#cannot wait for her to start her new job in the summer

[girlbossdean]

what if I burned down my gf's place of work

[heartstopperthoughts]

Any talented fanfiction writers in the Heartstopper fandom who want to write my Charlie Proposes First headcanon?

So, it takes place around the time that Charlie graduates uni (Nick graduated a year prior) and they’re moving into their first place together.

Tao has joined Charlie to help him do some moving-house shopping, and they pass by a jewelry store and Tao wants to stop to get Elle something for her birthday. Charlie sees a ring that it just so perfectly Nick. (At this point marriage is still kind of a far-off concept in Charlie’s mind. Like they’ve talked about getting married at some point but in a very abstract off-in-the-future kind of way.) He casually points out the ring to Tao who is like, “Haha, you guys have basically been married for years now, are you finally ready to tie the knot?” and Charlie kind of laughs it off, but then they go home, and Charlie cannot stop thinking about the ring. He doesn’t tell anyone, but he goes back to buy it and decides he’ll just save it for when he and Nick are both finally ready. But then just having the ring makes marriage feel more real, like he realizes he’s actually going to get married to Nick Nelson one day and he starts to kind of obsess over it and how he might propose. He wants it to be a grand gesture but he also wants to make it special and personal but not too cheesy and also not too public but not too boring either. In true Charlie Spring fashion, he gets himself all worked up over it, and to calm himself down, he starts to carry the ring around with him, just so he’s ready if the opportunity ever presents itself.

Anyways, flash forward a handful of months and Nick and Charlie are home for the holidays staying with Nick’s mom, and they’ve offered to do the Christmas dinner shopping. They’re walking through the store, just chatting, and Charlie can feel the ring in his pocket. He just stops and looks at Nick and all of the sudden realizes “I am so in love with this man, and I want to be married to him, like, yesterday.” And without even really thinking about it, Charlie blurts out “We should get married” and Nick thinks he means like someday eventually, so he just says “Yeah?” and turns around all smiley like nothing’s happening, and then he sees how nervous Charlie looks and he realizes Charlie is serious. Meanwhile alarms are going off in Charlie’s brain because he’s starting to realize like, “Oh shit, I think I’m proposing right now?!!!!” And he scrambles in his pocket for the ring and is like “Yeah!” and fumbles out this unplanned but incredibly heartfelt proposal. Nick is completely stunned and isn’t really saying anything, and Charlie’s brain starts to spiral like “Oh shit I’ve fucked it up! What am I doing proposing to him here?! Charlie Spring, you complete idiot! Of course you would pick the least romantic place in the entire world to ask the love of your life to marry you. As if he would say yes to you in a Tesco! You couldn’t have thought this through more?!” And then Nick starts to tear up and fishes around in his own pocket and pulls out… you guessed it, a ring! And they both start sobbing, and say yes to each other.

Turns out Nick had bought a ring back in the summer too and had wanted to propose but didn’t want to add stress to Charlie’s already full plate with graduation and starting a new job and moving into a new place, so he had decided to wait. He’d been trying to work up the nerve to take Charlie to the beach where they had their first date and propose there, but just wasn’t sure when it would be the right time, and he didn’t want to rush Charlie into anything if he wasn’t ready to be married just yet. And Charlie’s like, “Oh my God, I am so sorry I ruined your proposal! And I asked in a Tesco of all places. I’m an idiot!” And Nick hushes him and is like “You’re not. It was perfect. You’re perfect.”

And then they go to the beach anyways to celebrate their engagement.

[rebel-walnut]

Let's Do The Time Warp Again

steddie time travel s3 ficlet, Part 1

Ao3, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4

"Harrington! Customers!"

Pins and needles flood Steve's limbs as Robin's voice slowly comes into focus, his eyes still scrunched closed with sleep. The tiredness is heavy in his bones, like he's been asleep for years in the oddly cold back room of Family Video.

"Dingus!"

Steve doesn't even remember falling asleep on his break. Actually, he doesn't remember taking his break at all. Or even coming into Family Video. In fact, the last thing he remembers was covered in black and red slime-

"DINGUS! YOUR BREAK IS SO OVER!"

Steve forces his eyes open to witness the too-white walls of a break room that burned down a year ago. Frantic hands run over the garish blue and red of the tacky sailor uniform he hated, the same uniform he lit on fire in his backyard with Robin before the start of her senior year. Somehow, it's back. All of it. It's all come back to haunt him.

Robin from a year ago seems to also be back to haunt him -or maybe she's here as his savior- either way, she's just as loud as ever as she kicks the swinging door to the cramped back room in. It hits the wall with a crack, causing a jolt of both familiarity and dread to shoot up Steve's spine.

He waits for the tell-tale chime of a clock that was still ringing in his ears before he woke up in the summer of '85 or Robin's face to start warping into the melted mass of tentacles hiding in the Creel attic that will certainly become a common occurrence in his nightmares, but the only thing in front of him is Robin's all too common apathetic yet disappointed stare.

"I gave you an extra 7 minutes to sleep, but that little sampling-brat and her terror-troop are back for more and I swear to God, Harrington, I cannot deal with her again today, I just can't-"

Steve cuts off her ramble by scrambling out of his seat with more effort than either of them had ever put into this job, squeezing past her and out of the small doorway.

"Steve, where are you- hey!" Robin says as she latches into Steve's shoulder before he can finish his beeline out the door.

"I'll explain later if you still exist," Steve responds as he turns out of her grasp, shoving past the group of teens making their way into the store. He can hear Robin's small shouts after him, but her exasperation with him is nothing new and frankly the least of his worries.

Starcourt, somehow, is still standing. Clamping down on his rising heart rate, Steve glances around for any sign of the current date, or even year. Everything is exactly the same as it was a year ago, but Steve knows nothing he sees can be trusted. Not with the visions Max described, that's for goddamn certain. While he doesn't know enough science fiction shit like Dustin to know if he jumped universes or is in a different reality or whatever the fuck, he can at least place a little bit of faith in his ability to distinguish dreams and visions from reality.

His frantic pace along with the extremely out of place sailor costume draws in a few curious stares, but again, least of his worries. No one's faces warp into slimy horrors and none of the walls start crawling with vines, no flickering lights, no distorted voices in his head, no signs of the upside down at all. As comforting as that should be in theory, that means it's something else entirely and definitely something Steve can't figure out on his own.

He finds himself leaving a trail of pinches down his arm as he reaches the far side of the mall, posters for the theater coming into view. A particular poster catches his eye, BACK TO THE FUTURE highlighted in yellow and orange in all its sci-fi font glory.

Fuck. 1985. Again.

He presses his fingertips into the glass covering the poster as his breaths come out raggedy and sharp. C'mon, wake up man. It's all some weird ass fever dream, you probably just hit your head again.

He waits a few seconds and prays to wake up. Nothing. Obviously, he thinks. He's stuck, somehow, a year ago, with no clue how it happened or how to fix it or if anything here is even real in the first place.

Steve isn't the guy who comes up with plans, okay? That's more of a Nance thing, and Steve is totally fine with his role as the muscle. Unfortunately, right now there seems to be absolutely no Nancy Wheeler, and Steve has no fucking clue what the fuck is going on.

He steps back from the entrance to the theater and spins around probably faster than he should for someone who maybe just got shot through time, and comes face to face with a small music store labeled Hot Wax Records in some sort of groovy 70's style font. That's not what gets him though.

Steve stops dead in his tracks as he makes eye contact with the guy at the front desk. His hair's a little shorter than he last remembers it, hitting just above his shoulders instead of just below them. The man is wearing a familiar denim vest with slightly fewer patches and less grime than was on it when it was adorning Steve's shoulders, but familiar all the same. What gets Steve though is that the man at the counter is white-knuckling the edge with one hand while the other braces and claws itself around his neck, a look of equal parts horror and recognition strewn across his features. He looks on the verge of screaming, yet his eyes are forcefully locked into Steve's with a determination Steve had only seen from him once before.

They both falter a half step forward as Steve struggles to find his tongue.

"Eddie?"

[strangunddurm]

Disillusioned

Warnings: food, eating, alcohol consumption, you have breasts, age gap (unspecified how big though but reader is an adult ofc and has a job), cheating, small angst, unhappy relationship, reader is racially ambiguous.

I've been trying really, really hard to get out of my writer's rut but it's been a challenge. This little re-write has helped me a lot creatively :)

Word count: 6.8k

Summary: Aaron Hotchner cannot stop thinking about you, no matter how wrong it may be.

“I know I am but summer to your heart, and not the full four seasons of the year.” ― Edna St. Vincent Millay

You were the beginning of his end. Oh, so lovely and so sweet that keeping away from you was next to impossible. Infidelity came as a biproduct. He didn’t mean to cheat; does anybody set out with the intention of cheating? Falling for you and all that you were was as easy as breathing, entirely natural. It was inevitable. 

The entire situation wasn’t improved by the fact that you were his wife's niece. Haley didn’t deserve this. It was unfair, Aaron knew that it was, but he couldn’t stop himself. You put him in a trance he did not even attempt to break. It had to be acknowledged that the marriage he had with Haley hadn’t been a marriage in quite some time. They had stayed together because they had always been together, not because they still loved or lusted after one another. They had drifted apart long before you. You were not to blame; you were not the reason for their end. Divorce had been looming at the horizon, but they hadn’t quite reached that stage yet when you came into his life.

He tried not to think about that part… Wife. Niece. But it was hard to ignore… You were after all only ever around if was to visit her, “your favourite aunt in the whole, wide world”. Did it make it better that you weren’t related by blood? …That the title of niece and aunt had been voluntarily applied to each upon birth due to the closeness between Haley and your mother. He hoped it did. He told himself over and over again that it did.

The first time he had met you was imprinted on his mind. He would never forget that day — could never — it was one of the best days of his life. You had stepped out onto the train’s platform like a saving grace, absolutely glowing with delight as you tossed your arms around Haley’s neck. You didn’t like flying, preferring the sights offered by a ticking train as it bustled its way along the train tracks. Aaron had never been able to come with whenever Haley went up north to visit you. He had always been too busy with a case or something else that was urgent and “couldn’t wait”. He would forever immensely regret never coming along earlier.

You were never mad, never angry, or upset. You were so easy to have a conversation with; everything interested you and you were curious about all the world had to offer. Nothing was ever boring with you. You were so different from her. You possessed that uncanny ability to find bliss in even the most bitter moments. Of course, it was easy to think that when he only ever met you briefly as Haley helped you get settled into the city. Washington D.C. was your new home and Aaron was certain that he was being blessed by somebody that must've been watching over. How else could it be that you were presented to him like this? A golden opportunity and it was hard to keep his hands to himself. Quick hugs grew to be more and more lingering, hands travelling lower, becoming more inappropriate as you spent more time at their house; babysitting his son, helping his wife.

He didn’t think you would reciprocate any sort of feelings. But then he started to notice the way you would look up at him and press up just a little closer to him whenever you could. At first, he tried to be rational, reasoning that it was just him that was hyper-aware of everything that you did, and therefore overanalysing every single situation. 

But then you brushed up against his front in that absolutely sinful little dress you had been wearing in the Virginia summer heat, and he was sure that you were just as interested in him as he were you, if not even more.

It had been at that quaint little bar on the corner that he tended to frequent together with a few of Haley’s friends whenever there was a small reason for a celebration. Everyone had been so drunk on the energy that was vibrating through the room that it was impossible for them to notice anything that wasn’t themselves.

He had been so nervous when Haley had said that she had invited you. He didn’t want to spend time with you because the feelings that bubbled within him felt like he was betraying his marriage. But then again, he hadn’t asked Haley to invite you, so it wasn’t devious on his part in any way. He knew that it would be different seeing you there compared to in his own home. It would remove that last remaining obstacle that had kept him in control for the past few months,

Aaron was several glasses in, standing at the bar, getting ready to order the next round. You had come with him, eagerly scooting out of the booth after him as you offered to help him carry everyone’s orders back. You were so kind and he couldn’t refuse your help; he didn't want to give you any reason to think that he was pushing you away, but he was so scared of you to come closer.

It was crowded, yes, but it hadn’t been necessary for you to stand so close to him. And it definitely wasn’t necessary for you to press into him the way that you did as you stood in front of him, leaning over the bar as you talked to the bartender. He thought it was an accident at first, causing him to shuffle awkwardly a few paces to the left. But then you sneakily came shuffling after him pressing into him again and he knew it was intentional that time.

Could you feel what you were doing to him? You had to feel the bulge that was beginning to grow in his pants. Your dress was made of such thin material that it was almost see through, and his dress pants – the same ones he had worn to work and hadn’t had time to change out of- did nothing to hide the feeling of his semi hard cock.

Aaron stayed frozen in the same place, not daring to move a muscle for fear that he would scare you away. His mind didn’t even think about the possibility of anyone seeing the two of you, all he could focus on was the feeling of you and the feelings you caused to rush through him. The small taste he had gotten of the feel of you had already made him addicted.

His breath shuddered slightly before he pressed forward ever so lightly, testing your limits. It was such a small movement that it could easily be explained away as him bumping into you if it was needed; it was a bar that they were in, after all, it was custom that people bumped into one another. 

The feeling that fluttered through him when you didn’t shy away was indescribable. Especially when you, after a few moments, pressed back firmly into him, rubbing against him. There was no denying it then, the intentions behind your actions.

Aaron's breath stuttered as he shakily exhaled. His cock was almost fully hard at this point, over-sensitive to even the lightest whisper of a touch. He yearned for you.

His own needs took over, rutting into you as discreetly as he could, craving the friction. The music was loud but the rumble of voices that penetrated the air was even louder. It drowned out the low grunts of pleasure that Aaron couldn’t help but release under his breath. 

Only one of his hands was placed on the bar in front of the two of you, needing some sort of support for fear that his knees would buckle at any moment. The other was just hanging by his side, unsure what to do next. He wanted to touch you; wanted to feel your skin under his finger tips; wanted to drag up the hem of that dress so that he could just slip into your slickness and take you right then and there. But he didn’t — he couldn’t. Not yet. Not there.

Thankfully, the bartender had served the drinks before he could do anything else. The clink of the glasses as they were placed down in front of you pulled Aaron out of his less than clean thoughts so quickly that he took a step back without thinking about it, bumping into a passing patron. He apologised with raised hands before fumbling as he tried to grab as many glasses as he could. He, Aaron Hotchner, was flustered beyond belief. It was so unlike him but not in a bad way. He enjoyed it.

He didn’t dare meet your eyes, but it was impossible to miss the way you smiled up at him in that mirthful way.

Aaron hadn’t seen you for a while after that. It was probably for the best, perhaps it was the universe trying to give him a chance to stop whatever inner turmoil was brewing within him. But absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Because right now, he was sure that he had never felt for another person what he felt for you. What he once had thought to be lust had merely been the illusion of it. A delusion made to make him believe that what he had been feeling for Haley was driven by anything other than the need to look complete in the eyes of others. The perfect man had a perfect wife by his side which developed into the perfect American family once Jack came along; but what are the perks of being perfect? Aaron had this irresistible urge to do something irrational, to act up and make irreversible mistakes that he would lay awake thinking about at night for weeks on end.

And here you were, strutting down the halls of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s headquarters, practically begging him to fall in love with you from the way your hips swung. It was enticing, and unfortunately, he wasn't the only one that was entranced by them. You were turning heads left and right as you passed by his colleagues, and it infuriated him like nothing before.

Aaron shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he watched you get closer and closer to his office with the brightest of smiles on your face. You were so focused on him and only him that you didn't even turn your head as one of the younger, nameless, agents whistled teasingly at you. But Aaron heard, and Aaron saw exactly who had been watching you with as much interest as he, himself, had. And in that moment, Aaron decided that he hated all of them.

"Hi!" Were you ever in a bad mood? Aaron had to reflect over it for a moment, you were like a constant ray of sunshine whenever you were around him, but he knew that that wasn't always the case; Haley had informed him of as much. It appeared as if you too were unable to keep a smile from your face whenever the two of you were together.

"What are you doing here?" Aaron straightened his back slightly, subconsciously puffing out his chest just a tiny bit, and clearing his throat. He waved for you to entre and close the door behind you. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see you, not at all, it was just that he couldn't help himself from growing hard in his slacks whenever he saw you.

"I brought you lunch, a little birdie told me that you usually skip it." You didn't notice his obvious apprehension as he glanced nervously out the window to his office to see if anyone was watching the two of you, or perhaps you just decided to ignore it.

"You didn't have to do that." Aaron tried not appear over-eager as he attempted to sneak a peak inside the bag you had been lugging over your shoulder, filled with whatever you had cooked up. Haley would always brag about your cooking skills to her girlfriends whenever they were over at the house for dinner. Aaron hadn't had the privilege of tasting your food yet, always being pulled away by a new case whenever plans had been made.

"Oh, don't be silly, I wanted to." You lightly tap his shoulder teasingly, sending him another of those smiles that practically made his heart stop for just a few moments. You had moved around his desk as you presented your offering to him, taking every opportunity to be closer to him. Aaron couldn't stop the shy grin that he sent you in return, even if he had wanted to. "Do you want to eat here?" You continued, glancing around the room for the first time, taking in all the paperwork and all the people that were trying, and failing, to inconspicuously watch the conversation you were having through the glass. 

"Let me just clear some of this stuff up." Aaron stood shakily as he shuffled through the piles of papers, making room for the both of you on his cluttered desk. It wasn't exactly the ideal place to be, he wanted you completely alone, away from all these people, but Aaron knew that he wouldn't be able to control himself, and he couldn't risk that, not yet at least.

It was when Aaron had finally insisted on walking you out after lunch that someone couldn’t stifle their curiosity anymore. Of course, it was Morgan that came waltzing up to the two of them, whistling mischievously as he surveyed you with a glint in his eyes.

"Were you trying to sneak her out of here without introducing us to your friend, Hotch?" A grin wider than the Cheshire Cat's made its way across his face, a smile that had broken many hearts previously. Morgan didn't try to hide the way he dragged his eyes up and down your figure. Could he be blamed? You had this air around you that would draw people in, no matter who they were. It drew one in with a promise of the possibility of exhilarating moments, intimately shared between you, them, and the world. It gave Aaron the impression that if you asked, he would do anything for you.

Aaron got so distracted by it that he didn't pay attention to you making nice and introducing yourself to Morgan and the others. He was so preoccupied with worrying about the possibility of other men's attraction to you that he could barely focus as he glowered around the room, meeting the hungry gazes of some of his fellow agents. What if you found somebody else? Somebody better? Somebody who could give you everything that you deserved. Aaron didn't think about the fact that he had his own wife and child at home; a wife who deserved much more than a man who was lusting after her niece.

"Have you been keeping her from us, Boss Man?"

"Huh?" Aaron blinked a couple of times, trying to make his mind focus on what Morgan was saying but it was close to impossible.

"Oh, he can't be blamed," You had obviously taken notice of his distracted state and placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, squeezing tightly as you let out an infectious laugh. It offered him more comfort than anything ever before.

You had moved closer to Aaron, pushing your arms together more and more. Aaron didn't know whether it was subconsciously done or not, but he welcomed it, nonetheless. Standing next to you was like standing next to the sun, heat radiating off of you in waves of comfort.

The action would be something that would worry him later. With a room full of profilers, somebody was sure to notice the way you made his heart race and palms sweat.

"She's too nice to be around you guys." Aaron muttered gruffly. Morgan laughed as if it was a joke with JJ chiming in, but Aaron was more than half serious as he said it. He didn't like sharing; never did, never would do.

It was even more impossible for Aaron to stop thinking about you after that. That small act of kindness, of bringing him lunch, replaying over and over in his head. He wasn't used to people taking care of him. He had been as independent as one could be since he turned 18, despite having been married for an odd number of years. Haley had never even mentioned the possibility of her bringing him lunch.

Aaron and Haley’s marriage had been on the rocks for a while now; in fact, Aaron could argue that it had been that way since the start. Affection wasn't exactly an active part of their relationship, and they were both more interested in other people than each other. But still, Aaron had never cheated on Haley. He hadn't ever felt the need to, he had always been perfectly contempt in the arrangement that they'd had. He didn't know if Haley had showed him the same respect, it wouldn't surprise him if she hadn't. She was far more unhappy with him and the life that they shared.

He knew that he should've divorced her a long time ago. It had been the right thing to do. He had been meaning to for a while, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. But you... you were brining feelings to the surface which he had ignored for so long, and he didn't know if he could go on doing that for much longer.

You brought along a shift in his marriage to Haley. A shift which he had been too blind to see in the beginning, but which was beginning to become clearer and clearer to him now. The rows which he and Haley would have started becoming more and more heated, more and more frequent. Constant arguing over the smallest of things were a regularity in their daily life and there was barely a cool-down period between each one by now. Before, it had been Haley berating him for all the wrongs he did her as he was loyal to his job. Now, he pushed back as he saw the promise of something happier glittering in the distance.

Maybe that's why he did what he did; why he invited you in when you came knocking on the door the night Haley was out with her sister and Jack had been put to bed. Of course, you weren't there for him, it was her you were seeking on your way home from a late shift at work. But he couldn't resist having a moment alone with you; a moment completely by yourselves without spectators and auditors.

"Haley is out with friends." Aaron wouldn’t be the Unit Chief of the BAU if he had missed the pleased look that flashed across your face as you took in the news whilst you stepped into the house.

"Oh, that's too bad." Was it really? He'd like to think of it as a blessing.

"Can I get you anything?" Aaron scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he fumbled over his words from nerves. It was becoming an automatic reaction, palms becoming clammy and heart roaring in his ears whenever he would see you. You made him feel far younger than his years. 

"I brought a bottle of wine we could share?"

"Wine?"

"I bought it on the way home... work has really been riding me this week so I need it." Riding you. Did you do it on purpose? Say these things to rile him up and make him want to take you that much more? You had to be. You were an absolute minx, fuelling the fruitless fantasies of a dirty old man. But you were a bad girl, weren't you? A bad girl that needed to be punished and he wouldn't mind volunteering himself for the job. Yes, Aaron could imagine it happening in quite a few ways.

You pulled out the bottle of red from the convenience store bag that had 'thank you, thank you, thank you' displayed in red across the front and was tightly grasped in your hand. You wiggled the bottle slightly, trying to tempt him even more, but Aaron didn't need much convincing. In fact, he needed none at all. You had to know that.

The two of you settled into peaceful conversation after Aaron had gotten the bottle opener from the kitchen along with two wine glasses. How is it that you can fall into such easy-going conversations with a person you barely know? It had been that way from the start. Aaron had never felt the pressure and stress that could often accompany conversations with others. He was a confident person, yes, but he, like all others, had often had  to wrack his brain for a topic that was only minutely interesting in an attempt to avoid awkward silence. With you everything was so different, fresh, and new. It made Aaron realise that he had perhaps always settled before; or perhaps saying always was unfair, but a majority of the time, at least. Settled when it came to friends, settled when it came to his job, settled when it came to his wife.

Was it love that he felt for you? Perhaps. After all, you had made Aaron question everything and that included what he had interpreted as love before. How could he possibly ever know what love was again? Did he love you? No, he knew that much, or at least he wasn't in love with you and that was an important distinction. But he loved you for the way that you made him feel, for the way you made him realise that happiness was within his reach. It would be easy for it to develop into even more if only he let go of all his inhibitions. 

Was it him that had moved closer to you? Aaron didn't know, but all of a sudden he realised that your thigh was pressed up against his own and it took everything within him not to reach out and touch you again. He wanted to feel what your supple skin felt like underneath his fingers and what a moan that slipped past your lips would sound like. Aaron needed to know how you would feel with your walls wrapped around his cock as he pumped into you. He needed it like he needed air to breathe; so, was it really his fault when he finally let his arm fall over your shoulders mid-laugh?

You didn't shy away from his touch. Far from it, you welcomed it whole-heartedly, pressing into his side and slinging your outer leg over his lap. There was a brief pause of silence as he surveyed you, breath shakily exhaling as he though his options through. He could either push you away and make up some sort of excuse as to why you would have to leave, or he could pull you even closer and deal with the consequences afterwards.

Planting his hand on your thigh and encouraging you to straddle his lap was the obvious choice for Aaron. It might not have been the right choice, the chivalrous choice, but he would never find himself regretting the decision. Not ever.

You let out a giggle as you got settled, hips pressed flush against one another, hands coming to rest on the backrest of the couch on either side of his head, caging him in as his own rested securely on your hips. He felt like the vulnerable prey under you gaze; you were the predator, watching him in trepidation, ready to pounce and claim what you deemed yours at a moment's notice.

Aaron had to crane his head back to be able to meet your gaze. There was a dangerous and hungry glint in it, hiding behind feigned innocence that could fool anybody, even him. You weren't a complete innocent party; you knew what you wanted, and what you wanted you would get as the final victor in it all.

"You're so pretty." It was a reflection that Aaron had meant to keep to himself, but he feared that he would regret not saying the words now just in case he never got the privilege to say them again.

"You think so?" The grin that weaved its way across your face was far less than bashful, it was full of pride as you knew just what you did to him.

Aaron hummed lowly in reply, continuing to admire you. He wasn't shy as he let his eyes wander to your cleavage that was practically calling his attention as it paraded in front of him.

His hand came up to finger at the neckline, pulling at it to reveal even more of your skin to him. A groan caught in the back of Aaron's throat as he saw the lace of the bra you were wearing; the flesh of your breasts almost spilling out of it as it fought its confinement.

There wasn't even a hint of hesitancy as you brought the garment over your head, flinging it away to an unimportant corner of the room before retaking your position on top of him.

You were glorious; the most beautiful creature he had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

"And what do you think of this?" You asked cheekily, tongue running along the inside of your lips as you tried to not grin too widely.

"Beautiful."

Aaron couldn't hold himself back any longer. He had to know what every inch of you tasted like, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

His left hand, the hand that had been toying with your shirt, travelled even further north to wrap around your neck, finding a home there and pulling you forward gently so that he could finally press his lips roughly against your own.

You tasted just like he had dreamed, soft and sweet and subtle under the traces of wine. There was no stopping him after that; he craved more and more with every low moan of pleasure that escaped you.

Your hips had begun to grind down against his in small waves, seeking any sort of friction to alleviate the throbbing that had been steadily growing between your legs throughout the night.

Aaron rutted his own hips upwards and the sharp jolt caused you to disconnect your lips from his for a brief moment to let out a wanton moan.

"You like that?"

"I love it."

Aaron wanted to make you moan. He wanted to hear you scream and weep and laugh as he made you cum over and over again. He wanted to bury his face between your legs and feast until he was no longer hungry. He wanted to thrust into you without abandonment until he had coaxed a thousand orgasms out of you. He wanted to fill you up and watch as his creamy, white spent leaked out of you and then he wanted to do it all over again and again and again. Aaron was prepared to offer everything he had and more just so that he could see your face furrow as an orgasm caused your body to convulse and chest to heave.

"We shouldn't." Aaron tried to be the mature one in the situation but it was if neither you nor himself had heard him as you both continued grinding down and up against each other, chasing whatever relief that was offered.

You know those moments when you know that you should be doing anything other than what you were doing at that instant but then you cannot possibly even consider doing anything else but? This was one of those moments.

Aaron's lips devoured your own in a frenzy. It was like he could never get enough of you, biting and pulling at your lips, trying to sate the need he had for you in any way that he could. His tongue explored your mouth with a delighted moan, and you grew wetter with every nibble.

Aaron's hands clumsily made quick work on your bra, pulling it from your body eagerly. The swell of your breasts was glorious and he didn't hesitate to disconnect his lips from yours so that he could wrap them around your nipple, giving it the same treatment as he caressed and tugged and nibbled at it.

His actions caused shockwaves of pleasure to run through your body, straight to your core as you pulled on his dark hair as you tried to not lose yourself to the overwhelming pleasure of it all too soon.

Each of you moved as rapidly as the other, pulling at your clothes to undress as rapidly as you could. As you were finally rid of your clothes, Aaron wondered for an instance if he could keep you like this, gloriously nude and practically drunk from the thought of him.

"I’m gonna fuck you right here on the couch, do you want that, sweet girl?" Aaron cooed at you in only his boxers, shirt having been discarded and pants being pushed down to his ankles. His hand caressed your cheek briefly before trailing all the way down to your clit, giving it a quick rub and flick, eliciting another soft whine from you.

"Right in plain view of the door so that if Haley comes home early, she will see exactly what a bad fucking girl you are as you take my cock." You couldn’t help the moan that slipped out, and a grin grew on Aaron’s face as he heard it.

‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You fucking slut.’ Aaron wanted Haley to come home now. He wanted her to watch as he pushed his cock into you whilst he fucked you with a passion that was completely unknown to her. He wanted you to ride him, walls engulfing his thick shaft, his fingers circling your clit as she sat in the chair across from the two of you, mesmerised by the sight of true ecstasy.

“Get up.” Aaron demanded impatiently, tapping your side lightly with a finger. He lifted his hips just high enough so that he could slide his boxers down to join his pants, cock slapping against his stomach as it was exposed to the cold air.

You fell to your knees at the sight of him, hands resting on his thick thighs as you lurched forward, needing to taste him but Aaron stopped you with a hand before you could. He loved seeing you like this, on your knees for him. He fisted his length, spreading the small bead of pre-cum over his tip with a thumb as he came to the top. He was painfully hard, head angrily red, weeping for your mouth.

"There's no need to rush, sweet girl." Aaron chuckled as you pouted. He felt exactly like you did, but he didn't want it all to be over far too quickly. However, he could just take you again after this so what was the point of going slowly?

"Open your mouth."

Of course, you were compliant, eagerly opening your mouth to take him in. He took the thumb that was smeared with pre-cum and brought it to your lips, letting you wrap your lips around it and sucking it into your mouth. He groaned at the sight of you, eyes wide and glossy. Your mouth was hot around him, tongue lapping him clean, and it was impossible to hold out longer after that.

He was quick to grip his hand on the back of your head, guiding you as you took him in your mouth. The pace he set was merciless. He made it clear that he was the one in control as he forced your head down the length of his shaft, making you gag around him as he hit the back of your throat. You were incredible, taking it all in stride as his hips rutted upwards needing to feel you taking him even further. His head fell back against the couch for a brief moment, eyes almost going cross as you hollowed out your cheeks.

"Fuck!" He groaned out. You were watching him from under hooded eyelids, eyes practically glowing with lust and his gaze was intense as he stared back. “I knew you’d love sucking my cock, you dirty girl” He smirked as he praised you.

You moaned around him, a small dollop of drool trailing down your chin. One of your hands moved from his thigh to gently play with his balls and he moaned before giving a final thrust into your mouth and then pushing you back by your shoulder to withdraw himself from you.

There were tears of pleasure trickling down your cheeks and Aaron couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction as you wiped your mouth clean with the back of your hand.

"Come here." Aaron was pumping his fist around his shaft as he watched you stand, legs coming onto either side of him before sitting down. Your breasts were pressed up against his, his cock wedged in between your bodies and pulsing angrily as he felt you rub against him, leaving a wet trail in wake, practically dripping onto him. He planted another kiss on your lips, this one was softer than all the others but still portrayed the rabid need he had for you.

He was admiring you. Taking his sweet time. There was an incredible yearning for you inside of Aaron. It was as if his entire body was buzzing from how horny he was and the pressure in his cock was beginning to become too much for him to take. He needed to be inside of you, to feel your pulsing walls wrapped around him.

You didn't appear to be enjoying his pause of admiration as much as he was. It was obvious that you needed to be touch by the way you had slid your fingers closer to your core, ready to plunge them into yourself to get some sort of relief. But Aaron stopped you with a swat to your ass and a tut. You yelped in the surprise at the stinging feeling.

"I didn’t say that you could touch yourself." Aaron reprimanded. He palmed your ass, kneading your cheeks firmly with both hands.

"You’re so gorgeous." He breathed out shakily, completely enamoured at the sight of you above him. "I’m gonna keep you like this, fucking you and filling you up until you're swollen with me.”

Another whine slipped out of you as you jerked even closer to him, clit rubbing against his shaft in long, slow movements.

"Do you want me?"

"Of course." Aaron had never felt more satisfied than he did in that moment, hearing your reply.

Aaron helped you balance on a foot and knee, coming up higher and spreading wide so that you line the head of his cock up with your entrance. His hand on your hip stopped you from sinking down completely, instead he used his other to gently and slowly drag the thick head of his cock through your folds, coating it in your slickness. Aaron enjoyed torturing you and seeing the twisted look of annoyance that took over your face, it was adorable. There was an obvious look of need that crossed over your face as you bucked your hips, trying to get him to slide into you.

"I don’t know if you deserve this," Aaron mused, sounding far too calm and unaffected by the situation "you’ve been such a bad girl." He started withdrawing himself from you, hands leaving your flesh, but you reacted quickly, grabbing a hold of his wrist and tugging it back to your hip.

"No, no, no, please, Aaron. I’ll be good, I’ll be so good, please just-" It was beautiful the way you pleaded for him. He wouldn't have stopped either way, but Aaron loved seeing you beg, to know that you wanted him as much as he wanted you. It was so painfully obvious that you were ready to do just about anything for his cock.

It was easy to relent, to let you finally sink down onto his massive shaft and let him bury his thick cock to the hilt inside of you. The moan that you let out as you felt him inside of you bounced across the walls until it was cut off by has large palm covering your mouth.

“Jesus Christ, you take me so fucking well, sweetheart, but you have to keep it down” Aaron felt like he was almost in disbelief, elated from the sight of his throbbing cock disappearing into the sweetness that was you, buried deep inside your slick warmth. You felt so good, so perfect, walls tightly gripping every inch of him as they pulsed. You let out a shuddering gasp as he bottomed out.

Aaron didn’t let you adjust, not really, he only allowed you to stop for a few moments, basking in the feeling of your fluttering walls clenching around him before he urged you to pull up and sink back down onto him roughly, bouncing up and down rapidly.

"Feels so- good." You breathed out shakily between urgent thrusts and grinding of hips.

"Yeah?" Aaron cooed as he watched you pull back up, only keeping the very tip of him in before sinking back down. "You like my cock? I’m gonna make you feel so much fucking better."

He planted his feet firmly on the ground and delivered a sharp and precise thrust upwards the next time you came back down.

"Aaron!" You cried out, falling forward as pleasure mixed with the slightest hint of pain bloomed through you. You braised yourself, holding yourself up by the back of the couch as Aaron slid down to get better leverage and began drilling into you at an unrelenting and frenzied pace. His grip on your hips was so incredibly hard as he used it to slam you back against him, but you didn’t care, too lost in the waves that were overtaking you. You had to bury your face in the crook of his neck in an attempt to keep quiet.

All mercy had left Aaron as he forced you down onto him over and over again, small praises escaping his lips every now and then as he met each movement with one of his own. You moaned and whined helplessly, clawing at the fabric of the couch underneath your hands, needing something to hold on to through his ruthless thrusts.

"You feel so good around my cock, sweetheart." He praised in a murmur. "So fucking tight." Aaron grabbed a hold of your arms, pulling you off him and down, pressing your face deeply into the couch and pulling your ass high up in the air before entering you again swiftly and continuing pumping into your sweet cunt. He had you pressed down firmly by the back of your neck, your back arching as the sound of skin slapping and the wet squelches of your sopping wet pussy echoed around the room. It made you even more drenched; the mixture of your pleasure pooling around the base of his cock, running down the inside of your thighs.

One of Aaron’s hands shifted to palm at your ass while the other travelled downward to roll and lightly pinch at your clit while rolling his hips and you writhed against him.

"You’re gonna be a good girl and cum around me." He instructed lowly followed by a sharp slap to your right ass cheek. “Can you do that for me?"

Aaron pushed you down even further into the couch for just a short moment and a deep thrust before you could heed his command, unsheathing himself from you.

He didn’t even have to begin to miss the feeling of you clenched around him before he had wrestled you into the next position he wanted you in with legs bent as far as they would go over your chest and back to the couch so that he could easily drill into you in deep and sharp strokes, but he didn't enter you just yet. He leaned back, admiring you as his hands spread you wide, baring you to him. You had the prettiest pussy he had ever seen, and he was compelled to kiss it. A sweet kiss and a short suckle on your clit that had you crying out from oversensitivity before he sank slowly into you again.

Aaron felt himself slowly losing whatever composure he had left as your muscles began to tighten around him over the coiling tension that was begging to snap. Your walls gripped him tighter and tighter until finally, Aaron watched as your eyes rolled back when reached your peak, walls spasming and drawing him deeper and deeper in. You were seeing stars as your legs shook uncontrollably from the overwhelming feeling.

Aaron couldn’t stop or slow down as he continued pumping into you throughout your convulsing climax. His breaths were coming out in short pants as he praised you, telling you how good you were and how beautiful you looked in that moment.

You reached up, treading your fingers through his hair to pull him down slightly to connect your lips in a kiss. It was soft; a lot softer than any kiss you had shared previously.

"You're so pretty when you cum for me." He murmured after he let you come down for your high for a few moments whilst leaving kisses on your neck. Aaron picked up the pace of his hips once again, balls swinging as they slapped against you every time he pressed himself into you.

He was deliberately rubbing his pelvis flushed against your clit to drive you toward the edge again. He needed to see you fall apart for him again, he craved it. It was easy for Aaron to tell that you were close to the edge once more. Your eyes had began glazing over again, becoming hazy with lust as your legs started to tremble.

"Think you can come again?" He didn't expect a reply from you, Aaron didn't actually think that you were coherent enough at that moment to even begin to form a word with your lips. Instead, you were babbling like a brook with an arm over your mouth to muffle your sounds. Your back arched, jutting out your chest as your second orgasm was steadily building up inside of you.

"Fuck. You look so good fucking gorgeous like this.’ He praised with a wet and sloppy kiss to your lips.

Aaron was so close to coming, but he wasn't finished just yet, surprising you as he flipped you over one last time, planting you on all fours before pushing your front over the arm rest. He didn't care if it wasn't the most comfortable position as he drilled into you, and neither did you, judging by your breathless moans. He needed to be deeper in you. 

"I'm so close." He groaned out, hips starting to stutter, unable to keep up the tempo he had previously kept so easily.

Aaron’s orgasm washed over him with a deep jerk forward, spilling into you with a groan. He continued thrusting into you, albeit at a much more languid pace, milking himself completely dry as he twitched slightly. He didn't want to withdraw from you, but when he finally did, he couldn't help but admire the way he leaked out of you. Now that he knew what you felt like, he would never be able to let you go.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Ridin’ The Waves 🏄‍♀️ | Javy “Coyote” Machado Imagine

Takes place before, during and after the events of TGM

TGM masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Javy “Coyote” Machado x pro surfer!reader (romantic), dagger squad (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, profanity, pop culture references, details of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 9.1k

Requested 📨 yes/no (for @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby)

Premise: From the moment she could walk Y/n L/n belonged to the sea. Riding the waves that started as a hobby, only to lead her to the world’s greatest sporting stage. It would take time before her dream of Olympic Gold would happen as surfing had yet to be recognized by the IOC. But in her pursuit of becoming the greatest female surfer of all time, Y/n found who she believed was the closest person to paradise.

Note: I gotta say writing athlete/Olympian!reader imagines with the dagger squad are truly some of my favorite. Gosh I cannot wait for next year because that means…..2024 Olympics 👀 Guys I’m almost done with my semester! I have less than two weeks and all i have left to do is a paper and final project !! Almost to the finish thank goodness and then I move in with my friend before starting my summer job! Hope y’all enjoyed this work and let me know what you think!

Be sure to watch the video I linked during the Rock’s segment. I didn’t make it up it actually was a segment during the opening ceremonies on NBC’s coverage.

————————

“Is this heaven?” He laid on the surfboard beside her, feet in the water with the warmth of the sun hit his back. A cool breeze was starting to set in as the most beautiful sunset was before him, painting the sky an endless murrel of pink and orange. Only the subtle echo of the low tide filled his ears. Javy pressed his cheek onto the board, finding her smile which made his own appear at her words.

“More like paradise.”

Everyone had their own definition of paradise. Maybe it was the quiet plains of Montana or the mountains of Appalachia. Maybe it was strolling down the streets of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Rain pouring down on New York City with a steaming cup of tea in hand or driving down the Pacific Coast Highway with “California Love” blasting through the radio. Reading a book by the fire next to their soulmate, dancing with strangers at a concert. Ask anyone what they viewed as their own personal paradise and the responses will vary.

Y/n L/n felt she was in paradise almost everyday of her life. Waking up to the view of the ocean while birds flew overhead. Feet hitting the sand as she ran to the waters with her board, anxiously waiting to ride the waves. Salt water coating skin and hair, sun beaming down.

Paradise.

From the moment she could walk the beach became her second home. Having grown up on the island of O’ahu Y/n learned how to surf before riding a bike. Her parents surfed. As did her siblings. Getting an instructor wasn’t needed with a family who knew everything there was about the art of surfing. Y/n received her first board at age four, and from then on her life was devoted to the water. Owning more swimsuits than t-shirts and shorts by the time she reached fifth grade.

She was a natural at best. Always predicting when and where the best waves would be. Timing the push up so perfect others—even her family—were unable to keep up.

“C’mon, leave some for the rest of us,” her brother would groan, missing a wave due to her swooping in at the last second. Y/n only laughed in return.

“Gotta be faster than that.”

Her parents, surfers themselves, were basically her coaches. On weekends they were waking her up at the crack of dawn, breakfast on the counter and telling her to be on the beach when she was done. Then of course she had to apply sunscreen, the substance coating every inch of her skin. Once on the beach a thirty minute run and stretching was mandatory before she could get in the water.

Skipping such a step would have her sore all night.

“We’re gonna work on your 360, cutback, and tube ride before finishing the day with cleaning up your alley oop.”

“If I don’t make a lot of mistakes can we watch Lilo & Stitch after dinner?”

“Yes, that is a fair deal.”

Mistakes? What are those? Mistakes weren’t in Y/n’s nature and if they occurred it was a rare sighting. Only time Y/n ever did mess up on a maneuver was when she was first learning it. Once she had it down it was impossible to lose.

All the friends she made loved going to the beaches after school and on weekends—getting all their homework done during the school hours so their entire afternoon was free. They signed up for competitions together, Y/n entering her first at age 14 for the 2004 Juniors season after competitions in regionals since age 11. “You’re gonna win the comp, Y/n.”

“Oh stop playing,” she brushed her best friend off, only to hear the murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group.

“I’m serious! You catch the best waves and ride them perfectly. Those judges are gonna be amazed on Saturday—I bet you’ll even get a sponsor.”

Her best friend was right. Not only did Rip Curl—THE Rip Curl want Y/n to be the face of their new campaign, but the surfing world would know her name for generations to come.

“Welcome back to our coverage of the 2004 ISA World Junior Surf Championship here in beautiful O’ahu, Hawaii here on ESPN. We’re dwindling down on the final competition with the defending champion from last year's event, sixteen-year-old Carolina Kanoa, and newcomer, Y/n L/n. If you’ve been watching the competition then you know all eyes have been on the fourteen-year-old native of Kapolei here on O’ahu, who scored the highest in her heats and received all tens in the quarterfinals after a perfect run.”

“It was quite the sight, Tom. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so effortless in this competition. Y/n’s delivered a captivating performance each wave she’s catched—always getting the first one in her heats and pulling out a big score putting her high on the leaderboard. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her on top of the podium today.”

“For anyone watching at home who are new to surfing or just want a little refresh on the scoring system, here is how it works: a panel of five judges determine a score one through ten, ten being the best, for each surfer on their wave based on degree of difficulty, innovative maneuvers, combination of major maneuvers, the variety of said maneuvers, and the speed, power, and flow. The highest and lowest score are thrown out leaving the remaining three, which are then averaged out. Now a surfer can catch as many waves as they please but only the two highest scoring waves will be added together to give the total score for that heat. From there competitors are eliminated until there are two finalists.”

Treading water, Y/n paid close attention to the scene in front of her. With only three minutes left on the clock, she was one wave away from crowning herself the Junior World Champion.

“Give me a sign,” she breathed in the salty air. Her thoughts were answered seconds later by a chill running down her neck, gaze snapping to the left where she saw the water draw back. Springing into action, Y/n paddled towards the forming wave, timing it at the perfect moment to end the competition on a bang. She heard the crowd cheer when she stood up, increasing each maneuver she did until finally riding out the end of the wave right as the bullhorn sounded.

Her heart pounded, “Did I just win?” Damn sure she did. Nothing could describe the feeling of holding the championship trophy at the top of the podium. And what made it ten times better, an ambassador of Rip Curl offered her a sponsorship. Before long Y/n’s name and face were plastered across all their campaigns. After winning the ISA Junior World Championships three years in a row—making her a household name in surfing—Y/n went on to senior international competitions. From there her glory only skyrocketed.

ISA World Surfing Games, World Surf League, Rip Curl Pro, Big Wave Tour, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Y/n’s little shelf of trophies turned into a full length china cabinet. Traveling back and forth from O’ahu to America. Sometimes even going to South America and Japan for international comps. By age 19 she had created her own maneuver earning her even more attention due to the level of difficulty.

“I don’t see what the fuss is about?” She chewed on a piece of spam, leaning her elbows on the kitchen counter. “All I did was add a couple of extra spins on my aerial.” Her mother gave her a bewildered look.

“That move in itself is difficult, Y/n. Not many perform it in competition and the fact you successfully landed one—with your little spoof nonetheless, people are gonna be amazed.”

“Well, I guess I just got lucky.”

Following high school Y/n turned professional and moved to Honolulu to attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa where she studied sports management with a minor in sports science. A family friend had an old Volkswagen Type 2 and Y/n was happy to take it off their hands, fixing it up to have the perfect beach van. Once classes were done for the day Y/n was packing it up with her board, cooler, boombox, and her closest friends.

“You sure this thing isn’t gonna break down on us?”

“Don’t insult Sandy. She’s as good as new,” okay that was a stretch, the van was literally 60 years old, “and I filled her up on gas this morning so we shouldn’t find ourselves on the side of the road.”

“Thanks for the confidence, Y/n. Much appreciated.”

It wasn’t uncommon for people to recognize her on campus. Having generated a public image in surfing—which many of her peers were also involved in—meant she was bound to hear, “Hey, you’re Y/n L/n?” “Oh my gosh I’ve been watching you compete since you were a junior competitor.” “Congrats on winning the Pro this year.”

There were times professors kindly asked, “Can you sign this for my kid? They’ve been into surfing lately and you’re their favorite athlete.” Taking photos with supporters happened occasionally as did giving advice to those wanting to get into surfing. It was a nice feeling for the woman to be able to inspire people and share the sport she loved.

Expanding the art of surfing to the world.

Four years of college seemed to fly by fast. Y/n was surprised she managed to pull through with a 3.6 GPA and graduate Cum Laude with everything in her life. A lot of the competitions were during the school year so Y/n had lots of work on her plate—thankfully some instructors were reasonable and allowed her to get an advance on the material. But she completed her degree with immense relief, aiming to get a career in sports going either by becoming a trainer or manager following her retirement from surfing.

“Y/n, It’s so great to see you again this year at the World Surf League World Championship. You recently graduated from the University of Hawai’i, you’re set to compete in today’s finals to defend your title—how many would this be for you? Number seven?”

Y/n chuckled with the reporter, brushing away a stray piece of hair. “Lucky number seven, yes. I’m so happy and grateful to be competing today—excited to hit the water and try to catch the best waves possible. Regardless of the outcome today I’m just really happy to be here again. I always look forward to this time of year—being able to compete and after working so hard in school this last semester, it’s definitely a relief to not have to worry about finishing a paper last minute once this comp ends.”

“There’s been recent talk of surfing possibly becoming an Olympic sport after much demand following the London Games this year. What are your thoughts? Do you think it’ll be featured in Rio and if so are you going to try and make the team?”

Since becoming a professional sport in 1959 following the first West Coast Surfing Championship in Huntington Beach, California, surfing had yet to reach the greatest sporting stage. The Olympic Games. Held every four years where thousands of athletes from around the globe come together to compete for the chance at gold. Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing and three-time Olympic freestyle swimming champion having won gold at the 1912 and 1920 Games respectively, first advocated the sport to be in the Olympics back in 1920. Had it not been for him, surfing may not have become as popular in the world as it was.

When it came to the Olympics, Y/n loved sitting by the tv to watch Team USA. Witnessing historic moments and record breaking finishes she was in awe of every athlete who came across the screen. Swimming, diving, track, gymnastics, soccer. So many sports events in a single fortnight. She hoped surfing would become an official sport in the Games. For she too had dreams of an Olympic gold around her neck.

Pausing for a moment, Y/n smiled at the thought of her becoming an Olympic Champion, “I think a lot of us can agree that we’d like to see surfing become part of the Olympic family. It’s one of the oldest sports and has its own professional circuit for decades now—I mean we’ve got people here today from Japan, Italy, El Salvador and Australia. Why not include it? And you can definitely expect me to be training the moment it is.”

It would be four years before Y/n could make do with that promise. On August 3, 2016, two days prior to the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, the IOC announced surfing would finally be an Olympic sport.

“Exciting news for the surfing world,” the headline appeared on the screen of ESPN’s afternoon coverage, “the International Olympic Committee has just confirmed the sport will be introduced for the first time in its history at the Tokyo Olympics taking place in 2020–marking 100 years since surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku first started advocating for it to be featured. Professional surfing isn’t new to international competition having debuted at Huntington Beach, California in 1959. Since then there’s been several meets featuring surfers from all over the world—the most recent being the 2016 Rip Curl Pro where ten-time World Surf League champion Y/n L/n claimed the title once again for the fifth time since her senior international debut in 2007. L/n is just one of many professional surfers who’ve advocated for surfing to be in the Olympics over the years and expressed interest in competing for a chance at gold. With the confirmation by the IOC this morning, I’d say we’ll be seeing her at the trials in four years.”

The morning after the announcement Y/n headed to the beach to find her father propping her board into the sound. “So four years, huh?” Y/n crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the wind breeze past them.

“Seems like a long way, but it’ll be around the corner before we know it.”

“We better get started then.”

Morning, afternoon, evening. Every day Y/n was on the water catching waves left and right. Perfecting maneuvers, getting air in her aerials. When taking breaks she’d go on runs and to the gym. She still participated in yearly competitions and surfed with her friends, but her training habits became more intense as she prepped for Tokyo. When she wasn’t sleeping, eating, or competing she was on the water.

By 2019 Y/n had accumulated the most titles won by a female surfer with ten ISA World Surfing Games—formerly the World Surfing Championships, ten Rip Curl Pro trophies, five QuickSilver pro Gold Coast, five-time triple crown winner, and the 2016 champion of The Eddie Aikua Big Wave International. Winning The Eddie and becoming the first woman in history to do so after the event returned from a seven-year hiatus had Y/n on the front page of several sports magazines around the world. It was a huge accomplishment. Pushing Y/n as the favorite to win gold in Tokyo.

Towards the later end of the year, October in fact, Y/n found herself on the sunny beaches of San Diego, California. August to November were the best months to surf in the area, being it was late summer going into fall where the heat wasn’t excruciating. Still one had to wear a wetsuit to even touch the water.

Y/n was in town to visit an old friend from college and to help the Pacific Beach Surf Club with their beach cleanups and participate in a charity competition. Having traveled in San Diego a few times she was no stranger to the club and welcomed with open arms. Volunteering in their cleanups was the least she could do to prepare the beach for the charity event.

When they finished they all changed out of their clothes into wetsuits, wasting no time to hit the waves. “Hey!” Her friend yelled from where she was treading water, tone teasing, “be sure to leave some for the rest of us, yeah?” Y/n threw her head back in laughter.

“I make no promises!”

Anytime Y/n surfed out of training or competition she felt so free. No pressure to be perfect. No shouting from her father. No commentary from the sportscasters or questions from reporters. Only her, her board, and the beautiful sea.

She cheered on her friend and the people in their cleanup group when they caught waves. Complimenting them whenever they did a cool trick. In return they whistled and hollered for her. They soon developed an audience from the shore. Children and adults alike stop to watch them in awe. Instantly drawn to Y/n who glided effortlessly, guiding her board into a tube ride.

Unbeknownst to the surfer, a group of navy pilots had stopped their game of dogfight football to observe the show.

Jake whistled, “Damn she’s good.” Mickey agreed.

“I don’t think I’ve seen someone surf like that. She’s a natural.”

“Probably has been doing it for years,” Bradley commented, fixing his aviators. Natasha and Bob hummed in agreement.

“I think I’m in love,” Javy breathed out, simply in awe of what he was witnessing. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen showcasing talent on a board he could only dream of possessing.

He wondered what her laugh sounded like, seeing her head tilt back at something her friend said. Even from the distance her smile was breathtaking. Hair pulled back into a tight bun, body adored in a wetsuit to combat the cool water. A cheeky smirk thrown at her peers when she started paddling toward a forming wave. Standing on the board like a pro and making all kinds of turns and tricks Javy knew he’d wipe out the second he attempted them. Speaking of wiping out, she hadn’t done it once.

Jake nudging him from the side snapped him out of his daydream, “Go talk to her.” At the nod of his head, Javy realized she was running across the sand, stopping when she got to an area of coolers, towels, and backpacks.

“No!” He hissed, eyes reading, ‘are you crazy?’

“Why not? Just go up and start complimenting her. Ask her how long she’s been surfing. That’ll start a conversation.”

Javy scoffed, “Easy for you to say, Mr. Ken Barbie Doll who doesn’t need a confidence boost when talking to women.” Jake went to rebuttals but the sound of Reuben coughing stopped him.

“Uh guys….” He lifted a finger, their gazes following to find a family of four approaching the young woman. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but seeing her take a notepad from the little girl before scribbling in what appeared to be an autograph followed by the father snapping a photo with his phone, it was enough to conclude she was someone.

“Are…is she signing autographs?” Javy wondered aloud. He watched her sign the little boy's boogie board, posing for a photo with him before kneeling down to be on both the children’s level and smile for the camera. Hell even the parents wanted a photo, one of her friends coming over to hold the phone while they positioned themselves on either side. Then finally the whole family had a group one, saying their goodbyes and thank you’s to the woman who waved as they left.

“So she’s kinda famous,” Bradley said the obvious, everyone in a daze. Probably trying to figure out who the woman was, as none had recognized her as an actress or singer.

While they were busy investigating, Y/n unzipped her wetsuit leaving her bikini underneath and pulled on shorts with a graphic t-shirt overtop. “What are you guys doing after this?”

“We’re gonna grab some drinks at The Hard Deck. You down?”

“The Hard Deck?” She repeated with a tilt of the head. Never had she heard of the place.

“It’s that bar over there,” Y/n turned to the direction her friend was nodding at, eyes landing on a building not far from where they stood. “Great vibes, but I must warn ya it’s always filled with Navy fellas.” Y/n perked up slightly. Having lived on O’ahu all her life she was familiar with Navy personnel. After all, Pearl Harbor was located just on the coast of the island.

“Really?”

“Yeah, Miramar is not too far from here. It’s where the pilots train so expect to see some in flight suits.”

At around 6 the group packed it up and headed for the bar. Upon entry Y/n saw exactly what her friend had warned. The place was buzzing. Servicemen and women on every corner, music blasting from the jukebox. They approached the bar top to order a round of beers before settling over by the high top tables, splitting the group up since there were about eight of them.

“Check it out, Machado,” Payback clapped his friend’s back, making him turn to where his attention was. Javy’s eyes widened upon seeing the surfer.

“Did they just get here?”

“Looked like it. You should talk to her—especially since this is the second sighting in mere hours.” The pilot rolled his eyes.

“I don’t wanna come off as a creep, Fitch. What am I supposed to say ‘Hey, sorry if this is weird but I saw you surfing earlier—can I buy you a drink?’ She might throw me to the sharks.”

Natasha shook her head, “men.” A moment later Penny arrived with a tray of beers, placing them down on the seat beside Bob where the guys were shooting pool, “delivery for my favorite dagger squad.”

Thanks were sent her way followed by Jake asking, “Say Pen, you know those guys?” The bartender glanced over her shoulder to see who he was referring to, nodding with a smile.

“Oh that’s some members of the Pacific Beach Surf Club. They were cleaning up the beach earlier for tomorrow's charity competition. Expect the place to be packed if you drop by, it’s always a madhouse. This year they’ve got some of the best surfers participating.”

“Do you know if she’s one of them,” Javy tried to act cool when pointing out the woman.

Upon Penny’s smirk, the answer was clear, “Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I believe that’s ten-time world surfing champion Y/n L/n.”

“Ten?!” Mickey repeated, “Holy shit.” Around him the others were matching his expression. Javy immediately grabbed his phone to type in the name. Sure enough the image of the woman seated at the table appeared on his screen. Clicking on the Wikipedia page he started to read aloud for the group the opening paragraph.

“Y/n M/n L/n, born y/b/m yb/d, 1990 is an American professional surfer from Kapolei, O’ahu, Hawaii and a ten-time World Surf League Women’s World champion, the most titles won by any female surfer to date. L/n made her debut at the World Surf League Junior Championships at age 14 in 2004 in her native O’ahu, winning three consecutive times before turning to senior international competition where she’s won a total of forty world titles—including becoming a five-time triple crown winner. As of 2016, L/n is the defending champion and first women to win the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. She is set to compete at the first ever U.S Olympic Trials in hopes of making the Tokyo Olympic Team where surfing will make its debut at the Olympics.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” Jake peered over Javy’s shoulder, watching him scroll down to view Y/n’s career statistics. Mickey appeared on the opposite side, whistling under his breath. Natasha took out her own phone to search herself, Bradley, Bob, and Payback all glancing over to see.

“She’s literally called the greatest surfer of this generation,” Bradley pointed out. “Talk about intimidating.”

“Now you gotta buy her a drink, Machado,” Payback concluded, igniting another glare from his friend. “Say you pulled an Olympian.”

“I’ll take it to her,” Penny offered, and before Javy could stop her the woman was back behind the bar. They watched her take a Corona from the cooler, add a lime and proceed to the table the athlete was at. “From the gentlemen by the pool tables,” Penny smiled at Y/n, nodding to the group, “the one the blonde is pointing at.” Turning her head, Y/n saw the guy in question pushing his friend’s hand down, a reddish hue on his cheeks when they made eye contact followed by a wave.

‘Well hello there,’ she thought, smiling at the handsome man. He was in a pair of basketball shorts and t-shirt reading NAVY in bold letters. The group he was with all scattered to make it look like they weren’t eavesdropping when Y/n approached, Corona in hand, “Hi.”

“Hello,” even his voice was attractive. Everything about him was. From his clear smooth skin to his dazzling smile. Toned arms and legs.

“Thanks for the beer.”

“Anytime,” he tipped the one in his hand, Y/n clicking hers against it. “Sorry if this is weird at all. I saw you surfing earlier and was trying to muster up the courage to come talk to you….but couldn’t find the words to say.”

Y/n smirked, gesturing to an empty pool table, “how about a game? Maybe it’ll help loosen your nerves.” Moving to a cue Y/n sees his grin widen, “I’m Y/n by the way.”

“I’m Javy, but you can call me Coyote.”

“Coyote?” She repeats with a chuckle, “That’s an interesting nickname.”

“Callsign actually,” he politely corrects before explaining he was a naval aviator. Grabbing his own cue while she sets up the rack, he added, “Wasn’t my doing.”

“Then how’d you get it?”

“Um…” he made a face, as though he was embarrassed to say. “I’ll tell you if you win this match.” A sound between a scoff and a laugh escaped her.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be.” Javy raises his hands in defense, laughing with her. “And if you win?”

His own smirk appears, “You give me your phone number…maybe even let me take you out.” Biting back a grin and fighting the warm feeling in her chest, Y/n removes the rack leaving the pool balls neatly centered.

“Challenge accepted, Coyote.”

It was safe to say both came out as winners that night. Though Y/n won the game and got the scoop on Javy’s callsign origin, he walked away with her number and plans to have dinner the following night after her charity event. Javy made the promise to come out and watch her surf, excited to see her in action. Hearing Y/n talk about the sport and her accomplishments was even cooler in person than reading it off the internet. From her amateur days to becoming a full blown professional. Winning countless championship titles, being the first woman to win The Eddie and her dream to win gold at the Olympics.

Javy was smitten.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” She smiled when they reached her van at the end of the night. They talked for hours to the point they lost track of time. It was 11 o’clock and she had to be up at five.

“You said it starts at noon?” At her nod Javy continued, “I’ll be there. And I look forward to our dinner plans after.” Y/n felt the heat rise, hoping it wasn’t displaying on her face.

“Me too. Thank you for a fun night, Javy,” feeling bold, Y/n leans to place a kiss on his cheek. The action leaves him stunned, smile growing bigger as she pulls away. “See you on the beach.”

Now Javy had loved the beach before meeting Y/n. But his love for it and the ocean only grew the moment he watched her ride the waves. Cheering from the sand as she dropped down and glided the tide with ease. It made him want to stay there forever.

He understood quickly why she was regarded as the greatest female surfer of all time. Yeah it was a charity competition and not a world championship, but Y/n treated the waves no differently. She was a beast. Total control of her board, little to no mistakes.

Their dinner date was filled with laughter, flirty sarcasm, stories so outrageous one would think they were bluffing. Javy spoke of his time at Top Gun and his friendship with Jake. Y/n told him about her college days. Both engaged in conversations about dreams and aspirations. Yeah they had their dream careers, but one can always dream bigger. Dream about friendship, dream about love.

Dream about the future.

When the night came to an end, Y/n laid her head on the pillow with a smile on her face, “I think this might be paradise.”

23 July 2021–The Hard Deck, San Diego California.

“It’s almost time for USA!” Javy hushes everyone, grabbing the remote to increase the volume. The place was packed mostly with the squad's friends, colleagues, the Pacific Beach Surf Club, and college students from UC San Diego. Togethery they were gathered to watch the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics.

Finally after a whole year of waiting the Games were finally being held. A global pandemic sure would be the only thing to stop the most iconic two-week sporting event in the world.

And Javy’s girlfriend, 12x World champion Y/n L/n, was there to be part of surfing's Olympic debut. Gold on her mind.

The two had been long distance the majority of their relationship, but FaceTimed nearly every day with promises to visit as soon as restrictions were lifted. Y/n traveled to San Diego in the winter of 2020 to mark the couple’s one year anniversary. Then Javy flew to Hawaii in the spring, spending two weeks in Kapolei where most time was spent surfing and late night drive on the beach.

“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he sang at the top of his lungs, windows rolled down .

“Than on my surfboard out at sea,” Y/n followed, smile wide on her face with her hair blowing in the wind.

“Lingering in the ocean blue.”

“And if I had one wish come true.”

Together they sang, “I’d surf ‘til the sun sets beyond the horizon!”

Y/n tilted her head back, “‘Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi. Lawe mai i ko papa he’e nalu.”

Belting out together once again, their voices echoed in the night, “Flying by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride!!”

“‘Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi. Lawe mai i ko papa he’e nalu.”

“Pi’i nā nalu lā lahalaha. ‘O ka Moana hānupanupa.”

“Lalala i ka lā hanahana. Me ke kai hoene i ka pu’e one.”

“Heel, hele mai kākou ē.”

“Hawaiian roller coaster ride!”

During the Olympic surf qualifying event in Huntington Beach the whole squad was in attendance to cheer Y/n on. Javy embraced her in tears, lifting her onto his shoulders to the hollars and whistles of their friends and family.

Y/n was officially an Olympian.

Now usually during the parade of nations of the opening ceremonies Greece is the first to enter the arena followed by the countries in alphabetical order with the hosting nation entering last. Having waited a whole year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the world was excited to get the Games started. But to everyone’s surprise the order of the parade of nations would proceed differently than prior Olympics.

Greece still entered first, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team and then the nations paraded in based on where they fell on the Gojūon system. Japan would be the last country to march in, but for the first time ever the hosting countries of the next two Olympics entered before the hosting country. And what were those two countries?

France and The United States of America.

Paris was set to host the upcoming 2024 Games just three years away, and then in 2028 Los Angeles gets the honor once again of bringing the world together. The last time LA hosted was in 1984, and the last time America itself hosted the Summer Games was Atlanta 1996.

“Okay everyone shut up!!” The tv was turned to the loudest volume possible, all in attendance falling to hush whispers.

“Everything changes,” Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s voice echoes through the speakers, his silhouette figure walking into an empty arena. “The longest wait of their lives is over.” The beat of the music gets louder, building in pressure. “And the combination of their blood, sweat, and tears,” his face is revealed under the light, “finally arrives.”

The beat drops in time with the image of fireworks rocketing from the Rio arena, an announcer’s voice stating, “this is the moment that you all have been waiting for.”

“It’s not easy to bring the entire whole planet together,” the Rock states, “and it certainly wasn’t tonight. But, here we are.”

“Finally!”

“It’s finally here.”

“The Olympics are finally here,” Gold Medalist Simone Biles grins.

“Yeah, I’m hyped up.”

“Can’t wait to show the world what I got.”

The image shows Dwayne once again, “Tonight we are all so lucky to witness the hardest workers in the room.” Then it changes to athletes training, from gymnast Sam Mikulak to sprinter Noah Lyles. “The athletes who are a brilliant tapestry of talent, commitment, and drive.”

“Drive, drive, drive!”

“Now what was once considered unthinkable just one year ago has become a glorious reality. We come together united to celebrate the Olympians who exemplify the very best in all of us.”

🎼 legs are shaking, hands aching, 🎼

Simone Biles appears, determination in her gaze as she races down the vault runway. “It’s Simone’s party and everyone else is just a guest,” Tim Daggett’s voice cuts in during the clip of Simone at the World Championships, followed by the Rock.

“She is absolutely the greatest gymnast the world has ever seen. But even if there’s nothing left to prove, there’s a chance to launch herself even higher into the rarest air of immortality.”

As Simone lands her vault, it transitions into Katie Ledecky entering the pool. “The most dominant swimmer in the world.” “It’s just ridiculous!”

“She swims like a machine created to wreak havoc and decimate with impunity.”

“Katie Ledecky smashes her own world record!”

“But in reality she’s about the nicest person you’ll ever meet,” the rock’s face returns, bearing his own smile like Katie. “And kindness matters. Always.” Track star Noah Lyles running takes over. “He makes running as fast as you can look the way it’s supposed to look.”

“NOAH LYLES, WORLD CHAMPION!”

Dwayne grins, “Damn fun.” The next athlete featured was the one they were all waiting for.

“On dry land she’s impressive, in the water she’s simply lethal,” the Hard Deck erupted in cheers, Y/n flashing onto the screens showcasing her drop in during the WSL World Tour.

“That’s my baby!!!” Her name appeared in big bold letters like the others, ‘Y/n L/n. Kapolei, O’ahu, HI.’

“Monstruos wave for Y/n L/n, but she handles it like a pro.” The clip shows her pointing to the sky in victory following her win. “She’s here to prove why surfing should��ve been in the Olympics ages ago,” the Rock looks proud, “and look cool as hell while doing so.”

The tone of the video shifts, bringing forth the raw and emotional reality of athletes who’ve given every inch of their soul to be on the world’s greatest sporting stage. “They’re kids from Minneapolis—.”

“Kenny Harrison!” A girl crosses the finish line in joy, soon embraced by her father. “Raleigh.”

Fellow surfer and native Hawaiian Carissa Moore is shown, “And Honolulu.” A baby in a stroller being pushed by her mother. “They’re working moms with unfinished business.” Allison Felix with her daughter.

“This is what makes all the sacrifice worth it.”

Simone Manuel becoming the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games. “The barrier breakers who’ve proven the power of the platform.”

“I can’t begin to tell you what this means for the sport of swimming in the United States.”

“There’s Jordan—!” A montage of Gold medal winning teams flashed. The Fab Five. The women’s soccer and basketball teams. The women’s rowing team. The Fierce and Final Five of U.S Gymnastics. “And the teams that have dominated for generations with no intention of changing the script for this one.”

“Get the gold medals ready. Again!”

“These awe-inspiring multi-talented athletes are taking on the world.”

🎼 ‘You bring me back to life.’ 🎼

Between the music and feel good montage, some of the viewers in the hard deck were having trouble holding back tears. Chills racking up their body. It made them want to get out and start training to be a world class athlete.

“They really are the best of us. They’re bringing us together.”

“That’s a new world record!”

“And they’re about to give you, at long last, the greatest two-week spectacle the world has ever seen.” Close ups of Team USA’s Olympians rolled, Javy wiping his eyes when Y/n appeared. “It is their Games. It is our Games.”

Absolute chills.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am so grateful to have the honor of presenting to you….Team USA.” At the last word the Rock disappears, cutting to Team USA entering the Tokyo dome—the American flag flying high, “USA! USA! USA!” Though they couldn’t hear the cheers from the Hard Deck across the ocean, that didn’t stop the building from erupting in whistles. It was only the opening ceremonies so one could imagine what it would be like come the 26th and 27th.

When Y/n hits the waves for a chance at Olympic gold.

Tsurigasaki Beach, located 40 miles from Tokyo, was the place where it would all happen. The damp sand beneath Y/n’s toes felt comforting. Although the overcast skies made her worried. Tropical Storm Nepartak caused the waves to be more aggressive and unpredictable. It was going to be an interesting day of competition.

After qualifying with a big score in her heat the previous day, Y/n was set to compete in the quarterfinals that morning. From there the semi-final contestants would be decided, going straight into the event before finals that afternoon. Three events in one day if she made it all the way to the end.

“I’m going to be so sore tonight.”

Shortboard in hand, Y/n raced to the water the second the horn sounded. Instant shivers along her arms from the cold feeling. Cloudy skies prevented the sun from heating the water, “goodness gracious.”

Quarterfinals breezed by. Y/n started off strong with a score of 7 for her first wave, going on to claim two more, another 7 and an 8 bringing her total score to a 15. Putting her, American Carissa Moore, South African Bianca Buitendag and Japan’s Amuro Tsuzuki into the semifinals.

“Stellar performance by Y/n L/n of the United States. She had a bit of trouble on her second wave—which we can’t blame her for; many competitors have been having difficulty today due to the impact of tropical storm Nepartak on the tide. L/n’s score of 15 puts her at the top for the quarterfinals, but that can all change when we return for the semifinals in the next hour. It looks like she’ll be up against Japan’s Amuro Tsuzuki for one of two spots in the gold medal match.”

“That’s how you do it,” Javy clapped at the tv, the footage replaying Y/n’s competition highlights. “Semi-finals here we go.”

During the semis the pressure was on. Y/n could feel it all over, anxiety coursing when the horn sounded. Thirty minutes on the clock, ticking down to eliminate either her or Amuro. Usually her luck turns out for the better whenever she gets the first wave, however, Amuro beats her to it. Catching the next one Y/n focuses on pulling speed and managing her flow into the maneuvers, receiving a score of 6.2 on her first wave, 8.3 on her second and 7 on her third. Unfortunately a wipe out early on her fourth and final wave results in a score of 3.

“Is that gonna be enough?” Jake cringes, noticing the look of unease on his friend's visage. Y/n appeared shaken from the wipe out. Very rare has she ever messed up greatly in competition. But there’s always a first for everything.

Javy had a paper in front of him, writing down Y/n’s scores and the ones of her competitors to predict what she needed and if she was qualified to the final round.

“Her six and seven will be dropped, putting her at 11.30,” he taps the pen on the bar surface, “if Amuro doesn’t get another wave in the next,” Javy checks the time, “two minutes then it should put Y/n through to the finals.”

Amuro did in fact catch another wave before the horn sounded, ending their round in the semis, but it wasn’t enough. Her total score accumulated a 7.43, eliminating her from the final competition.

“One more,” her father/coach took a hold of her shoulders. “You’re almost there, Y/n.” Almost to the gold. “Rest up, you got one hour.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. Picking up a water bottle and plotting on the sand Y/n downed the liquid and munched on an apple. To pass time she scrolled through Tik Tok, sent a selfie to Javy—who sent one of him and the squad back—and called her family in O’ahu to calm her nerves. She had already talked with Javy that morning before quarterfinals, promising to FaceTime him after the finals.

It was nerve racking. Regardless of how the event went, Y/n was guaranteed the silver medal. USA would take home both Gold and Silver in surfing’s debut being fellow American Carissa Moore beat out South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag in their round.

One competition left.

Bidding good luck to Carissa, Y/n took her position and waited for the horn. Thirty minutes on the clock. Thirty minutes to a gold medal.

“Here we go,” Payback announced in time with Y/n paddling out to sea. Javy rubbed his hands together, eyes glued to the screen.

“And the two Americans are off in the first ever gold medal match for surfing. Carissa Moore, the 2019 WSL World Champion, and twelve-time title holder Y/n L/n head-to-head to declare who will become the woman to win surfing’s first gold medal. Both have exemplified great performances today—it’s not easy doing a quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals all in one day, but these pros make it look easy.”

“There she goes!” Nat shouted, earning cheers at the bar when Y/n caught the first wave of the competition.

“Kicking off with the first wave, in just two minutes of the clock starting is Y/n L/n. Dropping in beautifully, easing into the wave…..Straight into an roundhouse cutback, which she does flawlessly. Bottom turn, I think she’s gonna try and do a off-the-lip right here….and she nails it! I think she’s hoping to elongate this wave as far out as she can. Carving now and finishing with a 360 into an Ariel. Wow! That was a great start by Y/n.”

“Yeah that’s what I’m talking about!” Javy shouted over the cheers, grin plastered wide only to brighten more when the score came back a 8.7. “HELL YEAH! LETS GO!”

Carissa’s wave was impressive. She managed to hold it down with complicated moves to earn a 8.5. Both women scored huge on the first waves followed by 7s across the board. Nearing the final five minutes Carissa managed to get a 6.43.

“She can’t get anything lower than a 6.23,” Javy felt sweat pool on his forehead, suddenly feeling hot in the bar despite it being the ass crack of dawn.

“She’s got this,” Nat patted his back.

The clock was ticking down. Two minutes to go and Y/n had yet to find a wave. Placing her palm onto the surface, she took a deep breath, “please, give me a sign.” Not a moment later she felt something in her say to look right.

There, brimming about fifteen feet away, was the perfect wave.

Wasting no time Y/n’s chest planted to her board, paddling as fast as possible. Her heart was pounding, salt water splashing. Positioning herself in front of the forming body, Y/n silently called out to whoever was listening for strength.

“Wow she’s going for that huge current out on the west side. Moore is too far back—it’s gonna be L/n on the final wave of the women’s competition. With one minute to go she’s dropping in—.”

Y/n allowed the adrenaline to consume her, giving it total control as she dropped in. The highest wave of the competition yet, Y/n knew she’d be having a tube ride with how it formed. Picking up speed, she knelt slightly, paralleling her chest with the wall of the wave, the water curving around her. Blocking the world from her view.

It was just her and the sea. No one else.

Closing her eyes briefly, she pictured she was back on O’ahu in the water she grew up in. Sun beating down and gentle hum of seagulls.

Like she was in paradise.

The image left as quick as it came. Y/n snapping out of her daydream to exit the tube ride to the cheers of her father on the beach, curing back into the wave to finish on a high note by performing her signature Ariel. Smiling the whole way down just as the horn signified the end of the competition.

“And there you have it folks. The women’s surfing finals has officially come to a close—Y/n L/n ending her Olympic Games with a remarkable last wave. Absolute perfection with speed, precision, and control. That’s gonna be the highest score for her I feel.”

“C’mon, c’mon,” Javy bit his nail, knee bouncing from the anxiety of not knowing. Carissa’s total score was displayed first, 14.93. Y/n’s lowest was a seven, highest 8.7. Her final wave was amazing, but judging was unpredictable. Anything could happen.

Then in the blink of an eye the hard deck exploded.

“I don’t believe it! Tens across the board for Y/n L/n bringing her total to 17.00!! Y/n L/n has won the gold for the United States—Carissa Moore with the silver. USA goes one and two in women’s surfing at its Olympic debut!!! Take it all in, we are witnessing history,” the screen shows Y/n and Carissa embracing, leaning over their boards to congratulate the other, “Team USA has much to celebrate, the world of surfing has their champion. Y/n L/n adds gold to her name—surfing’s first Olympic Champion here in Tokyo!!”

Y/n laughed the entire time she paddled to shore, raising to her feet to race towards her father. She was soaking wet but he didn’t care. “You did it!” He yelled, kissing her head with tears in his eyes. “You’re an Olympic champion! I’m so so proud of you!” Soon they were greeted by Carissa and the rest of Team USA’s surfing members. The two women were lifted onto shoulders, American flags draped over their backs with photographers surrounding them.

It was a moving image. Two women from Honolulu and Kapolei, Hawaii won surfing’s first Olympic silver and gold medal. If only Duke Kahanamoku could be there to witness.

Back at the hard deck celebratory drinks were served and toasts raised to Y/n. Javy barely contained his emotion, eyes watering the moment her name came back the winner. Natasha and Jake embraced him in a hug, the guys whistling and hollering. Penny rang the bell.

“She won! Oh my God my baby is a gold medalist!! This is the best day ever!!”

The entire podium ceremony Y/n was on cloud nine. Placing the gold medal around her neck, she took a moment to stare at it. Disbelief and awe in her eyes. ‘Wow, I actually did it.’

When the national anthem came to an end Y/n did the traditional bite of the medal for the cameras. Posing with Carissa and Bianca afterwards, Y/n was ushered to interviews.

“Hello, Y/n,” the reporter beamed, “congratulations are in store—what an amazing moment for you. You’re the first gold medalist in women’s surfing at the Olympics. How does it feel?”

“It’s absolutely a dream come true. For years the surfing community has wished for this—to be in the Olympics and for me to be part of its debut, winning the gold medal…I-I can’t put into words how much this means to me. I’m so grateful and honored.”

“You’ve been around for a while now,” the reporter mentioned, “2004 was the first time we saw you and you’ve gone on to have a stellar surfing career. Winning the WSL World Surfing Games twelve times now—competing when it was still called the WSL World Championships and became the first woman to win The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational in 2016. This is your first Olympic Games, surfing will be at the Paris Games in three years. Can we expect to hopefully see you there?”

“I wouldn't rule it out,” Y/n winked with a giggle. “Paris is in three years and I would love to return to the Olympics again. After dreaming for so long I don’t want to let it go so easily. Of course anything can happen between now and 2024 but with my family, friends, and boyfriend cheering me on with their endless support…” she gave a cheeky shrug, “I’m gonna work hard and get back in the water once I’m home.”

“We’ll be rooting for you, Y/n. I don’t think the surfing world is ready to say goodbye to you. Anything else you’d like to say before you have to go. Anyone you’d like to say thanks to?”

Instantly the Olympian brightened, eyes locking on the camera. “I wanna give a shoutout to my hometown of Kapolei on O’ahu—the place where this journey started on the beautiful beaches and waters of my home. To my family and friends, thank you for your love, support, guidance and always cheering me on even when the going gets tough. My dad, who’s been my coach since I was seven is with me here to share this win, I couldn’t have done this without him. To my San Diego family watching, you better save me a beer at the Hard Deck when I come visit next week,” she winks, knowing the squad would get a kick out of it. Then Y/n softens, “and finally to my boyfriend, Javy, who’s with our friends in Fightertown. I love you so much, thank you for being my rock during quarantine and pushing me to do my best. I can’t wait to see you and this is for you.” Holding up the medal, Y/n blows a kiss to the screen before saying goodbye to the reporter.

Upon landing in San Diego two nights later, Y/n was greeted by a celebration from her friends. Members of the Pacific Beach Surf Club were there, as were the dagger squad. Javy met her in the middle the second she exited the terminal, lifting her in his arms. “Finally your back!! I’m so fucking proud of you!” Setting her down, he kept his arms around her and the two jumped up and down like school children in a heap of laughter.

Finally they calmed, sharing a sweet kiss. “How was your flight,” he walked when they pulled away, moving to grab her carryon back.

“Long,” she moaned, leaning into his side. “But worth it.” Soon she was surrounded by their friends. Congratulations all around, Mickey asking to see the medal, Jake saying all her drinks are on him, Nat telling her how much she missed having another girl around. “I missed you guys,” Y/n pouted, “man I wish you all could’ve been there.”

“Don’t worry, Y/n/n,” Bradley patted her shoulder, “We’ll be there in Paris.”

“That’s quite a bit away, Roo.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “but there’s no harm in planning now.”

“Let’s let the woman rest before kicking her training mode into gear,” Javy teased, earning a playful nudge from his girlfriend. Together they got her bags and headed straight for The Hard Deck. They drinked, they danced. Javy and Y/n had a rematch of their pool game.

“This feels a bit like deja vu,” she smirked, chalking up her cue. Javy winked, puckering his lips in an air kiss causing her to laugh.

For a week Y/n stayed in San Diego before flying home to Hawaii with Javy. Again she was greeted at the airport by her family and friends she’d grown up with. The local news station was present, students from schools wanting to join in on the celebration. It felt amazing to be home after two weeks away.

They settled in at her Honolulu home, finding the perfect place to display her medal and ordered take out since neither was in the mood to cook after a 6 ½ hour flight. Once finished with dinner Y/n gave her boyfriend a knowing look, “Wanna watch the sunset?”

She didn’t mean sitting on her porch or even the sand. No, she meant taking the boards and laying out on the sea as the calm surface of the water kept them afloat.

Javy agreed, rushing to get his swim trunks on while she put on a swimsuit. Grabbing their boards they locked up the house and jogged the quarter of a mile to the beach, paddling out to get a front row seat of the descending sun. Colors of bright orange and pink painted the sky. A beautiful contrast to the deep blues of the ocean.

“Is this heaven?” He whispered, finding her eyes staring back at him from where her cheek pressed to the board. All the love conveying in the simple look. And with her gentle words, Javy felt all the worry and unease he ever experienced lift from his soul.

“More like paradise.”

……………….

TGM Tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan , @caitsymichelle13 , @poppyalice2001 , @cutelittlepotatofry , @luckyladycreator2, @americaarse , @elenavampire21 , @back-tooo-black , @wildellaa , @artemissunn , @pinkpantheris

[mattzerella-sticks]

My Idea for a Live-Action X-Men Movie...

Thinking... how can we introduce the X-Men into live action, whether through movie, tv show, limited series, etc. ... and I have an idea.

Let's start in media res.

Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted has been active for the past few years, however with a small class size of seven. Scott. Jean. Bobby. Hank. Warren. Alex. Lorna. Despite only consisting of seven students, due to Xavier's wealth he has been able to keep his school open and thriving since the beginning.

However that has changed as the size of his class has dropped from seven to one after a botched mission led to the capture of his students save one, Scott Summers.

And the opening scene is Xavier sitting in his mansion, worried, waiting, until Scott kicks his door down, tells them his team is gone, and passes out due to exhaustion.

We then pick up on our narrator for the movie, the character whose eyes we will be seeing the entire movie take place through, stepping off a plane and into JFK airport...

Ororo Munroe. Storm.

She had travelled from her home in Africa seemingly on a whim, as if drawn there by fate, and - unsure where to go or what to do next - she goes to a nearby bar to make her next plan.

Who should happen to sit next to her but a short, hairy man in a cowboy hat and a thick, Canadian accent?

Ororo, meet Logan. They do not hit it off.

She does happen to hit it off with the soft spoken Russian man who is reading poetry at the other end of the bar - Piotr Rasputin - and the bartender, a Native American man - James Proudstar - who wasn't supposed to be working that day but traded shifts with his roommate.

While they are all gathered there they hear a voice in their heads and turn around to see Charles Xavier, a man they all recognize and all soon realize is the reason they are now gathered together in this bar. At first they all want to leave but Xavier implores them to at least first hear him out, which they agree to do, but he tells them he won't start until the final member of their group is here.

Cue shouts and gunfire as Kurt - Nightcrawler - runs, leaps, and teleports across the airport in all his blueness.

Xavier manages to calm the crowd however not before one of the security guards manages to call in that the threat is a mutant and it's a race to grab Kurt before reinformcements arrive. But wouldn't you know it the group is not the best team yet and the reinforcements do arrive in the form of Sentinels.

It seems like all hope is lost when, out of nowhere, a stray quartz-colored beam blows one of the Sentinels apart and allows the group a moment to escape. They regroup in Xavier's car, which had been where Scott was waiting while Xavier gathered the others.

They return to the mansion where Xavier explains what happens to his team, that they were responding to a mutant in distress on an island that had ultimately been a trap - with only Scott escaping. The group has been gathered together to help Xavier and Scott rescue their teammates.

It's mostly a resounding no. Piotr would rather be at home on the farm. James has to go searching for a new job since he undoubtedly got fired from the bar for leaving during shift hours. Logan is "not a team player" and believes that the team is most likely dead anyway. Kurt is game but he is also "not the best fighter".

Ororo also agrees to help.

That surprises everyone. She says that while the circumstances that brought them together were underhanded, she cannot sit idly by while innocent people, people like her with a mutant gene, are in danger. Not just those on the island, who they are tasked with rescuing, but around the world especially since Sentinels have become standard issue around the world. While she does not see herself being a full-time member, she knows that the team Xavier had protected mutants like them from these threats and, with them gone, who will protect their community now?

Xavier tells them that, after they help rescue his original team, they would be free to leave and do what they want with their lives as they please.

Piotr is in. So is James. Logan sighs and agrees, "Since I don't want to be the odd one out." They agree to go save the others. Scott says, however, that before they can mount the rescue mission, they need to become a team first - referencing their battle at the airport and how they need to improve.

They agree to train.

Meanwhile, on the island, we see that there is a Master Mold along with Trask and scientists working on creating the next model of Sentinels in their ongoing war against mutants using the captured mutants from Xavier's Academy as test subjects. The scientists are just as much as prisoners as the X-Men, however, as they were led to the island on false pretenses and forced to work for Master Mold who had, unbenknownst to everyone until the final act, had taken over Trask and controls him as a puppet.

A few of these scientists came with their families. One of these families were the Prydes. Katherine Anne Pryde is seen as a non-threat by both Master Mold and Trask, and is able to freely wander the island as well as speak with the prisoners because, since everything is monitored and she is twelve, she cannot do anything to disrupt the mission. We learn from this scene that Master Mold is on the cusp of unveiling a new breed of Sentinel that, using the schematics pulled from Jean's mind, would be able to track mutants anywhere without needing to be called in. It was luck that the X-Men arrived on their island, fell into their trap.

Meanwhile back in Westchester, NY, this new team of X-Men are having a hard time at coming together to work as a team, which is making Scott mad. He and Logan almost come to blows if not for Piotr stepping between them to break things up. They both step away to cool off.

Ororo decides to speak with both of them. First, she goes to Scott, and tells him that he is not being a good leader. They have a heart to heart where he confesses that his friends are his family, and Jean... he has a lot riding on this being a success, and this is as new to him as it is new to them. He is not used to working with people he hasn't grown up with. Ororo tells him that he needs to lead from a place of love and courage, and not fear. Then, she goes to find Logan to see that he is brushing off Kurt rather coldly and Ororo does not wait to take him to task on his loner attitude. They clash a bit before Ororo tells him to get his act together or just leave, as it shouldn't matter to him what they think if he really doesn't care.

They all agree to do another training session, only they never get the chance as Xavier tells them it is now or never as there was a spike of pain from the same island his first team was lost, and that cannot mean anything good. The heroes go to get suited up and fly to the island base.

Master Mold is ready to create his new breed of Sentinels and it looks like they are a success, as they have been fitted with new upgrades. He activates a few and they immediately power online with the alert that there is a mutant among them.

All eyes turn to Katherine Anne Pryde. Kitty.

Her father and mother object but are restrained as the Sentinels begin to pursue her, only able to tell her to run before they are knocked out. Kitty runs and manages to escape the Sentinels after discovering her ability to phase through solid matter. The escape is not fullproof as they burst out the bunker in full pursuit. When she reaches the beaches with what looks like no place left to go, the clouds part and reveal the Blackbird jet which Ororo had just exited from and is now flying down to confront the Sentinels she spotted chasing the little girl. The Sentinels sense her power and lock onto her, only to get blasted by lightning and turret fire.

The X-Men land and confront the Sentinels but, unlike at JFK, they are able to work together and take them down. Even Logan finds himself being a team player. They rescue Kitty and she tells them where the prisoners are and also what Master Mold is planning.

The team decides to split up - Scott, Piotr, and James will confront Master Mold while Ororo, Logan, and Kurt follow Kitty to the prison area.

Of course we stay with Ororo because, again, she is who we are relying to guide us through this story.

We get to the prison area and it's Ororo, Logan, and Kurt going HAM on these guards taking them down while Kitty uses her powers to free the X-Men. She manages to get to the main control room and hits the button that releases all the prisoners who do their best to help, despite being weakened from experiments and torture.

We learn from Kitty that there's a prisoner missing, and they admit that it's Jean. She was taken by Trask.

So the group races to the main room where Scott, Piotr, and James are and see a BUNCH of Sentinels on the loose and pure pandemonium. Piotr and James are on the ropes and Scott is putting up his best fight, however just as the group arrives the Sentinels converge and blast him, with a woman across the room watching calling out his name as he 'perishes' (we'll circle back on this later).

Without their leader and shocked, Ororo steps up and takes command, leading the group into battle like she's been doing it all her life against the Sentinels while Kitty and Kurt evacuate the scientists. She cuts across the room almost instantly to get to Trask and Jean where we finally learn that the former has been completely taken over by Master Mold and is now a Sentinel cyborg. They battle it out but it's a tough battle given the numbers they're against until there's a moment where Ororo and Jean are tucked away, shielded from incoming blaster fire from Trask and the Sentinels, when Jean places her hands to the ground and closes her eyes. Ororo asks what she's doing and Jean tells her she's asking for help.

"From who? Xavier only sent us?"

"From the mutant we came here to help in the first place. From the island."

BOOM! We get the reveal that the island. Krakoa, is a mutant and has been weakened by the experiments run on it by Master Mold and the Sentinel. Jean tells the group that they need to let Krakoa 'feed' on a piece of their energy to recupe its strength for it to help them and they all look to Ororo as it's her call, and she says they should do it. They do and the ground rumbles and shakes and we can see the island begin to terraform as it fights back against Master Mold and the Sentinels. It takes out MANY of them while the X-Men pick up the slack on the rest.

Ororo takes on Master Mold/Trask hybrid as the island begins to sink back into the ocean, with Trask, damaged, spouting nonsense. That he is there to save the world, that he is the FUTURE, the INEVITABLE, that the X-Men cannot prevent the world falling apart in the future, that they will be responsible for the apocalypse. However, with a lightning zap and some timely telekinesis, the group escapes back to the Blackbird as the rest of the island has already been evacuated.

The X-Men return to Westchester without Scott and inform Xavier of what happened.

Time moves on. They recover. They mourn. A memorial service is held for Scott. Xavier's original students, Warren, Bobby, Alex, Hank, and Lorna, decide to leave the school afterwards as they believe they need to come at the Sentinel problem another way. They form X-Force.

Xavier comes up to Ororo after the service and asks her to stay on, despite her having no obligation to do so. She watches Logan and Kurt keeping Kitty entertained while Piotr and James speak with her parents, about Kitty staying on at the school and learning from Professor Xavier, and decides that she would like to stay and lead the X-Men. Jean joins them and says that she'd be happy to be on any team Storm is leading, revealing that -of the original students - she is the only one who is staying with the X-Men. The three look out onto the horizon as there are endless possibilities for the X-Men now *play the theme song*

END CREDIT SCENE NUMBER ONE - Magneto watches Xavier's new team of X-Men in action and converses with Mystique, saying that, "If Charles has put together a new team of recruits, we should, too."

END CREDIT SCENE NUMBER TWO - A blonde woman in all white speaks with a raven-haird men with red eyes and a crimson diamond embedded in his head. "You pulled a lot of favors to get him, are you sure he's worth it?" "Believe me. He is." The duo, Emma Frost and Dr. Sinister are looking over the body of Scott Summers, very much NOT DEAD, held in stasis as the camera pans out and reveals the Hellfire Club.

And that would be how we introduce the X-Men, and mutants, into live action movies.

[prettyinpurplelights]

IV.

“I cannot believe we actually made it.” Mia gripped your hand excitedly, her acrylic nails digging painfully into your skin.

“Girl, hold my hand any tighter and you’ll crush my bones. I won’t have a hand to collect my diploma with.” You giggled softly, prying her fingers off the back of your hand so you could lace your fingers together instead, her sweaty palm pressing against yours.

“Sorry.” She replied and you squeezed her hand in response. “I’m just so nervous, can you believe after all our hard work, we’re finally here?”

“I know.” You sighed, looking out into the audience of family members and friends that were filling into the giant cathedral to watch and support their loved ones on one of the most important days of their lives. You and Mia had finally come to the end of your degrees, and today would encapsulate the last four years of all nighters and countless assignments. You were graduating with a Master’s degree in fashion design and marketing, Mia in medical neuroscience with psychology. As well as saying goodbye to your university, you were both parting ways with the city too, leaving Marseille for Paris early the following morning. During your final year, your main project was to put on your own fashion show, making the pieces as well as being responsible for promoting and marketing the event. You didn’t sleep for several weeks, but it had all been worth it because the show was a huge success, landing you the highest grade in your cohort as well as a job waiting for you at Louis Vuitton, whom having interned for them the summer before, and after your show being such a hit, offered you a place at their headquarters in Paris. Mia had also secured a fellowship in one of the biggest hospitals in the country, working with their research department on new treatments and cures and finding the causes for all sorts of illnesses to do with the brain that she had tried to explain to you but had gone completely over your head. All you understood was that it was incredibly competitive and very hard to get into, so you were extremely proud of her, and very excited to start this new chapter of your young adult lives together. You had already leased an apartment to share, and moved almost all your stuff over during the summer break. It was now a matter of starting to unpack and make it more of a home when you both returned to Paris for the last time in less than 24 hours.

“Ouuu I see Elliot!” Mia squealed, waving her hand that wasn’t holding yours excitedly. “He’s with our parents, come on, let's go and say hi before grad starts.” She stood up, dragging you down the small steps where the choir would usually be during mass, instead, today, it was where the graduates were to be seated during the graduation ceremony. She pulled you through the aisle, mumbling a few excuse me’s as you weaved through the sea of people talking to each other, the atmosphere electrified with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming ceremony.

“Mommy, Daddy!” Mia's smile grew wider as she hugged her parents tightly. Her parents had moved to London when she was 14, her dad’s hotel business was expanding and he’d started to branch out into the rest of Europe. Mia was supposed to have gone with them but she didn’t want to move to England, and after a lot of bargaining, she’d managed to agree with her parents that she’d live with her grandmother instead, hence how you became friends, she had moved to Bondy late into the school year and the only spare seat in your form tutor was next to you and the rest was history. Unfortunately, Mia’s grandmother had passed away just before she was due to start university, and since she was officially an adult, her parents let her stay in France. She’d fly out to see them regularly but it had been a while since she last saw them, and they’re very busy people so you knew she was very pleased to have them here and you’re glad they could show up for her.

You hugged your own parents, your dad clicking at his camera repeatedly, making sure he had enough photos to commemorate this occasion.

“Dad, I don’t even think I’m in the frame in the one you just took.” You laughed at him, as he squinted behind the lens.

“Close enough! I’m so proud of you, my sweet baby girl.” He leant over to kiss your cheek before walking off, muttering about finding someone to take a group photograph.

“You know I don’t think he made such a fuss when I was graduating.” Elliot appeared by your side, his hand reaching up to grab your cap, to remove it so he could ruffle your hair. You ducked under his arm, knowing exactly what he was trying to do and pushed him away from you.

“Don’t you dare El, I was up at 6 this morning doing my hair, you’re not messing it up!” You scowled. “And besides, we both know I’m mum and dad’s favourite.” You added. A smug smile spread across your face as you shrugged your shoulders.

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes. “At least I’m the smart one, all you do is play with pretty fabric all day.” Elliot had graduated with a degree in sports science the year before, ending up at PSG, working as part of their medical staff. From what he had told you, he was really enjoying himself, and it probably helped that it was the same team Kylian played for, those two together, you were sure they were putting the other PSG players and staff members through hell.

“You know without people like Y/N, the rest of us would have nothing to wear, you’d be naked right now.” Mia slid up to Elliot, her arm wrapping around his waist as his went over her shoulder and squeezed it.

“I know you wouldn’t complain about that.” He replied.

“Mmmm, probably not.” She looked up at him, pursing her lips as he reached down to kiss her.

“Ew, the both of you. Please, I’m literally standing right here.”

They both laughed, pulling away just as your dad returned, some poor 20-something looking boy in his stead, holding the camera.

“Where’s Marco? Is he not coming?” Elliot asked, craning his head around to see if he could spot your boyfriend.

“Um…he’s in Tokyo. We broke up.”

Ex-boyfriend.

“Oh shit, sorry sis. What hap-“

“Group photo everyone, quick together!” Your dad interrupted his sentence, and you were thankful for his extraness in that moment, not wanting to answer any questions about your break-up. Your dad ushered you, your mum, Elliot, Mia and her parents into a huddle. It took a couple of minutes to organise everybody, your dad was kind of a perfectionist; it’s probably where Elliot got it from. You were stood between Mia and your mum, your brother behind the both of you. You turned to face him and from the look in your eyes and the way your lip turned downward slightly, he knew what you were going to ask, the issue of Marco long forgotten. Someone else was on your mind now.

“He’s going to be here Y/N. He might be a bit late, but he’ll be here.”

“He didn’t come down with you?”

“I had to pick Mum and Dad up so we got a later flight, he said he’d make it down himself. He wouldn’t miss this. I’m sure he’s on his way.”

You nodded, as you turned back to the boy holding the camera, mustering up the biggest smile you could, trying to ignore the way your heart felt so heavy in your chest and the sudden way your gown started to feel stuffy and uncomfortable. You and Kylian weren’t on bad terms, in fact, you were great. It had been almost three years since you’d decided to take a step back from him, and focus on yourself and who you were outside loving him. Not to say you stopped loving him, you don’t think that was something you’d ever be able to do, but you’d reached a point where he wasn’t all you thought about and it didn’t dictate everything you did and consume your entire being. You’d even managed to date someone this year, your first official boyfriend, Marco, for about 10 months, until he had to move to Japan for a student exchange transfer and you’d mutually decided to end things while you were on a good note because long distance for a whole year was not worth it; you’d remained friends though. You liked him a lot, but you didn’t love him, which was one of the reasons why he’d also agreed, howbeit reluctantly, to break up before his transfer, he’d told you he loved you 2 months prior and you were still yet to say it back. He had wanted to stay for you, but you encouraged him to go, not wanting to hold him back, especially when his feelings were so strong for you and yours were…well, not as strong. You didn’t want to disappoint him if you still couldn’t commit several months down the line and he’d thrown his future away for you.

“Graduates please make your way to your assigned seats, the ceremony will begin in 5 minutes.”

You and Mia hugged your families one more time before making your way back towards the stage. Your phone buzzed in your hand as you sat down, bringing it up to your face.

“Kylian?” Mia asked, her inquisitive nature causing her to lean over your shoulder and read the text on your phone.

“Ouuuu Marcoooo.” She sang teasingly as sat back and unlocked her own phone.

Hey, I know we’re not together anymore, but you’re still my friend so I wanted to wish you luck today! ♥️ proud of you always

Thank you Marco 🥺 I really appreciate it. How’s Japan treating you?

It’s amazing. The culture is just wow. And the sushi DEFINITELY tastes better here. You’d love it.

Your fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to type out a reply when he sent another message.

I miss you.

You heard Mia wince audibly next to you, obviously reading the conversation between you and Marco.

“Get your big ass head out of my business.” You bumped your shoulder against hers as you sent Marco a quick reply about the ceremony starting so you had to go, not at all in the mood to unpack what that “I miss you” meant.

“Shame. I liked Marco. He was good for you.”

“Mmmm.”

“At least he congratulated you, better than that idiot your brother calls a best friend.”

“Ky’s our best friend too. And I thought you were on his side? Team KyY/N?”

“That was two years ago Y/N. He couldn’t even be bothered to send you a message about not coming.”

“El said he’d be here.”

“You think so?”

“I told him about today personally. He promised me he’d be here. For the both of us.”

“Oh we both know which one of us he’s coming for. And honestly I couldn’t give a fuck if he shows up for me, no offence. But for you? I’m skinning him alive the second we get to Paris.”

“He’ll be here.” You whispered to no one, almost as though you were trying to convince yourself. He had given you his word he wouldn’t miss today when you’d called him a few months ago about it. Initially you thought it might be weird, speaking to him on the phone, since you’d only been texting recently, but the thing about you and Kylian is no matter how much time you spent apart, you never fail to fall right back into your usual stead of things.

You hadn’t seen him since your birthday at the end of January, where there’d been a sort of awkward moment when you’d introduced him to Marco, who then had been your official boyfriend for a couple of weeks. He had just gotten back together with Renee, they had been together since your little confrontation at the airport two years back when you’d told him to focus on her. They had been on and off since they’d started dating, from what you’ve seen in the media, Kylian never really talked to you about her. From what you’d read over the course of the years, they’d broken up a couple of times, not that you cared or were keeping count.

******

He picked up after 3 rings, his face filling the screen when he answered. You gave him a little wave and a smile spread across his features, his dimples greeting you.

“Y/N. Hey.”

“Hi!” You replied, your voice chirpier than you’d expected it to be.

“You okay? Did something happen?”

He must’ve noticed the way you anxiously chewed at your bottom lip, your telltale sign something was wrong or you were nervous. In a similar way, he would squeeze his eyebrows together and his nose would twitch involuntarily when he was feeling the same. The harder he scrunched his eyebrows, the less nervous he was, the increased frequency of frown lines strewn across his forehead meant he was more likely to be angry instead. You knew each other’s tics and tells, probably better than you knew your own. By logic you and Kylian should’ve worked, you complemented and contrasted each other in the most perfect ways, but for some reason, the universe didn’t seem to agree and rather preferred to have the two of you in constant awkward situations and miscommunications leading to petty arguments. It was a quite cruel joke to be honest.

“Um, no, everything’s fine, I’m good. I was just wondering what you were doing August 1st.”

“Hmmm, the league starts again the week after that I’m sure, so just training.”

“Or nothing, if that’s what you need me to be doing.” He added and you couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered a little bit his words.

“Well Mia and I are finally graduating on the 1st. My parents and Elliot will be there. I was wondering if you wanted to come-“

“I’ll be there.”

“Really?” He laughed at your response.

“Gummy, you’ve wanted to be a fashion designer for as long as I’ve known you. I remember when you took it upon yourself to be mine and El’s stylists in middle school, I don’t even know why I let you do that, you used to put me in the most ridiculous outfits.”

“All you wanted to wear to school was your football kit.” You rolled your eyes. “I was trying to broaden your horizon a little bit.”

“Even then, you had talent, I can’t even imagine what you’re able to do now.”

“Well not to brag, but I am on track to finish top of my class.”

“Didn’t expect anything less from my girl.” He smiled genuinely and heat rose rapidly to your cheeks as you looked away from him for a moment.

“Of course I want to be there for you. But are you sure you’re 100% about it? Not to brag, but I am kind of a hotshot on the football scene right now.” He mocked, using your words against you playfully.

“Oh shut up!”

He laughed again, before continuing.

“I’m serious though Y/N, I know you like to stay out of the limelight and stuff, I don’t want to ruin that for you or steal attention away. This isn’t a private party like your birthday.”

“I want you there Ky, I want everyone I love there. I’ll be okay.” You nodded. Just then, you heard your boyfriend call out from your bedroom, his voice growing louder as he neared you in the kitchen.

“You ready babe?” He wrapped his arms around your waist, pressed a kiss against your cheek when he noticed you were on the phone.

“Oh hey man!” He waved at the screen. “How are you doing Kylian!”

“Hey…Marco. I’m good.” The smile on Kylian’s face dropped briefly as he greeted your boyfriend with a slight grimace. You quirked your eyebrow, wondering what the hell that was about but now it was his turn to break eye contact, looking everywhere but at you and Marco.

“How’s Renee?”

“Ummm she’s good. We’re…good.”

“Still can’t believe this guy is dating the biggest supermodel in the world, very fitting.”

You scowled, turning to face Marco, his comment grating on you a little bit.

“As opposed to you dating what?” You questioned, daring him to say some more bullshit.

“The hottest, smartest, kindest girl in the world of course.”

“Hmmm, better be.”

“How did you deal with her quick temper all your life Kylian?” Marco asked, and you elbowed his rib in response.

“You see what I mean?” He laughed, walking away from you. Kylian didn’t even bat an eye, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world at that moment.

“So anyways-“ You started but Kylian interrupted you, the words tumbling out of his mouth faster than you could register them.

“I gotta go. But I’ll be there August 1st. You have my word.”

“Oh, okay, yeah sure. Say hi to Renee for me.” You had barely managed to get out before he ended the FaceTime abruptly.

******

That was the last time you’d spoken, save the occasional text, but not once had he mentioned he wouldn’t be able to make it to your graduation. So by the time the ceremony was done and you had collected your diploma and walked down the aisle to cheers from your family, received more congratulations and took even more pictures and said your goodbyes to your family, to say you were simply pissed off was a great understandment. Some fool had even thought it would be funny to do Kylian’s infamous goal celebration in front of the cameras before collecting his diploma which amused everyone in the cathedral but vexed you even more. Kylian had always been there for you, he’s always tried his best to be present when you needed him, this was one of very few times he hadn’t shown up for you. But it hurt still, this was probably the most important thing you’d needed him for, and he’d not even bothered to shoot you a text he would be a no show.

“I know for sure he got on that plane Y/N.” Elliot had tried to reassure you earlier when you’d walked him and your parents to the Uber they had booked to take them back to the airport.

“Well that means fuck all to me. He’s not here.”

“Gosh he’s such an idiot. I’m going to skin him alive when I see him.”

“Funny your girlfriend said the same thing.” You laughed, but not really feeling humoured in the slightest. “Don’t worry about it El, I don’t know why I expected any different from him.”

“I know he has the funniest way of showing it, but he cares about you Y/N. And he loves you.” You ignored his comment, giving him one last hug before he slid into the front seat of the cab.

“I love you El.”

“Love you too sis. Always. You and Mia have fun tonight alright? And I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

You nodded, saying goodbye to your parents once more before the car pulled away. Mia appeared at your side, leaning her head on your shoulder.

“Mia?”

“Mmhm?” She replied.

“Let’s get absolutely fucking wasted tonight.”

———

“Why the fuck did you listen to me when I said we should get wasted last night.” You groaned, flopping onto the couch, your suitcases abandoned by the door. You’d finally arrived at your apartment in Paris, a little before midday, exhausted and terribly hungover.

“You looked like you needed it.” Mia sat by your side, laying your head on her chest and rubbing your shoulders.

“You’re so lucky you recover quickly, I still feel like I’ve been hit by a monster truck.”

“I’m gonna go out and do some food shopping, I’ll bring you something. Get some rest.”

You’d practically gone straight from the bar to the train station. You, Mia and your group of university friends had gone out to celebrate graduating, and also spend one last night together before you all split and went your different ways. It had been a great night, but you’re definitely regretting it now, as you were sure the others were too. You hadn’t even had a chance to shower as you and Mia had to pack the last of your stuff and hand in your old keys to the landlord before 7am since the train to Paris Lyon was leaving Marseille St. Charles around 8.

You decided to take a long shower while Mia was gone, you usually felt much better after a good soak. You’re glad to have your little travel toiletries bag because you had absolutely no idea where anything was; the apartment was filled with countless unopened cardboard boxes. You had about two weeks before your new job started so you and Mia could hopefully unpack and decorate in that time.

Definitely starting tomorrow. There was absolutely no way you’d be putting together furniture and organising your wardrobe today, you planned to stay in bed as long as you could instead.

You had just stepped out of the shower when you heard the doorbell ring, probably Mia who had forgotten her keys. You wrapped your towel around you, securing it as you opened the door.

“Did you not take your key-“ You looked up, your sentence breaking down half way through when you realised it wasn’t Mia in front of you. You rolled your eyes, moving to close the door in his face but he was quick, his foot reaching out to block the door from locking.

“Y/N, hear me out, please.”

“I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say Kylian, take your foot out of the way before I crush it.”

“I have boba?”

You paused for a second, still refusing to look at him.

“What flavour.”

“Mango milk tea with passion fruit pearls. I brought croissants too, from the best bakery in Paris. Very expensive. Very tasty.”

You opened the door wider, letting him walk through, cursing him for knowing you so well. He set the items on the little bit of space he could find on the kitchen worktop that wasn’t covered in boxes before turning to look at you.

His eyes scanned your body, starting at your legs, stopping when his eyes met yours. You felt stuck to the spot, your blood turning to lead as your eyes remained fixed on his, his mouth slightly ajar, your heart pounding fast. You forgot you were angry at him for a minute, flashbacks of the last time he’d seen you like this flickering across your mind instead as you suddenly remembered you were wearing next to nothing. Your hands came up to cover your chest and legs, breaking the both of you out of your hypnotic state.

“Umm…I’ll be back. Gonna put something on.” You muttered.

“Yeah…umm…sure, I’ll wait here.”

You raced to your room as quickly as you could, ignoring the funny feeling in your stomach and the way your heart was racing like it was running out of time. You rummaged through the boxes, trying to find one that had some clothes in it. After a couple of minutes of sifting through books and shoes and everything else, you managed to find a bag at the bottom of one of the boxes with your gym clothing.

You pulled the shorts and a t-shirt over your head, rolling your eyes when you realised which top you were wearing. You walked back into the room with your arms crossed, trying your best to look angry as you faced Kylian, a smile spreading across his face when he noticed your top.

“Wipe that smug grin off your face, I could only find my gym stuff and it was the only top in there.”

“You work out with my name on your back?” He held out the boba to you, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Shut up. These jerseys are surprisingly very breathable.” You snatched the plastic cup out of his grasp, piercing the film lid with the straw and taking a sip.

“Well yeah, we do run around in them for 90 minutes so we’d hope they’re breathable. Remind me to get you a new one from this season though, that one’s a bit outdated.”

“This one’s just fine. Thank you for the boba.” You raised the cup at him before stretching your hand out, pointing to the open door that led to the hallway. “You can go now.”

“Y/N-“

“Kylian I don’t want to hear it. You think what, by bringing my favourite drink and cracking jokes everything’s okay?”

“No, of course not. I tried to call you last night.“

“And I didn’t answer for a fucking reason. Did it cross your mind maybe I didn’t want to talk to you after you stood me and Mia up?”

“Listen-“

“There’s not an excuse you can give me that’s valid Kylian. You promised me you’d be there. I kept looking out for you, the whole ceremony, even after it was over, we lingered around the venue for so long my parents and Elliot almost missed their flight back home. Of course I didn’t tell them why I wanted to wait around, they still think you’re the best thing that’s happened to them besides their own kids.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry. I got on the plane to come to you, I swear-“

“So you were in Marseille yesterday?”

“Yes, I was on my way to-“

“Funny you were in Marseille yesterday.”

“Y/N-“

“Because I was in Marseille yesterday, and this morning too actually, up until about hmmm, 4 hours ago? But I didn’t see you. At all.”

“Y/N-“

“You’re so-“

“Y/N STOP TALKING!” He suddenly yelled, your sentence cut off midway by his outburst. You don’t think you’ve ever seen this many frown lines across his forehead before, he must be really pissed. That makes two of you.

“Don’t raise your voice at me.”

“Well I don’t have a choice if that’s the only way to get you to fucking listen.”

“I don’t have to listen to anything you have to say.”

“You know what? You always do this. You always assume you know what I’m going to say, or how I feel so you just cut me off before I get a chance to even explain myself.”

“Because I know you’re going to come out with some bullshit Kylian! Always you and your empty fucking promises, I’m so over it. But sure, prove me wrong. Go on, explain yourself then.”

You raised your arms as if to say he has the floor to speak. He clenched his jaw, his lips in a tight line as the both of you stared at each other, a million and one emotions swirling around you. Anger, pain, disappointment, sadness. If looks could kill, the both of you would be simultaneously 6 feet under.

“I swear I didn’t mean to miss your graduation Y/N, I really wanted to be there. I literally got to the airport and I, I bumped into Renee. I swear it was unplanned, I had no idea she was going to be there, and we just started talking and she had a lot she wanted to say to me, and honestly I didn’t realise how long we were together for, I swear it wasn’t my intention to miss your ceremony.”

“So what was so important that you had to talk about there in that moment, for such a long time-“

“She wanted to get back together.”

“You broke up?” This was news to you, as far as you were concerned, Kylian was still dating her, you hadn’t seen anything in the tabloids about them breaking up.

“Yeah. A couple of months ago.”

“So you’re back together now? For what, the 5th time?”

“It’s complicated Y/N. I love her.”

A sharp but fleeting pain travelled across your chest and it took everything in you not to physically keel over. It was laughable, how easy it was for one person to completely lose feelings they claim to have had and fall in love with someone else, while the other couldn’t even utter the words to another, whether they meant it or not. Because the pent up feelings were still there, choking you, gripping your heart tight and rendering you useless, incapable of loving anyone else, but him. You felt like dying, maybe it would hurt less than living in this sick and twisted reality, this constant loop of being reminded he’s never going to love you the way you love him.

“Yeah, Kylian, I can tell. Because she clearly means more to you than I do. I told you about this weeks in advance, you gave me your word yet when something better comes along you’re quick to just brush me under the rug like you always do.”

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention. I didn’t even know how to talk to you when I realised I’d missed the ceremony, I didn’t think you’d want me there-“

“Of course I’d want you there, you fucking idiot, you’re my best friend. Why else would I ask you personally to come?

“I knew you’d at least be with your family, Mia, Marco.” He said Marco’s name with such disdain you almost laughed at the audacity he had to seem irked by the mere mention of your ex-boyfriend when he had a girlfriend of his own.

“Marco is in Japan. We broke up. For good.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

“Why would you? You don’t talk to me about Renee, I don’t talk to you about Marco. Some kind of unspoken rule right?”

There was a silence between you before he spoke.

“I’m sorry. I know you loved him.” For someone who’d been in your life for almost two decades, perhaps Kylian really didn’t know you as well as you thought he did. Or maybe you were so good at pretending you’d managed to convince everyone but yourself you’d been in love with Marco.

“Anyways Ky, I think you’ve done all your explaining. You can leave.”

He rounded the kitchen island, stepping closer to you so he could take your hand that wasn’t holding the drink, gripping it softly in his.

“Y/N, I really am sorry. Please, l don’t want us to start your move to Paris on a bad note. You have no idea how happy I am that you're finally here to stay. Let me take you out tomorrow. Just me and you, a celebratory dinner. On me. Heck I’ll even take you shopping, any store you like, I’ll carry all the bags and not complain one bit.”

A soft giggle left your lips and you cursed yourself for letting him get away with his shit so easily.

“Please, I’m sorry gummy. It won’t happen again. Let me make it up to you.”

“You better bring your shiniest Amex card tomorrow when you pick me up.”

“It’s a date.” He smiled, and you tried not to think too deeply into what he’d just said.

Just then, you heard the front door close, Mia appearing in the doorway with several shopping bags, singing to herself. She noticed you and Kylian stood in the middle of the kitchen, your hand in his and she rolled her eyes, knowing you had definitely let him off easy. Luckily for you, she wasn’t about to do that. She smiled sweetly, before reaching into one of the bags and pulling out an orange. It happened so quickly, you didn’t not anticipate the orange leaving Mia’s hand with such force, heading straight for Kylian’s head. He managed to duck at the last second, the fruit finding the wall behind him instead of his skull.

“Mia what the hell?!” He shouted.

“Fucking dickhead. You’re lucky that wasn’t a knife.”

/———-/

Part 4 finally 😭😭 just two more parts to go! Sorry it took so long please forgive me 🤞🏿 and it may seem like it’s going round in circles but they gotta do this stupid arguing and not talking about their feelings 5 times before they finally get their shit together so we’re getting close to the happy ending, very soon though it’s deffo going to get very messy before it gets better 😵‍💫 I hope y’all like it <3 (also it’s half 3 in the morning and I haven’t edited this entirely so I’m super sorry for any mistakes 🙏🏿)

Also I know the French don’t do graduations (shame if you ask me, I loved my grad) but I had to have one to fit the story 🤭

And I’m sorry for making y’all wait, im back at work and it’s hard to find the time to write (I had a bit of writers block) and also I find it hard to write super short pieces so it does take me a while to write so I’m super grateful to y’all for being so kind and patient 🥺🫶🏿

LINK TO MAIN POST

TAGLIST

@lululuvsfooty @nayeoniie @cherimbp @karotland @m4k444 @cixstar @lovefks

[scarisd3ad]

Jump then fall | Steve harrington x fem!hopper!reader

Prologue - seven

Masterlist

Taglist

>>Next

Summary - ‘And though I can’t recall your face I still got love for you, your braids like a pattern love you to the moon and to Saturn’

Warnings - loss of a sibling, divorce, fighting, cursing

"I'm gonna miss you," Steve mumbled into my shoulder as his little arms wrapped around my body. "Me too," I whispered back. I didn't want to move. I was well adjusted in our little town, I had my friends, I was just getting used to kindergarten, and I had Steve Harrington. my best friend and next-door neighbor who I did not want to leave behind, but dad got a new and better job in New York, so we had to pack up all our belongings and move from the tiny town of Hawkins to the big city. "can't you stay with me? We have enough room. "I shook my head "My daddy would be sad if I didn't go with them," I whispered back before they pulled away and placed me in my car seat. I was gone for good.

It wasn't like Steve, and I didn't stay in contact for those 7 years I lived in New York. it started with letters and drawings being mailed back and forth and then calls every Tuesday and Thursday night after school. But then we got older, and those letters and calls had farther and farther days between them. Then when Sara got sick, I shut down. I didn't send any letters or call him for months. After Sara died, my parents grew distant not only with each other but with me too, so I sent a letter to the one person who knew me better than my parents, Steve Harrington.

Dear Stevie,

I'm sorry I haven't called or sent any letters. I've been busy with school and other things, you know. I miss you. I hope I can come and visit you soon. My dad said we might go back to Hawkins to visit during the summer. Maybe we could have a sleepover if we do. Maybe we can call whenever you get this? I can fill you in on everything that's happened. Anyway, how's school??? I started this new book club at school and it's so fun!!!! I know you'd probably call me a nerd for it is, but it's really cool, and the people are nice too. I also made this new friend. Her name is Hannah she's so cool! She's an eighth grader!!!

Are you still playing basketball? If so, I wish I could see you play. Maybe you could play for me if I visit this summer! Dad said I could walk to your house every day if we did. I miss you and I hope we can call soon; I really need to talk to you about something that cannot!!! be disclosed over letter I need to like actually talk about it you know? I haven't really talked to anyone about it, and I need to or I'm gonna burst. Also, I'm sending these cool stickers that I got at a coffee shop here. I thought you'd like them. They're basketballs! Anyway, again I miss you a lot and can't wait to talk to you again.

- love y/n

(P.S. sorry again for not sending any letter)

I didn't get a letter back, nor did we visit that summer. Instead, that summer my parents divorced, and my mother decided she no longer wanted to be a mother, so my father and I moved into a crappy apartment in Brooklyn while the divorce took place. Luckily, that fall, the divorce was finalized. My mother gave up all parental rights legally, giving all custody to my father, and we moved back to Hawkins.

A week before 7th grade started my father, and I moved into a 2-bedroom house 3 streets away from Steve's. the first 2 days were full of moving boxes and decorating my new room so on the 3rd day I walked over to Steves with a plate of freshly baked cookies in clasped in my hands. During the seven years Steve and I sent letters back and forth, he always hoped he'd be able to try my baking, which was a skill I learned during 5th grade.

I grasped the plate in one hand as the other reached up to knock at the door. There weren't any cars in the driveway, but his bedroom light was on, which made me assume he was home. But after 30 seconds I didn't hear a 'I'm coming' or hurried footsteps. I was starting to doubt my intuition. Maybe he had just forgotten to turn off his bedroom light. Despite my doubts, I knock again, this time a bit harder. Then I heard a loud groan from inside before the door swung open."Wh-holy-y/n?" the annoyed look on his face immediately morphed into shock.

"You didn't respond" I giggled with a smile, "I-I guess it got lost in the mail" he whispered before launching himself into me. His arms wrapped around my body, and he pulled me close. The cookies were still clasped in my hand. I hoped the foil would be enough to keep them on the plate. "Wait, wait, wait" Steve pulls away so we're making eye contact. "You came all the way here just because I didn't send a letter back" his brows twist into a confused furrow as I laugh "No Stevie, we moved back" his face stays confused as he asks "Why" It was a long story, and not one to be told on the front steps of his house. "Long story. I'll tell you later. Can I come inside?"

"Yeah, yeah"

-

Steve and I sat on his bedroom floor that afternoon munching on cookies as I told him everything. I cried a lot; I hadn't cried about anything in the last four months. But with Steve, it just seemed like everything just came pouring out. Even though the last time I saw him, we were both 4 feet tall and missing teeth, it just seemed to click with him even after all these years. "Sarah got sick," I started with as Steve took a bite out of his cookie. "Oh...is she alright?" he asked voice laced with concern as his right hand reached over to grab my hand. 

I shook my head as tears pooled in my eyes, "N-no um she's-she's gone Stevie" Steve was silent as his hand squeezed mine. I'd never talked about Sarah or her death to anyone, not my mother, not my father, hell I didn't even talk to the therapist they took me to when I didn't want to talk to them. This was the first time I even uttered the words 'she's gone' It was like I was in denial, like if I never said the words, it would all reverse itself and I'd have my sister back. "a-and my parents we're fighting a lot, so they got divorced" tears began to trickle down my cheeks as I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears. "And my mom she-she said she never wanted to be a mom, so-so she left."

That afternoon, while Steve's arms embraced me and sobs shook my body, I came to a shocking realization. The realization hit me hard that maybe listening to Steve's voice over the phone for the past seven years, and reading his letters he always signed off with 'I love you - Steve Harrington', might have done something to me. Something to my changing adolescent brain that would have altered our friendship for good. Maybe it was for the best that the week after winter break, Steve Harrington became one of the most popular boys in school and subsequently decided to no longer be my friend.

Taglist

@sheisjoeschateau @nothankyou138 @gleefulleve @luluw-20

[spiralcass]

NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 1, EPISODE 1

Our series opens on Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Archangel, Beast, Wolverine, Nightcralwer, Storm, Colossus, Gambit, and Rogue battling sentinels on the Brooklyn bridge. They exchange banter as they fight, with it clear they’ve been together for a long, long time. After winning the battle, Professor Xavier contacts them and congratulates them on a job well done. Jubilee comes running up to them, really sorry she missed out on the big fight. Least she can do is take a picture though! 

We zoom out, as the picture she took is now framed in Headmaster Scott Summers’ office. It’s one year later. Scott takes a deep breath as he sets the picture down. Jean playfully knocks on the door as she enters. As Scott vents his stress, the premise of the series is explained: With most of the old X-Men team having become disillusioned with the idea they could make any more of a difference than they already had, or, alternatively, simply having other opportunities call to them, they disbanded, while Professor Xavier left Earth entirely to be with the love of his life, Lilandra, in space. Recently, however, the Mutant population has boomed into the tens of millions, many of whom are children, so Scott and Jean are re-opening the school, and making it an actual school, to teach and protect the Mutants of tomorrow. But while the kids are set to start arriving in a couple hours, they’re still missing a crucial piece to this new stage of life: they have plenty of veterans signed up to be teachers, but as things stand, there are no X-Men. 

Scott is worried he doesn’t have what it takes to run everything and protect everyone. He’s not Xavier. Jean tells him that, no, he isn't it. He’s her amazing husband who she knows will do a better job than the professor ever did. And he isn’t alone in this. He has her. 

EMMA: “And more importantly, Darling, you both have me.” 

Emma Frost stands in the doorframe, posing overly dramatically, before strutting in and sitting down on Scott’s desk. 

As Emma snipes at both Scott’s insecurities and Jean’s “mothering” of him, her deal is quickly gone over. Former major villain who turned over a new leaf, and who, more importantly, actually does have experience running Mutant schools, so Scott brought her in to help get things set up, and is keeping her around just until they have everything running smoothly. Jean cannot wait for her to be gone, while Emma insists she has no intention of leaving anytime soon. As the two continue to bicker, Scott buries his face in his hands, sighing. 

SCOTT: “Wish us luck, Professor.” 

Later, the school grounds are packed as parents drop off their Mutant children. Here, we’re quickly introduced to the seven main kids we’ll be following. 

First, we meet Sofia Mantega, who’s being dropped off by her father’s assistant. While obviously coming from a wealthy home based on the car she shows up in and her preppy style, she’s also shown to be an awkward sweetheart, as she acts like best friends with her dad’s employee, and nervously says sorry to everyone as she makes her way through the crowd, the wind carrying all their words right into her ears as she uses it to carry her bags.  

Next, Julian Keller is introduced as a clear foil to her. Floating in the air with his telekinesis, he’s shoving kids and parents out of the way so his family’s employees, who have his bags, have a clear path, Julian barking at all the losers to move and get out of the way as he does so. 

Noriko Ashida is thanking one of the teachers, Danielle Moonstar, for getting her off the street and hooking her up with gauntlets to control her powers. We then see those powers in action, as she sees Julian pulling his crap and super speeds over to him, telling him to quit being such a jerk. The two begin their first of many, many, many squabbles. 

Cessily Kincaid arrives all alone, on a bus. She takes a deep breath and puts on a big smile as she enters the school, being nice and saying hi to everyone, but no one pays her any attention, apart from some freaked out looks from parents at her metal body, depressing her. 

Brian Cruz, also alone, and getting pushed around in the crowd, tags himself, making everyone else move out of his way. 

Sooraya Qadir is too nervous to even enter the crowd, but she’s greeted and welcomed by the youngest teacher at the school, Kitty Pryde, who, with a friendly smile, volunteers to phase her through everyone. 

In the trees adjacent to the school, we meet our final main kid, Laura Kinney, staring down at everyone alongside her mentor, Wolverine. Logan promises this will be a good place for her. She’ll be safe, she can make friends, she can be a normal kid. Laura maintains she’ll never be or do any of those things. She can act like she’s one of these kids, she was trained to do so, but she’ll never be like them. Logan makes her promise to at least try. She asks why he can’t stay with her, and he tells her this just isn’t the place for him anymore. 

LOGAN: “Besides, if I stuck around, you wouldn’t need to talk to anyone else.” 

Laura asks about the man in charge. She’s never heard Logan do anything but complain about Cyclops. Does he really trust him? 

LOGAN: “Never tell him I said this, but there’s no one I trust more. Besides, he’s got Jeannie watching his back. You’ve got nothing to worry about here, kid. I promise.” 

The two awkwardly stand up, neither really good at goodbyes, so Laura just pounces off onto the schoolgrounds. 

In the school’s auditorium, Scott is giving a speech to all the new students about what it means to be a Mutant, while also clarifying what they’re here to learn, and that they aren’t here to train to be X-Men, but to attain the skills they need to survive in the world.  While Scott is talking, Julian sets his sights on Sofia, instantly smitten by her beauty. He nudges the stranger sitting next to him, asking if he agrees she’s the hottest girl here. Brian, shocked ANYONE would talk to him, nods his head and agrees. 

As Scott nears the end of his speech, he does know most of the kids probably have questions about the lack of a current X-Men team. He assures them that they’re working on solving this issue, but until then, enough heroes are gathered here that he promises no one will be able to hurt them. 

Cut to an underground base where, paralleling Scott, William Stryker is giving a speech to his small army of Purifiers. The man is genocidal, intent on killing all Mutants, but only because he genuinely believes that Mutants have all been corrupted by Satan and that God has tasked him with his mission, the pain on his face genuine as he recalls killing his Mutant wife and child. 

His speech concludes with declaring they’ll be launching an attack on the heart of Mutantkind in America: Xavier’s. 

Sofia and Noriko are getting moved into their room. Sofia is being friendly and trying to make conversation while she takes a bunch of pictures for social media, her following quite large, but Nori is disinterested and mostly ignoring her, thinking she just seems like another vain, preppy rich girl, putting on her headphones and some J-Pop to tune her out. 

Julian and Brian show up at their door, and Julian starts hitting on Sofia. She “politely” rejects him, saying she unfortunately doesn’t date bullies and jerks. This instantly gets her Nori’s approval as she slams the door in the boys’ faces. Brian pats a bummed out Julian on the back. 

Cessily and Sooraya are rooming together. Cessily thinks she’ll judge her like everyone else, like her parents, for her metal skin, but now that she’s away from the crowd, and all the boys in it, Sooraya is much more relaxed and easily hits it off with Cessily, the two bonding as Soo encourages Cess to show off some of what she can do, the girl of mercury having some fun as she does a cheer, implementing her stretching and wiggling. Sooraya applauds her. She explains that she's actually had her powers for a while, unlike the more recently developed Cessily, and she learned quickly not to judge. She does think Cessily could stand to cover up more though. 

Scott, Jean, and Emma are walking through the halls. Jean was finally able to get in touch with Storm, in her mind, “the obvious choice”, and she’s agreed to come back to America and join the New X-Men. Other ideas are tossed out, but none of them work for one reason or another, be it Warren being busy running his company, Gambit and Rogue traveling the world, or Colossus still being in mourning "all this time later". 

Laura stumbles across the three as she’s familiarizing herself with the building’s layout. Scott welcomes her, asking if she needs help finding her room. Laura puts on her “Normal Girl” act, saying how she was just exploring this school she’s so excited to attend, but Jean and Emma tell it’s okay to just be herself. Laura’s face falls as she tells Scott Logan was right; he does smell trustworthy. So does Jean. Emma doesn’t. Scott lets her know they’re fully aware of her unique situation, and wish to help her anyway they can, but Laura tells him not to bother; she won’t be here long. 

That night, Scott is working late in his office, as Jean tries to get him to come to bed. The two are very cute and sweet, but just as Jean is getting him up, they hear a noise from outside. Looking out the window, they see the school being stormed by the Purifiers under the cover of darkness. 

Jean wakes up all the teachers and orders them to focus on protecting the students, and orders the students to stay in their rooms no matter what they hear, while the two of them and Emma deal with the attackers, Emma intentionally being a pain to pull away from her beauty sleep. 

Meeting The Purifiers face to face, the headmasters, still in their pajamas, demand to know what’s going on here. The soldier in charge explains who they are and their holy mission. 

SCOTT: “Different name.” 

JEAN: “Different look.” 

EMMA: “Same bigots.” 

The three proceed to show why they’re the ones in charge, as they easily fight through the immense and heavily armed paramilitary group, forcing them to retreat. 

As they flee, Laura jumps out her window and attempts to pursue them, but Jean halts her. Scott questions what she was doing, and she asks in turn why they let their enemies who wanted to kill everyone here live? Scott and Jean make it clear that isn’t how X-Men do things. 

LAURA: “You said it yourself, Mr. Summers. You’re training us to survive. Not to be X-Men.” 

Laura stomps back inside, Scott in for another rough relationship with a Snikt. 

EMMA: "She does have a point."

The other headmasters just glare at her. 

The next morning, the kids all begin their classes, and we get a glimpse at some of them. Chemistry with Beast, Drama with Nightcrawler, Chorus with Dazzler, Creative Writing with Karma, and Powers for Self-Defense with Danielle Moonstar (the only class everyone’s excited about).

Looking at all of these kids’ happy faces, and coming off last night’s win, Scott thinks he may just be able to pull this off after all. 

SCOTT: “Failing them can’t be an option.” 

Elsewhere, in a church, Stryker apologizes to God for failing and says he won’t underestimate the X-Men again. God speaks back to him, promising that he’ll ensure that next time, he’ll be as ready as he needs to be. 

[ill-skillsgard]

Hey beetle, anything new from Faust x Faith, it’s been a while since the last story about them?

Maybe Faust is for once a sweet lover, but still fuck and fill her to the hilt, maybe a little getting prego kink?

Hi! Holy MOLY it has been a long time since I've written any Faust x Faith. I have had quite the year, but don't get me wrong... The babies were never far from my mind. I cannot ever forget our beautiful Frosty man.

So, this is set a little over a year in the future in this universe. But I won't give too much away here!

Warning: 18+ Smut, violence, mature language, protected/unprotected sex, emotional reunions, murderous rage, mentions of alcohol consumption, angst, cheating and all the good nasty things this pairing is known for.

Summary: It's been over a year since Faith broke up with Faust and he's returned home from an extensive European tour to find out his ex-girlfriend has moved on. Will Faust be able to control himself and let them live, or will his darkness drive him to get rid of Faith's new boyfriend?

- Not based on Lords of Chaos. I use Faust!Valter’s likeness only as inspiration.

Read more Faust x Faith here [x]

"You feeling okay, Frost?"

The question went unanswered, and the four members of Grey Tomb turned toward the drummer. Faust hadn't been sleeping. He barely ate, and the only time he came alive was on stage behind his drum kit. Although the last few dates of the tour hadn't been his best performances.

"Your eyes are so dark that you don't even need to wear any paint," Freydis, the singer, pointed out. She was the leader of Grey Tomb, the band who had picked him up for a European tour after their original drummer went to prison. Faust had asked no questions and didn't care where they played so long as he was as far away from home as possible. An 18-date tour was long enough to keep him occupied throughout the summer, but it was winding down, and everything started reminding Faust of her again. Even the landscape, though much different from home, brought up bitter memories of Faith.

Nightmares plagued Faust when he closed his eyes—gut-wrenching visions of Faith having sex with the jock she knew from church, his old bandmates, and even Sven. He dreamt of flames and screams and Faith looking at him like he was ugly, like she couldn't believe she had ever loved him. Evenings spent in a dismal room with police trying to make him admit he had punched Bobby Esders' face into a crimson mash, teeth blistering out of shredded, bloody lips. In these nightmares, Faust was killing again, always chasing and killing and trying to convince Faith he was fine; he was only protecting her. But she turned away every time, unconvinced he possessed no virtue.

And so, he imagined the drum skins as the face he wanted to smash and broke sticks on the rim only to unsheath fresh ones from a quiver near his shin. He'd continue the brutal assault in time with a guttural bass line and dreadful shrieking.

Faust didn't want to think of violence, so he avoided sleep and the inevitable terrors waiting to resurface in his mind. He needed therapy, an intense cerebral scrub to get to the bottom of the urges that became restless at night. But he was in a foreign country with a job to do. Therapy would have to wait.

Freydis had taken on corpse paint duty and stood above Faust as he sat on the tour bus couch, face tilted up, her chest in the way. Her tongue poked out as she blotted the black, blue, and grey paint under Faust's eyes.

"I can't wait to head home after tonight, eh, Frost?" Freydis said.

"I'd rather be touring. Nothing to go home to. At least you have a family."

"And you don't?"

"Not really. Nobody I care to see."

"Damn, Frost. Are you always this gloomy? Or has tour really beaten you down that much?"

"I'm fine." He dismissed. "And when are you gonna stop calling me 'Frost?'"

"That's you, though. You're just Frost, okay? Get over it," said Freydis. "One more spot, and I think we're done. Hopefully, you don't sweat it off during the first song."

The singer put down the brush and squeezed Faust's shoulder, jostling him. "There. Looking gnarly, dude. Oh, and don't forget, there's gonna be an after-party at the place where Astral is staying. We're invited. So, you should definitely come. Last show. We gotta go out."

"We'll see," Faust said.

"You owe me."

"Okay, okay."

"Promise you'll come?"

"No."

"Faust! Please?"

"Fine, if it means that much to you."

"Okay, and don't just stand outside smoking either."

Faust grimaced. "You don't want me to have any fun."

For the sake of appearances, Faust went along for the ride after Grey Tomb's last show to meet up with some of the tour crew and members from the headlining bands. These were the kind of people to shake hands and connect with, but Faust took one look around the penthouse apartment and regretted coming. The people there having fun were too bright for him, and the only way to dim the light was to drink so much he could barely see.

Drinking heavily was a double-edged sword for Faust. On the one hand, he could bear to socialize and even cracked jokes with the people he'd been sharing a bus with for the last two months, but on the other, he was sick.

To erase the year of his life he had spent with Faith, Faust resorted to old behaviors and, much later, found himself in a room with Freydis on his lap. She had been dropping hints all tour, but Faust knew better than to tangle up a good thing. Now that he was shipping back home soon, and Freydis was staying in Denmark, there was no reason to avoid fucking her.

"Holy shit, Frost... Are you sure that condom's gonna fit?"

Faust ignored the comment and stretched the latex ring over his cock, pulling it down as far as it would go. He might have been wasted, but he wouldn't stick it in unprotected with a woman he barely knew.

"Damn, you're a big boy," Freydis said as she climbed over his thighs and lowered herself. Once the sex started, she gripped the back of his neck and pressed her forehead to his. Faust backed away, letting her ride him while he closed his eyes and bit his lip. All the momentum he had gathered while making out with Freydis slowly disappeared. He felt his hard-on deflating inside of her despite her rigorous bucking.

"Fuck," he grunted and grabbed her tits for a rush that never came.

Freydis giggled. "Are you really that drunk you can't get it up for me, Frosty?"

"Condom's slipping."

"You should just take it off. It's okay; I'm on the pill."

"I'll get there again. Just keep...ugh, keep going."

Faust scoffed at himself. Freydis wasn't stupid, and the limp cock inside of her worsened with the condom. She stopped and signed.

"Sorry... I can't do this. I'm fucking plastered."

It was only half a lie, and when Freydis made a case to keep trying, Faust lifted her off his lap, snapped off the condom, and staggered to the door while pulling his jeans over his ass. He turned around, black hair swinging in his face.

"Sorry, I guess. Hope we're all good," Faust muttered before he left.

Freydis sat on the bed, astounded at the limp condom he'd dropped next to the waste basket.

The journey home was torture and nausea. Faust had spent an hour puking in the airport bathroom and once again into a bag on the plane they had almost missed. His acidic insides emptied, Faust fell into a fitful sleep, interrupted every so often by flight attendants who quickly learned not to bother the man with the long black hair.

On home soil, he threw his bags into a taxi and was carted home, where he fell into bed for hours with an excruciating headache. He couldn't remember a time when he felt worse and told himself he was never going on tour with alcoholic Danish metalheads ever again.

~*~

Despite his long absence, Faith never changed her habits. This made locating her easier than he liked. Faust had hoped to walk by the café where she used to study over a latte and a bagel, only to never find her there. He had hoped her family had moved away, taking his ex-girlfriend too far to contact. But just like everything else in the city, it had all stayed the same. Faith still did the same things she always did: school, working part-time at the bookstore in the mall, and sitting down in front of the window at the café where they had gone countless times for snacks and coffee.

Faith was there now, across the street at the café, sitting outside on the small wrought iron table underneath an umbrella. She wore a light pink sundress with thin shoulder straps and her hair in two braids. Faust wanted to go over and sit down in front of her just to see her big eyes get wider or if she would fidget and stammer, blindsided by his sudden appearance. The sight of her, unaware he was across the street buying cigarettes at the corner store, soured his stomach.

Faust spent a minute preparing for what to say when he approached Faith, but his courage disappeared when a man took the seat across from her and reached out to hold her hand. It wasn't the Esders kid like he had feared. It was worse. He wore a black denim jacket, had long hair, and a face Faust automatically hated.

It was him. Faith was dating a knockoff version of himself.

Faust recognized the guy from around parties and shows. His name was Hunter. He was the kind of guy who bought unlicensed band patches online—the mark of a poser, in Faust's opinion. While the guy rubbed her wrist, Faust thought of one hundred ways to shatter his fingers. How dare he touch her like that, make her smile as he once had, and scoot closer to touch her inner thigh under the table. Faust grinned when she snapped her legs shut, and he snatched his hand away with what Faust assumed was an apology. Good. So she wasn't letting him get too handsy with her yet. Not like when they were together, and she would let him drag her away to any solitary place, so he could touch her between her legs and watch her melt.

But Hunter was not him, and Faith probably hadn't changed. If her libido was the same since they'd met, the chances were high she had already fucked him, and the thought of Hunter having sex with her blistered the inside of his chest. He wanted to grab him by his greasy hair and smash his face into the table so many times he became unrecognizable. The anger itched his palms, his back sweating.

Before Faust acted on his violent thoughts, he turned away and started home, swearing he would never seek Faith out again, though his heart seared from the pain of making himself such a promise.

It wasn't long before Faust saw her again in much closer proximity. One month after he had promised never to think about Faith again—a delusionally optimistic notion—she showed up at a party with Hunter and his buddies, who took various band formations between them. Faust had been in a crust punk band with one of them, failing to play lead guitar. It was a short-lived project, but he still recognized the group. He pretended not to notice Faith, hoping his nonchalance would strike her when she looked up from her phone and realized she had once again stepped into his realm, where she was the outcast, and everyone revered him. She likely heard some news about his tour with Grey Tomb since everyone else was asking him questions about the size of the gigs he had played overseas. In a small house full of a dozen musicians, their girlfriends, and buddies, Faust was the most successful one there, earning him instant popularity. On a regular day, Faust would shun the attention, but now, he craved to wield it; to show her what he had become in the year they'd been apart.

Faith whispered to her new boyfriend and never looked too long at Faust for the first hour. Faust turned it into a game. He looked at her until her eyes ping-ponged from him to a random object in the room, catching her each time she glanced in his direction. It was fun to watch her squirm and fidget. He knew what she was thinking: that being around him as though they were strangers was too heavy for her to act normal.

Two hours in, after Faust had left the room to keep her mind racing, he saw Faith whispering to her new boyfriend in the kitchen between chugs of beer. She was compensating now. Faith hated beer. He flashed the barest smirk as he passed by, never lifting his eyes but knowing her in his peripheral. Yet despite all these things he knew about her, there was a second or third voice in his head trying to calculate what exactly she could be thinking. Did she hate him? Was her night ruined? Was his presence shaking her to her core, or was she succeeding at brushing it off? She couldn't have changed that much in a year, and if she was the same girl he had fallen in love with, her inner dialogue was screaming. And as much as he wanted to catch a hint of their conversation, the music was too loud, and Faust longed to continue ignoring her.

After three hours, Faust was drunk, and the people talking in his ear made him cringe. He had gone around and around on a carousel of shifting emotions. At first, it was easy not to care, but then he saw her staring at him and wanted to stare back. As the drinks poured and it was clear nobody would address the awkward situation between them, Hunter put his arm around her, an innocent move that Faust regarded as a personal slight. How fucking dare he touch his Faith.

No, he told himself. Let her go. She's better off without you.

Then, a hand was on her thigh. Her skirts that once drove him wild now looked whorish. Did she want every man in the room looking at her? And again, Faust screamed internally at himself to leave her be.

But he couldn't, and deep down, they both knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

It happened when Faust, who considered his near-constant observation of them subtle, saw Hunter pull her face forward for a kiss. His heart leaped, and with it, his body instantly at attention, the half-drunk beer bottle now brown shards on the floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Hunter barely noticed over the music, but Faith had. She flinched as Faust approached like a train and snatched Hunter up by his jacket lapels.

"Who the fuck do you think you are kissing her in front of me?"

"Stop it right now, Faust. Don't be an idiot!" Faith yelled, butting her palm into his leather-clad shoulder. It only angered him further.

"Woah, man! What the fuck is your problem? You've been broken up forever," said Hunter, clutching at the fist pressing into his neck.

"Faust, dude, don't. Just relax."

Faith hammered Faust's shoulder again. "Let go of him, you prick! We're over!"

Faust immediately dropped Hunter and turned to her, angling down to meet her glower.

"What, I leave for one tour, and now you're with discount me? That's sad, Faith—"

One hard punch to the jaw sent Faust staggering backward, disoriented. Once he blinked away the lights in his eyes, Faith knew there was only one second to get between Faust and Hunter to prevent blood from spilling. Faust's friends had the same idea and held the drummer back, crowding between them to stop a fight.

Faust pointed at Hunter as he was carried away and said, "You better run. You better never let me see you again, or you're fucking dead. Run, motherfucker!"

Outside, Faust screamed. He howled on the sidewalk for Hunter to come out while lights from neighboring houses flicked on. His friends begged him to be quiet, but Faust was undone by his anger and echoing in every direction, ignoring those yelling at him to shut up. He attempted to break the barrier his friends made and hopped up excitedly when the door opened, hoping it was the man whose face he was about to demolish.

Faith stepped out alone, and Faust went quiet. She marched down the walkway, and they parted to allow her access to her flailing ex-boyfriend. She grabbed his arm, sank her nails into the leather, and yanked him away from the house. His friends stood by, muttering and confused. The two of them did not turn back.

~*~

"Sit down. We have to have a serious discussion, Faust. I mean it. Sit down on the bench and listen," said Faith. "You cannot act that way just because I moved on. It's not fair to me! I want to be happy, and you have no right to try ruining that."

Faust paced the length of the bench. "You're not fucking happy."

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not. You're pretending. You're a fucking fake. You don't hang around these kinds of people. You came tonight just to piss me off."

"I came here because Hunter and I were invited. I had no idea you'd be here. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have come."

"Fuck off, Faith."

"No, you fuck off! What're you gonna do, Faust? Kill him?"

Faust smothered her mouth with his hand and backed her under the tree's shadow away from the lamplight.

"Don't even fucking—don't say that."

Faith pushed him away. "I'm seriously asking. I have no idea what you might do, but I know what you're capable of, and it scares me. You have to promise me you won't hurt Hunter."

"No promise."

"If you can't let me be, I might have to do something drastic."

Faust scoffed. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like... File a restraining order," Faith said.

Her eyebrows pressed together, and though encased in shadow, Faust could not believe he was seeing her face again. He took a step closer, and she drew up against the tree.

"I can't have you around. If I see him touching you, I will lose my fucking mind, don't you understand? I love you, Faith. I'm afraid of myself when you're not with me."

"That's not my problem."

Faust had barely chipped at her. She crossed her arms, glare unrelenting. No matter how hard he drilled, Faith wouldn't soften for him.

"So that's it then? You're over me?" He asked.

Faith held up her hand and flashed a plain gold ring. "See this? He gave it to me. It's a promise ring."

"A promise to what? Marry you? You're gonna marry him, is that it?"

"Maybe!"

"That cheap little piece of shit ring means nothing, and you know it."

"It has meaning because I give it meaning."

"Okay then, let me ask you something, and be honest," Faust bent at the knees to match her level. "Do you still have the collar I gave you?"

Faith grimaced.

"Tell me the truth. Do you have it? Because that collar means you already belong to someone."

"No, it doesn't! I broke up with you!"

"You haven't gotten rid of it."

"What does it matter?"

"Faith, please," Faust whimpered. "Please, just... I'll never stop. I can't. I've fucking tried."

"Never stop what?"

"Being in love with you."

She dropped her fists to her sides, looking down at her shoes. Faust thought she looked ready to blow up, but instead, she sniffled and began to cry.

Faust cradled her jaw like thin glass balancing in his palms. To his relief, Faith didn't flinch away.

"Tell me you still love me." He whispered. "I know you do, baby."

She whimpered his name and fell into his embrace, sobs quaking through her shoulders. Faust propped her up in his arms and set her back on her feet. Despite her anguish, he fought a smile from spreading across his face. Soon, Faith's blubbering petered into chuckles, and she wiped her wet eyes.

"You really still love me, Faust?"

"Yes, baby! Fucking of course I do."

"Did you come back here because of me?"

"You're the only thing keeping me in this place."

"I... I really missed you, beetle."

Faust clamped her to his chest, stroking her soft hair, her warmth so familiar yet unearned. His eyes clouded as he looked down at the woman crying into his chest, stuck like a burr on his clothes. Her tears seeped through the fabric, and he loved it. The wet spots made his breath falter. A vast calmness silenced the screams in the back of his head, which reminded him of all the terrible he had done. With Faith by his side once more, he was determined to bury their voices and live as though his secrets were only false memories.

~*~

Faith and Faust had made a getaway from the party and went to Faust's basement apartment in a small complex. The place was new and smelled of fresh paint, and when Faith walked in and saw a mostly empty area, the juxtaposition made her head spin and her heart pound. There he was after all this time, a foot of space between his head and the ceiling, his black leather jacket on in front of white, unmarred walls. It was wrong, but watching him shedding his jacket and revealing how thick his arms looked from touring made it seem like they hadn't been apart more than a couple of weeks. It was natural, and she went to him, prepared to deal with the consequences of ditching her current boyfriend for this reunion of two warring energies who thrived only on each other.

He kissed her softly at first, pulled back to assess her expression, and went back in harder when met with a drowsy half-smile. His hand went up her skirt, tracing his fingertips over her panties until her knees shook.

Faith pulled away and said, "I wanna fuck you." Faust needed no convincing. He sat on the bed, dragged her onto his lap, facing away from him, and pulled off her top and bra. Before taking her breasts in his hands, he peeled off his Grey Tomb shirt and cupped them enthusiastically.

"Fuck, baby. Just... Fuck. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she said, craning her neck to catch his lips again.

She ground in circles on his lap until he was hard and moaning, her addiction to the sound of his voice afresh. Exhilarated by the thought of having sex with her first love again, Faith scrambled under the covers and waited, her smile slowly fading as Faust pulled a strip of three gold-foiled condoms from his wallet. She frowned as though he had revealed something nauseating.

"What the fuck is that look for?" Faust scoffed, tearing open the foil square.

"I... what is that? I don't want that...I want to feel you."

"That's too bad," he said.

Faith scoffed back at him. "I don't have any diseases."

"We've been away from each other for over a year. I don't know what you've done. If I'm fucking you, we're using a rubber."

"But—"

"Besides... You don't know where my cock's been either."

It was a bizarre sight watching him unravel the wet latex circle over his thick cock inch by inch. Faith had never heard of him using condoms before and hadn't used one with him even the first time.

Faust laid down and urged her to climb over him, and though she looked upset, she still swung her leg over his hips and stared down at the latex straining around his shaft.

"You fucked other girls?" She asked.

Faust grasped her thigh and pulled until she shimmied closer to his groin.

"Sit on it," Faust ignored her question. "Come on, baby. Ride it."

"Do we have to? I really wanted to feel you. All of you. Like how we used to fuck."

Faust rolled his eyes. "Don't be a brat, Faith. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll put on two," Faust chuckled.

She swatted him, giggling. "Fine, if this is the only way you'll let me fuck you, I guess that'll have to do."

"That's right, get on it, baby. Easy, easy... Oh... Oh, fuck... Oh, fuck! Fuck, yes, beautiful. Never been so hard in my goddamn life. Fuck me, baby girl. That's it. Nice 'n slow. Good girl."

"Mmph. I forgot how big you are!"

"No, you fuckin' didn't. You remembered damn well how big my cock is. How I split this little pussy open."

Faith rocked herself back and forth with help from his hands on her hips. He screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Faith stared down at the man, lost in his pleasure, his mouth changing shapes every time she moved. He was right; Faith hadn't forgotten for a second what sex with him was like, or how beautiful he looked with his head thrown back in ecstasy, or the filthy things he said the moment he was inside. Faust knew it too.

"Did you think about me when you fucked him?" Faust asked, catching her in an awkward spot. Faith didn't expect him to bring up Hunter so soon, and certainly not during sex.

"I... I, um—"

"You can tell me the truth. Did he have a bigger cock than me?"

"N-no! I don't think anyone could. The condom is about to snap because of it. So, you might as well take it off and fuck me raw."

Faust flipped her over and drove himself inside her a few times, slow but hard. She squealed with each thrust.

"Condom stays on."

Faith had more tricks to try on him. "Then how are you supposed to cum inside of me?"

"Did you let him cum inside of you?"

"Faust!"

"I'm serious," he said, leaning down to talk against her cheek while ramming her pelvis and making her quiver. "Did he blow loads inside this pretty pussy? Did he make you shake and cry and cum all over his cock?"

"No, Faust," she whimpered. "I wouldn't let him."

"That's right. 'Cause it's still my pussy. He had his fun with you, but you're back where you belong now... All around my dick. Getting. Fucking. Stretched. Open."

"Make it hurt, baby."

Faust slammed his hips forward several times until she cried out, then eased back to a normal pace.

"You're mine. Fuck, you feel amazing. Pussy's so fucking tight around me. Shit, baby, I'm not gonna last."

Just as Faust approached a groaning orgasm, Faith's phone started ringing in her purse. She looked at the bag, then back at him.

"Is that him calling? Wondering where you are? He has no idea you're with me, does he?"

Faith chewed her lip and couldn't answer.

"I fucking knew it," he said proudly. "Go ahead. Answer the phone."

"What!? No! Faust, that's so mean."

"You're already cheating on him. Just answer the phone and pretend everything's normal."

"I can't."

"I'll take the condom off if you answer the phone while you fuck me. You can have this cock raw if you really want. Make me cum deep inside this perfect little pussy.

"Really?"

"Yes, babe. Go get the phone."

Faust let her up and dropped onto his back while she fished her phone out of her purse. She looked at the screen and scoffed.

"It's just a telemarketer."

"Aw, that's too bad."

"Can we still lose the condom?"

"No. I'm still wearing it."

"That's not fair! I was going to! That should count for something."

Faust stared at her perky nipples, soft curves, and sad face. He smirked something evil.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Call him. Call him and break up with him while you fuck me."

"No! That's so mean! I can't do that."

"Oh, but you can cheat on him perfectly fine?"

"You're not being fair."

Faust nodded at her, then at his groin. "Nothing's fair. Call him. But first, get your hand around my cock."

Just the sight of her fingers trying to fit around his condom-clad shaft made him seethe, and when she put the phone to her ear while slowly jerking him, his chest unfroze after months of being without her. He tried not to moan while she whispered to her fake boyfriend that she couldn't see him anymore. It just wouldn't work with Faust around. The motion of her left hand faltered as the guy's heart broke, and Faust eclipsed her and squeezed, encouraging her to yank off the condom in mid-sentence. Hunter asked, "So, what? Are you with him right now?" And Faust twitched from the blood surge, eyes rolling to the back of his sick head.

Faust got brave and started whispering, Faith scowling and mouthing at him to shut up.

"Yeah, stroke it, baby girl. No more condom. It's all fucking yours."

Faith held the phone away from her face and hissed at him to keep quiet again, wearing a bare hint of a smirk. His sick little girl. His corrupted angel. There she was, begging to come back to him.

He gripped her jaw and wrenched her forward, smothering her mouth and keeping her from answering Hunter's pleas.

"You're mine. Tell him," Faust whispered, licking her lips open to dip his thumb inside her mouth. Faith hummed remorsefully but sucked his thumb all the same, eyes going shiny as she stared into his beautiful green eyes. Whether she liked it or not, she had dreamed of this reunion. In sleep, she always found him with those murderous eyes staring at her like his next meal.

"Get on me."

Faith tossed her phone aside, thumb slipping and maybe not ending the call with Hunter. There was a pinch of guilt in her heart, and then it was gone. It was only him, the love of her life. She climbed over his lap, and his legs stirred beneath her, parting and spreading her thighs ever wider. Faust sank back into the pillows, squeezed her hips, and eased her onto his cock the only way he wanted. With a deep groan, he pulled her forward, rocked her back, and did it repeatedly until she caught the rhythm. Steady and slow.

"I fucking missed you, baby," Faust said.

Faith clung to him and rode desperately, breathing in his hair, kissing his lips, and hanging onto his broad shoulders for leverage. Their breath synced until Faust jutted his hips and struck a gasp from her.

"M-missed you too, beetle. God, I missed your cock."

Faust chuckled, dark and mischievous. "Oh, yeah? S'that all you missed about me, huh? You missed getting fucked hard?"

"I just missed you."

"Oh, I'm absolutely positive your pussy missed me."

Faith covered her mouth, but Faust grabbed her wrist and held it behind her back, bending his knees and bucking his hips upward at a frantic pace he could only sustain for short bursts. It was worth the effort to hear her groaning.

"Don't get all shy. You know I love it when you talk dirty to me."

"I don't know what to say."

"Tell me how you'd close your eyes when he fucked you and pretend it was me."

The scenario was pure fact. Faith had pictured Faust in Hunter's place nearly every day. But the shame overcame her, and she buried her face in his neck and muttered, "Don't make me say it, Faust. You know I did."

His arms encircled her, and he set off on a motion that brought him close to the brink of orgasm. Before he touched the edge, he pressed his forehead to hers and commanded her eyes.

"Rub your clit, baby girl. Do it for me. I want you to cum."

"Mm...Okay."

"That's right. Make it feel good and cum on me."

Faith tried to get close, holding her breath and concentrating on her task until Faust took over. He used two fingers to rub her clit, slowly at first, then quicker. He alternated until he found the right pace, and she moaned. With his cock ramming upward, his hand working its dexterity on her, and his other hand gripping and spanking her ass, Faust coaxed an orchestral orgasm from her that ended in gasping heaves and whimpers that tipped him over the edge too. Hearing her desperate mewls while she tightened around him was the only thing that could ever make him cum. No other woman came close. Even with his eyes shut and Faith on his mind, they simply weren't her.

Under a wash of afterglow, Faith lay on top of him and relaxed to the pulse in his chest and neck. The regrets were sure to come, but it didn't matter. Faust and the appetizing danger that came with him were back.

"I'm so bad," Faith said after a few minutes of deep breathing.

"Yeah... You really are. Cheating on your boyfriend and getting fucked raw... Taking all my fucking cum in your pussy. You're a nasty girl."

"Don't make it worse!"

"You made it what you wanted. You're the one who was all like, 'Please fuck my pussy raw, Faust. Ew, I hate condoms. I know you were gone for a year, but I don't care where that cock's been'!"

"You love me. I know you wouldn't do it if you weren't sure."

Faust played with her hair and chuckled.

"You're right."

"For the record... you're still the only man who's ever cum inside me."

"Damn fucking right. Now, it's quiet time. I'm spent."

"No round two?"

He rolled her over onto her side, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. "In the morning. I need sleep."

"But—"

"Sleep, brat."

"Alright, fine."

"...I love you."

"I love you, too."

[scheodingers-muppet]

taylor time. last album at this point in time ! lover !!

I Forgot That You Existed - Steve and Tommy. you can decide if it’s platonic or not. “got out some popcorn as soon as my rep started going down” tommy leaving steve for billy. “would have fought the whole town” “sent me a clear message, taught me some hard lessons”

Cruel Summer - steddie. “bad boy, shiny toy with a price” eddie “the freak” munson. “devils roll the dice” hellfire dnd club…a game involving a lot of dice. “i’m not dying. you say that we’ll just screw it up in these trying times” you cannot convince me eddie wouldn’t be really nervous in the relationship.

Lover - steddie and byler. twofer, here. “i’m highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you” steve being popular in high school and everyone hitting on will throughout the show. “with every guitar string scar on my hand, i take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover” eddie with his guitar and “king” steve. “my hearts been borrowed and yours has been blue. alls well that ends well to end up you.” mike “borrowing” his heart out to el, but eventually ending up together. “swear to be over dramatic and true” eddie.

The Man - nancy. we’ve seen her getting frustrated with the blatant sexism in her field, being ignored and pushed down for being a woman. “they’d say i played the field before i found someone to commit to” and the slut shaming in season one. “when everyone believes ya, what’s that like?” and getting ignored and made fun of at her job in season 2. the bridge can also apply to guys in her life. “ranking in dollars and getting bitches and models” steve and tommy in season one (i’m willing to assuming tommy and steve bragged about getting with girls before carol and nancy) “and it’s all good if you’re bad and it’s okay if your mad” billy

The Archer - nancy again. “i’m ready for combat” always on edge after what happened with barb, always ready for the upside down to come back. “i’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches i almost said to you” we see her struggling wanting to open up in season 2, with her guilt with steve and letting barbs parents know what happened. “i ride off alone” becoming a bit of a loner and not making new friends after barb. “who could ever leave me darling? but who could stay?” her and steve breaking up, having issues with jonathan now. “all of my hero’s die all alone” barb died alone. she’s watching her mom raise them pretty much alone, with little to no help from her dad. “all of my enemies started out friends” her vecna traumas were her friends and peers. “they see right through me. can you see right through me?” having a strong shield but being scared and broken under it all

I Think He Knows - steddie. “his hands around a cold glass” the broken glass bottle. “wanna see what’s under that attitude” both sides, steve and his sarcasm and eddie and his standoff-ish-ness. “lyrical smile” (a reach, i know) “i’ll drive” paralleled with “harrington’s got her” just imagine steve gushing to robin like this LIKEEEEE COME ONNNNN

Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince - stancy, when they got back together between season one and two. “i saw the scoreboard and ran for my life” nancy leaving after everything that happened. “we’re so sad we paint the town blue” both grieving and processing. “they whisper in the hallway she’s a bad bad girl” and the cheating rumors during season one. mainly, nancy is the perfect girl next door troupe on first glance, miss americana, the perfect symbol. steve is known for being smooth and popular and a flirt, a heartbreaker kinda deal

Paper Rings - jopper. “i’ve waited my whole life” “i hate accidents except when we went from friends to this” “without all the ex’s, fights, and flaws, we wouldn’t be standing here so tall” they have their little family cause of their past, cause of the fights and exs and mistakes. joyce would also love just a little wedding in the back yard with inexpensive rings and just surrounded by their family and friends

Cornelia Street - steddie. I KNOW I SAY EVERY LOVE SONG IS STEDDIE BUT AHHHHH. anyways. “i get mystified by how this city screams your name” eddie thought king steve was still the king. “jacket around my shoulder is yours” eddie’s battle vest. “barefoot in the kitchen” so many steddie fics have them dancing or cuddling in the kitchen. SO MANY. and i think steve loves VERY deeply and would wrap around love like this.

Death By A Thousand Cuts - el and mike AND lumax. “chandeliers still flickering here” el messing with the lights with her powers. “i see you everywhere. the only thing we share is this small town” lucas seeing max at school but not being able to talk to her. “i look through the windows of this love even though we boarded them up” lucas wanting to try again, el fighting for mike back. “trying to find a part of me that you didn’t touch” mike helped el form who she is. “searching for signs in a haunted club” max’s happy place was the snow ball. “paper cut stings from our paper thin plans” el with the “from mike” letters.

London Boy - honestly no one. really just us with the british actors ig

False God - jancy. “the ocean separating us” and then going long distance. “the road gets hard when your guided by blind faith” the recent troubles in their relationship. i also just adore the idea of nancy viewing love as religious. like, she’s seen all the worst the world can give, with the upside down, losing her best friend, etc. easy to imagine her losing faith through that, so clinging on to something good she has in a religious since, like worshiping love or finding religion in being loved

You Need To Calm Down - el. i just think she’d like it

Afterglow - nancy. with who is up to you. but i think she has a tendency to self destruct and taking things out on the wrong people. see blowing up at steve when feeling guilty or fighting with her mom and jonathan when stressed. pushing away those there for her, even with being cold to robin at first. “put you in jail for something you didn’t do” “thought i had reason to attack, but no” “why’d i have to break what i love so much” “tell me that we’ll be just fine even when i lose my mind”

ME! - byler. “troubles gonna follow where i go” wills tied to the upside down. “i know i tend to make it about me” mike kinda ignoring will in season 3 and 4. “when we had that fight out in the rain” “living in winter, i am your summer” idk why but just really reminds me of them

It’s Nice To Have A Friend - elmax. “school bell rings, walk me home” “video games, you pass me notes” i like to imagine max taught el how to play dog dug. “20 questions, we tell the truth” “call you babe. have my back…every day”

Daylight - joyce. “love was as cruel as the cities i lived in” her ex was awful, and she wasn’t treated well by the town when will was missing. “i became the butt of the joke” “clearing the air, i breathed in the smoke” she used to skip class to smoke with hopper. “maybe i stormed out of every single room in this town” “in a 20-year dark night” i know it’s been longer since her and hooper met, but life without him in her day to day and then getting him back. the whole end is so her. “i just think that you are what you love”

[bisexual-horror-fan]

Tentatively Tending To Trauma. Poly!Camping Boys X FEM! AFAB! Reader. Chapter One: "Best Summer Ever?"

Oh my God! So! I know! Already?! First chapter of the new baby, the new long fic! Tentatively Tending To Trauma! This is going to be not only the first but THE poly!Camping Boys long fic, seriously, watch out! This is going to be the building of a triad from the ground up. All my other polyam fics have an established relationship that the reader comes into, but this one is the first to have everyone coming into this fresh and new. This will have fun, fluff, angst, hurt, comfort and yes, cuz it is me, smut. Buckle up and lets get into it! The best summer ever!

—

Rating. SFW. Length. 4K. Eventual Sam Wescott/Buddy Swanson X FEM! AFAB! Reader. She/Her Pronouns. Warnings: Movie Spoilers. Set After Stage Fright AND You Might Be The Killer. Nothing Heavy This Chapter. Road Trip. Setting The Table. Camping Fun Incoming. Light Drinking. Some Teasing. Buddy Already Ripping On Theater Kids. Shout Out To Steve The Kayak King. 

—

A lot of people say that New Years is the best time for a fresh start, one year ends, another begins and the slate is wiped clean. You used to be one of those people who thought that too but after one too many rocky January’s you cannot abide by that any longer. The first half of this year had been complete bullshit and you were over it, so, so over it. Why does January first have to be the one time of year things can change and start over? Why can’t you tie it to something else? March to the beat of your own drum?

You needed a change, desperately and you can’t wait till another Christmas has come and gone. You think why can’t the change of seasons signify great change in your own life? Summer was around the corner and why not use this to try and course correct your year? To fix everything wrong thus far and launch the remainder of the current three hundred and sixty five days into a better place? 

This is what you need. After some heavy examination you think back to when the best times in your life were, tried and true things you could cling to, what could be reintroduced into your life to help you heal? One thing stands head and shoulders above the rest. Summer camp.

You have had a lot of shitty and outright bad things in your life but summer camp? Getting away from it all, being around people who you didn’t see in the typical day to day, outdoors in the fresh air, ample physical activity, you think it might be just right. You had some of the best times of your life at camp but now you were an adult, why not give back? You could do your best to give kids like you once were a good summer, revisit some of your old good times and forage new ones. A new setting to sink into this change was perfect. You go on the hunt, hoping not every summer camp in the area has been filled up.

All the positions at the closest ones had been snapped up, lots of returning people, so no slots free for you but you didn’t give up so easily, you ended up finding a want ad for a camp hours and hours away from your town and that was even better honestly. 

A full break away to forget your troubles and put your time and energy into healing. You applied, breezed through the phone interview process and so you quit your current job and packed your car and headed off for just shy of three months of working at Camp Clear Vista in Louisiana. You arrived right when you were supposed to but still were one of the first people to get here, you got out of your car, the last stop was over an hour ago and your legs needed a good stretch.

You are reaching high above your head, trying to relieve the tenseness of your back muscles, enjoying the sun on your face and the fresh air when you hear the call of, “Hey!”

Your eyes peek back open and you look over to see a tall guy coming towards you, he was in olive green cargo pants, a blue t-shirt and a flannel thrown over top, hand raised in a wave and a smile on his face that made his nose scrunch in a rather endearing fashion. Your arms come down and you turn to face him, a wave back with a reply of, “Hello!”

He was soon right in front of you, his hand out, “I’m Sam Wescott, I run the camp.” There was a shift in expression, a slight cock of the head with a nervous laugh, “Well, I’m sure you know that-”

You take his hand and shake it, “Yeah we spoke on the phone, I’m-” And you gave him your name. You got a better look at him up close like this and realised the blue shirt was a Camp Clear Vista shirt, a small yellow design on the upper right part of his chest proclaiming the name, curved in a half circle underneath a classic looking illustration of a cartoonish flap tent. The shirt screamed nostalgia in a way that is an undeniable comfort. He had a firm handshake, strong hands and honestly, he was pretty cute.

His smile brightened considerably and he said, “Oh yes! I was impressed by your references. I am so excited you were able to come, our usual guy who handles the kayaks couldn’t come back this year.”

You raised a brow at that, particularly at the slight sadness at the mention of whoever this other guy was who was unable to return here. Also kayaks? You deal in canoes but you think maybe he misspoke so you brush it off and say, “Oh sorry he couldn’t but his loss is my gain I guess!”

You let go of his hand and he responded, “Yeah I tried calling but couldn’t reach him, I think he just took a different camp offer this year but no point in dwelling on all that. I hope you enjoy your summer here.”

Taking a quick look around, trees and lush greenery and some of the outskirts of the camp, you already felt lighter. “I think I am going to have a fantastic time.” 

He looked pleased as punch to hear that. “Amazing! Well everyone else is still arriving but once they are here I am gonna take some time to show you around the boathouse and walk you through what’s expected, alright?”

“Sounds good.” You responded honestly with a nod and he gave you a low thumbs up as another car started coming into the parking lot, “Awesome, I’ll see you soon.” 

You watch him jog off towards the car that just arrived to go greet whoever else. 

Later on you were turning in your phone at Sam’s prompting, connecting with nature and all that and he was handing over own camp counselor shirt. You take it with one hand and a smile while giving him your phone with the other. “No fighting about the phone thing? I think I like you already.”

“Hey the whole point is to get away from it all anyway, right?” You ask and he says, “Yes! Exactly! Thank you.” 

You really liked how he said things, this excitable energy that you think is infectious is permeating his body language and the words themselves and you find yourself wishing to match him. Before breaking away to let the next person in line go you say, “And just so you know I think I like you already too.”

He seemed pleased by that too and you left him to continue collecting phones and passing out shirts. You end up talking to a few other people, learning no one else has seemed to work here at this camp before, but most have camp counselling experience. 

Everyone is going to be assigned to a cabin and put in charge of a group of kids. The kids in question will be staying at camp in a rotation of about a month at a time, so you will have around three batches by the time summer is done. You were talking to two other girls, Mia who was going to be doing arts and crafts and Laurie who was into woodworking, both seemed just as hyped up for the summer as you were. 

You get lost in the conversation of where you are from, and what you are most looking forward to and soon Sam comes up to you, a tap on the shoulder, “Are you good for us to go check out the boathouse?”

“Yes! Absolutely.” You agree, a quick wave and goodbye to the girls and follow his lead. This is your first chance to really see the camp, he points out different parts and landmarks, “So there is the pool, the changing rooms, the main bathrooms with the showers are past that and over there, is where the kitchen and mess hall is.” 

“Oh yeah I had meant to ask about that, what is the food situation?” You asked and he said, “Meals are provided naturally, we have this guy who is going to be taking on the lead cook role with other people subbing in to be assistants as needed, Jason the lifeguard is kinda acting as a secondary cook whenever he isn’t needed and when he IS busy other people can give a hand.”

Before you could respond he tacks on, “Only if they want to of course! If you are up for it, some people are no good in the kitchen I know and can totally opt out and step up in other ways.”

“I don’t have that much serious cooking experience but if push comes to shove I can as you put it, step up.” You say honestly and he says, “Really? Thank you! This guy is supposed to be really good, he has years of experience being lead cook at a different camp so I am sure he can help guide you with whatever he needs when he needs it.”

Sounded fine to you honestly. You liked that the work was going to be shared evenly, you were going to learn some new things and gain some new skills this summer it seemed. You tell him it sounded good and that put you more at ease and then he said, “Once I walk you through this you can do whatever you want with the rest of the day, it’s already getting later in the afternoon and I like to use the first day to let people settle in.”

He tells you that you’ll get your cabin assignment shortly, can move your stuff in and then soon it’ll be dinner time, after dark there is going to be a campfire, drinks, stories and whatnot, a team building thing for everyone to get to know each other and it sounded like a fun time. 

You’d arrived at the boathouse quickly, he pulls out his keys and unlocks the door, he then takes a duplicate key out and presses it into your palm, “This is the secondary key, I’m the only other person who has a copy, it’s for safety reasons, you know for-”

“The kids.” You finish with a nod and he says, “Right.” 

He walked you around, there was a lot of equipment, a good set up, the boats outside on the racks looked a little worse for wear, you’d need to do some work on them to get them, no pun intended, ship shape and told him as such. You would need to do some cleaning, general prep, minor repairs and maintenance, nothing you couldn’t handle or didn’t have experience in. You have three days after today before the kids arrive to get it ready, more than enough time honestly. You told him you could handle it confidently and if you wrapped up early enough you could help out other places.

“Really?! That’s great, I knew I made the right choice picking you.” He did seem rather happy and you asked, “Yeah, so the old guy couldn’t come back?”

“Oh yeah, sadly no he couldn’t. I couldn’t get a hold of him. I’m gonna miss him this year honestly.” He said earnestly and you asked, “Oh really? Was he really good at this job?”

“He was! He was so good we all called him Steve The Kayak King. He knew his shit, was amazing with the kids. But more than that we are good friends, kinda best summer camp friends. It will feel a little strange without him is all.” 

”Awe I’m sorry to hear.” You were and you offered up, “I am sure we will still have a good summer and a lot of fun.” 

He brightened slightly, a nod and he said, “Oh totally we will.” 

“But I am glad this worked out. A bunch of places near my hometown were already full up.”

“Oh really? You live far away?” He asked and you said, “A few hours. I drove about four and a half, five hours to get here.” 

“That far?” A small drop of his jaw, “You came that far to work here?” 

You shrug and say, “What can I say? I have a feeling it is an opportunity I would regret passing up.” He seemed not only impressed by that but touched too. “I can only hope that the experience lives up to expectation.”

You had a funny feeling that it will. 

“I hate to run again but I am so busy making sure everyone knows what they need to do and is all set up, so I gotta go.” You tell him, “I totally understand, go on.” 

You wave him off and off he goes at a light jog once more. You watch him go, your mind lingering on your conversation about Steve, the supposed Kayak King. There was something about it, how he spoke, the emotion in his eyes, Sam reads as genuine, hardworking, honest and sweet. You’ve decided right there, you totally did like him.

You make sure the boathouse is locked and you decide you need to get your stuff out of the car. It is almost three hours later, your car is unpacked, you've made it to your assigned cabin, number three, and claimed your bed, proceeding to unpack most of your belongings. 

In the groove of folding and organising your clothes in the trunk that is at the end of your bed you are pulled out of it by a knock at the door alerting you it’s time for dinner. Your cabin isn’t that far from the mess hall but the walk is a welcome one, you enjoy the warm evening air and soon are seated with a tray laden with food at a table full of your fellow counselors. Before you can settle into seating there were three sharp claps that quiet the conversation. 

There was a call to pay attention and your eyes are drawn up to the front of the mess hall, there stands Sam Wescott but he is not alone, with a warm smile and a gesture to the person standing with him is paired with a thank you for making the dinner you are about to enjoy with everyone else. That is the first time you lay eyes on Camp Clear Vista’s new cook, clad in jeans with his hands tucked in the pockets, and his own camp branded t-shirt, over six feet tall, blue eyes and a mop of brown hair. He has a smile that only reads as mildly uncomfortable because of how many people were looking at him, but overall relatively at ease, you learn his name is Buddy Swanson. He gives a hello with a casual wave after Sam introduces him.

“It looks great, thank you so much for making this.” Sam said sincerely with a hand on Buddy’s shoulder, he shrugs and says, “No problem man, s’ my job.” 

“Still. Thank you, now uh, let’s all dig in, yeah?” And with that you all do so. Sam sits at a different table and you once again find yourself talking to everyone at your table. Mia and Laurie are near you, as well as Raymond, who was another life guard and Martin who was going to be a coach and general and activities coordinator. You were next to Martin who was telling you about how he was excited and had plans for an expedited baseball season between cabins as well as some full sports filled days that sounded like they could be a really great time. 

The conversation and food was really good. Once it is all done, you are led outside to where the main fire pit is, getting into what Sam told you would happen earlier, drinks, stories and more.

You flit about, talk to some people and after your first drink and the initial round of stories are done you are between talking, a break in conversations and you notice something, Buddy is here and he is sitting more by himself. You glance around and see Sam is busy, you figure, why not. You get up and come over, drink in hand and you say, “Hey, Buddy, right?” 

He looks up and says, “That’s me.” You tell him, “Great dinner.” 

A slight upward quirk of his lips, “Thanks.” You hold out your hand and give him your name. He took your hand, gave it a quick shake and said, “So did I look that lonely?”

You laughed, not expecting the quick joke and said, “I have to admit you did look kinda forlorn.” 

“Ouch.” He said before he brought his cup up and took a sip, you gestured next to him, “Mind if I sit?” 

“Yeah sure, you gonna be nicer to me?” You take the spot to the left of him and teased, “Maybe.” 

“Only maybe?” He asked and you shrugged before asking, “So why are you over here alone and not-” A gesture of your hand still cradling your drink, “-over with the herd, getting to know people, making merry?”

“Honestly?” He asked, a sideways glance to you and you affirm, “Honestly.”

“Parties aren’t really my thing, but Sam insisted I come along, said it would be good for me to get to know who I’d be working with for the next three months.” He took another drink, as did you, “I think he is right, part of this is to make new friends and connections. You against that?”

“I don’t connect with people easily.” 

Your eyebrows raise and you say, “Why is that?”

His response comes quickly, “Lots of reasons.” You feel a smile creeping up on your face, “Aren’t you mysterious?” 

“It’s a great trick to get people to have better opinions of me without them actually having to get to know me.” He felt a smile slipping onto his face too. “Really?”

“Yeah people usually say it as a good or a neutral thing. Isn’t he mysterious?” He said the last three words with a wave of the hand not clutching his drink, the flare and emphasis making you laugh as well as driving his point home. “Doesn’t it make people want to get to know you?”

“Not as often as you’d think.”

“Fair enough. So! How far away are you coming from?” You asked before saying, “I’m about five hours away.”

“Oh I got you beat.” He said confidently, “Yeah? How far?” 

“Canada far.” He said easily and it was time for your jaw to drop, “Shut up? Another country?”

“Well I didn’t come from there just for this. Been kinda on the road for a while, job hopping since my last summer camp job.” He said more quietly and you asked, “What was your last camp job?”

He looked like he was thinking over how to respond and you asked, “What? You don’t remember or something?”

“No, no I do I just…” He takes a drink, a hearty one, finishes his cup, a harsh inhale and a shake of his head and as if gaining some bravery from that he divulges “It was a theatre camp.”

A loud laugh and asked, “Holy shit, was it that traumatic?”

“You have no idea.” He sighed and you said, “Why’s that? You don’t like theatre?”

“God no! I hate it!” He exclaimed, his head tipping back, eyes up to the starry sky and you finished your own drink, “How about we get another beer and you can tell me all about why it sucks?”

That is just what ended up happening. You and he broke off, refreshed icy cans in hand, you wander the camp ground and he proceeds to vent about his distaste for all things theatrical, which was funny considering the theartics and drama he threw into the act of expounding his displeasure. He was the lead cook for years at his last camp and told you about the bullshit and stress he had to face, how annoying and picky the theatre kids were and even further about the times he was forcibly dragged into their activities and made to see the camp's shows. 

“A musical reimagining of the vagina monologues?” You asked, aghast and he groaned, one of his hands running through his curls, “A musical fucking reimagining of the vagina monologues. Have you ever been forced to sit through an annoying pitchy theatre kid belting out to the back row about the first time she genuinely moaned in a gas station on a road trip after not being able to pee for hours?! It is awful. Totally fucking traumatizing.” 

“I’d lose my dinner.” You told him and he laughed, “I almost did!” 

You were surprised by how fast you were clicking with him, the conversation was flowing well and you decided that yeah, you really liked him, just like you had decided earlier that you really liked Sam. The conversation calmed from its original topic, you telling him, “I’ve never worked at a camp before formally, I’ve been to a lot of summer camps though and I thought it’d be nice to give back, you know?”

He liked that. “Makes sense. And what are you going to do here?” He asked and you told him, “Canoes. I am in charge of the canoes.” 

“Never been in one honestly. You’ll have to take me for a ride sometime.” 

You think you will take him up on that. “I’d love to.”

The walk had taken you almost around the whole camp, between your drive and all the excitement you were tired and told Buddy as such, “Let me make sure you get back to your cabin okay.”

He walks you back and on the way you tell him, “I think you’re pretty cool Buddy. I’m looking forward to working together.” 

“I am too, I’m starting to think taking this job was the right call, I’m excited for a good experience working at a camp.” He said with a sigh and you said, “I am sure the kids here will be significantly less annoying than your average theatre kid.”

“I am sure there will be a lot less complaining about food with cheese in it as well as random breaking into song and I’ll happily take that.” Buddy said clinking his can against yours and you say, “Cheers, I’ll drink to that.” 

You and he both finish the last dregs of your drinks as you come upon your cabin. “This is me.”

“Number three, eh? I’ll keep that in mind.” He says and you respond, “Sure, swing by anytime.”

He nods starts to step away telling you, “Have a good night.”

You tell him, “You too and hey. Buddy?”

“Yeah?” He stopped, a look over his shoulder to you, “I'm glad I am your first friend at camp but don’t let me be your only one. Okay?”

He looks a bit surprised by what you said but tells you, brows furrowed slightly with a small nod and a confused smile, “Sure. Okay.”

“Promise?” You asked with a grin and he laughed, smile broadens and his eyes while still slightly confused are warm, lighter, “Okay, okay, fuck, I promise I won’t be antisocial this summer.” 

“Good! Apologise to Sam for me turning in early.” You ask and he says with a wave “Can do. Night.”

“Night.” You call and then retreat into your cabin. Buddy walked off, heading back towards where the main campfire was and thinking about how strange it was that you got under his skin so quickly, he was already making promises to you? It was strange but also, nice, a good change of pace. He hasn’t gotten even remotely close to another person in around a year, it is probably time he did. He couldn't be alone forever, it wasn’t feasible or realistic. 

Everyone needs a friend. 

You were getting ready for bed, feeling tired but happy, you had one thought in your head when you were drifting off to sleep, a small but hopeful one of, “Could this be my new best summer ever?” 

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 37 - Summer's Intuition

The Hot Girls Only club is back! They find a gym that's a good halfway point between Willow Creek and Tartosa.

It's been enough time where things don't feel weird… You know, besides Libby nearly knocking herself out.

Also, Becca finally lost the tan.

Let's move on to the real fun part about Hot Girls Only: gossiping. Becca showered first. Moms don't get a lot of free shower time.

Ophelia wants to hear all about Duncan, but he's a newborn. He doesn't do much. It's his first birthday party tomorrow though. Everyone's invited!

Ophelia: Can't wait, Bec!

Summer: Oh, Libby, maybe you can bring that girl you started seeing!

Ophelia: I've missed a lot, apparently!

Libby: Summer, I was waiting to tell other people.

Summer: And I did it now so you wouldn't worry about it. You're welcome!

Ophelia: You're seeing someone? Libby, that's great!

Libby: Oh, yeah. I am. Sorry, I was going to tell you. I just didn't want it to be awkward.

Ophelia: It's been a whole in-game week, Lib. That's like a year! We're good, I swear.

Libby: Thanks, Feefs. That means a lot.

Ophelia blathers on and on about her job and her new hobbies or whatever but Summer senses something else is up. Ophelia seems way too chipper talking about gardening. Summer may be a ditz but she knows a pleasantly satisfied Sim when she sees one.

Summer: OMW Ophelia got laid!

Ophelia: What?! Summer Holiday! You don't- I never- I cannot believe… Watcher damn it, how did you know that? I haven't told anyone!

Summer: You didn't have to tell me. I have an ESPN about this sort of thing. You're giving big "I got woohooed" vibes.

Becca: Come on, O, give us the deets. You seeing someone new too?

Ophelia: Ugh, fine. He's a friend. It kind of just happened. We, uh, we actually agreed to be woohoo partners.

Becca: Oooh, I've read 17 books just like this. See you at the wedding, girly pop.

Ophelia: Oh, stop! I've been focusing on a lot, I don't need a relationship right now. We just want to have fun.

Libby: We support you no matter what. Just be careful, woohoo partners can be tricky.

Ophelia: Thanks, Lib. I'll be okay.

Libby: Make sure risky woohoo is off!

Becca: I give it a week before they're in love.

Ophelia: Don't you have a child to raise or something?

Becca: Newborns really don't do much. I'm plotting out potential routes for your woohoo partners storyline in my head right now.

Being friends with an author kind of sucks.

All things considered, Ophelia's doing well, but there's always room for improvement. She really should call that therapy office Xander recommended…

Ophelia goes for a jog that night. She's really loved being active lately. It's nice to find out something new about yourself.

[geekgroovepod]

Via Lollapalooza! Chicago's 20 year Tradition returns this summer with spectacular lineup.

I am a huge believer in music unites people. It doesn't matter what walks of life you come from, what job you have, what education you gotten, so on and so forth. One thing is for certain, music heals.

Which is why I am over the moon about this years Lollapalooza lineup, which is also the 20 year anniversary of being here in Chicago, IL. Moving back in time for Lolla is perfect timing, as I missed the summertime Chi while I was living in California.

With the announcement of the line up dropping at 10am today, lets take a look at a few of my favorite artist and artists that I am looking forward to see.

SZA: I am SUPPPPPER excited to see her again! (I say again, because I'm going to Gazebo Fest in Louisville. Shoutout to Jack Harlow 100000%)

Tyler, the Creator: I LOVEEEE Tyler, I seen him at Lolla in 2021 and I had a blast. The section of the crowd that I was in wasn't really lively but, still it was really fun! I cannot wait to see him again!

The Killers: I love their music and I have never seen them live so this is a great opportunity to see them. I cannot wait to sing Mr. Brightside with my whole chest.

Future x Metro Boomin: First of all, I'm not the biggest fan of Future's personality but he does make really fire music. Metro Boomin is an amazing producer who is iconic on the beats so this is going to be a fire set.

Hozier: I geeked about this and I just gotten into his music recently, so I am super prepared to cry my eyes out.

Stray Kids: I not the hugest fan of Kpop, but I'm absolutely excited to see them live for the first time. Kpop has started to be add to Lollas line up as, J-Hope from BTS was the first Korean artist to headline lolla, while Tomorrow x Tomorrow became the first Kpop group to headline Lolla. History is being made and I am excited to witness this!

Victoria Monet: It Girl, That girl, she gonna kill it. Nuff said.

Zedd: I was suposed to see him this year! I am so happy to get the chance to see him again!

Dominic Fike: Awesome artist, great voice, and is a fire preformer!

Sexyy Red: "It's Sexyy!" I'm so excited to see her

Benson Boone: Met him when I saw Alex Warren sweetest guy ever.

Vince Staples: Fire, and his show on Netflix is amazing. *Watch it*

Kesha: Comeback Queen. I am so excited to see her preform.

There is alot more great artist I'm excited to see, like Flo, Raye, Tate Mcrae, Conan Gray, Huddy and more.

Lollapalooza 2024 is August 1-4 in Grant Park in Chicago, IL. Tickets go live on Presale March 21st from 10am- 12pm CT and 12pm CT with a price increase.

I hope to see you all in Grant Park this August, and keep it locked on Geek Groove Pod for all the music festival news and updates!

[celiastjamesoscar]

Nike is doing much better. She's got a new coat and has to sleep as a burrito from now on cause she gets sick easily

Lol Stinky is secretly Frank in disguise. He's Franks a bit nicer twin but deep down he also loves to cause trouble. Stinky is a fashion icon, so the collar you bought him just wasn't up to his standards 🤷🏻‍♀️

😭 Butters is an absolute king!! He's just living in his own world and enjoying life. I'm sure he has his talents, you just haven't discovered them yet... OH THE CIRCUS! He could join the circus, just look how he is playing with the ring. He's a gymnast! I hope you have a party planned for him. He deserves all the treats, toys and presents! Give him birthday cuddles from me.

Melissa is a queen for standing her ground and not backing down. Jenna is using her power for good and supporting the right cause. They both deserve much better. Scream 7 is dead. Neve already got fucked over by them once and now that the main characters are gone, for a bullshit reason, I don't think that she'd agree to come back. Scream 6 ended in such a nice way that the franchise can stop now.

Oh true! Happy belated Thanksgiving, honey! I hope you enjoyed your break and could relax a little. 4 years is not that bad! Working with the dummies and doing practicals sounds so exciting!! Finally you will be doing nurse work and get a real look into the job!

Nike looks absolutely adorable in her new coat; she could be a model!! You better give her all of the cuddles while she’s in her burrito for me!

Stinky is just like Frank, only if Frank actually let us cuddle her. I’m going to get Stinky an annoyingly bright pink collar as punishment for taking off his constellation one

Butters would run the circus like the military 😭 I’m actually getting ready to go get him some new toys and a treat from town for his birthday!! He was a little shit this morning and was demanding cuddles, so he will receive them!

Melissa is doing the right thing by standing her ground and giving support to those that need it, i just wish that it didn’t cost her job. Jenna also supporting Melissa is huge, and now that Neve is refusing to come back, there’s no way Scream 7 is going to happen

Thank you love!! My break has been amazing and I don’t want to go back to school tomorrow 😭 4 years isn’t bad at all, and I might even finish up early if I decide to do classes over the summer as well. I honestly cannot wait until we actually get to start doing stuff that pertains to our major!!

[gryffindormarveltwilight]

Hogwarts Champion Part 4 - Sirius Black x Reader

A/N: Here is Part 4, i am not overly happy with chapter but needed a bridge chapter! It is a bit shorter than the last parts as well. As always any feedback or suggestion or request please let me know! x

Masterlist:

Part 3

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader

Warnings: injury, fluff

Time slowed for the four marauders staring at their best friend who was being lifted onto a stretcher and carried to the hospital wing. The follow suit behind remus picking up the golden egg that was left behind. As everyone arrived at the hospital wing they put Y/N onto one of the beds. The healers were quick to close the curtains around her as they examined her. Sirius and James moved forward so they could try and catch a glimpse of Y/N laying in the bed. McGonagall was quick to step in front of them.

“Boys, I know you want to be with her but let them do their job.” She told them in a sad voice.

“But…”

“No buts Mr Potter, take Mr Black and the others back to the common room, if there is any news you will be the first to know okay.” The boys nodded and grab Sirius’ are dragging him out of the hospital wing. As they exited the doors Sirius spoke for the first time.

“I am going to wait here,”

“Pads you heard what Minnie said.”

“I know Moony but I cannot leave her.”

James spun toward Sirius an angry look on her face.

“So what now you dont want to abandon my sister! Our best friend! But you were fine abandoning her for the last few weeks to what run off with Marlene!”

“James…..” Remus tried to calm him down.

“No Remus, he ignored her, he hurt her.”

“WE ALL DID.” Remus yells everyone looking at him.

“We all did in one way or another, she was feeling lost, insecure, unworthy, its why she entered this contest in the first place.”

“What?” The other three boys muttered.

“I found out over the summer, i found her upset in her room on weekend when we were staying over, she told me everything was starting to wear her down. The constants comparisons to you feeling like she was never good enough never making your parents proud enough, Sirius that girl is so head over heels for you and all she did was watch you flirt with every other girl that is not her, then when she finally gets a boy interested she gets dumped for someone else or cheated on, her whole Hogwarts life she has felt second best to everyone! And none of us noticed! Then she finally does something for her and her best friend ignores her and her brother yells at her!”

“W-we didn’t know.” James whispers

“Yeah what great friends we are.” Peter whispers “she does everything for us and we didn’t notice she was having a hard time.”

Remus nods and leaves the boys Peter following quickly behind. James and Sirius looked at eachother before taking a seat on a step near the hospital wing.

“How did we not know.” James mutters.

“We were too busy to notice the best thing we have in our life was struggling. We have a lot to make up for.”

“That we do. Sirius have you every seen Y/N use that much power before.”

“No Prongs, I grew up around some of the most powerful wizard families and I have never seen anyone use power like that.”

Before James could reply Minnie burst through the doors.

“Ahh Mr Potter, Mr Black i should have known you would be here still.”

James and Sirius quickly stood and ran over to her not saying anything.

“She looks as though she will be okay, now it is just a matter of her waking up.”

“B-but she is okay.”

“Yes Mr Potter, she has a few broken ribs, a broken arm and cuts and bruises as for why she won’t wake up we believe it may have to do with the show of power she displayed.”

The boys nodded breathing a sigh of relief,

“You can go sit with her, i will not be the one to keep you from her.”

The boys walked into the hospital wing both pulling up a chair on either side holding Y/Ns hand.

SIRIUS POV

One Week Later

It had been a week since Y/N went up against the dragons and she still hadn’t woken up, James and I stayed by her side not wanting to leave her alone, we only left to shower and eat and when we left we made sure Remus or Peter sat with her. Minnie had allowed us to not go to class considering Y/N was family so long as we did our homework which Remus got for us. No one could tell us why she hadn’t woken up but everyone was sure it had to do with the amount of magic she used, we bad started doing our own research into how she used that much magic, after all James was her twin and never showed any sign of being that powerful and she had never shown those signs either. Sure the Potter Twins were two of the most powerful students in our class but Y/N showed a different type of power no one had seen before, we even wrote to Mr and Mrs Potter and they didn’t have any ideas either.

I was sitting next to Y/N James had been dragged away by Lily to go eat in the Great Hall, I was reading a book on element witches as i held her hand when i suddenly felt her squeeze my hand. I all but threw the book onto the next bed as i clasped my other hand around hers and she squeezed it again, I looked around to see if anyone was near by when i saw my brother.

“Reg!” I yelled, and my brother turned to look at me with a glare until he saw the panic on my face, “Please go get James and the others.” He just nodded and ran to the great hall. I sat there staring at Y/N hoping this meant she was waking up.

James POV

Lily had come into the hospital wing where i was sitting with my twin. This last week i hadn’t spent much time with anyone other than Sirius and a sleeping Y/N. Lily all but dragged me out to the Great Hall to eat a proper meal claiming that Y/N would be angry if I didn’t look after myself.

“James! James!” I was broken from my thoughts as i looked up at a concerned Lily.

“What Lils?”

“Please try to eat.” I noticed that my food sat in front of me untouched.

“I-I can’t what if she doesnt wake up.” I heard my voice break and so did everyone around me. All of a sudden we were all pulled away from the conversation as we heard Regulus Black crash into a student running into the Great Hall. We heard him mumble a quick apology as he kept running, he came to a stop in front of us, trying to catch his breath.

“S-sirius, Y/N, waking up.” I jumped out of my seat upon making sense of Regulus’ incoherent sentence, running out of the Great Hall followed by Remus, Peter and Regulus. When we finally made it to the hospital wing we were greeted with the long awaited sight of Y/N sitting up smiling with Sirius next to her tears rolling down his face while he smiles.

Y/N POV

I felt something heavy in my hand, out of muscle memory I gave it a small squeeze, i then heard a thud and then more weight on my hand, so i squeezed it again. Then i heard something that sounded like yelling, though i couldn’t make out who or what was being said. My eyelids felt like they weighed a tonne however i forced them open taking in my surroundings. The hospital wing. I then sat up to see Sirius sitting on a chair next to my bed tears rolling down his cheek as holding onto my hand like a lifeline while looking at the ground head resting on our hands.

“Well you look like crap Pads.” He whipped his head around to look at me and a smile spread across his lips, before i knew it he smashed his lips against mine.

“Not that i am complaining but what was that for.”

“Don’t ever worry me like that again Y/N, watching you fall from that broom after taking on a dragon. I have never been so worried.” I look at him closer than before noticing a bit of stubble growing around his face, hair tied back, red and puffy eyes,

“How long?”

“A week,” i took a deep breath,

“Guess that explains the little beard you have going on.” I laughed and he giggled as well.

“A week in a coma and you are poking fun at me. Y/N we need to talk.” We were interrupted before Sirius could say anything else by four boys crashing still at the door, i saw my disheveled looking twin at the front of the group surprise and then shock on his face as he runs toward me squishing me in a tight hug.

“J-James i cant breathe.” I giggle as he pulls away,

“Sorry,” he mumbles. Remus and peter are next over giving me quick gentle hugs all of them have glazed over eyes full of unshed tears,

“Gosh anyone would thing you guys were worried about me.”

“What gave that away.” I hear a giggle from behind them.

“Reg what are you doing here?” I ask a small smile on my face. All the boys tense it was no secret they were not regulus biggest fans. They thought he was a pureblood fanatic like his parents, what they didnt know was Reg and I had become friends in recent years, the other thing they didnt know was i helping Reg try and escape his parents we just hadnt figured out a plan yet.

I could see Reg contemplating his answer.

“I was walking past the hospital when you started waking up Sirius asked me to get James.”

“Well its nice to see you, thank you for getting my brother.” He nodded and walked away.

“That was weird, why would a slytherin check up on you.” Sirius asked.

“Maybe your brother was concerned and thought you would go even more mad if i didnt wake up.” I joked though Remus was the only one who laughed.

“Well boys I think we should let Y/N rest.” Remus said breaking the silence before he and peter gave me a quick hug and started walking out.

“I will be back later okay sis?”

“I would expect nothing less, can you write to mum and dad tell them i am okay?”

He nods giving me a kiss on the forehead and following the other to.

“Want to tell me whats going round in your head Siri?”

“I thought I lost you twice, and that you had died not knowing how i feel about you.”

“Would how you feel have anything to do with you ignoring me since i got selected.” I say with a little bit of anger behind it, Sirius lowers his head and nods a little.

“Talk Pads tell me what you are thinking.”

“I Love You Y/N, hearing your name being called out for a deadly tournament i got so scared, then remus telling us how you dont feel worthy of being our friend and pretty much that you don’t know how proud we are of you or how we would crumble without you and that you have been struggling and none of us, that I haven’t noticed that, watching you take on a dragon thinking it killed you with fire, seeing you use an enormous amount of power then falling off the broom landing you in a coma, i feel like i failed you.” Sirius finally took a breath.

“I love you too Sirius.” His head snapped up making eye contact with me.

“Really after everything i just said.”

“Yep after everything. But you have a girlfriend remember.”

“I broke it off with her.”

“Really when?”

“The night you were selected.”

I stared at him blankly that was over three weeks ago now and i hadn’t noticed.

“Why didn’t you tell us.”

“I was scared and you were already stressed and needed to look after yourself.”

I grip his hand slightly tighter.

“When you are out of here we are going on a real date.”

“I would love that.”

“Maybe we can go to the Yule Ball together?”

“The what?”