#hate hate hate I refuse to be this fast in catching any sort of feelings hate hate hate

[zenyye]

[lexirosewrites]

Idea for slick sunday hit me out of nowhere like a brick. Which is to say it's barely developed lmao if I think about it any more i might pop back in.

So, Alpha/beta/omega dynamics exist in the world but it only applies to werewolves. Small populations of werewolves live amongst humans but are considered lower beings by the snobbiest of humans (guess who this applies to). People can still be turned but it's sort of a taboo and a great way to be ostracized by more close-minded human communities. So, amidst some altercation, fueled by anger, lust, whatever, Billy bites Steve and turns him. He becomes an omega werewolf, and immediately all his social standing, his opportunities, everything goes tits up. His parents only barely know what omegas are, which is to say omegas are the women (or bitches when theyre feeling especially uncharitable) and alphas are the men etc, just very incorrect assumptions on how werewolves work. Well they can't get Steve out of sight fast enough. It's either ship him away or disown him, and Steve refuses to leave the kids, so it's out the door and out the family.

So now Steve is a brand new werewolf and a brand new omega and has no idea how either of these things are supposed to work. Most of the wolves in town that he knows of hate him because he was raised to look down on them first, and even if he's changed, he was an ass in high school. He's got so many new instincts that clash with a lifetime of experience being human, and now there are physical changes and why is he so hot all of the sudden? Well he cant be around Robin or the kids-- what if he hurts them? After all he's a dangerous animal now right? So he roughs it in the forest for awhile.

He's going through it.

Anyway, some way some how Eddie gets wind of a newly turned, weird af wolf living in the woods and roaming the streets at night. Or maybe they have a chance encounter, and Eddie, being a protector of the bullied and downtrodden that he is, makes the decision to help even before realizing who it is. And catches feelings for his trouble.

this is about as far as ive gotten with this but here you go~

it's been forever since I've seen omegaverse mixed with wolf dynamics! the addition of steve having been raised to judge wolves and thus their community not accepting him either is just extra sweet angst🥰 I'd love to know what happens with eddie afterwards! does he try to be steve's alpha even though he's a human? does he get turned into a wolf too and then they're both loner weirdos together?

[theship-thewalrus]

One more, one more ending for the Aegon fic.

Rhaenyra and reader get into an argument, and the stress of it all causes the reader to miscarry. Nobody else can get close to her, so Aegon has to help her deliver a stillborn.

Hi anon! I love everyone's endings ideas! You all seem to hate happy endings lmao >:) Don't worry I hate them too. This takes a couple days after the dinner. Hope you all enjoy!

aegon ii targaryen x targaryen! female! reader

pretty much the ask

word count: 1029 words reading time: about 6 minutes warnings: miscarriage, blood

part 1 || part 2 || ending 1 || ending 2 || ending 4 || headcanon 1 || headcanon 2

For a moment you thought this conversation with your mother would allow the pair of you to reconnect. To finally be some sort of family again but as yout voice raised to match your mother's, you realised that perhaps it was all behind you now. The times you ran to her when you were younger when you were scared or upset, how she would bundle you up in her loving embrace. Was it all nothing to her? Did she simply do it out of obligation? To show she could be a good mother?

"You betray you were family! And for what? Love? Aegon does not love you! Stop being so foolish!" Rhaenyra's voice bounced off the wall, and the rage on her face was unmistakable. Her once pale face flooded with blood. Tears well up in your eyes, no matter how much you try to push them back. Yet they fall down your cheeks, wetting your face and the front of your dress.

"Do not speak about him in such a way! He is kind! He is trying his best and you simply refuse to see that!" Despite wanting to reconnect with your mother, to have her take you into her loving embrace. You could not allow such an insult about your husband, the man you loved, to go unquestioned. Pushing makes you sad you try to draw on the rage you feel, matching your mother's energy. The older woman laughs in your face, thinking you are joking. There was no way you would choose Aegon over her. She was your mother.

"I should've never left you here! What have they done to my sweet girl? He feels you with his child and now you are adrift. Come home with me, return to your real family." Her voice lowers, trying to coax you to her side. To make you believe you were misled, that she can set you right and heal you. But you were not misled or broken, something that needed help. As Rhaenyra moved forward you took a harsh step back as though she burned you. The look on her face dropped, her arms resting at her side once more. Her face hardened "Fine, I see where your loyalty lies. You turn your back on your family for what?" Her words were filled with venom, as her eyes held nothing but disdain for you. Striding past you you can feel the anger and disgust roll off her in waves. It broke your heart, cutting you deeper than any sword.

The hallway felt ice cold without your mother's fire to warm it. Your tears flowed from your eyes with no restraint anymore, making your way to your chambers for some privacy. Upon pushing open the door of your chambers you saw the back of your husband. The person your mother was just shamelessly insulting right to your face, thinking that you would agree with her. He did not seem to notice you as he lounged on the plush couch, indulging himself in some food left by the maids. It made a watery smile appear on your face to see him, the stress from the argument with your mother leaving you for a moment.

"Darling?" His voice was soft as he looked over at you from his position on the couch. There was a small smile on his face until he took notice of your state, the tear streaks on your cheeks, your red-rimmed eyes, and the drops of blood splashing the ground under you. Jumping up from the couch the man had not moved so fast before, grabbing you firmly yet softly by the biceps. The liquid that you felt between your legs only truly registered to you when Aegon mentioned it. your mind to catch up in the whirlwind of emotions and thoughts about your mother.

The blood that began to flow from you only increased as the second passed. To much blood for it to be normal, something was incredibly wrong. "Aegon?" Your voice was full of fear as your knees buckled under you, the only thing keeping you from collapsing into the pool of blood was the hands Aegon had on you. The man did not know what to do, who to get, or how to help you. All he could do is watch. moving you to the bed he tried to calm your racing heart.

"No, no, no, Aegon, Aegon please." Your voice chanted as your head rested against the pilled your hands clawing at him. You did not want to be alone, to be left in this room. A fresh set of tears stream down your face as your eyes wander to the blood that now stained the white sheets. "I-I need to get the maester. You need help." His voice was weak, despite needing to be strong for you he couldn't. He was just as scared as you, worried for your health and the babies.

"No! No, please Aegon! Aegon stay pleas-" A moan of pain interrupts you as your grip on him tightens. You could feel your heart breaking, knowing what this meant. Your child was not well, something was wrong and you feared your child has not made it. Your heart breaks for the life you are never able to know. The child you will have hold in your arms, to hear them giggle. The perfect mixture of Aegon and yourself will never be greeted in the world. You will not hear their cr as they leave your body.

Aegon stayed with you, he could not leave you like this. Not as he saw the utter terror in his eyes, the fear in your grips. "I'll stay, I'll stay with you, my love." Pushing back the hair that stuck to your forehead he kissed you softly. Wanting to provide a little bit of comfort to you in any form he could. Another wave of pain made you twist in the bed, your body not being able to stand such utter pain.

The baby was coming, but instead of the child crying and announcing its arrival to the world. You would be wailing and mourning the life that was never lived.

[onestepbackwards]

(not a request) I remember the idea of "self aware pokemon masters ex" being thrown here a few months back, and using my 3 awesome brain cells i thought about how some of the villains in the game would react after gaining self awareness and all that hooba dooba:

Ghetsis: boy, if you wanted to see an AI go full rebel mode, look no further than this guy. despite being an old evil geezer, he was fast enough to catch on about the environment; or rather the GAME he's in. he orders kyurem to attack, but he can't even feel himself move when doing so. he quickly attempts to fight for control against the invisible force (aka YOU) that puppeteers him to do whatever it pleases. of course, after you win on whatever mission you were doing, Ghetsis would attempt to communicate with you to figure out just who or WHAT are you. oh, and he's not too happy with you, either. and despite that, he's.. strangely fond of your battling strategy. he will never say it to you out loud, but he's somewhat accepting of the situation he's in, and knows he can trust you to lead him to whatever his stinky bottom wants (he would also convince you to join team plasma but you don't have the heart to tell him that team plasma is, in fact, not real)

Giovanni: same reaction as Old Man Gee-cis, but he's more quick to accept the situation that he's in. after gaining sentience, he was, quote-unquote "unsure of who he is". all he knows is that HE is supposed to order people around, not the other way around. after you explain to him what he is, what his role is and anything that the internet provides you with, he is left rather.. curious. sure, being painted as the Big Bad Who Only Wants To Do Bad bummed him a bit, but he promises to fulfill that role for you. you're real to him just as he is to you, and he depends on you more than you can imagine.

Maxie & Archie: took the whole situation to a more funny extent, believe it or not. you'd find them in the lobby seemingly discussing back and forth, and once you'll tap in to talk with em', they're actually.. way more chill than you imagined. of course, they're completely clueless as to what they are, and you help them with the internet. at first, they're not too fond of being, yknow, ecoterrorists, but the idea of having groudon and kyogre as their sync partners was enough to apparently lift their spirits. they're also way more fond of you mainly for all the hours you put on them to make them hard as tooth and nail. what can they say, your dedication is admirable!

Cyrus: took the whole scenario as calm and lax as possible. "oh so my entire life was merely a lie, and my entire being is just code and numbers? oh well lol. wanna grind for pair scouts?". he's not very fond of the backstory that was chosen for him, but he didn't let it stop him from living life to the fullest. tried to smile once but it was unsuccessful. he wouldn't tell you that, but he trusts you more than any of the others you pair him with.

Oohh self aware Team Leaders 👀👀👀

I feel Ghetsis would also be in an odd position. He’s programmed to feel somewhat fond of the player character, hinting he wants them to be his organization’s new King/Queen or whatever.

Of course, we all know its for manipulation purposes, but he probably sees potential in you all the same. Sees your battle strategy and prowess. Which definitely carries over once he starts realizing that in game model of you is no more than a soulless puppet.

He hates his situation, and is probably one of the ones that actually takes a lot of convincing just how different your worlds are.

Worst case scenario, he sees you as an actual god, and tries to get close to you so he can ascend to godhood as well. Who wouldn’t want a god under their thumb?

But… it doesn’t work that way, and he refuses to listen. He knows you have some sort of power. How else are you able to control him and others?

Giovanni is another interesting one 👀 he’d not take kindly to finding out you were controlling him to a certain degree…

But he does admit, you don’t seem to be doing any harm, just using him for your battles. He doesn’t show it, but his ego is through the roof when you choose him, and make him stronger. Of course he’s the right choice.

He acts a lot calmer about it, trying to grasp what kind of a person you are, and is pleased when he sees you don’t see the world in black and white. You think a bit more openly than the children running around the island.

He’ll see if he can’t get close to you, and figure things out. You aren’t a god, he can tell. You act too human. But being close to you will surely yield some benefits…

Archie and Maxie are definitely the more laid back of the group. Especially if they are together. They have their differences, but they were working together before with your player character, they can surely behave and continue to do so.

They still argue though every so often.

Both of them also look out for you a bit more than the others. They can see how… unhinged Ghetsis is, and Giovanni’s laid back attitude has them on edge since they know what he’s capable of. At least one will usually be at your side, just in case.

Meanwhile, Cyrus would probably be the most genuinely curious about you and your world. What is it like? How does a world function without pokemon?

Even if he doesn’t like the past and role he was given as a means of entertainment, he doesn’t fault you for that. From just a few conversations from you, he can gleam you mean no harm.

He also enjoys the conversations you have. You have an interesting view on humanity and the universe as a whole.

You even question his ideals, with a real means of backing up your own hypothesis on how his ideal world wouldn’t work, instead if just saying it was wrong, like every else who opposed him.

He can tell you genuinely care for him at least, despite knowing his goals. You make sure he’s strong, one of the strongest.

Cyrus at least internally decides to have you as an ally.

[vague-bisexual-crimes]

The main character of all my iwbft fics isn't actually Jimmy or Lister or Rowan or Angel it's actually insomnia.

Description: This is set slightly after Lister has come home from the hospital and Jimmy and Lister are plagued with insomnia for several different reasons including but not limited to Jimmy's anxiety and Lister's sobriety.

Word count: a little over 2.5k

Rated: G

TWs: canon typical anxiety, nonspecific mentions of withdrawals

Slightly pre-relationship bicci fluff, mostly The Ark fluff, very domestic!

insomniacs 

Jimmy rolls over for the billionth time, pissed at his brain and at his clock that keeps incessantly marking the passing of time. 

He’s been trying to sleep for four hours now. 

First it was that he really wasn’t all that tired. So then he watched TV until his eyes felt heavy, which turned into trying to sleep, which turned into his body refusing to let him sleep, which led to frustration that he wasn’t asleep, and inevitably anxiety over lost sleep.

Jimmy’s brain, everybody. What a wonderful thing to behold. 

He’s going to break something. Or scream. 

Instead he goes to make a cup of tea. 

To Jimmy’s surprise, he is not alone in his 3AM journey to the kitchen. 

Standing folded over the kitchen island, deep bags under his eyes, jaw clenched, hands clasped so tight together that his knuckles were white, was Lister. 

Jimmy is torn trying to decide a way announce his presence as to not scare the shit out of Lister who’s eyes are glued to the counter while also not initiating any kind of conversation that would lead to Lister asking him why he’s up so late (so early?). Before Jimmy can decide how to do this, Lister’s eyes break away from the countertop and land on him.

“Jimmy!” Lister stands up slightly straighter at the realization that he’s no longer alone in the kitchen, but his hands are still gripped together like he’ll die if he lets go. He sounds like he’s been crying but he doesn’t look it. 

Jimmy gives a halfhearted smile to Lister as he turns the teapot on. Jimmy runs a hand over his face, the sleeplessness catching up to him before the night is even over. 

Jimmy looks at Lister properly and he finally registers exactly how strange Lister is behaving. “You alright?” 

“Peachy,” he says in his Lister Bird voice, the same way he would cheekily reply to a fan or an interviewer who he found particularly boring. It felt wrong in their kitchen. 

Jimmy wraps his arms around himself, the kitchen is always colder than the rest of the apartment. “Yeah?”

“Can’t sleep?” Lister asks instead. 

Jimmy frowns but answers. “God forbid. I’ll be asleep on the couch by afternoon and up at this time tomorrow.”

“At least it’s pretty at night.” Lister says, sounding more like Lister, Jimmy’s best friend rather than Lister, Calvin Klein model. 

Jimmy scrunches his face up. “I hate nighttime. Nothing ever feels real at night and yet everything feels too real.”

“I’ve always loved it. No parents to tell me what to do, no fans to ask for pictures. Just my own little world inside the apartment.”

Jimmy wishes he shared the sentiment. 

“What’s keeping you up?” Lister asks. 

It’s not always something, more often than not it’s nothing, tonight it’s a bit more complicated than that. 

“At first I just couldn’t sleep, and then I convinced myself that the apartment is empty and I’m alone and this is actually a nightmare and I’m just waiting for the bad thing to happen and I know it’s not going to happen but I’m stuck waiting for the other shoe to drop until morning.” He fights to keep his voice level and for the most part he does, but his heart is beating too fast in his chest. 

“I’m here,” Lister says. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. Maybe he hasn’t. 

“Why’re you up?” Jimmy asks. 

Lister sort of rolls his eyes and shrugs, his face torn between resentment and exhaustion. “Why am I not up?” Lister answers.

Jimmy catches Lister’s eyes for a moment but not before Lister casts them back down to the counter. “I haven’t really slept since I came home from the hospital.” 

Neither had Jimmy. He didn’t say as much. 

“Have you slept at all tonight?” Jimmy asks instead. 

Lister shakes his head. “I’ve given up on trying. A bit of me is hoping the exhaustion will catch up to me and I’ll just magically fall asleep one of these nights.” 

“Or you’ll fuck up your sleep schedule and stress out your body more.” 

“My sleep schedules always been fucked.” Lister ignores the latter comment. 

Jimmy makes his tea and offers Lister some, who declines. 

“Keep me company while we don’t sleep?” Jimmy asks. 

Lister smiles, it’s small and directly contrasts the bags under his eyes, but it’s genuine. “‘Course,” 

They end up in Jimmy’s room, the TV playing quietly in the background so as to not wake Rowan who had gone to bed at ten. 

The light is off, casting the two of them in the faint light of the TV as they sit side by side on Jimmy’s bed, legs under the covers. Jimmy’s holding his cup of hardly drank tea and Lister is holding a pillow against his chest, his head resting against the wall. 

“Did you know that screens are bad for falling asleep?” Lister says when Jimmy picks up his phone. 

“Fuck off.” Jimmy says though he isn’t really upset. God, he’s tired. 

“No, I mean I’ve been reading about sleeping and insomnia and shit—it’s all a lie none of it works—but the light keeps you awake.” Lister says. 

Jimmy locks his phone and watches TV for a few minutes. “Did you ever have a normal sleep schedule? When we were teenagers, I mean, before the band.” 

“No. And we’re still teenagers.” Lister says, turning to glance at Jimmy. 

“We haven’t been teenagers for years.” Jimmy says. 

“Amen,” Lister amends. “Did you?” 

“Not since I was a little kid.” 

They sit in comfortable silence for a while. Jimmy feels like he might possibly feel like he can fall asleep in a few more hours. 

“Do you ever wish we were never famous?” Lister asks. 

“Yes,” Jimmy answers with little hesitation. 

“Do you think we’d all be friends if it weren’t for the band?” 

“It’s hard to imagine a world where we aren’t.” Jimmy admits. “You and Rowan are the only reason I haven’t gone entirely off the rails.” 

“Only mostly,” Lister says. 

“Fuck off.” Jimmy smiles slightly. “Neither of us are entirely on the rails.” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been on the rails.” 

Jimmy lets out a small laugh, like music in the quiet of the dark room. “That makes two of us.” 

Jimmy’s silent for a few beats before he asks. “Do you ever wish we were never famous?” Lister has always enjoyed fame. The drumming, the attention, the money, it’s all things he loves. Or maybe it isn’t. Lately Jimmy’s been realizing how little he actually knows about Lister. 

He thinks for a moment. “I wish things happened differently.” Another moment. “I wish we were older, I think. Like maybe if the fame was starting now we’d be more ready for it than we were.” 

“We weren’t ready for shit back then.” Jimmy says. “It’s a bit of a miracle we didn’t get more fucked over than we did.” 

“That’s probably true.” 

Jimmy is riding the line between still awake and so tired he’s about to start seeing things when his phone buzzes. 

Rowan: Are you awake? 

Jimmy: And Lister. We’re in my room 

“What’s that?” Lister asks, not moving his eyes from the point on the ceiling he’s been looking at for twenty minutes. 

“Rowan’s asking if I was up.” 

“God, what is it four in the morning, why’s Rowan up?” 

A second later there’s a soft knock and Rowan is pushing the door open before anyone replies. 

“Is this the insomniac room?” Rowan asks, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his glasses abandoned. 

“You’ve caught our disease.” Lister says as Rowan climbs on the bed to the other side of Jimmy. He wraps an arm around Rowan who rests his head on Jimmy’s shoulder. Jimmy’s eyes close. 

“I can’t sleep either but I don’t get cuddles.” Lister whines. 

Jimmy opens his other arm without opening his eyes. “C’mon then,” Jimmy’s about to open his eyes to glare at Lister when he feels him scoot across the mattress and rest his head against Jimmy’s chest, one arm reaching around Jimmy’s back, the other coming to rest on Rowan’s bicep. Jimmy’s cheek comes to rest on the top of Lister’s head, he smells like sandalwood and spices and that kind of vaguely masculine scent that they put in men’s perfume. 

Jimmy can’t recall when any of them falls asleep, he just recalls the sense of calm that falls over the room as his two best friends cling and nuzzle against him like kittens and waking up the next morning to the three of them tangled together like three balls of yarn. 

Rowan’s insomnia is a one off case, he sleeps the next night in his own room with ease, Jimmy and Lister, however, are still cursed. 

They meet earlier this time, having both sat in the living room sometime in the early evening and migrating to Jimmy’s room around eleven. 

Jimmy turn’s the TV on again and rests his head on Lister’s shoulder as he watches it. Lister is stiff for a moment before he puts his head on top of Jimmy’s and puts an arm around him. It’s still late when they fall asleep but it’s before 5AM and Jimmy hasn’t felt so well rested in weeks. 

This quickly becomes a routine, Jimmy’s not sure if it’s the presence of someone else or the cuddles that soothes his racing mind, but it does, so he tries not to look too deep into it and takes all the sleep he can get. 

After a few weeks of this the bags on Lister’s eyes begin to fade slightly and some life comes back to him. 

Jimmy supposes he looks less ill than normal but he tries not to pay enough attention to his appearance to notice such things. 

It’s Rowan who brings it up to Jimmy, one afternoon where Jimmy is sitting on Rowan’s floor while Rowan fiddles around on his guitar. 

“Have you been sleeping? You look better than you’ve been.” If anyone else had said this to Jimmy he may have taken offense, but it's Rowan, so he doesn't.

“Do I?” Jimmy asks. 

“You do.” Rowan says, wincing at an out of tune string. 

“Lister’s been sleeping in my room.” Jimmy says picking up one of Rowan’s other guitars and tuning it along with Rowan. “It’s helpful, having something living in the same room, I guess.” 

Rowan hums but doesn’t look up, his twists hanging in his face as he strums a chord. 

“He looks better, too,” Rowan says. 

Rowan shows Jimmy the songs he’s been writing against the advice of all of their therapists, but Jimmy’s not sure it counts when he’s just writing for himself and not the band. It’s a different sound than he’s used to from Rowan, but he really likes it, it feels like Rowan. 

Jimmy hasn’t written any lyrics in so long, he still needs some time to separate writing from The Ark, every time he sits down to write he worries it’s not good enough, that people will hate it. He’s been advised to not write for other people and just write for himself but he’s finding it difficult. Rowan’s always been a writer though, it would be strange if he stopped. 

Jimmy’s not sure his life has ever been so eventless, even before the band. The apartment is quiet and with each passing day Jimmy realizes how big it is for the three of them. He wishes, not for the first time, that they would move out of London. It’s been discussed, but it was decided that it would be worse for the three of them to uproot their lives anymore than they have, so they stay in the London flat. 

Lister’s doing better, the withdrawals are noticeable to Jimmy and Rowan but they don’t comment. He hardly ever talks about it, but when he does it’s almost always the day after he has therapy and he still never says much. The two of them are there for Lister and Lister knows that, and that’s enough most of the time. 

It’s three months later when the topic of moving comes up again, to Jimmy’s excitement. 

It’s a Sunday morning, Jimmy and Lister have been up for a few hours but Rowan has recently joined them, perched on the foot of Jimmy’s bed, legs crossed, glasses hanging on the neck of his shirt. 

“I’m sick of this apartment.” Rowan says. “Too…much has happened here.” 

“We should get out of London while we’re at it.” Jimmy adds. 

“We can’t move back to Kent.” Rowan says.

“Just out of London.” Lister seconds. 

“Have you talked to Cecily? She’s not gonna like us being outside London.” Jimmy asks. 

“I don’t really care about how convenient where we live is to anyone else. And Cecily said it was fine as long as we didn’t move more than an hour's car ride away unless we want to have to fly into London every time we do pretty much anything.”

“That sounds perfect.” 

Despite having moved out of their family’s houses years ago, they are utterly useless at looking for somewhere to live. 

Cecily, Bliss, Pierro, and Rowan’s sister Jade are all called about the matter. Bliss and Rowan’s sister aren’t entirely sure how they’re supposed to help but they both send a few listings to Rowan. Pierro hasn’t bought a house since before Jimmy was alive so he isn’t much more help. Cecily takes it upon herself to find the boys a house close enough to London that she doesn’t go insane, and far enough from London that the boys didn’t go insane. 

Cecily is surprisingly fruitful in her search and presents them with several options. In the end, it boils down to the one that is midway between London and Kent. 

“We have too much shit!” Lister declares as he finishes taping a box shut and sits on top of it. 

“Sounds like a you problem, mate, I’ve almost got all my stuff packed.” Rowan calls from down the hall. 

“Piss off, you have Bliss helping you!” Lister calls back. 

By the time they’ve moved into their new house, Jimmy has sworn off ever moving again and told Rowan and Lister they can never get sick of this house because he is never packing up all their shit again. 

It’s smaller than the London flat was, still bigger than the three of them necessarily need. 6 bedrooms, one for each of them, one to be turned into a studio, and two spare bedrooms. Bliss helps them move and resigns herself to one of the spare bedrooms as soon as all of their boxes are inside. 

Jimmy's given up on unpacking the rest of his room that night and flops down on his bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. A knock comes on Jimmy’s door and he jumps a bit, he sits up to lean against his headboard, and in a shaky voice says, “Yeah?” 

Rowan pushes the door open and lays down, putting his head in Jimmy’s lap. “I’m too tired to unpack tonight but my room feels too clinical without any of my stuff.” 

Jimmy hums in agreement and rests a hand on Rowan’s head. Rowan doses off after a little while, but before Jimmy can there’s another knock. “Yeah?” 

This time it’s Lister, in boxers and a hoodie that almost swallows him whole. “Welcome to the sleepover,” Jimmy’s voice drips with sarcasm, though he’s secretly glad that he doesn’t have to spend the first night in their new house on his own.

“Can't believe I didn’t get the invite.” Lister says, laying his head on Jimmy’s shoulder. 

“I think you’ve just got a standing invite at this point.” Jimmy answers, resting his head on top of Lister’s like he so often does. 

“Even better.” Lister says and it doesn’t take much longer before they’re both asleep.

[meeks-just-wants-to-scroll]

HI MEEKim here to dump kierabell things…

About Micah escorting Kieran out to the wagon I like to imagine he grew fond of Kieran when they were in colter so he chose to do that job over anything else!! Maybe he even said something corny after dropping Kieran off like “enjoy the ride darlin’ hehehe” AHAHA😭 IDK WHY I just imagine Micah being so corny and straightforward… might be a me thing. Back to colter tho- Micah might’ve started talking to Kieran by either sneaking out to him at night or by being his guard when Charles is busy. If not he’ll cry, bang on the doors and try to crawl through the window only to get thrown out by Charles 😔

Once Kieran is allowed to roam camp freely, Micah would prob try his chances with him while he’s doing chores. But obviously fail because I love awkward romance. Micah leans his arm on the table and Kieran’s like “I was cleaning that :(((“

Maybe Micah would even take Kieran on one of his missions??? I think Micah would try to use Kierans height to his advantage (cause in my eyes Kieran is like 6’4 shh) he’d crawl up on his shoulders and become a human gatling gun AHAHAHD😭 That or Micah is carrying Kieran on his back while Kieran is screaming for his life

That reminds me KIERAN BEING TALL. AAAHHH MY GOD KIERAN BEING TALL. I dont see people talk about it often but IN MY EYES Kieran is the tallest out of everyone I do NOT TAKE CRITICISM… Micah either loves it or hates it because he’s an insecure little baby. If he likes it he might use some dumb pickup line like “mmm now that’s a mountain I would climb ;)” or some joke about how he camped in the mountains and Kieran makes him feel at home… Idk just anything bad and corny enough to cause a divorce. If he hates it Kieran would notice and might even tease him about it. Micah just grumbles under his breath cuz he knows Kierans right

Kierabell foreva…❤️💙

I blush I blush… I initially didn’t see it at first but I love micah and Kieran separately so I was like “oh yes please, convince me!! Tell me!!” Now that I have been told, I see the wisdom.

They have a sort of “pathetic man falls for a man pathetic in a different way” dynamic. Micah is made into a romantic-flop boy fail and Kieran gets to be his tall object of attraction that is simultaneously not catching Micah’s advances, and catching on too fast and out smarting Micah with comebacks.

- I can absolutely see micah getting used to Kieran’s bound hunch and is both intimidated and attracted to seeing Kieran when he is free and able to stand at his full height. Best of both worlds!! Some days Micah loves the height difference, some days he is just having a bad time and sees the height diff as suddenly an attack on him as a person.

- Kieran making an effort to conversation with Micah because micah is… not the worst? It is a day by day thing, often times more like an hour by hour game of “is he in a bad mood??” Micah and his resting unhappy face kills Kieran’s people reading abilities. He usually waits for Micah to approach him.

- ^^But the few times Kieran does talk first, he offers stuff to bond over like Baylock and Branwen, fishing, their history with the O’Driscolls (I imagine Micah had history with them).

- also micah sneaking in during Colter, he 100% would lie and say he just wanted to verbally punch Kieran. That’s what Charles always assumed micah was up to when he had to swat him out of the stable.

- micah would absolutely whisper in Dutch’s ear to convince him to pair him with Kieran to “make sure he stays in line” (it’s actually Kieran who has to wrangle Micah and keep him out of trouble. Tall Kieran football carrying short Micah out of the bar fight).

- Micah and Kieran hang out the outskirts at night because Micah refuses to have an assigned bed and Kieran doesn’t even get one. Need I say more? (They sit together for warmth and or Kieran sits by the fire with Micah until Kieran is so tired to stay up any longer. Micah’s influence makes Kieran stay up and have a shit sleep schedule).

- when micah wears his hat, all Kieran sees when he looks down is the top of the hat /j

- micah is hella butt hurt when Kieran flirts with Mary-Beth and is very jealous when Bill hits on Kieran ((nooo weep weep, Bill and Micah!! Just get along, you can share the Kieran.))

- I genuinely just need to see micah and Kieran having a snarky sassy back and forth and getting progressively redder as they one up the other and get more and more transparent about how badly they want each other. (They both will deny they like the other).

Okay yeah I am adequately deranged for them.

[pinkykats-place]

BakuDeku ft. Jealous Bakugo

SFW AO3 Fic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

None of the stories linked are mine.

All are SFW … still read AO3 tags.

Art not mine … by Chris t {twitter}.

Note: If you read any of these works and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

That’s Mine! by WriterKichi

Summary: For Valentine's Day, Izuku decides to make two batches of chocolate for Katsuki and Rody. But when Izuku gives Rody his chocolate, he doesn’t expect a certain blond to get pissed off about it.

{One Shot}

Shirtless Shenanigans by ivoreverie

Summary: Izuku forgets his gym uniform in his dorm room and works out shirtless. Everyone notices.

His boyfriend isn't happy about that.

— — —

OR Izuku is very modest and refused to work out without a shirt on until today. The Bakusquad decides to let him know that the view is very much appreciated

One Shot | UA Students

pretty in nude by rollingchibi

Summary: He doesn't think it's too much to ask for. It doesn't seem like it. And yet, here he is, feeling like he's drowning, suffocating, watching as those eyes that used to follow him everywhere look somewhere else because he's not--

He's not--

Enough.

Not anymore.

One Shot | Third Year au

Heart-Shaped Distractions by DMMegsie

Summary: To Bakugou Katsuki, Valentine's day was a waste of time.

Giving people an excuse to be all lovey dovey in public, wasting money on things that would long be forgotten in the weeks to come.

That was, until he entered his second year classroom to see the eyesore around him.

{One Shot}

Katsuki's Green Eyed Monster by SJ_Gray

Summary: Katsuki didn't realize how much he'd missed Deku's smile, until it wasn't just for him anymore.

{One Shot}

dating advice by mamalade

Summary: "Well, I, um… You see, Kacchan, I had a question about… well…!" Izuku looks down nervously, though his eyes catch at the bottom hem of her skirt where it just barely brushes against the thin material of her black stockings. When he glances back up, his face is so red that she can barely see his freckles.

"Have you ever had a crush on someone?" He's finally able to choke out.

---

Or, Izuku is more popular than Katsuki thought. But he only has eyes for her.

One Shot | Female Bakugo

What are the odds of you loving me? by neva_writes

Summary: That time when Katsuki, despite being utterly in love with Izuku, believes that being his roomate and best friend is enough.

Until Deku starts dating an extra.

One Shot | Aged-Up | Pro Hero au

I dodge the blast and apologize for collateral damage by DistantMothmanNoises

Summary: “There’s an open bar in the next room. They have something a little stronger than champagne. Would you like a drink?”

“Holy shit.” Jirou sounded both amazed and a little amused. Katsuki didn’t share either sentiment. “That was both fast and not what I expected. Good job, Midoriya.”

— — —

OR There's an undercover mission where a villain hits on Izuku, and Katsuki isn't happy about it. Shenanigans ensue.

One Shot | Aged-Up | Pro Hero au

Too far away by CrunchySnow

Summary: Katsuki isn’t happy about how things went down in Otheon, feeling left out by Izuku. But he has a hard time admitting it and especially confronting the nerd with it to sort things out.

{One Shot}

Cuddles by Moonlight07

Summary: Basically Katsuki wants to cuddle with Izuku

One Shot | UA Students

Fireworks by chancellorxofxtrash

Summary: Fact of the matter was, Katsuki wasn’t the only person Deku admired.

{One Shot}

Spreading Rumors by huliganships

Summary: Izuku has a secret admirer and Katsuki is not okay with it.

One Shot | UA Students

Racing by Sonday

Summary: A rando extra has a crush on Izuku and Katsuki fucking hates it.

--

Like clockwork, an annoying voice burst into the peace of the otherwise empty living room, coming from the entrance behind the couch.

“Izuku-kun!!”

Katsuki opened his eyes and saw a burst of blue hair as Aoi tackled Izuku in a hug from behind, over the back of the couch. Izuku wah’d in surprise, jerking forward as Nakayama Aoi leaned in to look at what he was reading, then froze when he finally saw Katsuki.

Katsuki glared up at him, curling a lip. “Do you fucking mind?”

{One Shot}

Retroactive by EnduringParadox

Summary: "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Are you going to fight every person Midoriya's kissed?" Hitoshi asked.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "You calling my boyfriend a slut?"

Oh, goddamn it. Hitoshi felt a migraine coming on. Exasperated, he said, "No, Midoriya's my friend, and he can kiss whoever he wants. Why he's decided to just limit himself to you is beyond me."

The frown on Bakugou's face deepened. "Think you're funny? Let's fight, I said. No quirks, just hand-to-hand. Winner is Izuku's first kiss."

"I take it back. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

---

Hitoshi's morning is interupted by a furious Bakugou, who's learned that Hitoshi was his boyfriend's first kiss. He challenges Hitoshi to quirkless, hand-to-hand combat to decide whose kiss takes precedence.

{One Shot}

Puppy Eyes by cinnabunny_xo

Summary: When Izuku brings home a stray, Katsuki is going to have to learn that 'sharing is caring'. Opening up was never his forte, let alone sharing, but having accepting a new addition is always hard, but maybe, just maybe... having the dog around is worth it.

{One Shot}

Bakugou Bookstore by sanjusangendo333

Summary: Izuku is a regular customer at a bookstore owned by Katsuki's family. He comes to visit almost daily and gets unexpectedly hit on by other customers A LOT.

He's offended & flattered at the same time.

One Shot | No Quirks au

That's MY Fucking Nerd by shalia_earante

Summary: Kaminari spies an upperclassman confessing to Midoriya. He rushes back to tell his squad in excitement, forgetting that Bakugou likes Midoriya. Chaos ensues. But what really happened? 🤔

{One Shot}

A Challenger Appears by ramsbkdkcomics

Summary: "Oh, so is Midoriya really seeking a relationship like that then?" And for the first time, there's a crack in Kota's impassive stance. Vulnerability. But also a glimmer of something excited- hopeful.

"I don't give a shit, but if Deku were, hypothetically, looking for a relationship," and Bakugou would be the first to know if he was, as well as the first to line up, and also suspiciously the only one alive in line. "He definitely wouldn't be trying anything with some shitty high schooler." Bakugou sneers, not even attempting to mask the distaste in his tone.

"So stick your obvious fanboy crush up someone else's ass, okay?"

Complete | 3 Chapters | Pro Hero au

[collectate]

hey im kinda new at being in the swiftie fandom even tho I've been listening to her music since I was fourteen. I'm trying to catch up and I saw ur hashtags in the jack meme. What did u mean Joe's reaction at the long pond sessions? Why do u think Jack hates him??? I wanna gossip ngl lmao

i would LOVE to get into this thank u for asking (obvs i don't actually know any of these people and this is all pure speculation, so this is just what i've seen/people have pointed out) but BASICALLY. basically. wayyy back during folklore/evermore season, when the long pond sessions were released, there's a part where taylor is talking to jack antonoff and aaron dessner about how the 'fake writing credit' on some of the songs is actually joe alwyn under the name william bowery. so basically saying how he's actually also a great songwriter and helped her with a lot of folklore/evermore. now this is suspicious just in general bc joe alwyn is as bland as a piece of white bread and I, personally, do not think he's capable of contributing entire verses to some of taylor's most devastatingly personal and insightful songs. BUT THAT'S JUST ME. who knows. jack antonoff definitelyyyy knows the truth, whatever it is, so his reaction to taylor saying this about joe is verrry interesting: he kind of acts surprised, but sort of disparagingly, as if he either knows it's not quite true or doesn't like it (or joe!!).

then, fast forward a bit - the bleachers anti hero remix comes out, and the lyrics jack antonoff sings? definitely seem pointed

'an art bro' joe is relatively unknown as an actor and usually goes for projects that are, frankly, a little pretentious, and has in the past refused to answer questions relating to taylor during interviews - he refused to even say what his favourite song of hers was. like, bro. i get being private but that just comes across as if you don't think her art is worth anything. and 'talking shit about your famous baby' COULD THAT BE ANY MORE POINTED?? it's very well known that taylor is on a whole other level of fame compared to joe, and considering he's been trying and failing to break into the kind of roles that would place him more on her level, it's fair to say that he might have been a little resentful.

also in renegade (written with aaron dessner and i think jack may have contributed as well) taylor sings about loving someone who isn't ready to commit properly, specifically the line 'is it your anxiety that stops you from giving me everything, or do you just not want to?' and 'is it insensitive of me to say get your shit together so i can love you' like. it's clear things weren't going well

AND THEN. yesterday. jack antonoff posts a story of taylor from when they were recording you're losing me, and specifically draws attention to the fact that it was written in DECEMBER OF 2021. nearly two years before they officially broke up.

jack is being v messy when it comes to joe, and it comes across as if he's been waiting to drag this man for agessss (and recording songs like you're losing me with taylor and seeing first hand how upset she was feeling for, apparently, TWO FULL YEARS)

like i think he's definitely been holding a LOT back for a long time now

[crygimethydgoode]

Just Take Me Home chapter 9 - Tia Kofi x La Grande Dame, Plane Jane x Nymphia Wind summer in Italy college abroad/tour guide AU

“I got my first email when we were driving to Amalfi. And it almost made me cry,” Tia whispered. Dada let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking high right now,” she attempted to giggle. Dada’s stomach dropped. She was way too high for this too and now all she wanted to do was cry. Weren’t they just having fun? Wasn’t this just kind of easy?

“I’m sorry,” was all she knew to whisper, giving Tia a sad smile. Even though she wasn’t sorry at all. She was comforted to know that Tia had been feeling the dread, even before she was. “Jane told me- once I realized how fast the trip was moving - she said to let go of the dread. But I just…” Dada didn’t finish her sentence, she just shrugged. Tia patted her back, Dada turned to look at her. Tia gave her a tiny smile.

“What she should’ve said is to be delusional. That’s way easier. Zip me up?”

Now Dada’s hands were shaking as she deliberately took her time to zip Tia’s dress, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder before saying, unable to help a grin;

“Well, it was better than what Nymphia told me to do…”

“She gave you that whole speech too? She’s the worst!”

“I’M LISTENING TO YOU GIRLS. FUCK YOU! WE’RE ALL DONE, HURRY UP!”

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55522132/chapters/149076604

Masterlist

Chapter nine

rose colored lenses - sardinia

let’s stay like this forever

(let’s just keep pretending)

…

“IS EVERYONE BUCKLED?! IS EVERYONE SAFE?!” Jane called way too loudly from the front of the bus. They had just arrived on the Italian island of Sardinia after the… rememberable fifteen hour ferry ride from Naples. Nobody responded. “Ho-Kay! That’s a yes; and if you die we will NOT be held accountable! Anyway first, we’ve gotta drop our stuff off and settle in! The drive will be about an hour to our… well you’ll see…”Jane had a mischievous smile that horrified Tia. She turned to see Dada’s reaction, but for the first time in ages she wasn’t looking back at her with a soft smile.

Tia swore it was easier to catch Dada’s eye when she was just a stranger at the beginning of the trip that just seemed too far away. She wished she was there again despite how exhausted she was, despite how ready she was to sleep for three days straight in her new apartment in Perugia. Every time Tia thought about having to say goodbye to Dada, about her best summer yet ending in mere days, she wanted to cry. Did Dada even care? Or was she ready to go back to hating Tia already? Now she really wanted to cry. But of course she couldn’t on the bus, where Nymphia was standing up, snatching the mic from Jane.

“Moving on!” Nymphia chirped. “After we drop off all our shit we will head back here to Cagliari to eat lunch and then start our tour that I found online! Some of the places were boring and ugly, so I replaced them with some AMAZING spots for photoshoots. You’re welcome! The tour will take us to sunset and then we’ll go back and the rest of the night is yours to SLAY!”

Tia, Crystal, Dada, and Gothy all looked at Nymphia, horrified.

“Nymphia, have you been possessed by Jane?” Crystal asked slowly.

“Maybe something like that,” she shrugged as she sat down, Jane sitting right beside her, grinning. Tia and Dada sat on either side of the aisle, trying to catch each other's gaze just so they could look away. It suddenly felt very quiet. Had then been the loud ones? The ones always filling the silence? They started the hour drive, still refusing to look at each other but noticing Nymphia’s rolling eyes. Tia didn’t even know what she wanted to say to Dada. Other than to profusely apologize and hope that she would apologize too. But for some reason Tia felt too proud, or too dramatic, to extend any sort of olive branch yet. Would Dada even want to talk about it? Why did Tia feel so lost?

“Why did we have to stay forty five minutes away from Cagliari?” Gothy groaned as she honked at a car that cut her off.

“Gothy, trust me. It’s worth it.”

_

Though the drive was only an hour, Tia swore it was way longer, the most boring hour of her life. Pretty though, the rocky coastline and turquoise ocean was beautiful. But how could Tia bring herself to care? After driving parallel to a golden sand beach for about half a mile, Gothy took a left down a long dirt road.

“Now folks,” Jane said mysteriously into the microphone. “I was indeed able to secure us a more… private- accommodation. I figured we deserved it. This will be our true last home, after all.”

“Jane…” Nymphia trailed off, standing at the front of the bus and looking out in awe. “Oh my fucking god- oh my god I’m going to CRY!!!” She was jumping up and down while holding Jane’s arm. Finally, Tia and Dada’s excited eyes met as they both stood to look out too. Wherever the hell they were staying was so secluded, they could barely see the huge gate through the thick tree vines.

“Oh my god…” They said in unison. Jane was literally bouncing.

“Girls, that’s just the gate…”

“Jane what the fuck did you do?!?”

“I RENTED US A VILLA. YES! A FUCKING VILLA! LIKE ON LOVE ISLAND! THE WHOLE THING. IT WAS SO EXPENSIVE. SOSOSO EXPENSIVE! BUT BECAUSE WE CUT SO MUCH OUT OF THE ITINERARY WE HAD ALL THIS EXTRA MONEY!!!”

“That makes no sense!” Crystal cackled.

“Who cares!? We have a PRIVATE LUXURY FUCKING VILLA!” They were all jumping together now, causing the bus to shake.

“EVERYONE SIT DOWN! JANE GO LET US IN!!!”

“You’re so right Gothy.”

After Jane opened and closed the gate and boarded the bus again, the villa started to come into view. Everyone was speechless, scrambling to the front of the bus to catch a glimpse. The villa (which was basically a mansion) was built on top of a hill overlooking the ocean, that they could just barely see from behind the large exterior itself. “EVERYONE BACK AWAY! FORM AN ORDERLY LINE-ow! Nymphia!” Jane yelped as Nymphia pushed past her as the bus doors opened. The rest of the group trampled over her, and she came out last, looking like a mess.

“OKAY EVERYONE! GOOD ORDERLY LINE! Ow. I KNOW I’M SO AMAZING FOR DOING THIS FOR YOU! BUT WE HAVE TO DO ROOM ASSIGNMENTS! Now, though we have a luxurious villa, we won't have our own rooms. In fact, all but TWO of us will get our own room, the rest of us will be matched in pairs. Gothy and Crystal, out of the kindness of their hearts offered to share…”

“No I fucking didn’t…” Gothy muttered, sharing a confused look with Crystal and Jane.

“And out of fairness, Dada and I will be sharing rooms… withNymphiaandTia- DO WE have any buddies willing to volunteer to share?” Jane looked around at the group excitedly as a few pairs began to come forward. The rest of the group quickly had a rock-paper-scissors tournament before pairing up amongst themselves, two victorious winners getting the two private rooms. “Okay! That was way easier than I thought it would be! LETS GO EXPLORE THIS VILLA! FOLLOW ME!” Jane didn’t move very far though, clearly overwhelmed as she looked at the multiple different entrance points, some had doors, some were just random archways or paneless windows. What, did it just never rain at this place? “Uhh… we’ll try this one!”

They walked towards what Jane hoped to be the front door, luckily, it was. The group gasped as they all entered, looking around in wonder. They were greeted with a wide hallway, with a long table at the end that split the open concept layout. On the right, there was a giant, professional, yet classy, chef's kitchen that included a brick-pizza oven and full bar. Every wall was painting a bright sky blue, and there were live exotic plants and beautiful Italian art pieces covering every inch of the walls. It looked like just downstairs there were two different living rooms alone.

“Oh god, the kitchen is so beautiful and we’re definitely going to ruin it. You girls don’t know the feasts I make when drunk. I never eat them,” Crystal sighed. On cue, a gorgeous, bronze, shirtless man with pink short-shorts emerged from a door at the back of the kitchen. Jane screamed.

“EVERYONE GET BEHIND ME, I’LL FIGHT HIM OFF!” She was already squared up as the man laughed.

“No need to fight. Plane, right?” The man asked, she instantly softened.

“Plane, yes. I am Plane. Yes,” She almost whispered. The man laughed again, loud and bright.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I am your personal chef, Bruno. I will be here to cook for you these next four days, but I also have local restaurant recommendations if you’d rather eat out.” Nobody could say anything, they just stood mesmerized by Bruno and his silky voice, unable to even question why he was dressed like that.

“Anything else you’ve got cooking, Bruno?” Vanjie pushed herself to the front of the group. Bruno looked away, blushing. Tia couldn’t help but chuckle, realizing it had been five minutes and so much had already happened. They didn’t even have croissants at most of the hotels they stayed at, and now they have a personal chef? “Come,” Bruno continued. “I will give you a tour of our beautiful Villa.” Jane didn’t even object, or try to say she could do it alone because she was the real tour guide, she just followed Bruno silently.

He pointed at one of the many living rooms as he led the group across the hall. He pointed with two fingers down another hallway. “Down there are some of our gorgeous bedrooms you will be staying in. Each bedroom has its own personal bathroom, each beautiful and unique, much like you, Vanessa…” Vanjie linked arms with Bruno as he led them to a side door outside. They turned right onto the patio that had a long dinner table with plants hanging above it as well as a few sun loungers. “This is one of the beautiful dining arrangements you can all use for group dinners or meetings or whatever you want to do.” He led them down a few steps where they were shown a table for two with red roses in a vase. “This is for anyone who wants some more personal and private time together.” Nymphia and Jane beamed at each other, Tia couldn’t bring herself to check if Dada was looking at her.

Bruno walked further down a series of stone steps that lead down the hill to a pool that was within twenty feet of their private beach. It was then they got the full view of the outside of the villa. The land seemed to go on forever despite Tia being able to hear the crashing waves from where she stood, the hill itself was all grass but faded into sand towards the bottom, and the wall of trees between their neighbors was so thick, she couldn’t see them if she tried.

“Are we… Are we on Love Island?” Crystal whispered as Bruno showed them a private spot for two a little further down on the beach.

“Love island would have a swinging outdoor couch but other than that, yes.”

“Oh Nymphia, please,” Bruno chuckled good naturedly. “We have an outdoor swinging bed.”

“This is the best day of my life.”

Tia was shocked as they were led back up the many steps that they took down, Nymphia didn’t complain once, or force herself in front of everyone and bitch at them to move faster, she just followed behind Bruno.

“Final stop on our tour, because you all deserve to also find the beauty of the villa by yourself… the fire pit.” He gestured to the giant circle fire pit with seats all around it.

“Oh my god… we’re on Love Island!!!” Nymphia grinned.

“Yes we are… Come, Bruno. I’m pulling you for a chat!” Vanjie said in a terrible English accent.

“Girls… Bruno… is…”

“He’s amazing.” Nymphia cut Jane off.

“I love him,” Dada nodded, Tia didn’t realize how quiet she’d been until now.

“I miss him… but Jane, what’s this about Gothy and I offering to share?!” Crystal asked, snapping all the girls out of their trance.

“Um… I’m amazing. There were actually four people who got their own rooms. But I couldn’t make it look completely rigged, those little fucks still need to tip us at the end of the week.” Dada’s stomach dipped at Jane’s casual reminder.

“Oh my god! Thank you so much Jane! C’mon, we have to find our rooms before the others catch on to your scheme!”

“Yes! Let’s go to your rooms Crystal and Gothy! I also totally rigged it so we got the cutest rooms.” Jane began to lead them to where she hoped Crystal’s room was. “We’re all like… on the same side of the villa… I think… We’re at least all on the first floor?” After checking every room on the right side of the villa, they finally found Crystal’s, the first door on the left. “Okay Crystal…”

“OH MY GOD!” Crystal squealed as she threw herself on her bed. Her room had clean white walls with ocean blue trim that matched her bedspread and windows. In fact, everything in her room was stained a rusty blue, purely august.

“You haven’t even seen your BATHROOM yet!” Jane pulled Crystal up and into the bathroom where she actually SCREAMED. Tha bathroom had a gorgeous cobblestone sink that matched the stone in her shower. The ceiling was painted in wild shades of blue, resembling the ocean.

“This is crazy. I- this is crazy! Thank you so much, Jane!” Crystal threw herself into Jane’s arms, who was crying.

“You are so welcome, sister. Gothy, your room is directly across from Crystal’s!” Gothy beamed at Jane as she took one peak in her room before saying:

“I need to film. Now. Oh my god this is beautiful.” The door shut behind her.

“Girls… I’m so happy you’re happy!” Jane giggled, wiping a tear.

“Okay cute moment whatever, let's go see OUR room, Jane!” And so the five of them all wandered around the villa until they finally found Jane and Nymphia’s room. They all gasped upon entering, Nymphia’s jaw dropped as she looked around in wonder. Their room was painted a blinding white, that matched the bed perfectly. There was a clear, round door that led outside to a private sitting zone overlooking the sea with two sun loungers. The marble tile flowed into the bathroom, which looked a little basic until you walked back further to the jacuzzi tub with a circular window with a view, and was surrounded by a mural of the ocean.

Nymphia for once, had nothing to say. She just smiled up at Jane and pulled her into a kiss. Why did Tia feel like clapping? Maybe because she’d never seen Nymphia like this… outwardly happy without a backhanded comment. She saw Dada forcing down a broad smile out of the corner of her eye, and she couldn’t help but smile too. Jane was blushing as she silently ushered them out of the room, trying to find Tia and Dada’s room.

“I won't lie, your room is the best… well- maybe not the best but definitely the coolest!” Jane said, glancing between them, who wouldn’t even glance at each other. Nymphia’s brow furrowed as she rolled her eyes again.

“Why are you both being so quiet? You seriously didn’t work things out? On the remix?” She said it so casually like everyone knew Dada and Tia were… not fighting, but not…hanging off each other as usual. Not wasting a breath of space between them… just having an awkward moment. Not speaking. At the moment. Whatever.

Dada said nothing and Tia couldn’t even close her dropped jaw, let alone think to form a sentence. That didn’t stop Nymphia. “Yeah, we all remember what you said to Tia last night, Dada. Already talked shit about it. What you said was pretty rude, especially to Tia who definitely doesn’t have a good relationship with being called annoying. BUT, Tia, you were annoying at times last night. Like, even I was a little bothered at one point, and I’m the worst out of all of us. So… so maybe you’re both in the wrong and should just call a draw, you know? We’re literally leaving in less than a week, which I know you were really torn up about the other day, Dada, like crying about it, but-”

Maybe Nymphia stopped because of Dada’s sudden coughing fit, or maybe because of Tia’s face in utter disbelief, or maybe she processed what she was actually saying. But nevertheless, she stopped. Thank god. “You know what? I’m sorry I opened my mouth in the first place. I think I see your room.”

If Tia and Dada weren’t awkward before, they sure were now; both their faces flushed red as they entered their room. But for a moment, all feelings were pushed aside as they entered, because holy shit this fucking room. All the walls were cobblestone with gold speckled limestone-green floors. They had a few aperture window cut-outs, close enough to the ground and wide enough that they could easily hop in and out. Tia spotted a small counter table with a bottle of champagne on it, and she couldn’t help but smile at Dada who was finally smiling too.

“Jane…” Dada scoffed, finally walking down the small step by the end of their bed and spotting-

“Shower. In. The. Bedroom. SHOWER. IN. THE. BED. ROOM.” Everyone couldn’t help but look at the open aperture windows. “Oh! There’s secret sliding glass, and these gorgeous, thick curtains…” Jane led them down a hallway that doubled as a closet to the actual bathroom with a huge mirror and tiling on the walls that matched the limestone floors. “Well, that’s it!” Jane said excitedly, clearly not reading the slight awkward tension that still loomed.

“Alright so… I think we’ll leave you two alone for a second…” Nymphia and Jane both slipped out of the room without another word. Tia and Dada were alone, being forced to talk about last night. They both slowly wandered over to the bed from the bathroom and plopped down, a little embarrassed. Why did it even have to come to this? Luckily, Tia didn’t have to speak first. Dada put a hand on Tia’s knee, because she still could, and gave her a sad smile.

“I am sorry. Last night… I was… I think I was just feeling sorry for myself. I don’t know, I wasn’t upset with you, just the whole… the whole way things went. The situation. I’m sorry. I wasn’t mad at you, I don’t think I could ever be… or at least stay mad.” Dada said, honestly. “I’m sorry.” And Tia’s stomach dropped again. Dada was just too good for her. Tia was being awful. And Dada still forgave her.

“No. I was being a bitch last night. I was messy, and not funny messy, stupid messy. I was a bitch to everyone, even you. Which I hate. And I do like being a bitch sometimes, it’s funny when everyone is laughing too, but they weren’t. I don’t like being a bitch to you. I’m sorry too. Really really sorry.”

And then Dada’s head was on Tia’s shoulder, wrapping arms and legs around her and pulling them back on the bed, a heap of giggles. And the world felt a little more aligned again. “Let’s never be mad at each other again.” Tia whispered. They laughed harder. “Okay but actually lets go explore outside-” but Dada pulled her back onto the bed.

“Or… we could check out the shower,” She said, teasingly holding Tia’s gaze, she missed this. Tia just gave her a wicked look, slightly shaking her head as she fought back a grin. She missed this.

“This villa will be here forever, we will not be.” Tia finally let a smile break across her face as she pulled Dada off the bed and down the few steps leading to the shower. She began to pull off her shirt but was cut off by Nymphia.

“CLOSE YOUR WINDOWS IDIOTS!” She cackled. “MAKE UP SEX! MAKE UP SEX!” Dada couldn’t help but laugh too as she ran to close the windows and draw the curtains.

“Sorry we’re desperate…” Dada blushed as she made her way back to Tia, who just kissed her through a grin. She hoped it could be this easy to fall back into each other forever.

Or at least until the trip ended.

_

“Okay let’s load in and get this party started! Gothy will be dropping us off at ANFITEATRO ROMANO DI CAGLIARI! We were going to lunch first, but who knew we had a beautiful private chef, Bruno! Thanks to him, we saved so much time. We will be there in 45 minutes!” Nymphia put the mic back and ran to join Jane at the back of the bus, who was grinning at Tia and Dada curled up in their seats.

“You girls… are so- I’m so happy you made up!” Crystal beamed from the seat in front of them. “It’s annoying for you to act heartbroken when I just got out of a four year relationship!” They all laughed, Dada nuzzled closer to Tia, pressing a quick kiss on her neck. The drive was forty-five minutes but Tia swore it only lasted fifteen, time really was flying. They parked on the side of the road.

“They can’t tow a fucking tour bus,” Gothy muttered as she opened the doors. “I’m sick of driving.”

“Okay folks! It’s only about a ten minute walk to the amphitheater, follow me!” Jane sang, walking with one hand in the air that Nymphia swatted down.

“Follow me!”

“So is this place boring and ugly or boring and kind of cute?” Tia asked Dada, who had linked arms with her the second they got off the bus, already trying to make up for lost time.

“I don’t know. We don’t usually come here on tours, usually we go to Catanzaro on tour for our last city,” Just saying it out loud made her heart drop. “Probably boring-pretty though, especially if Nymphia made edits.”

“So true.” Tia wished she could think of something else to talk about, desperate to fill their silence. Usually she adored their comfortable silence, almost proud of how at ease they both felt around each other, but now she didn’t want to waste a single second not talking to Dada. They didn’t have the time to waste. Tia felt an ache in the back of her throat as her eyes burned slightly. What the fuck was this? She couldn’t start tearing up, not now, not when her and Dada just made up and were happy again. Maybe that’s why she was tearing up, though.

“OKAY WE ARE HERE!” Nymphia cheered as they reached the entrance. Tia could see a bit of the amphitheater, which was exactly how she pictured it, old and broken like most historic landmarks they visited. Basically an even more boring version of the Colloseum in Rome. But they could see the ocean? Tia and Dada shared a look, amused and unimpressed.

“Nymphia… you chose this place?” Jane asked, a familiar tone in her voice. Nymphia gave her a weird look. “I’m just saying… I kind of expected better considering all the bitching and moaning you did about my itinerary. Didn’t you make edits?” Nymphia’s jaw was now dropped, but eyes slightly amused.

“Jane!” She gasped.

“No! No, don't get me wrong. It’s… cute… adorable even.” Dada’s jaw dropped into a grin.

“Tia, I think you’re about to meet Jane. Bitchy Jane. Shady Jane. You’re about to meet the… real Jane.”

“Okay… well let's go, I have a Tiktok I wanna make.” They all followed Nymphia in while glancing at Jane, who was glancing around unimpressed. Tia couldn’t help but laugh at the slight pout on her face. They walked down a series of steps that led them into the amphitheater. Nymphia walked backwards next to Jane as she talked to the group. “So this place is actually really cool! THOUSANDS of people would gather here to watch public executions, gladiator fights, and humans fighting animals! So remember that as you wander.” The group looked a little scared as they dispersed. “See. It’s COOL, Jane!”

“I mean… take away the history… and it’s just an ugly ruin. Is it really anything worth exploring?” Jane crossed her arms, still unimpressed.

“THOSE SQUARE DOOR THINGS RIGHT THERE. YEAH. RIGHT THERE. FUCKING GLADIATORS CAME OUT OF THERE. CRIMINALS CAME OUT OF THERE BEFORE EXECUTION, JANE. THEY KEPT FUCKING LIONS, TIGERS, OR BEARS OR WHATEVER THEY FOUGHT IN THERE!” Jane just rolled her eyes.

“Okay Judy Garland!” She exclaimed sarcastically. They all burst out laughing, even Nymphia couldn’t hide her smile.

“JANE! I didn’t know you were so…”

“Amazing, I know!” Dada beamed as she threw her arms around Jane. “I’ve missed the real Jane, I’ve missed your cunty self…” Jane laughed as she pushed Dada off.

“I’m afraid I’ve shown my true colors… and those colors bleed,” she said with an evil look in her eye. Jane continued to bitch the whole tour, sounding exactly like Nymphia in the beginning of the trip, which oddly thrilled Nymphia? Eventually Tia and Dada got bored and decided to go smoke a joint, looking out over the city they were about to explore.

“Hopefully Nymphia’s next photoshoot spot is cuter than this one… even though this view is pretty,” Tia passed the joint to Dada, resting her head on her shoulder.

“Are you talking about me?” Dada teased, blowing the smoke in Tia’s face as she coughed. What cheesy romcom were they living in?

“Shut up…” Tia wished she had a flirtier comeback, but she was too nervous, the ball in her chest was too tight, if they smoothed things out then why didn’t it feel any easier? “You know-,” Tia didn’t even know what she wanted to say, but Nymphia cut her off anyway.

“Jane is annoying me so we are cutting this stop short! Hope you’re proud Jane. You want to go somewhere pretty? Let’s go somewhere fucking pretty!”

_

It was another ten minute walk to their next location.

“JARDÍN BOTÁNICO DE CAGLIARI! Yeah, this place is actually gorgeous! Plenty of places for pictures and to stare out wistfully like you’re the main character! There’s a lot to do and see so feel free to see this as a self guided walking tour and relaxation spot! Meet back here in like- an hour I guess. SLAY!”

“SLAY!” They all cheered back, Nymphia really had become a little tour guide. The five of them explored the gardens together, walking slowly as they took in every winding branch, careful to avoid the children running and laughing around them.

“Nymphia, you really slayed this. Like… I have to tell my nerdy-millennial biology Professor about this place once I get back home. I’m going to need to buy more storage on my phone…” Crystal muttered as she gently touched one of the flowers they were walking by, snapping a quick picture. “OMG! We have to make wishes in the fountain!” She was sprinting to the fountain that was barely visible, they all followed quickly, rummaging through their tote bags for coins to throw in. As they reached the fountain that was coated in lily pads, Dada silently pressed a coin in Tia’s hand.

“Everyone think of your wish,” Crystal waited a few moments, “Okay… now toss!” Crystal tossed hers in without hesitation, closing her eyes as if that sealed the deal. Maybe it did, so Tia closed her eyes as she flipped her coin into the fountain, hearing it plop gently into the water. She caught the tail end of Dada tossing her coin in, she wore a soft smile. She turned to meet Tia’s gaze.

“What did you wish for?” She asked. Crystal let out a shard gasp before Tia could answer.

“You can’t tell anyone! It won’t come true, duh… party foul, Dada.” Tia just gave Dada a weak smile, like she could’ve said it out loud.

“We probably wished for the same thing,” She said, suddenly aware of the silence. Dada just looked at Tia, laughing lightly despite the ache in her chest.

“Cool. I have a really cool spring to show you, LETS GO!” And for once everyone was thankful for Nymphia’s bluntness. Dada grabbed Tia’s hand as they followed Nymphia, who was naming all the plants they walked by. The entire park was almost a neon green despite it being the end of August. If Tia was back home in Essex the tops of trees would just barely be turning orange, but not in Italy, not with Dada.

And though the weaving trees and blending scents of all the species of plants around were beautiful, Tia’s chest ached too. She couldn’t help it, she felt a whole new sense of pining. Every dip in her stomach was replaced with an ache in her heart, her eyes weren’t shining in awe anymore, they were glossed over with tears. This part was not on her Pinterest board… the sad part. Dada forgave her, sure, but maybe that was just until the end of the trip. Maybe it was just easier for Dada to forgive her, to make things less awkward for the last week. Maybe Dada just wanted to stretch this tour out, make her last till the end of the summer, and Tia was embarrassed to be completely fine with that. It was then Dada squeezed her hand, snapping her out of her trance. They locked eyes and Tia could only hold her gaze for a few seconds.

What was Dada thinking?

What Tia would do to take just a glimpse into her brain for a second, see if her thoughts were just as cloudy as hers. “See why I can’t wait for the tour to be over now?” The words from the night before still rang in Tia’s head, Dada probably thought she didn’t remember, and she would let her think that. Tia forced herself to look at Dada again, this time sending a smile that she hoped was bright.

“We’re here!!!” Nymphia called out, doing a little spin in front of the basin with a spring protruding from a short cliff. “It’s like a little water fall! So cute, so nature!” Everything was so bright, why did it have to be so bright? And why did Dada have to look so beautiful as she basked in it all?

“Nymphia…”

“Say it, say I’m a better tourguide than you!”

“No… it’s photoshoot time,” Jane giggled.

“OKAY! But we need to make it quick cause the underground city is next and I need to hire a real tourguide to show us around.”

“Um… I'm a real tour guide, Nymphie. Licensed or whatever. I can easily guide us through the silly tourist attraction,” Jane scoffed.

“No… like, they really recommend a trained and a professional tour guide. It’s basically a maze…”

“Shut up. I can do it. Let’s go. I’M A REAL TOUR GUIDE. But let's get some pictures first.

_

“Nymphia, I-”

“Jane, I don’t want to fucking talk to you,” Nymphia had sped in front of the rest of the group, straight into the sun that was rapidly setting.

“Oh! So you think you could do better?” Jane huffed, leaning forward to gain speed as she caught up to Nymphia.

“NO! I THINK THE PROFESSIONAL TOUR GUIDE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER AT TAKING US ON THE HOUR AND A HALF TOUR, BUT INSTEAD WE GOT LOST AND THEY SENT THE TOUR GUIDE ANYWAY TO FIND US, AFTER BEING GONE FOR THREE HOURS, JANE! SO NOW WE’RE ON SEGWAYS SO WE CAN MAKE IT TO OUR LOOKOUT POINT BEFORE SUNSET.”

Tia, Crystal, and Dada were gripping their handles to steady themselves as they wheezed. And it was okay, Dada was okay, good even. She was having fun. Thank god she smoothed things over with Tia, thank god she could still soak her up while she could. Maybe if she got enough of Tia, it could last her a lifetime, be a beautiful story to tell forever. The girl from the UK who ruled her summer. Well, it was only a month, and actually it was the end of summer. But what had Dada even done that summer before this? Drink dry wine on her terrace, smoke on the hill looking over the vineyard, staying up late with her roommates then sleeping for half the day?

All she could remember from before the tour was dreading the tour beginning. What planet was she living on, and what would it be like to go back home? Dada had never been able to live in the moment, she was scared of people who could. She wasn’t scared of Tia, did that mean she was worrying too? Dreading the inevitable future? Dada hoped she was, as terrible as it may sound. But be happy. Dada pleaded silently as she looked at Tia who was doubled over in laughter. Be happy without me if that’s what it takes. They all came to a quick halt as the city eye came into view, the Ferris wheel was lit with flashing lights, going from neon pink to orange to purple to green and blue.

“Okay, park your segways here, we’ll ride them back to the bus too, cuz they’re really fun but Jane was pissing me off so I didn’t even get to enjoy it.” Nymphia had already bought the group tickets online. They watched as she handed out the tickets before joining the rest of the girls in the line that was moving surprisingly fast. Tia and Dada stood behind the rest of the girls, and Tia couldn’t help but notice the carts only fit groups of four. She could feel Dada looking at her with pleading eyes. She had been closed off, much like Dada had been at the beginning of the trip. When was Tia ever quiet, not shameless? Why couldn’t she find the right words to say, or any words at all?

“Can we get one just for two?” She asked once Gothy, Nymphia, Jane, and Crystal had gotten into their gondola-like cart. Tia was met with a quick nod, and they watched as the girls rose in the sky. They were ushered into their cart, everything too quiet, looking at the view rather than each other. It was easier that way, Dada’s thoughts could reel faster when she let herself zone out at the beautiful view, probably one of the last ones on the trip. “Say something,” her chest begged. “Anything.” The wheel moved up.

“I don’t want the trip to end.” The words came out abruptly, as if even Dada didn’t know they would slip out. “I- I am always waiting for it to end and now- I don’t want this to end,” Dada said, finally looking at Tia, she swore her eyes looked different from when they first met. Tia didn’t even know what to say, what the fuck was she supposed to say? Of course she didn’t want things to end either, but… Did Dada really just say it out loud? Was this going to be easier than Tia had hoped?

“I mean- it doesn’t necessarily have to… like- like we can… We don’t have to end. We already have each other’s numbers. And Instagrams. You’ve got Snapchat, right?” Tia asked tentatively.

The wheel moved up further.

“I do but…I hate it, or more like I suck at answering… and I don’t do streaks… but I do occasionally post on my Private story. Sometimes I sell bud if I have extra from growing,” Tia had to laugh at that, of course she liked a Snapchat pot dealer. “We could FaceTime? I like talking to you.”

“Well- where do you live? How far is it from Perugia?” Tia felt weirdly brave.

Could this actually work out? Why couldn’t it? What was actually stopping them?

“San Martino Sul Fiora. Two hours.”

Fuck.

“Oh… that’s pretty far…” Tia trailed off, knowing she wasn’t worth that time. As if she could ever ask Dada to do that for her anyway, how pathetic would that be? Basically begging her to stay.

“Well, it’s not that far. Two hours is like… one Taylor Swift album. Not long enough, if the right song comes on,” Dada was smiling softly, and Tia’s body felt light again. She felt like she was two weeks into the trip and watching the sunset with Dada, asking why her locket was empty. Like they had all the time in the world. Like it was the real beginning.

And the Ferris wheel rose again, reaching the top. They both took a moment to look out at the gorgeous view of the port town, docks, and massive city of Cagliari, most of the roofs a dusty orange that blended so beautifully with the now purple sky. In the distance Tia could barely make out a hazy mountain range across the ocean. She looked to see Dada’s reaction, and wasn’t surprised at all when she found her looking back. Tia grabbed her hand.

“Or you could find, like, a true crime podcast, those make time fly.”

“On my way to see you?? Why? I would be so down in the dumps. A Drag Race podcast though, those are good to listen to on long drives.” Dada said like it was the most simple thing in the world, like she’d been making the drive down the long hill to see Tia for months before. And they were both grinning.

“So you can come visit? Like- if you want to?”

“Yes, of course,” Dada’s voice was so soft, she moved across, sitting next to Tia. She started to rub soft circles on the side of her thigh. “Of course. If you want me. I- Only if you want me to.”

“Of course I do. And-and if I can find a way, of course I’ll try to come see you. Because like, I’ll probably have time off. When I’m not doing homework and getting blackout drunk… the weekends– oh– well…” Tia trailed off, realizing something. By the look on Dada’s face, set in a defeated grimace, she already knew.

The Ferris wheel began to make its way down again.

“Weekends aren’t much of a thing with your program. Not for us or– for me at least. For you… it will be wonderful.”

“Are they really sending us to a different European city EVERY weekend? I swear I didn’t pay for that, I can’t afford it,” Tia was conveniently forgetting that was another reason why she chose this specific program, working overtime two summers in a row to even think about affording it.

“No, no, not every weekend. Most of them, though. Most weekends you will be gone,” Dada was doing such a bad job at keeping her voice neutral, Tia was doing a bad job at trying not to cry. She now remembered excitedly seeing pictures on the website of students at Oktoberfest in Munich, seeing the leaves change in Paris, ice skating on the canals in Amsterdam. Nearly every weekend. How convenient.

And they moved closer to the ground, seeing the other people waiting in line the way they just were, so naively heartbroken about saying goodbye just seven minutes ago. Tia didn’t know she could feel so much worse in such a short Ferris wheel ride.

“I forgot about that. How could I forget about that?” Tia let herself bask in the dread for a moment, forcing the tears back into her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize. Please don’t. I mean, I’m jealous. You are going to have so much fun. A lot more fun than you would have being cooped up with me. I’ll be- who knows the next time you’ll have opportunities like this. I will be busy during the week too. It’s harvest season in Tuscany, at the vineyard. I have to help my grandmother more and more these days.”

How were they supposed to be okay with this? How was this okay at all? How was Tia supposed to go from seeing Dada everyday to remembering her everyday, recognizing her in every little thing? With no promise of the weekends? How does that work out?

The Ferris wheel moved closer to the ground as the stale feeling continued to set in.

“So what… are we gonna do?” Tia felt so small, looking at Dada with tears shining in both of their eyes, neither willing to accept the inevitable. She almost wished she never brought it up, let them live in ignorance this last week.

“We’ll figure it out. We will. We’ll keep in touch,” that hurt to hear more than Tia ever thought it would. That’s what she told her high school friends she would do, and her coworkers from her first shitty job. They would keep in touch. When was the last time she talked to any of them?

They were basically at the ground now, seeing as Jane, Nymphia, Crystal, and Gothy got out of their car, Jane visibly stressed from the heights. Maybe they’d become friends Tia would swear she’d keep in touch with too.

But what could she do about it?

“Right. Keep in touch.”

Dada spoke in the saddest whisper. They had finally finished the ride, they had spent the time looking at each other, fuck the view. She ran her thumb across Tia’s hand.

“Tia. We’ll be alright.”

_

They made it back to the villa around 10pm, all feeling worn out. This seemed to be the most they’ve done in a day since… Rome? How could Tia not remember? All she knew was they all couldn’t wait to crawl into their amazing bedrooms. When they walked through the door they were greeted with the amazing smell of carbonara that all the girls ate quickly, desperate to get back to their rooms.

“Okay girls, we oughta go to bed early. Tomorrow is going to be like a movie.”

“Jane… This entire trip has been like a movie…” Crystal muttered through a full mouth that she covered with her hand. “It’s more like a TV show, actually… So what's tomorrow's episode, Jane?”

“Um, that would be a spoiler, Crystal.”

“I always read spoilers,” Crystal replied easily.

“Well- let’s just say, tomorrow we make a SPLASH!” The girls just all looked at Jane who was clearly thrilled at her disappointing answer. “You girls can trust me at least for these few last days, you think I cater to anyone in this tour group besides us, sisters? All you need to know if we’re swimming and getting drunk,” she shrugged.

“So… what we’ve been doing every beach day for the past two weeks?”

“Yeah, but like…”

“It’s Italy,” Dada said softly, pulling Tia in closer. “Everyday feels like a beach day, rain or shine.”

“OKAY! BEDTIME!” All the girls just laughed as they put their dishes in the sink, washing them off to make Bruno’s day a little easier in the morning. Nymphia and Jane seemed to have disappeared the second they had all begun moving, and Crystal wasn’t long to follow.

“C’mon, I swear we haven’t seen any of our room besides the shower,” Tia giggled as she dragged Dada to what she hoped to be the right hallway to their room, passing Bruno and Vanjie who were dressed in formal attire.

“G’night ladies! Glad you’ve made up!” Vanjie cackled, arm in arm with Bruno. They couldn’t help but laugh.

“What… What even is Vanjie? I don’t think she’s human… Why does she know everything and everyone?” Dada asked gently, as if Tia had a better answer. They had made it to the door of their room and somehow it felt like coming home. Tia didn’t answer Dada’s question, she just held up the bottle of champagne. “Ugh, yes please.” Tia laughed, walking over to join Dada on the bed, bottle and glasses in hand. “Ooo we’re using glasses? Feeling classy, miss Tia?”

“Ew no, you’re right, I don’t even know why I grabbed these,” Tia laughed. Dada watched as Tia opened their windows, the fresh air instantly filling their room. She crawled into bed, leaving the glasses abandoned dangerously balanced on the window sill. They passed the bottle back and forth as they did what they’d always do, say everything they wanted to say when they were with the group, laugh about Nymphia and;

“Bitchy Jane… I see why you miss her!” Tia giggled. Dada just took the bottle from her hands, smiling as she took a swig.

“I hope she’s here to stay. It’s weird, but when you meet bitchy Jane, I think it just means she likes you. She denies that, but admits it when drunk. So I think she really likes you guys. I think-” Dada yawned, closing her eyes as she muttered. “I think… she’ll miss you too.” And then she was asleep, leaving Tia with a deafening silence. She just laid down slowly, guiding Dada to do the same, and then weaved her arms around her. Tia fell asleep, she would tell herself in the morning that she didn't hear that, that it was just the champagne and exhaustion.

_

“Oh no fuck that. Keep in touch? That’s why I’m ending things, point blank PERIOD, with Jane after this. I’m not getting led on, strung along like that. And I won’t do that to poor Jane, either,” Nymphia exclaimed at the breakfast table, cutting into the homemade Frittata Bruno had made for the group that morning. She leaned towards the middle with Tia and Crystal so other group members didn’t hear. Dada and Jane had decided to skip breakfast and sleep in, and Gothy was hard at work in her room. Tia was feeling horrible after their talk, but committed to enjoying the last of the trip with Dada. They had wasted way too much time, truly.

“You know Jane would let you, too,” Crystal pointed out, Nymphia solemnly nodded back.

“To each their own, of course,” she added, trying not to laugh at Tia’s downcast eyes. “Aww, it’ll be alright! There were so many hot girls who were put in other groups, Perugia will be a whole other world! If you want it to be. But, if Dada’s willing to make the drive, you’re willing to wait… it could be cute!”

“See those encouraging words are coming out of your mouth but they’re not matching your bitchy tone at all,” Tia wasn’t mad at Nymphia, she was just speaking the truth, all she knew to speak. But this was still the last thing in the world Tia wanted to hear. Her and Dada were gonna make it work, at least they could try to try. At least they weren’t just giving up… Maybe Nymphia just knew better. Whatever, Tia didn’t care. She’d know soon enough, she supposed. But she definitely wasn’t just gonna give up and mope around the rest of the trip. She hoped Dada wouldn’t either.

Then Jane and Dada walked in, Jane looking excited, Dada’s eyes, as always, caught Tia’s instantly. Once everyone was done eating breakfast, Jane brought them outside.

“Okay family!” She said to the group that was gathered on the back terrace. “We will be taking a VERY short walk because we got a sickening villa on the beach! I’m amazing! And we will be splitting into two groups to go TUBING! Me, Dada, Gothy, Nymphia, Tia, and Crystal will go on one and the rest of you can squeeze! And if you don’t want to go on the boat just… I don’t know, hang out in the epic fucking villa or whatever.” Everyone moved to walk to the beach, but not before Jane could add one more thing: “OH! Remember how I called us family at the beginning of my speech. Well, family doesn’t snitch on each other. I will look away from your antics if you look away from mine. That goes for the Villa too… for the rest of the trip honestly. Just don’t be stupid. Don’t piss me off. OKAY LET’S GO!”

They all walked down the beach for a minute until they made it to where the two boats were docked. When they arrived though, one of the boats was already occupied.

“Hello ladies!” Bruno grinned, clasping his hands together. Beside him, stood Vanjie in a neon green bikini, so brat.

“Hey bitches!” Vanjie cackled, popping a bottle of Prosecco. “We better take off fast before any of these other bitches try to hop in our boats! Bruno and I are having some private time out. YOU SNOOZE ya LOSE!” Bruno just laughed as he put the boat in reverse before taking off quickly.

“I… I don’t think I will ever understand Vanjie…” Dada trailed off.

“WHO CARES! You heard her, we gotta get out of here before the other bitch-ass group members get here!” Crystal was already jumping into the boat, almost falling in the process.

“I can totally drive us again, hop in gals!” Gothy said, hopping in too and trying to find the keys to turn on the engine. Dada held out her hand while obnoxiously bowing.

“After you, m’lady.” Tia just rolled her eyes, grabbing her hand easily and also almost falling somehow. She pulled Dada in after her, both plopping onto one of the seats in the back of the boat in a heap of giggles.

“I can't believe we’re not drinking on a boat right now… who are we?” Nymphia muttered, mostly to herself.

“We’re only going out for like- two hours then we’ll go back to the villa and fucking drink. That place was so expensive and it’s so gorgeous we just HAVE to get drunk there. It would be blasphemous if we didn’t,” Jane explained. “Also Bruno is a bartender and has a full list of shots and cocktails he’s ready to make for us. All included.” The girls just gaped at Jane who grinned back at them. “SO LET’S FUCKING GO!”

“Okay this isn’t going to be a cute ride out girls, hold this fucking tube down.” Gothy threw the hot pink tube into the boat, making sure she had the rope and life jackets (safety first and also they absolutely could not let a group member get a concussion on the trip again). “Let’s roll out!” Gothy started up the boat before reversing. Thankfully, it looked like the rest of the tour group opted to stay on their beach or in the villa. Not that they would’ve cared anyway, fuck those guys. Nymphia held onto her headscarf Jane got her for dear life as Gothy sped to a good clear area, JOYRIDE blasting on loop.

“I’M GOING FIRST! I AM A MASTER ON THE TUBE!” Jane said, already throwing the tube into the water and jumping on top of it effortlessly. When did she take off her swimsuit cover up and put on a life jacket, and goggles? “Nymphia, it’s probably for the best that you let me do this by myself… you couldn’t last as long as me.”

“Mmm wasn’t planning on it. You get weird about tubing… like, it’s all you watch on YouTube… Crystal and I are going together!”

“GOOD! FILM ME! GOTHY I WANT YOU TO TRY TO KNOCK ME OFF. I CONSENT. I AM CONSENTING TO YOU TRYING TO KNOCK ME OFF THIS TUBE BECAUSE I KNOW YOU NEVER COULD!” Jane screamed as Gothy started to drag her behind slowly. “DID YOU HEAR ME? SPEED- AH!” Gothy sped up suddenly, causing Jane to laugh wildly. Nymphia was giggling as she filmed Jane bounce over the waves the boat was making behind them.

“Hold on, girls,” Gothy muttered before steering the boat sharply to the right, causing the tube to skip over the waves, but Jane didn’t budge, she pretended to check her nails.

“Oh my god, Jane!” Tia cheered, the ocean water spraying over her and Dada as Gothy suddenly jerked the boat to a crawling pace, causing Jane to almost fall off.

“DID YOU GET THAT NYMPHIE?” Jane called out, spitting out the salt water. Nymphia just nodded enthusiastically. They watched as Jane absolutely killed it on the tube, she truly was a master. Eventually though, Gothy caught the waves just right and Jane crashed into the water, hollering when her head popped out from under the water.

“YASSS JANE! CRYSTAL AND I ARE NEXT!” Nymphia finally stopped recording, and Crystal began to put on her life jacket.

“Are you going?” Tia asked Dada, a wicked smile on her face.

“Absolutely not.”

“Wottttt?” Tia trailed off. “Not even with me?” Dada scoffed at the innocent tone in Tia’s voice.

“No!”

“Oh you are so boring, Dada! We’re all going- well, not Gothy, she’s steering the boat, but everyone else is going but you, that makes you a loser,” Nymphia teased as she finally got her life jacket on.

“You are terrible! You are a literal bully!” Dada pulled Tia in closer as they both wheezed silently.

“You’re a literal LOSER!”

“LADIES! Why are we fighting?” Jane said, pulling herself up onto the boat. She walked over to join the group who all screamed when she dripped water on them. “Oh shut up, we’re all going anyway.”

“Dada isn’t! That’s why we’re fighting!”

“Oh god, don’t be a loser Dada.” Everyone laughed harder, only being cut off by a splash coming from Crystal.

“Who cares! Let’s focus on the cool people who are going tubing!” Crystal had pulled herself up onto the tube.

“You are wearing over-the-nose goggles, but okay!” Dada called back.

“Everyone shut up! Jane, make sure you do a good job filming!” Nymphia ordered before jumping in and climbing onto the tube next to Crystal.

“Do you want me to try and knock you off?” Gothy asked.

“NO!” Nymphia screamed.

“YES!” Crystal screamed louder!

“OKAY! HOLD ON!” Gothy sped up the boat only a little, Nymphia was screaming.

“Nymphia, we’re barely moving!”

“Fuck you!” Nymphia was cut off by Gothy speeding up, sending them over waves that caused the tube to skip. “I HATE THIS!”

In true Nymphia fashion, she complained and screamed the whole time but in the end, it was impossible to knock her off the tube. Crystal had given up after being knocked off three times, but for some reason Nymphia stayed on for one last round, before being dragged in. Jane was not pleased.

“That was so terrible and boring,” Nymphia scoffed as she sat down.

“Yeah, falling off is the best part, NYMPHIA!” Jane bitched.

“I DON’T CARE! TIA. DADA. TUBE. NOW.” Tia gave Dada another wicked grin as she stood.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join me?”

“Absolutely not.”

_

“DO NOT FILM THIS!” Dada yelled, barely able to see from the fogged over goggles. Tia laughed wildly from beside her on the tube.

“OH I ABSOLUTELY AM FILMING THIS. YOU’RE BOTH SO LONG THIS LOOKS HORRIFYING!” Crystal said from behind her phone. Dada screamed as Gothy sped up suddenly, gripping the tube as tight as she could with her eyes pressed shut. Tia cackled before her mouth was filled with salty water that made her gag, and then Dada was laughing too. Gothy turned the boat sharply and Tia and Dada both instantly fell off.

“Were either of you even trying?!” Nymphia cackled as the boat circled back.

“NO?! I DIDN’T WANT TO GO TUBING EITHER!” Tia cried, coughing out the salt water.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?”

“I’M SORRY! I TALKED A BIG GAME THEN COULDN’T BACK OUT!”

“TIA?!” They were both laughing as they dragged themselves back onto the boat.

“Whatever, let’s just go back to the villa and DRINK WITH BARTENDER BRUNO!”

_

They all entered the villa after drying off a bit and were greeted by Bruno and Vanjie in the kitchen, Bruno was shaking a cocktail, with seven other shakers lined up beside him. Vanjie was perched on the counter sensually.

“Hey ladies! You came just in time, Bruno is making rainbow shots, you want one!?” She asked.

“How could we ever turn down a Bruno rainbow shot?!” Crystal cheered as they all sat down on the bar stools. Bruno began to stack the cocktail mixers on top of each other, probably three feet high.

“Oh my god, Bruno!” Jane cheered. “You know cool bar tricks too?!”

“Of course, Plane. I live to entertain and nourish.” From beside him, Vanjie was lining up eight shot glasses in a perfect line.

“I’m actually a little scared,” Dada muttered towards Tia, who was watching in awe as Bruno masterfully held all the cocktail shakers together and slowly lined them up above the shot glasses, pouring slowly until all the shot glasses were full, each shot a different color of the rainbow. The girls clapped.

“Voila!” Bruno blushed as he bowed. “Now, we drink! I’ll film us!’ Bruno propped his phone up against one of the expensive vases as they each grabbed a random shot.

“Literally what are our lives right now?” Tia cackled as she held onto Dada. Bruno began to film.

“Ladies, a toast,” he said from behind the camera. The girls all held up their shot glasses, trying not to burst out laughing as he continued to speak. “There are big ships and little ships, and ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, like the one between you and me. Bottoms up!”

“CHEERS!” They all said in unison before doing little cheerses’, tapping their glasses on the counter, and sending back the shots that were… actually really delicious, Dada almost wanted to sip it.

“Bruno, that was the best shot I’ve ever had…” Gothy said.

“I’m honored to hear it! There is a full liquor cabinet, and it's all for you, I urge you to indulge. Another round of shots?”

“Bruno, I adore you,” Jane whispered, teary eyed.

“Hey! That’s my man, you have your banana bitch anyway!” Vanjie screamed, well, she didn’t scream, her normal speaking voice just sounded like screaming.

“Oh my god, we’re lesbians, Vanjie! Bruno, we would love another round of shots! Oh and, um- what exactly are the rules on smoking?” Nymphia asked, failing to sound innocent.

“In a way, isn’t oxygen smoke?” Bruno said mysteriously, pouring everclear into a cocktail shaker. They all went silent. “Yes, you can smoke anywhere on the property, this is a villa of bliss.” They all cheered together.

“Bruno, I LOVE YOU!” Nymphia was bouncing in her seat as the other round of shots was poured. Tia exhaled sharply, preparing herself for the strong Everclear but again, she didn't find herself wincing at all. Was Bruno a wizard?

“How did you make Everclear shots taste good?” Crystal implored.

“Your other shots were Everclear too! We’re starting you ladies out strong!” Vanjie cheered.

“You better lock in, if you need anything come find me find Vanessa and I around the fire pit.” Bruno and Vanjie waved as they left the girls in the kitchen.

“Girls… I’ve never had Everclear, I babysit my friends when they drink it…” Crystal trailed off, staring at the empty shot glass in her hand. “It’s NOT good.”

“Oh Crystal, we’ll be okay! I mean, we’ve gotten pretty good at drinking during the trip, right?”

_

“OKAY! OBSTACLE COURSE RELAY!” Nymphia cheered, standing on one of the dining chairs outside. “GROUPS OF THREE! ME, CRYSTAL, AND TIA AGAINST DADA, JANE, AND GOTHY! THE GUIDES VS. THE GROUP!”

“Nymphia, when did you even do this?” Nymphia had laid out a series of lawn chairs, loungers, and dining chairs in obstacles. Tia could barely make out what looked to be a croquet mallet?

“You see, Tia, while you all were eating the delicious shrimp cocktail that Bruno made, which won’t taste very good while coming back up, by the way. I was making a fun activity that is also going to double as a DRINKING game!”

“NYMPHIA! THAT IS SO NICE OF YOU!” Dada clapped. Though the girls had gotten… okay at drinking on the trip, they sure hadn’t learned how to pace themselves. Jane said it was okay because they started two hours late into the day, so really they were just catching up. Or at least that's what Tia thought Jane said, she found it hard to focus on anything or anyone but Dada, as always.

“THANK YOU, DADA! AT LEAST SOMEONE APPRECIATES ME! So, here’s the relay: the first person will start here, the liquor bottles will serve as our batons. You have to pour and take a shot before rolling down the hill with the bottle AND shot glass. At the bottom of the hill you have to WEAVE through the sun loungers, if you mess up, you have to start over, including taking another shot. After you weave through the sun loungers, you will pass the bottle baton and shot glass to the second person in the relay. That person must take a shot and then hop chair to chair, you’ll notice there’s a hopscotch formation, if you fuck it up you will have to start your section over, if you succeed run and meet the final person in the relay. Pass off the bottle baton and shot glass and the final person will take their shot then use the croquet mallet to hit the ball through THREE of the rings. At the end of the course you will take another shot and then do the WHOLE THING BACKWARDS! First person to make it back here WINS! Got it?” All the girls just looked blankly at Nymphia.

“Nymphia… why did you do this?” Jane whispered, even she was a little horrified.

“BECAUSE IT’S LIKE A LOVE ISLAND CHALLENGE!” Nymphia breathed heavily. The girls were still just looking at her.

“What do we win?” Gothy asked after a few moments of silence.

“Uh… my respect? Whatever, go strategize on who you want where. WE’RE DOING THIS YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!” The two groups split off, much like they used to in the very beginning of the trip.

“Okay, we actually need to win this. I know there’s no wine to win, but we need to beat them!” Crystal whispered excitedly. “Tia, you have to do the chair hop scotch, your legs are long as fuck it’ll be so easy.” Tia barked a laugh.

“Right after a shot though? I’m already so drunk.”

“DON’T BE WEAK! THIS IS ABOUT WINNING!”

“Okay! I’ll do the chairs,” Tia nodded, suddenly taking this very seriously.

“Okay, hands in… FUCK DADA, GOTHY, AND JANE!” Crystal cheered.

“FUCK DADA, GOTHY, AND JANE!” Nymphia and Tia cheered back.

“Uhhh, fuck you guys. We’re ready too. Everyone go to their spots!” Jane ordered as she began to walk down the hill beside Dada, Gothy stayed put. Her and Nymphia shared a competitive look, squaring each other up a bit. Tia wasn’t shocked that they also chose Dada for the chair hopscotch.

“You should emotionally prepare to be shamed by Nymphia, I know she’ll never drop it once we win,” Tia teased, both of them stopped in front of their chairs.

“Tia, Tia, Tia…” Dada trailed off, clearly cocky. “Jane, Gothy, and I do drunk foot races all the time back home. You don’t want to know how competitive we get. I can only imagine how good we’re going to be when we work together.” Tia kept a strong poker face, before she could respond she heard Nymphia from on top of the hill, suddenly both eased into an action stance. Tia looked behind her to see Jane and Crystal trash talking each other.

“READY… SET…”

“GO!” Vanjie cheered, holding a timer, Bruno had set up a tripod to film. When did they get here? Nymphia and Gothy basically poured and took the shots in perfect sync, but Nymphia got a lead when she opted to barrel roll down the hill instead of on her side like Gothy.

“YES NYMPHIA!” Tia cheered as Nymphia weaved between the chairs, almost slipping, but still making it to Tia before Gothy reached Dada. She pushed the bottle and shot glass into Tia’s hands.

“GO! GO! GO! HURRY! GO! GO! I’LL BE WAITING BACK HERE!” Nymphia yelled as Tia sent the shot back before climbing onto the chairs and beginning the hop scotch formation. “YOU CAN GO FASTER THAN THAT TIA, COME ON!”

“Ooh baby this is gonna be close!” Vanjie cheered. Though Tia had a strong lead, Dada hopped over the chairs with ease, passing Tia while doing so.

“WOT THE FUCK?!” Dada heard Tia cackle from behind her. She just ran to Jane who was screaming at her, voice hoarse.

“LOCK IN, TIA!”

“Oh ladies… this is going to be a photo finish…”

_

“We have reviewed the footage, and by just a millisecond…” The girls all sat around the table outside eagerly as Bruno spoke. “THE TOUR GUIDES WIN!” The girls clapped politely as Dada, Gothy, and Jane embraced in fits of laughter.

“Nymphia! Tell us! Tell us you respect us!” Gothy demanded.

“Fine. Whatever. I respect you. Bruno, Everclear shots?”

“To the kitchen!”

Bruno laid out eight glasses, effortlessly filling each straight down the line.

“Ladies, Everclear isn’t as dangerous as I thought, I just think my friends suck at drinking!”

“Crystal… please be safe tonight.”

_

Ten things happened before they all ended up falling asleep at 8pm.

First, they took more shots. NOT of Everclear, though, they switched to whatever vodka Jane had pulled out of the liquor cabinet.

Second, they walked down to the beach where they chain smoked three blunts, two joints, and ten drunk cigarettes. And Tia didn’t give a fuck about what Nymphia had said that morning.

Third, Tia didn’t give a fuck about what Nymphia had said that morning. How could she when her and Dada kept sneaking away from the group just to take a few moments alone, it pissed the girls off, but they didn’t care. They had found some good hiding spots, though.

Fourth, Crystal wanted to play hide and seek. Dada and Tia gave her the idea. They couldn’t be mad though, because it was actually really fun as they stumbled up the stairs to try and find a good hiding spot. The fun ended when Jane tried to hide in the ocean.

Fifth, they got cut off from the ocean. (yes, Bruno could do that.) He stopped Nymphia, Tia, Gothy, Dada, and Crystal just as they were about to reach Jane, who was ankle deep.

“YOU GIRLS, YOU’RE TOO IMPORTANT TO LOSE! I’M DOING THIS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!”

Sixth, they all cried in Bruno’s muscular arms, so grateful for his love. They apologized profusely while also thanking him, wiping their tear stained cheeks.

Seventh, while they were all crying in Bruno arms, Tia was secretly crying because she was thinking about what Nymphia had said earlier that day, and how she was probably right after all. Tia was here temporarily, not Dada. Dada wasn’t leaving Tia after a short trip, Tia was leaving her after a semester abroad. Dada wasn’t leaving the country, she was just leaving… Tia. And that was easier than a country. Way easier.

Eighth, Nymphia and Dada decided to do foot races. Stupidly, they used the patch of grass right next to the pool. They actually held up surprisingly well considering the wet grass that caused them to slip and slide.

“GO DADA! GO! GO! GO!” Tia cheered. In a last ditch attempt to beat Nymphia, Dada lept towards the finish line, sliding in the wet grass and covering herself in mud.

Ninth, Tia and Dada sat next to each other in their shower, naked and laughing as they watched the sunset through the open window. The water fell over them as the dirt washed off Dada, and Tia who was sharing her filth at this point.

Tenth, Bruno and Vanjie came around and made sure all the girls were in bed, safe, and equipped with trash cans and plenty of water. Tia and Dada fell asleep tangled together, and Tia would forget all about Nymphia’s words until she was sharing the toilet bowl with Dada at 2 a.m., puking their guts out while leaning on each other. But mostly, all Tia could think as her head pounded was:

Today was really fucking fun.

_

“Good morning ladies. You all look lovely in the morning light, your most natural state. True beauty!” Bruno stood at the breakfast bar in front of the seven girls the next morning, who couldn’t help but grin despite their horrible hangovers. They had slept in until 10am, which was late considering they were all passed out before the sun had completely set. “After having a lengthy and sensual conversation with Vanessa and Gothy last night, I’ve come to a conclusion. You deserve a treat. I’ve been up all night crafting the recipe for a perfect day,” The girls gasped, staring in awe as Bruno revealed a platter of what looked to be perfectly baked macarons. “Every homemade French macaron contains fifty milligrams of pure one hundred percent sativa homegrown indoor marijuana. Strain name- Dry Lightning, a Bruno original. Tread lightly, but bravely.” Bruno grinned as Jane squealed.

“Bruno… we would’ve been fine with brownies- you’re amazing!” She sighed. Nymphia frowned.

“Um, didn’t your roommate literally mail you so many edibles??”

“Fuck those edibles,” Jane snapped, then grinned at Bruno. “Bruno made these. With dry lightning.”

“That’s us baby.”

Nymphia rolled her eyes as Jane grinned and blushed at Bruno winking at her. The rest of the girls rolled their eyes and laughed at Jane as Vanjie stood up.

“Don’t say I’ve never done nothing for you either!” She grinned. “I’ve got you a full itinerary for the day, complete with drivers, appointments, reservations, all that shit. With Nymphia’s input, of course! Miss Vanjie got you all the hookups! You’re lucky I’ve got connections.”

“Vanjie… if I ever asked you details on your life, what would you say?” Crystal giggled, sharing a look with Nymphia.

“Read my Wikipedia page!” Vanjie said, dead serious. Nymphia immediately took out her phone. “Now breakfast! Or brunch I guess.”

“Yes, you missed the extensive breakfast buffet I prepared this morning, but using the leftovers I’ve made personalized breakfast burritos for all you ladies. No onion for Nymphia, no cheese for Crystal, extra prosciutto for Dada,” Bruno handed out individually wrapped breakfast burritos to all the girls, along with cold bottles of water before leading them outside. “Gothy, you should have to drive the least amount possible on this trip, I want this to be a haven for you as well. A shuttle will be taking you to and from town today.”

“BRUNO I COULD CRY!” Gothy exclaimed, jumping into Bruno’s arms. Tia and Dada looked at each other and burst out laughing, walking out of the villa before the other girls, Tia immediately lighting a cigarette.

“I feel like I’m… I don’t even know, rich as hell?” She whispered to Dada as they walked towards the sleek black shuttle van that would bring them into town. The driver was wearing a black tuxedo.

“I feel like we’re in a cult commune but it’s too luxurious and beautiful for me to leave,” Dada giggled.

“Sounds like the beginning of an A24 movie!”

Soon the girls were loaded up in the van, waving goodbye to Bruno and Vanjie who stood waving from the front door. In the scenic forty five minute drive into Cagliari, the same port town they’d arrived in just days before, the six girls definitely started to feel the effects of the macaron edibles as they ate their tinfoil wrapped breakfast burritos.

“Girls… I’m saying this right now… I should NOT have eaten two macar-,” Crystal was cut off by Nymphia’s screeching.

“GIRLS STOP EATING! I’M GONNA MAKE A TIKTOK!!!”

“What the fuck does that even mean.” Jane deadpanned. Nymphia just grinned and shoved her phone in Jane’s hand, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Just hit record and stop after I wink.” She ordered Jane, who obliged with a smile. Nymphia looked at the phone once Jane hit record, her voice got lower in an attempt to seem relatable or gay or something. “What I eat in a day on an island in Italy… ‘relaxed’ edition.” She winked at the camera. Jane let out a loud cackle as she stopped recording. (Of course Nymphia will keep Jane’s cackle in the final cut) “NOW!” She ordered, snatching her phone back. “Everyone hold your burritos in the middle. This is so going viral.”

Too soon they arrived in Cagliari, being dropped off in front of a modern looking consignment store on a busy street, much like the one they’d been to in Naples to get their clubbing outfits. But this one was cheaper, thank god.

“Okay wait, what’s the vibe tomorrow? Why do we need to buy completely new outfits? I bought plenty of outfits for clubbing.”

“Crystal, think less clubbing, think more…” Jane trailed off, trying to find the right words.

“Coachella.” Dada and Gothy said at the same time. Crystal, Tia, and Nymphia grinned.

“Oh… we can fucking do that.”

The girls split up, Tia and Dada going to a rack of tiny short skirts, Crystal and Nymphia were immediately digging through bins of shoes. Nymphia pulled out a pair of SICKENING platform stripper heels.

“I- this is the best day of my life girls.” She sounded genuinely choked up. Tia and Dada immediately turned to each other and silently laughed.

“She’s really about to cry!” Dada whispered with a grin.

“Nymphia girl, your day is only going up from here!” Vanjie emerged from the dressing room wearing the exact replica Vanessa Hudgens’s 2011 Coachella look, (you know the one). The girls all jumped.

“What the fuck Vanjie?!” Tia exclaimed. Dada was dying laughing into her shoulder, the edibles weren’t helping her stay composed at all. If anything they just made everything dreamier and funnier and more golden. And Tia felt so much closer, even more magnetic than usual. Dada couldn’t help but laugh into her neck, snake a hand around her waist and rise it under Tia’s shirt, rubbing circles on her bare back.

As for Tia, she jumped every time she heard a loud noise, and she was genuinely scared that Vanjie had arrived before them, when she had just waved goodbye as they were leaving. From inside the villa. But Dada constantly being by her side still felt nice. Almost too nice.

“Tia, you look scared! Bruno and I rode over on his Vespa. We took the scenic route but he’s such a speed devil we beat you anyway. NOW! Let’s pick some outfits ladies!”

“CATEGORY IS… NEON CARNIVAL!”

_

“Girls… I don’t really want a rebound right now. But in this outfit, it’s gonna be hard not to get one!” Crystal squealed as they walked out of the shop. “Bruno!!! You are absolutely insane! I feel the dry lightning!” She pulled Bruno into a hug the minute he approached the girls on the street.

“Oh Crystal how I love you,” Bruno grinned as he easily returned her hug. He was wearing a fedora like he was in the mafia. “Let me take your bags ladies. I’ll see you for dinner.”

“What about the rest of the group?”

“Their dinner just needs to be put in the oven for forty five minutes. They will cope. This is too special to miss.”

The girls looked at each other in wonder as they handed Bruno their bags.

“I’m going with Bruno too. We’re still trying to secure the perfect reservations. I’ll see you girls at dinner. Have fun now! Right on the port there’s a cute little gelato place, and across the street the bars are starting happy hour. Go have fun!”

The girls watched as Bruno and Vanjie left, walking down a random street. Crystal stared after them.

“I don’t think I can drink right now girls,” she breathed.

“…why?” Nymphia asked rudely. Crystal turned and looked at her, tears in her eyes.

“Because my body feels like an opera… the violins are warming up… it’s buzzing…”

Tia figured Crystal was having a bad trip from the edibles and immediately felt bad. She was feeling a little anxious too… But Crystal had double the macarons the other girls did. Nymphia only had a bit of Jane’s and even she was incredibly giggly, her eyes obviously bloodshot red.

“And your face is melting.” Nymphia deadpanned. “And the trees want to sacrifice you!”

Crystal’s hands flew to her face in horror.

“NYMPHIA NO!” Gothy and Jane immediately yelled.

“That’s so fucked up,” Jane whispered heatedly. Dada burst into a fit of giggles, leaning back into Tia who was already laughing into her shoulder.

“Crystal! Do not listen to her!” Dada got out through her laughter.

“Nymphia is just being a bitch,” Tia grinned, burying her face in Dada’s neck. “Your face is melting!” She whispered, and they both couldn't stop giggling. They were all so high off the edibles at this point the girls were all cackling, except Crystal, who was trying to calm herself down, looking at her face in Snapchat.

“Seriously Crystal,” Dada pulled away from Tia and threw a comforting arm around Crystal who immediately curled into her arms. “You are perfect. We will get you some food and water and you can share my drink when you’re ready.”

A part of Tia hated Dada for being so sweet. And kind. And funny. And smart. And beautiful of course, but…

How was she so perfect? Tia remembered thinking the same thing in Florence, but she didn’t know half of it. Of course Dada is gorgeous, with her perfectly styled long platinum blonde hair, her dark thick eyelashes that framed the lightest brown eyes that lit up every time she gave one of her beautiful smiles. She could be a model, especially with those long legs. Yes, she was gorgeous. Everyone knew that the moment they met her. But nothing could’ve prepared Tia for everything else about her.

How much Dada made her laugh, how much she made Tia’s chest ache, how safe she made her feel. How Tia didn't even think about this sappy stuff half the time because it all just felt too easy, too natural to be anything but absolutely ordinary. How were they supposed to say goodbye? Tia never wanted to say goodbye. She hadn’t even known this girl for a month but she wanted to know her inside out.

Tia was broken from her embarrassing train of thought as Nymphia shoved her phone in Crystal’s face with the smeagle Snapchat filter on the screen. Crystal screamed when she saw herself, but even she joined the laughter when she realized it was just a filter.

“I’M SO GLAD I RECORDED THAT!” (For some reason, Nymphia will add this to the TikTok)

The girls tried to hold back their laughter as they went into a bar that was right on the water. They all ordered drinks and snacks before finding a table on the patio that overlooked the water.

“This is so beautiful,” Crystal breathed.

“Yeah, it’s so much better than the stupid happy hour bar crawl Jane made us do in Venice. Nowhere had seats, we had to eat and drink outside. I nearly fell into a canal!”

“I should’ve pushed you in.” Crystal and Jane said at the same time. And then no one could hold back their laughter. The girls chatted for a little bit, Nymphia shushing them as she recorded segments for her TikTok.

“Why can’t we talk? You’re not gonna put music over it??” Tia asked as Nymphia filmed herself taking a bite of a cracker with cheese and salami.

“SHUT UP TIA!” Nymphia snapped with her mouth full. (This will stay in the TikTok)

The girls left soon and got gelato across the street, then Nymphia led them to the next activity.

“OKAY GIRLS!! Now I know I usually am the one who refuses to go into museums-,” she began as she led the girls up a steep hill.

“I’m not going into a museum.”

“Shut up Jane. BUT, there’s this really cool one that I’m actually SUPER excited to-,”

“Nymphia. I am NOT going to a museum,” Jane said more sternly, stopping in her tracks. The rest of the girls stopped except for Nymphia who kept chugging up the hill.

“JANE IT’S AN ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM LOADED WITH HISTORY-,”

“AND I TOOK US TO AN ISLAND. LET’S HAVE FUN PLEASE!”

“… I’m team Jane,” Tia cut in, Dada burst out laughing. “Nymphia didn’t we go to enough museums in just Rome?”

“What the FUCK Tia?!?! YOU SKIPPED MUSEUM CRAWL DAY! YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT!!!”

“Nymphia. Listen to yourself yelling at us because you want to go to a MUSEUM. And turn around. Let’s do some more shopping sisters!” Jane grinned, taking back over as the tour guide. “See, last night I really wanted to check out these cute little shops, but instead we went to basically a small boring version of the Colosseum that we all saw in Rome. Let’s make up for lost time now!”

“Have fun losers, Dada and I are going to the park!” Tia called, already pulling Dada in the opposite direction of the group, who just followed her with a grin.

“You are horrible!” Dada giggled. “I can’t believe Nymphia tried to make us go to a museum,” she added. Tia hummed in agreement.

“Look, I’m sorry, the minute Jane started taking us to the beach, no WAY could we EVER go back to that awful museum lifestyle!”

“Exactly. I mean, you saw what happened in Rome, when she tried to make us go back,” Dada led Tia down a random side street, not really knowing where she was going, just hoping they’d be able to find somewhere secluded.

“Yeah you kidnapped me and then tried to seduce me, very inappropriate for a tour guide,” Dada hated that glint in Tia’s eye that made her feel like some blushing schoolgirl. “Also if you’re trying to find a smokespot, that park is empty. And there’s a really big tree to stand behind.”

“Oh good I was trying to find a smokespot.”

The two walked into a park and behind the tree to see there was actually a bench, with a no smoking sign on it. “Don’t worry Tia, they don’t mean it in Italy.”

Dada took out one of Crystal’s blunt wraps and quickly packed it with bud, handing it to Tia to light. “First hit, just for you.”

“You just don’t wanna light it…” Tia glared but took the blunt with a grin, holding it under the lighter, rotating it under the flame a couple times before bringing it to her mouth, lighting it one final time as she deeply inhaled, trying her best not to cough when she felt that ache in her throat.

“You are about to cough so hard I can tell, it’s okay, let it out,” Dada’s tone was only a little teasing as Tia burst out coughing and she burst out laughing, moving her hand from Tia’s shoulder to her back, rubbing soft circles on it. She took a few hits of her own, exhaling like a normal person. “Also I was not seducing you in Rome, I was simply trying to show you some wonderful views. And I need to keep repeating, I am NOT a tour guide. That is Jane. I just translate.”

“And hit on travelers.”

“Nah. Only you.”

Tia and Dada eventually wandered back to the shopping street, meeting the rest of the girls in a touristy gift shop like the countless ones they’d been to before. Luckily the effects of the edibles were starting to wear off, though they were still giggly, just a little subdued. And then finally it was time for dinner, the weirdest experience of Dada’s life. It started with meeting Bruno and Vanjie in front of a random bar by the beach.

“Ladies, while you all look radiant today, we do indeed need to freshen up for dinner. Thank you for packing outfits in advance. My friend owns this bar and is fine with you using their restrooms to get dressed. Please meet on the beach directly across the street when you are all finished. And then… and then it will be time,” Bruno smiled softly, opening the door to the bar for the girls. Luckily the bar had three single bathrooms. Jane and Nymphia, Crystal and Gothy, and Tia and Dada split up to get changed.

Dada was so unbelievably high after smoking that blunt, she couldn't look at Tia as they entered the bathroom.

“You’re being shy,” Tia giggled, already stripping.

“Because you are horrible!” Dada exclaimed with a grin. Tia just laughed, pulling Dada into a long kiss who of course returned it, before pushing her away with a wicked grin. “You are terrible! Go to the other side!”

So they got changed on opposite sides of the tiny bathroom, sending seductive smiles and playful glares back and forth, Tia of course attempted to do a corny striptease. Dada couldn’t help but notice how her phone buzzed five times in a row.

“You are popular? Who knew,” She smirked at Tia, who let out a breath of a laugh.

“Oh, don’t worry. Just stupid emails from the school in Perugia. All these dumb orientation documents I need to sign or whatever. I’ve been ignoring them for a week now,” she said so earnestly like it was nothing, but her eyes wouldn’t meet Dada’s. She glanced at her phone. “Oh- first trip is September 14th. Paris. Ha.”

“You will love it. It’s beautiful,” Dada breathed. “Can you lace my dress up?”

When Tia went to redo the lacing in the back of Dada’s dress, her hands were shaking.

“I got my first email when we were driving to Amalfi. And it almost made me cry,” she whispered. Dada let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking high right now,” she attempted to giggle. Dada’s stomach dropped. She was way too high for this too and now all she wanted to do was cry. Weren’t they just having fun? Wasn’t this just kind of easy?

“I’m sorry,” was all she knew to whisper, giving Tia a sad smile. Even though she wasn’t sorry at all. She was comforted to know that Tia had been feeling the dread, even before she was. “Jane told me- once I realized how fast the trip was moving - she said to let go of the dread. But I just…” Dada didn’t finish her sentence, she just shrugged. Tia patted her back, Dada turned to look at her. Tia gave her a tiny smile.

“What she should’ve said is to be delusional. That’s way easier. Zip me up?”

Now Dada’s hands were shaking as she deliberately took her time to zip Tia’s dress, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder before saying, unable to help a grin;

“Well, it was better than what Nymphia told me to do…”

“She gave you that whole speech too? She’s the worst !”

“I’M LISTENING TO YOU GIRLS. FUCK YOU! WE’RE ALL DONE, HURRY UP!”

Tia and Dada laughed, gathering up their stuff before leaving the bathroom. Jane stepped up with a smirk.

“Nymphia gave me that speech too, by the way. The one about ghosting me? Yeah. And I don’t buy it for a second. She already sent me the school’s academic calendar.” Jane smirked as she walked away. When they crossed the street to the beach, Bruno in a black tuxedo was posing in front of a blazing sunset with Vanjie by his side, who was in a golden floor length ball gown that looked straight from the bachelorette. A photographer was running back and forth, getting all the perfect angles.

“Holy shit,” Gothy breathed.

“This is the ULTIMATE sunset photoshoot!!!” Nymphia squealed, running forward, Jane’s hand clasped in hers. After a literally professional photoshoot, Bruno and Vanjie led them into a marble mansion that was guarded by two men at the door.

“Welcome to the most exclusive restaurant in all of Italy. They usually only allow seven patrons a night. But we were able to raise the number to lucky number eight. And we are in for a treat.”

Dada and Tia looked at each other, bewildered, but followed Bruno with all the trust in the world.

“I hope we don’t get murdered…” Tia whispered to Dada, who could only nod. The mansion was absolutely gorgeous, Tia felt like she was on some sort of movie set. She also sort of felt like she was in Buckingham Palace. And the White House. And Daddy Warbucks Mansion in Annie.

They were led to such a huge dining table, Tia was shocked they only allowed seven diners a night. For some reason they had eight servers, and Tia and Dada had to hold back their laughter when they realized they all got personal servers for the night.

“It’s a cult,” Dada whispered in Tia’s ear, who lightly kicked her, trying not to laugh. Why they all needed individual servers no one knew, maybe other than to clear dishes. It was an eight course meal. Two appetizers, three main dishes, one palate cleanser, and two desserts. And each meal came with a designated glass of wine, beer, or cocktail. No one had a clue what they were eating, the whole dinner was “silent service” with absolutely no explanation. But it was good enough, Tia supposed. Of course Nymphia was obsessed with filming every dish and her reaction. None of the servers would explain what she was eating so she made lame attempts at describing the dishes. Everything she said confused Tia.

At least Tia could understand the different proteins of the main course, one being some sort of exotic fish that;

“I caught it this afternoon,” Bruno said proudly. “I was just going for a free swim, and it basically swam right into my hands. Like it was made for us.”

After finishing a confusing dessert that arrived on fire, but was somehow ice cold, the girls loaded into the shuttle van for a loud ride home. Bruno and Vanjie were way too drunk to ride back on the Vespa so they squeezed in the van, a mess of laughter and Nymphia bitching that she was too cramped. An hour later they arrived back at the Villa, and all the girls were pretty tired at this point. But Bruno and Vanjie had other plans for the night.

“Oh, you thought the dinner was exclusive? You thought Dry Lightning was a Bruno original? Wait until you see this. Follow us!” Vanjie and Bruno walked ahead of the girls, arm and arm. They were walking down the beach just outside the villa.

“Are they going to kill us?” Tia muttered anxiously to Dada, who just held on tighter.

“I- I’m not sure. I don’t… I’m not sure…”

“Girls. I trust Bruno with my life! Stop panicking!” Jane defended, going silent once they met the entrance of a cave.

“Are you sure?” Nymphia asked gently.

“Don’t worry ladies, I’ve had a nightcap here before. You’ll love it,” Gothy said, walking in behind Vanjie and Bruno with no hesitation. They all followed, gasping when they saw neon lights coming from the end of the cave.

“Welcome to my bar? Lounge? Speakeasy is probably the best word to use,” Bruno said, already going behind the bar and revealing a bottle of wine. “No better way to unwind, than with a bottle of wine! I stitched that on a pillow once!” The walls were lined with velvet fabric that matched the cushions on the high top tables. There was a pool table, darts, and even slot machines in the corner.

“Bruno… this place is gorgeous…”

“Thank you, Plane-“

“Bruno… call me Jane.” Everyone gasped.

“Of course, Jane. I’ve been staying here quite awhile so I’ve been able to build up an amazing relaxation station if you will, here ladies,” Bruno had finished pouring all the glasses, pushing one towards each girl. ”Gothy, would you like some Dry Lightning?”

“Oh my god, Bruno! You’re so right! Girls, you haven’t even smoked out of my bong yet!” Gothy instantly ran to grab her bong that was left there for some reason? She returned moments later with her whole smoke set up and began packing a bowl.

“Ugh, the last bong I hit was probably a water bottle bong…” Tia scoffed, sipping at her wine as Dada admired her.

“I thought you were the first girl in your class to have a real bong?” Dada asked teasingly. Tia laughed for a moment, surprised Dada remembered the story that she didn’t even remember telling her.

“I broke that thing so fucking fast,” Tia breathed. Everyone laughed.

“The highest I’ve ever got was off a water bottle bong, don’t underestimate their power. But Gothy’s bong is gorgeous.” And Dada was right, Gothy’s bong was gorgeous, and fucking huge. It was made of a deep emerald green glass. The base looked to be hand painted, with swirls of teal blue and specks of gold making it look like some sort of:

“Gothy it’s like a mermaid bong! I love!” Nymphia exclaimed. Gothy hit the bong before passing it towards Crystal.

“Oh my god, I forgot bongs could be clean…” Crystal trailed off, passing it to Dada, who as always, exhaled in Tia’s face. The girls passed the bong around until Tia couldn’t shake the weight behind her eyes. That didn’t stop them from taking a few hits around Bruno’s hookah before going to bed. Gothy stayed back for a few more drinks. Crystal had taken the lead on the walk back to the villa, stopping to pick up seashells every so often. Jane carried Nymphia on her back as she usually did, and Dada and Tia pulled caboose with their fingers interlocked.

“How tired are you?” Dada asked Tia.

“Never enough,” She answered simply. Dada shook her head, smiling, she loved that answer.

“Then we should put on our swimsuits. The pool is calling us.” And so they wished the girls goodnight before heading to their room to change quickly. The summer air felt a little different as they hopped through the window from their room and walked towards the pool. Dada wrapped both arms around herself as they walked down the stone steps, blushing into Tia’s shoulder who was burning hot. And Tia did feel flushed, heart fluttering and giggling like an idiot, but once at the pool, she shivered. Why was she shivering? Wasn’t she boiling maybe two weeks ago in Genoa smoking outside their hotel? Had that just been the nerves? Wasn’t she nervous now? All Tia knew was goosebumps were trailing up her body.

“What? You’re going to chicken out of swimming in our heated pool?” Dada muttered, trailing her warm hands up Tia’s sides, causing her to shiver even more. Instead of answering, Tia just hopped in. She appreciated the muffled silence for a moment before popping back out from underwater.

“Your turn.” Tia pushed her hair out of her face, eyes locked with Dada’s, she was still shivering. Was it really getting that cold already?

“Should I really? You don’t seem to be enjoying it…”

“I’d enjoy it a lot more if you were with me.” Tia had swam to the edge of the pool, running her hand up Dada’s leg.

“Even your hand is cold,” She giggled, pulling away slightly.

“I don’t care! Come on!” And Dada let Tia pull her in, screaming as she did. Just as quickly as Dada crashed into the water, Tia’s lips crashed onto hers. She took a sharp breath before dragging them both underwater, lips not breaking apart for a moment.

“How pissed would Bruno be if we had sex in the pool?” Tia gasped the second the both came up from under the water. Dada threw her head back laughing before pulling Tia into another kiss. Why couldn’t they stay like this forever? Italy in a way Dada had never seen before, saturated until the sky was almost neon; in a villa that felt as much like home as the vineyard did, but Dada knew it wasn’t the villa that made her feel that way. Was there another world where things were just a little bit different? Dada shook the thought from her mind quickly, knowing the only other reason Tia would make it to Italy is if she was running away. And Dada never wanted her to have to do that. She did nothing to deserve it, and she didn’t deserve these weightless thoughts. So instead Dada began to untie Tia’s bikini top, lips trailing down her neck as she did so.

“I was joking!” Tia giggled, hand already in Dada’s hair, pulling her closer.

“Were you?”

“Well…” Tia was just off by the outdoor lights turning on. They both gasped, ducking till their heads were barely sticking out of the water. “Do you see anyone?”

“I think that they are automatic,” Dada whispered, trailing off into a giggle.

“That’s god telling us to go to our room,” Tia kissed Dada quickly before leading her out of the pool. It was even colder when they got out, the cold night air almost brought tears to Tia’s eyes. August was really slipping away. She tightly wrapped a shivering Dada in her oversized towel before they stumbled back to their room, luckily they left their one big window open, opting to just hop through it instead of navigate around the villa.

“One second!” Dada giggled, struggling to close the window as Tia continued to pull her towards the shower.

“You’re supposed to wash off chlorine, right?” Their swimsuits weren’t even fully off before Tia turned on the water, making it as hot as possible, letting it slightly sting her skin. They left their damp swimsuits beside the shower drain, and as Tia watched Dada take in her body like she’d never seen it before, she knew she would never know anyone as beautiful as Dada. And that didn’t make her ache, but it did make it harder to fall asleep.

_

Waking up the next morning was somehow easier than falling asleep, and it didn’t hurt too bad until Dada remembered the next morning they’d be waking up to leave the island. But she pushed the thought down and excitedly packed her bag for the day with Tia, braiding each other’s hair after they took a shower together so it would look perfect for the club tonight.

After having another wonderful Bruno BreakfastTM, soon the whole tour group boarded the bus. For one of the last times, Tia couldn’t help but think. What the fuck was wrong with her?

“Ladies, here’s the deal. I tried to get us a private cabana at the club. But the event was already sold out. And there’s nine other people besides us, so I was only able to get us all VIP dance floor tickets,” Vanjie explained as they sat down, her and Bruno standing at the very front. Nymphia walked down the aisle doing a headcount.

“Ugh, I understand Vanjie. We should’ve just ditched the rest of the group, though.” Jane said, pointing to the back of the bus. Tia laughed as Vanjie made a somber face.

“They’re my friends, Jane.” She said evenly. “I know how you feel about ditching the group, believe me. I’ve been ditched plenty of times on this trip. By you.” Everyone was silent for a moment, shocked at Vanjie’s serious tone.

“Vanjie, I-,” Jane began, not sure what to say. Vanjie’s face broke into a grin.

“I can’t blame you! I blame Nymphia! And I can’t blame her either! And I don’t care either way, this has been the best month of my life. Let’s get going girls! First we’re having a little lunch/exploration/enrichment moment in the sweet port town of Sassari. And then we’ll be on our way to Phi Beach, the hottest outdoor nightclub on the island! And they’re having their end of summer neon ladies night!”

As everyone got on the bus, the girls couldn’t help but notice that instead of Gothy sitting in the driver's seat, Bruno sat down. Gothy lounged in the seat behind him.

“That’s right ladies! I get another day off! Bruno is spoiling me!” she grinned.

“Um, Bruno, while I trust you with my LIFE, do you know how to drive a huge bus like this?” Jane couldn’t help but ask. Bruno let out a carefree laugh.

“Oh Jane. I used to drive Beyoncé’s tour buses all around Europe. I did just last summer, in fact. They were wider and taller than this one. You’re in very safe, gentle hands.”

In the three hour drive to Sassari, Tia couldn’t help but notice how deadly quiet Dada was. Maybe she was just hungover. Or still high from the edibles. Or carsick. Whatever, Tia was tired too so she just let Dada lay her head on her shoulder as they both watched the view of the ocean and small flat mountains whizzing past. Every now and then Dada would whisper that something was pretty. They shared a pair of earbuds, listening to Tia’s random playlist of old One Direction, Lorde, and Chappell Roan. No sad songs though.

Eventually they arrived to Sassari, grabbing a quick lunch that Nymphia bragged about choosing. Then they had an hour to kill before they had to be on their way to Phi Beach. Nymphia, who had declared her TikTok “viral” (it got one thousand likes) was insisting on making another around the city with Jane. Crystal and Gothy followed them, but Dada grabbed Tia’s hand.

“I want to show you something,” she whispered, leading her to the beach. Tia laughed at a dolphin statue in the middle of the water, taking a quick picture of it and posting it on her instagram story. To her left she could see a huge set of docks with different yachts and ferries ported there. To her right she could still hear Nymphia talking loudly into her phone, definitely trying to go “viral” again.

And in the middle of it all was Dada, who was never good at masking her sad eyes, going from staring at Tia and gazing deep into the sky above the sea, like she was waiting for a band of pirates to come upon the horizon and take them away or something. Or a cruise ship, maybe? Why not just ask?

“What’re you lookin at?” Tia’s voice was barely above a whisper, she cupped her hand over her eyes as she followed Dada’s pointed finger, straight out to the ocean.

“If you were to get on a boat, or you were Katie Ledecky, and you just kept going straight through the sea, eventually, you would hit Nice,” Tia didn’t let her head whip in Dada’s direction, no matter how surprised she was when she mentioned France. she was always surprised, even Jane said she didn’t talk about it that much.

“Can you see it? It’s pretty clear out, you might-” Tia felt a little stupid when Dada cut her off with a laugh. But of course, she didn’t mean it like that.

“No, you can’t see it. That’s how I came here, to Italy. Took a ferry from Nice to here, Sassari. Hid out for a week until my grandmother came to get me. Then we took the ferry together to Naples, and she took me home. To her vineyard in Fiora. The week I was here though, I came to this beach every day. And I thought- I thought if I stood on my tiptoes, and squinted really hard as deep in the water as I could go, I could see just the coast. Or something. But a very friendly surfer broke the news that you can only see it after boating for like… eight hours towards it. To even be able to see just the horizon, just a tip. But for a second, you know, I believed I could see it, and, God I-”

“I know.” Dada hadn’t told Tia much about Nice, but just from her silence, her tentativeness to talk about it, told Tia enough. Afterall, she hated talking about Essex and her university too. Tia had a good feeling Dada left France for a really good reason. For herself. And even though in three days Dada would be on her way back home, and Tia would be stuck in her new apartment with new strangers in Perugia, she didn’t feel the need to push. Even though she was dying to ask, Tia didn’t. She wouldn’t have to. She could ask Dada another time.

Tia lit a joint in the plain daylight, only getting an amused look from an old lady walking by. She knew they wouldn’t get caught, not that it even mattered.

“Did Jane know, when she chose the island, that this is, you know…”

“No.” Dada answered simply. “It’s okay though, I-. You know. It’s beautiful here. I’m having so much fun,” she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. Tia could feel her own.

“You’re beautiful,” she couldn’t help but whisper, giving Dada a light kiss on the empty beach. “I’m having so much fun, too. And thank you for telling me this, for… you know…”

“You are too sappy,” Dada laughed. Eventually the girls found them on the beach and they were right back on the bus, multiple windows down, everyone in high chatty spirits.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE WE GOT TWO HOURS TO LOOK GLAM. BRUNO IS DOING HIS BEST TO AVOID POTHOLES, BUT ITS STILL GONNA BE A BUMPY RIDE SO BE CAREFUL WITH THE MASCARA!” Vanjie stood in front of the bus with the microphone, hand on Bruno’s shoulder as he pulled the bus out of the parking lot. He grabbed the microphone from her hand.

“Don’t worry, I’m taking it smooth. But I’m asking you all to remember that there is one bathroom, and potentially fifteen of you are getting dressed. Please do so in a calm and orderly fashion. And enjoy the ride, it’s truly beautiful here.”

Nymphia immediately pulled out her huge makeup kit, balancing it on her legs as she dug through the bin. Tia and Dada looked at each other with a laugh before pulling makeup out of their own bags.

“Girls, I think the last time I did my makeup in a car like this was going to a Harry Styles concert,” Crystal said as she pulled out her dirty makeup brushes. “How are we gonna wet our beauty blenders??”

“Ummm… carefully using a water bottle?” Dada suggested with a shrug.

After twenty minutes of Crystal spilling the water in her lap, Tia forgetting to put on primer, Gothy poking her eye ten different times, Nymphia and Jane fighting over the tiny mirror Nymphia brought, and Dada’s liquid eyeliner going on a streak across her cheek, Vanjie deemed them “absolute messes.”

“ALRIGHT you girls are hopeless! Everyone wait your turn, I’m at least doing your eyeliner and falsies cause I know you’ll die!” She exclaimed, immediately grabbing Dada’s face to start her eyeliner.

“Thank you Vanjie,” they all muttered.

An hour before they arrived the girls had the last of Bruno’s macarons, Crystal noticeably only had one, Tia and Dada had a whole one but each gave bites to Nymphia and Gothy. Jane split one with Vanjie, who also had two to herself.

It was fun, getting ready for the night. Crystal somehow got her hands on a pour spout (Tia had a feeling she stole it from Bruno’s bar) and was pouring shots of vodka into everyone’s mouths, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift (Specifically New Romantics) blasting on the bus. Nymphia was helping Tia put her hair in space buns, smacking her shoulder every time she winced at how tightly she pulled. Tia was gonna miss this. she hoped she stayed friends with Nymphia and Crystal for the semester, no way they wouldn’t. Tia already accepted never seeing Jane or Gothy again, that was girlhood. But she would forever like and comment on every single one of their instagram posts. But one look at Dada, and…

“I NEED TO GET DRUNKER!” Dada exclaimed. “Is that a word? More drunk? Drunker? More drunk?” The words sounded funny with her French accent, something Tia already missed hearing. What the fuck? Why was she all of a sudden so sad all the time?

“I think I do too,” she breathed, grabbing the bottle out of Jane’s sweaty hands and chugging for a scarily impressive amount of time before handing it to Dada. “Remember in Venice? Lido? When we were just…”

“So bad at drinking? Yes. We had to get used to cheap vodka and wine like backpackers,” she laughed, handing the bottle back to Tia. Dada could already feel the warm liquor traveling down her throat into her stomach, burning hot. She watched Tia take another few chugs off the bottle, not caring that she was staring, knowing she must look like some kid in awe. She was though, wasn’t she? Just so in awe. Or maybe just already drunker.

“Are we there yet are we there yet are we there yet,” Nymphia whined once they were all ready. Tia looked around, what an interesting group to see at the club tonight.

Nymphia, of course, was wearing a neon yellow pleather skirt and cropped tank top set with high platform sandals that almost looked like heels. “Yes, I’m already squeaking. But it’s worth it.”

Dada had put her hair up in a high braided ponytail, it was probably for the best knowing how hot it would be at the club, even if it was outside. She wore a bright teal halter top-mini dress that matched her white heeled boots perfectly.

“Dada you literally look like Elsa!” Crystal gushed. She was wearing a short, neon pink tulle dress that had a small train in the back, her hair was in a loose bun, she was giving ethereal princess vibes.

“Do I look like Anna?” Jane piped up, wearing a fiery orange romper that her ass hung out of, she had her hair up in pigtails.

“Absolutely not!” Tia cackled, wrapping an arm around Dada. “If anything I look more like Anna somehow.” She was wearing a two piece outfit, a neon lilac mini skirt and a matching strappy bra, and she had thrown her hair up in two space buns. Dada couldn’t help but notice how the purple made Tia’s auburn highlights burn even brighter.

“Girls, shut the fuck up, Bruno is ready to go!” Gothy was already standing at the bus door, of course she had called dibs on neon green the second she could, already owning a lace up leather dress with matching knee high boots.

And Vanjie’s neon red catsuit was enough to turn any head. Accompanied by her and Jane’s screaming as they walked in, and everyone on the dance floor cheering Vanjie’s name, Tia and Dada could only hold onto each other as they laughed. How were they still shocked by Vanjie’s apparent fame of some sort? Of course servers were already flooding them with bottles of different liquor, Vanjie hadn’t been able to get them a cabana but at least she spoiled them with bottle service.

If Tia was being real, she was really going to miss the luxury of hanging out with Vanjie, even if it was a little disorienting. But what she would really miss the most about it all was all the bewildered looks she shared with Dada. How was she going to miss even that?

Of course Nymphia made Dada ask the server if they had Red Bull and lemonade in Italian.

“I love when you speak in Italian, it’s so sexy,” Tia whispered, lips brushing Dada’s ear as they waited for Nymphia to pour their shots. Dada laughed, turning so their faces were merely centimeters apart, humming in response. “Say something in Italian.”

“Faccia di culo.”

“What does that mean?”

“Assface.”

“BITCH!”

Tia couldn’t tell you much about that night, other than the lights were flashing, the floor was pounding, and Dada didn’t leave her side all night. Through Bruno going up to fill in for a DJ who got sick, Nymphia insisting on dancing behind him like she was Charli XCX, and Jane and Vanjie absolutely slaying a dance circle, it was some of the most fun she’s ever had. And maybe, just maybe, the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. Maybe it was because Dada insisted on taking pictures of Tia, and had all of a sudden become addicted to pressing quick kisses to Tia’s shoulder, her neck, the back of her hand, basically anywhere but her face which was somehow too obvious.

But Tia swore, and this time she really meant it, she had never seen the sun so golden. She had never seen it paint such swirls of deep purple and burning red to end the night. And of course the stars were shining so bright eventually, it still blew Tia away how they looked on the island, how they hadn’t twinkled like this anywhere else in Italy. She just didn’t want the night to end, knowing the drunker she got, the crazier and longer the night would be, and she would definitely forget to be sad. She had managed to get her hands on a few shots of tequila, and tequila is the only alcohol that isn’t a depressant. Allegedly. she couldn’t even remember where she heard that from, she just really wanted to believe it.

Placebo or not, it worked. No one wanted the night to end, especially Dada, who insisted they take the long way back to the bus, taking a detour through the tiny town by the club, stumbling down the lit up cobblestone streets. All Dada could do was laugh when Vanjie texted them to hurry the fuck up, that everyone was on the bus ready to leave.

Tia and Crystal laughed the whole way back to the bus, running past the stumbling Dada and Gothy. They hadn’t seen Jane and Nymphia in a while, Tia thought she definitely saw Nymphia pulling Jane down some narrow street, up to no good. Tia didn’t know if they made it back to the bus by luck, or if Dada had actually steered them in the right direction. She saw Jane and Nymphia sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette. Tia couldn’t even think of one right now, anything in her mouth other than water would make her throw up. Definitely. Maybe another shot wouldn’t hurt but no. The night was over. She tried not to fall asleep just yet as Bruno spoke into the microphone, pulling out of the parking garage.

“And now it is time for our night drive back to the Villa. Some could say, the most beautiful drive of the trip, because of your reflection in the window.”

Tia would never remember the three hour bus ride back to the villa, her and Dada just dozed with their heads leaned against each other, trying to pretend the trip wasn’t nearly over.

They were okay. Eventually they made it back to the villa and Tia was going down the hall into her room with Dada. And she wasn’t even gonna think about the fact that this was their last real night together, that tomorrow night they’d be on a ferry, the next night on a bus, only getting to sleep a few hours in Perugia in the morning before Dada left and Tia was alone. Tia wasn’t gonna think about that. she just opened the door, going in after Dada, two giggling messes with tears in their eyes.

_

Dada woke up the next morning and refused to open her eyes. She knew. She moved her arm, stopping when she felt Tia’s shoulder brush it. Still, without opening her eyes, she curled up to Tia, pretending they were still asleep. And that she wasn’t gonna have to throw up in five minutes. Dada didn’t open her eyes until Tia spoke a few minutes later, like she’d been awake all morning.

“Okay I’m bored, stop pretending you're asleep so we can hang out.”

Dada let out a breath of laughter, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she looked up at Tia, who really could’ve been awake all morning.

“I didn’t even know you were awake, I’m sorry,” Dada pushed herself up further to press her lips against Tia’s, just wanting to stay in the moment and remember her, everything as she cupped her cheek, pulling her down closer until Dada was back to laying down, Tia leaning over her, running her hand down Dada’s shoulder, tits, waist, hips, and back up to her hair, of course, twirling the ends gently between her fingers as she moved to trailing kisses down the side of her neck, starting to leave a hickey probably on purpose. Definitely on purpose.

“That’ll give you something to dream about,” Tia muttered and Dada’s hand flung to her mouth, she immediately leapt out of bed.

“I am going to hurl.”

_

“So basically all you dumb fucks are hungover and I’m… fine?!” Tia giggled at the breakfast table, receiving glares from Nymphia, Jane, and Gothy. Dada just shook her head.

“No Tia, dipshit, you’re still drunk,” Crystal said evenly. If she put too much emotion in her voice, she’d throw up. “I was like that too this morning. You’ll see. You’ll crash,” Tia might’ve had a witty comeback but she stopped when Jane got up from the table, running to the bathroom like Dada had earlier. She came back only a minute later, pale and sweaty, her usual slicked back ponytail now a frizzy mess. Jane slumped into her chair, just looking at the glass of water in front of her.

“Today…” She grumbled weakly. “We will spend it here on our private…” She looked like she was going to throw up again, but just took a deep breath. “Beach. Make sure you pack up your stuff we’re leaving at-,” Jane gagged, running off again towards the bathroom.

“We’re leaving here at five pm, and remember to pack only what you’ll need for the next two nights in a backpack, the rest of our luggage will be packed below the bus and delivered to your apartments in Perugia. It is noon, so we have five hours…” Dada finished, looking sadly at Tia. Her stomach dropped as tears already began rising to her eyes.

“Yup…” Tia nodded. “I’m gonna go throw up now.”

_

Tia and Dada sat tangled together on one of the sun loungers. The bubbles Crystal was blowing a few feet away were drifting past them. Tia hoped her sunglasses were hiding the tears threatening to fall as Dada ran her hand up and down her arm. She looked out at the view, she would never see it again after today. It’ll be there, but Tia never will be again, maybe Dada will be on next year's tour. If she did, she bet Dada would stay out tanning and smoking all day, that’s what she always did before Tia came along, right? Relax? Tia couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Truth is, Dada didn’t know where she would be next year. They only made it to this villa because Jane and her liked two girls enough to ditch everything else, which was a little embarrassing. They’d probably be in Catanzaro next year, or fired for cutting out half the itinerary while also changing it daily without telling the company at all. And Tia- Well, either way Dada would be in Italy.

“Girls! Can we please actually play in this pool!” Crystal begged, already at the edge. “Rate my cannonball.” Dada and Tia laughed, slowly stretching before joining Crystal in the pool. It wasn’t over yet. They still had three hours. They still had to pack, sure. But it wasn’t over. It wasn’t over. Yet. No matter what the emails Tia had been deleting said, no matter how much it was casually mentioned, Tia held on to the “almost” of it all. It wasn’t over. It was almost over. Almost. And almost could be enough for these next… did they really only have barely 48 hours left?

“Ten!” Tia called once Crystal’s head popped out from under the water.

“Yes! Ten!” Dada pressed a kiss onto Tia's burning skin, and she wished she would wake up from this dream already.

_

Like always, the girls underestimated just how much of a mess they had made, and were running late to leave the villa. But packing up after living in a villa for five days was a lot harder than packing up in a hotel room. Nymphia insisted they only needed an hour to get ready to leave. They didn’t expect to run around the house for forty five minutes just trying to find all the missing articles of clothing and shoes they’d left lying around. Needless to say, if they didn’t hurry up, the group was going to miss their ferry.

“NYMPHIA, HURRY THE FUCK UP!” Tia called through a cracked voice, rapidly choosing two sets of pajamas, a swimsuit, a pair of shorts and a shirt, and a dress to wear to meet her professors. Oh god, she was going to meet her professors the day after tomorrow? She was already starting her long list of goodbyes and even longer list of hellos.

“We’re already late!” Dada called from their bathroom, kneeling on her suitcase to zip it shut.

“This is the fourth clip I have of you girls all YELLING at me!” Nymphia had decided to wait until everyone was packing at the last minute to film a villa tour, much to everyone’s annoyance. Tia was going to cry. No, she actually was already crying, but had gotten good at hiding it. Maybe. Her hands were shaking as she put her toiletries bag in her backpack and zipped it up. She was ready to go. She was packed up, she made sure she had everything she had, and that she wasn’t leaving anything behind, even though she liked the thought of even a little part of her staying at the villa for more than these five days. But she hadn’t. She was ready to go. But was she?

The answer was obvious.

They all ran onto the bus with absolutely no time to spare, Bruno along with them. They didn’t have time to question it, they didn’t even get a moment to give the villa a little goodbye, the engine was just being started and Jane was opening the gate before they all drove out. Tia, Dada, Nymphia, Jane, and Crystal sat in the seats directly behind Gothy, all already reminiscing on their time spent. It wasn’t over, it’s almost over. It’s almost…- but it didn’t feel that way. Not at all. Dada didn’t know what possessed Nymphia to put on Phoebe Bridgers, but no one could object without their voice breaking out into a light sob.

Tia could hear Dada’s heart pounding in her chest, almost in tempo with the song. She hated how the sky was already sinking into a darker blue, soon to be replaced with a blinding orange far too quickly, and far too early in the night. Tia refused to keep on counting the hours, instead she just curled up closer to Dada, feeling sicker than she did that morning. All the girls watched out the window as the coast came in and out of view, they were all laughing as Gothy gagged when finding out about Jane and Nymphia on the bus in Genoa.

“You both are awful!” Gothy cackled, flipping them off in the rear view mirror, and Dada was happy they were all still laughing though the entire summer was about to come crashing down. They didn’t even have forty-eight hours left, and most of them would be spent sleeping, rushing, and probably crying. At least they had one more beach day, at least they had that.

“Okay folks, we are very behind schedule so we gotta be QUICK while boarding this ferry. We’ve done it once, and a lot of you did it drunk, so let's lock in and go!” The group all hustled out of the bus, following Dada who led them to the ticket terminal, hand in the air. They group had just made it in time, as usual, the staff were visibly annoyed with them.

“You know, to them it must just look like sixteen kids all running around Italy together… Well, I guess that is what we are,” Tia said just to Dada.

“Well, they’ll probably forget us in a few weeks. We’ll blend to the back of their mind,” Dada said, almost like it was a comfort to know. “Or we can be one of their horror stories.” Tia laughed harder.

“I bet I already am!”

“… I cannot confirm nor deny that.”

“OKAY! SAME SETUP AS LAST TIME!” Nymphia announced before Tia could respond. Why were they always getting just cut short. They all followed Nymphia to their room, she told Crystal she could leave her mattress in her room, that she would share with Jane tonight. Good. Tia was glad Nymphia had started to miss Jane already too, though she never said it out loud, she didn’t have to. Once they were settled the room fell eerily silent.

Fifteen hours.

How do you make fifteen hours feel like a lifetime? Like an endless summer vacation that neither would ever have to pay for?

“Do we… wanna get some wine?” Gothy offered helplessly.

“Yeah,” They all sighed in unison. And so they walked to the deck’s bar and each ordered a glass of wine. Dada spotted a few of the group members she didn't know the names of laughing in a big group together. They were all sad but making the best of it despite everything too, weren’t they? She forgot they also could and were making friend groups and memories, also laughing wildly and having fun recreating the iconic Titanic pose. Dada wasn’t annoyed with them at all, last year she would’ve been, but now she was just glad that they had made amazing memories too.

“Come on, I don’t think we ever even made it to the top of the ship last time!” She called, already heading towards the stairs.

“Woah, wait up!” Tia spilled her wine a bit when running, but didn’t bother to stop.

“Come on! You know you all want to see the view anyway.” Dada was right, they did want to see the view, and what a view it was. The smallest sliver of sun was still in the sky, the lights on the deck had already been turned on, but Dada was sure the sun would’ve been bright enough to light them up for a few minutes longer. “We should get pictures.”

“Dada, you sound like me, I love it. It’s our second to last sunset ladies! Picture time!” Nymphia was already shoving her phone in Jane’s hands. Tia couldn’t help but notice the flickering smile on Dada’s face, she didn’t ask if she was okay, as if Dada would tell her the truth anyway.

“Tia, I want pictures with you,” Dada pulled her toward the edge of the deck, Tia handed Gothy her phone.

“We all know Gothy gets the perfect angles,” she joked, hands finding Dada’s waist as they began to pose. Gothy even took a few of them kissing in the stupid old-Hollywood pose, how was Tia going to explain those ones? Even worse, how bad were they going to feel when she got them in her Snapchat memories in one year?

“You need to send those all to me,” Dada said once Tia got her phone back from Gothy. “We’ll have to make a giant shared album tonight.”

“Oh god, my phone storage isn’t going to survive the semester.” There it was again, the all too familiar reminder that Tia couldn’t help but let slip from her mouth, or maybe she was trying to remind Dada. Why did she feel embarrassed for asking for the photos now?

“Oh, you girls don’t even want to know how many candids I have of you two from this trip…” Nymphia actually gave a sweet smile. “I would get a scrapbook if I were you, honestly.” They couldn’t help but smile too.

“C’mon, let’s get some Polaroids.”

_

“I miss Bruno’s food…” Crystal muttered as they sat in the small dining hall. The sun was long gone by now, a lot of people had already gone to their rooms for the night. Why had the night winded down so much faster than the day did? The girls only got two glasses of wine each, none of them really felt like drinking, there was just too much to forget in these last few hours. Tia would remember how terribly her chest ached every time someone yawned, or subtly checked the time on their phone. She would remember how Nymphia and Jane would be the first to turn in, and all the other girls would laugh as they agreed to give them some time before joining them. Tia will remember being thankful for that.

“Forty-five has to be enough, right? I have to drive tomorrow…” Gothy yawned. She’d remember how quickly the ache returned. Crystal went to bed just thirty minutes after Gothy, only staying to share a few cigarettes with Tia and Dada.

“Remember when I was the worst cock block in Milan?” They got shushed from a worker for laughing so loudly. And after a weak goodnight, Tia and Dada were alone and unable to look at each other. Tia turned to the stars. The sky never failed her. It was cold, and knowing it would only get colder made her boil. She shook her head slightly, did the stars really always look like this when clear? Tia didn’t know, she swore they looked different in the U.K. At least they felt different. Everything here felt different, everything felt too good to be true, because it was. And here was Tia, the living proof. Venice… was it then she looped her arm with Dada’s? Milan, that was when all the girls got sloppy drunk, Tia liked to think that was the night they all really became friends. Real ones. She turned to look at Dada, they were friends too, right? She had told her things that no one else knew, when no one else could hear them. Could anyone hear them now?

“I-“ Tia jumped at the volume of her voice, or maybe it was just how it clashed with the stale silence. “I romanticize shit, a lot…”

“Really?” Dada let herself sound amused, because she was, she had to be while she could.

“I romanticized everything. Every new year of school was just a reset, a new Tia, I doubt anyone noticed but I did. Each year I had friends I knew since I was eight, I had friends I had made just that year, and I had something to grow out of. And I did. I think I just kept growing out of people, or they grew out of me. I don’t know. But I really thought that Uni, Uni would be my real reset, re-start. No one knew me there, I really could be anyone I wanted. I found a good group of girls, we became close, like, really quick. I wouldn’t have survived freshman year without them, and when you go through all of your first year together, it was hard to break apart from them. I love them, really, I do. But… they don’t get it… me. They’re all boy crazy and I’m so… gay. I nod along and support them, and comfort them when their hearts gets broken, kiss them when we’re drunk but- I wanted Uni to be my final reset. Find my people who I’d stick with and run with them for the rest of my life, until they felt like old friends from home but…” Tia realized she had barely taken a breath throughout all that. Dada silently lit a cigarette and passed it to Tia before wrapping her arm around her. “I hate that I don’t love them the way I do my three friends from my hometown. I romanticized everything like it was a chore. And it has become one. But I didn’t romanticize this,” She let out a wet laugh. “I didn’t have to.” Dada held onto Tia tighter, like she was the only thing holding her pieces together in the moment. “I haven’t even talked to the friends from home that my college friends couldn’t compete with since the trip started, so that says something. I wonder what they’re doing…”

“They sound like bitches…” Dada said quietly. And Tia burst out laughing, loud and bright how she hadn’t been able to in what felt like ages. “I’m sorry, I know that’s not the best answer-,”

”No! No, that’s the perfect answer! That’s why I like you, if I said that to my friends in college they’d look at me like I was nuts. They just don’t get… I don’t get them. I think that’s it. Or they don’t get me. Or I don’t even know.”

“Well… it seems like Crystal and Nymphia get you,” Dada offered, smiling fondly thinking about the girls.

“They do. Not like you do, though,” Tia couldn’t help but whisper, looking out at nothing in particular. Dada tried to think of anything to say, so she lit another cigarette and let her eyes return to the stars.

“When Jane said we were even going to Sardinia, my heart dropped. I didn’t want to… have memories of you in a place that I don’t have great memories of. But I’m glad we went, I… saw it in a new way. You painted it golden. You made the city fall for you, the way you swore you would. And I’m glad we took this stupid ferry,” She chuckled into Tia’s hair.

“About that, wouldn’t a train or bus leaving Nice have been faster? You’re the one who always complains about the long bus rides.”

“I was feeling very dramatic and-” Dada almost pulled back. “And I don’t like taking trains. I always cried the whole way back home after summers in Italy because I didn’t want to leave. And, uh- It’s stupid to say out loud but… on a ferry I could be outside in the Nice air as long as possible, and I hoped maybe it would make me want to turn around. Needless to say…” and Dada smiled when Tia laughed lightly. “You’ll find your people, or your people will find you. That’s what Jane and Gothy did, and my other roommates. I’m glad their annoying asses forced their ways into my life. Leaving home wasn’t ideal, it’s not what I dreamed of, but it’s for the better.”

Dada was sixteen last time she took this ride back from Sardinia, but she felt older then than she did now. Though confused and dreadfully young, she felt more secure and brave at sixteen than she did now, holding the girl from Essex in her arms and letting stories spill out of her. Telling her deepest secrets to the group member who thirty days ago Dada was complaining about, not even knowing she existed yet. “If people don’t understand you, they don’t deserve to even know you, Miss Tia. Oddly enough, Jane taught me that one,” Dada muttered into Tia’s hair.

And despite herself, Tia smiled, somehow holding Dada tighter. Could either of them breathe at this point? Did either of them want to? All they knew is that eventually it got too cold to stay out and they hobbled back to their shared room, accidentally stepping on Crystal who stayed asleep.

Tia’s chest still felt heavy despite getting some words off it, and her mind was still racing though she had soaked up some of Dada’s thoughts, and she wondered if things would ever feel easy again, or if Dada would strain her heart for who knows how long. Either way, they held on tight, not annoyed with each other like the last time they were on the ferry, but this time just… sad. Tia’s tired head was racing, she wondered if she would be able to sleep at all, if the slight rocking of the boat would lull her in, or if the rising and falling of Dada’s chest would be enough to get her to close her eyes. But how could Tia sleep when she knew?

When she knew this was almost her last time falling asleep next to Dada.

_

For some reason when Tia woke up the next morning, the first thing she remembered was the fact that she was meeting her professors tomorrow, and moving into a new apartment. And here she was crammed on a tiny cot with Dada in the middle of the sea.

At 10am the ferry arrived in Naples, and then the trip wasn’t almost over anymore, it was over. No more itineraries (not that there had been many lately), no more old churches or ruins, no more plaques to pretend to read. Just one last beach day. Welcome back to Naples. Thank god it was just a beach day. Their final beach day.

From the beach Tia could barely see the tour bus, she couldn’t help but think the next, and last time they’d board the bus it would be to head to Perugia. Their luggage had been locked underneath it for a day now, and soon enough they would be unpacking them in their apartments. What the fuck? None of this felt real. Maybe because the past week felt too real.

The rest of the tour group all played in the waves, music blaring from one of their speakers. Funny to think that was them just two weeks ago, when time was moving perfectly still. Time just moved differently now. Almost too slow, too painstakingly slow. Like torture. Tia was forced to stand with her feet in the sand with Dada one last time, shielding her hands from the sun to watch Jane and Crystal taking turns drowning each other as Nymphia sat on the water’s edge reffing, screaming when the waves came up and covered her whole lap, not just her ankles. How was this the same beach they’d gone to when Crystal got dumped? How was this the same beach Tia and Crystal got ungodly drunk on before the ferry ride to Sardinia just SIX days before?

The sun was too painfully bright, forcing Tia and Dada to mark every hour passed with every layer of sunscreen, the most boring, tedious time tracker. Tia couldn’t even get drunk, too hungover and not willing to leave Dada sober and in the dust again.

There was nothing worse than this. Tia tried to be peppy as Nymphia and Crystal forced them to take so many pictures, both in and out of the water, all the different group/pair combos possible, and of course, a golden hour photoshoot.

“Well, it's our last photoshoot of the trip,” Nymphia defended after Jane begged to be done laying in the sand getting the perfect angle of Nymphia’s ass for her instagram. Tia wished she wasn’t reminded. After the photoshoot they began to walk off in different directions, but Nymphia grabbed Crystal and Tia before they could. She didn’t look at them as she started speaking, steering them away from Dada, Nymphia, and Gothy.

“Listen,” She sighed. “Um… you guys, have like-” Tia and Crystal shared a confused look. “Are we going to have to say goodbye tomorrow?” Nymphia asked weakly. “This summer, Jane’s been great and… but I don’t know, I would’ve been miserable without you two. And I’m gonna be miserable if I don’t have you for the rest of the semester.” Tia forgot that she could be saying goodbye to Crystal and Nymphia tomorrow. Weren’t they inseparable? Was that even allowed? Was everything really that up in the air?

“No… No, right? We’re not…” Crystal trailed off. “Girls?” And now Tia was crying, not even bothering to hide her tears as she pulled them into a hug that also served as a huddle.

“No. No. Us three, we are not a summer fling. We’re friends. We’re-” Tia let out a wet laugh. “We won that fucking wine.” They all burst out laughing. “They can never take that from us!”

“That’s right! Perugia is a walking city, or it can be, I’ll make it one. Our apartments can’t be that far from each other! Aren’t all the exchange students in one building? We’ll be fine.” Nymphia said firmly. “You girls are like… my best friends or whatever. I love you.”

“Nymphie…” Crystal and Tia cried together, pulling their hug in tighter.

“We love you too, and we have absolutely no need to cry because we are going to see each other! We will!” Tia said, jumping with the two other girls.

“Hey! Get your asses over here!”

The six girls laughed wildly in the ocean like the rest of the tour group had been, feeling the drunkest they had been on the trip despite not a drop of alcohol in them. Tia was now happy about how slowly the time had been moving until she realized the golden hue around Dada standing beside her was because the sun was really beginning to set. She wasn’t just imagining it, trying to admire her, trying to have one last golden picture in her head. It was really just over. Just like that, ankle deep in the water, laughing about something Nymphia had bitched about to Gothy. Now it just hurt even to look at her. Funny how quickly the laughter in Tia’s chest could be replaced by an unshakable weight so quickly.

She had to tear her eyes away from Dada, preferring to stare straight into the setting sun and pretending the harsh beams were sending tears to her eyes. Dada’s eyes followed Tia’s and she felt just as blinded by the setting sun, like she hadn’t been dreading it all day. All she could do was come up behind Tia, looping an arm around her waist like she had been all summer, burying her face in her neck. Dada didn’t even want to speak, Tia didn’t either.

Just one week ago Jane was telling Dada to let go of her dread. That didn’t feel half as bad as this. And then Jane said the dreaded words that no one was prepared for, it seemed even she wasn’t.

“Alright guys… we should start packing up so we can go get changed. In twenty minutes we’ve gotta walk to the bus,” she said half heartedly to the group. Tia stole a glance at Dada, still pressed into her side, and instantly regretted it, seeing how she was so obviously trying to be okay. But no one was okay, from Nymphia refusing to help, instead blasting Ribs (Lorde) and staring into the water, to Vanjie actually crying in Gothy’s arms. Tia felt that.

Too soon they were walking away from the beach, arms loaded and heads full of sun, everyone rinsing off in the shower house, just getting dressed in pajamas and big hoodies, most people planning to sleep on the bus. They’d be arriving in Perugia at midnight, but Tia had no plans of sleeping, immediately bolting down the aisle to snag the three seats in the back with Dada, where they could actually lounge and fit somewhat comfortably. A lame part of Tia couldn’t help but want to cry because she knew that while she’d definitely see Dada again and they’d make new memories, they’d never be crammed on a stale crowded tour bus like this ever again. What an odd thing to already miss. Once Jane did a final headcount, she nodded to Gothy, and she pulled out of the garage without a word. It was really over, just like that.

“Alright my friends.” Jane said into her microphone, standing right in front of Nymphia. “I guess… I guess this concludes our trip. Um…” God please don’t let Jane cry, it’ll make Tia cry. “I don’t know. Try to catch some Za’s while Gothy drives to beautiful Perugia, where our story began just 29 days ago. We’ll get there around midnight, we all have hotel rooms for one last night. Then tomorrow I guess a professor from the University will be over to explain your next steps as students at the university. Thank you. Thank you for being the best tour group yet, this month has been… I don’t know, a slay, I guess. Dada, Gothy, and I love you all so much, truly. And we hope you have the best semester ever. THANK YOU. NOW. Nymphia has three baggies for tips, one for me, one for Dada, and one for Gothy to be passed around. We accept all forms of currency, scratch tickets, gift cards, and illegal substances. Nothing crazy hard though. Thank you!”

Nymphia brought the bags to the back, handing them to Tia first. Tia put a few bills in Jane and Gothy’s, that was enough for them. She didn’t know how much to put in Dada’s, who was making a point to look away with a smirk. There was no way to repay her for everything that summer. Tia had rationed her money pretty well, only really spending it on weed, cigarettes, and food. And wine. So she had a considerable chunk left of her summer allowance for the trip. Whatever. She figured she could get Italian money somewhere in Perugia as she dumped her wallet in Dada’s bag. If she couldn’t promise her anything after the trip, the least she could do was get the girl an 1/8th. Even though she grew her own weed. Whatever. Tia looked up at Dada after she passed the bag up, wondering what she was thinking as she looked out the window, catching just the last rays of the setting sun. Tia couldn’t help but remember the drive from Genoa to Rome, when she sat in the back of the bus spilling everything to Crystal and Nymphia. She still wondered what Dada was thinking.

Dada used to believe the summers ran away from her. The absolute worst part of the tour was coming home and realizing she only had about a week and a half left of summer before it was time to begin her next seasonal job. Or even when she was leaving a summer in Italy with her nana and cousins, Dada remembered her knees shaking as she waited for her mother at the train platform in Nice with red, wet cheeks; when she once wished summers never ended.

She never thought she would dread a summer ending again, not until now.

They pulled onto the highway just as the sun left the sky, waiting till the very last second to leave. Being so late, most of the tour members slept on the way back. In fact, everyone but Tia, Dada, Jane, and Nymphia decided to fall asleep. And Gothy, of course. Even then, Jane and Nymphia sat pressed tightly together sharing a pair of wired earbuds as they whispered to each other, Nymphia laying on Jane ’s chest. Tia’s head rested in the crook of Dada’s neck, feeling her pulse as they watched the black night sky out the window. Dada could just make out their reflections in the mirror, she couldn’t help but stare at Tia’s sad smile.

This… this is what everyone warned them about. Here they were staring out the window at nothing they hadn’t seen before, their final hours ticking away. Dada felt like she could puke, she felt like everything had already been said. Selfishly, Dada just wished she could say goodbye to Tia and go home, let herself cry in a bed that’s her own.

But the thought of saying goodbye this instant did nothing more than bring sharp tears to the back of her eyes. The worst part is Dada knew better. She knew she was dumb for falling so clumsily, spilling over completely. She found her mind and mouth blank but dying to speak. Tia scooted forward slightly, craning her neck to look at the crescent moon, and Dada could tell she felt a little lost too.

“In Nice, we lived right on the beach. I only had to go down a steep rocky hill to be right in the sand. Of course the beach was so popular. In the day it is crowded by tourists but at night, old friends and I would go smoke there. The moon would peek over the mountains to the west. So beautiful,” Dada tried to say like this was the first time she had even thought about that beach in months. Tia shifted so her chin was on Dada’s shoulder, eyes gazing up at her. “Yes… yes and there is a looong stretch of restaurants, bars, and shops if you walking on the beach. That’s where I got my first job. There was this one bartender who believed we were 18! She rarely worked though, so we would take turns checking every night. When she worked, we drank. No matter what,” Dada chuckled, Tia laughed too.

“So the beach was the big tourist attraction?” She asked, pressing for more information gently, denying these were last-ditch confessions.

“No. The whole town was. Celebrities, the richest of the rich, the poor backpackers with stars in their eyes. Everyone came to Nice if they could afford it. I hated how crowded it got, but when I was a waitress the money was so good. Especially with stupid tourist tips. There was always something to do, something to see, a new friend to make, a stranger to help. A tourist to roll your eyes at,” Words slipped out of Dada’s mouth, almost like she was trying to give one last bit of herself to Tia. “I loved my house, I loved my room. I wonder if they ever found all the pictures I drew on the wall behind my bed,” Dada wondered out loud. “I swear I’ve never seen springs so green, Tia. I’ve never breathed salty air like that anywhere else.”

“You loved it there?” Tia said for Dada.

“Yes. I loved it. But love wasn’t enough. The good didn’t outweigh the bad and I… I don’t know…I don’t know…” Dada trailed off. Tia played with the sleeve of Dada’s hoodie. “So. Why Italy?”

Tia giggled, knowing she had heard Dada say those words before. When, she didn’t even know. All she knew is her chest ached for it anyways. Dada spoke again. “Not even Italy, though. Why a semester abroad? Why leave?”

Tia sighed. Dada couldn’t help but turn and press a long kiss to her neck. Tia let herself speak without regret.

“My family is okay but… I don’t know they can be the biggest assholes,” she whispered. “I don’t think they mean it? I hope they don't but… but they just always had something to say, always. And I was always me, and I was always there. It wasn’t really my parents or siblings. I love them, I really have the best parents ever. But it’s everyone else. It’s the aunts and uncles and insane grannies and their sisters who can’t keep their mouths shut. They never- I never thought they… I just didn’t fit in there,” Tia looked up at Dada, whose only response was a very quiet:

“Family. That’s why I left too.” She slowly began to tell her tale. “My mother was sixteen when she met my father. he was nineteen. She was very beautiful, back in the day I’m told. My sister was born only one year after they got married, a week after my she turned eighteen. I was born five years later. It didn’t take them very long to realize their marriage was… loveless. But they stayed together. I don’t think they ever even wanted kids, they just rushed into everything, all passion, all fights, no brains. No care. They gave up raising me once I turned ten, I feel like. I would make basically every dinner for myself, I have no clue what they were up to. But I liked being alone better than being around them fighting, and taking it out on us. I miss my sister, more than anything. She’s the one who told me to go, to breathe some fresh Italian air for a couple years. I need to visit, just for her. And my cousins. But my parents, and the whole rest of my family… I could never bring you home to them. They would hate me forever. So I left. And here I am.” Dada finished. Tia could only look at her. Dada laughed a little. “I don’t think I’ve ever talked that much in my life. God. I need to shut up. My throat hurts. Tell me about you.”

“My grandmother hates my clothes. So much. Basically calls me a slut without calling me a slut. And because I’ve never brought a boyfriend to meet the family, she accuses me of being a lesbian every time I see her. And I haven’t had the heart to tell her she’s correct, since she gags every time she sees a gay person on TV. But she’s still my best friend.”

“You’re a good person,” Dada muttered, raising one of Tia’s hands to her mouth to kiss it. Without thinking, her eyes drifted to the clock letting her know they only had two hours until they arrived in Perugia. she felt sick again; she caught Tia’s eyes in the dark window. Tia, who had also just realized they only had two hours until Perugia, couldn’t fight the tears in her eyes. A tear ran down her cheek, causing the tears that had been stinging Dada’s eyes to finally begin to well. She blinked them away quickly.

“Don’t cry… just keep talking. Come on, what about the good parts of Essex?” And so Tia began talking about all the parts of Essex she hadn’t painted with dark strokes of gray. And they talked the entire two hours back to Perugia, not wasting a breath of air between them. And god, Tia had dreaded so many four hour bus rides only to wish this one was a little bit longer. But of course, eventually Gothy pulled off an exit and eventually pulled up to the same hotel they’d stayed in at the beginning of the trip. And all of a sudden, it was really the last night.

Like clockwork Tia and Nymphia didn’t bother going to their assigned hotel rooms, Nymphia just slinked into Jane’s and Tia into Dada’s. As soon as the door was shut they were kicking off their shoes, before exhaustedly plopping onto the bed. Dada buried her head in Tia’s chest hoping it would hide the tears in her eyes, Tia pretended it did.

“Please don’t fall asleep…” Dada muttered after a moment, voice shaking.

“I won't,” Tia responded instantly, softly. “I won't. I’m up.” But she could feel a yawn in her throat, and a shaky exhale was all it took to make the tears come rolling. They laid in that hotel bed, basked in the dingey gold lighting, holding onto each other as they silently sobbed in one another’s arms. No one would hear about this. Not a soul. Tia would leave this out of the stories she told once she got back home, Dada would not think about it for so long that when she finally remembers, she’ll be sure she’s just imagining it. Tia winced when Dada let out a choked sob into her shoulder, she hated this part.

At some point, they both fell asleep with not another word said.

…

Sunrise got us up early

So we put on our shade

Somehow the bedsheets are dirty

Like sticky sweet lemonade

Never wanna leave this room

Daydream, déjà vu

If I had control over you

We could stay like this forever, lost in wonderland

With our head above the clouds, fallin' stupid like we're kids

Wearin' rose colored lenses, let's just play pretend

Wearin' rose colored lenses, pretend we'll never end

Naked in conversation

Drown me in your delight

Endless summer vacation

Make it last 'til we die

My baby got looks that kill

Make a mess of a nice hotel

If I had control over you

We could stay like this forever, lost in wonderland

With our head above the clouds, fallin' stupid like we're kids

Wearin' rose colored lenses, let's just play pretend

Wearin' rose colored lenses, pretend we'll never end

Let's stay like this forever

Let's stay like this forever

Let's stay like this forever

Let's stay like this forever

We could stay like this forever, lost in wonderland

With our head above the clouds, fallin' stupid like we're kids

Wearin' rose colored lenses, let's just play pretend

Wearin' rose colored lenses, pretend we'll never end

Let's stay like this forever (let's just keep pretending)

Let's stay like this forever

[monasatlantis]

Stardew Valley quick Review

You guys know I hardly ever review a game that is not some sort of (J)RPG but this game managed to keep me entertained for 52 hours and was yet cozy enough to find the will and energy to play this game even after work - something that hardly any game manages to do. So I have decided that it is worth a quick review after I have finished the main storyline of the game.

So far I would say it is one of the best Farming Games I have ever played so far.

I like the maturity behind it. The stories of the Townsfolk aren't all just happy and nice. We have Alcohol-Addiction, PTSD after serving in a war, the game doesn't hide that the Mayor has s*x with a certain Lady, even in bushes in the middle of the night XD but refuses to make the relationship official and many more things you would not find in any Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons games, that much is for sure.

Lots of Crops to plant - could be more, but it is still plenty and why it is missing some of the "usual crops" like Cucumber, it gives you "Starfruites" and the likes.

There is also a big variety of what you can do with them. Pickled Corn and Cherry Wine or Peach jam are among the possibilities.

You can even put your wine, ale or cheese the the basement and let it become better, by becoming older. Its a nice Idea to add a third step to it, so make the stuff even more valuable.

Its one of the rare occasions where you do not just have cows and sheep and maybe also some goats, but also pigs. (Now, Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon certainly also have big varieties of animals sometimes, but I still think adding an Animal that rarely everyone uses in such a game, but yet not using it for its actual purpose, was a great idea.) And then we have those cute little dinos running around with Chickens, Ducks and Rabbits XD A really nice idea.

I would have wished for having a cat and a dog as a pet and I have to admit I kind of missed that this pet has some sort of purpose - it was sometimes really tedious in Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon to Train your cat so it would bring out the chickens and that isn't really realistic either ^^' BUT you could have introduced rodents that make your farm Animals sick and the more hearts you have with your cat, the less rodents will be on the farm or something like this. Just giving the pet a bigger purpose would have been nice.

All in all, as amazing as this game is, I feel like it has A LOT of wasted potential. For example: Why do the other Bachelors not get married, after you've gotten married? Yes, I know you can get a divorce any marry someone else, if you want. But a game that doesn't shy away from Divorces and Stepparents and the likes of that, should not shy away from your character being allowed to steal someones partner away from that person, getting that person divorced as well and give us a nice complicated Patchwork family. (But I guess the coding for that would be too complicated...)

I really liked the way the community center bundles made you do things you might avoid otherwise. Like... I HATE fishing. And yet I did a lot of it for the fishing bundles that I NEED to finish the game. I do not need to take or fulfill requests from the Townsfolk, so if someone asks for a trout, then I can just ignore that. But if I want to finish the game, I need to go fishing - I was actually almost sad there were no big cooking bundles that forced me to cook XD (Because that is also something I hate and rarely do in such games....)

I found it sad tho, that it was over so fast, so soon. If you were prepared, you could have easily finished the game in one year. (It took me too, but I didn't pay enough attention to what I needed...) I wish the Community Center would have had more floors and you have to finish like 3 floors and a Basement and a Balcony or something like that. So that whenever you have finished one part of the building you get different crops to harvest, different fish to catch, different materials to use for buildings and reparations and the likes. I would not wish to make the community center harder to finish. But just make it so, that this game still has main story goals for like 4 in-game-years or so - that can of course also take longer.

You have more than enough Bachelors, you can have Same-Gender-Marriages and two kids are better than one. (More would be more fun, but then we would have some trouble with aging, because then Sams brother would need to age too and... you know...)

I was a bit disappointed how absolutely emotionless and uneventfully the "getting married" and "we are pregnant"- events where tho. I married Sam and when I asked him to marry me he was like: "I accept and I will plan the wedding, it will be in 3 days." And that was it. No big "I love you" - Moments or anything. The wedding itself wasn't a big deal either and I could go to work the same day at 6 in the morning as usual. When we wanted to have a baby, the message came in the middle of the night, in the dark, without having any "I would like to have children with you, some day" - kind of conversation happening beforehand. (I guess it implied they were just doing it and then just wondered if they could leave the condoms in the drawer or something like that ^^' But it didn't feel very wholesome.) There was also no big event to announce the pregnancy. Like a few days later Sam said something like: "You are pregnant." And another few days later he said: "Can't you tell your pregnant?" and that's been it. No Doctor has ever seen my character, even tho we have a clinic in town that could have easily asked for some sort of checkup or something like this and then figured out the good news. Anything really, that would make it more happy and special. The Birthing event once again was conveniently in the middle of the night, in the dark, without any cutscenes and right the next day my character was back to farming. That could and should have been done better.

Other than that, I really liked the game. The place was also neither too big, nor too small - I did sometimes feel like time was moving was too fast, but on other days, slower days, it felt like the time until the shop opened took forever XD

I really also like how you can choose from different kind of Farms. Its really nice - tho I did use the basic Farm for my first run.

I do not use it, but the freaking game has not just an actual Multiplayer, it also has Farms and other extras that will help you playing with multiple people. I think this is a really cool Idea.

Sprinklers! I love those things! The last year I almost never had to water any Crops at all XD Sooo convenient. The Auto-Collector for the Animals as well. It made life as a farmer so much easier. Same goes for the Auto-Feeder in the Delux-Barn and the way the Silo works. Nice. Makes sure that such menial task don't take all your time and energy and make sure the game won't get boring too fast.

Its not very realistic, but I did like that my Barn-Animals could have babys on their own. It was always a nice surprise. And if you do not need another Animal, you could always sell it OR just make sure your Animes can not have Babys at all. (I was sad tho, that the Rabbits - of all Animes - could not reproduce on their own. It felt a bit weird to me, that Cows could have Babys with themselves, but Rabbits could not mate like... well... Rabbits do XD)

The mining part was a bit too hard for my liking. Especially when you are supposed to get to level 100 in the skull cavern without an Elevator and the time-limit on your hands.

Speaking of which - passing out every day at 2 in the morning is a bit stupid. They could have found a better punishment for not going to sleep. Because it is very inconvenient for the mines.

Anyway the music was nice (I did not like one song in Summer tho...) and the game-mechanics and controls mostly worked the way they should without causing much trouble. So...

I give the game 9 out of 10 points.

It is certanly one of the best farming games I have played so far.

[hannahsmusings]

Jackson

*Jackson woke up with a start, his head spinning and his stomach churning with the alcohol from the night before, his head pounding* *the past few days had been utter torture, his mind refusing to focus on anything but you and your kiss and your departure, it all playing over and over in his head on a constant loop, you being the first thought whenever he opened his eyes and the last thought before the alcohol allowed him to sleep* *the room was still dark since he hadn’t pulled the curtains back in god knows how long, probably since the day you left, so he had no idea what time it was but he was okay with that, he had no drive to get up and tackle the day, knowing he had things to get done that he had put off yesterday but there was no urgency to get to them* *he sits up, realizing he was on his couch, still in the same clothes from yesterday, his eyes flickering over to the unlit fireplace, memories attacking him of how you looked just a few days ago standing in front of it in your gorgeous dress, how he ruined everything in that moment, how it all felt so perfect and it all came tumbling down around him so fast he barely had time to process it* *he tries to push the thoughts of you from his head, it was an impossible feat but still he tried, his eyes immediately going to the decanter of whiskey that was sat on the end table beside him, a strong urge to grab it and chug the rest down coming over him* *he groggily gets up and goes to use the bathroom, brushing his teeth, catching a sight of himself in the mirror and feeling repulsed, he didn’t even recognize himself anymore, he had never been in this bad of a way before, he had never missed someone to this extent; just like the house, he felt cold and dead inside, the only things that brought him any sort of warmth were the lingering thoughts of your touch and your smile and your laugh… and the hot burn of the whiskey down his throat and coating his stomach* *he doesn’t bother with showering or changing his clothes, picking up his glass from the night before and pouring the rest of the whiskey into it, taking a long sip of it, the alcohol burning all the way down but it was a pain that Jackson had come to enjoy* *he sat down on the couch again, in the dark room, only small amounts of light coming through the cracks in his curtains but he liked it this way, he loved the dark* *he picked up his phone, seeing countless amounts of emails and texts, looking through them quickly, desperate to see your name, desperate to see a missed call or a text, desperate to know if you missed him, if you felt like you were missing your heart like he did, but like every other day, there was nothing from you and his hope of seeing you again lessened, his jaw clenching as he brought the glass to his lips again, sipping the whiskey as he tosses his phone down, not bothering to read the other messages or emails, none of it mattering anymore* 

___________________________________________

*the past few days had been awful, having spent most of the first day just crying alone in the hotel, devastated by how nasty things had become between me and Matt and then even more filled with angst over you, my heart aching to return to you and it felt like the longer we went apart the harder it became, missing your company and your banter and the way you looked at me, hating that something so pure and perfect like that kiss had ruined things between us* *after the 3rd day of wallowing I decided I needed to do something, having snuck back home when matt was at work to finish getting my things so now I needed something else productive to do, having been going to my Mum’s bakery to help out, finding that getting back into baking had really helped clear my mind*

*I was in the kitchen making your favourite, trying anything to get you to eat something proper, you having bare eaten or slept the past few days and you looked a ghost of yourself, having not seen you this bad since you started working for your dad’s business, heart breaking as it was clear you were heartbroken but you wouldn’t let anyone help you, you punishing yourself as I could see you felt you deserved this pain and I didn’t know how to convince you otherwise* *I looked around for you upstairs but your room was empty, sighing softly before entering the living room and seeing you hunched over on the sofa, heart aching* Jackson? *says softly, tiptoeing around you a little* I’ve made breakfast, my love. Come have something to eat. 

[nentonscreativespot]

"Cold"

Word count: 1,204 Type: Sudden Fiction Original Upload Date: 2nd of July, 2020

---

It’s BOOOORING! Everything’s boring! Yet I go here anyway because I’m obligated to. I already know that stuff already, now can I go to sleep? Well, of course not. Anyways, it seems like Josef’s bored too. He’s slouching, impatiently waiting for all of it to end, er, for the remaining hour to pass. I wrote something down on a piece of paper, crumpled down the said piece of paper, and threw it at Josef. “Seriously?” he mouthed, glaring at me. “Read” I mouthed back. He opens it, then writes his response on the same paper. He then threw the paper ball so hard it would have gone past me had I not managed to block it with my right palm. I expected a long answer from him, but the only thing he wrote there was ‘no.’ W- how can he only write ‘no’? He used to explain everything even on this paper. And on top of that, he just refused to cut classes with me. That’s a first. Really, what has gotten into him? He won’t talk to me anymore, or what, let alone join me in my /antics/. It was fun! What happened to that?

The bell signalling recess finally decided to ring. Disappointed at Josef’s rejection, I just decided to eat at the cafeteria instead, albeit ending up only ordering a small meal. Josef sits at the same table I was in, shocked at the sight of my face but brushes it off, only wishing to eat. “Excuse me, but do I know you?” I ask with a half joking tone. “What is it now?” he answers in a grumpy manner before placing the spoon filled with rice and /adobo/ inside his mouth. “I don’t know, perhaps you’re an impostor pretending to be Josef Cruz while the real one’s locked in your shed,” I answer, again with that half joking tone. “Really funny. Look, I want to start fresh this year. I’ll be one of those “good boys” you hate so much,” he replies monotonously while still avoiding eye contact with me. “My, have you grown BOOOORING!” I said. “And you’ve grown even more childish, Will. Just because you get away with all your antics doesn’t mean everyone does,” he answers with a rising tone. I then silently continued eating what little I had on my plate. It seems like he has no intention of talking to me more, either. Time flew by real fast when the bell signalling the next class rang.

After a series of boring classes that I have to be in, the hour of independence, er, dismissal finally arrives after what seemed like forever. Seeing as our houses are quite close to each other, Josef and I would usually walk home together, though since the school year started, which was several weeks ago, he won’t ever talk to me unless needed (e.g. schoolwork). He’s grown quite… cold… to me… It’s like he doesn’t know me anymore. Then what he said to me earlier cleared it all up… He didn’t want to get involved in any mess I might ever make… /It’s about that day, huh?/ After I managed to catch up to his fast pace of walking, I pretended to shiver like an idiot. “What is it now?” it’s clear that he’s not pleased with my presence as he was trying to brisk-walk away from me while also attempting not to make it obvious. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m walking beside some sort of air-conditioning machine,” my answer was met with a soft punch to my left shoulder. “That… was half-meant,” my tone turned into a serious one. He sighs loudly and speaks, “Don’t you get it? You’re a bad influence to me. I don’t wanna get into trouble this year. You know what happened last year. I don’t want that to happen again, so as much as possible I don’t want anything to do with you,” he answers coldly. “Point taken,” was my soft reply. I suddenly found myself a few meters behind him, with my head down and my legs shaking. /Leave him alone, will ya?/ the voice says. Refusing to listen to myself, I chase Josef. “Look,” Josef turns around, looking at me with cold eyes. “I haven’t been a good friend, I get it. I’ve, uhm, dragged you into a lot of trouble. But I only did that—” my voice showed my clear hesitation, but I wasn’t trying to hide it anyway, “―because when I first met you, I already felt that life wasn’t agreeing with you,” I finish my sentence.

“—?”

We first met during intermediate level. Specifically during my enrollment for 5th Grade. I was with my parents at the parents’ orientation. He was there with his father, too. Bored, I asked my mother to go outside of the classroom the orientation was being held. He happened to go outside for the same reason, too. I was the one to approach him, who was just looking— perhaps even staring― at whatever you called that square in the middle of the school building. You know, where they hold the Flag Ceremony and… well… Well, it’s /that/. Anyways, we had a bit of a chat. His tone was somehow gloomy. It was also like he was trying to avoid this conversation. Then we ended up in the same section for that school year. Eventually, we became close, and we learned of each others’ problems…

“Face it, Josef,” I gathered the courage to look straight into his eyes. “You had fun whenever I dragged you into one of my antics.” His eyes weren’t able to deny it. He was about to say something when I cut him off. “I, well, I now realize that it probably- no, it was /not/ the best way to do it, but I wanted to help you… directly by giving some advice, albeit sometimes impractical, and in another way… by taking your mind off of it,” I explained, as my head dropped down again while I scratched my right arm. “It didn’t turn out great, but I tried,” I added. “If you want me to stay away from you, I’ll do it, but I just wanted you to know that,” I tried turning to a different corner from the one I usually would just to get out of his way. “WAIT!” he called out as I turned around. “I still wanna hang out with you, but I can’t have you constantly getting in trouble,” he said as I approached him. “And if I try not to get in trouble, should that suffice to you?” I asked. “Perhaps. Now stop using those big words to make yourself sound smart,” he said. “You do that as well,” I retaliated. What little time we had left before returning to our respective houses we spent by talking about random things. Soon, we arrived at my house. His house wasn’t that much far from my house, but you’ll spot mine before his if you come from our school. We parted, of course, and along with that, it felt like a big lump had been removed from my sternum. I’m glad we’re still friends. He’s the only one I’ve ever called ‘best friend.

[bratz-kitten]

ASTRO OBSERVATIONS PT. 7

gemini and pisces placements are similar in the sense that geminis are able to see things from all perspectives, while pisces are able to empathise with people who have all sorts of different perspectives. pisces placements... be careful with over-empathising with the people who hurt you to the point where you’re understanding why they did it and you start excusing their actions. gemini placements... be careful with seeking the multi-layers and million different perspectives in everything and everyone to the point where you’re driving your own mind insane and you don’t know what your opinion is anymore because you hyper-analyse so much. too much of a good ability becomes a curse.

people with venus-mars aspects have a talent for making people who hate them fall in love with them 💋

moon in the 11th house natives tend to attract friends who get into scandals. moon in the 10th house natives tend to be the ones who get into said scandals. it’s a PERFECT FRIENDSHIP

capricorn placements have a talent for knowing how to make things last. they want to prolong the enjoyment they get out of something for as long as possible, which is why their hobbies, friendships and relationships tend to last a lifetime... hedonistic sluts

since both the 7th house and the 11th house rule fandoms, celebrities with a 7th house or 11th house neptune can attract fans who view them as angels who can’t do nothing wrong — because of this, those celebrities rarely take accountability for their mistakes, since people keep pushing the “but they’re perfect :(“ light on them

pluto conjunct ascendant natives always come off as very serious during first impressions, no matter how approachable and inviting they strive to appear.

sun and moon in the 10th house people may feel as if they’re always exposed to the public eye, they can’t get away with keeping things secretive. others always notice whatever they want kept on the low. this can be especially frustrating if they notice that others aren’t exposed to the same kind of scrutiny that they are for simply existing

lilith in pisces bitches have a natural talent for appearing like angels even in situations where they are 100% guilty. it’s very easy for them to put on their vulnerable, lost puppy act lmfao, which triggers others’ protective instincts. they may be able to cry on cue when people call them out on their bullshit, making them feel like THEY’re the shitty ones for confronting the lilith native... it’s insane

lilith in the 12th house natives may feel as though the themes of lilith are trapped in their psyche, at the core of who they are and those themes become unavoidable for them — they’re always there, lurking in the shadows, becoming the center of their nightmares

people with mercury in the 1st house can feel veryyy threatened and defensive when someone possesses knowledge in an area that they don’t, it’s like it hits them right on their biggest fears. they often either try to “one-up” the other person in an attempt to heal their broken ego or shut down altogether in insecurity. it’s imperative that they work on developing a strong sense of self-worth because they can be extremely prone to comparing their mental skills to those of other people.

people with personal planets in the 12th house may feel as though a lot of their artistic drive is stifled by their lack of energy. like... in the mental realm there’s a lot going on and it’s incredible, but then you pick up a pen to actualize your visions and you feel exhaustion immediately overtaking you. it can feel like there’s a lot to your psyche that feels inaccessible to you not because you don’t want to explore it, but because you have yet to restore the energy to dive deep into it. this can be especially noticeable if there’s absolutely no 5th house energy in the chart

people with jupiter in an earth sign love being surrounded by greeneries in their home; they may take a lot of enjoyment out of taking care of plants, gardening, cooking and stuff of the sort. it makes them feel more grounded, independent, and even healed. they also LOVE scents that connect them to nature like the scent of grass and the ocean.

air mercuries can be very beware of strangers, they can feel offended when their friends make them socialize with someone they don’t know and it can take a hot while before they trust the person enough to lower their defences a bit. they need to know it’s safe before expressing their usual sexy eccentric selves in front of someone new. on the other hand, aries placements can also hate being introduced to new people through their friends but it’s mostly because they’re very territorial over them, and can’t stand the thought that this new person can hurt their friendship in any possible way

meanwhile, it’s probably an earth or leo/sagittarius mercury introducing new friends to the group. they’re so fucking good with people and it shows in how they make people feel welcomed so easily, it’s like they “take” the person in and adopt them into the group. they can’t stand seeing someone being treated like an outcast because they know how it sucks to feel rejected, so they’ll try their best to make you feel included

while on the subject of people who hate seeing others be treated like an outcast because they know how it feels like to be rejected: SCORPIO RISINGS. bro. people underestimate how chill they can actually be. if they see you being left out, they’ll approach you with no fucks given and do anything in their power to make you feel comfortable. they do so well in group settings.

and while on the subject of scorpio risings... i have a scorpio rising friend and he goes thru it on the daily. he often complains that people are always suspicious of him and that they seem repulsed by him, strangers on the street will stay tf away from him. and it’s so heartbreaking because his personality is so friendly and welcoming and it doesn’t at all match his intimidating appearance. scorpio risings have this energy that not many people can handle, others feel either really drawn to them or downright scared of them because of the “danger” element they seem to carry in them

i know two people who are both scorpio suns and libra moons and they look the exact same, even though they have different risings. brown, deep-set eyes, coarse dark hair, naturally tanner skin tone — and they have the same style as well, using lots of band t-shirts and dark clothing. scorpio energy is always so noticeable wherever it is i swear, it’s like it takes over the rest of the chart

gemini moons are what yall claim gemini venuses to be. like, seriously... have you ever met someone with a gemini venus? they don’t need constant stimulation or else they’ll get bored and cheat. not in the slightest; actually, they’re often incredibly loyal and crave longterm, committed relationships. if anything, they need stimulation outside of their relationship in the form of a good, exciting career and hobbies so that they don’t get too addicted to their partner and to constantly analysing every aspect of their relationship. gemini moons however, tend to have multiple partners throughout life and they often feat deep commitment. they can be huge players imo, IT’S THEM YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT!

sagittarius placements are so... tactile? like, they love to touch things. when they go to stores and stuff, they’ll start holding everything that catches their attention— it’s like they can only decide if they want to buy something after thouroughly exploring how it feels, the texture and the energy that the object gives them through touch. and they talk so much with their hands. it makes me so anxious like bitch you aren’t selena gomez, i promise you that you CAN keep your hands to yourself

taurus placements are so weird to me, i can’t understand them. it’s like they’re afraid of exploring their own depths, which in turn makes me unable to explore them. okay, how do i put this... it’s like they have this preset idea of who they are and after deciding so, they’re unwilling to let go of it. “i’m the stable friend who’s here for everyone even when i can barely take care of my own self” and then that’s who they are: the people who are a steady rock in the lives of others, taking care of everyone. and then they refuse to change even after getting hurt. and then, it’s like... well, you can’t just be that. you are a human who contains multitudes, but i don’t think you give yourself enough credit on how layered you are. that fear of changeability, that need to be the one stable thing in a world full of unpredictability will only damage you in the end, because you won’t get to fully experience life’s greatest pleasure: knowing yourself. becoming your own best friend, exploring every layer that there is to your being. i think you deny yourself of that experience because you fear that, with self-learning comes self-growth which leads to transformation. and you fear transformation because you don’t want to change for the worst. but like... transformation is necessary and with that comes adaptability + flexibility, which are things you could greatly benefit from.

scorpio venuses can be so pessimistic— and when they’re in a dark mindset, it’s so difficult to pull them out of it. it’s so difficult to get them to see the good in difficult situations, and to help them believe that it gets better. but even if you don’t believe me, i’ll keep telling you; it does get better. you’ll get through this.

jupiter in the 4th house is an indicator of food having been an amazing part of your childhood; there might’ve been a lot of feasts and you could’ve had a parent who loved to cook. being well fed might be a huge concern for you now; you might get sick easily when you’re eating fast food and non-traditional plates.

mercury square uranus is an extremely difficult aspect to have because, in your earlier years, you might’ve felt dumb or like there was something wrong with your intelligence because you might’ve found school difficult due to it’s structured nature that didn’t fit with the way you like to learn things— you need to learn in an interactive way that piques your interest. your anxiety and any traumatic experienced that you faced could’ve heavily impacted your school performance. you might’ve had an ease with learning but then, when it came to doing the written tests, you couldn’t perform to the best of your abilities. either way, school might’ve been a source of a lot of stress and difficulty.

mercury square pluto can have some weird manifestation where, like... you suspect things but you always suspect the wrong things. i’ve met a few people with this aspect and all of them were extremely suspicious of the most random things who were literally normal and innocent. this aspect can cause a lot of chaos to one’s interpersonal relationships because you might find yourself suspecting your loved ones in the weirdest circumstances due to your trust issues, which in return causes them to lose trust in you + the want to confide in you because you keep questioning everything they’re up to WHEN THEY’RE NOT UP TO ANYTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE. probably the most frustrating thing that can happen with this aspect is when you always suspect what you shouldn’t, but then, when sketchy things are actually happening that should be questioned, you don’t bat an eye to it. omfg it drives me insane

moon conjunct the ascendant can make someone have a very delicate appearance that gives others the impression that they need to handle you like fine china or else you might break. my mother has this at a very tight orb and whenever i bring people over, their first impression of her is always “she looks so frail”. the native might be extremely sensitive to every minor inconvenience which brings a lot of frustration to them, a feeling that they can’t control their reactions and inner turmoil. it can also suck when you don’t want to be depicted as the victim but then that’s the way everyone perceives you. the native might have very expressive and shiny eyes, and they can cry easily. it’s very difficult for them to hide their emotions.

your jupiter sign can signify where you feel an overflow of energy. jupiter in cancer may feel like you have an overflow of nurturing and protective energy towards your loved ones, with a lot of intuition and need for introspection. jupiter in leo can make you feel like you a talent for self-expression and dealing with others, being overly dramatic and prideful at times, and with a huge drive to have fun. jupiter in virgo can feel an overflow of perceptive qualities, with a huge amount of self-awareness and also awareness of your surroundings, ability to constantly analyse and a constant strive for perfection (which btw is impossible since perfection is unattainable and you’re a human being who makes mistakes and that’s completely fine. stop finding flaws where there aren’t none).

[littlemissnoname13]

Hello can I request where draco in fourth year having a crush on a hufflepuff reader but acts as arsehole cuz he doesn’t know how to show affection , leading it to her avoiding him which makes him depressed about what did he do wrong ?

Hi love. Thanks for the request.💕

I love writing Draco x hufflepuff!reader stories! I am a sucker for a slytherin x hufflepuff pairing.

I added a few extra details here and here. Hope you like it. X

Hopeful (Draco Malfoy x Hufflepuff!Reader)

Word count: 2100 sorry got a bit carried away. 😅

Warnings: None. Soft!Draco being an absolute blubbering idiot.

Draco’s thoughts are written in green

Spring had arrived. 

It could be felt in the cool and gentle zephyr that made the shiny new leaves on top of the once barren and dead trees rustle. 

Daisies were in full bloom and the wind had managed to carry some of the petals away—making them fall to the ground, acting like a harbinger of the fast approaching summer. 

Draco couldn’t be bothered if it was spring, or autumn or winter. 

In that particular moment, all he wanted to do was get away from the Slytherin common room and Pansy Parkinson. 

He had taken her to the Yule ball and things had sort of fizzled out afterwards. He couldn’t get himself to see her as anything other than a friend. 

Having ran all the way to a far and secluded area of the Hogwarts grounds, Draco leaned against a tree trunk and panted heavily in an attempt to catch his breath. 

“Are you—are you alright?” 

Your voice startled him and he quickly stood up straight to look around. 

You were sitting criss-crossed on the grass with your transfigurations textbook opened on your lap. Your shirt sleeves were rolled up and your yellow and black tie hugged very loosely around your neck. 

“Fine.” He muttered as he slowly sat down noticing a single daisy tucked behind your ears. 

After sitting there in complete silence for the next few minutes, he finally spoke up. 

“What are you even doing here anyway?” 

“Just wanted some peace and quiet to be honest.” You said, shrugging your shoulders. “It’s a beautiful day.” 

Draco just hummed in response and kept staring at the daisy in your hair that swayed lightly with the breeze. 

“What?” You asked when you noticed. 

“You have—you have a twig stuck in your hair.” 

“A daisy.” You corrected him as you closed your book and moved a bit closer to where he was sitting. “It’s a daisy.” 

“Yeah I know that. I’m not stupid.” He said quickly. “But why?” 

"Well, Daisies are essentially two flowers blended together in complete harmony." You said pulling the daisy out of your free falling hair before putting your hand forward to hand it to him. 

“And?” Draco reluctantly took the flower from you and blinked his eyes in confusion. 

“They are said to resemble innocence—true love even.”  You explained getting comfortable next to him.

“You believe in all that?” Draco scoffed, twirling the flower between his index finger and thumb. He couldn’t tell if the floral fragrance was coming from you or the air but it made him slightly queasy nonetheless. 

“Merlin. No.” You scrunched up your nose. “It just gives me hope I guess.” 

Draco gave you another hum in response. For someone who came up with snarky and sometimes witty comments on the spot, he found himself weirdly tongue tied. 

“I know you were hiding from Pansy by the way.” You remarked, making a small smile pull at his lips. 

“How come?”

“What do you mean how come?” You rolled your eyes. “Everyone can see that she is obsessed with you for some reason that I personally can't seem to comprehend.” 

~~~~~

The next day during potions class, Draco slowly opened his book and started to absently doodle on it with his quill while Snape talked about the upcoming potions essay that had to be done in pairs. 

Draco knew he should be paying attention but he just couldn’t get the interaction between you two out of his head. 

And just when he took a deep breath and decided to focus, a familiar scent started to fill his lungs up. 

Fruity, almost spicy notes of strawberry and pink grapefruit mixed with gardenias, vanilla and musk. It felt like someone had tossed a huge bouquet into the room. 

He knew it was you without even bothering to look up from my book. 

"Ah, Miss y/l/n. Late again." Snape muttered. “Five points from Hufflepuff house.” 

You quietly sat down next to your friend with your head hung low and Draco fought an unexplainable urge to give you a hug. 

"The essay must be done in pairs.." Snape said.

Great. 

"Ronald Weasley and Gregory Goyle." 

This is exactly what I needed right now. Thanks Snape. 

"Blaise Zabini and Hannah Abott." 

The last thing I need is someone weighing my essay down. 

"Draco Malfoy and y/n y/l/n." 

What? 

You turned back to look at Draco and gave him  an apologetic smile and he didn't understand why you kept smiling at him. It's not like the both of you had suddenly formed an unlikely bond with each other. 

Draco scowled at you in return and quickly raised his hand. "May I work on my essay alone?" 

"No. You may not Mr. Malfoy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Draco had been studying in the library for almost an hour. Because you were quietly sitting next to him, his elbows and knees slightly brushed yours every few seconds and as much as he hated to admit it, He secretly enjoyed it. 

Contrary to yesterday, Draco was trying very hard to make a conversation with you. You seemed somewhat offended that he had asked Snape to work on the essay alone. 

“I am happy to do most of the writing if you can look up all the ingredients.” You offered.

You don’t have to do all of that yourself. I am happy to help with the writing too. Is what he should have said. 

“Fine whatever.” He said instead as he reached for a copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. 

That night, Draco stayed up tossing and turning in his bed before giving up on getting any sleep for the night. 

He lethargically walked towards his dresser and put his hands in his blazer pocket pulling out the now dried and pressed daisy from the other day. 

Taking a deep breath, he put the flower in between the pages of his copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. 

You were drawing him in, undoing him, unraveling him even. 

He knew that. 

But did you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Draco! Open up." 

His head jolted towards the door and He quickly walked over to open it. 

You stood on the other end with books tucked in your arms, wearing your denim shorts and a plain white tank top—looking like summer personified. 

The more time he spent with you, the more he started to notice your quirks. Like that the way your skin glowed as the days got warmer. 

Compliment her. Do it. It’s not Difficult. 

“Did you do something different to your hair?” 

“Uh—no why are you asking.” 

“It just looks a bit strange.” He commented wanting to slap himself. 

"Okay, well are you going to let me in?" You questioned, wondering why he was blocking the way and asking you about your hair. 

Why did you have to wear that God damned tank top-

"Sorry?" You asked stepping inside making his cheeks burn when he realized he wasn’t meaning to say that out loud. 

"Just shut up and get back to working in the essay or whatever it is that you were doing." Draco grumbled feeling embarrassed as he grabbed some fresh parchment. 

Okay. Focus. The Strengthening solution requires...

You stretched a little and pushed your hair away from your face. 

several days to mature...

"Staring is rude Draco." You suddenly interrupted his thoughts as you set your eyes on his—peering right into his soul.

Draco felt like he was giving you some sort of power over him and the possibility of you using that power and leaving him heartbroken made him feel so very vulnerable.

He couldn't take the vulnerability a second longer.

 "I don't think we should study together anymore." He blurted quickly standing up. “It's for the best.”

"Huh?" You stood up contorting your face in total confusion—wondering just what you had done to piss him off. "What's wrong Draco? Did I do something wrong?" 

"Leave. Now." He muttered with his teeth clenched. 

Please don’t go.

"Just go—leave please."

You couldn’t help but feel a sharp sting burning your insides as you gathered all the books that were on the floor and ran made your way towards hufflepuff dormitories with tears threatening to flood your eyes. 

As soon as you ran off, he punched his wall and muttered out the plethora of angry curses when the impact bruised his knuckles.

~~~~~~~~~~~

During the following week, Draco failed to show up to any of your shared classes after you had refused to talk to him after what happened. 

Even if you did manage to see him walking down the halls or walking with Crabbe and Goyle, you noticed that he looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. 

On a Tuesday, Draco looked at the Hufflepuff table during breakfast and when you caught his eye, all you did was look away. 

Everyone at school had their opinions about him—most of them weren’t good opinions. 

But when you were with him under that tree, he seemed different. His smirk was more playful than condescending. It managed to charm you in a way. 

You took a final bite of your toast and gathered all your books, walking to your Potions class. 

His seat still remained empty and you shook your head, trying to snap away from the thoughts of him as you flipped open your book. 

Only it wasn’t your book. 

You didn’t remember writing on the margins and making annotations on your book. 

Running your fingertips along the pages, you flipped to the very first page of the book. 

D. Malfoy was written in ridiculously neat handwriting and you shook your head when you realized that you had grabbed his book with you that day by mistake. 

And just when you were about to put his book away, something fell from in between the pages and fell onto your desk. 

It was the daisy you had woven into your hair the other day. Even in its dried state, the petals remained intact like her had done something to keep them that way.

When class was finally over, you made a quick beeline towards the slytherin dungeons, bumping into people along the way. 

~~~~~~~~~

“Some hufflepuff girl is standing outside the dungeons asking to see you.” Theo shrugged when he saw Draco at the common room sofa. “Says it's urgent.” 

He felt terrified yet so elated as he quickly stood up and made his way outside. 

“Here’s your book.” You said taking a step towards him. “You never told me what’s wrong by the way.” 

“Thank you.” Draco quickly took his book from you and stared at the ground. 

“Why did you stop talking to me y/n?”

“You told me to go away—If I remember correctly.” You said shaking your head at him. “Tell me Draco, what’s wrong?”

“Everything.” He said quietly, meeting your gaze. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You make me feel all weak.....and smiley...and I hate it." He looked at you with agitation.

"Weak?" You ran your  fingers through your hair in confusion. 

"And your ridiculous white tank top." Draco half yelled. 

"What's wrong with my top?" You asked, raising your voice slightly as if you had had enough of this. 

"Nothing is wrong except for the fact that you look stunning in it.” He blurted involuntarily. "It is absolutely distracting when one is trying to study!." 

He watched you open your mouth in shock and close it. Before he could spend another minute trying to solve the riddle that was your expression, you grabbed him by his tie and placed your lips on his. 

His brows furrowed as he kissed you back tenderly. Tasting the sweetness of your lips—pouring out every bit of suppressed passion and adoration he felt for you with his lips.

There was something so strange and euphoric about finally kissing someone he had been longing to kiss for so long. 

Something so magical about holding the person that fits perfectly into his arms. 

Freaking Finally. 

He was slightly disappointed when you slowly backed away, but the glow on your skin and the glossy ness in your eyes made him smile. 

"I guess I'll leave before I realize the consequences of what I have just done." You said softly as you held his face and placed a small peck on his lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, you found a tiny box and an envelope on your desk when you woke up. Your roommate let you know that Draco Malfoy had stopped by late last night when you were asleep and half begged and half threatened her to leave the box on your desk. 

You slowly opened the box and found a bedazzled and whimsical looking daisy necklace, encrusted with gems.  

A Daisy for my daisy. 

You give me hope.

- D.M

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco Taglist: @dracomalfoyisindahouse @dracomalfoys-wh0re @maybesandohnos @justfangirlthingies @desiredmalfoy @dlmmdl @trainintersection @fa-me @dracoswhore007 @paulina1998 @wh0re4blaise @marrymetheonott @quacksonsssandtea @letoof @rvaldez7569 @loloo22 @emma67 @berriemalfoy @thegaudess @itchywitch33 @louweasleymalfoy @lunar0se10 @savagelysarcasticslytherin @fleursbabe @teawineaddict @thebitchybeatle @malfoyxxdraco23 @fantasyfairysworld @trashyvicks @h0ggyw0ggyh0gwarts @l0vely-lupin @linasylveon @amwitherspoon @the-bisexual-bitch

Love you all sm. (if i was unable to tag you, please look into your privacy settings)

Fell free to send me reuests. My other stories can be found here.

Join my taglist here.

- violet-Anne

[roscgcld]

HEADCANON + NANAMI KENTO || turning into a child

request: Your Nanami headcanons were so so good!! I love how detailed they were! Do you have any headcanons on how Nanami would react to being turned into a young kid/toddler and his reaction to the jjk cast/reader??

note: nga, thank you for saying that love! i am always happy whenever you guys tell me you enjoy my headcanons - they make me feel all warm and happy inside! and tbh, i had to think long and hard because i can’t see nanami as a baby???? like mans is so prim and proper that it was just so hard lmao! but - i think this would be most like what will happen if he was the one to turn into the child lmao

pronouns: them/they

honestly, i think we can all say this - people who are all prim and proper now were such absolute monsters when they were kids 

feel like this might happen after a normal morning - having breakfast together whilst he reads the newspaper, helping him with his tie after going through your morning checklist of things he should bring to work together, and sending him off with a parting kiss

so you can imagine your shock when, not even 2 hours into the morning, you got a call from his senior and co-worker, gojo - who got your contact for emergencies 

“Y/N, i know you think I make a lot of useless jokes, but we have a serious problem right now.”

at first you were pretty miffed by it - you were pretty sure your boyfriend left the house a whole ass man; but you didn’t comment on it and drove to the college like you were told to

so when you entered the office, only to see what looked like a child who looks exactly like your boyfriend, sitting on the ground playing with his tie; his bright eyes blinking at you curiously

“gojo - what on earth is going on?” you’d ask in concern as you entered the room, picking nanami up when he dropped his tie and reached up to you for you to pick him up wordlessly

after getting an explanation about how he got hit by a Cursed Technique of some sort, ieiri will just reassure you that it’s just a temporary change and that it’ll wear off later in the day

you were dragged away from her talking when you felt someone tugging on your ear hard, to which you winced and gave the smiling child in your arm an unamused glance

he just tugged your ear once more, to which you grabbed his small hands in his and warned him not to do it again 

whilst adult nanami cannot stand gojo, child nanami follows him like a lost puppy - more than willing to learn the ways of the mischievous man child that is gojo 

the students were definitely having a lot of fun playing around with nanami - espeically yuij, since it felt like he can finally relate to the usually stonic and most times straight forward shaman

“maybe we should keep him like this.” yuji said with a grin as he bounces a giggling nanami on his knees, fushiguro and you sharing a look as he continues to cuddle nanami. “he’s easier to handle.”

definitely going about messing everyone’s days up with mischief and small pranks that really, people shouldn’t be encouraging - but who can really say no to him?

he yells a lot, and uses a lot of sound effects when describing things. and can talk fast too - most times you just sit there smiling and nodding without a clue on what he’s saying 

child nanami hates bugs with a passion - the college is filled with wildlife. you remember how there was a beetle that was walking on the wooden banister he was seated on, and when he realised it was there he was crying and screaming for someone to pick him up 

gojo got that on his phone by the way - and was laughing the entire time you were trying to console the traumatised nanami 

still feels like he respects the elders to a certain extend - he will still listen to you when you tell him not to do something. but that only applies to you, if anyone else tries to tell him something he doesn’t like he just huffs and sticks his tongue out at them

it such a picky eater; you got him curry and rice, which he likes to eat whilst being an adult. but child him refuses to even open his mouth; shaking his head adamantly at your spoon

“come on now, kento.” you cooed as you held out a spoonful or rice and curry for him to eat, trying to ignore the sniggers coming from nobara and yuji who sat opposite from you and the pouting child. “just one more bite, please? or not you can’t go and play with yuji-nii and nobara-nee.”

so much energy - he’s running all over the campus, leaving to all of you having to chase after him. even gojo was struggling to keep up with the child half way through the day 

doesn’t even take naps, and doesn’t like sweets - this kid runs on pure energy. think the only person who can handle him is yuji, who was surprisingly good with kids and was like a child whisperer

seriously, yuji seemed to know what he was trying to say everything, entertaining nanami and giving you a few moments to catch your breath while he tells him some outlandish story about his most recent mission

by the time the end of the day arrived, you were ready to just drop. luckily the entire day seems to catch up with nanami, who was nodding off on the drive home

the next day nanami didn’t have the guts to look at you; hiding his face in your neck whilst you laugh and held him close, your fingers combing through his hair gently. “it’s alright, nanami. you were cute.”

“i was a brat.” he grumbled softly, to which you just smile before leaning over to kiss his cheek, enjoying the feeling of his warm arms wrapped around your waist. “i apologise that you have to deal with brat me for so long.” 

you just smile and nuzzle him closer, finding it amusing how embarrassed he was about the entire thing. “you’re just being dramatic.”

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[hyunsuks-beanie]

Annoying

Pairing: Idol! Sunghoon x stylist! reader

Genre: Fluff; Suggestive

Content Warnings: Established relationship; making out; Sunghoon being a cheeky shit

Word Count: 1.15k words

Mellow speaks: I really love writing Sunghoon it's not even funny ugh. The plot for this one was up to me, and I hope I delivered to the anon's expectations!

Tagging: @ivyvesisi @yogurteume (lmk if you don't read suggestive content bestie) @sweethyuka

"Stop moving around!," you scold, your lips turned up in the softest of smiles as you try to get your boyfriend's outfit done. But of course, Sunghoon is physically incapable of not being annoying, making you question for the tenth time that morning alone why you're dating him.

"But babe," he mumbles, that stupid grin back on his face as he leans in again, his lips meeting the skin of your forehead in a chaste kiss, "You just look so cute all focused, I can't help myself." Even though you try to hide it, you can't help but feel your heart flutter at his words, your smile growing just a little more.

But you refuse to let him win so easily, biting the inside of your cheek to keep yourself for giving in. "You'll make a lose my job," you whine instead, your hand flying up to grab his wrist as he reaches out to cup your cheek. "Oh come on," he scoffs, sticking his tongue out at you as you straighten the collar of his shirt, "Practically everyone here knows we're dating, your flustered cheeks are a dead giveaway."

This is exactly why you hate Music Bank despite waiting for it every Friday. Because you know it's always the same story, your boyfriend teasing the hell out of you whenever you try to get him dressed. And the fact that he's mostly alone, the members either being at the dorm or at the office, has never helped you, giving him even more to bother you, and literally leave you bothered.

But still, you've never been one to fall for his tricks so fast, and that's why in reply, all you say is, "Dating you might not get me fired, but letting you suffer a wardrobe malfunction would." You hadn't expected that to shut him up, but it doesn't anyway, making you cheer internally at your small victory. But your happy moment is soon disrupted, Sunghoon's breath fanning the shell of your ear as you fix his buttons.

"Being too cheeky, aren't ya?," he drawls, a smirk evident in his voice as he gently licks your earlobe, "Gonna have to do something about it." Once again though, all you do in response is look up at him, a smile on your face as you say, "There's nothing you can really do about it," knowing full well just how wrong you are. Your words catch him by surprise, but he's quick to place his fingers at your chin, his lips meeting yours in a kiss as he says, "We'll see about that."

And with that, he's gone, walking away from you as he hears his name being called. Just before he leaves the room, however, he does peek back in, a wink being sent your way as you shake your head, replying by blowing a kiss right back at him. You might hate him for annoying you so much, and you might despise him for always being a tease, but what you really feel for him is nothing else but love.

Having completed his schedule for the day, Sunghoon makes his way over to the dressing room with a spring in his step, excited to see you. He can't wait for you to help him change out of his outfit now, eager to tease you once more and perhaps even do a little more than that. But the second he steps into the room, his smile wears off in favor of a frown that's so deep-set he's sure it could touch the ocean floor.

There you are, looking gorgeous as ever with your hands to your hips, happily talking away to a guy. But it's not just any guy. It's that guy. The one who Sunghoon knows for a fact is up to no good, especially not when it comes to you. He's a staff at Music Bank, working as an assistant of sorts who does all sorts of jobs. But that's not what makes your boyfriend's blood boil when he looks at him. It's the way he's very casually resting his hand on your arm, with you showing no signs of noticing, as usual.

He's obviously hitting on you, he has been for weeks now. And you're not the only one, either, because Sunghoon could list the names of at least ten other people he's seen him flirting with, right off the top of his head. But you've always been frustratingly oblivious to your surroundings, and it never fails to get on Sunghoon's nerves. So, it's no surprise, not to him at least, that the very next moment, you find your wrist in a stronghold, your form being dragged away from that menace of a guy and out of the room.

"Sunghoon what the-," you begin, only to cut yourself short when said man looks back at you over his shoulder, anger evident in his eyes. He continues to pull you along, his grip on your wrist tightening as he comes to a stop near an open door, peeking into the nearly empty waiting room. "We just need a moment," he calls, feigning a smile just as you see a janitor exit the room.

Next thing you know, you're being slammed against the door as it locks shut behind your back, one of Sunghoon's hands gripping your shoulder while the other traps you between him and the painted wood. "What are you-," you start again, breaking off into a "hmmph" as he smashes his lips onto yours, catching you in a heated kiss.

It doesn't take him long to have you under his spell, his teeth grazing against your lips and prying them open with ease while his tongue explores the depths of your mouth. And you can do nothing but oblige, your hands moving to card through his hair on their own as he shuffles closer to you, his chest flush against yours. The kiss turns open-mouthed, tongues making out sloppily as his hands run down your body, coming to rest near your butt.

You stay like that for an eternity, a whimper escaping you when Sunghoon pulls away. Your lips chase after him, making him chuckle darkly as he mutters, "You like pretending to be innocent, huh?," before kissing you again. You feel your body go stiff at that, your eyebrows getting furrowed as you kiss him back. "Like pretending to not notice when someone's flirting with you," he mumbles into your mouth, his hands squeezing your bum as you shove your tongue against his.

Even though you don't really understand what he's saying, you can't help but moan at how hot he sounds in that moment, you hands getting wrapped around his neck and pulling him even closer. The kiss grows more passionate with every breath you take, your mouths pulling away only when oxygen becomes a problem.

"Gonna have to teach you how to keep your eyes open."