#edward knows right from wrong!

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Alriiiiight it's time for some more Edward Scissorhands discussion.

So something I find very interesting is how both characters in the movie and some people I've seen comment on it seem to think Edward doesn't understand right and wrong. This comes up after the whole robbery incident a few times; the "psychiatrist" at the jail says because Edward's been isolated he doesn't understand right from wrong. When Edward comes back home they have the dinner discussion about it where Bill (and Peg to an extent) seem to also assume that Edward doesn't know basic morality/right and wrong.

But I feel like everything we've seen of Edward to this point contradicts this. Edward is extremely polite and gentle, he never hurts anyone until the end of the movie as I discuss in this post and he's horrified when he eventually does, accidentally, hurt people. So he knows that harming others is wrong. We see the Inventor teaching him about etiquette in the one flashback so it follows that the Inventor taught him other things like, oh, I don't know, basic morality.

But the most obvious piece of evidence is the conversation he has with Jim at the start of the robbery:

Edward (in an accusatory voice): This person stole from you?

Jim: Keep your voice down! I told you he stole it.

Edward: Tell his parents and they'll make him give it back.

EDWARD KNOWS STEALING IS WRONG! He knows that's not something people are supposed to do! If he didn't he'd have never said this to Jim and I think it's wild that so many people who watch the movie seem to miss this. Like, the more I rewatch the movie the more I think that every single little thing in it has a meaning and a reason for being included (and I LOVE that) and this specific conversation RIGHT BEFORE they try to rob Jim's house is highlighting for the viewers that Edward knows right and wrong and, more specifically, he knows stealing is wrong. In fact I think he instinctively does, and I'm not sure if that's something the Inventor gave him or it just happened to be how he turned out, but either way Edward very definitely understands good and bad.

If you want more evidence of this just look at how he's acting during the aforementioned dinner scene. This is right after he tears up the curtains/wallpaper and he's being scolded for it but oh my gosh look at him-

I have never seen anyone look more like a kicked puppy in my life please someone give him a hug he's literally just traumatized and overwhelmed he was in jail last night-

If Edward had no concept of right and wrong he wouldn't be ashamed when he messes up. He knows he did something wrong and from how he looks here I can only assume that's soul-crushing for him. Like, he's tried so hard to be good and then he slips up because he's only human and it crushes him. He's barely paying attention to anything in this scene, he's not even trying to eat, they prompt him multiple times before he actually replies to the question he's been asked and when he finally does reply he looks so hopeful-

"Give it to my loved ones?"

I saw a comment on a video that said something along the lines that Edward understands right and wrong but he doesn't know laws and I think that's probably a better take on what's happening. Like yes, Edward's been alone in the mansion for a long time, but the Inventor did teach him before he died, and he taught him to be kind and gentle and not hurt people (or steal, apparently). But it makes sense that they hadn't gotten to actual laws, let alone the specific situation "what do you do if you find a random bag of money?" (also the answer according to the site I did my taxes on is apparently "you can keep the money but it WILL be taxed and if you don't report it THAT IS A CRIME" so you know what, Edward's answer is valid according to the IRS.)

As a side note I love how after Edward gives his answer the dad has to re-calibrate for a moment, like this man genuinely thought Edward would keep the money and Edward's actual answer catches him off guard and he's like "oh no he's given a pure answer what do I do now"

this is so funny to me. sir Edward doesn't even charge for the WORK he does, forget teaching him about morality for the love of everything teach him how money works

[daughterofsarenrae]

The Characters are pieces of lettuce and my brain is a salad spinner

[ofmdsalt]

i really enjoyed con and taika’s implied backstory/headcanons for izzy and ed’s past and how they met at kids, grew up together etc etc and i was always really bummed that we never get a flashback to see that.

then I saw the fandom discourse and it’s sheer unerring devotion to misread every single one of Izzy’s relationships & interactions in the worst possible faith, and I’m pretty sure that if we’d gotten that flashback in canon, the gentlebeardies would say some shit like “it’s so clear now that Izzy groomed Ed from the beginning” because that is level of media illiteracy we are at.

hey op! if you have any links to where con and taika have talked about their backstories for there characters, i'd love to check them out and see what they said!

the one part on Taika's take on Ed and Izzy's relationship is him saying to Con that they were like Jesus and Judas Iscariot from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and i for one find this imagery very interesting! indulge me for a moment here.

many people raised within a Christian context and/or society all likely know of the story of Jesus and Judas. Judas, as one of the original 12 disciples, being the one to eventually betray Jesus and lead the Romans to him in the Garden of Gethsemane all for 30 pieces of silver. the guilt of this leads Judas into killing himself. the interpretation of his character is predominantly about how bad he is. how evil he is. how he is responsible for Jesus' death and it's largely simplified his character. i prefer more modern interpretations of him, and i think Jesus Christ Superstar made him a much more nuanced character than say others media have done (Mel Gibson's fairly antisemitic Passion of the Christ comes to mind when it sort of also supports the over-simplification of Judas' role in Jesus crucifixion)

but this is all to say the interpretation i like the most comes from the understanding of Judas being more concerned and hesitant about Jesus when he started kicking up more attention. more attention directed at them. like clearly Judas was comfortable with what Jesus was saying and preaching. he stuck around long enough to be called a disciple, but the moment those words turned into actions? when Jesus started flipping tables in the temple? when he started miraculously healing and calling people back from the dead? well, now, hang on, Teacher. all this noise will draw the ire of the Romans. is that what we want? is that what you are calling us to do? what if they come and jail us? what if they kill us? Jesus' radicalism in a time of oppression may have scared those too willing to keep their head down. consume some radical materials on the side, but otherwise not stick their necks out too far out of fear they would get themselves killed. i mean, Peter likewise denied ever knowing Jesus for fear that he would be crucified too.

but even after all that, Jesus was killed. murdered by the state for his beliefs. perhaps Judas didn't think they would take it that far. that he wouldn't be made a message, but he was. and it's that grief that pushed Judas into committing suicide

going back to the parallels of Ed and Izzy, it's easy to see where Taika would get this inspiration. Jesus Christ Superstar starts with Judas warning Jesus against Mary Magdalene because accepting a prostitute would go against his teachings. Izzy is frustrated by Ed's growing fascination with Stede because it goes against his teachings of keeping pets on board, and Izzy tries to get Ed to see how Stede is nothing more than a pet project to Ed. and pets are not allowed.

i can see Izzy's frustration with Ed's changing path of being more "why would you give up the image of Blackbeard when that fearsome reputation has kept you and your crew safe for all this time? why would you give it up to be this gentleman? to be this fish out of water?" just as Judas might wonder why Jesus is as outspoken as he is. why draw more attention to yourself? why make yourself a deliberate target in this way? why why why?

Judas does what he thinks is best in the moment and so does Izzy, but Izzy doesn't let Ed go to his doom. he pays his bail and tries to show him why it's dangerous for people like them to give up on the things that have kept them safe. even if those ways of being are no longer required. the world has changed, is changing, and they should change with it.

it's a tragedy what they have become. too used to the pain and violence that has become a reality for them to even see that there is another way of existing.

all we can do now is speculate on how Ed and Izzy came to meet and how they came to be friends. how they came to be what they are. i think there's a lot of potential for people to play around with who they were, how they rose to infamy, and how they ultimately destroyed each other. it was mutual self-destruction and it's frustrating to see how certain other fans try to over simplify the relationship. either by removing Ed's agency entirely to say that it was all Izzy's doing, despite how they also assert that Izzy is actually a terrible planner and has never done anything successful in his life ever.

im sure David and co had more plans for Ed and Stede flashbacks as they did throughout s1. it would've been interesting to see how Ed took on the name Blackbeard. where he started. where it all came together because we all know how it fell apart

[fideidefenswhore]

Thomas Stafford was the ninth child and second surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. Little is known of his early life, first being mentioned in 1550 as he travelled to Rome, where he associated with his uncle Reginald Cardinal Pole. He spent three years in Italy before travelling to Poland, obtaining the recommendation of King Sigismund Augustus who requested Mary restore him to the Dukedom of Buckingham. Augustus's appeal appeared to have no effect. When Stafford returned to England in January 1554 he joined the rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt; this arose out of concern of Mary's determination to marry Philip II of Spain. The rebellion failed and Thomas was captured and briefly imprisoned in the Fleet Prison before fleeing to France. There, he intrigued with other English exiles and continued to promote his claim to the English throne. On 18 April 1557 (Easter Sunday) Stafford sailed from Dieppe with two ships and over 30 men. Landing in Scarborough on 25 April 1557, he walked into the unprotected castle and proclaimed himself Protector of the Realm,[2] attempting to incite a new revolt by denouncing the Spanish marriage, railed against increased Spanish influence and promised to return the crown "to the trewe Inglyshe bloude of our owne naterall countrye".[1][3][4] Stafford claimed he had seen letters at Dieppe showing that Scarborough and 12 other castles would be given to Philip II and garrisoned with 12,000 Spanish soldiers before his coronation.[5] Three days later, the Earl of Westmorland recaptured the castle and arrested Stafford and his companions. Stafford was beheaded for treason on 28 May 1557 on Tower Hill, after imprisonment in the Tower of London. Thirty-two of his followers were also executed after the rebellion.[6].

[thehmn]

I wanted to make this post because we don’t see a lot of asexual characters in western media and despite him being from a hugely popular show (Seaside Hotel) you’re unlikely to know of his existence if you’re not from Denmark.

His name is Hjalmar Aurland and he’s one of the more sympathetic and realistic asexual characters I’ve seen. He lives in a time and place where asexuality as a concept doesn’t exist yet so he’s never labeled as such but rewatching the show made me realize that he acts exactly like the asexual people I personally know. Asexuality can mean a lot of things but his specific brand isn’t naive to sex nor is he repulsed by sex, sexual desire or thoughts simply doesn’t come naturally to him.

He can be convinced to have sex with his wife Helene but only if she appeals to their emotional bond. Just so you don’t get the wrong idea, he’s not being forced or emotionally blackmailed to sleep with her. It’s simply that he understands sex is a way to show emotional love too and he wants to express that love for Helene when it’s important to her, and seeing as sex isn’t unpleasant to him, just kinda boring, he’s willing to do that for her.

Unfortunately that isn’t enough for Helene and despite her love for Hjalmar she starts an affair with the dramatic and emotional actor Edward Weyse. He has a string of relationships, marriages and divorces behind him because despite what it may look like from the outside Edward doesn’t really want shallow sexual relationships. He just can’t help himself and keep falling in love with women left and right, fully and wholeheartedly, only to be dumped or dump them once the initial excitement has passed.

So Helene and Edward’s affair that was only meant to satisfy their carnal desires quickly becomes romantic. Helene feels torn between him and Hjalmar who she still loves and Edward understands the difficult situation they’re both in while also feeling jealous of Hjalmar. And Hjalmar? He doesn’t catch on for years. He’s not stupid but his brain just doesn’t jump to sex. He just assumes they’re good friends and why shouldn’t his wife be allowed to have friends, even male ones? Things get really complicated when Helene gets pregnant and she has to have sex with Hjalmar so he won’t wonder how it happened. Edward even has to join in on the seduction, reminding Hjalmar how much Helene loves him, even though it breaks Edward’s heart to do so.

But like I’ve said Hjalmar isn’t stupid. He saw the signs but chose to ignore them until one night when Helene accidentally says Edward’s name. It breaks the dam in Hjalmar’s denial and he has to face that deep down he always knew. Overcome by sadness and betrayal he wanders off into the night in nothing but his nightgown and gets a room at a different hotel where he can think in peace. Eventually he agrees to return to the first hotel with Helene and Edward and decides to take control of the situation.

He sits them both down and tells them that he understands that the three of them share a bond and that there are things he can’t really do for Helene so from now on he wants their relationship to be open and honest. He wants Helene and Edward to keep seeing each other and Edward is welcome in their house, but Hjalmar wants to be allowed to call Edward by his first name and makes it very clear that Helene and Edward’s children “belong to him” because he still thinks of himself as their dad and loves them as his own children. Both Helene and Edward agrees to it, though the emotional Edward is very flustered and confused by the acceptance and love he’s being shown by Hjalmar.

This is obviously a very tv drama situation but I was so stuck by how much Hjalmar acts like my asexual friends. Having a lover for your partner isn’t the most common solution but it’s an idea I’ve heard a lot of asexual people be open to under the right circumstances and of course that’s the most dramatic solution for a romantic tv drama.

Hjalmar is defined by so much more than his sexuality though. His main characteristic is his passion for social justice and equality, and other than some early show weirdness before they really cemented the characters, Hjamler is the only character who floats freely between the men and women. He’s just as likely to sit with the men as he is the women, often appearing in otherwise entirely female spaces. It’s never questioned or even brought up, not because he’s a “safe asexual” but because he cares and think their worries are as important as the men’s. He’s often called a pessimist by the other men when in reality he is determined to be hopeful and compassionate and spread the love he feels the world is lacking as WWII draws closer.

So yeah, I just wanted to share this sweet ace guy with you because you probably wouldn’t have known about him otherwise.

[emacrow]

He has offically lost his mind.

Warning of murder and talk of blood and Vivisection.

The Riddler, also known as Edward Nygma, drives in the stolen family car as fast as the speed limit could take him out of Amity Park.

His green riddler outfit was coated in blood that wasn't his, lightly glancing at Jazz, his distant niece in the passenger seat.

Her eyes were baggy and red as she sniffed, holding onto the three bundles in her arms.

A 2 year old toddler that was his nephew and two newborn(neverborn, uncle eddy, they neverborns.) Jack fenton sitting in the back between Sam and Tucker looking awkward as hell.

He had read the letter two days ago and visited his distant half-sister Maddie. He wasn't expecting his distant niece to be tied up in chair, some warp verison of the fear containment bubble, weakly crying and begging for them to let danny go.

He expected worse from his half-sister, but in that basement... it was like a living nightmare brought to life before his very eyes.

That was Danny on that table. His favorite little munckin of a deaged nephew with inverted coloring muffled screaming into a fenton mouth gag while Maddie digging into his chest with Jack tremblingly behind her, his large hand shakenly so much holding a jar with two babies in it, eyes glancing at Maddie and Danny with some sort of realization peaking in his glance.

Edward cautiously tips toe down the stairs as quietly as he can, holding his question mark staff as he listened on.

"M-Maddie, ph-Danny might be telling the truth. He is bleeding red now!"

"Oh, Jack, remember ghosts tend to mimic and possessed people around us. Phantom had been living right under our noses and using our sweet Danny like living costume, look how small he gotten afterall, Who knows how long he has the time to copy all Danny's personality to sabotage our weapons. Now be a sweetheart and hand me that bone mallet." The way his half-sister sounds so cold yet sweet made Edward sick to his stomach as he was inching closer, holding his staff at the right angle for a clean shot at her head.

"No. No, this is wrong. That Dann-o, that's our baby, Maddie! He has the exact scar on his left midsection from the fishing trip. Ghosts don't heal from scars when they are dead, Maddie!" Jack shook his head, taking a step or two back from Maddie. His face was becoming paler. Jack looked as though he was going to lose his lunch at any moment with horror in his eyes.

"That Thing Is Not danny anymore when it -" Maddie turned to yell at Jack was when Eddie struck. Hitting her hard in the head was a clean knockout.

"E-eddie?" Jack, look wide-eyed at Edward Nygma, who looks ready to swing at him but stopped, glancing at table.

"Sew Danny up now, or I swear to Meemaw Gretchen, I'll beat you within every inch of your life if he doesn't make it." Eddie growled as he hit Maddie one more time for good measure with the staff.

He thought she was clear from the insanity that was their mom, but apparently not.

He pushed back the flashback and kept focusing on driving. Those GIW creep tried to ambush him one more time, then he got a bloody cane to beat them with too.

Part 1 here <- part 3 -> here

[ellewritesx]

right person, wrong address

Summary: When an envelope meant for Harry Styles ends up in your mailbox, what started with misdelivered mail might end up delivering something neither of you expected.

A/N: this is my first tumblr fic guys be gentle! i don't have any other posts lined up yet, just kinda wanted to get my first one out of the way and see what you guys thought. i'm still kind of finding my style, so don't take this too seriously. hope you like it x

Word Count: 2,416

...

Londom hums with the quiet taps of rain against your windows. It's not a storm, just the kind of drizzle that makes everything feel still and turns the world soft around the edges. You haven't quite figured out how to make the heat work properly in your new apartment yet, so you're curled up on the couch with a blanket, a chipped mug of tea warming your hands: one of your most recent thrift store finds.

There are unpacked boxes you've been procrastinating unpacking still scattered across your living room, but you're too tired from assembling the closet in your bedroom. It's a little crooked, and for some reason there were five bolts and a plank of wood left when you were done (where the hell did those come from?), but you're proud of your little handiwork nonetheless.

You nearly forget to check the mail, your package (a gorgeous flowery pillow cover set, score) supposed be arriving today.

You throw on a hoodie, walking down the stairs to your mailbox down by the entryway, the red paint chipping and the little silver slot barely budging. You wrestle the box open with a familiar clatter, sighing at the pile of papers. Junk flyers, something official-looking from your new job… and a minimalistic envelope.

Thick paper. Cream-colored. No return address. It's addressed to flat 5B. You live in flat 4B, so this envelope being accidentally delivered to you doesn't surprise you. The name written on it in sharp, slanted handwriting, on the other hand, does:

H. Styles

Your stomach dips. H. Styles?

You look again, thinking you must've read this... well, neat, handwriting wrong, but no, it's clear.

It's not that H. Styles, you tell yourself. Maybe there's a Henry Styles you're unaware of. Or a Howard Styles. Some poor sucker who's unfortunate enough to share a last name with a global popstar. Surely they're out there.

You hold the envelope delicately, as if it might disintegrate from the weight of the name alone. The paper feels… expensive. Private. You flip it over in your hands. It's sealed. Untouched. Your fingers twitch.

You're not going to open it. Obviously. That would be rude. No, illegal. Opening this envelope would be a federal crime. So you're definitely not going to. At least for now.

But you are going to look at the building's tenant list you got when you moved in, something about ''in case of emergencies'', like there'd ever be an emergency prompting you to call Greg from 4D who sits behind his computer all day, and whom you've frankly never seen besides at that one fire drill a week ago.

You pull the crumpled list out of your junk drawer in the kitchen, littered with various household items and papers you don't want to give a place but can't quite throw away. This is just out of curiosity. You're not a creep, you're... a responsible neighbour. That's all.

You chew on your lip absentmindedly as you skim over the list.

Flat 5B... Harry E. Styles.

You know enough about Harry Styles to know his middle name starts with an E. Edward, you believe. Something you've seen on social media: one of those dumb '12 fun facts about Harry Styles' videos on your For You page. What they didn't bother to give you a heads-up of, is the 'fun fact' Harry Styles happens to be your neighbour.

And for some godforsaken reason, some postal glitch or careless hand or twist of cosmic fate, you are currently holding what looks like a very important, very confidential piece of his mail.

...

You don't sleep well that night.

The envelope sits on your kitchen counter, practically begging to be opened, like an itch needing scratching. Every time you walk past it, your eyes flick to the name. You consider putting it in a drawer somewhere just to avoid the temptation, but even that feels too personal. Too nosy. This isn't your life to peek into.

Only by morning, when the initital shock has subsided, you realize you're going to have to get it back to him. How are you supposed to face him? Maybe you'll leave it in the lobby. Maybe you'll slide it under his door. Quick, anonymous, clean.

And then, around 11:00 a.m., there's a knock.

Not a timid tap. A proper, polite knock.

You freeze mid-step. No one knows you here. You've only lived in this flat two weeks. You're still the girl the neighbour across the hall calls ''newbie''.

When you open the door, he's there. Your pulse stutters like a scratched record.

Harry Styles.

Just… standing on your doormat like a fever dream in a hoodie and black beanie. Rain-speckled and wind-rumpled, holding his phone loosely in one hand, as if he only half-expected you to answer.

''Hi,'' he says, voice smooth but casual, like you're neighbors who've spoken a dozen times before. ''Sorry. Think my post might've ended up here.''

You blink. You stare. ''Right. You're... Harry Styles,'' you blurt, stupidly, like that's not exactly what not to say when you meet a celebrity.

He lets out a soft chuckle. ''That's what it says on the envelope, isn't it?'' he says charmingly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

''Right,'' you smile apologetically. You vanish without even inviting him in, mentally screaming at yourself while you trip over the unpacked boxes in your living room to grab the envelope, cursing softly under your breath. You return quickly, trying not to breathe like you just ran a 24k. God, you need to exercise more.

He accepts it with careful hands. Turns it over once. Nods.

''Yeah, this is it. Thank you.''

His fingers linger on the seal. Then he discreetly glances past you, a little nosy. At your half-unpacked boxes. The record player tucked by the window. The steaming mug on your kitchen island.

''Would you...'' you start, then hesitate, ''would you like to come in for a cup of tea? We haven't properly met.'' You're surprised you actually managed to form a sentence.

''Love to,'' he replies smoothly, taking off his beanie by the door and ruffling his curls, that somehow fall right into place.

You make the tea with trembling hands.

He, in the meantime, wanders around, hands behind his back like he's admiring an exhibit in a museum. Looks at your books, your record collection, your useless, thrifted trinkets. Skims over your Polaroids. Laughs softly at the lopsided note stuck to your fridge: remember to call the heater guy!!! written in a panicked scribble.

''You just moved in?'' he assumes.

You nod, carefully handing him a cup of tea as he slides into a barstool at your kitchen island. ''Either the heater's broken or I've just got two left hands. Wouldn't be surprised if the latter was the case, actually,'' you chuckle.

He chuckles softly, absentmindely offering to come by sometime to fix it for you, and for a second, it feels… normal. Like he's just a kind neighbour offering a hand. Like you’re just two people talking over a cup of tea. Which you are, of course.

Except that one of the aforementioned two people is Harry Styles. Right. Just a regular Tuesday.

Conversation flows easier than you thought it would. You're quiet, simply nodding along or offering small comments on his stories, but he doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he seems to like it.

You take a sip from your mug, letting the steam warm your face. Across from you, Harry mirrors the movement, his legs crossed beneath him like he's been here a hundred times.

''So…'' he starts, watching you over the rim of his mug as he takes a sip. ''Why London?''

There's a beat of quiet, the soft, jazzy music from your record player in the background. You glance down at your tea, a bashful smile tugging at the corner of your lips. ''I guess I wanted to feel like I was somewhere where things happen, you know? Where people chase dreams. Even if I don't exactly know what mine is yet.''

He nods slowly, ''That's brave. Most people don't move cities without a plan.''

You chuckle. ''Sometimes you just have to throw yourself into the unknown, trusting that it'll work out. That you'll make it work out, y'know?''

Harry grins, and it makes your stomach flip. ''That's how I've done most things.''

''Like music?'' you ask.

''Especially music.''

...

The tea's long gone cold, but neither of you seem to mind. Harry sits in your barstool like he's in his own home, elbows on your kitchen island, mug cradled loosely in his hands. His eyes flicker toward the window, watching the early evening shadows stretching across the street, but he hasn't made a move to leave just yet.

You've been talking for hours now. About little things. Big things. Nothing at all. Weirdly, it's… comfortable. The silence between you two is the kind that invites, not suffocates.

You're humming quietly while drying and putting away the dishes, your back turned to where Harry's sat.

''You know,'' he says after a pause, voice low, ''this might be the first time in months I've been able to just sit. No schedule, no pressure. No... fans or paparazzi. Just… this.''

You glance at him. He's watching the half-full mug of tea in his hands like it holds the answer to all of his problems. There's a crease between his brows, like he's thinking too hard, the same face you'd see in interviews when he's figuring out how to answer a particularly hard question. But right now, he's not that person. He's just your neighbour sitting in your tiny, cluttered kitchen, silently admiring the trinkets that fill it like the normalcy fascinates him.

You don't say anything. You have a feeling he's not looking to be comforted. He just wants to be heard out. To be able to think out loud without fearing someone's documenting his every word, his every move, and twisting it into things far out of his control.

He looks up at you. There's something weighted in his gaze now, something warmer. You feel it stir in your stomach: not nerves exactly, but something deeper, the heavy weight of a genuine connection between two people.

And then, quietly, he speaks up. ''Can I ask you something?''

You nod, not trusting your voice, leaning your elbows on the opposite side of the kitchen counter so you're face to face.

''Would you think I was weird if I said I don't really want to go yet?''

Your throat tightens a little. ''That depends,'' you respond with a harsh swallow, ''Would you think I was weird if I said I don't want you to go?''

His mouth pulls into a small half-smile, one you've seen in countless of photos while lazily scrolling through social media. But it feels different now. More vulnerable. Less rehearsed.

''I don't know what this is,'' he says, fingers tapping lightly against the mug. ''But I know it feels... nice. Being here. With you.''

You don't say anything. Just nod.

He puts the mug down. Then, cautiously, like he's waiting for you to stop him, he leans in slightly, and if you would have blinked you'd have missed the way his eyes flick to your lips discreetly. One hand brushes against your forearm, and the other finds a spot on the side of your face, thumb barely grazing your cheek.

''Tell me if this isn't okay,'' he murmurs.

You're quick to reasssure him, shaking your head, your eyes locked on his. ''It is.''

And then he kisses you.

It's slow at first, testing. Soft. Like he doesn't want to break whatever this strange, quiet connection between the two of you is. You kiss him back, hesitantly, but then a little deeper, because you can't not, with the way he's holding you like he's afraid he won't live up to his own name, his image, the expectations. Like the way he tastes like tea and warmth and the way his lips part just slightly doesn't make something flutter wildly in your chest.

His hand tentatively shifts to cradle the back of your head, drawing you in, but there's no rush.

When you pull apart, barely an inch of space between you, he lingers like he's thinking about going back in.

Your voice is a whisper. ''Thank God for those dumb mail guys.''

He chuckles, breath warm against your skin. ''Good thing they suck at their jobs.''

You laugh, cheeks flushed. He glances toward the door, then back to you. ''I should probably go before my manager has a heart attack. I think he's been refreshing The Daily Mail since last night.''

''Why?'' you chuckle softly, your head tilting in confusion.

He grins, looking at you in adoration, like he loves that you have no idea about the possible PR nightmares, that you're not part of his world in that way. ''He was afraid you'd sell the tour schedule to a news outlet. Terrified, actually,'' he clarifies with a soft chuckle.

You blink once. Twice. ''That was an option? Damn. I could've been rich by now,'' you mutter jokingly.

He rolls his eyes affectionately, cupping your face and leaning forward to draw you in for another sweet kiss. You pull away, a frown etched on your face. ''Wait, that was a tour schedule?'' you ask incredulously, not even bothering to conceal your shock and curiosity.

''And that's my cue to leave,'' he grins mischievously and stands, handing you his empty mug as a futile attempt to distract you.

''No, wait, a tour schedule? I'm going to need you to elaborate.''

''Did I say tour schedule? I meant... well, literally anything else. Bye,'' he says quickly before he can accidentally reveal more secrets.

''Hey, you come back, mister. Harry!'' you protest, following him to your door, making him pause and turn around with a smile.

A wink. ''I'll come by later to fix your heater, love,'' he simply says.

And just like that, he's gone, but not really. He's close, he lives right above you, after all, which makes you bite the inside of your cheek to stop from smiling like a lovesick teenager.

Your phone buzzes with a text barely ten minutes after he leaves. Unbeknownst to you, Harry could barely wait until he was back in his own apartment, grabbing his phone as soon as he plopped down on his couch with a content sigh, smiling at his screen as he types.

Next time, my place. —H

...

thank you so much for reading! i appreciate any and all support so remember to like, comment and reblog. requests are open! 💕

[savanir]

DP x DC prompt [3]

during one of the final psych evals at Arkham right before he gets to be released, the whole thing wrapped up so tidy, just a little relapse which involved a robbery. Getting sent back to Arkham, but he got to stay at the asylum so long that he no longer has to serve a prison sentence, score!

But during that eval his overseeing psychiatrist recommended him to have a change of scenery, some fresh non polluted air.

Riddler was rather convinced the guy was making this recommendation to everyone in Arkham in their own weird way to convince them to just leave Gotham and become someone else's problem. should he notify Batman about it somehow? nah, it’ll be more interesting to see how this is gonna turn out in the long run.

But can he leave the state? Can he even leave the city? he never really bothered to look into it, at least not legally, up until now if he felt he needed to leave for one of his plans he just did it.

Turns out he can, it’s a whole hassle and a half though, first a judge and then a probation officer and he’s pretty sure both were like “what the hell is this psychiatrist guy thinking!?” but at the same time, shrink probably knows what he’s doing (WRONG) so he’s allowed to go visit out of state family or whatever.

he had to wear this nice ankle monitor though, Wayne Enterprises™ tech, not overly bulky but still very present. real fancy, and a fun extra challenge heh.

now as for a good reason to leave New Jersey he’s going to need distant relatives, and he finds some, great grandpa walker also has a son, who had a son who had a daughter Madeline, who married some guy Jack Fenton, and she lives somewhere out in the boonies Illinois. great he’ll visit her.

far enough away in all sense of the word that there is no way she knows anything about him. it would be best to call her first though, be polite about it.

“hello, you have reached Fenton works, this is Maddie speaking” 

“Riddle me this-” ah whoops, habit, oh whatever, “we don’t share parents, but certainly a part of your life, from laughter to strife. Who am I?”

there is a pause …  he’s going to be a bit disappointed if she hangs up if he’s honest.

“cousins~” comes the cheery reply.

“correct! the name is Edward Nygma, we are distantly related you and I and well-”

“oh you simply must come visit!” 

well this was rather easy, perhaps a little too easy, but she lives in the midwest so maybe just going with whatever some guy says over the phone is normal there? stranger danger not really a thing in a small town where everyone knows everyone?

things start to make a little more sense once he gets there and he’s starting to think some things might run in the family. like a preference for the colour green and weird hyperfixations and genius bordering on insanity. Though that remains to be seen, Jack does not seem like a very bright light after his very enthusiastic welcome.

their kids however are observant and sharp. young Jasmine is wasting no time trying to psychoanalyze him. and the boy, Danny, he had not really meant to and he swears he’s sticking with calling the kid Danny so he wouldn’t seem overly familiar, but he might have called him little bird a couple times now.

but that’s all whatever, he’s playing nice here. and he doesn’t even have to worry about his eccentricities tripping him up because this place is insane.

There actually is a local teen vigilante active but he seems about as loved as he’s disliked. and the ghost boy’s enemies are basically all his own kind, which another crazy thing to now know about. ghost. they are real actually, how is Gotham not completely overrun? and how do they even work? and where do they keep coming from?

Edward might be getting a little sidetracked here. He had fully intended to sneakily get his next big game plan underway all the way out here, ankle monitor be damned. but he hasn’t made any progress at all.

Instead he’s been listening to Madeline and Jack to maybe figure out what the deal is with these ectoplasmic entities, he has to know, at this point he might go crazier if he doesn’t. 

He’s making Jasmine promise him not to get her doctorate in Gotham, he’s going back and forth with space riddles with Danny.

so yeah the whole thing kinda just became a vacation, maybe the psychiatrist had the right idea after all? hmm nah, probably not. but this is fun. He’s thinking about recommending this place to some of the others.

It's different enough to get the vacation feel, but enough crazy shit happens to make it all feel like home.

it is not until Maddie wants to talk with him about potentially switching the position of godfather of Danny to him rather than some weird rich friend of theirs that Edward realizes he might have lost the plot somewhere

Apparently the little bird basically begged them with a powerpoint presentation on how he likes Edward so much more than that Vladimir guy. 

And honestly, the fellow sounds like a Dracula Lutho so even if it’s kinda sad Edward can understand why he’d be considered a better option. Even if the guy has more money and a huge company that makes him said money. And it’s not like the Fentons know about his Riddler activities.

Thinking it over, Edward does think that Danny would like Gotham and Wayne has that space program thing right? The kid is definitely smart enough for that (Nygma certified), and yeah Edward does quite like their space themed back and forth. So, fuck it, why not, what is the worst that could happen?

He doubts Maddie and Jack are gonna kick it any time soon anyway out here in the boonies, it’s just a title thing, a stamp of approval or something.

he should have known he was going to eat those words later… he had this whole beautifully elaborate trap set up for the whole Batclan, and he was just getting to the good part when his phone went off.

Had to put the whole thing on pause cause that particular contact wasn’t gonna get ignored. He did promise to be available.

If the whole thing he had planned now went tits up he could at the very least laugh later at the reactions of the bats as he told them to “hold up one second, I have to take this.” while they were all in various perilous positions. 

Sadly he did have to go, he had a very distressed godson to pick up.

[munsonhoneybaby]

summary: just a teensy little drabble i thought of while searching through my dryer this morning; i’m a firm believer in the “eddie def pretends to fuck you whenever you bend over in front of him” headcanon

wc: 407

warnings: implied/discussion of smut

A sigh of frustration passed your lips as you rummaged through the entangled mass of freshly dried laundry. “Why do we wear so much black?” You grumbled aloud to yourself.

Grabbing the same incorrect shirt for the fourth time, you groaned and finally ducked your head and torso into the dryer. The collection of your and Eddie’s clothes seemed to further morph together the harder you fought to find the singular shirt you had in mind. Still huffing and puffing in mild irritation, you didn’t hear the rickety basement door creak open.

“Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen something like this somewhere.”

You nearly bumped your head as you attempted to look back at him— unable to do so while bent over halfway inside the dryer. His hands on your hips prevented you from backing out of it, one of them easing up your bare back and encouraging you to continue your task. Registering his comment, you rolled your eyes. He may not have been able to see it, but he knew well enough to expect it.

“Need me to uh— help you out?” Much like he didn’t need to see your eyes roll, you didn’t need to see the smirk gracing his features to know it was there.

“That depends. Have you seen my Alice In Chains shirt? The one I cut the neckline off of?”

“Nope.” Suddenly his hips were bumping into your ass, humming out a few exaggerated ‘mm, mm, mm’s in time with his simulated thrusts.

Still shuffling through the conglomeration of fabric, you scoffed, but you couldn’t help the little suppressed smile on your face. “Edward, I’m trying to get dressed.”

Fingers hooking into the belt loops of your jeans, he pulled you against him with more force. “You don’t have anything to be on time for,” He dismissed easily. “A fifteen minute delay won’t kill you.”

“Right,” You snorted, “‘Cause it’ll take you that long to bust.”

His hand came down against your ass with a semi-playful smack, muffled by the layer of denim. “No, but I’m givin’ myself a few minutes’ padding to get you off two or three times.”

“Well, in that case, fifteen minutes may be a little generous. Should probably bump it up to twenty or thirty to be safe.”

Now, it was his turn to scoff. “Is that a fucking challenge? Alright, get outta the damn dryer. I wanna see your face when I prove you wrong.”

<3

[hungwy]

Musk appeared to soften his stance on the men being identified later Monday, writing it was “time to confess” that the “media reports saying that @DOGE has some of world’s best software engineers are in fact true.” But he was wrong—not all the group are even “software engineers.” Three do not even have degrees. And one who does is trying to cash in on his new job by charging people to read his Substack entry which boasts, “Why DOGE: Why I gave up a seven-figure salary to save America.” (...) The group’s relative lack of experience—especially no previous positions in government work—has Democrats crying foul they were granted access to sensitive records while remaining largely in the shadows, away from public scrutiny. (...) “Remember when Wired was focused on cutting-edge technology and how young college dropout founders could change the world?” [DOGE "volunteer" Cole Killian] posted to X. “Not anymore. Now, they’re doxxing DOGE employees and whining that they are too “young” and ‘inexperienced’ to reform America’s government.America’s experienced expert class have led this country to ruin. Young geniuses with a startup mentality could save it.” The U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. threw his support behind Musk on the matter, writing to him Monday he would “pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people.” (...) DOGE has seemingly grown in power by the day. The department, created via an executive order on day one of Trump 2.0, was recently granted access to restricted parts of the General Services Administration buildings and access to IT systems which houses sensitive information like addresses, contact info, and even social security numbers.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Don't Mess With The Doctor's Wife 💘 | Carlisle Cullen Snippet

Twilight Masterlist Part 1

Characters & Pairings: Carlisle Cullen x female!vampire!reader (romantic), Bella Swan x Edward Cullen, Edward Cullen x reader (platonic)

Content warnings: fluff, light angst, suggestive themes right at the end | female reader (she/her) | wc: 1.4k

Premise: Just some good ole fluff of a married vampire couple of a few dumbass teen immortals.

Note: So many people loved 'The Doctor's Wife' and asked if I could continue it! not sure if I'll make it long imagines but I definitely plan on making small snippets like this that is good ole fluff of the golden couple of the Cullens dealing with their chaotic teenage immortal children. Enjoy and thank you so much for the positive reception on my work!

--------------

“Honey….,” Carlisle leaned against the door of their bedroom, treading carefully on water he knew better than to cross. But their whole family dynamic was at stake and as the patriarch--and coven leader--he needed to fix it. 

Without any bloodshed.

Her glare, however, spoke against his hopes for peace. “Don’t honey me, Carlisle Cullen.” Clothes flung everywhere, the room in utter disarray contrary to its usually unkempt nature. “He is being ridiculous and you know it.” Tossing a pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps into the suitcase she gave him another look, “And yes, I know he can hear me.” Carlisle had opened his mouth, but closed it, his wife not having to the mind reader in the family to know what he was about to say. 

“You have every right to be upset. I’m not happy about the situation either, but we have to do what’s best for our family.”

Carlisle came over to where she was, beginning to pack his clothes into his own suitcase. Brushing away the stray hairs that fell from her hair scarf, Y/n’s eyes turned serious, “What happened was unfortunate--and it is a shame Bella got hurt. He’s been beating himself over it the entire weekend and I understand that, Carlisle. But what I don’t appreciate is him uprooting us and using you as the excuse.”

Following Bella’s birthday party gone wrong, Edward didn’t waste a second in making the executive decision to the family that they had to leave Forks. Saying they were a danger to Bella and to ensure her safety and no more harm comes to her as a result of his doing, they needed to remove themselves from the picture. And Edward’s genius move was to tell Bella it was because the staff at the hospital were starting to notice Carlisle’s lack of aging. 

“His concern is valid. We’ve been here four years now. It was bound to happen.”

“So you’re telling me you’ve heard people talk at the hospital?” She challenged.

“I don’t need to hear them say it aloud, Y/n,” he tells her with a knowing look. “Their stares are enough confirmation. I had one nurse ask me last week if I had a skincare routine.” His attempt at a joke doesn't work. She doesn’t so much as crack a smile, but he tries again. “Soon they’ll be asking what botox doctor I go to.”

Y/n knew Carlisle had a point. It always happened wherever they moved. They settled down, spent maybe five or six years until all the kids graduated from high school for the hundredth time, then did it all over again. If it wasn’t nosy hospital workers, it was teachers. If it wasn’t the bakery owner she frequented asking how she managed to look 27 after seven years, then it was the engineer she was collaborating with on a project. 

“It’s not fair,” she goes on, carefully folding her dress shirts, skirts, and pants. Not looking forward to having to pack up her art studio. All the supplies, artwork, and projects she was working on. “And I feel so awful for her,” her frown made his own appear, “You see the way she looks at him. It’s utter devotion, as though he was a sentient being sent from the heavens. And Edward,” her voice drops to a whisper, “he worships the ground she walks on. And this decision not only punishes her, it punishes him.”

The pair fall into a silence when the front door opens and slams shut. Edward’s lingering scent disapparating, causing Y/n to groan and place her head in her hands. The anger and not caring if her adoptive son heard her rant suddenly vanished. Replaced with shame. 

Carlisle sighs, setting down the pile of towels he folded to walk over to her. Gently grabbing her shoulders, he brings Y/n into a comforting embrace, letting his hands fall to her waist, allowing her to sink into his arms with a content hum. 

“Listen to me,” she closes her eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze where she’ll find judgement. “I sound ridiculous--and I’m being unfair to him and his feelings on the matter.”

“You care for him dearly,” Carlisle strokes her hair, “he understands that. And I think deep down he knows you’re right, but won’t admit to it because he believes he’s doing the right thing for Bella.” Carlisle leans back to look into her eyes, “Remember, he was turned at a young age--and has never experienced this type of love before. He’s learning all this for the first time.”

“I know,” she mumbles, deflated but understanding. They stayed in their embrace for a few minutes before separating to continue packing up. Edward returned later that night with brighter eyes, indicating he had fed to which resolved some of the tension between the two when they finally sat down to have the conversion they’d been dreading. Him apologizing for uprooting the family suddenly, and for the harm he was to cause Bella. And Y/n apologizing for the words she spoke before he left. They hugged it out, neither able to stay mad at the other, and Edward helped her pack the art room throughout the remainder of the night. 

The time away from Forks was odd but somewhat comforting. Carlisle and Y/n decided to spend their time on the island they owned just off the coast of Brazil. Rosalie and Emmett traveled to New York, Alice and Jasper in Mississippi and Edward in Rio de Janeiro. They spoke on the phone frequently, sent letters and postcards, or emailed. Edward would spend a night or two on the island to hunt, Y/n painted canvas after canvas, and Carlisle worked on a medical textbook he was in the process of writing.

“You hear that?” She asked one night when they were cuddling on the couch. A random movie playing on the TV.

“What?”

“It’s quiet,” she whispered, a grin spreading on her lips. “No kids. No animals. No workers. Absolute silence.” Carlisle mirrored her smile. 

“You’re right. We haven’t had complete silence in ages.”

“More like eighty years--give or take,” she snorted. 

When the shit hit the fan in Italy, Y/n nearly killed Edward herself. Not just for the danger he put himself in but for the whole family. Alice and Rosalie also met her wrath--Rosalie for not explaining clearly to Edward the vision, and Alice for dragging Bella to Italy. 

Yeah, none of them wanted the smoke. 

The sight of the three siblings sitting on the couch with their heads down and twiddling their thumbs while Y/n paced in front of them while shouting a motherly tangent had Emmett straining to hold back his laughter. Carlisle didn’t dare intervene. 

Back in Forks the family settled back into their routines. Carlisle in the hospital and Y/n working on projects. The kids in school and planning for the summer. 

Then shit hit the fan again.

This time in the form of a newborn vampire army created by the red-headed lover of the tracker they disposed of the year prior. Victoria. And she was out for revenge against Edward and Bella. 

Y/n was not the fighting type, but that didn’t mean she did not know how to throw down. She could get her hands dirty if she desired. Emmett and Jasper taught her the ropes, Edward taught her how to anticipate opponents moves. 

“C’mon old man!” she dodged Carlisle’s attack, giggling as she pivoted to kick lightly at his chest. “Don’t be getting sleepy on me now. That’s not like you.” Carlisle smirked, catching her off guard by grabbing her waist and flipping her onto the ground.

“I’d watch who you call old, sweetheart,” he mocked right as Jasper yelled, “Never turn your back on your enemy!” 

Let’s just say…they did more than spar that night once the sun went down. 

[uss-butterscotch]

Part 6! If you haven’t seen already i’m working on naming this fic so if you want to vote for your favorite option it should be just a few posts down on my blog :)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

(cw for vague reference to child abuse. It’s literally like one throwaway sentence but just in case!)

~

“I keep having nightmares,” she started quietly, “I’m too late to stop Billy from hurting Steve, or the syringe is empty and it doesn’t work, and he kills Steve and then he kills Lucas, then Dustin, then Mike, and I’m yelling at him to stop, but he doesn’t. Because screaming didn’t stop him in real life.”

Eddie was reeling slightly from that alone, he didn’t have time to think of anything reassuring to say before she was talking again.

“Or, it’s the mall. And Billy doesn’t- he lets Jane die. And he laughs at me like I’m stupid for believing he could be better.” She looked back to Eddie then, “And that’s the worst part. Because that’s not what happened. He did do the right thing for once and it got him killed.

“And it all makes me hate him even more, because even after he’s dead, he won’t stop fucking with me!” And there. Finally something Eddie could work with.

Her hands were clenched hard, knuckles turning white. She finally seemed done with her train of thought, breathing slightly heavy, and glaring a hole through the windshield. Eddie nodded, but kept his eyes on the road ahead of him.

“That sucks, Red, I’m sorry.” He rapped his knuckles against the steering wheel lightly, “My dad was in and out of jail most of my life. On the occasion that he was out he was a mean drunk, to me and my mom, the supposed love of his life.”

He rolled his eyes at that. “If he had really cared about her, he would have tried harder to clean up his act when she got sick. But he didn’t, and we couldn’t afford her treatments, and she died. And I hated him so much.

“And then about a year later, he dropped me off with Wayne, said he had some business to take care of in Indy, but he’d see me soon.”

Eddie scoffed sarcastically, shaking his head. “Not too long after that, Wayne gets a lovely visit from the sheriff’s department with news that his brother’s dead, killed in some sort of deal gone wrong. They said from witness statements it sounded like he was trying to to get money back from someone who owed him or something, and to top it all off, his nephew, one Eddison Munson, seemed to be missing-“

“Your name is Eddison?” Max interrupted, a mocking smirk peeking through the panic from before.

“Yes,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes, “what’s yours? Maximillian?”

“Sure.” She said, crossing her arms and settling into her seat. “I would have guessed Edward. Or maybe Edwin.”

Eddie shrugged. “Eddison was like, my mom’s grandpa’s name or something. I never met the guy, but I guess he sort of raised my mom.”

Eddie waved a hand around wildly, needing to steer the subject away from that topic quickly. “Anyway! If I may continue,” he paused to give Max an opportunity to tell him to shut up. When she didn’t, he went on, “after the situation was sorted out, and it was declared I needed a new legal guardian because I was fresh out of parents, I started living with Wayne full time.”

The school was rapidly approaching, so Eddie tried to summarize his points as quickly as possible. “Point is, I was so confused and angry for years. I wondered if he knew how dangerous what he was doing would be, and he kept me away from it to keep me safe for once in his stupid life. I wondered what life might have been like if he had gotten whatever money he went there to get and used it to make things better for us. I had a million questions and a million theories. But none of those ideas fit with the asshole I knew he was, and then I was mad at myself for even thinking that highly of him. For thinking he could change. And worst of all, I would never know the truth.”

He parked the van and shut the engine off. “It took me a long time, and a lot of serious conversations with my uncle that he had to practically drag me kicking and screaming into having, to know what to do with that anger. To work on accepting life’s unknowns.”

Max looked at him, chewing on her cheek. He hoped he wasn’t imagining it, but something in her gaze looked a little softer.

As he opened his own door, he said, “You don’t have to talk about it now, and you don’t have to talk about it to me, but you should talk someone. Eventually.”

He got out, closed the door behind him. When he noticed she was still in her seat he walked around the van and opened her door. “Ideally, you do it before it makes you do something really stupid just to feel something else besides the anger and the grief.”

He stepped aside to give her space to exit the vehicle and she slid out of the seat. He made a show of taking his time to lock up the van to give her a head-start into the school. He watched as she made her way to the doors, and was surprised when, for the first time since they had been driving together, she veered off her path to meet someone. When he realized who it was, Eddie chuckled to himself. He made his own way to the school and gave a two fingered salute to Sinclair and Henderson, who were joined by Max (and smiling so wide their cheeks had to be burning).

He made his way into the school and to his first period class, pleased to be able to check this side quest off.

Part 7

[cuteandhughesy]

Ceilings╰┈➤ LH43 (part 2/2)

summary: you are a bet for luke and his friends, but that doesn't stop you two from actually falling in love, luke just prays you never find out the truth

[word count] 21.4K (total)

warnings: NSFW! frenemies to lovers | relationship betting | fake dating | college!au | umich!luke | angst | suggestive themes | kissing | smut | oral (female receiving) | fingering | protected!p in v intercourse | light breast play | read at your own discretion.

🎵ceilings by lizzy mcalpine, too well by renee rapp, promise by laufey, you and me by niall horan, say don't go by taylor swift, look after you by the fray, sofia by clario, you're just a guy by avery lynch, like real people do by hozier, + unwritten by natasha bedingfield

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

part seven: the kiss one week after matt

you never got texts from ethan edwards. mark texted you often when he was hanging with ariana, usually when her phone had died and he was letting you know her plans. rutger was usually sending you memes (that only he found funny) and anytime he wanted to know where luke was. dylan when he needed reassurance on homework- but ethan...never.

which is why when you finished your late shift at work and finally checked your phone in the comfort of your car: you were confused and slightly worried.

ethan edwards

something happened. can you come by after work?

his question had you feeling a bit panicked.

y/n

yeah, i'm on my way

you didn't ask questions, because you were to anxious to know the answers. getting there in record time, you parked your car on the curb by their house, jogging up the steps and knocking on the door rather frantically.

"hey," you say as ethan opens the door, "what's wrong?"

"hi," he says, letting you come inside. "after the third period tonight, there was some pushing and shoving, the other team started it. and this one guy pushed luke hard, and he fell and hit the ice. he's got a minor concussion. the doctor said he'll be good for playoffs in two weeks but right now...he's a big whiny baby and he kept asking for you," ethan breathes, "I didn't want to worry you too bad, but I wanted to get you over here so I can stop hearing about how much he misses you."

you're pretty sure you flush deep red at ethan's words, but you do a good job at keeping yourself collected. "okay," you sigh, "is he still upstairs?"

ethan nods, "yeah, he's in his room."

you nod without another word, making your way up the small staircase towards the second floor of the home.

luke's bedroom door is slightly ajar, and you knock once and peek your head through the gap, "luke?"

his room was empty.

you frown, and start walking further down the hall. you try not to overthink and make yourself sick with worry, thoughts of a missing luke were the last thing you needed. after all, you think, he could've been in the kitchen unknowingly to you or ethan - grabbing snacks or a drink. you glance over your shoulder to see if you catch him coming upstairs, but only find yourself running into a body.

you gasp, turning to face the chest you ran into. luke grabs ahold of your arms, a gentle smirk playing on his lips as he looks down at you.

at the sight of him, you body relaxes and you let out a breath you hasn't realized you'd been holding. "luke." you state gently.

"hi there," he says lightly, hands still holding onto your biceps to keep your in place. "you okay? you look worried."

"ethan texted me all frantic so I raced over here -almost hit a squirrel, by the way. and then you weren't in your room and i panicked thinking the concussion was worse than ethan said -"

"you were worried about me?" he asks you. you stop your rambling, expecting a teasing smirk and knowing gleam in his eyes, but he's only looking at you with fondness.

you swallow, "yeah."

"I just had to go to the bathroom," he admits, thumbing behind his shoulder to the open bathroom door.

"how are you feeling?" you ask gently. he lets go of your arms fully, and you try not to dwell on the emptiness you feel without his touch.

luke shrugs, "eh, i'll be okay."

you nod once more, eyes briefly meeting the floor. "I hope it's okay that ethan texted me. he does think we are dating to be fair, which we can stop now, if you want...god, sorry I'm rambling-" you look up towards his face and he looks at you with such admiration your stomach is swooping.

"well, I was the one who told him I wanted you here - so i'm glad he messaged you." luke admits sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck like he's nervous. luke was nervous around you. "so don't apologize," he says softly, "don't think I don't want you here, because I do." almost hesitantly, luke reaches towards you and tucks a piece of loose hair behind your ear.

you gulp slightly, eyes searching his face to try and read him. "you do?"

he nods, "is that okay? that I want you here?"

subconsciously, you shuffle closer to him in the dim lighting of the upstairs hallway. "more than okay." you grab ahold of three long fingers, gently tugging his hand closer towards you. you look up at him gently, tongue jutting out to wet your bottom lip.

he blushes and swallows gently. "let's go to my room."

"why?" you ask gently, and you pray the hopefulness of your words aren't too obvious.

"because I don't want somebody to walk up here when I'm kissing you."

you can't help but smile slightly at his words, pushing impossibly closer to his chest. you drop his hand in favour of pressing on his abs. "I don't care if they see, I can't wait any longer."

luke smiles, reaching forward to gently hold your face, tilting your head back until you're at the perfect angle for him to lean down and connect your mouths together. although he looked nervous earlier, the kiss doesn't have any traces of that. his lips move against yours softly but skillfully, slotting with yours like you've kissed a million times before this.

suddenly, everything made sense. anytime you had been talking to matthew - that feeling of warmth you had in your stomach was because luke was always there with you. meeting up with luke wasn't enjoyable because you were talking about matthew, it was enjoyable because of luke and luke only. stupid hockey players.

slowly, he pulls away. forehead pressed against yours as you regain breathing. you peek at him, and see him with closed eyes, brows pulled together.

you frown gently, one of your hands sneaking up to caresses the side of his face."did that hurt your head?"

his eyes snap open and he stands to his full height. the way you ask the question so genuinely makes luke feel like he's healed. he smirks lazily down at you, "no -i'm feeling really good."

"oh my god," you shake your head in disbelief, but you're blushing and smiling at him anyways.

and then, you push up on your toes and nudge your nose against his. luke gets the hint immediately, and kisses you again. the second kiss is a bit messier, and you both keep smiling into each other mouths. one of luke's hands slides to hold the back of your head, and the other wraps around your waist.

"fuck, my bad."

you and luke pull apart quickly. looking behind you, you see ethan covering his eyes, an amused smirk tugging at his lips.

"hold on, this is a common area," his hand falls from his face, "yall need to go luke's room before this escalates any further - i don't want to see anything too crazy."

"alright, alright," luke interrupts his friend with a breathy chuckle, "we're going."

once you and luke get to his bedroom and he shuts the door, he looks at you a little sheepishly, not meeting your eyes for too long before looking away.

you break the tension, "so you kiss all your fake girlfriends ? or just me?"

luke laughs, and all nerves from before have gone. the sight of your face and blush has him feeling more than relaxed. he reaches towards you, hands landing on your cheeks. "only the ones i'm falling for."

you smile softly, eyes sparking at his confession. "and how many have you fallen for?" your words are a whisper between you.

luke pretends to ponder for a moment, but his smile gives him away. "I think...just you."

you felt yourself blush deeper - because, oh my god, was this actually happening. you hold onto his wrist, keeping luke's hands on your face. "good, because it would've been awkward if I was the only one who was falling."

he cracks a big grin at your words. without another second, luke kisses you again. "I can't believe it took a concussion for you to admit your feelings."

"don't start with me, luke."

you kiss him again.

again.

and again.

you had stayed the night at luke's and drove home in the morning before your first class. you actually shared the class with jacob, so you agreed to ride together.

before you could leave, luke kissed you in the threshold of the front door - for all his roommates to see. a few wolf whistled, jacob faux gagging behind your back.

you pull away with a bashful smile, leaving with jacob for class. luke watches you leave, his own smile adorning his face.

once your car pulled off his street, luke sighed.

wordlessly, he moves towards the sectional in the living room, sitting with mark and dylan. ethan and rutger give each other an amused look, but don't do anything other than smirk.

dylan breaks the ice, "looks like we get to do rutgers hair soon."

luke looks beside him at his good friend with a puzzled look, "what?"

"the bet," ethan interrupts. "she's totally in love with you."

"have you hit it yet though? that was apart of it."

luke laughs once awkwardly, "maybe we should call the bet off?" he suggests and rutger laughs. "I mean with everything that's happened with matt and-"

rutger interrupts, not talking in his teammates words. "what happened with matt sucks - absolutely and that asshole is being kicked out, but that has nothing to do with the bet."

"I just don't want her to get hurt." luke admits vulnerably.

"she won't get hurt," rutger says, "she's never gunna know. the bet is still on. it's really not that deep." rutger says, taking a sip of his protein smoothie. "and then you can just break it off when this is all over - just like a normal relationship."

but it is that deep, luke thinks. this isn't just some random girl anymore - it's you. the girl he's falling in love with.

"he probably hasn't hit it yet, doesn't want to loose." ethan chuckles wearily, very obviously trying to break the tension between the teammates. mark sends him a look, but luke doesn't catch it.

the defence man stands from his seat. "i'm not feeling well, i'm going to lay down."

luke has never felt guilt like the guilt he is feeling right now. why did he take the stupid bet.

luke was never expecting you to actually fall for him. that first day when he proposed the idea, he was hoping sure, shaving rutgers head would be comical, and maybe you would end up liking him, maybe, but now he was sure he was actually in love with you. he couldn't tell you about the bet now, it would've been different if you and matt ended up together - but now it was you and luke. he's so screwed.

part eight: the first time

luke has his arm wrapped around your shoulders, fingers toying with the ends of your hair. the two of you are watching tiktok's on his phone, laughing together in the comfort of his bedroom.

just as another funny video finishes, luke laughs, rolling his head into the side of your face to stifle his laughter. every time he does that, your stomach does jumping jacks at the feeling of his breath tickling your skin.

he scrolls after the two of your regain your composure but almost immediately, your attention is drawn to the snapchat notification that comes through at the top of his phone screen.

amy is typing...

amy sent you a chat!

even her bitmoji was pretty - long blonde hair, bright eyes and she was pretty much a hockey players type on paper. she was another ariana and your face drops.

luke can feel your body stiffen and he looks over at you. "you okay?"

you nod, cuddling deeper into your oversized hoodie. he either didn't see the notification or he just didn't care. at first, you don't want to say anything - because like technically, luke hasn't asked to be exclusive. but your heart wins, and you decide to speak up. "who's amy?" you try to ask it nonchalantly after a moment of silence.

"some girl ethan used to hang out with - she wants to hook up with me."

"oh." you huff.

"i've never though, hooked up with her, I mean!" luke says quickly. you can hear the phone click off, and suddenly luke is turned fully towards you. "don't worry, I've been meaning to remove her anyways."

"am I pretty enough to be with a hockey player?" you ask it quietly, fear of your embarrassment consuming you.

"what?" luke says it so softly, hand moving up to tuck a piece of your dark hair behind your ear. "you're too beautiful to even be thinking like that."

"oh," you blush, "I didn't know that you thought that."

"of course I think that," luke sort of laughs in his exhale, "how I managed to get you to like me is just insane."

you smile, "well I think you're like the hottest guy ever so..."

luke rushes forward to kiss you, his hands holding onto your face delicately as his lips move against your own. you moan into it, hand resting on his chest to keep yourself grounded.

he rolls fully on top of you, arms bracketing around the sides of your head. his lips move down your neck, sucking and kissing your sensitive skin until you're moaning out. you pull him back up to your mouth, your hands then sliding down and slipping under his shirt, feeling his toned muscles beneath your finger tips.

"take this off," you breathe, tugging on his t-shirt. he nods, sitting back and pulling off his shirt. you're smirking up at him all pretty and luke can feel himself throb. he leans back down, lifting the hem of your hoodie until he sees the soft skin of your belly. he keeps pushing up the top, kissing any new skin that is revealed until he reaches your bra.

your breathing heavy under him, legs spread to accommodate his body between them. "can I take it off?" he asks and you nod, letting him pull off the sweater and toss it on the floor beside his bed. in your sat up position, you unhook your bra, letting luke nudge down the straps until you're completely naked from the waist up, bra joining your hoodie in a pile.

"you're so beautiful," luke says, mouth moving to kiss you again. it isn't long before your lazily unbuckled his belt, letting the leather fall open to reveal the button of his jeans.

"luke," you whisper against his lips and he looks at you, eyes glazed and cheeks rosy. he nods. "take off my pants."

he's nodding even quicker at your words and you giggle. at your laugh he smirks down at you, one hand grabbing your waistband and pulling down your leggings until they reach your ankles. he climbs down your body, using both hands to take them off from around your ankles, taking your socks with them.

luke kisses the side of your ankle and your sitting up on your elbows, watching as his kisses move higher up your leg, right until he's where you need him the most. he doesn't touch you yet, eyes glancing up to meet yours. "please touch me lukey."

he doesn't need to be told twice. he kisses you clit over your underwear first and your mouth hangs open at the touch, head rolling back slightly. luke hooks two fingers and pulls your panties to the side, immediately using his tongue to collect your arousal, dragging up to your clit and sucking.

you moan out, probably too loudly for not being home alone, but neither of you care too much in that moment.

he uses his two fingers and plunges them into you, adding to your pleasure. he pulls your leg over his shoulder, giving him better access and you more pleasure. it isn't long before your gripping his hair, stomach tightening from his mouth. "luke, i'm gunna-"

you cum, clamping on his fingers as he brings you through your orgasim. he removes his mouth from you and sit up. you try not to moan when you see his face, your juices covering his chin and lips. "you're so hot," he breathes out, letting you grab his face and pull him into a lazy kiss, tongues swirling together in a hot make out.

"your pants next," you say, fingers already unzipping his jeans. he smirks, standing up so he could properly remove his clothes, pants and boxers meeting his shirt on the floor. he's crawling up over you again, and just as he's reaching your mouth, you push him down, straddling his hips.

"god," luke says breathlessly, eyes watching as you slide yourself over his dick. he was so painfully hard he thinks he might combust. "i'm not gunna last if you keep doing that."

you giggle. "you got a condom?"

he nods, " yeah...my, umm, in my drawer." you lean over, giving luke the perfect view of your boobs. he puts his mouth around on your nipples and grind down on him automatically, fingers grabbing the condom quickly before sitting up straight again.

he takes it from you, tearing it open with his teeth. you rise off him just enough so he can slide the condom on. immediately, you take him in your hand, lining him up with your entrance before sinking down, taking him all at once.

you both moan in unison. "you're so good for me," luke says, hands massaging your hips as you start to move, rolling against him, your clit hitting his pelvis with every movement.

"you're so big," you whine, hands pushing on his strong chest as you bounce on him. "fuck."

"you're doing so good," luke praises, thumb rubbing your bundle on nerves. he can feel your walls clench around him.

"i'm gunna cum again," you moan, still jumping on his dick roughly.

"that's it, baby, come for me."

it's only a few more bounces before your faltering, cumming hard around his cock, legs shaking as you slow.

luke brackets you in his arms, flipping you onto your back beneath him. he kisses you slow before he starts to move again, pounding into your pussy in search of his own high. "you feel so good," he says.

your hands run up his back, up into his hair. "yeah?"

"i'm close."

"come for me," you say, legs tightening around his waist as his hips splutter, spilling his load into the condom with a groan. "fuck," he says breathlessly.

and then he's kissing you again, slow and lazily as he pumps into you a couple more times. you both moan at the feeling of him pulling out.

he's on his knees, pulling off his condom before tying it and tossing it in his trashcan. you lay on his bed, staring at him breathlessly, a lazy smile on your lips, cheeks flushed.

"i'm gunna go to the bathroom," he says, pulling on a pair of sweatpants, "do you need anything? water? are you hungry?"

"i'm okay," you say gently and he smiles, moving back towards you and giving you a chaste kiss.

"i'll be right back," he says against your mouth and you nod.

you get dressed while he's gone, raiding his closet for a pair of sweatpants before climbing back into his bed. luke returns a few minutes later with a mug of water and a bag of chips and you smile to yourself.

after putting everything on his nightstand, he's crawling back into bed, shirt long forgotten. he pulls you into him, kissing your head. "you're amazing," he tells you.

you look up at him, "you're good at that you know."

he smirks, shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly, "what can I say?"

you laugh loudly, flicking his peck.

he kisses you once again. a deep hard one that has you exhaling gently, stomach swooping.

"coach texted while I was downstairs," luke says once he pulls away. the tone of his voice is definitely off and it has you furrowing your brows.

"everything okay?"

"yeah," he says, "just reminding us about the playoff schedule and like the extra practices."

"oh," you frown, "okay...what's wrong? you look worried."

he ignores how easily you can read his face. "I'm just...this is the first year of playoffs where I have two brothers playing in the NHL and they're both kicking ass..i'm worried that I won't be good enough. like, I'll just suck and let my team down - I don't want them to expect too much because I can't preform like jack or quinn."

"what? don't say that," you say, leaning up on your elbow so you can look into his eyes properly "luke...don't even think like that. I don't know much about hockey but even I know you're like stupid good at it. your team isn't expecting you to be your brothers - there expecting you. because being  you is just what they need."

he's looking at you all soft again and you run a hand through his head of curls "i'm glad you said that." he whispers.

"i'm happy you told me how you were feeling," you say immediately, "you're going to play amazing lukey."

luke smirks, wrapping his hands around your waist. "I will if you're by my side," he kisses you once quickly.

"you're my favourite hughes brother," you tease him and he laughs hard.

"I better be," he smirks, "I'm the one who put his dick in you-"

you place a hand over his mouth and giggle.

part nine: the game

"are you sure nobody can cover your shift?" luke asked you for the third time this day. you signed and rolled over to your stomach, head resting on your crossed arms. "I really want you to come baby."

"that's really nice, lukey, but I'm working." you said, running your hand through his head of curls. luke groaned, rolling off his stomach and onto his side, effectively turning his back on you.

"you can't be mad at me." you said.

"I'm not." he grumbled, back still turned.

you rolled your eyes. "look at me." you ordered him, and he did so reluctantly, flipping sides so he could see you. "I'll be watching from the tv at work, cheering you on."

"I know you will," luke says, "it's just playoffs and all the other guys girlfriends will be there and...I don't know."

you can't help but smile, "oh so i'm your girlfriend now?"

his eyes jolt up to look into yours and once he sees your playful expression. "well, yeah."

"oh I didn't know that." you shrug nonchalantly. you can't keep your expression at bay when luke jumps up, rolling you into your back and tackling you, kissing your face until your giggling. you grab luke's face to stop his attack, placing one deep kiss onto his lips, reluctantly pulling away.

he sighs again, "I wish you could be there."

"me too," you admit. "but you'll play great regardless, I know it."

he smirks, "I'd play better if you were there." you give him a look and he laughs, kissing your neck once, "I know, you have to work."

"how about I give you something else instead?" you say seductively, fingers trailing down his shirt before brushing against his waistband.

"what did you have in mind?" he inquires, a raise to his brows.

you don't say anything, instead you kiss him, hands trailing back up to hold his face to yours. you feel his hands wrap around the small of your back, slightly lifting you off the mattress. you sigh into the kiss and you can feel him smirk.

he pulls away from you, sitting up on his knees so he could take his shirt off. you bit your lip, hand touching his abs briefly before he's lifting your shirt off, revealing your gray bra. immediately, he's coming back down, ripping down one your bra cups and attacking your nipple with his mouth. your mouth hangs open in pleasure, hissing when the cold air hits your one boob while he's moving to the next one. "luke, please." you're not even sure what your asking for, but he's up immediately, tugging your leggings down your legs before discarding his own pants and boxers with them.

it's been a week since you and luke fucked for the first time, and you guys have done it many times since then, but his size never fails to impress you.

he leans back over you, grabbing one of his pillows and shoving it under your hips, all while you stroke his dick. he thrusts into your hand with a groan. "fuck, baby."

it's your turn to smirk, "put it in me lukey, before I have to leave."

he pulls your string underwear to the side, revealing your glistening wetness. he leans over you to grab a condom, ripping it open and rolling it on. he slides into you then, and you both moan out. he starts thrusting and your moans continue to get louder and more frequent until luke puts a hand over your mouth, "people are home," he says but you can't focus, your eyes rolling to the back of your head in pleasure.

luke's breathing is heavy as he's thrusting, your body jolting with every move, sending you up the bed from the force. he grabs your leg, lifting it so it can rest on his shoulder. the new angle sends you both into a new realm of pleasure, your moans silenced by his hand, luke's grunts falling into the crook of your neck.

"i'm gunna cum soon," you whine, finger blindly finding your clit to rub it. luke pushed your hand away, his own thumb replacing your fingers. "me too," he grunts.

you cum hot and loud, your walls clamping down on his cock while he continues thrusting. a moment later, his rythym picks up, hips spluttering as he releases his load into the condom.

you two catch your breath for a moment before you speak, "I thought there was no sex on game days?"

he sends you a look with raised brows, "you started it."

you scoff, "I was just gunna give you a hand job," you giggle.

he smiles, "well if we loose blaming you."

you scoff, "rude."

he pulls out of you, discarding the condom before the two of you start getting dressed (and if you have to throw out your underwear because you were too wet, that's nobody's business.)

"I should go," you say, "I work in 2 hours and I have to shower now," you send your boyfriend a look and he just smirks, flexing his arm in your direction, which has you rolling your eyes.

"yeah, I gotta head to the rink soon," he agrees.

you nod, stepping towards him and pushing up on your tip toes, to which he leans down, giving you a brief kiss. "have a good game," you whisper and he sighs.

"I will."

you get home 10 minutes later and ariana is sitting on the couch, waiting for you. "hey," you say, kicking off your shoes at the entry way.

"hey," she says, "what took you so long?"

you shrug, "we lost track of time."

ariana studies your appearance and then puts two and two together, "I don't know if i'm angry because we were supposed to start getting ready 10 minutes ago...or if i'm jealous because you just got railed and I didn't."

you laugh.

"anyways," she shakes her head, "mark dropped this off twenty minutes ago," she tosses you a jersey and you smile upon seeing the material. you unfold it, holding it up to see the back, which read: hughes 43.

"he is going to be so surprised," you settle on.

ariana smiles, "he really has no idea you're coming?"

"no," you smirk, "he thinks I have to work. i'll have to thank mark for stealing this for me."

"yeah," your friend agrees, "okay, i'm gunna start getting ready, but you like, need a shower...you smell like sex."

you laugh in disbelief at her and ariana giggles with you. "I was planning on it," you state, "I'll be back." you say before jogging upstairs for a much needed shower.

it wasn't long before it was time for the two of you to head over to the wolverines arena. luke had texted you before your supposed shift was suppose to start, once again wishing you could be at his game. if only he could see you right now.

the boys had already finished warmups when the two of you arrived. the only available seats were near the back, which was good; you didn't want luke to see you and feel distracted for the game. the wolverines had taken the ice for the first period not long after you sat down. you have never been to a hockey game before, and even though luke has tried to teach you the rules, the game was too fast, leaving ariana having to explain what offside was 5 times before the third period.

the game ended with a win for game 1 for the wolverines, and you never thought you would be cheering for your hockey playing boyfriend at a hockey game: but here you were. you and ariana had waited for most of the crowd to disappear before walking down to wait by the locker room, just like the rest of family and other girlfriends of the team.

you're not waiting too long before you see mark and rutger emerge from the locker room, who grin at one another when they see you. luke follows behind, too busy chatting with ethan to even see that you're there. but ethan sees you, nudging luke until he looks up.

"what the -" he smiles, rushing forward to wrap you in a hug. "I thought you were working."

you laughed, "I lied."

he pulls away from the hug and you let him give you a quick kiss. "I hate you," he laughs.

"you don't," you smile up at him.

"no," he whispers, "I really don't."

"alright love birds, are we going out to eat or what? i'm fucking starving and I'm desperate for some 5 guys." rutger groans, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

you and everybody else agree, 5 guys sounds heavenly. luke wraps his arm around you shoulders as you all leave, the two of you falling a few steps behind your friends.

"where'd you get this?" his hand that's resting your your arm plucks the material of your jersey.

you look up at him, "mark stole it for me. does it look good?"

he takes your hand and twirls you around, much to your dismay, but you're laughing anyways. "you always look so hot in my clothes, even when it's sweatpants and a tshirt." in that moment you think back to the party, before you and luke got together, back when you pushed your feelings for him deep down: the night when you had to change out of your dirty uniform and into his clothes. look at you now. "if you think i'm not fucking you in that jersey, you're wrong."

you gasp in shock, hitting his chest. but he just smirks down at you, the two of you continuing your way to the car.

part ten: the truth

you're standing in the kitchen of luke's home, pouring yourself and luke another drink while he and the rest of his teammates party: the guys had a healthy amount of people over to celebrate the win of the first playoff game. there's another girl in the kitchen with you, a brunette that rutger has been hooking up with - she's really sweet, a little dipsy, but who are you to judge.

the two of you are chatting amongst yourselves when somebody else enters the kitchen. you glance over your shoulder to see luke, cheeks rosy from the alcohol and smile bright as he spots you. "what's taking so long?" luke asks you, arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you back against his chest.

"i'm just chatting with lacey," you laugh at his drunken state, the way he was clinging onto you - he was so cute.

"okay, well, come back...I miss you," he lazily kisses your cheek three times and lacey has to laugh behind the rim of her plastic cup.

"okay, okay," you giggle, "i'll come socialize if...you go upstairs and plug my phone in for me?" you turn to luke with a hopeful grin and luke playfully rolls his eyes, plucking your phone from the back pocket of your jeans.

"anything for you baby," he says, leaving you to make his way upstairs.

"wow," lacey says, "you have him wrapped around your finger." she observes. you shrug nonchalantly, but that doesn't stop your smile and cheeks from blushing. "you love him?"

you are kind of shocked at her question because what? it's only been two months- almost three since you've started hanging out with luke. but then yeah, you think, how could you not love luke. In a world full of boys he's the gentleman. so, "yeah," you say, "I think I do."

she giggles, "rutger must be devastated then."

you furrow yours brows, "what? why?"

she quirks a brow, "the bet. he mentioned the guys get to style his hair or cut it...whatever: if he lost the bet." lacey can see the confused look on your face and squints at you, "you know, the bet."

"I don't know about a bet." you say hesitantly.

"the one he made with luke," she says it nonchalantly, organizing all the bottles of liquor as she talks, "that if luke could make a girl fall in love with him by playoffs, they get to style or cut rutgers hair however they want- you know how he is about his hair," she laughs. "and if he couldn't, luke had to dish up $200, but clearly, he could do it. you're in love."

when you don't respond, lacey looks over to you, only to see your eyes trained on the counter, a look of anger settled on your face. lacey gulps, "I thought luke would've told you."

"will you excuse me," without waiting for her response you storm out of the kitchen. you don't see luke in the living room: he must be upstairs still with your phone. you're pretty sure mark calls your name, he can probably tell something is wrong by your face, but you ignore him, stomping up the stairs and pushing open luke's bedroom door, slamming it shut behind you.

"jesus," luke chuckles, "you scared me." he turns to look at you and his face drops when he sees the look on yours. "hey, what's wrong?-"

"I'm a bet," you seethe, interrupting him. even in the dim light of his bedroom you can see his face pale, his body tensing. he doesn't say anything, just stares at you until you become angrier. "was I just a bet? answer me."

luke knows he's caught, "yeah," he whispers, "i'm sorry." he stutters.

"god," you say while your knees buckle slightly and your eyes start to water. "so this whole time - everything we've done together was all so you could save yourself fucking $200! what the fuck luke!"

"what? no, that's not it."

you weren't listening to him. "is that why you offered to help me with matt? so you could try and crack me? just get me in your bed? huh, luke. tell me the truth."

he goes to reach out to you but you send a lethal glare in his direction so he retracts his hand. "I thought that if we were seen spending more time together- my roommates would think we were dating so then I came the fake dating idea and - y/n I didn't want to hurt you."

your lip wobbles. "that's why I couldn't tell anybody we were only fake dating, right? because then your little plan might get messed up?" all luke can do is muster up a nod. "the reason you started talking to me at that party...was because you were trying to get me to like you? so what, was I was just the first girl you saw?"

"rutger got to choose. he chose you because you don't date hockey players." his words are a whisper and you laugh in disbelief.

"oh my god! so what, flirting with me, kissing me, dating me, sleeping with me, was that all apart of the bet too?"

he's looking deep into your eyes, the guilt evident in his face. he looks down towards the hardwood then, no guts to keep your eye contact "ethan he umm, said I had to sleep with the girl - but that's not why I slept with you, y/n!"

you sigh and your legs give out, sending you to the ground as a sob rips through your chest. luke drops down to his knees infront of you, and you don't have the energy to push him off when his hands touch your knees. "did I really mean less than $200? why did you lie to me?"

luke's lip trembles slightly. "no, no! you mean everything to me, baby. I haven't even thought of that stupid bet in forever! I didn't flirt with you, or kiss you or fucking sleep with you because of the bet! I did it because you're my girlfriend."

"I wouldn't be your girlfriend if it wasn't for a bet, luke. I can't believe this...I thought ...," you sob again and luke can feel his own eyes well up watching you cry.

"please forgive me," he whispers, "I hate myself for what I did. I should've told you."

"god and your roommates! they all know, have they just been making fun of me this whole time? that's why they were always watching us! and why you needed me to act like we were together in front of them! the basketball game...the parties....stupid me, right, falling for a guy who was just going to discard me."

"I wasn't going to discard you!"

"were you ever going to tell me? even if i didn't find out?" luke stays silent and your lip wobbles as you look at him. his silence is enough of an answer for you. "I hate you," you whisper.

"please don't say that," he says, "please, can we just talk about this."

"we've talked enough, luke. I can't even stand you right now," you spit. "i'm going home."

"please don't. just stay and in the morning we can-"

"no, luke!," you snap, "we're done. enjoy cutting rutgers hair," you laugh in disbelief as you're standing up and luke can't even register you leaving until you're out the door, slamming it on your way out.

you start walking down the hall, tears falling down your cheeks. at the top of the stairs, you spot rutger, a guilty look on his face. you're not sure if he overheard you and luke or if lacey had told him she spilled the beans, regardless, you pause and look him dead in the eye, "screw you."

he sighs and starts to apologize but you brush past him, making your way down the stairs and out the house. the front door open and closes behind you, alerting you that somebody has followed you outside, but you don't look behind yourself.

"y/n," mark calls out, "let me drive you home."

"did you know?!" you spin around forcefully, eyes full of anger. "about the bet."

"please just let me drive you home." he sighs, "it's a far walk and...you're drunk."

you don't feel like fighting anymore so you just nod, a sob ripping from your lungs as mark leads you to his car.

a knock sounds on luke's bedroom door and he wipes his eyes briefly, just in case any tears had fallen. he opens the threshold to see rutger. "I really don't want to talk right now," luke says.

rutger sighs, "I should've let you call it off dude. i'm sorry, I didn't think it would be this bad..."

"well it is!," luke says powerfully, "it so fucking bad dude! i've lost the only girl i've ever loved and only because of your stupid bet!"

"I know," rutger says, "dude, I said I was sorry."

"yeah, I know," luke scoffs, "just...leave. get out. I need to be alone." he says and rutger just nods. he apologizes once more before he leaves but luke ignores him, letting him go with nothing but the shut of the door.

lukey 😍 (12:47)

y/n, i'm sorry. please let's talk

tomorrow

lukey 😍 (12:50)

please

lukey 😍 (12:52)

I fucked up but please give me

a chance to ask for your

forgiveness

lukey 😍 (12:53)

please baby

part eleven: the end

tears are leaking from the corners of your eyes, blurring your vision briefly before they fall, rolling down your temples and dripping on your ears.

the ceiling above you has never been stared at longer. it's been almost three weeks since you found out about the bet: since you broke up with luke. you don't know why you were so upset, you'd only known luke for three months, only had been intimate with him for two weeks or so: but you just felt so....heartbroken.

you barley had any energy, only mustering up enough to work your shifts and attend important classes. thankfully, you hadn't run into any of the boys often. you'd seen mark the most, usually running into him coming out of the bathroom in your home, and well, you couldn't escape him there.

when you first told ariana about what happened that night at the hockey house, she was shocked and so very heartbroken for you. she had cuddled you on the couch all night, sharing junk food and watching sad movies as much as your heart desired. she gave mark an earful when she saw him next and you had never been more grateful for your best friend.

luke texted you a lot. usually just saying sorry, or asking you to meet up. you only responded once, about two days ago and you told him to give you space: you hadn't heard from luke since. you felt so stupid. it's similar to how you felt when you realized you were wrong about matt, expect this time it was worse. worse because it was all fake, even when luke comforted you about matt and what he did to you : none of it was real. the feelings, the friendship, the sly smirks and longing looks. you were probably the laughing stock of the wolverines hockey team - god, you think, he's probably described your face during sex -

a knock on your door has you sitting up off your bed, ariana's head of blonde hair poking through the door frame. "hey," she says, "i'm off to the game." you nodded because even if she hasn't said anything, you could tell by her perfectly styled hair and the michigan letter jacket she was sporting.

"okay."

she frowns slightly, "are you sure you don't want me to stay here?"

you shake your head, "no. just because my boyfriend was an asshole and I'm not going to- doesn't mean you shouldnt watch yours play, besides, they're doing good, right? it'll be a good game." ariana had told you that the guys had won first round and were currently in the second, only two wins away from moving forward.

"okay," she hesitates by the door and gives you another look. "are you positive?"

you laugh briefly and the skin of your cheeks feel dry from the salty water you cried before. "go," you urge.

"i'll send luke dirty looks for you," ariana promises and you smile slightly. "i'll text you when i'm on my way back, or if I end up staying at marks."

ariana left after that, making it to the bustling arena full of michigan students and staff alike, all sporting school colours and team jerseys. the game was fast and rough, rutger had even got into a fight in the third period. despite their efforts, the wolverines lost the game 3 - 2.

mark texted ariana after the game, asking her to wait by the locker rooms for him. so there the blonde stood, around a couple other girlfriends, all waiting for the boys to make their appearance. ethan comes out first, nothing more than a nod in ariana's direction before leaving the rink. rutger and mark come out together, chatting amongst themselves as they make their way over to her, luke trialing behind them, his now usual sour expression evident on his face.

"hey," mark greets, giving her a quick kiss. ariana greets him back, "good game."

"could've been better," rutger says. "did you see me lay that guy flat?"

"yeah," ariana nods, "I can also tell by that impending black eye you got going on." rutger smirks proudly.

"you want to come back to ours?," mark asks her, squeezing her shoulder until she's pushed into his side.

ariana winced, "I shouldn't, y/n is home alone and...yeah."

luke's eyes meet hers and ariana raises her brows at him. he swallows hard, "how is she?"

"dude," mark sighs.

"why would I tell you?" she snaps, "it's not your business...not anymore."

"I know," luke agrees, "I just thought id ask...I still care about her."

ariana really looks at him then and she has to stop her frown forming. he looked miserable. he had terrible bags under his eyes, and his cheeks looked gaunt, no colour when they once were always rosy. he was struggling, by only at his own fault. in a moment of weakness, ariana sighs, "she's not great. y/n, I mean. she's sad all the time but she's getting there."

rutger coughs, "hey, mark, wanna help me with something outside?" mark nods slowly, understanding the situation. he sends his girlfriend a small smile and then the two leave luke and ariana alone.

"I fucked up," luke sighs.

ariana scoffs, hands tucked into her jacket pockets. "yeah, i'm aware." luke just runs a hand over his face so ariana continues, "you know, when she told me that you and her started dating, I was shocked because she hasn't had eyes for anybody but matt since freshman year...but then I saw the two of you together, and I understood why she liked you so much. you treated her good, and you were always so supportive and then she told me it was fake...a bet. how could you do that to her?"

"it wasn't fake," luke sighs and then he backtracks, "well, yeah you're right. it started as bet and I never thought I would actually...or that she would...I thought by the end of this it would've ended differently. and then I fell in love with her and everything changed."

"you love her?" ariana asks softly.

"yeah," he admits.

"does she know that? what you just said...all of it, does she know?" luke shakes his head no and ariana sighs, contemplating if she's really about to say what she wants to say. "you need to tell her, luke. she's home right now and I think she needs to hear that. and i'm not saying this because she will forgive you, because I don't know if she will. but she deserves to hear it."

"okay," luke says, "I will go...right now. thank you."

ariana nods and watches him walk away, his shoulders a bit higher than before.

you're just hearing downstairs when your phone buzzes. expecting a message from ariana.

ariana 😈

i'm sorry in advance

you furrow your eyebrows in confusion, your thumbs start moving, ready to type your response and then there's a knock at your door. even more confused, you pocket your phone, making the short trip to the front entryway and pulling on the door. luke stands there, and he looks even worse than you. good, you think, you should feel bad.

"what are you doing here?"

"I need to apologize. a proper apology, not like the lame excuse of one I gave you at that party when I was drunk and filled with guilt. you deserve a proper explanation," he says it quickly, as if you would shut the door in his face at any second. you give him a look of hesitation, "please, y/n, just 5 minutes and then you can kick me out."

you nod once, moving aside so he can step in. you gesture for him to sit on the couch, and he tried not to freak out at the lack of words from you. you walk past him, grabbing yourself a drink before joining him again. "how was your game?" you ask without looking at him.

he nods and then remembers you can't actually see him in that moment. "we lost."

you just nod, finally turning to face him. "you have 4 minutes left."

luke wipes his hands on his pants as a nervous habit. "I have never felt worse than I have felt these past few weeks. I shouldn't have agreed to that bet, and I definitely shouldn't have let rutger pick you. you are so much more than just a bet...you are the most beautiful, the kindest, most loving girl i've ever met...and I hate that i've upset you."

"then why? why did go through all that trouble if you knew..."

"I thought that it would work...the fake dating idea. I thought by the end of this you and matt would be together and then i could've told you about the bet. you probably still would've been mad at me, but it wouldn't of mattered because it worked...you would've got the guy. I wasn't expecting it to be anything."

"but it did become something."

"I know," luke agrees, "at that point the stupid bet was a distant memory. and I'm going to say it again; I didn't kiss you, or date you or sleep with you because of a bet, I did it because I fell in love with you."

your eyes go wide at his words but luke isn't looking at you but rather the hands in his lap, fiddling with the string of his pants. "and i'm not just saying that because I want your forgiveness or want to get back together with you, of course I do, but im not here for that. i'm here to try and heal your broken heart."

you grab his face softly and his eyes snap up to meet yours. "you love me?"

luke nods gently. "i'm sorry for not telling you about the bet and im sorry there was a bet in the first place...but if im being honest, im glad rutger picked that bet for me, because if he didn't i would've never found love with you."

you're crying now and it's luke's turn to hold your face. "you can kick me out if you want, or you can scream at me or hit me...whatever you need to do -"

"I love you too lukey," you sniff and you watch luke's eye go wide.

"really?" he breathes, his shoulders falling.

"yes," you nod, "and I can - in some twisted way - understand why you didn't tell me: you just didn't want to hurt me. I just wish i found out from you, instead of lacey. i'm not saying I completely forgive you, because that will take time but we can work on it." you press your forehead to his, "I'm glad matt ended up being a total creep because i like the guy I ended up with much better."

you watched him smile, and you laugh through your tears, "kiss me already."

and he does, pressing his lips to your plump ones in a toe curling wet kiss that had you gasping into his mouth, his hands tangling in your hair to hold you closer. he drops one hand, wrapping it around your waist and pulls you closer until your straddling his lap. "hold on," you breathe.

he looks up at you with concerned eyes, "did I do something?"

"no," you say immediately, "I just need to thank ariana,"

he smirks as you grab your phone, making a mental note to also thank your small blonde bestie. luke studies your face, cheeks flushed, lips pink and eyes wide, much different from when you first opened the door. in a moment of boldness he says, "I told you that you and I have chemistry."

you smile, playing with the hair at the back of his head as you think about that very first night when luke had found you at the party. "I didn't believe you back then."

"do you believe me now baby?"

"I guess so lukey." you tease and he smirks before kissing you again.

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

[sammywritesfics]

LH43-Curb Side Confessions

Pairing: Luke Hughes x Neutral!Reader (I think?). Word Count: 1.6k Warning: None. Summary: When Luke invited you to his lake house. He didn't think it would end in him fighting for your affection from his friends. What happens when he suddenly explodes outside of the bar? Requests are open. Masterlist: here.

--

Luke wasn’t a jealous person. But the second he brought you to the lakehouse to meet his friends. Ethan had taken it upon himself to show you around. He had no reason to care, you weren’t his. But he wanted to be so badly. 

Jack had spent all season making fun of him for his obvious feelings about you. Luke was gonna make his feelings known this summer. But every time Ethan was there with a drink or worse. 

Luke stood at the end of the boat watching as Ethan rubbed sunscreen on your back. Luke clutched his beer can in his hand, denting the sides. The worst part about it was you had to have known how he felt. You were always so good at reading him. 

You turned your head to Ethan, “Getting a little low there, Edwards” you teased with an undertone of warning. Ethan’s hand slipped off you instantly, “Sorry, just making sure Luke was glaring my way” he joked, settling beside you. 

“You're such an ass” You mumbled sipping your drink as your eyes wandered over to Luke. The sun met his curls in a heavenly way. Upon your arrival, Ethan told you his plan to get Luke to confess to you. At the same time, you didn’t think Luke had feelings for you. You wouldn’t miss the chance to ruffle his feathers. 

Luke had his back turned to you, but you could tell it was tense. He had pushed himself over to Quinn who was driving the boat the second Ethan walked over to you. You wondered if maybe Ethan was right or if Luke's beer was already warm from the sun. 

You got up to get a check on him, but Jack and his girlfriend were already dragging you to the cooler. It was then that you noticed your favorite drink in the cooler. It wasn’t an odd one, but no one else in the house drank it as often as you did. 

You couldn’t help how your eyes wandered to Luke, who was still ignoring you. But you did catch Quinn's smug smile. You started to feel that just maybe Luke had some small feelings for you. 

Luke had always been kind to you in college, but now that he was in the big leagues. You assumed he would’ve cut it out by now. Oh how wrong you were. 

--

You laid by the country club pool with Gabby, Dylan had taken it upon himself to join you as well. He was your designated driver, and also a deterrent for men. Every man who would come up to you or Gabby would get an excuse. Often more outlandish than the last. 

“You are dating both of them?” some guy had asked, gesturing to each girl on Dylan’s side. Dylan’s lip twitched as he was forced to keep his expression steady. “So? Just cause you can’t get one, doesn’t mean I have to limit myself..” Dylan snapped full of sass. The guy walked away butthurt, but you giggled as Dylan leaned back into his pool chair. 

Gabby turned to you, “So Luke seemed to be sulking pretty hard yesterday” she said coyly sipping her drink. Your cheeks flushed, “Why is everyone so convinced he likes me?”  You groaned, propping yourself up with an arm. 

“Because I have known you both since college, and my boy is down bad,” Dylan said, eating some chips you packed just for him. “You're just saying that because you like how I give you the princess treatment” you joked gesturing to the chips. Dylan winked at you, playfully. 

Gabby leaned forward, “Well, do you like him?” she asked, eyes flicking from Dylan back to you. You stirred your drink, glancing at her shyly. 

“Lu’s a sweetheart..” You mumbled quietly, watching as Gabby laughed softly. “Oh she definitely likes him back” Gabby teased, nudging Dylan. 

Your ears flushed, “I just, he could have anyone he wants. I’m just me ya know?” Your eyes turned back to your drink. “Your way is good for him, your kind. And you always kept him calm during our tournaments” Dylan said, nudging your chin up to meet his eyes. 

You sent him an unsure smile, luckily Gabby had changed the subject for you. You did let your mind wander, maybe you did like Luke. Just a bit. 

--

When you got back to your room, you noticed Luke's bedroom door down the hall was open. After you changed out of your swimsuit, you went to check on him. 

You knocked on his door, “Luke?” You called, watching as he tensed up before turning around. He was shirtless, with a shirt around his wrist. Your body froze, eyes frozen on his chest. 

You knew he was attractive, you always had known. But seeing him in the darkroom made your mind run wild. 

You had blinked out of your daze when he pulled his shirt on. “Did you have fun with Gabby?” Luke asked, sitting on his bed casually. You followed him and sat down. The energy in the room was comfortable and safe. 

“Yeah, we brought Dylan too scared of guys..” You watched as he tilted his head away. You reached hesitantly to cup his jaw, “Lu, look at me..” you spoke softly. 

Luke met your gaze, “You're not into Ethan right?” he asked. It was a dumb question, he knew you weren’t but he craved to hear you say it. 

“Ew, at least Dylan would mildly make sense..” You tried to joke, but Luke just looked like you had hit him. You reached for his hand but he moved it away. 

“Where is this coming from?’ You asked, in that sweet voice you would use when tending to an animal you found. Specifically stray cats or dogs. 

Luke met your gaze, “I just don’t want to lose you.” It was a half-life. Luke had loved you since he figured out what that really meant. You had brought him drinks between periods in his games. You were always there with a smile when he lost. He could not lose you, even if it meant hiding how he felt. 

“You won’t, and I'm not interested in your dumbass friends..” You reassured him. Before you could clarify what you meant. Trevor ran up the stairs as Jack chased him with a water gun. “Toddlers..” you scoffed, getting up and leaving his room. 

--

A small group of you headed to the bar that night, Quinn, Gabby, Jack, Luke, and Dylan. You frowned, there wasn’t a spot for you. Dylan opened his mouth to make a joke about how you should sit on his lap. Wanting to piss Luke off a bit before the night began. 

But before Dylan could even speak, Luke had reached across him to you. Tugging you onto his lap gently. You flushed and hid your face in Luke’s neck. You hadn’t been in this position since college. Luke didn’t comment as he saw his friends and brothers stare. 

Luke wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you close to his chest. He didn’t know why it embarrassed you. You had done it hundreds of times before. But he felt the need to protect you regardless. 

Once at the bar, you sat in the booth. Dylan had gone up to get you a shot, just to watch Luke glare at him from the booth. As the antics went on, Luke had to excuse himself a few times to the bathroom. Coming back more pissed than before. 

Dylan had paid for your drinks, flirted with you, and made jokes about setting you up with Ethan, But the final straw was Dylan putting his hand on your thigh. 

Luke reached over to you and pulled your head into his chest. His hands formed fists but eventually dropped them. He was riled up and needed to cool off. 

Luke made his way angrily out of the bar. “Luke!” You called running after him. His head twitched towards you but ultimately kept it in front of him as he kept walking. Only when you started to lose your breath did he slow down for you to catch up. 

“What's wrong? If it's Dylan-” he cut you off, turning around and holding your face in his hands. His eyes flicked across your face with a pained look. 

“I am so hopelessly in love with you. And watching him flirt with you makes me want to hit him” he spoke out quickly, far too quickly for your brain to catch up. 

“What?” You stared up at him, a bit startled. 

“I can’t stand wanting to hit my friend. So if you're…if he's who you want. That's fine, but I cannot sit here and pretend like it's not breaking my heart..” Luke mumbled, as his eyes flicked from your lips to your eyes. 

“I’m not into Dylan!” You yelled as a car drove past you both. Luke closed his eyes, as if unbelieving. 

“Luke, look at me..” You said trying to get his attention back on you. The night air was so cold as the alcohol started to wear off. 

Luke shook his head. “I just need some space..” he huffed as he walked away. You stood there, torn between freezing to death to comfort him. And not wanting to push him further. 

“Luke, I’m in love with you..” the words slipped out so fast, too fast as his head whipped back to look at you. Luke’s hand shook by his sides, “you don’t mean that..” he said, shaking his head. 

His denial broke something in you. You reached forward and kissed him. Luke moved immediately to cup your face with both hands. His lips met yours in a heated moment. All the jealousy, all the build-up from the weekend piling into a heated session on the curb. 

“I love you too..” Luke mumbled, pressing his nose into your cheek. 

[spoonsandtunes]

The Ache of Almost

Pairings: Jasper Hale x Human! reader

A/N: so, ive entered back into my Twilight era. ive been reading the books this time around and have fallen in love with Jasper unfortunately so here is some really long shitty angst i wrote about him. also, i was watching this show Northern Exposure and got the inspired by it for the whole river fiasco.

Warnings: non? implied smut though, nothing gruesome. also not proof read, sorry.

word count: 5.2K (insane i know hang on for me please)

You sat, legs tucked into your chest, in front of your brightly lit computer screen. Your fingers moving furiously over the keyboard of your laptop, as your tried to distract your brain from the chatter downstairs. Your school assignment for History was long over due, sitting in a discarded pile to the right, and no matter how much you had urged yourself to do it, you just couldn't. The paper was on the civil war, a logistical over view of it and the people who played major factors, and as much as you hated to admit it this would be easier to write if Jasper was still around.

Downstairs, you could hear Edwards laugh ring out, louder then it usually did, and you sighed, finally pulling your attention away from your screen. Annoyance crawled slowly under your skin, as you heard Edward and what sounded like Charlie chatter amongst each other.

 Realistically, you had no issue with Edward Cullen, no issue with any of the Cullen's actually. You couldn't find it in your heart to hold animosity towards the clan just because  Bella was able to handle a life that you yourself could not.

This "matureness" in the words of Esme Cullen was what kept your heart soft, and you found that the ladder, as well as the fact that you knew Edward was here to see your sister first and foremost kept your annoyance at bay.

You tried so hard to keep the awkwardness from you and Jaspers break up from seeping into the cracks of your sister Bella and Edward's relationship, still being friendly and polite as you had always been when, and even before, you and Jasper had gotten together. But, you couldn't say the same for Edward. 

You knew he was just looking out for his non-blood brother, and even if he was friendly to you just as you were with him, it seemed as if he couldn't stop himself from slipping in a few comments abouts Jaspers well doing that were suppose to evoke guilt into you. And for that very reason, for the past 3 weeks of you dumping Jasper, you went into hiding whenever Edward would come around for Bella. 

There where many things wrong with you and Jaspers relationship. The most obvious being you were human and he was not. You loved it at first, the thrill of a forbidden love, and if Bella could do it, why couldn't you? 

You melted in his soft touch, loved how his southern drawl pulled you in. His kisses tender and sweet as if he was scared to break you, which he was, kept you clinging for more. You loved how intimate you two could be without touch, just soft looks across a room and how your days consisted of being deep within the shadows, private and sacred. 

Jasper was crazy for you, in love like never before. Your voice had him wrapped around his finger since day one, and your touch would send him on his knees begging for more. His love for you was just as strong as Edwards for Bella, he would even argue that it was stronger. 

The issue was, that when you had first met Jasper he was still trying to control his urge to kill everyone around him. Though, when you two started to get closer, he was more in control then when he first met your sister. But things do not change as easily as they come, and even through out your 4 month relationship, there was a very evident reason why you and Jasper had not gone to the next level. 

At first, you were okay with it. Sex was never a priority for you. You, like Jasper, shared a very old school outlook on the topic. But what you didn't enjoy, was that even with kissing, or smelling, or sudden movements, Jasper was on the other side of the room, trying to swallow his desire to bite down on your delicate skin. 

He would disappear for weeks on end every month or so. He would never tell you where he was going, or when he was going, you would just wake up one morning and he would be gone. A couple days in you would hear from Bella or one of the Cullen family members that he went to "blow off some steam" but never from Jasper himself. 

You use to wait around, over at his house constantly to talk with Esme or Alice, in hopes he would appear. Worried sick to your stomach that something had happened to him. Or you would send him a multitude of text messages that went unresponded, you would loiter around  certain classes he had in school, and walk home extra late on some days in hopes that you would see him. Of course, you never did, and his family, as well your own, watched from the side lines in pity. 

Though, he would always come back, appearing at your doorstep, or in your room later within the twilight air. He would be soft, and apologize, explain he went away to keep you safe and to protect you. He would get on his knees, literally, and hold your torso into his face, breathing in your scent as if he was addicted to it. This very ritual was the part of the reason you stayed so long, he always came back. 

Though the anger and worry soon faded, as time past and his disappearing act become a common occurrence. His apologies fell on deaf ears as you shrugged him off and went on your way after he would appear out of the blue. 

This was not the only thing that put a strain on your relationship. You had only lived in forks for a short time, obviously moving back here when Bella did, but you had always loved the summers that came before the move. 

Unlike Bella, your summers were filled with amazing memories of swimming down at La Push and helping your dad grill up food as Billy Black and his son would come over. You would spent endless nights running and biking through town, Jacob by your side, playing make-believe through the dense forests and much more. 

When you had moved over to Forks permanently, you were a bit sad at first for leaving your mother, but you knew Charlie needed this the most. Your extraverted nature did not diminish in the gloomy town, in fact day one you reunited with Jacob and went down to the Clearwater's home, where you befriended one of your now best friends, Leah Clearwater. 

At first, things weren't so hostile, the two opposing sides ignored each other like they always had. But when you and Jasper had made it official, it was obvious tensions started to rise. Jasper hated all your friends, calling them names you don't even want to repeat, and vice versa. At one point it become so bad that you just stopped telling Jasper, or Leah, who you were hanging out with all together as when you did, it felt as if the insults towards the other group and lectures where never ending. 

The issues with your relationship, the obvious differences between you and Jasper seemed to start pilling up. And so, you decided maybe it would be best to end it, or at least take a break. You had pulled him aside one night, when you two where at his home, after dinner. He took your actions as a flirty invitation, and pulled you upstairs, kissing your lips. But you pushed him away, and broke the news to him. You wanted to end it. 

From all the ways you imagined that Jasper would react, it did not prepare you for the immense turmoil that swept over his features. The man dropped to his knees, almost as if you had stabbed him with a stake through the heart, you had never seen him cry before- and now you saw him groveling at your feet, tears glistening in his eyes. He begged, and pleaded, apologizing for things that he himself could not control. It was almost enough to make you take your words back. almost.

You cried as well, and begged him to stand up, but he refused too. You knew breaking up with him was going to be hard, but you didn't know it was going to be this terrible. You still loved him, you didn't know if you were very not going to love him, but you wanted a normal life. A normal boyfriend, a normal relationship. One where your boyfriend could stand being in the same room as you, where he didn't have to disappear for weeks on end so he didn't do anything unspeakable. You wanted a boyfriend who liked your friends, and vice versa, who you didn't only get to hang out with on rainy days. Where you didn't need to tip toe around whenever you wanted to touch him. 

Staying in the shadows was nice while it lasted, but soon your heart yearned and ached to reach out for something more. 

In an instant, the ache of the situation washed away, and anger replaced it. Jasper was hurt, you knew it, and you knew how unfair it was to have to leave because of things that he could not control. So, you stood there and let him take out his anger, obviously holding back immensely. you let him yell and curse, only interrupting a few times to put in your input. His accent grew stronger with every word that tumbled out of his mouth, and at one point you didn't even understand him. But when he asked you to leave his house, and to never come back, you understood that plenty. 

The tears didn't stop when you left his room, still hearing his swears flying out of his mouth even when you weren't in view anymore. Retreating back downstairs, you felt a wave of shame and embarrassment wash over you as his whole family, and Bella, sat in the living room, as rigid as a rock. You knew they had heard the whole thing, there was no way they didn't-not with the level of volume that Jasper had yelled at. You swallowed hard, and wiped your face as you turned to look at everyone "I-I'm sorry, i think i have to go now...my dad-" An immense thunderous crash coming from Jaspers room interrupted your string of excuses, and only you and Bella flinched at it, every one else staying perfectly still. Esme just nodded and knowingly she smiled at you, allowing you to leave with no other explanation. 

This was about 3 weeks ago, and Jasper had not tried to contact you or swarm you since, which you were surprised about actually, you did assume he was going to track your every move. 

Your stomach growled for the 3rd time within the hour and you sighed, looking at the time on the bottom of your computer. The glow read 7pm, and you were starving. 

You pushed your chair back and stood up, the chatter downstairs was still evident but you couldn't hide any longer, you just hoped that Edward would leave it be. 

You left your room and skipped downstairs, Charlie, Edward and Bella coming into view from the bottom steps. They all looked up as you walked into the room, going straight to the kitchen of the open floor plan. "Hey guys," You said smiling, your dad nodding at you, and Bella and Edward waving.

"Are you getting food?" Charlie asked, as he rose from the reclining chair he was lounging in and walked in behind you. You just hummed, and put some food in the microwave, but before you could turn it on, Bella and Edward where already in the kitchen speaking to you. 

"Actually, a few of us were going to go out for food," Edward said casually "why don't you join us? it'll be fun." You turned and eyed him and Bella warily, you did not like where this was going.

Charlie nodded at the idea to show his approval, as he maneuvered around you to put his empty beer bottle in the sink. "Who is 'a few of us'?" You asked suspiciously.

"Us, Rosalie, Emmet, jasper, Alice" Bella said, and you didn't miss how she casually said your ex- boyfriends name. You just shook your head, and looked to your food to start the microwave. 

"I don't think so, thanks though" You tried to keep your voice light, but you knew Edward could hear the strain in it with his vampire powers. You're an ass Edward  you though, and you knew by Edwards smirk that he could read what you were thinking.

 "Are you sure," Bella said "Come on, it'll be fun." You just sighed, and didn't say anything - knowing if you did, something harsh would come out that you didn't really mean. 

"I still have to work on my paper, I barley have it started" You say after a long pause, and it wasn't a lie. Charlie looked over and nodded at your words, silently telling you that he approved of you staying home for your school work. 

"It's Saturday" Edward commented, in which you just gave him a look and went back to glaring at the whirling microwave.

The minute your food came out, you slipped back upstairs into your room, and went into the solitude of the 4 walls. 

For the next 4 hours, you pushed as hard as you could, truly diving into your paper like never before, finally completing it. But, you stilled sighed knowing that even with all the effort you put into the paper, it was going to one of your lowly graded ones. Jasper usually helped you with your history assignments.

Looking at the time, you sighed and spun around in your chair. You doubted Bella was back, in fact you wouldn't be surprised if she spent the night with Edward. 

You rose from you seat, thinking that Charlie may be still be awake, hearing the low buzz from the television from downstairs. Old house, thin walls. You can practically hear someone breathe on the other side of the house. 

You quietly made your way down the hallway and half way down the stairs, crouching on the step and looking through the railings towards the living room. The room was dark, and the low blue light from the TV illuminated the figure of your sleeping dad, who was sprawled out on his reclining chair. 

You sighed, and made your way fully down the stairs and into the living room, turning off the TV and putting a blanket on your dad, who did not stir even a little bit. Seeing him sleep made you decide it was time for bed  yourself, with how late it was getting. Quickly getting ready for bed and under your covers, you sighed and closed your eyes, praying you would have a good night sleep. 

Your sleep was restless, like it was the past 3 weeks, and you woke up at 5:30 am. You tossed and turned, trying to force yourself to sleep again, but your mind was wide awake and your body was restless, filled with energy. 

Rolling out of bed, you shivered as your feet touched your cold laminate flooring. You padded over to your window and peeked behind the curtains.

You were surprised to see that the sky was clear, the ground was not as wet as it was the past couple days, and you wondered if the the sun was going to show its face today. It had just started to slowly rise, the twilight sky turning over to the blue hour. Maybe summer was finally arriving, it was late May after all.

But Forks summers where never as hot as you liked, and the lakes had seaweed bottoms that created muddy puddles around the shore. So even if summer was around the corner, you knew not to get too excited.

Turning your attention away from the weather, you looked towards the front of the house. Charlies cruiser was not in the drive way, you guessed he had already left for work. A bit earlier then usual, but nothing to be alarmed about. 

For the next 30 minutes, you went about doing your morning routine. For the past 3 weeks, your morning schedules would consist of you making your bed, eating a good breakfast and trying to get some work in. Whether it be school work, or waiting around for your shift at the diner to start, you always tried to keep yourself occupied, because when you didn't you mind would wander to the uneasy feeling in your core you had since the day you ended things with Jasper. 

You knew that the love between you and Jasper was different, you could see the way he looked at you, admiration and infatuation deep in his core. You were so much more then just a girlfriend to him, you knew that and so did everyone around you too. Even if he himself never let the words come out of his mouth, he knew you were what he had been waiting for his whole life. from humanhood to vampire, he was seeking for his mate, and you were finally that. 

Of course though, he had yet to tell you this but the rest of the Cullen's knew how easy it was for vampires, like werewolves, to imprint on their loved ones. 

Once you had finished your usual routine, you glanced at the clock. It had only been 30 minutes, and the sky outside was still a dusty blue. 

Your eyes swept around you room, it was still cold but it reminded you of Jaspers icy skin so you didn't mind much. Hanging on the back of your closet door was your rain coat, and you decided that getting in some movement was not the worst idea. 

So, you changed in well fitted jeans, and pulled your coat over your thin PJ Shirt before heading out into the street. 

The air was cool and crisp, and burnt your lungs. The lawn still had a thin layer of dew on it and the starting's of shrubs at the edge of the forest trail by the house was also no different. 

You didn't walk this trail often, unlike Bella and Edward, only a few times with Jacob or Charlie.

The trail went deep, and winded around trees and fallen trunks. You let your thoughts run wild, hoping that soon they would run out. 

Though, they seemed to grow stronger every waking minute and for the first time since the day you left Jaspers house, you felt soft tears prick your eyes. This was a lot harder then you though it would be, but it was the only thing that made sense. You couldn't live your life hiding your loved one from the word, and unlike your sister, the desire to become a vampire yourself was non existent. You loved being human, you loved the fragileness of it, the realness of it, and the beauty of it. 

Jasper admired this, but even though you knew he would never want to condemn you to what he believed to be his own personal hell, the thought of you growing old and dying shook him to the core. 

This was another issue with your relationship. Talk of the future, kids and homes and white picket fences where truly not something that ever came up. When they did, they were soft and sad and the topic would be hung heavy in the air between you too. 

Without knowing it, you had walked so deep in the woods, that the trail had come to an end as the gravel beneath your feet started to thin out. You contemplated turning back and ending your walk, but up ahead a deer stood stunned in its spot, looking at you. 

"Oh," You breathed and stopped walking, as the deer stood so still you almost mistook it for a fake "Hello sweetheart" you cooed so softly, and took a very soft, cautious step forward. 

The deer's ears perked and you stopped moving, staying in your spot, you sighed and looked around your surroundings. A fallen mossy tree trunk was in between you and the deer, acting as a wall that you knew the deer regarded as a shield. Before you could speak to it again, the deer looked out into the distance of the dense forest before it jumped in it spot and bounded away.

You stood there, a bit stunned at the random event, but paid no mind to it and moved forward to step over the trunk and continue your walk. Deer's were already such jumpy creatures, so you didn't feel an uneasiness from its skittishness and you had to admit the encounter gave you a new sense of calmness that washed over you. 

Walking a few feet deeper in the woods, the dirt beneath your feet morphed into wet pebble stone, and looking up you noticed you had come across a small river. It was beautiful, the rocks all different shades of brown and grey covering the bottom. 

You sighed, and squatted at the shore carefully so you didn't fall in, and picked up a small twig. You tried to poke a few rocks around, but the river was a lot deeper then you expected, so the stick barely reached. You noted that one day you could come here and swim, it seemed peaceful.

 Rising up again, you turned around to leave and almost screamed in surprised. 

Jasper was standing father back, still covered by the trees and moss, staring out at you almost sheepishly. 

"Jasper- you scared me," You said not really thinking, and Jasper frowned a bit automatically making you feel bad. "What are you doing here" you said softly, and swallowed heavily.

"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to scare you" he started and stepped out into the clearing. He looked the same, just a bit more tired, if that was possible. His hair was disheveled and he wore a pair of jeans and his red flannel with his sleeves rolled up showcasing his lean muscles and battle scars. "You didn't come to dinner last night, and well...i just-" He swallowed his tongue, and his accent sent shivers down your body. 

You knew vampires didn't eat, not human food at least, so you didn't know why Jasper tried to keep up the charade of the excuse Edward and Bella made last night for Charlies sake. But you supposed that Carslie or Esme did make some thing for Bella to munch on. So maybe it wasn't much of a charade after all.

"Were you following me?" You didn't know if you wanted him to say yes or no, your stomach felt anxious just being in Jaspers presence. 

Jasper sighed, and ran his hand through his hair "I just..." The fact that he felt your emotions made it harder for him to think, and he wondered if you would mind if he used his powers to calm you down, but he knew that would most likely not end very well. "I miss you." He spoke softly, and came closer. 

"Jasper," you went to protest, pushing down the fact that you missed him too, but as you looked down at you feet you felt a small splash "Oh! My keys!" You groaned as your house keys fell from your coats shallow pocket and into the deep river. 

Jasper stepped forward. "I'm sorry." he began like he had threw them in and started to push up his already rolled sleeves higher "Here let me get them" 

You looked at him, and shook your head "No, no" You sighed, you could feel a mild headache coming on. "No. I'll get them." 

Jasper stood as still as stone, and eyed you, "Are you sure, i don't mind" He said and watched you intently. "This river is glacier fed. It'll be cold." He warned worriedly. 

"No it's fine. Its my keys" You huffed, you really did not want help from your ex-boyfriend. That small action would make life so much more complicated then it already was, you just knew it. 

You stepped a bit off to the side of the rocks, finding a drier patch before glancing at your ex-boyfriend. He watched you intently, a look you couldn't quite read in his eyes. You took a shaky breath, and slipped off our shoes, then slowly took off your coat.

The keys had fallen deep in the river, and you were so tempted to leave them, but you knew if you didn't get them Jasper would. So you took a shaky breath and bite your lip, slowly taking your first step in the water. 

You hissed, not expecting it to be as cold as it was, and you felt the water seep through your socks and the fabric around your ankles, making you feel heavy. The shock send a shiver up your spine, and your breathing become a big rigid. 

Your eyes looked down through the clear water and spotted your keys logged between two large rocks, you glanced at Jasper who had not moved a muscle. He stood still, his breath shallow as he watched every move you made. His eyes hade turned dark, a coal black colour. Something about his interaction was strangely intimate and you didn't know if that was the cold water fogging your brain or if it was just the fact that you stood in front of Jasper in a thin white PJ shirt, breathing heavy and practically half of you drenched in water. 

Silently, you bent down to put your arm in the water, trying to keep majority of your self dry, straining your neck so your hair wouldn't get wet. Jasper shuffled, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his mouth shut. His jaw was tense, and his fists were balled at his sides. 

You fully looked at him, and made eye contact, taking another shaky breath due to the glacier fed river, and tried to get your fingers to grab the keys. Though, they were logged tight, and your fingers only grazed the metal rings the keys sat on. There was no other choice but to go fully in.

Determined, you closed your eyes, and dunked your head into the water. Your fingers wrapped around the keys and tugged hard, pulling them from out between the rocks. Rising up, you gasped for air, and took a moment to reign your senses. 

You evened out your breathing, and turned to look at Jasper, who in his shocked stance cracked a small smirk. You pushed your hair from your face as he spoke "who knew you could be so cool" his southern draw made you weak in the knees, and you pulled at your shirt so it wouldn't be as see through. 

You couldn't help but smile though, and step out from the water to grab your shoes. You sat on a drier rock, sniffling and wrapping your coat around you to stop any shivering. Jasper watched you, and his heart ached that he couldn't warm you up with his icy cold body. 

"I'm sorry..." You spoke after a pause, and Jasper slowly sat down next to you, your thighs touching. The feeling made you sigh, and your head ache seemed to be gone. You couldn't tell if it Jasper was using his powers, or if the icy cold water put you in some type of shock. You decided that his presence was just a comfort, anything else would have been a lie. "I-I hope we can still be friends." You turned your head to look at the stunning man next to you, who was already looking at you with udder admiration.

He just shook his head "I can't just be friends with you."

You sighed, fearing this response. "Why?" Both your voices where low, the sound of the river and other wildlife being the only thing to cause a ruckus. 

"I love you too much to...let you go on with your life without me in it," He paused, and you could tell he seemed to hesitate on what he wanted to say. You urged him to go on, slowly nodding and placing your wet hand on top of his knee. "You're my mate. I need you, I can't do-" He gestured around him, but his eyes didn't look away from yours for a second. "This- without you."

A shaky breathe exited your lips. You had heard about mates before when learning about werewolves and vampires from those around you, but you never expected to have one yourself. You guessed though that Edward and Bella- or Rosalie and Emmet where prime examples. But all the examples of mates around you were all one being. Rosalie and Esme with Carslie and Emmet where vampires. Bella wanted to be a vampire. Non of the examples in your life showcased how mates worked with two different species. 

"I like being human," You whispered, and let your fingers start to draw circles on Jaspers knee subconsciously. "I can't be who you want me to be." 

"I would never ask you to change that." Jasper deadpanned, and he looked eager to show you he wouldn't. You smiled at him, knowing no matter how much he believed that, he would ask you one day. Maybe not tomorrow but 30 years down the line the conversation would come up.

"But you will," You admitted and Jasper shook his head furiously, tears starting to surface in his eyes. He looked desperate to reach out for you. You repeated yourself "But you will- Jasper-" You called his name sternly as a string of 'no's came tumbling from his mouth. "You will." He took a shaky breath and you bit your lip, he couldn't argue with that. 

He knew himself, deep down he would bring the idea up once in your life. The thought of you growing old and dying shook him to his core, it was a paralyzing fear. He would beg you to let someone turn you when things started to look a bit to serious with your future. "Then- I..." He struggled to speak, this conversation was not going the way he hoped it would and if he still had a beating heart it would have stopped by now. "I don't know what to do." He said shakily.

You brough your hand off his knee and slowly intertwined your fingers with his, his icy coldness brining some type of comfort to yourself. Jasper sighed, and closed his eye for a brief minute feeling your warm fingers, and you gazed upon your intertwined hands. His thumb drew circles on the back of your hand, and you sighed, leaning your head on his shoulder. The sun had fully rose now, and the rays peaked through the trees, falling on Jasper. He didn't care though, there was much more important things on his mind then his sparkling skin. 

Your eyes roamed his diamond complexation, watching as a string of rainbows practically bounced off of him. It finally set in then, you two really were different, and you had no idea what you should do. "I don't know either.." You admitted, a comfortable silence falling between the two lovers.

[kunoiashifts]

·˚ ༘ ~ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛɪɴɢ ɴᴏɴꜱᴛᴏᴘ ꜰᴏʀ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ~ ·˚ ༘

✩ for the past few weeks, i had been spiraling repeatedly.

✩ it was like whenever i got newfound motivation and a feeling that i'd actually shift, i'd just spiral over and over. i was stuck in a loop of having a good mindset, to having a worse one all over again.

✩ last weekend, i decided enough was enough. i wanted to shift, and i wanted my mindset to be suitable for shifting in general.

✩ i read up on these two posts and realized that i was basically just self sabotaging myself all along. 😭

✩ when i cried and worried about not shifting, i let my thoughts run rampant and persist in the fact that i hadn't shifted yet. it wasn't bad that i felt emotional, it was bad that i felt like my emotions would set me back. and i let them do so. this is why people tell you it's okay to be upset. it's okay to cry. just don't let your emotions dictate your shifting journey because you will get there no matter what.

✩ what i should have been doing was instead of persisting in negative thoughts, i should have swapped them out (i used the photo in the first post linked to help me understand how to do it). even if it hurt to even try to affirm or stop them, i'd let them go if i just forgot about them on my own. after a while, i found myself putting way less pressure on myself.

✩ and to help me normalize revision, i used it for other undesirable thoughts throughout my days. eg. "i hate math class— wait, i love math class because it's so easy!" (and guess what? it became easy just like that!!)

✩ and now, for the fun part. :3 after learning how to revise my negative thoughts, i decided to figure out how to actually get what i want.

✩ and the only key was to know i already have it.

✩ but i had already heard that 1,000 times before. however, when i read up on the second post and learned more about imagination, i realized i had been doing it all wrong.

✩ manifesting isn't about getting. it's about remembering you already have it.

✩ i had heard countless times about how you should "live in the end" and "act as if," but nothing ever stuck with my stubborn brain.

✩ so when i actually sat down and learned how the 3d and 4d worked through imagination using the video linked in the second post, i knew how to get to my dr.

some of the other edward art videos i watched, i genuinely find him so helpful:

Don't Try, But Experience - literally everything clicked for me in this video the most

Imagination is Not A State

Imagination is Self

✩ tldr: once i imagined it, i experienced it. no matter what the 3d throws my way. whenever i got a fleeting doubt, i'd simply revise it. "i haven't shifted yet— what? i'm in my dr right now, what am i talking about?"

✩ obviously it's easier said than done. but trust me, my brain was extremely stubborn before this and didn't take in ANY info i mindlessly bombarded it with. if you just take a second and actually try to understand law of assumption, it will click. and for me, all it took was these two simple posts.

if you'd like to know how i've been getting extremely close to shifting, then here :3 — every night, after using the HMM method and imagining my dr before sleeping, I've gotten very vivid dreams, (multiple about me successfully shifting) a flash of light behind my eyes as if i shifted for a split second, feeling way more connected towards my visualizations, (because now i see them as truth, they're genuine memories from my desired reality.) and overall feeling way more confident in myself. doubts have barely popped up, even if i wake back up in the old story. because i'm living the truth in my true reality (4d). my mind is all i need.

this is why people tell you your mind shifts first.

take that and run with it.

persist in the fact that you've already shifted.

imagine your dr, not as a faraway place, but as a place you've already been to. a place you're already in.

- ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ɴᴏɪᴀ