were going to carpool with Kourtney, EJ, Ashlyn, and Carlos since Ricky was helping Big Red at the pizza place and was going to drive Big Red’s car to camp later on tonight. As you waited for EJ’s car to arrive you said your goodbyes to your mother and tried your best to look excited even though deep down you were a nervous wreck. EJ’s car finally pulled into your driveway making your heart skip a beat knowing there's no turning back now, you have no other choice than to attend camp. While throwing your bag in the trunk you hear Gina fighting over who gets to control the music.

“Wait so how are we all supposed to fit?” You laughed while Gina pulled you onto her lap and pushed your glasses up for you.

“Well hello to you too Y/n.” Gina laughed while trying to act as if she was hurt over you not expecting her to be in the car. Of course she wasn’t actually hurt. Gina had become the one friend who gave you the confidence you so desperately needed and the two of you grew closer since you knew she’d never judge you for being yourself. As everyone got settled into the car Gina turned the music back on and ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ from the movie Grease started playing through the loudspeakers and everyone sang along. Gina grabbed your cheeks as you scrunched up your nose as she sang the lyrics ‘But now there’s nowhere to hide’ then Carlos dramatically laid his arm on his forehead and leaned back into you and Gina as he sang the ‘Since you pushed my love aside’ lyric. The whole car ride was full of laughter and singing which made you think maybe camp would be fun. As you guys arrived at camp a girl named Maddox held out a bucket labeled ‘cell phones’ everyone placed their phones into the bucket while talking amongst themselves while you tightly held onto your phone and asked if this was a mandatory type of thing unfortunately it was and everyone had to give up all electronics.

“Camp Shallow Lake has a no electronics allowed policy in place so all campers can enjoy our activities and enjoy the outdoors, it’s only for a couple of weeks you’ll be fine.” Maddox spoke quietly to you as if she noticed how nervous you were. You gently placed your phone into the bucket taking one last look at your lock screen which was just a picture of Ricky holding the teddy bear he gifted you.

Walking towards the girls cabin Kourtney tried her best to make small talk with you as the rest of the girls walked in front of you guys.

“Please at least try to have a little bit of fun, I promise I’m not going anywhere I’ll be by your side the entire time.” She gave you a lighthearted smile and gave you a side hug as you both walked to the door of the cabin.

“Well this is certainly a choice” Kourtney laughed while pointing out every small detail she hated about the cabin.

“Save yourself the time and don’t even step one foot in the bathroom if you think the main room is horrid.” Gina chimed in with a disgusted look on her face while Kourtney covered her mouth with her hand and pretended to gag.

While the girls chatted among themselves you started fixing one of the bottom bunks claiming it as your own. While trying to unpack all the thoughts of having to stay here for a couple of weeks instead of peacefully sleeping in the comfort of your own home filled your brain. Trying to hide your discomfort you told the girls you were going to go for a walk and would be back later on.

“You guys think she’ll be alright and eventually get used to it?” Ashlyn asked worriedly, she had always looked out for you even if you two weren’t the closest of friends.

“I doubt it Y/n has never liked being away from home. It took her months to be able to sleep the entire night at my house when we were younger. She won’t even sleepover at Ricky’s even though Mr. Bowen doesn’t care.” Kourtney explained to the girls while Carlos quietly entered the cabin and joined in on the conversation.

“Y/n doesn’t look like she’s having any fun. I just passed her on the way here and she didn’t even look at me when I asked where she was going.” Carlos told the girls while giving them a sad expression.

“Wait, she really won’t sleep over at Ricky’s house?” Gina asked shockingly.

“Big Red may or may not have told me that Ricky thinks his ADHD and outgoing personality is too much for Y/n to handle.” Ashlyn chimed back into the conversation.

“Are Y/n and Ricky really having problems?” Carlos questioned Kourtney hoping she would spill every single drop of tea.

“Y/n just struggles with really bad anxiety and this is probably the last place she wants to be right now. They aren’t having problems but it just takes Y/n a while to become fully comfortable. Also Ricky has no room to talk because he is constantly getting Y/n in trouble at school for the stupid things he does like skateboarding down the dead silent hallways with Y/n trailing behind him dragging his backpack on the floor trying to get him to stop. Ricky doesn’t exactly help Y/n when it comes to her anxiety, he just makes it worse.” Kourtney says with a straight face.

“So you’re confirming that what Ricky told Big Red is correct?” Ashlyn asked Kourtney with a confused look.

“Ricky just needs to realize that Y/n struggles with being in unfamiliar places and becoming close with people. She trusts Ricky, she just needs more time to get comfortable.” Kourtney explained.

Everyone decided to stop questioning Kourtney because she seemed to be done with the conversation and decided to finish unpacking and talk about the activities happening tonight.

“Hey Y/n I’m sorry but you can’t be over here we have to start setting up for the campfire.” EJ stated while giving Y/n a small smile.

“Sorry rocketman.” EJ glared at you.

“Please don’t call me that absolutely nobody knows my camp nickname yet I’m not ready to be made fun of the entire trip.” EJ laughed. “The girls have been looking for you, you should head back and get ready for the campfire.”

“Sorry if I worried anyone, I was just trying to clear my head.” You explained and gave EJ a wave goodbye while you walked back in the direction of the girls cabin.

When you got back to the cabin none of the girls were there so you took the time to try your best to relax and find an outfit to wear to the campfire since it was going to get cold tonight. Time passed and eventually all the girls came back to the cabin with blankets to stay warm next to the campfire. Gina handed you a fluffy light blue blanket and asked if everyone was ready to start heading out. While the girls headed to the campfire Ricky finally arrived and decided to head to the boys cabin to unpack. While Ricky was unpacking in the boys cabin he quickly made friends with a kid named Jet who finally agreed to come to the campfire with Ricky after some convincing. Before heading out Ricky grabbed the candy hearts he bought earlier and quickly made his way to the campfire with Jet.

“Am I late!” Ricky yelled over EJ’s horrible singing.

“You always know how to make an appearance, Bowen.” Carlos shook his head laughing while getting up from his spot next to Y/n so Ricky could take a seat next to you. EJ continued to sing while everyone watched him and made weird faces.

“Hey love” Ricky quietly greeted you while you let him take half of the blanket. You gave him a soft smile not wanting to interrupt EJ again.

You and the girls have been sharing a bag of twizzlers when out of the blue Ricky reaches and grabs one.

“Absolutely not Bowen go get your own.” Kourtney snaps at him. She had never really been fond of Ricky but tolerates him because you love him for some reason. You looked over at Kourtney while taking the twizzler from Ricky and placing it back in the bowl. Carlos seemed to be the only one to notice your obvious discomfort and sadness that Kourt snapped at Ricky for no reason. Instead of fighting with her Ricky shrugged his shoulders and decided it wasn’t worth it to start an argument, he knew Y/n wouldn’t like that.

“Here” Ricky said while handing you a candy heart that had ‘I <3 you’ written on it. You looked up at him and gave him another smile when he started leaning in you turned to lay your head on his shoulder. The rest of the campfire was filled with laughter and happy memories being made. Although you didn’t talk to Kourtney the rest of the time you still enjoyed your time with your other friends. Eventually the campfire ended and since it was getting late everyone decided it was time to head back to the cabins and get ready for bed. Everyone said their goodbyes. You gave Ricky a hug and said goodnight to him and walked back to the girls cabin with Ashlyn while EJ and the rest of the camp directors stayed behind to clean up.

“Are you okay Y/n? Kourt shouldn't have snapped like that.” Ashlyn asked before entering the cabin.

“Yeah I’m alright I know she doesn’t like him it’s okay.” You said back shrugging your shoulders. Ashlyn just nodded and gave you a tight hug before the both of you headed inside the cabin. It was getting late and everyone was tired so you rushed getting ready for bed so the girls could shut the lights and go to sleep. Some time had passed and everyone had already fallen asleep no matter what you could not fall asleep it felt as if your breathing was getting heavier with every passing minute and no matter what you could not get comfortable instead you were tossing and turning every second. Realizing you weren’t going to get any sleep you grabbed one of your hoodies and made your way over towards the boys cabin. You don’t know where the courage came from. Maybe it was because you were tired or because Kourtney made you mad but you twisted the doorknob to the boys cabin and walked in like you owned the place. Of course the boys were still awake. It was only Ricky, Carlos and Jet since EJ was still cleaning up the campground. Ricky quickly jumped from his top bunk and pulled you into a tight hug.

“Hey Y/n are you okay what happened?” Ricky asked, letting go and looking at you.

“I just couldn’t sleep and Kourt isn’t really being the nicest person right now.” You admitted fidgeting with your hands and placing them in the pocket of your hoodie.

“You can stay here, come on take your shoes off.” Ricky said while taking one of the million pillows Carlos brought along with him.

“My pillows are the most comfortable they are made of-” Carlos was quickly cut off by you telling him thank you and Ricky turning the lights off as soon as he knew you made it safely onto the top bunk. Ricky quickly climbed back into bed and gently pulled you closer to him and wrapped his arms around you. Although this was new for you guys to be sleeping in the same bed you felt comfortable and played with the end of his t-shirt while you slowly drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately that didn’t last long because no more than an hour later the lights were being turned on by a very already pissed off EJ.

“Carlos candles are not allowed in the cabins!” He quickly ran over to the candle and blew it out. EJ was taking his new camp job very seriously which everyone found hilarious.

“We were trying to sleep, shut the lights back off it’s late” Ricky said sitting up to face EJ.

“You guys were not sleeping Jet is playing that stupid video game and Carlos has his face misting thing on.” Carlos just rolled his eyes and continued to ignore EJ. As soon as Ricky sat up EJ saw you laying there next to him.

“Y/n get up you’re not allowed to sleep in here.” EJ said with an annoyed look on his face.

“Just go to sleep EJ nobody else cares, it’s not like we are going to do anything.” Ricky replied back.

“No Ricky it doesn’t matter I’m not getting in trouble for letting Y/n sleep in your bed. Come on Y/n get up I’ll walk you back to the girls cabin.” EJ was serious this time and wasn’t in the mood to joke around or let anything slide. Ricky was starting to get angry but before he could start a fight with EJ you started to quietly explain what was going on to EJ. It was hard for you to talk about your struggles with anxiety and explained that earlier in the day when you had talked to EJ because you were sitting where the campfire was being set up you told him it was because you were trying to clear your head and calm yourself down. After some more talking EJ finally agreed to let you stay and apologized for being an asshole. You accepted his apology, you knew he didn’t hate you and that he was just tired and wanted to go to sleep after a long day. Eventually morning came and the bright sun came shining through the windows. EJ was already up and gone getting the day started with the campers while Carlos was just heading out the door to go get some breakfast.

“Good Morning love” Ricky said while pulling you closer to him. He always called you some sort of name but love was always your favorite. You gave him a quick kiss and hugged him tight while he pulled the blanket up further so you were comfortable. However your sweet but short lived moment was only to be interrupted by the one and only Dewey Wood.

“I see not one but two violations in front of me.” Dewey stated while Jet quickly hid his gaming system under his blanket. Following his actions Ricky jokingly covered you with the blanket.

“Jet, why don’t you get up and go get some breakfast.” Dewey recommended and Jet followed his instructions not wanting to get his games taken away.

“Now that it’s just us, let's have a very nice detailed conversation about why this isn’t allowed.” Dewey said while gesturing his hands towards the two of you.

You may have not had the best first night at camp and while yes having ‘the talk’ with none other than Dewey Wood was intriguing yet embarrassing you had one of the best morning’s ever getting to spend time with Ricky brushing your teeth together while dancing to music on EJ’s record player and then getting to eat breakfast together pretending it was like a mini date. Ricky may be a lot to handle sometimes but he truly does take all your worries away and you couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend than Ricky Bowen.

[cuupidsss]

Euphoricly Gone.

You feel empty, you are empty. You’ve always been empty. Nothing and I mean nothing has ever made you feel fulfilled. Maybe the childhood birthday parties you’ve had and the cute games you’ve played with your friends sparked something but now.. now that doesn’t matter.

You’ve done it again, you went back to the one thing you’ve quit. It took only a couple weeks for it to crawl back into your life and slither down your throat and make you feel again.

You know it was wrong, your parents would probably go crazy if they found out you were taking those drugs again. You didn’t care, it made you nervous of course but there was to much going on to even care that much.

Your tired, so so tired. You have a lot of energy at the same time, everyone doesn’t seem to notice your state.

‘Thank god.’ Is what you would think of your mind was running straight. You looked at Taylor, she looked so happy. She’s chatting with Logan, Ashlyn is sitting by them, listening to the conversation quietly. Aiden yapping to her, she’s not really listening but she has a vague idea of what he’s speaking of.

Tyler’s right next to you, you don’t really talk to him, sadly. Ben is next to you, but closer to Taylor, your all in a small circle. At a park, on a nice blanket.

You feel guilty, but so light on your feet. Your happy, but you know it’s temporary.

“(Name)? (Name)? Are you okay? You’ve kinda just been staring off into the distance.” Taylor looks at you kinda worried, you smile lightly.

“Yeah.. I’m good.” You talk pretty slow, you smile again. Tapping your foot and look at everyone else. They’ve directed there attention to you for minute.

“I’m just chilling.” You make a thumbs up. You laugh a little, they all look content at that answer. Maybe your just crazy, maybe there actually worried and your convincing yourself that there content.

“Are you sure?” Logan pipes in quietly. You look at him sternly but kindly. “You do look a little.. off.” You frown.

You stick out your tounge jokingly. “Yeah, hello!! It’s me, I’m like super awesome and cool.” You joke, your not horrendously high or anything.

Everyone just goes silent and suddenly it’s like the conversation never happened and there conversing again. Tyler stares at you a little longer before sighing and going back to what he was doing. Which was nothing.

your phone rings.

Ding, ding, ding.

You breath in at the loud sounds, the group goes silent.

“Shit, sorry guys! I’m gonna go.. uhh,” you stare at the contact. It’s your older sister. You blink groggily and sigh. You stand up and walk away as far as possibly without leaving the park. Which isn’t far cause the park is small.

“You need to come home.” She says on the other line. Why? “Please, mom and dad said so.” She’s lying.

“Dad and mom aren’t home for another week.” You say, she sighs and ramble a little bit before you tell her your not leaving and hang up. You sit back down and fiddle with your hair. Shit. You feel around your pocket. Where did your baggy go? You had your shit in there. Where did it go?

You bite your lip, you can’t even ask the group. You feel around your pockets one more time and sigh. It’s not there. That stuff was expensive. You payed for that and now it’s gone. It wasn’t anything crazy but it was something to help your through the next WEEK of school and all these Fuck ads teachers.

You look at the group before looking down. What if they found it? It didn’t really have your name on it or anything so they wouldn’t know it’s yours but it’s scary.

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go.” You say aloud, everyone looks at you again. This time it makes you feel anxious.

“I thought you said you’d stay this time?” Aiden says questionably. He’s not budgy about it, just upset. You can’t tell.

Tyler speaks up, “Everytime we make plans to hangout you cancel or leave during it. It hasn’t even been 2 hours.” He’s right, you do do this. You shrug.

“Just been busy lately.” He doesn’t buy your shit but that doesn’t matter. “Sorry?” You say and smile. “My sister called and-“ a loud sigh interrupts you.

“What’s your problem?” You say looking at Tyler. He looks at you innocently.

“What do you mean?” He mocks a expression of innocences, clearly sarcastic.

“Your acting like I want to leave early. I don’t.” You say. You frown again. “I’m leaving, bye everyone.” You left, quick and swiftly.

You didn’t want to leave. After you left you felt content and comfortable.

Back at the park the group continued, a little bummed you left but all the same.

“What’s that?” Ashlyn says quietly, not to loud but not meekly. Everyone looks at a baggy on the ground. Right by Tyler.

“Is that yours Tyler?” Logan asks, Ben looks over to Tyler aswell. Tyler shakes his head.

“It’s (names), I saw her drop it.” He says, dryly.

[bisexualfemalemess]

*HSMTMTS SEASON 4 SPOILERS*

Final episode. Oh, this is gonna kill me. Let’s go.

Poor ricky worrying about gina. HE WAS NOT HAVING DANI TRYNA JUMP IN LMAO. Ooh, there’s my babygirl G. Ricky being a supportive boyfriend, awww. EJ AS BOLTON, yasss. Gina wanted ricky to ask her to stay and he didn’t want to make the same mistake he did with nini, miscommunication trope, i hate it here. RICKY BOWEN IS A FUCKING MENACE. “hey, by the way, who the fuck are you guys?” Been asking myself this question for four years, we still don’t know. Awww, Ricky, baby. Ah, Monique coleman giving kourtney advice, aww cute. WISH WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AN ACTUAL THE BOYS ARE BACK SCENE. TIM, I’M UNDER YOUR BED. Ooh, rina paralleling troyella, babies. Why is everyone going to ej for advice lmao, even miss jenn. That boy is a freshman in college. Maddox is so pissed that ash and red could be back together. Madison knew hahha. MADLYN CONFESSION AND KISS, LET’S GO LESBIANS/ SAPPHICS! Also, the fact that ej carved their names into a tree, he knew since the beginning and was a supporter, 😂 Terri back off, gina’s already hesitant. Jealous ricky, awww. GINA JUST WALK AWAY, SHE’S SO GOOD, My gabriella fr. “Be good to her. Just please take care of her in New Zealand.” My boy loves her so much 😭😭😭😭😭😭. JENNZZARA ARE SO CUTE. NOT THE RINA LOOK EXCHANGE BEFORE MY BOY RICKY SINGS SCREAM. THEY’RE SO TROYELLA RN. Antoine is me. Aww not Benjamin touching his heart while watching miss jenn perform. JETNEY SCENE. MADDOX IS GOING TO NEW ZEALAND TOO WTF??? Aww, big red worrying about Ricky, such a good friendship. Ricky worrying about his future now that gina’s leaving. Rina right here, right now reprise version?! It work so well for them at this point in their story. My poor children, tim istg if they don’t get their happy end i’m suing. THE LOOK EXCHANGE AND GINAS SMILE AFTER THE SONG, DON’T MIND ME DYING ON THE FLOOR. HAHA MRS POTTER DID NOT LIKE THAT. WAIT ANTOINE IS ANDY??? WAIT ANDY AND RED???? ANOTHER RINA LOOK EXCHANGE DURING CURTAIN CALL, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! andy screaming is me. DEWEY IS A SOFTIE OMG. AND A RINA CHEEK KISS! Seb 😭😭😭. Gina, my movie star baby. Ooof ricky’s speech hit me where it hurts. I hate it here. ITS OVER KOURTNEY SHUT UP 😭😭😭😭. G OH SHE LOOKS GORGEOUS AND THE WAY RICKY LOOKED AT HER AND MOUTHED ‘wow’. He’s in such awe of her, my otp. Oof, gina’s speech also hit me where it hurts. Not her calling jet out when it comes to kourtney haha. THE WAY SHE WENT THROUGH THE PEOPLE ONE BY ONE OH AND WHAT SHE SAID TO RICKY OMG 😭😭😭 “But with you I feel so seen, and so understood and so known.” THATS SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANY I LOVE YOU, OH THEY DESTROY ME. I MEAN SHE LITERALLY SAID “this one is gonna kill me.” The way the camera couldn’t find ej 😂😂😂. MISS JENN IS THEIR MOTHER, GINA CONFIRMED. THE RINA HUG AFTER HER SPEECH TO HIM PLS I’M ON THE FLOOR. NOT ASHLYN FINDING OUT MADDOX HAS TO LEAVE TOO. I HATE IT HERE. RINA AND MADLYN ENDGAME PLS. OH THE WAY RICKY’S VOICR BROKE WHEN HE SAID “I DIDN’T SAY I LOVR YOU.” OOH GO FIND THAT GUITAR RICKY. Ooh mack’s not doing Romeo and Juliette, ha. GO TELL YOUR GIRL YOU LOVR HER RICKY, GET THE GIRL. OMG RICKY! “Am i too late?” Some things never change. RICKY. CONFESSING. HIS. LOVE. TO. GINA. WITH. A. SONG. IN. FRONT. OF. REPORTERS. HER MOM. ALL THEIR FRIENDS. THEIR TEACHERS. HER BOSS. DON’T MIND ME ON THE FLOOR SOBBING HYSTERICALLY. THE LYRICS??? ‘Cause i love you fells a lot like high school and forever after that.”STFU. EVERYONE JOINING IN 😭😭😭 RINA ENDGAME OMG. RINI LOVE CONFESSION COULD NEVER. ITS HIS FAVORITE HAT SHUT UP. STFU STFU STFU THE EMBROIDERY ON THE TAG STFU. “Just like me.” RINA ENDGAME. OMG GINA MOVED THE MOVIE TO SALT LAKE BEFORE RICKY EVER EVEN SHOWED UP, RINA ENDGAME FR. AWW MISS JENNS STAYING TOO. RINA FOREHEAD KISS SHUT UP! Ricky is such a good boyfriend, helping her down. Terri finally approves! Ha. MISS JENN AND MR MAZZARA FINALLY. GINA WEARING RICKYS JACKET AHHH, cuties. BORN TO BE BRAVE NAWW. LAST RINA CHEEK KISS, IM FINE 😭😭😭😭 AWW THEY WENT TO DENNY’S. What a nice nod to nini. Omg the post credit scene STOP IT RN.

Seblos endgame ✅

Jetney endgame ✅ (kinda)

Madlyn endgame ✅

Jennzzara endgame ✅

MOST IMPORTANTLY RINA ENDGAME ✅✅✅ THEY CALLED US DELUSIONAL BUT WE MADE IT RINAS. THIS SEASON WAS FOR US. THIS IS THE BEST DISNEY SHIP THEY WERE SO INSANE FOR A DISNEY SHIP, OMG. OTP FOREVER, Golden retriever boyfriend and black cat girlfriend fr.

Question; Are we all in agreement that ricky definitely took over as Romeo after mack left the movie???

[allandoflimbo]

Take It Back: His Story (7)

Sequel to Take It Back

Previous Chapter

Summary: You and Bucky. It was supposed to be a happy ever after. Your story, home, and love was near perfect. After all, you had worked so hard and suffered so much to be where you finally were. But behind the scenes, Bucky had been dealing with more baggage from the past than he had been willing to publicly share. Steve was always the second best when it came to him and Bucky. From Nat, to you, and maybe now, even someone else. It’s been seven years since Ashlyn cheated on Bucky, but nine since she first fell in love with him. Two years after their public divorce and after starting therapy, she holds onto a dangerous mixture of jealousy and strength. With new friendships and new love on her side, she knows she should let Bucky go. But should is so hard to do when she loved as hard as she did.

WARNING:

This story will contain sex; oral, m/f penetration, anal sex, dry sex, rough sex, shower sex, masturbation, mutual masturbation, porn watching, and soft sex. Very strong language, strong adult content, use of drugs/alcohol, sensitive topics like marriage trouble, illnesses (both terminal and mental), one incident of almost non-con, college frat parties shenanigans, and emotional angst.

Rating: Rated R.  18+ ONLY. 🔞 no minors.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Masterpage for Take It Back: His Story

POV: Third Person

There were two things Bucky didn't like.

When Chipotle would forget to give him his extra guac and when Steve wouldn't shut up about work.

He was doing it more than usual, too.

When they were walking across the street? Work.

When Bucky was driving? Work.

When Bucky was trying to finish his chipotle bowl? Work.

Steve was starting to piss him off.

Suppressing a roll of his eyes, Bucky swallows a mouthful of food. He was just about to yell at Steve to please change the subject when a lady yelling after a kid catches Bucky's attention.

He grimaces as the little boy runs around the restaurant ignoring his mother. Bucky was always on the fence about how he felt about kids.

"And maybe you can try to like it..." Steve's voice is a low rumble in the distance as Bucky looks at the scene across the Chipotle. Bucky is ignoring Steve completely.

Sure, Bucky thought kids were cute and could be fun, but they were also a hassle. Just watching that mother yell after that kid made him cringe.

"...Even if you don't it won't hurt..."

A camel-colored coat catches his eye.

The glimpse of the girl's hair and neck sends him into a weird deja-vu stance and he finds himself not being able to look away.

Everything stops and everything tilts. He narrows his eyes, trying to remember where he saw the familiar figure before.

"Buck. Are you even listening to me?" Steve asks.

Bucky happens to finally get a good look at the girl's face when she turns to walk towards the door to leave.

"I'll be right back," Bucky says.

He pulls back immediately, noticing his mistake.

He pulls back immediately, noticing his mistake.

He can't deny the look of confusion and surprise on her face.

Something was happening in the air around him, or maybe it was in his chest when he finally sees the face behind that hair.

He can't seem to shake whatever it was that was nagging at him.

Familiarity? Had he met her before and didn't realize it?

Standing in front of him for the first time in her life suddenly didn't feel like it was the first time at all.

He wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Hey, sorry 'bout that." For some reason, his voice sounds disconnected from his body. It comes out on a will of its own as if his mind was elsewhere.

He knew where it was. Rewinding through his brain. Digging through memories. But they all came up blank.

He was losing his mind. He was sure of it.

He shakes whatever is nagging at him away and finally addresses the reason he stopped her in the first place.

"Are you Ashlyn's sister?"

She let out a sigh and after a roll of her eyes, a small smile clouds her face.

"You must be Bucky."

She knew who he was just by that and the conversation unraveled naturally. Ashlyn's little sister, Y/N was her name, was very sweet.

She seemed shy, a bit reserved and guarded, but kind and friendly. He invites her to come to Montauk with Ashlyn, his friends, and him. She accepts it, a bit reluctantly at first, but she does.

He watches her for an extra second as she walks out of the restaurant. He furrows his eyes, his brain still trying to search for something he wasn't sure was even really there.

"Who was that?" Steve asks.

"Y/N. Ashlyn's sister." Bucky answers, picking up his fork and going back in for some white rice.

"I didn't know she had a sister."

"Yeah, she's younger. I invited her to Montauk with us, if that's okay."

Steve nods.

"That's fine." Bucky nods and goes back to eating silently. He's thankful Steve doesn't bring up work anymore, "You have a weird look on your face."

Bucky chuckles.

"It's nothing. I just feel like I've seen her in person before."

"Where?"

"No idea. I'm probably just losing my mind."

__

Barnes Enterprises was usually the busiest around three in the afternoon.

Especially on the top floor. People were constantly walking back and forth trying to finish their day earlier so that the last hour before five was more relaxing than anything.

He and his right-hand men, on the other hand, worked twenty-four-seven. It was expected. They were dedicated by blood to his business. That's why he needed someone just as capable and dedicated to taking this place the moment he was no longer around.

He didn't trust Ben Harper, and Tony Stark buying them out was no damn option. Aside from settling for his son, he did have one other person in mind.

The handsome blonde walks towards the top floor's check-in desk. He takes a moment to look around, realizing he's only ever been up here once before.

He tries to hold in the smile as he remembers Harvard's Sophomore year.

Finally, he clears his throat.

Hilary, a black-haired girl, looks up from her computer. There's a bright smile on her face and her green eyes are a piercing combination.

"Steve." Her voice was sweet.

Hilary was always nice. She had been hired around the same time Bucky and Steve started at the company. The three had practically grown up together in the building.

Steve smiles politely at her.

"Hi, Hilary." He clears his throat again and shoves his hands in his pockets. He sways back and forth, "Uhm. George said he wanted to see me?" He can't shake the apprehension in his voice.

She doesn't realize she's staring at his sharp jaw until she finally looks away, her dazed smile slightly falling off her face.

"Oh, right. Let me take a look." She types some things away on her keyboard, "He just finished up another meeting, so the door is probably closed. You can knock and he should let you right in."

Steve nods.

"Thanks." He rolls his neck twice on the walk toward the large dark and sleek doors at the end of the hall.

He had the normal fear one has towards any boss. Sure, George was his best friend's father and he had technically known him since he was a little kid. Hell, George had once walked in on Steve practicing "kissing" with a four-by-four when he was eleven. They weren't close, but they were close enough to almost be considered family. Steve's father was absent a lot in his life, and George was always there for him.

Come college years, George became his boss, and there was a different kind of respect there.

Steve knows he got into Barnes Enterprises almost through literal nepotism if the Barnes family were to even be blood-related. But that doesn't mean he ever took his job here for granted. He loved working here. He progressed here and his friends were here. It was his second home.

Close or not, Steve's palms were sweating as he approached George's office.

He doesn't know why he's here. There are only two things it could be. One, he either is getting an extra assignment of some sort. Or two, he's fired. Either being a possibility makes his stomach twist into knots.

Steve takes in a deep breath and knocks on the door. It takes a few seconds for it to swing wide open.

George stands there in a silver suit and white tie, an equally bright smile occupying his face.

Steve takes in a deep breath.

"Mr. Barnes." Steve greets him.

"Come in, Steve." He lets Steve walk through, and then closes the door right behind him, "You can take a seat." He motions outward with his hand towards the center of the room.

Steve eyes one of the several black chairs and then the couch, not knowing which approach George wanted.

Was he overthinking this?

Steve finds himself walking over to one of the chairs in front of George's desk and takes a seat. George eventually finds his way to his chair and sits directly in front of him.

He gives Steve a small smirk before he folds his hands out in front of him and on the desk.

He can't help but chuckle at the tense and apprehensive look on Rogers' face. He had seen this look one too many times to know what it was. Mr. Barnes sighs.

"Don't worry, you're not being let go," George says.

A heavy weight is immediately lifted off Steve's shoulders and he finds them almost sagging.

He lets out a humorless laugh.

George gives him another look that Steve can't necessarily pinpoint, and then he sits back in his chair.

George nips on the corner of his bottom lip, bouncing his pen up and down, still eyeing up Steve thoughtfully.

"Quite the opposite." He adds.

Steve raises a brow at this.

"Opposite?" Steve asks.

George gets a pensive look on his face before he lets out a long but nearly silent sigh.

"You're one of our best lawyers, Steve. If not the best. You know that, right?"

Steve doesn't know what to say right away.

"I mean we have a lot of people here. You think I'm one of the best?" Steve chuckles and then licks his lips. He looks out the window, "I don't know about that."

"Well, you should know, because you are."

Steve turns to face George again, a serious look on his face.

"You're young, and you are better than most of the guys here who have thirty-plus years under their belt. But not just that," George lowers his voice dramatically and waves a finger in Steve's face, "You have great leadership qualities and great worth ethics. You're good at business. And you know what we do. You know what we believe here and you've only continued to prove that and follow that oath faithfully. You're good. Take the compliment." Steve's face relaxes. George sits back in his chair and sways, "You actually remind me of myself when I first started my position," George examines Steve's face for his reaction that will follow the end of his sentence, "as CEO."

Steve's in shock for just a minute before what his boss is saying starts to sink in.

He knows his eyes are almost wide, and his chest is blooming with equal pride as it is shocked.

He looks down at his lap, trying to find the right words to say.

It takes him a moment because while he feels pride and he is flattered, he also feels a pang of huge guilt.

"You don't have to give me an answer now," George says more quietly and in less of that professional tone.

Steve finds himself shaking his head slowly back and forth.

He licks his bottom lip.

"I—I don't understand. Bucky isn't next in line?" George's face falls just slightly, almost solemnly, "The way I always understood it is it would be him who would be next."

George bites at his bottom lip before he responds. He looks out the window and continues softly.

"You and James have always been best friends. And you being a great man with the loyalty you hold for our employees and also your friends doesn't shock me at all. It also doesn't shock me that that's your first concern. I expected it." Steve looks at him, waiting for him to continue, for him to at least address his question. George looks him dead in the eye, "Bucky doesn't want to be CEO. He doesn't want any of this," Mr. Barnes motions around the room, "He's never liked this kind of responsibility or lifestyle, let alone this career path. Yes, it would be very logical for him to be next, but he doesn't want it. And he's not good at it. He's said so himself. Doesn't it hurt that my son can't continue this? Of course. That's something that I've grown to see in my son for many years. He's a sweet boy who wants to be a lawyer and live in the city and that's it. I don't hate him for it. I also don't want to force it on him. Especially when there's someone better fit, and more capable. Someone who wants it. You're a very close second to my son. I practically raised you."

Steve is at a loss for words as he ponders everything George just told him.

He wasn't entirely wrong. Bucky never wanted to be CEO. But he couldn't do that to his best friend. But if it wasn't Steve who accepted it, who was the second runner after him?

"Can I give you an answer a week from now?"

__

MONTAUK

Caught in his thoughts from earlier, Bucky zips up his suitcase.

He looks over at Ashlyn and he feels like this is right. Picking her up at the train station felt symbolic to him. Like he would always be there to pick her up. He hadn't meant to offend Y/N when he had asked that question about her in the car.

He didn't. Most of all, he's worried he offended her with his little thing comment, and he knows how it sounded. But the thing is, he didn't mean it that way. It had nothing to do with her appearance that way.

He wasn't sure exactly why he kept teasing her that way. If maybe it was because in comparison to him, her personality reminded him of a kitten and he was a lion.

He couldn't describe it. Come to think of it, the more he racks his brain trying to trace the first time he said it and justify and explain it, it just kept sounding worst.

It was some kind of buried sentiment and feeling that he had yet to discover since that chipotle encounter.

His concern, though, was offending Ashlyn.

They had a great day at the pool but she had seemed a bit quiet.

He looks at her as she's pulling out clothes from her luggage and setting them up on the dresser in their guest bedroom.

Despite Steve's father always working and hardly ever being in town, he was always kind enough to open his home to Steve and his friends whenever they needed a break from city life.

Not many of the girls Bucky had dated had appreciated it that much, but Ashlyn did.

Her hair was in two braids and there was a tint of extra color on her cheeks from being out in the sun rays all day.

"You look beautiful." He tells her. His voice cuts through the room like a hot and searing steak knife.

She looks up and smiles at him.

"Stop." She says, looking away. A dark hue taints her cheeks.

Bucky chuckles.

"I'm serious." He looks down and rolls his suitcase into the closet. The wheel catches the edge of the wall and he curses under his breath, "Don't tell Steve I scuffed up the wall." He says under his breath.

Ashlyn continues to organize her clothes.

"It was nice of him to show her around the house. He seems very kind." Ashlyn says.

"Steve's the best." Once Bucky's suitcase is put away he makes his way over to Ashlyn and gently puts his hand in the nook of her elbow, stopping her movements, "hey, come here." He says.

There's a heat in his voice and a sparkly in his eye that he feels. She was so damn pretty.

Ashlyn drops the red bikini she was holding and turns around to face Bucky. He gently grabs the side sides of her face and he leans down and kisses her. Eventually, his kisses slow down to pecks and he pulls away.

She narrows her eyes as she watches a pensive look drift over his face.

"What?" She asks.

"Nothing," his eyes watch his fingers as they brush over her cheeks, "Nothing."

Not pulling her eyes away from his, she swallows hard.

It was already night time and the only light was not the one from the ceiling, but it didn't seem light enough right now. Bucky gulps as his eyes drift to the hills of her breasts. His right hand goes to her left one and then up onto her shoulder and then into the corner of the warm skin of her neck.

There's a dimple there.

He promised then he would always be protective of her. He'd never let anything hurt her and he would never hurt her.

"I love you." He whispers. He can feel her throat move under his thumb as she wallows.

He knows it feels a bit too soon to say it, but something compelled him to. It also brought them to this moment right here. This felt like the epitome of greatness in their relationship, despite them knowing there was more to come. This moment was inconceivable, it was beautiful. So while it did feel too soon, he couldn't have thought of a better time to say it.

He did love her.

She was precious in his eyes and he knew the troubles she was going through. Both from her past, her parent's death, helping take care of her little sister, and also how delicately emotional she was. He would protect her. He cared about her. What he felt, as he felt her body under his hand, and as he felt her body under his that night, was nothing short of love.

They try not to be too loud, and honestly, he doesn't even think they make a sound.

The only plausible one was the whimper that left her lips when a small tear leaked from her eye towards the end. He had wiped it away, promising he'd always wipe all her tears and pain away.

It takes a few minutes for Ashlyn to doze off. Bucky leans over her as she's faced down and he gently kisses her bare shoulder.

He pulls the comforter up a little higher up her back to keep her warm.

"I'll be back." He says quietly, knowing she most likely didn't even hear him.

He pulls on a clean pair of grey sweats and a white t-shirt.

He makes sure not to close the door too loudly as he's leaving the room. He even keeps his footsteps light as he tiptoes through the hallways to not awaken anyone else either.

It's dark as the floor manages to creek a little under his feet. Walking down the steps and making a turn into the kitchen, he quickly halts.

"Oh shit. Sorry." It comes out before he even knows he's said anything.

It was late.

Worry fills him.

Y/N is standing there, crying.

He's frozen to the spot, not knowing what to do at this point. He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable.

She turns around to face him and the look on her face breaks his heart.

He knows how he looks, with hair disarray and the obvious evidence of what he had been doing all over his body.

But her, here crying and looking devastatingly heartbroken, felt more important of concern.

He asks you what's wrong and you tell him to leave the lights off. Eventually, you open up to him and you share a glass of beer.

It's talking to her about love and about being hopeful that she will one day find true love so that he realizes that Ashlyn isn't the only one who needs protecting.

He knew it wasn't his place, he barely knew Y/N, but he was a human being.

He'd work to be your friend, and being his girlfriend's sister, he was dedicated to keep going the extra mile to help you any way he could.

And, fuck, he means. Means it with all his heart when he tells her because he experienced it firsthand himself.

"I'm not just saying this because you're my girlfriend's little sister, but trust me. Some day, someone will love you for you."

It's when she looks down at her glass, running her finger around the rim, that Bucky catches the back of her head again, and that deja-vu comes crawling back. There's something about your voice that sets him on edge when you ask the next question.

"And did that happen for you?"

___

SAME DAY

New York City's clear skies were a rarity this early in May. Usually, there would be more thunderstorms lingering from the April showers.

Mr. Barnes was standing on his penthouse balcony, sipping his Macallan scotch when he hears a knock on his front door.

He takes one last look at the beautiful scenery with a deep sigh. Wiping a lonely tear off his cheek, he turns around, places his glass on a nearby table, and walks to his door.

Still tasting the heavy liquor on his tongue, he opens the door.

George smiles.

"Connor."

The pretty blue-eyed boy smiles back at him.

"How are you feeling?"

George gives him an added weak smile and a tilt of his head.

"Not the best. But it'll do."

Connor nods. George lets him inside, and he closes the door behind him. Already knowing his way, Connor walks over to the couch and sits down.

They sit there quietly for a few extra seconds. George leans his elbows on his knees and runs his hands through his hair.

"You decided to opt out of treatments?" Connor asks carefully.

There are a few extra minutes before George responds. Between then he looks outside again, then at the floor, and occasionally at his hands.

"Yeah."

"How've you been, regardless?"

Mr. Barnes clears his throat.

"I'm fine," George grabs an extra glass and pours the liquid amber inside of it. Connor thanks him when he's handed the glass, "Thanks for coming on such short notice. I wanted to make you an offer."

Connor raises one eyebrow.

"Offer?"

George nods and sits on the arm of the couch. He takes another sip of his drink and looks down into the glass, watching his reflection. He swirls it around as if doing that would make the liquid speak to him.

"I spoke to Steve," George says.

"He turned it down?"

"As expected. Such a shame."

"But Bucky doesn't want the job," Connor says.

George looks up at him.

"Exactly," George says with finality.

Connor knows that look. Pleading. Asking.

"George."

"I want him to want it," George says through clenched teeth, "I wish he did because he's my son, and he's the one I want to give it to. He's the one that should be up there once I'm gone," his voice breaks slightly, "It should be him. I would tell him straight up if I had to, but you know I don't want to keep forcing it onto him. But I'm going to have to speak to him. I'll do it kindly. Make him not so afraid. I'll train him." Connor nods, but knowing that wasn't the end of George's deep thoughts, "and if I still don't find him fit for it, you're going to take it from him. And if I'm not around to make that choice, you will do it."

He drinks the last of his scotch and puts the glass down in the middle of the obnoxiously large coffee table. Connor was across from him but it felt like miles away.

Connor's jaw twitches.

"I haven't spoken to him in so long, but he will always be my friend."

"This isn't about niceness. This is about business. You know you're a better fit and you know your own family is on the line too. It's in everyone's best interest, including Bucky. He won't take offense to it. I'm sure. He's a nice kid. But I get worried about him. I don't think he'll be able to handle it, and I want him to, because I want the best for him, and as much as he denies it, he knows deep down it is, too. That's why I want it so passionately for him." George can feel his teeth clenching so hard it practically burns his jawbone. It hurts Connor to see the desperation on his face. He was worried about Bucky, "He's my son. After his mother died, he's all I have."

Connor blinks quickly and looks away from him.

He feels a nagging in his head that tells him he needs to just say it. He knew it wasn't his place, but he had to know.

"There's something you should know." Connor eventually says. He can't look up to see George's reaction, but he'd bet his money that George was more than hesitant to want to hear what he had to say. "About four years ago, when Bucky had first found out about his mother, I was with him," Now he looks up and George's eyes are dark, "I was with him when he was told over the phone. All the details. Everything."

George swallows thickly and looks away.

"I can't imagine how hard that must've been for him."

Connor looks at his hands and nods.

"Yeah, it was. He took it very hard, as expected. Who wouldn't," Connor's voice is distant as he remembers that day, "It's not my place to say this, but you're his father, and I know you want only what is best for him. You should know."

"What is it?"

"When he found out," Connor clears his throat and leans his arms on his knees in front of him. He picks at his fingers as he remembers pulling the pill bottles out of Bucky's hands, "Bucky tried to kill himself."

Something happens to George at that moment. Something that shatters him, breaks him and makes him angry.

"What?" George's voice sounds foreign. Misplaced. Disassociated. 

"If I hadn't been there, I don't know what would've..." Connor's voice trails off but both know he doesn't need to finish the sentence, "I'm sorry. I still think he can be very fit for what you want him to be, but you deserved to know as his father who loves him. He needs you. He needs us."

George's face is burning hot and his throat feels like pin needles.

"Thank you, Connor." His voice is hoarse, "Please consider what I said. I still would like to consider you." He reaches over and takes the drink out of Connor's hands, "I think you should go."

Connor nods and stands up.

Once he's out the door. George continues to stare at the golden amber in his hands.

How could he? How could he be that low and never tell him? How could he want to do that to himself? Did you want to die? Did he think that would fix anything? That nobody would've missed him? Including him, his father? Was that his only attempt?

Memories roll over him. Yankee games and visits to the circus and the aquarium. Kindergarten drawings and the smell of play-doh.

He doesn't realize he threw the glass across the room in an emotional rage until he sees the amber that was in his hands now splashed across his wall, dripping onto the floor.

__

"You know I had your mother work for me when we were dating. It brought us closer."

Mr. Barnes says as he tightens his son's tie around his neck. It was the night of the gala and the first night when Mr. Barnes felt that betrayal consume him.

"You think I should ask Ash to work for me?" Bucky asks deep in thought.

He wasn't too sure about that. Not only did Ashlyn not seem like the type to enjoy this kind of work environment, but Bucky also wanted to keep her away, too. After seeing what it had done to his mother, the cons side of course, and how George treated a majority of the females who worked here.

But maybe Bucky could keep her at arm's length from that experience?

George's eye twitches as he examines Bucky's reaction to his suggestion.

"Yeah. What do you think?"

___

"Like I said, if you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to do this. It's okay to say no." Bucky tells her, his hand squeezing hers.

"I want to be around you more, but it's really up to you, Bucky. If you don't want me here and there's a specific reason you feel I shouldn't do this, please tell me and I'll turn around right now." Ashlyn tells him.

Bucky is pensive as he watches her. He doesn't know what to say. Or maybe he does but doesn't know how. Or maybe there's no point in saying it because maybe he's being dramatic.

Bucky lets out a sigh and leans his forehead onto hers.

"There's nothing." He opens his eyes and looks into hers, "It's fine. Go ahead."

Ashlyn's nerves are at an all-time high the moment she walks into Mr. Barnes' office.

Maybe it's knowing how much power he has, or maybe it's the way his eyes are glued to her ass the second she steps into the room.

She feels bile running up her throat as she turns around the close the door and she hopes that she's imagining it.

Thankfully, the second she turns around to face him, he's looking at something on his computer.

He clicks a few things and finally stands. He buttons his suit blazer and makes his way closer to her.

She's thankful when she looks down to see him just extending a hand out to her.

There was something about his personality that was extremely domineering.

"You must be Ashlyn." He greets her.

She smiles back nervously.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

He only hums a response, his eyes going straight to her breasts and then back to her face.

"Pleasure is all mine," he spins around and points his hand out to one of the two chairs facing directly his desk, "Please take a seat, sweetheart."

Ashlyn feels a strange feeling once more in her chest.

She was uncomfortable.

Maybe Mr. Barnes was just really nice? She needed to stop being so negative. She's had it hard for so long now and things in her life were finally clicking into place. She was not going to let some bad feelings distract her from that.

She takes a seat and they go over her resume.

Mr. Barnes folds his hands on the desk and leans forward.

"You don't have much experience, but that's something we can train you on." He tells her. Ashlyn finds herself smiling at this. George clears his throat, "There is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you."

He walks to the corner of the room and pulls out a piece of paper, and on it is a doctor's name.

Ashlyn's stomach drops.

Why would this be an issue? What she went through was something many people through every day. It didn't define her character and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing either, it just became a part of her and something she learned to best control and deal with.

What was he getting at with this?

Her biggest fear was that he was about to make it seem like having depression or bipolar depression was something unnatural. Her biggest pet peeve, biggest fear, and biggest weakness. It wasn't true, but the second someone treats you like you're weaker because of it, it's so easy to be affected by words. Emotions.

It wasn't fair, no matter how strong she knew she was.

"You didn't have to keep this from us. Not me, especially my son, as I'm assuming he doesn't know. Is there a reason why you chose to not mention this?"

Maybe because half the population deals with it too? She wants to say.

He makes a sound that she can't tell what it means.

"Why," he taps the papers against his legs and walks around to sit in his big chair behind his desk, "did you keep your medical records a secret?"

Ashlyn swallowed nervously, her mouth opening but no sound coming out.

"Did you think this would stop me from hiring you?" Mr. Barnes wasn't yelling, but his voice was strong. Somehow, she felt controlled. When she doesn't say anything, he leans over his desk, drops the paper down, and with crossed hands continues, "look, you're a sweet girl. And I see a lot of potential in you. You have good qualities, you stick up for what you want regardless of if it's right or wrong-"

You barely know me.

She couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry, you got that from a fifteen-minute interview?"

Ashlyn chuckles nervously.

Mr. Barnes smiles.

"Trust me, I have good instinct. Anyway, am I wrong?" When Ashlyn doesn't respond, Mr. Barnes smirks, eyes drifting once more to her gorgeous legs, "bipolar, depression, anxiety, personality disorder, a manic episode-" Ashlyn flinches with each word thrown at her, she feels it eating away at her bones and most importantly - her dignity. He notices and his eyes soften, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Many famous businessmen, celebrities, and big figures names—suffer from the same illnesses. It doesn't make you any less human or capable."

I never said I was ashamed of it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. She felt like words were being put in her mouth. She thinks that when she looks down and tries to think of a response that isn't too rude, it accidentally comes off looking like a nod.

George smirks.

"Come here, I want to show you something."

Something felt wrong about all of this to her.

She follows him out to the large window and stands next to her for a few minutes.

He knows she does this on purpose, because just like that she forgets his disgusting behavior and his insulting words. He almost seems nice again, and maybe he is coming from a good place but he has trouble putting it into words.

She looks at the New York City skyline and all she can think of at that moment is Bucky.

How can something so beautiful be so bad?

"You see this?" Ashlyn followed his gaze out into the city, the hundreds of people walking below in the streets, the famous buildings hanging high in the skies like goddamn trophies, "Barnes Enterprises owns about seventy-five percent of everything you're seeing. From the Hudson to the bay-" He turned slowly to Ashlyn and examined her face, "I see the way your eyes shine when you look at it."

She because of Bucky. Not you. She wants to say.

Ashlyn swallows as her eyes drift down, "It's all nice. Everything he's done for me so far, it's almost like he knows exactly what I need. It's like he's cured me."

She doesn't mean her struggles; she means her heart.

Because she's never felt so free and liberated as she did the last few months.

She trembled slightly under his heavy gaze and as his finger played with a strand of her that was on her shoulder.

It was unexpected and it made her blood run cold.

"And what is it that you need?"

Ashlyn thought about it- thought about it. The answer was simple, and it wasn't one that she had ever expected to be the answer to all her issues. She knew exactly what it was that she wanted.

"Everything."

If it included Bucky and all the love he had to offer, she would take the world for him.

Barnes bit his bottom lip and nodded, looking once more out the window.

"Perfect. Look I think you'll be perfect for this job more than you think. If anything I'm going to want your help, but it's something that can only stay between us. It will make you happy and it will help you."

He knew she'd break eventually, and so would his ungrateful son.

"Of course, anything."

Mr. Barnes sighed.

"Look, Bucky's a great kid, as I'm sure you know. But he's got some weaknesses. He thinks too much with his heart," this makes her frown, "I'm going to want you to work under my eye, and there are certain tasks you might have to do that at first won't make sense to you, but in the long run, you will see it pay off. That is if I choose you to stay."

She doesn't know exactly what he means.

"It will help me?" Her voice shook with uncertainty.

"Yes."

___

The flight was three hours delayed. They waited in the AMEX lounge, but still.

Ashlyn hated to fly, so an added three hours of stalling and having imaginary scenarios of the aircraft falling out of the sky did nothing to help soothe her.

She was excited about Paris. She had never been, but to add to her nerves about flying she had also been a bit worried about going alone with Mr. Barnes.

She still did not get the best of feelings from him. She was even more caught off guard when they finally began to board and a random guy came to sit next to them.

"You made it," George says.

Ashlyn looks up to meet a pair of pretty blue eyes. When they meet there's a slight pause on the guy's face, as if he was caught off guard.

"Ashlyn, this is Connor Taylor. Connor, Ashlyn."

"Nice to meet you, Ashlyn," Connor says with genuine kindness.

"Ashlyn here is new to the business, we're bringing her along to show her the ropes. She'll also work as my assistant." George says.

For a second there's a look of confusion on Connor's face, but then it quickly goes away and he nods.

"Understood. I just thought it would be us, but it's nice to have some added company. Makes the flight more fun, for sure." Connor says.

Ashlyn grimaces.

"I don't know about that."

"You don't like to fly?"

"I hate it."

"You'll be fine, I promise," Connor says.

"So we'll be meeting up with Hank and Stark, is what I hear?" Ashlyn asks, trying to get service on her phone for the umpteenth time. Something was happening to her wifi in this airport.

"Correct. They are our biggest partners, but we're trying to get a bigger share. Things aren't going to be looking too bright in the next few years, so we just want to be safe." Connor explains. Ashlyn nods.

"Well, we're about to board, you guys can chat more on the flight, huh? And guess what, your seats are right next to each other." George says, standing up and making his way to the gate.

Thankfully, after two drinks and a Benadryl, Ashlyn passes out. She ends up sleeping through the majority of the overnight flight, only waking up when the pilot finally announces their approaching descent.

"Looks like you made it, Ash." The sweet voice surprises her half-asleep state before she looks up to meet Connors' eyes. He's smiling at her, pulling his headphones out.

She looks away and sighs.

Made it, indeed.

__

She can't understand what he's doing or why he's doing it, but she's scared. She wants to run out of there and scream. She wants to grab her phone and call Bucky. She hates this. She hates how powerless she is against him because he's this prestigious figure, so they'd never believe her, let alone the shame.

She was shaking.

She should've gone with her gut. She knew something was going on, but she didn't listen to her gut.

The night started as the other two.

They went to meetings, then she'd come back and help return his emails or organize his schedule.

But this time when she had turned to go into her room, he had stopped her.

"Hi, Mr. Barnes. Was there something I missed?" She asked. There was something dark in his eyes when he looked away from her and shook his head. She watched as he slowly raised his hand and beckoned her with his finger.

She looks around the hallway to see it was empty. Even Connor had already gone to bed. She was unsure.

She hesitates as she feels his eyes take her in.

"You didn't miss anything, sweetheart. But I would like to speak to you for a bit," he walks a few more feet back until his hand is around the golden doorknob in his room. She gulps when he asks, "You coming in or what?"

Slowly, she meets him at his door. When they're inside, George is already making his way to the curtains at the far end. He closes them. She watches him unmoving, terrified.

He removes his suit jacket, tossing it on the bed, and then he unbuttons his shirt. Next, he goes to unbutton his pants.

She's never felt as powerless as she did right then.

She could simply turn around and run right now. But who would believe her? What if they didn't because she was just a girl and he was a world-famous lawyer/politician? What if Bucky left her? Hell, he'd leave her if she stayed, too. This was bad.

"I need you to come here," Mr. Barnes says sternly. He unzips his pants and looks her in the eye, "Now."

"Mr. Barnes. Please." Ashlyn could already feel the tears building in her throat.

"Lock the door." He says.

Her bottom lip trembles as she reaches her arm behind her to lock the door.

The hot tears that fill her eyes and the burning pain in her heartbreak tear her apart the second she sees him pull himself out.

Against her wishes and by the power of dominance and abuse of power, she was sexually assaulted that night for the first time by her millionaire boss. She would never tell anyone.

She sobbed when she ended up between his legs, his hands on her waist and how own hands in his hair.

They wouldn't listen to me. They wouldn't believe me.

She cried the entire time and George pretended like it wasn't even happening.

In the back of her head, she had that burning guilt of the remainder of her boyfriend whose heart she was indirectly breaking. He would never forgive her.

She ruined it.

When she couldn't breathe, she pushed George away.

"Mr. Barnes, this is wrong."

"Remember that test I was telling you about? This is it, Ashlyn. If you can do this, you can do anything. And you can have anything you want."

She wanted to be cured, she wanted to be okay again like when she was a child. She hated being sad, and despite this being terrible, absolutely horrible— she couldn't help but wonder if he was right. Bucky would never have to find out, and the only thing that seemed to make her better was what Mr. Barnes was offering her. Everything; because it reminded her of Bucky; her love.

He was right. Wasn't he?

She felt a heavy knot in her throat.

She loved him so much. This would break him.

"You can't tell Bucky."

"No. Never. That would ruin everything."

She took in his words and after a few more seconds succumbed to his 'test'.

To his fucking sexual assault.

"I can't do this. Please."

"Do it."

She'd gone down on him and she had felt disgusted with herself. When he was finished, she wanted to run out of that room and call Bucky, tell him she loved him. Because she did. She was filthy and disgusting for what she did but what the hell was she supposed to do?

The guilt ate away at her.

There was no turning back.

Her heart was shattered.

She turned away and wiped her mouth one more time on the back of her hand when that husky voice from behind her started again.

"Have you ever owned a five thousand dollar purse before?"

It was such an odd question to ask.

"No."

"It'd look good on you. I'll take you tomorrow to get one."

Her brows furrowed.

"I don't have five thousand dollars."

"Yes, yes you do."

The second he said it everything in her head finally clicked.

Anything she wanted really could be hers.

This man was slowly killing her, never had she thought she would be a victim of something like this, but at the same time, he was being so nice to her. Was this a trick? Was it a manipulation? Was this a way to make her think that what she was doing was okay?

It was wrong.

She could feel her stomach turning again and she looked away from him, sobbing silently.

"Come on, sweetheart, don't be that way."

"I need to go." She says quickly, running out of the room.

She cried uncontrollably as she ran into her room and slammed the door closed behind her. She slides down against it.

She wouldn't do it again. A stupid purse would do nothing. That's not the kind of woman she was.

Accept that she had already done it.

Heavy sobs rack through her chest as she slams her head and back against the door.

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered, wiping her nose behind her hand. She doesn't know how many minutes of her just crying pass by until a knock startles her.

"Ash?"

Connor.

[Little would she know that sometime later, she did get used to it. Maybe she became numb or broken enough, or maybe she did genuinely believe that the material made everything okay. Her happiness soon became bigger than the pain she felt for cheating on Bucky. Even if it was his father.]

Next Chapter

A/N: Trust me. We're just getting started. Also, this story won't just be flashbacks as you can tell. We will be in the present soon enough once the other sides are fully told. Bucky x Reader ARE Endgame, still. That doesn't mean you aren't at liberty, though, to ship whoever you want. Go wild. Go free! But, yes, trust the process if you're having different feelings right now. It will connect. By the way, despite Bucky X Reader always being endgame, I do have a special place in my heart for Bucky and Ashlyn in a way I hope some will learn to understand.

@rebloggingmyrecs​ @kjdara​ @angstsebfan @lethallyprotected​ @lilfuturescars​ @ccmarvelxx​ @thesneakylittleminx​ @empress-of-riva @death-unbecomes-you​ @sonicisnotsober​ @sebsgirl71479 @prettywhenicry4​ @dhoruwolfie​

[galaxysharks]

maddox does anything and expects disappointment ....

It's sad Maddox day. That's okay, I love angst. And she really does, to be fair, she has evidence to credit that response.

I mean based on events in the series...

Leaves her phone near her brother, gets outed to their parents and spends her summer not knowing what kind of response she's got waiting for when camps over.

During camp, she's scared and nervous, so she's clinging to her gf a bit. Madison breaks up with her AT THE DANCE.

It's okay tho, new summer, right? But no.

She gets ready to go to her yearly escape! Sorry, you now have to take your brother, who hates you. You better take care of him! And that's on top of you other duties!

EJs back! We love EJ! And he brought friends! Except all she does is introduce herself and they already don't like her.

That's okay tho! We can still play games with EJ and he'll help everyone get along. Sorry, EJs super busy and he doesn't need her being needy on top of that.

Oh, she knows about star signs! She can bond with Ashlyn! Nope, Ashlyn's super touchy about it and started yelling.

It's okay, she can apologize and they can start over. EJ is always talking about how nice and great his cousin is. Apology failed, Maddie's big mouth got her in trouble again and Ash is mad.

Ok it's still her night! She can show them how fun camp is! Except Jet is here with his new best friend Ricky, and he's making fun of her. And they all like him way more than her...

Okay, back to play prep. Oh she yelled at Jet and now he's run off and no one can find him.

Good news! Jet's back! But the parents had to send him back, and she's definitely going to catch hell for that when summer is over.

Okay now she has to pretend to cry on command, because she's spent the past decade running tech because of her stellar acting skills... At least Ash isn't mad at her anymore.

Well nevermind! She tries to quietly pull Ash aside to talk about clearly a confusing crush. And Ash is yelling again... Oh great now Jets jumping in on the scream at Maddie session.

Let's just go cool off in the barn... Of course Jets here, and guess he likes singing again, why not, at least their parents will be happy.

Color wars goes well, too well, Jet is acting weird. He's happy tho, so that's good.

Nevermind, Happy Jet for some reason thought it would be a good idea to invite Madison. You know so she can wreck another prom.

Ok, Mad's more pleasant than expected, but now it's confusing. Maybe they can be together again? And she was just getting over her too. And Ash tolerates her again....

Maybe she should try and open up to the girls..... Actually, Kourt and Gina need her support right now. Take a raincheck on feelings.

Opening night time! Oh good Ash's mythic boyfriend has arrived.....and he's adorable.

Alright, plays going well, everything is running smooth.....until the power cuts!

Okay, dramas over. Time for the premier! Jets her best friend again! Now they just have to sit back and watch. Whoops! Channing caught her ass on camera being a big gay mess! And Ash is uncomfortable.... brilliant. At least she can tease Jet for also being a mess on camera. God she's just been outed to the nation.... Can't wait to see the parental fallout from that.... And school, all of schools gonna know now too.

And all that's Just Season 3

This girl trusts nothing and no one. She just assumes things will go poorly for her.

[jimblejamblewritings]

luck be a (leading) lady | part 8.

[Posted 2022.09.26]

Summary: Y/N has always been a background character. That’s just life for some folks isn’t it? But what if she’s determined to not just be another member in the ensemble? What if someone helps her step into the spotlight in her own special way?

Warnings for the Series: a teeny bit of angst but mainly fluff

Pairing: ricky bowen x black!reader

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: I will get back to the Harry Potter series when I finish this one

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

The pizza place meeting resulted in sleepovers at Big Red and Ashlyn’s houses. The boys were obviously at Big Red’s and the girls plus Seb were at Ashlyn’s. You all were running on very limited time to figure out a less egregious beast transformation for Ricky. Kourtney quickly stopped at her house and came back with all the fabric she could find. Her idea of making the beast cape faux fur on the other side was kind of brilliant. It would just enhance the beast look and might distract from if a mishap happens with the mask. 

You guys were excited while working, even ordering a bunch of food so Ash wouldn’t have to dirty up her kitchen. Seb being there was also great. He was roughly the same proportions as Ricky that he could be a substitute mannequin. Kourtney practically squealed when she held up part of the cape to Seb’s chest. 

“This is so good. Ha, it kind of looks like something Carlos would wear.” 

“Yeah, doesn’t he walk around in, like, Armani sweatpants?” Ashlyn joked. 

While you all laughed, Seb just mumbled out a response. Everyone put down their scissors and spoonfuls of food. The costume change could wait. Seb’s sadness was more important. Nini was the first to ask the sensitive question. Seb sighed. 

“I guess you could say so. He met a group of really really photogenic guys on spring break and he seems pretty happy. So, now I’m sad.”

“If you want to see him happy, that’s with you.” Ashlyn’s words made all of you nod. 

Seb flopped onto the couch. “Yeah, but by default, right? He kinda has to be.”

“What does that mean?” Kourtney moved over so he could sit better. 

“There aren’t many choices at East High for a guy like Carlos.”

Nini shook her head. “No, Seb. Have you told him how you feel?” 

“Not so good at the saying feelings part out loud.”

“It never hurts to put yourself out there,” Gina chimed in. “Or so I’ve heard.” 

Nini held up a finger. “Right, do you want to tell us what you and EJ giggling at the pizza place was all about?”

“I also have some questions in that general area,” Ashlyn said. 

“It was just a nic—”

“G, he picks you up for school now. You haven’t ridden with me in like forever.” You cut her off, making the rest look at Gina with excitement.

Your almost sister gave you a look. “And Ricky coming over every single breakfast is?”

It was your turn to be stared at. You shrugged your shoulders. “I had a crush on Ricky that died in New York. We’re friends, that’s it.” 

“Did something happen?”

“No, no, nothing happened. I just got over him? We’re friends, what good does it do me to look at him any differently? Besides, I’d miss Midnight McDonalds too much if we ever broke up. Flounder and Prima are purely platonic.”

“Flounder?”

“Something stupid he came up with New York.” 

“Midnight McDonalds?” Nini asked. She had gotten up, going back to sorting the pins for the cape. 

You, and the others, got quiet. Gina shared a look with you. Maybe mentioning her ex-boyfriend was dumb on your parts even if you two were just joking around. Also mentioning you had a crush on him at one point was not smart either. You tried to wave your hand around nonchalantly. 

“It’s just something we’ve been doing since homecoming. There’s a park and a twenty-four hour McDonald’s near our houses, we just get burgers and fries and talk if we’re having a tough time.” You looked up in the air in thought. “Or just want milkshakes. I can’t believe he dips his fries in the strawberry flavor… Let’s get back to work!” 

You all immediately focused back on the cape transformation. The boys were making less progress. Ashlyn’s text asking them to build a spinning platform for Ricky’s transformation was a lot easier said than done. You all felt relieved that Carlos actually liked that idea. The first test of spinning Ricky wasn’t going terribly. 

“I just don’t understand what happened,” Carlos said as they spun Ricky. “Seb doesn’t seem like the jealous type.” 

EJ shrugged. “Maybe h—”

“He’s worried you’re only dating him because he’s the only other boy at school into Drag Race. Ash texted me.” Big Red put his phone down. 

“What? Why wouldn’t he just say that to me?”

“People are complicated,” EJ said as he leaned against a shelf. “No one has it all together as much as they seem.”

“Some even less than that,” Ricky offered. 

EJ jokingly rolled his eyes. “Just cause you're single for like the first time in your life.”

“It’s, uh, it’s not that.” 

“Huh?” 

Big Red cut in. “Yeah, huh? Why do I not know? Dude, we tell each other everything.” 

“Don’t tell me you and Nini are back together?” Carlos got up to start working on the mechanism again. 

“No! It’s not abou—” His cellphone started to ring. “Hello? You’re at the door? Uh, yeah. Big Red, your front door.” 

A few minutes later, you came down with Big Red. You held up a drink carrier and a very large bag. 

“It’s midnight. I got you boys some food too.”

Ricky smiled as you handed him the strawberry milkshake. “How’d you know I was having a hard time?” 

“I just had a feeling… And Kourtney requested I make you try on the cape before we keep working on it.” 

“She didn’t come too?” He asked while you checked the cape did fit properly.  

You puffed up your cheeks. “Kourt is saving Seb and girls’ night by sending me.”

“What did you do?”

“What makes you think I did any— Gina and I may have been… less than aware of our surroundings when joking about her and EJ’s relationship.” 

EJ stopped eating his fries to stick his face between the two of you. “We don’t have a relationship.” 

“How does Gina and EJ’s lack of relationship almost ruin Seb and girls’ night?” 

“Not theirs, ours. Gina tried to insist that if EJ picking her up every morning meant they were a couple, that you coming over for breakfast means we’re a couple.”

“It’s just breakfast.” 

“That’s what I said! I said breakfast was like our Midnight McDonald’s and it got kind of awkward with Nini. That’s kind of my fault though. Mentioning I used to have a crush on you was probably not the way to confirm we have no relationship.”

Ricky choked on his milkshake. “You had a crush on me?” 

“Yeah,” you said while getting your own food out of the bag. “When we almost got snowed in at the school. I think it’s just cause you help me so much, it went away pretty quickly but G always brings it up like some kind of defense.”

“So she brought it up?”

“Yep and now I’m running errands and returning to a hopefully less tense house.” You dipped one of your fries in his strawberry milkshake. “Nope, still tastes disgusting. So, the cape fits?”

“Ye-yeah, it’s good.”

“Perfect, Kourt’s gonna love the sound of that. Bye, guys. Oh and EJ, please just go out with Gina already.” 

“We’re just friends!” He tried to yell but you were already out of Big Red’s house. 

Carlos tilted his head. “But why though? The googly eyes are kind of obvious. Is it because you’re graduating?” 

“Or because she’s best friends with Ash?” Ricky suggested. 

EJ ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, it’s because of Nini. Don’t worry—”

“I wasn’t,” Ricky said. 

“I don’t have feelings for her anymore, I just don’t want to get rejected again.”

They all nodded. Big Red even brought up that it was a fair reason. EJ gave them a small side smile before getting back to work on the spinning device.  

“You know the only thing I’m really proud of about my time with Nini is letting her go.” 

Ricky sort of froze. For once, he and EJ had the exact same thought. But he was supposed to be the heartbroken one. He wasn’t supposed to be over her. That’s what Ricky was all about. No changes. Just staying constant. And staying constant meant that he should have still been in love with Nini. He looked up at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. You took a breath before speaking. 

“Wow, Big Red, so glad you don’t take your time locking doors. Anyway, quit with the building. Kourt just called and said Howie gave her the broadway plans for the beast transformation that North High bought as some apology or something for lying. We’re supposed to meet them at the school. Bring the keys for the stage door.”

The boys jumped up with a quickness. You walked over to where Ricky was putting on his jacket. 

“Are you riding with me?”

“Actually I need to talk with Carlos about something.” 

“See you there then.” 

“See you.” He gave a little wave that you didn’t see.

Figuring out the plans for the beast transformation was great but it didn’t help you guys’ confidence after seeing the North High kids perform. They were nothing short of amazing. Their last performance finished the day before your school’s opening night. No one felt like there was enough time between performances to figure out how to make East High’s Beauty and the Beast stand out. 

“How are you so calm?” Ricky asked as you walked past him. 

“Hmm?” You took out one of your earbuds. “Did you say something?” 

“How are you calm? Everyone else is running around without their heads.” 

You handed him one of your earbuds. “Audiobook and goldfish.” 

Ricky stuck in the earbud to listen while you went to go get your snacks from your bag. He had no clue what you were reading but the voice was soothing nonetheless. You came back quickly with the goldfish, offering it up. Ricky took a few while you fussed that his makeup wasn’t done. He chuckled when you went to apply eyeliner. 

“I don’t think our theater’s lights are nearly as good as Saltwater’s.” 

“Still, they’ll wash you out… We put the invitations on the correct seats, right?” 

“I triple checked the seats were reserved for the scouts.”  

“Ricky, Y/N… Here.” Nini was handing out her opening night cards. 

You smiled as you took the small envelope. “First one ever. Okay, your makeup looks good. I’m going to try not to freak about our second performance.” 

“Second performance?” Nini asked. 

“Yeah, for the Berklee scout— We won’t be at the afterparty or we’ll be late.” 

You left to go focus on the show. Everyone else was concerned about the judges for the Menkies. All you could focus on was the fact that the Berklee scouts were actually there. You had peeked through the curtain to see them picking up the second invitation. Nothing on their face read disgust or annoyance so that must have been a good sign. Ricky went to catch his breath in the hall before the show started. He didn’t expect to see Lily there. You guys were only aware of one North High member being there and Lily was not that cast member. He was going to just walk away but part of becoming a new, better Ricky meant hearing people out. Still, Lily would only get five minutes before he left to get in his place on stage. 

He felt confident performing. Everything was going rather well. Unlike last time, there weren’t any accidents, no forgotten lines. By the time the fifteen minute intermission rolled around, he felt that the cast might actually pull it off and win the Menkies— or at least beat North High. He was waiting in the dressing room with Big Red for the intermission to be over. 

“Woah, what’s the problem?” He asked as you walked by with panicked eyes. 

“Your harness is missing. Natalie and Ms. Jenn have been looking everywhere for it.” 

“If it’s missing, we can’t do the transformation.”

“I know. You’re going to have to do it the old way. They’ll just spin you and you throw the mask.” 

“I’ve never gotten that once.” 

“First time for everything.”  

The rest of the show went okay. But honestly, perfect performance or not, your cast always knew how to have fun. You and Ricky were whispering to each other as you led the scouts to the drama club room when the whole thing was over. The scouts sat down on the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Ricky gave you a smile when the scouts told you that they weren’t bothered at all by the second performance and actually enjoyed the initiative you were taking to show them your talents that didn’t have a chance to shine during the musical. They didn’t say much else. They only told you to expect an email before the next school year before they left the room. You watched them leave, staying perfectly still until the last scout was out of sight. Ricky almost grunted when you basically threw yourself into his arms. 

“Thank you.”

“It was fun, maybe more fun than the musical.” 

“I know there’s an afterparty at Slices but since Gina and EJ are already skipping, do you want to do something else?” 

“Like what?” 

“You still haven’t taught me to skate.” 

“You want to be a skate rat?”

“I just want to see why you like it so much.”

“Okay, let’s go.” 

Ricky kept looking over at you as he drove away from the school. Of course, you guys stopped at McDonald’s before heading over to the skate park. He rarely went to the outdoor one but considering it was late, he already knew the indoor park would be closed. The only thing that kept playing in the back of his mind as you guys got out of the car was that night you told him you had a crush on him. Talking with Carlos had given him a lot to think about. He felt a certain way about you that he had ignored because he was so hung up on Nini. And now it was a bit too late. 

(part 9)

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@mishtay​

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[hsmtmts-arrows]

in the time it took to re-stitch maddox's wound, somehow, lily had escaped from her bonds. maybe she had a knife hidden, maybe the ropes were too loose. either way, not many of them really care, at least not more than they cared about maddox surviving, and miss jenn and mazzara swore they'd take care of it with a fire in their eyes, and miss jenn had glanced at maddox's wound as she spoke.

EJ wanted to go with them, as did nini and jet and everybody else, but ashlyn unfortunately had to turn down their offers to accompany them; it'd be fastest if they had just one horse rather than have a whole herd with them. jet was the hardest to say no to, and he shouted at ashlyn, but maddox pulled him to the side, talked to him, and hugged him. neither of their eyes were dry after that, and he finally (begrudgingly) agreed to let her go.

they tried to put maddox in front on the saddle, but she couldn't not-slump over and nearly tip off the horse, so it was decided ashlyn would go in front with maddox leaning on ashlyn, and the rule was that maddox had to keep her hands tightly wound around ashlyn so she wouldn't fall off.

which ashlyn was happy with. more than happy with.

(as it turns out, as much as she likes holding the outlaw's waist, she likes being held too. she'll unpack why she's blushing so hard at travelling on horseback with her later.)

as they're travelling (quickly, but not too quickly), ashlyn speaks, making conversation which forces maddox to reply, so she focuses on that rather so she doesn't pass out.

as ashlyn is replying to a question from maddox about childhood stories, maddox interrupts her.

"hey, ash...?"

and oh. maddox saying that name, in that breathy voice—she'll unpack the warm feeling in her gut later on. really, she has too much to unpack later on. she should keep a larger mental suitcase for what to unpack.

"mhm?" she asks, and it's a high-pitched hum.

thankfully, maddox seems to take notice. "you're... you're good. kind." maddox remarks, and it takes all of ash's willpower not to beam at the compliment. "and i..."

there's an audible moment of hesitation. all sound seems to have stopped.

"if i don't make it—" she starts again, and ashlyn immediately has to protest.

"you will—"

"if i don't," maddox says, a little more forcefully. "if i... if i don't make it to this village or the next one, then... can you please look after jet? i—i just... i need to make sure that..." her voice breaks. "that he'll be alright without me."

(sorry if this isn't great, i'm not feeling my best lmao)

they get to the village. maddox has made ash promise things she never thought she would promise. she's told her jet's favorite foods and where the best place is to get them. ash remembers it all, even through all of the persistence that maddie will make it.

the village is back to how it usually was. people go about their day to day, with the saturday market in full-swing as maddie and ash made it in. some of the kids rushed over at the sight of ashlyn's return, cheering and calling her name proudly. she wants to say things and tell them about the adventure she's been on- but all that's running through her mind is maddox's name.

she takes the girl inside of the infirmary and finds the first doctor she can, telling her exactly what needed to be done. the doctor has a confused look painted over her face but begins to move them towards the one room they had free. as the doctor begins to do basic checks on maddox's wound, ash begins to finally relax.

"i told you it would be fine." ash tells her. sure, had she seen anyone else since getting there? no. but that didn't matter right now. nothing else mattered but right now.

maddox holds ash's hand and doesn't want to let it go. her grip isn't strong as it would've been days ago. its weaker. maddie is barely holding on anymore.

the doctor confirms she's about to start her work, and ashlyn doesn't dare stop her. the silence sits between all three in the room, and it seems they're all fine with it until the door opens- revealing cash caswell.

he holds a bright and welcoming smile for his niece with words spewing out about how much he missed her and how the town will never be the same without her. then he stops. he stares at maddox sat on the table, the wound, and then at ashlyn. "get her off the table. now."

the smile that was once on the mans face was gone. he was back to a look of business and determination. one that not many in the public saw. "she's injured. let her be-"

"now." he says it again, cutting ashlyn off from whatever she had to say in her defence. if ej was there, it would be a different scenario.

ashlyn lets go of maddox's hand and turns to fully face the man in front of her. maddie was getting this surgery. "cash. let her have the surgery. she could die-"

"someone like her doesn't deserve it." he spits back at her. it reminds ash of the conversation at the fire and again in the tent. oil and water. no. that's what cash thought. ash didn't need to think that.

"in that case, you can find yourself another sheriff." she says. maddox's ears perk up and she begins to slur something about ashlyn taking it back, but ash places her hand defensively over maddie's, which caused the girl to be too busy looking at it. what were those butterflies inside of her stomach? why was her cheeks feeling warm and going red all of a sudden?

"what?!" the man didn't know what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't this. what the fuck.

"i am not working for a mayor who cannot find the heart within him to respect those in need." she says, helping maddox off of the table slowly. "and that includes my uncle." ash says, glaring at cash.

[tooneys-russo]

BOOTS AND BROKEN HEARTS

Previous Parts: Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Summary: Alessia and her UNC coach Willa have a bit too much chemistry. Only downside is that Willa has a girlfriend.

CHAPTER 3

Alessia scrolled on Instagram catching up on everything that she had missed, one image in particular caught her eye, posted by Jennifer, the picture of her coach and the soccer star appearing happy with the coach giving Jennifer a kiss on the cheek. Alessia sighed and looked through her coaches Instagram instead, there were a few pictures of her and Jennifer but there were a lot of her in her Bruin days. Alessia spent some time focusing on the pictures where Willa was in her playing shorts and a sports bra after a hard training session, she continued scrolling until she saw a picture of her at a Newcastle United game a few years prior. Willa looked so carefree, she had a beer in her left hand, a Newcastle shirt, beanie, scarf and puffer jacket on. Alessia stared at the picture and as she went to continue scrolling she accidentally double tapped. Her eyes widened with her action. “Shit.” Alessia said to herself, she didn’t know if she should unlike the picture or just live with the fact that Willa now knew she was stalking her Instagram. Alessia locked her phone trying to stop herself from liking another picture. Willa felt her watch buzz with a notification, she saw that Alessia had liked a photo of hers, she opened her phone and noticed that it was an old picture of her at a Newcastle game she smirked knowing that Alessia was having a bit of a deep dive into Willa’s profile. Willa sent a text to the young striker, ‘Hey you okay? Did you want a Newcastle shirt?’ Alessia felt her phone buzz and checked the message, she smiled at her phone. ‘God no, it was a pity like. I would never in my life wear that god awful black and white shirt.’ Willa smiled wide at the cheeky reply, she checked if Jennifer was paying any attention to what she was doing, Jennifer was looking at her own phone smiling at it. ‘I bet you would look great in a Newcastle shirt, I will take you to a game one day. Maybe we will both end up back in England.’ Willa dreamed of going back home, even if she ended up in London she would be happy just so long as she was in England. She re-read the message noting that it was a little flirty, but I mean they were just friends right? Alessia’s face went bright red while reading her coach’s message, it was definitely flirty and she knew how to respond. ‘Would we be able to watch the next Newcastle game in the theatre then?’ Alessia bit her lip waiting for the next text, the bubble appeared and disappeared a few times after a few long minutes she got a response from Willa. ‘Deal, we can watch the next Manchester game too, it might be a City game though because sometimes I get confused with crap teams ;)’ Alessia squealed as she read the text, Lotte looked over at her friend. “You okay?” Alessia nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I just saw something I wanted in an ad.” She lied and messaged back. ‘I will educate you, coach.’ Alessia put her phone away and rejoined the conversation with her teammates. 

During the game Willa took notes for both Jennifer and to take some of the tactics back to UNC. Orlando won 2-0 and Jennifer assisted a goal, honestly she was slotting into the NWSL perfectly. After the game Jennifer walked out in her tracksuit and polo shirt from Orlando Pride, she wrapped her arms around Willa and kissed her. “Babe you had an amazing game, the way you set up that goal and cleared the line was great.” Jennifer smiled wide. “Thank you baby girl.” Willa and Jennifer headed back to the apartment, they got changed for a team dinner and went to the local Italian restaurant. Willa sat next to Jennifer and Alanna Kennedy who was on the Orlando Pride team sat on the other side of Jennifer. A couple of the players spoke to Willa during the dinner, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger were both very interested in Willa’s work at UNC and her history at UCLA. In comparison Jennifer was talking quietly with Alanna, her back was to Willa and no interest was shown by Jennifer towards her girlfriend. Willa tried to listen to the other conversations as the night went on and join in but she wasn’t close with the girls and struggled to fit in. Willa leant over and touched Jennifer’s thigh, the girl looked almost annoyed by Willa’s touch, “Baby I am heading back to your place, I have to leave early sorry.” She kissed Jennifer and wished everyone a lovely rest of the night. Jennifer mumbled a quick goodnight and focused back onto Alanna. As she waited for her Uber she looked through Alessia’s instagram, she smiled as she saw the girl’s pictures from her junior days for England. She liked an old picture of her wearing a Manchester United shirt and messaged the girl. ‘Manchester is blue.’ She knew the girl wouldn’t message back because it was so late she should be in bed.

Jennifer didn’t get back to the apartment until three in the morning, she got straight into bed without a word in just her underwear. Willa hoped that nothing happened between her and Alanna but it would be convenient to cut ties. Before leaving that morning, Willa put on the coffee machine so that when Jennifer woke up the coffee would be ready. She kissed Jennifer gently and left a note saying thank you and told her she loved her. In the car ride to the airport a text popped up on her phone from Alessia, ‘Manchester is red. Also I hope Newcastle lose today x’ Willa smiled at the message and replied. ‘That is just hurtful Alessia, don’t make me punish you with laps at training tomorrow.’ Alessia went bright red as she read the text, thinking of a punishment she wouldn’t mind receiving from the coach, might even be more cardio work than laps. 

The following day Willa got to training early and saw the blonde striker practising. “Oi, head over the ball, you aren’t punting an American football.” The blonde turned around to the coach. “Nice to see you are back from your little vacation.” Alessia had her hands on her hips as Willa approached her. “Eh, it wasn't much of a vacation. Jennifer spent most of the time on her phone or talking to her teammates.” Willa juggled a ball then kicked it towards Alessia. “You should have just watched the game on tv.” Alessia replied slightly annoyed with the current topic of Jennifer. “Yeah I should have, then at least I could have worked with the team.” She put her foot on top of the ball. “October 7.” Willa said and Alessia replied with a confused look. “Manchester and Newcastle are playing, I put a booking in for the theatre.” Alessia’s face lit up. “Oh perfect! When United wins you have to wear a Manchester United shirt.” Willa laughed. “I will never wear a bloody Manchester United shirt, not for anyone, not even you Alessia Russo.” Willa kicked the ball towards Alessia and they both laughed. The rest of the team slowly made their way towards the pair ready for training to begin. Willa pulled a few players off the field to have a chat about things to work on, Alessia slightly jealous that she didn’t get a chance to chat to the coach.

The month leading into the UNC season became a little more intense as they lifted their work rate at training. Willa tried to catch up with Jennifer but their schedules didn’t line up as well as what she hoped, Jennifer seemed to have team sessions more frequently than she did at the beginning of the season, must just be wanting to increase their work rate. The training prior to the game the team line up was read out, Alessia wasn’t starting, Willa saw the girl’s face fall when she realised. The girls went onto the training pitch with a focus on set pieces beginning with the starting team. Willa worked with the players who would be starting on the bench, Alessia seemed somewhat distant from Willa during the session. At the end as the girls were leaving Willa grabbed Alessia’s wrist before she left, “Hey you okay?” The blonde shrugged. “Yeah I am fine, just surprised is all, didn’t think after how well you said I was doing that I would be on the bench against Providence.” Alessia pulled her arm away. “Well if you wanted to have a chat about why then I am happy to tell you.” Willa crossed her arms over her chest slightly pissed off by the girl’s reaction. “Well I’m all ears Coach.” Alessia turned to face Willa. “Your shots are either at the goalkeeper or missing over the bar, Julia Ashley is hitting the ball cleanly and causing a lot of headaches for defenders at the moment. I need - we need more from you.” Willa said bluntly. “Fine, then you’ll get more.” Alessia walked back to the changerooms to shower. She needed the calming shower after the frustrating conversation with Willa, there is no way that Julia was better than her.

When Alessia had gotten changed and was walking past Willa’s office she heard her talking to Anson. “Alessia’s work off the ball is exactly what we need. She is aggressive and can beat defenders with raw power, not just fancy footwork. We need her on the field.” Alessia heard Anson’s reply loud and clear. “I need her to show me that she can turn defenders, work with her on that hold up play and she’ll have that consistent starting position.” Anson walked out and Alessia hid in a doorway, once he was gone she began walking past the office again. “Hey Alessia can I grab you for a second?” Willa walked out of her office to the blonde. “Yeah, of course.” She followed Willa into her office and sat on the couch, Willa sat at her desk. “Okay so, to be completely transparent I think you are a bloody brilliant player with potential to be the next Ellen White and Kelly Smith. But there are a couple things we need to work on. I am more than willing to do extra sessions to get you there but I need you to be on board too.” Alessia took in the massive compliment that was just paid to her and she nodded. “Yeah I am down to do that.” Willa smiled. “Perfect, we get started the day after the game. Don’t worry either, you will be playing.” Alessia stood and headed towards the door of the office. “I am sorry for being a bit rude before, I was just frustrated.” Willa stood in front of the girl and Alessia could smell her perfume. “I get it, I was benched once at UCLA and kind of lost my shit. At least you were calmish about it.” She winked at Alessia. “Head up, Russo, get some sleep, big game tomorrow.” Alessia walked back to her dorm a little lighter and with her heart racing. Willa’s heart raced like it hadn't for a long time, she was in trouble.

CHAPTER 4

[doyelikehaggis]

Scarepairs Rowboat: Madlyn | Maddox x Ashlyn Caswell (HSMTMTS)

"What are the chances."

Ashlyn's eyes widen at the familiar voice and whips around to stare in disbelief at Maddox. Having not seen her since summer, it's safe to say there's a little thrill of excitement. Her disbelief only grows further at the sight of her costume.

Grinning breathlessly, she eyes Maddox's black and white striped coat, black pants and top, and most of all, her white face paint with a subtle skeleton makeup look. For the first time in her life, she is speechless.

Good thing Maddox is great at filling silence.

"And here I thought I was being original with the Nightmare Before Christmas," she jokes, nodding to Ashlyn with an appreciative glance down at her costume as well. "It almost looks like we coordinated!"

It does that, Ashlyn thinks, flustered panic lodging in her throat. For one, Maddox looks really great in a suit. For another, they probably look like a couple right now, and she's not sure how to feel about that!

Letting out a burst of nervous laughter to buy herself time to think, she then shrugs ever so slightly and says, "What can I say? I've always dreamed of being Sally since I was a little girl. I always wanted to wait until I had someone to be my Jack, but... well, I figured Sally wouldn't let a lack of a boy stop her!"

She's rambling. She's aware of it, Maddox is aware of it if her ever-raising eyebrows are anything to go by. A furrow of concern forms between them, her head tilting.

"Wait, what happened to your boyfriend? Big Red?"

And there it is; the question she was hoping she wasn't going to ask.

"We... kind of broke up. But it's okay!" she hurries to assure her at the sight of her about to become sympathetic expression. "Really, we're good. We're still friends, but we realized that we were better off that way right now."

Maddox offers her a small smile all the same. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm glad you're happy. And" --sweeping a hand out of her pocket-- "you look amazing, by the way. It's like you were born to be Sally."

Cheeks warm from the compliment and from simply having Maddox's attention on her for so long, Ashlyn casts a smile at the ground under the pretence of admiring her patchwork dress. She does do a little bit of that as well, pulling it out ever so slightly.

"Thanks! I, uh, made the dress myself," she says, and looks back up to find Maddox's shock and awe. It's a good feeling. "Yeah, like I said. Big love for Sally since I was a kid. I didn't wanna just buy a cheap costume when I knew I could probably make it myself. With some help from Kourtney, of course."

Maddox chuckles and nods. "Of course. I wish I could say the same, but" --she shrugs again as she lightly pulls at the lapel of her striped suit jacket and grins sheepishly at her-- "I just went searching in a thrift store with Jet when we got invited to this party. I should thank EJ for the invitation, by the way. Have you seen him?"

Ashlyn stares at her. "EJ invited you?"

Maddox nods, tucking some loose hair behind her ear as she glances around with no real intention of finding EJ. "Yeah. Well," she rolls her eyes, smiling somewhat secretively, "Ricky texted Jet to tell him that EJ asked us to come. Personally, I think that Ricky just wanted to see Jet again, but I'm not supposed to say anything about that because it's a bit of a touchy subject for Jet right now. You know how it is with secret feelings."

Ashlyn's mouth has gone super dry. She curls her lips beneath her teeth and nods, simply responding with an, "Mhm."

On the inside, she's cursing EJ so hard. Of course he told Ricky to invite Maddox. She knew she should never have confided in him about her mild, not at all major, tiny little crush on her. He can't help himself, he has to play matchmaker.

Not that she wouldn't have done the same.

"Hey!" Gina, dressed up as Wednesday Addams, pauses on her way past them, eyeing them both with a massive grin on her face and a particularly not-subtle eyebrow raise at Ashlyn. "Jack and Sally! You two make a great couple!"

She doesn't stop long enough for Ashlyn to curse her, too. Well, she had to confide in her best friend. Gina is basically her sister, how could she not tell her the moment she realized she had a crush, even such a totally insignificant, soon-to-be-gone one?

Glancing at Maddox, she finds her smiling happily. Probably just because she appreciates the compliment on the effort she put into the costume. That's definitely why it made Ashlyn feel so good as well.

"I, uh... excuse me."

Ashlyn hurries off, turning on her heel and making her way up the stairs to her bedroom without looking back. It's really the guest bedroom of EJ's parent's house, but it's basically her room.

As soon as she closes her door behind her, relief hits her from the lack of noise, now all muffled by a whole floor.

She takes a deep breath, steadies and composes herself, and moves to sit on her bed. Good thing she only painted her top half blue and went with tights for her legs.

"Damn you, EJ," she mutters, then groans.

Why did she have to do this to herself? Why couldn't Corpse Bride have been her favourite movie instead? Or even just gone with Kourtney's idea of all of them dressing up as Bridgerton girls! There's no way Maddox would have walked in as the Colin to her Penelope. That coincidence would have been far too high.

There's a light knock on her door. Praying that it's EJ so that she can strangle him, she speaks without thinking and says, "Come in."

Maddox appears through a crack in the door. That sheepish smile has followed her all the way up the stairs. Fantastic.

"You okay?" she asks gently, taking a tentative step into the room. When Ashlyn doesn't tell her to leave, she takes it as a good sign and walks in further, leaving the door only slightly ajar behind her. "You took off pretty quick back there. Did I... Was it something I said?"

"Oh, god no! No, it's not you. I'm just..." Taking a deep breath, she puts on her best, most convincing smile and finds the right way to bend the truth. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, I think. My head hurts. Honestly, I wasn't really up for the whole party thing. I kinda wanted to just stay up here and watch Halloween movies but EJ insisted."

"Well..." Maddox swings innocently, hands behind her back, biting her bottom lip, and god, why does she have to be that cute? "If you wanted, we could just do that. Stay up here, watch Halloween movies. Nightmare Before Christmas?"

At Ashlyn's widening eyes, Maddox mirrors her expression, losing her sliver of confidence.

"Only a suggestion, in case you wanted some company. It's no problem, you have a headache, of course you don't want to be around other people. I'll go."

"No!"

She must really hate herself. Why else inflict such torture such as being in close quarters alone with Maddox on herself? Still, she doesn't double back. Rather, she doubles down upon seeing Maddox's hopeful expression.

"No," she says, softer now. With a sigh, she smiles, and nods, trying not to appear too eager. "Stay. I'd... I'd really like that."

Maddox grins, her shoulders dropping. They get more comfortable on the bed together, both kicking off their shoes and taking care to avoid getting any makeup on the pillows as they curl up under Ashlyn's favourite fleece blanket, patterned with little pumpkins.

She's expecting Maddox to tease her for it, but instead, she strokes one of the little pumpkins with a look of genuine joy.

Biting her bottom lip, Ashlyn tears her gaze away from her and sets up the Nightmare Before Christmas, hoping it'll be a good enough distraction. If not, she's leaving to make hot chocolate.

[writinginfinite]

imagine part v

imagine: form a mental image or a concept

plot: you didn’t know what you were getting into when you turned your hobby into an actual career on f1. based on Lewis’ “imagine” tweet.

Friday March 18, 2022

"if all of this ended today, at least I made everyone laugh." 

You weren't too sure how things would go, so you woke up at 6 am, way earlier than usual. You reached over to turn on the lamp and grab your phone off of the nightstand. To your surprise, many DMs and comments of congratulatory messages welcomed you after unlocking your phone. While fighting back tears, you typed up a pinned comment thanking everyone for their thoughts and would get back to each one of them later that night. You plugged in your phone and started your morning routine, this one you'd never forget. 

After triple checking yourself in the mirror and your bags, you headed into your Uber to get to the Grand Prix. As you rode in the back of the car, you tried your best to respond to all the comments and messages, but they just kept coming in. Before you knew it, sunlight was hitting your face. It was your Uber driver opening the car door - you had arrived. You exited the car, thanked the driver, and followed signs directing you to the Paddock. When you reached the front of the line, you scanned your badge and saw your name displayed on the screen with the: "FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2022. Welcome to the F1 Paddock. All you had worked for was just a few feet away from you. You took a photo of the screen documenting a memory you'd never want to forget, not realizing a line had formed. There were a few murmurs and annoying voices behind you, so you hurried up and moved along. You turned to apologize to the queue that formed and all eyes fell looking at your lanyard- "Media" just like them. There were a few surprised faces, and you tried not to laugh. You just took into memory all the faces you'd have to work twice as hard against to earn your respect. 

The first three drivers' press conferences flew by and you couldn't get a question in. Between your hand getting skipped or someone asking a question too similar to yours, you felt defeated. There was one final driver's conference, and you were determined to get your voice heard. Walking back into the media center, you placed your notebook and laptop onto your makeshift work area and went to tour the Paddock. You needed a change of scenery to get out of the negative feelings appearing. You took pictures of the paddock and track, mostly for personal memories, but also some to share. Turning your phone off of 'Do Not Disturb', it bombarded you with text and notifications, but one caught your eye - multiple text messages from Ashlyn. Ashlyn had let you know she and your family got F1TV Pro and they were watching every drivers' conference just to hear your voice. Not a single person in that room understood Formula One, but they always supported your passion. They didn't care about the time zone difference because they were proud of you. You took a second to FaceTime everyone and thanked them.

You apologized and told them you were trying your best, but it was hard. They gave you all the encouragement and advice on how to get yourself heard: "Grab some paper and wave your hand in the air" "Just yell, girl!" "Get your butt in the front row!" The jokes and hearing their voices made you smile. That right there gave you all the happiness in the world. With your head up high now, you took a deep breath and walked towards the paddock's media center, with a walk like you've done that for years. 

As you were walking back, some commotion startled you. There were lots of people running towards the front gates, in the opposite direction from you. You were taught "run with them and ask questions later." When everyone stopped, all you heard were camera shutters going off and pointed in a single direction - Lewis Hamilton. He entered the paddock wearing a jacket with a tie-belt over a pair of ecru-colored pants. When you were covering races from home, you saw photos and videos when Lewis walked onto the paddock but in person, it was like no other. He commanded an entrance, stopping everyone in their place. The power he had just walking from the entrance gates to his motorhome was indescribable. Being star-struck, you almost neglected to take photos and videos for social media.

It was time for the final drivers' conference of the day. One final chance to be heard. In front of you were Yuki, Esteban, Nico, Alex, and Lewis. The conference went just like the previous three; you getting skipped. To your surprise, there was one final call to get questions in. "This is my last opportunity," you said to yourself. You stood up, raising your hand. "I do." Making everyone in the room turn to the last row of the room. You took a deep breath, murmured your website name into the mic, then said "I do, it's for Lewis. First Lewis, I hope you're well. The question I have is regarding the W13. Based on pre-season testing, the W13 isn't the smoothest ride. How are you and the team feeling going into the 2022 season?" Lewis responded with a smile, "I am, thanks. How are you?" You had already passed the mic back, and just nervously shouted from the back row, "Oops, umm I just gave the mic back, but I am well, thanks for asking."

This caused the room to let out a laugh. At that moment, you were beyond thankful you didn't visually turn red when flustered, but on the inside, you felt like you were on fire. Lewis answered the question, and that was the end of the drivers' conference. You had done it, and you even made the room laugh. This isn't how you expected the day to go, but if that's how you'd make a first impression, at least it was a good one.

When free practice ended, all you thought was "Damn, Mercedes wasn't sandbagging!" After finishing up your article discussing the press conference, you checked social media. Your notifications were higher than normal. As you read through your mentions, there were tweets saying "Oh this is the woman that had Lewis smiling like that!" "I see you girl, I don't blame him" "We have no choice but to support" This all made you chuckle until you saw a few that made a lump in your throat form and panic. People were claiming you were flirting for clout. Trying to find issues and put an asterisk on what took you years to build. You knew you had to shut that all down immediately.

You sent a tweet reading "Hi to all my followers! To my new ones as well. Hope you're all well. A new article is live and I'll be posting a video later tonight. Link to my other socials in the bio. (Side note: Wishing people well is something I ask everyone, it's how I grew up)" You hoped the internet could take a joke and didn't want it to appear aggressive and defensive. The last thing you needed was people assuming you were flirting. This day was going so well and you didn't want unnecessary stress in your life. So you swore off Twitter for the weekend, strictly posting race content and not checking your mentions. You even went to limit your Instagram comments, then turned your phone on 'Do Not Disturb' for the day.

The night had ended, but you still had a video to film and a second article to finish. You almost talked yourself out of it, but it needed to be done. You'd be damned if you worked this hard to get to this point and started putting in half an effort. You looked at the clock, not realizing how late it had gotten. You doubled checked the time back home and sent a text to your family giving them your love and appreciation. You headed to the bathroom to do your nightly routine. As you tied your hair down and put on your bonnet, you smiled at your reflection, saying, "If all of this ended today, at least I made everyone laugh." 

// parts

part vi

author's notes: i'll need to proofread this again. it’s officially my longest post, 1.3K. sorry for the delay, but here it is. hoping you're enjoying “imagine” to this point, thanks for sticking with me. part vi later this week.

have no idea why my post aren’t showing in the tags i use, so if you wanna reblog this post or others i’d greatly appreciated it. thanks.

[alearicci]

third chapter. max verstappen x oc

Note: the show, the host, the questions and answers to them were invented by me!!!

— Miss Skyler, Mr. Verstappen are you ready?

— I'm ready.

— Are you sure babe?

— Yes. This is our first interview together, but I'm sure it will go well, honey. – Ashlyn said and came closer to her boyfriend, straightened his tie, then stood on her toes and kissed him on the tip of his nose.

Max rolled his eyes and laughed, then pulled the girl to him, holding her by the waist.

— 3, 2, 1. Go! – The assistant shouted and opened the door that led to the host of the program.

Johnny. "Good evening, dear viewers! Today we have a special edition of our show, because we have one of the brightest couples of our time. Unsurpassed Formula 1 racer, Red Bull Racing team driver – Max Verstappen and his chosen one, model – Ashlyn Skyler!"

Max kissed Ashlyn on the top of her head once more and, smiling, led her to the right place. The audience burst into applause and enthusiastic shouts, because Max was not a frequent guest on such talk shows and it was really nice to see him, especially with a girl. First Ashlyn sat on the sofa, later Verstappen sat next to her, still keeping his hand on her waist.

Johnny. "Max, Ashlyn, we are glad to see you on our TV program called «Late Night Talking with Johnny Brooks.» I am her magnificent, simply the best and most wonderful host - Jonathan Brooks."

The audience laughed at how Johnny is proud of his position and the couple in love could not help smiling too.

Max. "Thank you for the invitation, Johnny we are glad to come here."

Ash. — "Yes, we are very glad to take part in your show."

Johnny. "First of all, Max, I want to congratulate you on your recent great performance at the Austrian Grand Prix. It was insanely good, you didn't leave any chances to your rivals."

Max. "Thank you, Jonathan. I knew I could win, and I won."

Johnny. "Oh my God, racers, tremble! Nothing will stop this guy!"

Ash. "I'm sure they already know that. Nothing will really stop him if he wants something. No one can compare with him in this. For me, no one can compare with him." Ashlyn said and smiled proudly looking at her beloved.

This particular trait in Max's character has always made her involuntarily amazed at how majestic he is. Verstappen himself was a little embarrassed and only hugged his girlfriend tighter.

Johnny. "Ha, ha, ha, I totally agree with you, Ashlyn. Will you tell us how you and Max met and how you decided to be together in general?"

Ashlyn took a deep breath and smiled even wider. She was allowed to familiarize herself with the questions so that she could prepare the answers in advance, but it was a little difficult to talk about this topic, since it was really personal. Max came to the rescue.

Max. "Hey, why Ashlyn and not me?" He asked and the whole hall burst out laughing.

Ash. "Everything is fine, dear, it's just that in your understanding it is very different from how I understand it. We met Max a few years ago at a party of our mutual friend Chris. First we met on the dance floor, someone had already had a few drinks, which made him bolder than before, and therefore invited me to get acquainted. The most ordinary acquaintance that led to the happiness that I have now."

Max. "And, by the way, she didn't want to get acquainted at first. Ashlyn said: "sorry, I'm not getting acquainted!" I had to persuade her for a long time and then ask Ashlyn's friend for her Instagram. The next day I wrote to her, invited her to have coffee. She, thank God, agreed and we met in a cafe. Then there were several more similar meetings, I invited Ashley to my races, she went to them, supported me as much as she could, and a little later I invited her to become my girlfriend.

Ash. "Oh, my God, I knew you'd tell me about this. Of course I was careful and prudent, because I didn't know anyone except Chris and a couple of other people. But soon I got to know Max better, he was very polite and attentive. We started chatting and realized that we have a lot of common interests. He really invited me to the races and I really enjoyed watching his progress. Gradually our friendship grew into something more."

Johnny. "And how do you cope with the attention of fans and journalists to your relationship? Does it interfere with your personal life?"

Max. "We have to get used to this hype, but we try not to let it affect our personal life. We understand that this is part of our job and we just try to remain ourselves. Attention to our relationship can sometimes be difficult, but we try not to worry about it and continue to cope with all the difficulties together."

Ash. "Yes, it can be difficult, but we both know that our personal life is most important. We try to keep our privacy and just enjoy the time that we have in between work."

Johnny. "Max, do you think your success in sports affects your personal life and your relationship with Ashlyn?"

Max. "I think that success in sports can really affect your personal life, but only if you don't find a balance between work and relationships. I am very grateful to Ashlyn for the fact that she always supports me and understands that my work requires a lot of time and effort. Because of this, we sometimes get upset, but we find minutes that we can spend together."

Johnny. "Ashlyn, what do you think about this?"

Ash. "My opinion: Max's success undoubtedly affects our lives, but I am always proud of him and his achievements. I know that his work is his passion, and I will always support him. No matter what."

Johnny. "Your couple can really be an example for others. And how do you perceive the support of your girlfriend, Ashlyn, during the races?"

Max. "Ashlyn is always by my side, she really supports me in all aspects of my life, not only in racing. She understands that Formula 1 is my passion and always supports me in all my endeavors. I really appreciate her support and she really helps me keep calm and confident that everything will be fine. I am really very happy that she is in my life."

Johnny. "It's great to hear that you have such a strong connection. Back to your F1 career, Max. You are very young, but you have already achieved great, no, huge successes in Formula 1. What is your attitude to this and how do you cope with the pressure exerted on you by detractors and rivals?"

Max. "Yes, I really started racing in Formula 1 at a very young age. But I've always dreamed of racing and have been passionate about motorsport since I was a kid. I am very grateful to my team and my family for their support, they have always believed in me. As for the pressure, I think it's part of the job. Pressure is always there in Formula 1, especially when you are in a team that expects you to win. But I try not to think about them too much. Instead, I concentrate on my work, train as hard as possible, and try to just enjoy the race, try to do everything possible to achieve success. I know that I am the best racer, and I think that every racer should think about himself that way, otherwise, he should be on the couch watching TV."

Johnny. "Great, Max! And how does your family support you along the way?"

Max. "My family is my main support. My father, Jos Verstappen, was a racing driver himself, so he understands what this means to me. He is always there to help and advise. My mom and sister are also very supportive of me, they are always there when I need them. My family is my inspiration. If Ashlyn has the opportunity to fly with me, then she takes the day off and follows me to the next Grand Prix. I am especially grateful to her for her support."

Johnny. "How do you both find time to study and relax together?"

Max. "We both have very busy schedules, but we try to find time for joint classes and recreation. We both love to travel and explore new places, so we often plan vacations and weekends together. We are also both fond of sports, so we often do together - play tennis, ride a bike or just walk in nature."

Ash. "Yes, and it is also important for us to have time for ourselves. We both understand that sometimes you just need to relax and go about your business. This helps us maintain balance and maintain healthy relationships."

Johnny. "Very interesting! Max, how do you feel about your numerous victories?"

Max. "Victories are always wonderful, but defeats are also a huge part of racing. I try to learn from every race, regardless of the result. It is important to stay positive and believe in yourself, believe that you have no equal. Defeats only motivate me to work even harder and strive for success."

Johnny. "Mate, what defeats are you talking about? You win one race after another!"

Johnny. "Finally, what are your plans for the future, as a couple and as individuals?"

Max. "Our main goal is to continue to develop and reach new heights. I want to continue my career in Formula 1 and continue to please my fans. Ashlyn also has her own ambitions in the modeling world, and I will always support her in this. We want to continue our life together, enjoying every moment and supporting each other."

Ash. "That's right, we both strive for personal growth and success. We want to create a happy and healthy family and continue our mutual support. We have a lot of plans for the future, and we are looking forward to making it all happen."

Johnny. "Well, I should wish you good luck! Our interview has come up. Thank you very much for giving such a sincere and heartfelt interview."

Max. "Thank you, Johnny, it was great."

Ash. "Thank you for the invitation, it was nice to talk to you."

— Stop! Interview is over!

— Thank God. You guys are great. It was a really good interview, Ashlyn, you're just beautiful.

— Yes. – Max pulled the girl to him and left a kiss on her lips. – Beauty. – He said and said goodbye to the presenter, went to the exit of the set.

As soon as Verstappen left the room, he put Ashlyn on his shoulder. The girl laughed and jokingly beat him with her hands, to which he hit her ass several times. People passed by who were curiously watching the current champion and his relationship with his beloved.

— Let's go home, my love. We should celebrate our victory.

— Is it really a victory?

— Of course. Sometimes it's harder to talk like this and answer various questions than driving 70 laps on the track.