#he really tries to keep Jake from following his path and oh my heart

[biblionerd07]

I actually had more sympathy for Jesse’s parents on this rewatch. Like overall they’re not some abusive monsters who never cared about him. They very obviously DO care about him. Their house felt safe enough to Jesse that he went there when the meth had him feeling paranoid and strung out. When Jesse calls his dad after being questioned by the DEA he mentions getting a job “in data entry, like we talked about”, and Jesse’s mom says “I can’t do this again”, and Jake says Jesse’s all they ever talk about, so they’re obviously in a cycle of trying to help Jesse and seeing him go back to drugs. It’s easy for us to kind of forget the ramifications, because of the scope of the show and because we love Jesse and are seeing his POV and definitely because Aaron Paul’s teeth and skin are nice lol, but Jesse is addicted to crystal meth. And he’s SELLING crystal meth! This is not just weed. It’s a pretty big fucking deal. And his parents talk about getting him help, and they let him come inside and sleep and eat a few meals and wash his clothes. Maybe you could consider that the bare minimum, but it is something. When Hank is talking to Jesse’s mom, she’s not dismissive of Jesse or uncaring. She’s obviously very sad about the state of Jesse’s life, and when she starts to clock that Hank’s investigating Jesse, she gets protective and makes Hank leave. They evicted Jesse from his aunt’s house, but to give them a bit of grace, his mom did find his literal meth lab in the basement lmao. Which they threatened to tell the DEA about but never actually did. They seem to be in that place with an addict where you’re trying to balance giving support without enabling; his dad even says they need to try tough love. (Personally I think it shows they don’t really know Jesse all that well because tough love is not the right method for him, but they probably feel like they’ve tried everything else.) When Jesse’s talking about that perfect box he made in shop, his initial lie is that he gave it to his mom, and when he tells the truth it’s clear he really regrets that he didn’t actually do that. In El Camino, I really think they want him to turn himself in because they think he’ll be safer and maybe they think he’ll get some leeway if he turns himself in rather than getting caught. It doesn’t seem like they call the cops when he calls and asks them to come get him; they rush out right away and all the police are in regular, unmarked cars.

But….

I can never give them grace or forgive them for that car decal that was Mom, Dad, and Jake but no Jesse. Like what the hell is that?? And it seems absolutely outrageous to me that his parents, with everything that happened between them and everything they’re seeing on the news, took the opportunity to talk to him and only said “turn yourself in.” No “I love you.” No “be safe.” His dad saying they hadn’t talked to him in a long time, since “way before all this” really rankled, too. They purposefully distanced themselves from him. They made sure to say on the news that they’re not involved in this because they’re not in his life. I really do think they cared and were scared for him. But at every turn it just seemed like they didn’t care enough to actually understand what he needed or how to get through to him.

[ultralightpoe]

Casper - Robert Floyd

Authors Note: HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Word Count: 675

Warnings: none, just a tiny blurb

Description: Small halloween blurb.

This is apart of my Halloween event, stay tuned for a new story every hour! - ADDING A NEW CHARACTER TO MY LISTS, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?????-

Happy Halloween!

“Do you think I look silly?” You ask, coming around the corner where your boyfriend of 3 years is trying to fix his glasses for the costumes. A blush crosses his cheeks when he sees you, and your heart does the same flutter it always does when he smiles. 

“Why would you look silly?”

“Well, I don’t know. I never actually hang out with your friends so I don’t know if they are like the ‘all out’ types. You know?”

“.....No?” He looks confused, moving closer to you in easy shuffles. 

“I just don’t want to be the only one all dressed up.” You sigh, fixing the hair of your costume. “And end up embarrassing myself.”

“You will be just fine.” He smiles, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m nervous too.”

Bob always had tons of anxiety, even if he hung out with these guys every day, and as silly as it is it does make you feel better that you’re not alone in your anxiety. So you move closer, fixing the collar of his costume and smiling at him. 

“Are you ready?”

“Only if you are.”

- 

Bradley’s house was completely decked out in decorations, fog coming out of the front door and loud music blasting from the speakers. Your hand is holding onto Bobs tightly as he leads you up the path, looking back at you once to make sure you are okay before entering the house. 

The music surrounds you, the bass rattling through your shoes as Bob nods his head to people passing by. 

“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!” Someone to your right shouts, making you jump a bit as Bradley comes into view, dancing in his cheap tourist outfit. There was face paint on his nose to make it look like he had sunscreen on and a crap ton of blush to make it look like the rest of his face is burnt. 

A smile crawls across your lips as he does a funny dance, and you see Bob do his own in return. 

“Alright, who do we have?” Bradley asks, Natasha and Jake coming up beside him. “You are obviously Priscilla Presley. And Bob over here is…”

“Oh! The dad from caspar.” He smiles, fixing the glasses. “Played by Bill Pullman.” 

“That’s freaking awesome-” Bradley smiles, handing you both a bottle of cider beer ,before someone calls him over from the otherside of the room.  

The rest of the night follows the same pattern, people recognizing your costume but asking about his, and you knew he was beginning to overthink his choices. So you tried not to let him do that, dragging him to dance and to take shots, by the end of the night you are walking while leaning into each other to keep balance. 

“Do you think my costume was silly?”

“No, why?”

“Well, no one knew who I was.” He blushes. “It just feels kind of lame now.”

“I loved your costume, and you look A LOT like Bill Pullman so it works really well.” You smile, stopping him softly and looking at him. “I love your costume and I love that you had the idea in the first place.”

“I just…. Sometimes I feel like you are this iconic person and I’m just…. Like you are too good for me.” He mumbles. “I mean you have this natural cool to you, and I love that but don’t you ever worry I am slowing you down?”

“I feel the same most the time, you know?”

“Oh come on-”

“Seriously! I just spent the night with my professional aviator boyfriend and his professional aviator friends who are actually apart of a top secret program and I spend my night reading smutty romance books.” You explain, moving to wrap your arms around him. “You are not slowing me down.”

“You sure?” He blushes, smiling when you smile. Instead of answering you lean up to kiss him, starting slowly before it deepens. When you finally pull back for air he is panting. “Wanna go watch Caspar now?”

“Thought you would never ask.”

[happyimagines]

Top Gun: Hangman/Reader

An oldie but goodie played as chatter began inside the Hard Deck. Every now and then eyes from the Top Gun pilots would land on me and Jake as we sat outside the bar. The two of us ignored them as we sat in silence. I grimaced as I gently wiped blood away from Jake’s lip.

“Are you okay?” He asked from his seat on the bench.

“You are literally bleeding, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” I asked incredously.

“You did take a hit remember? Or do we need to tell Penny and take you to a doctor?” Jake raised his eyebrow and winced at the cut he pulled. I dipped a clean edge of the towel into the water from inside and gently pressed it to the wound.

“I’m… fine.”

The night had began like any other. Regulars and a few newcomers had made their way into Penny’s bar. As well as them, there were members of the Top Gun school that came in and circled the pool table. They greeted me and Penny with smiles as we brought them their drinks. All except Hangman who decided to flirt and earn an eyeroll from everyone. My face grew red with blush as I avoided letting him see.

Making another round of tidying tables, Penny waved me over to take the glasses that needed cleaning.

“Do you want to take all their drinks?” Penny asked nodding to the table Jake was leaning against as Rooster took another shot.

“Why does that sound like a punishment?” I asked. Penny rolled her eyes and turned around to take care of her other patrons.

Smiling, I went back to cleaning the few empty tables. Other patrons that recognised me from regular visits. Many stepped out of the way to let me pass with ease. Occaisonally, my attention was drawn from the empty glasses and tables to the Top Gun pilots. Especially Hangman. Every time that he caught my eye, he’d smile and my heart would beat a little faster as I tried not to spill the trays I carried.

“Hey,” I smiled as I brought another round of drinks to the pool table.

“Hey (Y/N),” Phoenix bumped into my side after I set down the drinks and she brandished her pool stick. “You want to play a round? We’re betting Bagman’s money.”

“Ooh, tempting. Anything else?”

“Well, otherwise, you two can play for a date with Hangman.” Coyote said patting his friend on the shoulder.

“Yeah, that sounds like a bet I’d want to lose.” I said before Phoenix could get the chance. She laughed getting an eyeroll from Jake. “Besides, I need to help Penny. Maybe next time.”

“Oh, that sounds like you’re interested.” Jake grinned.

“In your dreams.” I sang before turning around.

Time continued to pass as the night went on. The only difference about this night was one of the newcomers to the bar. As I stepped around a table, my path was blocked.

“’Scuse me,” I stepped to the side hoping to get around only for the man to sidestep in front of me, blocking the path.

“How about a dance?” He asked with a smile, the smell of beer rolling off his breath.

“I’m good.” I told him. “Now, please excuse me.” I made an attempt to step around him only to be stopped.

“I don’t really like taking no for an answer. How about you tell me your name? I’m Fred.”

“Nice to meet you Fred, but I’m not asking.” I stepped backwards to walk around the table. Instead of listening, Fred continued to follow me to the bar. Before I could go behind the bar, Fred grabbed my wrist. I whirled around and faced him. The look on his face changed from desire to anger.

“When I say I want a dance, I want a dance.” This time his voice was louder and caught the attention of the other patrons.

Thankfully, Hangman was watching and began making his way over to us.

“I’m saying no, and if you don’t let go, you’ll be going overboard.” I did my attempt to keep my voice steady despite the fact that the grip tightening on my wrist had me feeling more and more concerned.

I pulled my wrist away and as I did, I felt his hand connect with my face. I stumbled and fell against the bar. My heartbeat was in my ears and I felt hands grab my arms to steady me.

Phoenix and Bob helped me to my feet as Hangman stood in front of me, almost like a shield.

“(Y/N), are you okay?” He asked looking over his shoulder at me.

“Ye-yeah, I’m okay.” I stammered. Jake’s eyes met mine and I nodded to let him know I was okay. He nodded back.

“Penny, I think it’s time to ring the bell.”

Without hesitation, Penny rang the bell coughing cheers to erupt in the bar. I watched as a few pilots escorted Fred outside. Once outdoors, there were yells of anger. And then punches were thrown.

Jake grimaced as I continued to wipe away the blood that was drying on his forward.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “But also, thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Jake took my hand in his and pulled it away from his face.

“Yes, Jake, I do. You took a few punches for me.”

“I’m fine. The only thing I need to worry about is making sure you’re okay. And probably whatever Maverick is going to say when he hears about this.”

“I think Penny can explain what happened. You should let me finish cleaning you up, and we should get some ice.”

Jake smiled and leaned forwards towards me. “If you really want to help me feel better, how about a kiss?”

“At least you’re feeling better. Good to know Fred didn’t mess with your brain.”

“I’m just saying.” He laughed.

“How about a date?” I suggested.

“Wait, really?” Jake looked surprised causing me to laugh.

“Yes Jake, I mean, you got into a fight for me. Now, I’m going to go back inside.” I stood up from my seat and gathered the stuff I was using to clean his wounds. As I did, I noticed Jake was watching me.

“What now Jake?”

“You’re not using my callsign.”

“It’s your name. Anyway, how about you take me to dinner tomorrow night?”

“Aren’t I meant to ask you?” Jake asked.

“You haven’t asked me, Jake.” I leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. Instead, he turned his head so his lips met mine. Surprised but pleased, I smiled and cupped his cheek as I kissed him back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake.” I whispered as I pulled away.

“Told you a kiss would make me feel better.”

[fatiguing-thoughts]

“Natural” - Chapter One- Embry Call x Reader

Coming Home

After almost two years, I finally got to come back to Forks. We had to move for my dad’s job temporarily, which was truthfully my biggest nightmare. I was stuck living in Texas; rotting away in the sun and overbearing heat. I had missed all my friends, while I tried to contact them as much as I could, it was super difficult to keep our contact as much as I would like-- especially due to their mysterious disappearances at times. 

I left our sophomore year of highschool, something we were all supposed to go through together, alas I did it alone and miserable. Yeah we would’ve gone to two different high schools, but to be able to hang out every day as we usually did was something I would’ve killed for.  I just was happy that I can assume they all had a better experience since they were together. 

We were such a tight knit group of friends, thanks to my dad being great friends with Billy Black. It was Jake, Quil, Embry, and I against the world. Though, if I were to be honest, Embry was the first guy I ever had a crush on. Since we were kids, I wanted nothing more than to be with him. I think only Jake knew, as he was the first friend I ever made. The constant behind the scenes teasing was something I could never forget. 

Part of me wonders that if I ever left, would Embry and I have ended up together? I always felt that the feeling probably was mutual, but the fear of ruining the best friendship ever was a lot to consider. I never pushed, and neither did he. Though, before I left-- we did kiss. 

That kiss was enough to leave me with the feeling of a thousand suns bursting in my soul. I never wanted to let go of Embry. But it was something we never discussed further. I’m still not even sure why not, probably because me leaving hurt us all a lot. We often still add music to our shared playlist, though. I would have to make it a point to myself for my own sake that I don’t get my hopes up for nothing. 

Over the years, I’ve never been so thankful for technology. I still got to, as I said, rarely watch them all grow up seemingly overnight. The haircuts last year really threw me through a loop, but I never pressed. It made me sad to see Jake and Embry cut their hair, I loved their hair. The excitement that I felt to see them again was raging inside of me. They had no clue I was coming back so soon. I told them I would return after graduation in the summer, but they had no idea I meant that week. 

As we pulled up the small house in Forks, I could barely contain my excitement. I followed my father’s car in my own, watching the moving truck unload everything into our new house. 

We both exited our respective cars, meeting up for a nice side hug on the front lawn, admiring the new house. 

“You talked to Billy, right?” I ask him. 

“Yes. He said the boys should be around, or at least Jacob would be. You can head over there soon.” He smiled at me, knowing that seeing the guys was the top priority for me. 

“Thank you, dad. I’ll help unpack, too. Don’t worry. I just miss them so much.” I say, almost tearing up at the thought of them. 

I walked into the house, finding my room. I dropped what I brought with me in my car off. I smiled at the thought of being back home. I was going to love decorating my new room. I was going to love the environment again, the woods. Everything. I looked out my window and admired the patch of woods I was blessed to have nearby. I would have to explore those soon. I smiled at the thought of smelling the pine trees and the earth underneath my feet. I would have to drag the guys on hikes again. 

I grab my keys, phone, and wallet and throw them into my small bag. Walking down the stairs avoiding the moving guys as best I can. 

I start my car, driving down the long and winding roads to the reservation. Smiling like an idiot, before the nerves kicked in. 

What if they changed so much and would hate me now? What if they don’t want me around? What if Embry wants nothing to do with me? Even worse, what if Embry had a girlfriend? 

I tried to shake the thoughts away, knowing it would only ruin the surprise. 

Before I knew it, I pulled up to the Black household. I got out of my car, walking up the path to the front door, knocking. 

The door swings open to Billy smiling. 

“I can’t believe you’re here, kid. I missed you!” He rolls backwards, letting me in. I hugged him hello. 

“I can’t believe it either.” I said, smiling. 

“You grew up so much. I can’t even believe it.” He looks at me, smiling like a proud uncle. 

“It’s crazy right? I can’t even imagine how big they all got. In pictures they look huge.” I laugh.

“Oh yeah, they got huge. Jacob and Quil should be here in a few minutes, I sent them out to go get swedish fish. Your favorite.” He laughed. 

“Oh, so they’re bringing me a snack without knowing?” I laugh.

“Yeah they are. Please, come sit down.” He directs me to the couch. 

I thank him and walk over, plopping down. We had some small talk for a few minutes before we heard the boys coming back. The doorknob began to open and I felt my heart almost leap through my chest. 

“We got the swedish fish. But why did we have to get them? You don’t even like-.” Jacob stops talking as he sees me sitting on the couch. 

Quil looks at him confused, before seeing me for himself. His face lights up. 

“No fuckin way.” Quil says through an ear to ear grin. 

“(Y/N)!” Jacob runs over to me, I stand up before he picks me up, spinning me in a hug. 

“When did you get here?” He asks me, smiling like a kid on Christmas.

At least they were happy to see me. 

“Forks? About an hour ago. Your house? Like ten minutes ago.” I laugh. 

“You’re back for good?” He asks, still not letting go of me. 

“Yes. For good, finally.” I smile. 

“Okay okay, it’s my turn.” Quil says, pushing past Jacob to engulf me into a rib-crushing hug. 

I noticed how they were both burning hot as Quil didn’t let go of me. 

“Jesus, you’re both burning up. Are you guys sick?” I ask concerned.

“No, we just run hot.” Quil smiles. 

“Oh, okay… So when did you guys get so… massive?” I ask, practically looking up at them. 

“About a year or so ago. You missed a lot, sweetie.” Quil says, messing up the hair on my head. 

“You guys have matching tattoos?” I ask, pointing to their arms. 

“Wow, (Y/N). You’re observant today.” Jacob laughs.

“Yeah, it’s for the tribe. A lot of us have it.” Quil says, looking at his arm before back at me.

“Oh, that’s really nice. They look great.” I smile at them. 

“So, now that we have this surprise, we have to figure out plans for tonight.” Jake looks between Quil and I. 

“Well, I have a patch of woods by my house. I planned on going on a hike myself tomorrow morning or tonight if I didn’t get home too late. Would you guys wanna do that?” I ask, looking at them. 

“Woah, by yourself?” Quil almost shrieks. 

“Yeah, what’s so bad about that? A lot of bears or something?” I laugh. 

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of bear attacks. We’ll go with you.” Jake offers, glancing back at Billy, who seemed to nod in approval. 

“Oh okay, cool. You could also help me put my room together if you guys want, take a peek at the new house.” I poke Jacob’s arm, knowing they would be great to help me move furniture. 

“Wow, already trying to recruit us?” Quil laughs. 

“Maybe. Or maybe I just need help moving furniture into the best spots?” I smile at them, pleading with my eyes. 

“Okay, let’s go.” Jacob rolls his eyes, playfully shoving me. 

“Okay, I’m parked right outside, I’ll drive. Bye Billy, it was great to see you.” I smile at him, hugging him goodbye. 

“Goodbye, (Y/N). I’ll see you soon, right?” 

“Of course. You’re gonna be sick of me soon!” I yell back at him. 

“Never!” He laughs. 

The boys and I walk over to my car and begin the drive to my house, blasting music and singing like absolute psychopaths. 

We pull into the driveway and they greet my excited father. They talk for a few before I drag them upstairs to help me move my furniture. 

“Jake, you got buff. Like really buff. What happened?” I ask in shock as he moves my dresser with seemingly no effort. 

“Hey, I got buff, too.” Quil says defensively, moving the other dresser with just as much ease. 

“I see that. Jeez, I missed a lot.” I chuckled, looking down sadly. 

“Well, we get to make up for lost time, now.��� Jake smiles. “I can’t wait, I’ve missed having friends.” I admit, laughing. 

“You definitely friends in Texas.” Quil scoffed. 

“Nah, not really.” I purse my lips, stifling my chuckle. 

“Well, you have us again. Plus our friend group expanded greatly, so you won’t be bored anymore.” Quil offers, earning a hesitant look from Jacob. 

“Anyone I know?” I ask. 

“Yeah, you’ll remember them. Jared, Paul, Sam, Leah, and some others.” Jacob says. 

“Oh wow, that’s great that you all hang out a lot now.” I smile. 

“Yeah, it is.” Jacob says, looking at the bed. 

“Where do you want the bed?” Quil asks. 

“I can help you guys with that, it’s really heavy with the mattress on it and everything. But I want it in that corner by the window.” I point.

Without missing a beat, the two boys pick up the bed with ease and move it, leaving me surprised. 

“Or not.” I smile. 

They look back to me, smiling. We finish moving everything else around, taking much less time than I thought it would. 

I look around in astonishment, impressed with how quick that was.

“Wanna go for that hike?” Jake offers. 

“Yeah, of course.” I grin, leading them out of my room and out the back door. 

We walk around, exploring the new environment. 

I found a fallen log, walking across the top of it. 

“If you’re as clumsy as I remember, maybe this isn’t your best choice.” Quil laughs. 

Jacob turns, looking at me with impressed eyes as I make it to the end of the log with no slip ups.

“See, I’m fine.” I smirk, right as I trip over my own feet as I went to jump off the log. 

Quil catches me right before I fell into the dirt. 

“Yeah, you’re fine.” He mocks.

“Thanks, Quil.” I nod at him. 

We continued going deeper into the woods, they wanted to hear all about Texas and how much I hated it. 

“So, how bad is the bear thing? I really can’t go hiking alone?” I ask as the sun begins to set, causing us to head back to Jake’s house to watch movies. 

“Uh, really bad. It’s like a real issue here right now.” Quil says, looking at me and then back to Jacob.

“Damn. That sucks. For you guys. Because I’m probably gonna drag you out a lot then.” I smile at them. 

“That’s fine. Works for us.” Jacob smiles. 

“Embry’s gonna shit himself when he sees you.” Quil laughs. 

Embry. 

How I wished he was here. 

“He will.” Jacob laughs, winking at me behind Quil’s back. 

“Oh I’m sure.” I say sarcastically, trying not to blush from Jacob’s silent remark. 

“What? We were all inseparable growing up, just because you were gone for a while doesn’t mean he’ll feel differently.” Quil said. 

“I guess that’s true. Where is he, anyway?” I ask. 

“He’s helping Sam with something.” Jacob answers quickly. 

“Okay... I’ll surprise him tomorrow if that would work.” My voice trails off, eyebrows raised in suspicion. 

“Perfect.” Quil smiles. 

We finally get back to my house, getting into my car and driving over to Jake’s. The drive was once again way too much fun. I missed my best friends. 

“So what’re we gonna watch?” I ask, shutting the car door behind me. 

“I figured Pineapple Express?” Jake offers. 

“Oh god, yes.” I agree excitedly. 

“Great movie.” Quil interjects. 

We begin watching the movie a little after 9:30. 

It starts off with a lot of laughs, but at one point I feel my eyes involuntarily opening and closing. 

My head bouncing up and down, fighting the urge of sleep. 

I wake up to hearing the sound of a guy talking to us, I just didn’t know who it was. I look over at the time, a little after 11:45-- the movie was over. We all fell asleep. I blink my eyes a few times, trying to see what’s going on. 

The man is tall, not as tall as Jacob but taller than Quil. He was just as buff as, if not more, Jake, bigger than Quil for sure. 

Jacob is still knocked out, able to sleep through anything just like I remember, and Quil was stirring awake. 

“Hey, assholes. You’re late. You were supposed to be at Sam’s at 11:30.” He scolds, throwing a pillow at Quil to finish the job of waking him up. 

“Oh shit, what time is it?” He wakes up, beginning to panic. 

“Embry and I are done. It’s your turn, but Embry can’t go to bed until your asses get up and take over. It’s your turn for patrol.” He throws another at Jacob. 

“Paul.” Quil said sternly, nodding his head over to me.

Paul looks over at me, realizing that I was in the room. 

They must’ve not known I was awake and listening. 

“Don’t wake her up.” Quil says quickly. 

“It’s okay, I’m up. I should probably get home anyway. Then you guys can go help your friend with whatever you have to.” I say, yawning. 

“And who are you, pretty lady?” Paul looks at me, smiling. 

“I’m (Y/N).” I smile back, trying not to blush at the compliment. 

“Oh shit, no way. I haven’t seen you in years, I couldn’t even tell in the dark. These guys talk about you all the time.” He smiles as he steps forward. 

I get up and give him a tired hug hello, noticing that he, too, feels hot like Quil and Jake. He also had the same tattoo as them, I wonder if the whole friend group had it. 

“You look great.” He smirks at me. 

“You got huge, too. What the hell happened to all of you?” I ask sleepily, laughing a bit. 

“Just a lot of working out, I guess. Even though I was massive before you left.” He elbows my side lightly. 

“Oh, Paul. You haven’t changed one bit, huh?” I joke. 

“Nope, guess not.” He says. 

“Jake, get up.” Quil says, shaking the boy in his sleep. 

“What?” He groans.

“Get up, pretty boy. You’re late.” Paul says, walking over to wake him up. 

“Oh shit.” He says, jumping out of the seat like his ass was on fire. 

“What are you guys helping him with so late?” I ask. 

“Uh, they’re helping him with some work around the house. A pipe is leaking, we tried to help, but Jacob and Quil are gonna fix it. Because we couldn’t. So, yeah.” Paul says, smiling at me. 

“Ah, I see. Well, I’ll leave you to it. Text me in the morning, let me know a good time to come surprise Embry tomorrow.” I say, walking out of the house. 

“You got it. We’ll call you.” Quil hugs me goodbye, followed by Jacob. 

“I’m so glad to have you back, (Y/N).” Jacob smiles at me. 

“Me too.” I smile, walking out the door and leaving the house behind. Pulling away from his house I see them all walk outside, waving goodbye. 

 _________________________________

Word count: 2756

This is part one of the series I accidentally started today. I hope you all enjoy!

 I  II  III  IV  V  VI  VII  VIII  VIIII  X  XIR XIE  XII  XIII  XIV  XV XVI  XVII  XVIII  XIIII

[thiswasinevitableid]

for the meet ugly asks, 08 with the ot4 if that’s ok? (the note in the locker one, in case I have the wrong number). rating up to you! :)

Here you go! I went NSFW

Joseph is not missing his chance. Not again.

If he’s keeping count, which he’s certainly not, he’s missed fifty-two chances between fifth grade and now.

Barclay’s family moved next door in the summer of 1951, causing eleven year old Joseph to learn very quickly what it’s like to have someone whose side you never want to leave. Lucky for him, Barclay felt the same way; they were in the same boyscout troop, were each others first choice for sleep overs or outings where they were allowed to take one friend. When they hit high school, Barclay went out for football because Joseph did (and Joseph did because that’s what upstanding young men do). They played together all four years, Barclays growth spurt rendering him doubly dangerous on defense and the dominant source of Joseph’s late-night fantasies. Joseph did debate club alone, but Barclay joined him for chess club. And when Barclay bought his car, his first stop was to take Joseph cruising, just the two of them.

Unluckily, Joseph’s never worked up the nerve to tell Barclay how he feels. This may be why he hasn’t had a date since the spring hop two years ago, while Barclay’s had quite a few (cheerleaders and band boys alike can’t seem to resist his physique and general gentleness).

That all changes today. Joseph slipped a note into Barclays locker right before lunch that conveyed all relevant information.

Dear you,

Drive in on Friday? We can park in the back row.

Love,

Joseph.

He’s sitting in his normal spot on the bench near the cafeteria, doing his best impersonation of someone who’s heart isn’t in his throat.

As he’s scanning the crowd, none other than Duck Newton begins weaving his way over to him, leather jacket reflecting the sun and his black hair combed back as always. Joseph was wary of him for years--as any good square is of kids from the rough side of town--until they got paired together in biology their senior year. Duck, who seems not to give a shit about school the rest of the time, is incredibly good at science. And he’s funny, nearly got them both kept after class for cracking a joke that made Joseph lose his breath laughing.

The problem is, right now he’s waving a very familiar piece of paper.

“Gotta say, I’m pretty fuckin flattered, Joe. But, uh” he leans on the table, smiling playfully, “I gotta make sure ‘Drid is okay with me playin backseat bingo with someone who ain’t him.”

“Um.” Joseph shakes his head, trying not to focus on the idea of Duck holding his head in his lap in the dark corner of the drive in, “I, I’m so sorry. I must have been nervous enough to put the note in the wrong locker. Not, not that you’re not a catch.”

Duck raises his eyebrow, “1650 or 1652?”

“1652.”

“Huh. Well, I got shop class with Barclay. You want me to just give it to him?”

“No.” Joseph holds out his hand.

Duck places the letter in it with a shrug, “Suit yourself, slick. See you later.”

Joseph rips the letter to shreds, tosses it in the trash, and hopes that’s the end of this humiliating error.

It’s not.

“Hello, Joseph.” Indrid Cold rests a shoulder on the locker next to his. There’s no one in Kepler High quite like him; his family moved from California three years ago, which most people use as the explanation for Indrid’s red glasses, crystal necklace, and pale hair that is always a quarter-inch shy of the principal writing him up for it. He’s never struck Joseph as the kind to fight, but he did mistakenly proposition his boyfriend three hours ago.

“Indrid. How can I help you?”

The taller boy hands him a folded slip of notebook paper, “By taking me up on this invitation.”

Before Joseph can ask any questions, Indrid is disappearing down the hall. The paper contains a hand drawn map to an X, under which is the word “Bash” but nothing else. Joseph has never been invited to any kind of party that needed a secret map. He mostly just gets invited to get togethers because he’s the captain of the football team. No one talks to him once he’s there. Well, except Barclay.

He stares at the map; he doesn’t have to be home until ten. He’s never going to get a chance to make the scene like this again.

Joseph shuts his locker and hurries to his car.

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

Indrid’s remarkably accurate map leads him to a dirt parking lot beneath the sign for Amnesty Point. As he follows the signs for the “beach house,” a Coaster’s song drifts through the air, underscored by splashes from the lake to his right. He’s deep in the woods on the wrong side of the tracks, but even so he’s unprepared for how everyone lounging around the weathered picnic tables on a shaded patio stops talking and stares at him.

“Who the fuck invited the square?” Someone whispers, making him wish he hadn’t left the map in the car.

“Joseph?”

He turns so fast the gravel flies. Barclay, clad in a grease-stained apron, is smiling so bright it evaporates his nervousness.

“Hi, big guy.”

His friend hoists him in a hug, “I’m so glad you’re here, Indrid said he invited you but I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“He piqued my curiosity. Um, is this the new job you were so cagey about?”

“Yep. Mama--she runs this place--pays real well, but tries to keep Amnesty Point kinda secret. Cops just love busting places like this up for no reason.”

Joseph nods, still a little hurt Barclay didn’t trust him enough to share where he worked. His friend must notice the dip in his smile before he hides it, because he adds, “It’s gonna be even better working here now that you know where to find me. Listen, um, I gotta get back before Jake sets something on fire, but the burger stand closes at eight. I’ll come find you after that. Duck and Indrid are down by the dock, if you want company.”

He absolutely does, since the alternative is looking even more out of place by being the only person here alone.

When he hits the grey sand, Duck is just pulling himself back onto dry land. The half moon scars on his chest are the only reminders of the trip he took to San Francisco last summer.

“Glad you showed up, slick. Day like this, the water is the only nice place to be.”

“I wish I’d known, I would have brought my swim shorts.” Maybe if he rolls up his pant legs he can get some relief from the heat…

“Could just go in your boxers. I won’t tell.” Duck winks.

“Nothing is also allowed.” Indrid lilts, floating past on his back.

Joseph looks at him, then at the planks of the dock because Indrid is also demonstrating that second option without a care.

Duck snickers, “sugar, put somethin on, you’re scandalizin’ the poor guy.”

“Very well. But I demand help with the sunblock in payment for quashing my self-expression this way.”

“You’re soundin like your pops there, ‘Drid.”

“....ugh, you’re right.” A splash and the soft fwup of a towel, “alright, Joseph, I’m decent.” He is, but his swim shorts leave very little to the imagination. Joseph stares a moment too long, notices Duck smirking when he looks away.

The greaser holds out a bottle of sunblock and they get to work.

“Goddamn, this wouldn’t take so long if you weren’t so fuckin long everywhere.”

“You’ve never complained about that before.” Indrid grins, red sunglasses hiding his eyes. He doesn’t lift a finger to help them, but Duck seems to get a kick from it. Joseph wonders if he spoils Indrid like this in everything they do. If Indrid ever does it back.

(If either of them would do it for him).

They spend the evening talking, Duck skipping stones and Indrid sunning himself while Joseph dangles his legs in the water. When they get back to the beach house Joseph receives fewer stares, Duck and Indrid’s company substituting for cool. He and Duck get a real dinner, but Indrid opts to down three Cokes in place of a meal.

When Barclay closes up shop, he’s immediately at Joseph’s side. Joseph is about to suggest they all go for a walk when Indrid winks at Barclay and steers Duck towards the trees with a promise to see Joseph at school tomorrow.

“You get on okay while I was working?” Barclay starts them on a path towards the edge of the point.

“I did. It was actually really nice just to spend time talking with people who like me. Or at least don’t hate me enough to shove me in the water fully clothed.”

“Nah, they’re not those kind of guys. Hell, it was their idea to invite you here. I was, uh, I was too shy.”

He stops, turning to face Barclay, “what do mean?”

“Duck told me about the note.”

“Oh lord.”

“Not on purpose, he just mentioned he’d seen you and when I asked how you were doing, well, you know he can’t lie for shit. So Indrid suggested we invite you out here.”

“Out of pity?”

“No.” Barclay frowns, sets his hands on Joseph’s shoulders, “Joseph, why didn’t you just ask me out in person?”

“I was too nervous. I thought it might ruin everything.”

“Not a chance, blue eyes.” Barclay rumbles. Then he’s kissing him, gentle and slow, whimpering when Joseph kisses back and cups his face. When they part, he’s certain there’s nothing but air under his feet.

“Can we do that again?”

“Not tonight. Your curfew is still ten.”

“Shit, you’re right, if I don’t get on the road I’ll be late.”

“Lemme walk you to your car. I gotta hang around since I’m Indrid and Duck’s ride home tonight.”

“Do you want to go get them so we can all leave together?”

Barclay chuckles, tips his head towards the woods where a faint, rhythmic grunting cane be heard.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, not gonna ruin their fun.” He pulls Joseph into a much more heated kiss, then sighs, “get home safe, blue eyes.”

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

Joseph suffered through both the personal hygiene class at school and his father’s lecture on what to expect now that he was truly a man. But nothing in either of those taught him what to do if he’s so hot under the collar he can’t focus but the guy who’s causing it won’t just fuck him.

He and Barclay have gone out every Friday for the last month, steaming up the car windows with their kissing sessions. They tried to work out who was supposed to give who their varsity jacket and settled on just trading, Joseph smiling whenever he spots Barclays name on his back. And Barclay tells everyone Joseph is his boyfriend with a level of pride he never gave their state football wins.

But he won’t go all the way with him. One Sunday afternoon they were listening to records in Barclays room when the larger boy rolled across the rug to straddle Joseph. His hands were hot and a little rough on his cock, Joseph moaning into his mouth as he came in under a minute. Before he could reciprocate, the front door banged open, announcing the return of Barclay’s parents. His boyfriend told him not to worry about it and kissed him on the cheek.

He’s worried Barclay loves him but doesn’t want him. He’s worried that if he ever does, Joseph will embarrass himself, be so inexperienced and inelegant he’ll turn him off forever. He wonders if he can entice Barclay to ask him to fuck so he doesn’t have to admit the embarssing intensity of his desire.

“Duck? Do you, um, do you think I’d look better if I dressed like you?”

The greaser looks up from his notes, “Maybe? I mean, I dress like this because I dig it. You wanna try it, go wild.”

Joseph nods, intending to drop it. Instead, he slows his stride by Duck during their laps in gym.

“It’s just, I’m worried I’m too square for anyone to be really into me.”

“Joe, what the fuck is this about?”

“Newton, I heard that! That’s an extra lap.”

“Son of uh, hold on, are you worried about Barclay? Because he’s so into your goody-goody thing I’m surprised he ain’t asked you to fuck him with your report card.”

“Stern, you’re done, get off the track!”

He jogs to the bleachers, Duck’s words rattling around long after he’s hit the locker room.

“You’re really worried about this, ain’t you? You’re smart, slick, but I swear sometimes you can’t see what’s right in front of you.” Duck is behind him, still in his gym clothes while Joseph is half changed out of them. They’re both dawdling, the locker room empty save for some other stragglers near the bathroom.

“Duck, if I were in high demand, I’d be getting more, um, attention than I-”

His sentence is cut short by Duck yanking him down into a kiss, lips salty with sweat and so demanding Joseph wants to get on his knees.

Duck pulls back, pats his cheek, “Like I said; right in front of you.”

With that he waves and leaves the room the back way. Joseph can’t even be mad for cutting school; right now, he’s almost ready to follow him.

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

“I really must thank you again.” Indrid clears the low table of his math notes, “my focus is such that I struggle with math much more than I’d like. Having someone sit and walk me through it in a calm setting helps a great deal.”

“I’m always happy. Barclay can too, if you ever can’t get a hold of me.”

“Oh, I know he can. He helped me last year.” Indrid stretches his legs; they’re on the floor of his VW Westfalia. His parents let him live in it on the property behind their one-story house as long as he continues to be a cooperative member of the household.

“I didn’t know that.”

“It was only a few times, though he often lingered when we were through.” Indrid’s emphasis makes Joseph blush.

“Duck and I weren’t going steady yet. And my cocksucking skills are not the stuff of legend for nothing.” Indrid smiles, dreamily.

“Oh. Um.” Joseph shifts his notebook into his lap.

Indrid sits up straighter, “I apologize. I, ah, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not sure that’s what this is.”

Indrid cocks his head, “No? Envy perhaps? After all, you’ve had years to dream about him, to hope you’d be the first, and here comes a skinny little freak from the coast to beat you to it.”

“You’re not a freak” Joseph says softly, “I, I can’t say I blame Barclay for taking you up on it.”

“He does have excellent taste” Indrid looks pointedly over his glasses at him. The heat under his skin doubles as Indrid crawls forward, “you know, Duck and I have an...understanding. But if you and Barclay do not, I can stop. I mean, I can stop regardless, if you don’t want this.” He lowers to his belly between Joseph’s legs, nuzzles his fly with a hum.

“I, I--ohlord” He moans when Indrid mouths at his slacks; he’s getting hard, if he had his way he’d lay down and let Indrid suck him off until he came on his glasses. But he knows he won’t enjoy it if he isn’t sure how Barclay feels.

“I, we should stop. Please.”

Indrid sits up, smiling, “Of course. Would you like to stay for dinner? My mother is making fish stew instead of tofu salad for once.”

“...I’d love to.”

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

“I didn’t know Amnesty owned all this.” Joseph let’s Barclay guide him through the trees.

“Yeah, Mama’s family bought it years ago and she’s hung onto it through some seriously nasty shit. Hah, there they are.” Barclay waves to Duck and Indrid, resting against each other on a massive, checkered blanket. His boyfriend sets the picnic basket down and then, confusingly, turns off the lantern Duck brought.

“Okay, baby, there’s something I’ve got to ask” Barclay looks at him, “do you think I don’t wanna make it with you?”

“Truthfully? Yes. You, you’ve barely gone beyond some heavy petting, meanwhile Indrid was offering to blow me.” He slaps a hand over his mouth; there go all three of these relationships.

Barclay shrugs, “He told me about that.”

“Honesty is important. Most of the time.” Indrid grins.

“Blue eyes, I’m crazy about you. I’ve just been going slow because I was afraid I’d stress you out. I know how you get, Joseph. You put so much pressure on yourself to do everything right, I was worried you’d try so hard to be perfect for me that you wouldn’t enjoy it at all.”

Joseph stares into deep brown eyes, eyes he’s loved since he was a boy. Then he laughs softly, rests his head on Barclay’s shoulder, “You really do know me well, you know that.”

“Oh, oh baby” Barclay holds him closer, “you really think there was a way of touching me that’d disappoint me? Fuck, just getting to kiss you makes me the happiest guy in the state.”

“That being said” Duck drawls, “aint there somethin about practice makin perfect?”

“I, are, is this really what you three want?”

“Yes” Indrid nods, “but if you don’t, well, we shall never speak of it again.”

“I do. Sweet fucking christ I do.” He kisses Barclay ferociously as the other two scoot closer.

“Hmm, I believe we should let seniority decide. Barclay, what’s your preference?”

His boyfriend pulls back, kissing his jaw, “Do you wanna blow me, blue eyes?”

“So badly.”

“That settles that. Duck, what about--ah, I see you’re already taking off your pants, so I guess you’re fucking hm. He’s fucking you? Ah, semantics.” Indrid waves his hand dismissively.

“Wait, does, do we have a rubber?”

Duck pulls one from his wallet, “never leave to see this one without one. I know how he is.”

Indrid pecks his cheek, then grins, “I believe, Joseph, that leaves me to help you with your hand jobs.”

“Fuck, yes.”

“On your back, baby.” Barclays nudges him and he falls onto the blanket. For a moment only the trees and stars look down on him; then Barclays face fills his vision as his hands open his fly and guide his cock out.

“AHshit, shit that’s good.” He bucks as his boyfriend jerks him off steadily, his cock standing at attention in a matter of seconds.

“Okay big fella, you go get your dick sucked.” Duck straddles him. He’s down to only his undershirt, his muscular thighs, soft belly, and strong arms on full displays as he rolls the condom down.

“You’re so handsome” Joseph sighs.

Duck seems to blush, “Thanks, slick. Not bad yourself.”

“I mean it, really, you’re incredible” he paws his legs, grabs his shirt and pulls him down into the kiss. Duck giggles into his mouth, then sinks down onto his cock. Joseph decides he is never, never letting go of the man above him; his weight is so comforting, his body so perfect, the way his laughs morph into moans so charming.

“G-great thing about this position” Duck gasps, “is you don’t gotta do much besides let me ride you. That’s why it’s ‘Drid’s favorite.”

“Second favorite; you on my face is my first. Speaking of which” he kneels, gently lifts Joseph’s head into his hands while Barclay sits cross-legged on the other side of his head. His cock is thick and long, so mouthwatering Joseph opens his mouth without being told.

“Fuck, baby, wanted this so long.” Barclay guides his cock between his lips when Indrid turns his head. The skinnier man keeps supporting him as his tongue registers skin, sweat, Barclay and he whines for more.

“Easy, blue eyes, fuck, you’re doing great.”

“I’ll say. Fuck, can’t believe you been keepin this dick all to yourself, Joe.”

“I got my haAAnds on it once.”

“Clearly you should have done it more” Indrid purrs, hips moving slightly, “as soon as someone plays with it, he sucks cock very nicely.”

“No fuckin kiddin. Baby, baby, yeah, suck like that.”

Indrid shifts behind him, “Barclay, hold him a moment, there’s been a change of plans.” A zipper goes as Barclay cradles him. Then Indrid’s fingers are back, turning him to face a second, narrower cock.

“Handjobs can wait.” Indrid pulls him forward, moaning high when he sucks the head, “oooh, yes, that’s it.”

“Fuck, I’m gonna fuckin combust watchin you do that.” Duck bounces more deliberately and Joseph yelps joyfully around Indrid’s cock. He’s already close to cumming, the feeling of Duck around him and Indrid inside him flooding the rest of him with pleasure.

Indrid pulls his head back, starts to turn him towards Barclays, when it punches through him. He moans, pushes up into Duck as the shorter man laughs.

“I, I came first, I’m sorry, this is one of the things-”

“Shush” Barclay helps him up as Duck climbs of him, “that was fucking incredible, and you’re not done yet.”

“On your knees, facing us. Unless, sweetheart, do you-”

Duck’s hand is already between his legs, “I’m gonna enjoy the show.”

“Mmm, which means I get to enjoy you enjoying it. Barclay, turn slightly, like this.”

“Why, oh, oh I got it, fuck, you’re a fucking genius.”

Joseph agrees, though he’s going a bit cross-eyed. So he closes them, lets first Indrid and then Barclay press their cock into his mouth. It’s a stretch, his jaw aching instantly, but it’s the best he’s ever felt. They can’t push more than the heads in, so he concentrates on sucking and licking, pre-cum collecting on his tongue and spit seeping down his chin. Duck grunts behind him, offering running commentary on Indrid’s appearance and Joseph's voice. Barclay shoves both hands into his hair while Indrid keeps one on his cock.

“Fuck, fuck, Joseph, baby, this is fucking aces, gonna paint your whole fucking stomach white.”

“Ahnnn, agreed” Indrid pants, “your mouth was made for this, ohyes, that’s it, mmm, this is even better, feeling your cock against mine dearest, oh, oh” Indrid cums, bitterness hitting his tongue, and when he tries to swallow he gasps and gags instead.

“Fuck” Barclay grunts and then another burst of cum fills his mouth. He gasps for air as they pull out, sending some down his chin. He wipes ineffectively at it with the back of his hand.

“Here” Duck, underwear back on, cleans his lips with a napkin.

“Th-thank you.”

“Of course.” Duck kisses him as Indrid flops on his belly and Barclay curls his arms around Joseph.

“Gotta say, blue eyes, don’t think you got anything to worry about when it comes to making it good for me. Or, uh, us.”

“No, I don’t think I do.” Joseph rests against him, then jolts up, “shit, what time is it?”

“Ten.”

“Shit!”

“Don’t worry” Indrid nestles next to his knees, “we’ll say I had car trouble and you two came to my aid.”

Joseph relaxes back among his boyfriends, “Good call. Just, um, don’t let Duck talk?”

“Only if I get an extra kiss for keepin my mouth shut.”

“Deal.”

[sunflowersunshinevol6]

Crawl Before You Walk

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Warnings: partying, drinking, forced kiss

Summary: Y/N has been friends with the Styles siblings for years. But when Y/N asks Harry for kissing lessons, their entire friendship is put on the line.

A/N: Harry is older in this fic than Gemma

I walk right into the Styles household. I’ve been friends with the Styles siblings since our day care days and it was never a problem for me to just come by after school for dinner or to hang out, their parents practically raised me, they’re more of a family to me than my own family. 

And that’s why I came over today. I need advice. Some help.

Harry Styles, is a senior, he’s like a big brother, one of my best friends, anytime Gemma and I get into some sort of shenanigans he’s there. Even though I’m about a year younger than him, we’ve bonded. I knock quietly on the door to his room, unsure if he’s even home. 

“It’s open,” I hear him call from inside, I push the door open to find him lying on his bed, no shirt on, sweat pants hanging low on his hips. He’s got one arm propped behind his head, the other reading some play. He looks up at me and smiles softly. “Hey Y/N. Gem will be home in a few. You can hang out if you want.” I sit on the edge of his bed, dropping my bookbag. 

“Actually….I’m here to see you,” He sets the book down on his chest, raising his eyebrow slightly. 

“Me?”

“Yeah.” He sits up, crossing his legs indian style. 

“What’s on your mind?” he asks. I feel my cheeks heat up, this is so embarrassing. 

“There’s this...there’s this boy I like.”

“Oh yeah?” he says, nudging me in a teasing manner, I relax, I can do this. 

“He wants to take me out on a date.”

“So what’s the problem,” I bite my lip, hesitant to continue. “You can tell me,” he coaxes. I take a deep breath. 

“I’ve never been kissed before.” I say finally. I can’t bare to look at him, to embarrassed. “I wanted to ask you if maybe...maybe you could teach me?”

“Teach you how to kiss?”

“Well you’ve had lots of girlfirends-”

“I wouldn’t say ‘lots’-”

“So you have experience. I have none.” he sighs, running his hand over his face. I feel awkward, my hands begin to sweat as I wait for his answer.

“You really like this kid huh?” I nod. 

“A lot. I don’t want to mess this up.” He’s quiet for a moment longer, I debate whether or not to just tell him it’s a joke and to forget it. 

“Okay." he startles me. I didn’t think it’d be that easy. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just this once.” he adds. I grin, he scoots back towards his headboard and I swing my legs up onto the bed, folding them beneath myself. 

“Thank you.” I say gratefully. 

“Don’t mention it...Like ever, to anyone after this okay?” I nod and he scoots closer to me now, I can smell his cologne and deodorant, he smells really good. Clean. “Everyone is different. Some people are good kissers, some are bad-”

“I’m probably bad.”

“Quiet.” he scolds me, before continuing his lecture. “Like I said everyone is different….But if this guy...If he tries anything you don’t like, you have the right to say no. You can tell him to stop.” He reaches up, brushing his fingers over my cheek gently. “Come here,” he whispers, I lean in, our lips meere inches apart. “He looks me in the eye, his eyes flicker to my lips from time to time. I feel something strange begin to vibrate within me. “You feel that?” he breathes against my lips, his breath is cool, and smells minty, I shiver. 

“Yeah.”

“Good. That’s a good sign.” slowly, tentativly, he presses his lips to mine. I don’t know what to do, I just sit there, letting his mouth move against mine, he pulls away, a small grin on his face. “You can kiss me back.”

“How?”

“Do what I do. Follow my lead,” I close my eyes this time as he brings his lips back to mine. I do what he says and move my lips against his, mimicking his actions. He reaches up, grasping the back of my head, the other hand gripping my lower arm. His lips are smooth and soft, pressing against mine over and over again. My hands grip the fabric of his sweats tightly. His tongue darts out, licking my bottom lip, I gasp and pull away. 

“Wow.” I say breathlessly. “What was that?”

“I was asking you for entrance.”

“Entrance?”

“To your mouth. Always ask. It’s not polite to just shove your tongue down someone’s throat.” we chuckle together, I feel something wet grow between my legs, I look back at him. 

“Can we try with tongue?” I ask. 

“Sure. C’mere.” I’m back in his arms, he kisses me slowly before licking me again, I open my mouth wide, moaning as his tongue begins to massage and wrestle mine. I continue following his lead, doing what he does. He sucks my tongue into his mouth and I squirm, unable to handle the growing warmth between my legs. He grabs my hips and I move, coming to sit in his lap. I run my fingers through his hair as he rubs his hands up and down my back. I’m nearly panting and desperate for relief from the tension building in me. I roll my hips slightly, causing him to stiffen. 

He pulls away too quickly, I chase his lips, only to open my eyes and see him grinning at me teasingly. 

“You’re a good kisser.” he compliments. 

“T...Thanks.” I stutter. “You are too.” we stare at each other, I’m still in his lap and I can feel something hard poking at me from his sweatpants. He reaches up to trace my bottom lip with his finger, I close my eyes again and lean into his touch. 

“Y/N...Y/N I-”

“Hey Harry! I’m home.” Gemma calls as we hear the from door open. I jump up from Harry's lap, straightening my clothes, he leans back cooly, resuming his position from when I first walked in. Gemma opens the door without knocking. 

“Oh Y/N you’re early.” I try to slow my pounding heart.

“Yeah. Harry said I could wait for you.”

“Well come on,” she nods towards the hallway, “I’ve got that dress for you to try on.” I pick up my book bag and follow her out of the room. Harry winks at me as I leave. 

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

I dream about the kiss with Harry for days after it happens. I always wake up feeling wet between my legs and a faint throbbing feeling. I try to get off. I rub my skin raw, push my fingers in and out of myself. Nothing works. I work myself so hard I’m barely breathing, face nearly purple. But no matter what I do I can’t seem to get off. Still, the dreams persist. 

I avoid Harry when I’m at his house. If we’re sitting at the dinner table I’ll converse with Gemma or his mom. I always duck into Gemma's room if I hear him coming down the hall. I don’t know if I’m embarrassed or scared. He doesn’t seem to notice my growing awkwardness. He goes about his day as though nothing happened at all. 

“What is going on with you?” Gemma snaps me out of my head when she asks this. I look at her, she sits across from me, eating a nutella sandwich and studying me curiously. 

“What do you mean?” I ask, trying to keep my voice normal. I take a bite of my apple sauce. 

“You’ve been acting really weird all week. Always ducking into my room and hiding around the house….Do you have a crush on Harry?” I choke on my apple sauce, looking at her through watery eyes. 

“No! Absolutely not!” she chuckles, taking a bite of her sandwich. 

“Good. Cuz I was gonna say...gross.” I smile, but in the back of my mind I wonder if she would think that about me and Harry….Probably. We all did grow up together. “Seriously though,” she looks concerned now, lowering her voice. “Is it your dad again? Do you need to stay with us indefinitely like last time?” I stiffen, shaking my head. 

A few years ago things got really, really bad with my parents. The police got involved and I was sent to live with the Styles while they got their shit together. 

“No...I’m fine honest.” she doesn’t look like she believes me. I reach out and place my hand over hers. “I’m fine Gem. Honest.” she doesn’t push anymore, and we eat in awkward silence for a few minutes. 

I’m so wrapped up in my thoughts, I nearly jump out of my skin when someone’s hands cover my eyes. “Guess who?” the voice asks. I can hear Gemma giggling across from me. 

“Jeff Goldblum,” I guess. The person snickers, moving their hands and sitting down beside me. It’s Jake. I feel my stomach churn with butterflies. 

“Damn. I wish I was Jeff Goldblum.” He high fives Dylan who’s sat beside Jas now, his arm around her. Jake’s focus is on me. He scoots close, he smells like Old Spice. “Haven’t seen ya around in a couple days.” I shrug my shoulders. 

“I like to change my route to class. Keeps things interesting.” He smirks, his lips are soft and pink. Smooth. I wonder if they taste like Harry's. He notices my gaze and puts his finger under my chin, tilting my face up to look at him. 

“Spontaneous. I like that….I got a question for you.” I can feel Gemma’s eyes on me, my heart is pounding, anxiety rolling over my shoulders. 

“Yeah?” 

“You wanna go to Dylan’s party Friday night? I can pick you up if you want.” I smile, feeling relieved and excited at the same time. 

“Sure…” he grins. “I’d love to.” 

“Yes.” he pumps his fist in the air. The bell rings, ending our lunch. I stand up and he takes my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine, he brings them to his lips and kisses the back of my hand. His lips are really soft. They feel nice. “I’ll see you Friday night.” Gemma is jumping with excitement as we throw our trays away and head towards our next class. 

Friday arrives almost too quickly. I haven’t actually spoken to Harry since the kissing lesson, but when I arrive at the Styles house he’s there, in the living room, on the phone.He hangs up as I come in. 

“Hey,” I smile and make a bee line for Gemma’s room. “Wow. Wow. Wow.” He stops me, stretching his arm out to block my path. “What’s going on?” 

“What?”

“You’ve been acting weird. Ever since….” he raises his eyebrows. I roll my eyes and scoff. 

“You’re crazy. I am not-” he grabs my chin and brings my lips to his. My eyes close instantly as he wraps his arm around my waist. When he pulls away I think I see stars. “I thought you said kissing lessons only one time.” he smirks, his nose brushes mine. 

“I changed my mind.” He pulls away from me, taking my hand in his. “You wanna tell me what’s wrong?” He pulls me towards the couch in the living room, I sit down beside him, sinking into the cushion. I pull my legs up under myself. 

“We’re going to a party at Dylan’s tonight.” 

“Jake taking you?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you kissed him yet?” I shake my head. He pats my knee reassuringly. 

“Don’t be nervous. You’re a great kisser. It’ll be fine.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what is it?”

“What if he wants...you know...to do...more,” Harry's neck turns a light shade of pink, he clears his throat, shifting in his spot. 

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to Y/N.”

“I know that.”

“And if he tries to force you I will take care of that.” I smile at the thought of Harry protecting me. I shake my head. 

“The thing is that I want to do it. I want to have sex and fall in love and make out and things like that,” Harry listens, his hand still on my knee, “But I can’t even get off on my own. How in the hell would I get a guy off?”

“It’s not that hard.”

“That’s what she said.” he grins at me, happy I got the joke. “I’m serious though. I can’t even masturbate right...Is there something wrong with me?”

“No. Some girls have trouble. There’s nothing wrong with that….What do you think about when you do it?” I’m surprised and pleased with the turn this conversation has taken, I really can talk to Harry about anything. 

“I don’t know...I kinda just….go at it.” he chuckles now, covering his mouth with his hand. HIs eyes crinkle and his whole body shakes. “What?” I ask offended. 

“You can’t just go at it….you need stimulation. To get turned on.”

“Oh.”

“So what turns you on?”

You. I think. I’ll never tell him that though. “I’m not sure.”

“What about the kissing….Did you feel anything when we kissed?” He’s looking at me the way he did when we first kissed. The first time he asked me if I felt something. I lick my lips, his eyes dart down and then back up to my eyes. I nod slowly. 

“Yeah. I felt warm.” 

“Aroused.” he says. 

“Aroused.” It sounds like a foreign concept coming from my mouth, the way it rolls off my tongue. 

“You’ll be fine. If you worry too much you won’t enjoy yourself.” he gets up from the couch and leans over me, pressing his lips to my forehead. I close my eyes, just being this close to him sends my stomach spinning. “If you need anything tonight. Even just a way out, call me. I’ll pick you girls up.” he drops his hand from me and walks away, leaving me alone on the couch. 

Dylan has a nice house. It’s big, and packed with people. The smell of sweat and alcohol and weed fills the air. I stayed by Gemma’s side most of the night, following her and Dylan around the house. Until Dylan whispered something in her ear. 

“Hey Y.N” Gemma pulls me to a corner and shouts in my ear. “I’m gonna go upstairs for a bit. You don’t have to wait for me.” I shake my head, waving her away, a druk couple stumbles past us. I hadn’t drank much at all tonight. 

“It’s fine I’ll wait. Have fun.” she winks at me and follows Dylan up the stairs. I find my way back to the living room. I stand awkwardly off to the side, watching people smoke and drink and act like idiots. It’s pretty amusing, the things people will do when they’re drunk. 

“Hey!” I feel a heavy arm drape over my shoulders. I look up to see Jake, smiling at me tipsily. His fingers brush over my bare shoulder. I’m wearing one of Gemma's dresses tonight. A sexy little off the shoulders black dress, it hugs my curves perfectly. “You enjoying yourself?” he asks. I nod my head and motion towards my ear, the music is loud, shaking the house with the base. Jake takes my hand, pulling me through the throngs of people, he leads me outside. 

“Ah..That’s much better,” I say, taking a deep breath. Jake stands in front of me. His eyes rake over my body. It bothers me, the way he’s looking at me. He tosses his empty beer can to the side and places his hands on my hips, he tips his head down so our noses brush. 

There’s no one around. Everyone else is inside, it’s a cold night. The wind raises the hairs on my flesh, giving me goosebumps. Not even Jake being this close can warm me. 

“You’re fucking gorgeous. You know that?” He doesn’t give me a chance to reply. He grabs my chin roughly and slams his lips to mine. His kiss is hard and rough. I slap at his shoulders as he pulls me closer, forcing his tongue into my mouth.I can barely breathe, my mind begins to cloud, I squirm, trying to get away. But he has me in a vice grip.  Panic seized me. He’s drunk and I’m alone, also quite a bit smaller than him. One of his hands slides down my back, barely brushing my ass. I shove at him, he staggers backwards, wiping his mouth. My mouth hurts and I’m shaking with fear. 

“Y/N!” I turn and run as fast as I can, kicking Gemma's heels off as I go. I’ll buy her a new pair later. 

My feet are sore and throbbing from pounding against the pavement, my body perspiring as I make my way up the steps to the Styles household. I’m exhausted, my adrenaline finally wearing off. I hope Jake isn’t mad at me. I think I overreacted. My mouth still hurts, I can still feel his slimy, tongue sliding down my throat. I grimace as I open the door and step inside quietly., The tv is on, someone’s up, I don’t pay attention to it. 

“Y/N,” I take a step back as a shadowy figure emerges from the living room. Harry walks towards me, his eyes wide with alarm. He reaches out and I rush into his arms. I’m scared and confused and embarrassed. Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I thought every kiss would be like Harry's. I don’t know. Harry holds me close, rubbing my back and whispering to me soothingly. 

“You’re safe Y/N. You’re safe.”

[elsaclack]

30 and 42 for peraltiago please 🥺

SO THIS ISN’T MY BEST EVER but i kinda....maybe......partially like it??

pre-relationship, probably late s2ish?? bc i have no other brand or any sense of self-control, apparently

30. “Those things you said yesterday...did you mean them?”

42. “I don’t care, just hold me.”

Amy doesn’t see Jake for nearly six hours after they arrive at the emergency room.

She tries not to let it bother her - she knows he’s okay, she could hear him arguing with the nurses for the entire first hour they were there - but the truth is, after the last twenty-four hours of terror and pain with nothing but him tethering her to reality, it feels not unlike she’s missing some vital part of herself without him in sight.

And she supposes the feeling must be mutual; after six hours of faint, but persistent anxiety festering in the spaces between her ribs, the door to her room cracks open, and he noiselessly slips inside.

He keeps his back pressed to the wall beside the door well after it’s clicked shut again.  “You awake?” he whispers in the semi-darkness.

“Yeah,” she rasps, and he darts toward her.  She can tell he’s limping, even in the shadows cast across his figure by the dim lights behind her bed, and she chokes down the automatic admonishment that rises in her throat at the sight.  She knows it would fall on deaf ears - she knows if the roles were reversed, she’d shrug him off without a second thought.  So she watches him move closer, watches him drag the guest chair closer to her bedside with one hand, watches him feel around in the folds of her blankets for her hand.

And once he’s got a firm grip on her hand, he finally goes still.

Jake presses his lips against her knuckles, and she’s thankful for the darkness concealing the faint blush that spreads across her cheeks at the scratchy feel of his five o’clock shadow against her skin.  “You okay?” he whispers, gently tracing a path up her arm from her wrist up to her shoulder and back down again with the fingertips of his free hand.

She shrugs the best she can, and he exhales a huff of laughter through his nose.  He’s close enough that she can see the faintest glint of light reflecting off the whites of his eyes, and a bubble of warmth expands around her heart.  “What about you?  Are you okay?”

She taps her index finger against his hand, adjusting her head on the pillow to see him a bit easier.  He blinks, lips pursed to one side, like he’s really considering it.  “Better, now,” he finally says.

She blushes again.

Slowly - wincing against the sharp pains of her muscles protesting her movements - she rolls to her right side, closer to him.  Jake doesn’t try to stop her, though his grip momentarily tightens around her hand; it loosens as slowly as she sighs, settling into her new position on the bed.

It’s quiet for a moment, and even though the quiet is normally something Amy rather enjoys in his company, right now all she hears is the distant echoes of torture playing on a never-ending loop in her mind.  So she clears her throat, eyes squeezed shut, only opening them when she senses him shifting in his seat.

“Hey,” Jake’s voice is low and soothing, and she does her resolute best to focus on it over the memory of his voice shattered with desperation.  She blinks, shaking her head slightly, and his face comes swimming into view.  “We’re okay,” he reminds her, gently squeezing her hand.  “We made it.”

She nods, ignoring the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.  “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“Don’t,” he says sharply - so sharply he seems to surprise himself.  “This wasn’t your fault.”

“It was, though,” she mumbles, and Jake’s grip on her hand tightens again - and this time, she can feel her own hand shaking.  “Kirkland was my perp, you only got caught up in it because you happened to be with me when -”

“When he attacked you and kidnapped you and dragged you back to a literal torture chamber that he built specifically for you,” Jake interrupts, and Amy clenches her jaw against a veritable tsunami of guilt - her fault, her fault, her fault.  “Ames, I’m glad I was there.  I’m glad he decided to take me, too.”

Her breath catches in her chest, but his earnestness does not fade.  “You are?” she manages after a beat.

“Hell yeah I am,” he says with a forceful nod.  “Could you imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t been in there with you?” 

She tries to conjure the images in her mind, but all she sees is his face contorted in pain, rivlets of blood dripping down his pale skin from somewhere above his hairline.

“He woulda killed you, Amy,” he says softly, and it’s like a bucket of ice water over her head.  “If I hadn’t’ve been there to negotiate with him -” he stops, shivering in a way she thinks might not be entirely voluntary, and it’s suddenly very difficult to remember how to breathe.  “He would’ve - god.  I’m so glad I was there.”

She knew, on some level, that she spent a certain amount of time being held hostage completely unconscious; it hadn’t occurred to her in the disorienting moments after regaining consciousness that the dream she’d had of Jake begging for both of their lives - for her life, specifically - had actually happened.  But now that she’s thinking about it - now that she’s really allowing herself to relive it - she can’t believe she spent even a moment believing her mind could conjure anything as horrific as Jake listing all of the reasons their deranged captor shouldn’t murder her in cold blood.

“You talked to him about me, didn’t you?” she rasps, and Jake nods slowly.  “You begged him not to kill me.”

“You could hear me?”

“I thought I was dreaming,” she says absently.  “What did - what did you tell him?”

He clears his throat, fingers rippling self-consciously against the back of her hand.  “I - I told him that you’re so smart, and sweet, and funny,” he starts, “and that you’re horrifically awkward with kids, but you’d do absolutely anything for your nieces and nephews.  That you have six brothers who adore you and one who kind of tolerates you. Um, that you make mini loaves of pumpkin bread and give them to all of your neighbors on the first day of fall every year, and chocolate chip cookies for the first day of spring.  I told him that you’re a terrible dancer but you’re taking classes to get better and that you love animals but can’t go within five feet of a dog without having a full-on epipen level allergic reaction.  That you pretend to hate pop music but you can sing along with almost every Taylor Swift song on my Spotify playlist.  That you love cheese but hate string cheese and you can only have red wine on Friday nights because you get such a bad headache the next day, but you refuse to stop drinking it even though it’s clearly bad for you.  I told him that you’re my best friend,” he murmurs, “and that I love you more than anyone on the planet, and - that I’d, y’know...I’d just be kinda...lost.  Without you.  Or something - something like that.”

She exhales slowly, watching him chew the inside of his cheek and avoid eye-contact.  “I - I don’t - know what to say,” she finally manages.

“Nothing,” he says quickly, “you don’t have to say anything.  I’m - I was desperate, y’know.  He - had a knife, and I couldn’t - my wrists were tied, I couldn’t get to you to - to physically stop him.  I would’ve said anything.”

She nods, hoping the room is dim enough to mask the undeniable wave of disappointment flooding her belly.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop him from hurting you,” he says softly, so softly the tears spring up automatically at his words.  “God, hearing you scream - I don’t think I’m ever gonna get that sound outta my head.  I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, and this time he doesn’t try to cut her off - just shakes his head, diligently chewing his cheek once more, eyes fixated on the blankets bunched beneath her crooked elbow.  “And you’re right - if you hadn’t been there, I - I don’t think this would have ended in the ER for me.”

He clears his throat again, briefly pressing the back of her hand to his lips.

“Did you mean it?”

He lowers her hand slowly, brow furrowed, and there’s a mottled-looking bruise developing over his left temple, dipping dangerously close to his eye.  “What?”

“The things you said...did you mean them?”

He shakes his head - an absent movement she recognizes from all the times she’s watched him try to piece a puzzle together.  “I’m not following you,” he confesses.

“You said you would’ve said anything to stop Kirkland from killing me.  Did - did you mean all the things you did say to him?”

His mouth drops open, but no words come; he shakes his head again, a confused laugh escaping from his throat.  “I just - I was trying to humanize you, I just - told him facts about you -”

“Jake.”

He keeps up the facade another moment, before deflating.  “Yeah, I meant it,” he mumbles, the pad of his thumb swiping up the inward curve of her own thumb in a nervous tick.  “I just - I dunno, Ames.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” she says truthfully; he studies her expression for a moment, before nodding in bald-faced thankfulness.  “But you should know - the feelings are...mutual.”

She can see his eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline, a broad grin splitting his face in an instant. “Oh-ho,” he quietly crows, “so you are totally in love with me!”

“Never said in love,” she mutters, rolling her eyes and ignoring the faint ache at the base of her skull at the movement.  He snorts, leaning closer to her, and through the mirth she can see it - unabashed affection simmering in his soft gaze.  Her heart throbs, familiar and exhilarating, and for a third time he presses her hand against his lips.  Exhaustion thrums through her veins, tugging at her sticky eyelids, and despite the fact that she can feel the warmth of his breath on her face every time he exhales, he’s stupidly, stupidly far away.  “Come up here,” she murmurs with a twitch of her wrist.

He furrows his brow.  “What, in the bed with you?”

“Yes.”

“It’s so narrow - and your knee -”

“I don’t care,” she interrupts, “just - hold me.  Please.”

She tacks the last word on as an afterthought - as cushioning to what she belatedly realizes is more of an order than an invitation.  “Yes, ma’am,” he mutters, already sprung up from his seat to clamber up the side of the bed, and whatever pulse of self-consciousness she felt fades immediately.

Amy rolls painstakingly to her left side, biting back a pained groan the entire way that only subsides when she feels the warm wall of Jake’s body flush against her back.  He pulls her into him until her shoulders brush against his chest, and she closes her eyes at the feeling of him nosing through her hair.  The crown of her head is wrapped in thick bandages, but she still feels the press of his lips against her; carefully, she turns her head to find him a breath away, watching her through long eyelashes.

It’s not the most comfortable position - she’s sure she’ll get a crick in her neck like this if she tries to hold it too long - but when he tentatively brushes his lips against hers, her discomfort vanishes.  It’s just him - his arms around her waist and curled beneath her head, his knees slotted in behind hers, his lips warm and gentle, moving in tandem with hers.

He presses another kiss to the corner of her mouth when she pulls away, and another to her cheek as her head automatically rolls to a more comfortable position; as she turns her head back to face the far wall, he trails kisses down the side of her neck and up the line of her shoulder.  “Thank you,” she whispers.

“Sh,” he shushes her, and her eyes flutter closed.  “Sleep now.  Talk later.”  He plants two more kisses at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.  “I like you.”

She smiles - a small, tired thing.  “I like you, too.”

He murmurs something else - something that makes him laugh, that makes the mattress sway beneath their bodies - but she’s asleep before it reaches her.

request a prompt for any of these pairings!

[the-fiction-witch]

Cheerleader

TV SHOW ACCUSED

COUPLE JAKE X READER

RATING SMUTTY

I sat trying to think straight everything was hell right now, I just wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

Someone sat beside me but I thought little of it till there was a tap on my shoulder so I looked up and saw the blue and black uniform of the cheerleaders 

"Uuuuuuhhh hi" I blushed seeing y/n she was one of the cheerleaders one of the more thicker girls in her blue and black striped cheer uniform her hair up in a ponytail with a little blue headband to keep the hair out her yes 

"Hi Jake" she smiled 

"What uhh what's up?" I smiled trying to act cool 

"I wanted to ask you something" she smiled "do you have a date yet for the dance at the end of the month?" She asks 

"Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhh no" I blushed 

"Well then, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go together? Like as a couple?" She asks and I felt my heart beating out if my chest as well as somewhere else throbbing with excitement 

"Are uhh are you sure?" I asked in disbelief

"I'm sure I wanna go with you" she smiled 

"Uhhh okay, I uhh I'd love to" I blushed 

"Great" she smiled she grabbed a pen from her bag and grabbed my hand she giggled playfully smiling at me as she wrote on my hand, as soon as she was done she kissed my cheek and headed off to class giving me a little flirty wave as she went I couldn't help looking at her go, I was mesmerized by her beauty and her little cheerleader skirt… a cheerleader is into me! Hell y/n is into me! I looked at my hand seeing her name and her number with a little heart at the end I quickly grabbed my phone from my bag putting the number in as the bell went so I put my phone away and headed into class 

"Hand Mr Murray" a teacher told me as I got inside and he instantly spotted my hand 

"I'm going, I'm going" I sighed going to a sink and washing it off before sitting in my seat 

"What did you have in your hand?" Dan asked as she sat beside me with his stuff 

"Nothing" I lied even if I couldn't stop smiling

"What was it Jake?"

"Well...let's just say a certain someone might have given me her number" I smiled 

"Your kidding? Who was it?" He asked I didn't answer "ohh Don't Tell me it was y/n? That fat cheerleader your obsessed with?"

"She's not fat, she thick there's a difference"

"How?"

"Fat is unhealthy, thick is it's... you know in the right places"

"Like her ass and her tits?"

"Exactly" 

"Doesn't this all seem… I don't know too good to be true? I mean how long have you been crushing on her? And all of a sudden she just turns up and gives you her number? Doesn't that sound a little off?"

"I'm not going to question it, I'm just going to enjoy it" I smiled.

I sat on my bed after dinner throwing my stuff in the counter and grabbing my phone 

Me - Hey it's Jake? From class?

Y/n <3 - yay! I've been waiting for your message I was rather hoping it would have been sooner 

Me - sorry busy day… 

Me - so how are you tonight?

Y/n <3 - okay I guess, just getting cosy for a movie with my blankets, some popcorn, and my teddy bear 

Me - that sounds heavenly 

Y/n <3 - It is X 

She then sent a picture, I opened it and saw her laid on a purple bed in her cheerleader uniform with a little teddy bear tucked up in her arm, she looked so innocent and yet so sexy that uniform looked so much tighter then earlier I had to I physically stop myself from touching myself as I knew how hard that little picture had made me my cock throbbing every time I looked at it but I knew I had to respond I didn't want her to think I was jerking off to her 

Me - you look really cosy 

Me - and very beautiful x

Y/n <3 - awww your too sweet Jake X 

Y/n <3 - I'd be more cosy if I wasn't so lonely

Me - why are you lonely?

Y/n <3 - my parents are out so I'm all alone 

Me - aww I'm sorry y/n, I wish I could help well I'm here I'll chat all night if you want

Y/n <3 - or maybe you could come... keep me company X 

I was almost hyperventilating she wants me to come over, her parents aren't there as could do anything… 

Me - Sure I'd be happy to come over tonight 

I sat wait biting on my fingers as her little typing bubble popped up 

Y/n <3 - great, see you soon X 

She then sent directions.

I quickly put my phone down and ran what may have been the quickest shower if my life even if I scrubbed as much as I could, I got dressed into some decent clothes and made sure I had body spray and even after shave getting some bits in my bag and heading downstairs 

"Where are you off to this time of night?" My mother asks from the sofa watching her show 

"Out, with my friends" I lied 

"Don't get into trouble" she sighed so I grabbed my key and headed out the door before she asked anything else heading down the dark paths 

Me - on my way x 

I followed the directions she gave me and I arrived at a fairly nice house with a few lights on I went up to the door and rather nervously knocked dan's words flooding back to me maybe something was up I mean we hadn't even been talking long when she asked me over it did seem a little fast the door opened and I saw y/n stood in her blue and black cheer uniform with her blue and black thigh high socks her hair loose but the Alice band remaining her make up perfectly matched her uniform and I did my best to tug my shirt to cover my Bonner 

"My my, don't you look handsome" she smiled 

"Uuuh thank you" I blushed "you uhh you look beautiful" 

"Aww thanks Jake" she smiled pulling me inside the house and locking the door behind us she giggled playfully holding my hand 

"Y/n, I have to ask you something?"

"What is it Jake?"

"Is this a big joke? Like the other cheerleaders are going to jump out bad laugh at me or something? Because… I really like you y/n, I've liked you since we where little"

"What Jake no what would you think that?"

"You gave me your number this afternoon and I'm already here in your house"

"Sorry I guess it was a little rushed I just didn't want to be lonely tonight that's all, and I'd rather you then one of the jock boys" she explained 

"But why me?" I asked 

"You wanna know?" She asks and I nodded "I have a thing for skinny boys" she whispered 

"Hu?" 

"Ummm for skinny little blonde nerdy boys" she giggled 

"Really? So the huge muscular guys from track?"

"Do nothing for me" she shrugs "so you wanna come play video games in my room while I sit on your lap and let you grope my boobs?" She asks 

I smirked grabbing her waist and kissing her deeply "oh my God your an angel, you might actually be an angel sent from heaven either that or I'm fucking dreaming either way don't stop please" 

She giggled grabbing my hand and pulling me up to her bedroom we cuddled up on her bed often kissing and stroking across each other playfully I had tried playing videogames but she was far to distracting 

"Your loosing again" she giggled 

"Ummm I don't care" I groaned pulling her sweet addictive lips back to my own my hand has say rather contently on her waist the whole time we had been kissing but I tenderly moved up gently squeezing her boob "uuuummmm… " I moaned I to our kiss but she pushed my hand away "what's wrong?"

"Play your game" she giggled handing me back the controller and she sat herself squarely on my lap her back against my chest her legs either side of mine "ooohh Jake your so big" she smirked moving her hips a little to gently grind herself against me 

"Umm stop, stop, stop" I told her grabbing her hips so she couldn't move 

"Why?" She whines 

"You do that I'm gonna cum in my pants" I told her 

"Awww but I wanted to play" she whines wiggling her butt on me almost giving me a lap dance 

"Ooh god y/n, please…" I groan rolling my head against the wall she stayed still and let me play a while nuzzling into my chest as she got comfy on me often pulling me to kiss her making me loose 

"Aww you keep loosing'

"I keep getting distracted by a beautiful girl" she laughed turning to the game off and her tv sitting at the end of her bed watching me 

"I wanna play something else" she giggled

"What?" I asked her 

"Let's play Fantasy" she giggled

"Okay? What's Fantasy?"

"You tell me a fantasy? And then we'll go and act it out" ahs smiled

"Any Fantasy?" I asked and she nods "anything I want?"

"Anything"

"Okay…take your bra and panties off and stand in your kitchen against the counter" I told her 

"Okay" she giggled going to slip her clothes off but I stopped her 

"No, leave the uniform on" I growled 

[chilly-me-softly]

What about for the ‘James son one’. Some months pass by and everything goes good etc & y/n gets pregnant as they have been trying for a baby (as they want a love child of their own) and when they announce it to Jake, he kind of throws a tantrum as he doesn’t want another baby in the house as he doesn’t want be replaced and stuff. Maybe it ending in an argument between him and James at first & Jake comes stand by your bed in the middle of the night crying while apologizing. I trust u on this 💙

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Jake turned four last month, the little party with his schoolmates was exhausting but the happiness on the child’s face during the day you’ll never forget.

That night, when you put him to bed, you stayed to watch him sleep a few more minutes than usual. He was growing up so fast and every day he looked more and more like James.

“Imagine how cute it would be if he had someone close to his age to play with” you always wanted a sibling, someone to share your times with, someone to blame for the jokes, fighting over stupid things but having those moments of sweetness that make you not want to kill him…

“Yeah” James’ hand on your back suddenly stops and makes you lift your head out of his chest to look at him, “Wait… you want a baby?”

“You don’t?” you ask with a slight smile, “I mean, Jake’s four now, the house is quiet enough when he’s not around. And I’d love to have a baby of our own, James”

“Look, I know you didn’t have a good experience with Jake. Although you raised him wonderfully, I know it was hard to do it alone, and I don’t want to force you. Just know that when you’re ready, I’m ready”

“God (Y/N) I love you so much” he draws you to him to leave a kiss on your lips, his voice broken by emotion.

“So that’s a yes?” he giggles on your lips before nodding. “Yes, let’s make another baby”

You kiss each other for what’s a whole minutes before James breaks off and puts a thumb on your lips, “I wanted to talk to you about something too. A couple of things actually”

Curiosity takes over as he rolls over on his side to pick up something in the drawer of his bedside table and you rest your back against the headboard of the bed. A folder is placed on your legs and you look at James before you take it in your hands and read something.

It’s a paper to fill out, the bold writing at the top immediately catches your attention and your eyes fill up with tears. “You want…”

He nods, “And so does Jake. We talked about it and I tried to explain more or less what it all meant to him and he really wants you to officially be his mom”

“I- wow, I-I don’t know what to say. Give me a pen” you giggle as you wipe those tears that are wetting your cheeks and take a deep breath. Your hand shakes as your eyes look where you need to sign, but you think of something once you take the cap off the pen.

“Wait, shouldn’t we be married for me to adopt Jake?”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about” your eyes follow his movements as he takes a little box out of the same drawer as before.

“Oh my god James” your hand goes to cover your mouth in disbelief, your heart beats so fast, too much excitement for one day.

“I’ve had this ring for weeks, trying to find the best time. But then I thought all the moments I spend with you could be, because with you everything is special”

“And I’m not asking for Jake, I mean he’s one of the reasons, but I’ve been dreaming of seeing you in a white dress practically since Jake called you mom at the stadium that day. You’re a special person and I’d really like to call you my missus as soon as possible”

“You’ve already convinced me without opening your mouth” you put your hand under your eyes to give you a demeanour, “but damn James Maddison, I love you so much”

“So that’s a yes?” he copies your words from earlier while you giggle and nod, “Yes, I want to marry you James Maddison”

With trembling hands he puts the ring on you and then you kiss, your tears mix with his and you can’t stop giggling every here and there.  "Can you be quiet?“ he murmurs on your lips before putting his hands under your shirt, too happy and too much adrenaline flowing through your bodies not to end the evening the way it ends.

So here you are three months later, in the middle of wedding preparations and a hyperactive kid who wants to have his say on it - you won’t turn your wedding into another birthday party anyway.  The morning after that eventful evening, he had somehow spotted the ring on your finger and ran to hug you, almost risking throwing you down for the surprise, screaming that you were going to be his mom. And you cried again, the wave of emotion still too fresh to think about it and not do it.

You haven’t even put your feet on the ground yet, but you already know it’s going to be a bad day.Your stomach rebels as soon as you move and you only have time to get to the toilet before throwing up. The sudden movement wakes up James who is immediately by your side caressing your back while you are rejecting practically only bile because you haven’t had time to eat anything.  

"There’s this virus going around, half of Jake’s class got it” James makes you go back to bed after you’ve brushed your teeth and tucks you in before getting Jake ready for kindergarten and get home as fast as he can in case you need him.

You eat little or nothing during the day, and when Jake comes home, he snuggles up to keep you company. You fall asleep stroking his hair and it goes on for days, morning sickness and tiredness even though all you do is sleep.

James starts to worry, at this point it is obvious that it is not a trivial flu and decides to take you to a doctor, who gives you the good news. You’re around six weeks pregnant.

You can’t believe it, you had put the baby idea aside at least until after the wedding and yet here you are in that doctor’s office, the ultrasound machine in front of you with what is your child on the screen.

You are over the moon and keeping it hidden is hard, you try to apply some method against nausea that you read online and sometimes you succeed. Sometimes you find yourself having to explain to the concerned child that it’s just the flu. You want to wait until you get out of the first trimester before you tell anyone, before telling Jake.

“Should we postpone the wedding?” you ask James one night when Jake’s been asleep for hours and you’re on the couch watching a movie. Your little belly covered by James’ hand while you’re leaning on him.

“What do you mean?”

“Waiting for the baby to be born?” he leaves a kiss on your head, waving his thumb on your belly.

“It’s two months away, how long will you be… six months by then?” you nod slightly, “It’s your call to make, you’re carrying this little creature inside you and only you know what’s best for both of you”

“No James, I don’t have to marry myself. So, what do you want?” you look up at him, a smile is opening up on his face.

“I was already imagining you and me and Jake and this little guy sharing our day together. As a family”

You stretch out to give him a tender kiss on the lips, “I guess I’ll have to make some changes to my dress then”

Telling Jake is perhaps the hardest thing of all, you’re nervous and you didn’t think giving out such good news would make you vomit at any moment. The time had come, your belly was starting to notice and soon you couldn’t hide it from anyone.

James just got back from picking Jake up from practice and you’re sitting on the couch waiting for them. You exchange a look with James and after greeting the kid, you both make him sit in front of you.

“So Jakey, your daddy and I have something to tell you”

“Okay” the baby looks at you smiling and you two look at each other for a moment before James nods slightly.

“In a few months you’ll have a little brother” silence falls in the room, the smile on the baby’s face slowly disappears and his lower lip starts to shake visibly.

“Jakey, hey what’s going on?” you ask worriedly as you get up from the couch and go crouch down in front of him but he quickly breaks away from your grip making you lose your balance and you’re down before you can realize it.

“(Y/N)! Oh my God, are you okay?” James is right next to you while your eyes are still on the little boy, his little red face and tears in his eyes have their effect on you as you find yourself crying.

“Jake, go to your room” James orders him as he tries to calm you down but the baby slams one foot on the floor, “No!” he screams in tears.

“Now!” he yells at James and you’re so surprised just as much as Jake and James himself, the baby bursts out crying even louder running into his room and slamming the door.

When you go to check on Jake a few hours later, he’s asleep. On his cheeks you can still see the path of his tears and your heart tightens because at four years old you don’t have to fall asleep after crying and above all you don’t want to be the cause of so many tears.

You close the door and sigh, meeting James’s eyes, who has been absent since he raised his voice against his son. You go to hug him and he sighs, “I thought he’d be happy”

“Me too love, me too”

“I didn’t want to yell at him, but when I saw you on the ground I-”

“James” you shush him by catching his face in your hands, “Unfortunately it happens, it’s part of being a parent. He won’t love you any less because you raised your voice a little bit, all right? It will be fine” he looks down sighing and you go down to the kitchen and make dinner.

James is ready to take him by force when the kid refuses to come down to eat, but you’d rather not do any more damage that night and take him away from going to his room to drag him there. Going to bed without dinner never hurt anyone.

You go to bed with a heavy chest that night, neither of you fall asleep until late giving in to sleep only when you can no longer keep your eyes open.

A sob suddenly catches your attention, and it takes you a while to focus on the image of Jake rubbing his eye with one hand in front of you. You jerk taking him in your arms right away and rocking him, he wraps his arms around your neck tightly and letting the tears soak your neck.

A light comes on from James’ side while “Did I hurt you?” asks the child still in the same position. And you look at James for a second before you shake your head, “No honey, I’m fine”

“But I want to know why you’re not happy”

“You’ll love him more, he’s yours!” cries the baby in sobs and a tear slips from your eyes before James takes Jake in his arms.

“Hey JM listen to me, you will always be our first child. Nothing and no one can ever replace you, is that clear? No one will treat you any differently and no one will love you any less, you’ll be the greatest big brother ever. Yeah? Will you help me and mommy with your little brother?” he nods sniffing while James leaves a kiss on his forehead.

“You’re my boy too Jackey. Don’t ever forget that”

Part 5 - Part 6

[letsperaltiago]

then together let us make a world | jake x amy |

Tooth-rotting fluff based on episode 7x01 coming through! 

Read on ao3 here! 

----------

It’s only after getting over the disappointment of Scully and Hitchcock's interview-hijack that it really hits Jake what had previously gone down: They’re going to start trying… for a baby. Gushing thoughts have completely corrupted his brain but they contain so much excitement, confidence he’s never quite felt before, and for this reason he doesn’t mind.

They’re going to start trying for a baby, a little tiny human being, that will be his and hers.

That evening Amy had brought up the pregnancy scare very delicately well aware of her husband’s much improved although still tentative feelings concerning the logistics of the baby-matter. Granted they’d crossed paths with the subject, multiple times, before Jake had indeed, and rather firmly, settled on the fact that, yes, he wanted to be a dad: specifically Amy Santiago’s child’s dad. What had up until now held him back was the question of when.

When would he be ready? When would the time be perfectly right?  When would he be able to be the exact opposite of his own dad?

Even though Amy by all means knew her husband could never turn out to be a shitty dad, or shitty anything, for that matter, and of this she’d reassure time after time, she also knew there was understandable reasoning behind his apprehension. Or that was until tonight. Tonight he hadn’t needed her delicateness, though he appreciated it, and he hadn’t cared about his former apprehension. Tonight had been and felt different.

It was as if the second the word pregnant had escaped her lips, he’d instantly felt his heart skip a beat which he at first thought was alike previous nervous occasions, right up until giving it another nanosecond to realise that this time it wasn’t the case. Different from previous times this flutter felt good, thrilling, new and akin to what could only be described as his hopes and dreams about of this long awaited epiphany. And now… it was finally here.

Sitting in bed with her, the very equivalent of the most normal end of the day for them, nothing that felt more special and right as he’d said out loud what he so shamelessly had felt as a result of her little update. The words had flown out his mouth but, for once, his spontaneous declaration were at no one’s expense because, yes, he was ready.

And now, after watching the rest of the news and settling down for the night, it really hits Jake, as they’re lying there, how truly right it all feels. He’s currently tucked into bed with his head slightly propped up watch whatever nonsense is now on TV, alongside him Amy has fallen asleep with her head on his chest, left arm and leg wrapped lovingly around him. It does constrain most of his ability to move but at the very least allows him to have his left arm under, around and holding her close in return. Even considering how normal the evening feels, it also feels that more special, truly like the start of something brand new.

Just as yet another mind numbing commercial interrupts whatever he was mindlessly pretending to watch his eyes drop to look down upon Amy’s sleeping figure. There, his eyes are met by shiny black hair standing out against her pink shirt, indeed messy after a long day but not enough to come in-between his angle of view and her beautiful face. And there it is again, he realises: the stupid smile on his face that’ll appear out of nowhere without a warning the second his mind revisits the thought of the woman before him carrying their child. There is no helping it, he thinks, before letting his fingers run through the locks carefully as to not wake her up.

“Careful, Peralta,” she rumbles, startling him even though he won’t admit to it, half of her face currently smushed comfortably into his chest, nevertheless burying it in a lazy attempt at physical affection.

“You’re absolutely in deep now. There’s no going back,” she jokes through shut eyes although he can tell that there’s a smug grin hiding in his chest.

“Oh, honey I’ve been in deep for a long time now.”

He smiles down at her continuously playing with her hair. Her eyes are still closed but her hand, which seconds ago was helping her hold onto his torso, moves to stroke his bicep. However her smile, on the other hand, quickly changes, doesn’t remain smug for long, and quickly transitions from teasing to a softer version that reflects how she’s really feeling.

“I know it’s still really early and we literally just decided to start trying, but…” she trails off after suddenly opening her eyes, as if the moment has suddenly gained a certain tint of sincerity that wasn’t there seconds ago. “… have you thought about any, you know,” she takes the tiniest of breaths, inhaling courage, before twisting her neck as much as physically possible in her given position to lock eyes with him, “baby names?”

“I actually have,” he counters, once again taking her by storm, without a flinch or any kind of sign of insecurity. Amy’s so proud of him.

With a reassuring smile he reaches over to grab his phone from the nightstand, where it’d immediately been put aside when Amy had come to him with what he’d picked up on as important matter. He doesn’t even have to see at the look upon his wife’s face: he can sense that she’s beaming as he settles back against the pillow with his phone in hand.

“You made a list?” She’s truly surprised and impressed by just how much her A-typeness has worn off on him even if it’s just little things like lists.

“Yeah,” he states proudly before briefly clearing his throat thus prompting Amy to flip over, scooting back to lean her upper backside and head against his chest instead. It’s no secret that she’s extremely curious to get a look at a) her husband’s attempt at what she considers a hobby and b) what her husband considers legitimate names for their future child. This new position will allow her to look through the mystery-list with him. With both arms wrapped around her Jake holds and rests the devise on his belly for both of them to see

“…I actually started making it that evening after our talk at the hospital.”

Amy observes a slight reddening of his cheeks, perhaps not out of embarrassment per say but rather out of understanding of how very real the matter at hand has gotten. His list is no longer just a pile of names in his Notes-app where he’d, for fun and hypothetical reasons, add another one whenever he came across one he liked: now it’s a list that could quite possibly contain the name of their future child.

She grins from ear to ear way before he has the chance to start reading out loud. Just how in love with him she is keeps hitting her again and again, a thousand miles per hour, like lighting tearing apart the sky during a thunderstorm.

“The first name on the list you already know about since we’ve talked about it: Atlas.”

“Still kinda really like it,” Amy shrugs light-heartedly from where she’s comfortably leaning into him all while tracing small drawings of nothing in particular but affection his thigh.

“Our child would be the one to be named after a god, huh?” Jake teases earning him a chuckle from Amy.

“So unbiased,” she confirms jokingly.

“Exactly,” he briefly pecks the top of her head in agreement before continuing. “Alexander is up next.”

“Nu-uh!” Her body twists hurriedly in a tiny squirm of objection. “Perp-alert! I can’t have my child have the same name as one of my ex-perps.”

“Ames, combined we’ve probably arrested hundreds if not thousands of perps!”

While he can see her point: after all it is understandable that she doesn’t want their child to be associated with anything negative, this also erases a lot of possibilities on both their ends.

And although he is completely serious upon making his statement, he has to laugh at the thought of having to name their child something completely absurd because of the extremes of their job.

“I’m sure there’s plenty of names that haven’t been ruined by crime yet. There are literally billions of names out there!” On her part it is in fact a statement but ends up coming out as whine instead - a playful complaint of sorts.

“Sure,” he pauses to think for a second before pulling up a browser tab wherein starts typing obviously searching for something.

Amy’s eyes tries to keep up with his typing but Jake’s fingers have obtained their fair share of training from all the time he spends gaming on his phone, and it’s more of a struggle to follow than she likes to admit. 

All she happens to catch is that as soon as he types the first few letters of whatever he’s searching to find, the website’s name pops up as a suggestion telling her that he’s visited it before. He swiftly enters it and clicks around a few more times losing her in the process. A long list appears on what appears to be babynames.com. The thought of him visiting it on his own time, by himself as… fun? It makes her heart flutter.

“It won’t be a problem if you want our child to be called… Agamemnon.”

She immediately twists her neck to look up at him where she’s met by a deadpan she knows is trying to hide the fact that he’s cracking up on the inside.

“I mean,” she untwists her neck to grab the phone from his hand in order to have a closer look at the screen and what is written about the name. “We do seem to have something for Greek mythology so I don’t see the problem, Jake.”

Jake knows Amy like the back of his hand and it’s clear as day that she’s messing with him – but of course two can play that game.

“Okay, great,” he states matter-of-factly, “It’s settled then: we’re naming our child Agamemnon Santiago-Peralta - boy or girl.”

He gently takes back his phone to lock it as a visual settlement of the discussion.

“Okay. Cool cool cool…” Amy complies.

Silence dominates the bedroom for a few seconds before Amy twists her neck, both looking at each other trying to figure out when to kill the joke. Their shared look doesn’t last long before they break into laughter.

“I’m sorry, Ames, but you will never hear me call our child Agamemnon out loud.”

“Completely fair.”

Both of their laughs quiet down. Amy settles back down against his chest while Jake reopens his phone and Notes-app.

“What else do you have in there? I’m sure there are some genuinely good contestants.” She almost coos in order to get the conversation back and track, although more importantly to let him know she genuinely wants to hear his propositions.

This time it’s Amy turn to gentle grab the phone from him and scroll. He loves moments like these where they’re just soaking in each other’s presence without much else to do but talk or touch for the sake of it. To occupy himself in the meantime Jake allows his newly freed hands to caress her the area around her waist and stomach now suddenly also better known as where their child will be growing, becoming a tiny little individual, in what he sincerely hopes is a matter of months. A year ago he couldn’t fathom the feeling this feeling of impatience to be dad, yet alone truly, surely wanting a child. In a drastic lift-changing contrast, here they finally were, going through baby names like it was the most common thing in their world.

“Olivia is nice… Felix also good… Noah is adorable…”

Jake can tell, from the tone of her voice, that she genuinely means every single comment she makes, which wholeheartedly provokes a feeling of pride and the feeling of he can do this. The sound of her voice threats to lull him into a trancelike state, and for a moment allows his eyes to shut while he lets his ears do the job of keeping of with Amy discovering his lists. Just like his eyes, his hand’s movement on her are about to falter when suddenly his wife lets out a tiny gasp. It’s safe to say that his eyes are, just as fast as they were closed, back wide open.

“This one is really sweet,” he can tell she’s smiling from the way her voice is laced with softness. “Juliet,” she continues, out loud, to allow it to roll on her tongue and for herself to get a better taste of it.

Jake gives her some time to dwell on it before speaking up.

“Yeah, I added it after that night we watched ‘Letters to Juliet’… I don’t know if it’s too sappy for my own good, but I like the thought of the baby being like…”

Amy can tell he hesitates to finish the sentence.

“What?” she looks up at him with an eager look: only those beautiful brown eyes that at any time can calm him down, can also lure him out of his emotionally wounded shell.

“… This baby is going to be like our little love letter.”

A few beats, a matter of seconds, go by and Amy can tell he’s just about to break into cringing and a string of sarcastic comments to redeem what he’s just said. Only this time he doesn’t make it, because Amy Peralta-Santiago lives for Jake’s occasional super-soft moments and she’s not about to let this one slip away.

It’s, or so it feels, out of the blue, just as the cringe starts to break on his face, that he halts when his wife suddenly does a 180 and relocates to hover above him. He briefly, just barely manages to, catches the glimpse of a smile on her face that tells him that he’s doing just fine. That is before it disappears into a soft, warm kiss pressed to his lips.

As so many times before, an amount that he forever hopes will be infinite, their lips come together in sweet, passionate harmony.

“Don’t say anything,” she pecks the corner of his lip so softly the need for more pressure creates a burning sensation. “I love it,” she whispers into his ear, adding a kiss to the shell before moving her way back to the main target, sparking off goose bumps.

Her hands have already, even before their lips crashed, made their way to cup his face secretly enjoying the light, barely there, scruff beneath her touch.

“I love you,” he exhales, just barely making it out between clashing of their lips.

“I love you too,” is promptly returned as so many times before although it, even after being repeated many times throughout the years, never loses its true value.

He loves her so much, he can’t help but think over and over again as he the billions of baby names quickly disappear from his mind under the new, increasingly passionate circumstances. Nothing else in the world matters anymore because they’re just going to start trying.

Yeah, seriously.  

[slamsams-blog]

Goldeneye - #24WeeksofBond

24 Weeks of Bond continues this week with Goldeneye.  Ask anybody who grew up with an N64 what their favorite Bond movie is.  I’d be willing to bet 9 out of 10 of those people will tell you this film.  I grew up with an N64, I knew the Goldeneye video game before I even knew it was a Bond Movie.  The Goldeneye N64 game was my introduction to James Bond.  Today, i feel like shouting from the mountain tops...I can now confidently say, that Goldeneye is my favorite Bond movie.  

Besides the incredible amount of nostalgia playing multi-player Goldeneye in the basement of my best friends house almost every day after school - this movie is gritty, dark, witty, complex, and full of “punch you in the gut intensity”.  Sean Bean plays 006, and it is the ultimate villain.  Who would be a bigger adversary to Bond, then Bond himself?  That’s how close 006 compares to 007.  This film is as close to Bond vs. Bond that we will ever see.  We also have the overtly sexual psychopath in Xenia Onotopp (Famke Janssen) and Boris Grishenko (Alan Cumming) a high level computer programmer and overall sleazy creep who uses “boobs” as his passwords.

It’s hard to top this cast of characters.  It doesn’t end with the bad guys either, we have our seductive Natalya Simonova, who isn’t the obvious “sex appeal” pick, which is nice.  When we first see her, she has a wool sweater on,  a “Karen” hair cut, and a voice lower than mine - but she gets her shit done and nobody is going to tell her no.  I love seeing Natalya boss Bond around, one of my favorite Bond girls for sure.  We also are introduced to the new M, Judi Dench.  Of course, with any new boss, there is chatter within the work force and M finds herself over hearing some of it.  I do wish we had some moment where M proves her trust, but it’s all well and good in the end because she’s Judi Dench, the best M ever...with all due respect to Bernard Lee of course.

This movie starts hot, with Bond bungee jumping off a giant dam in Russia.  He then infiltrates their military base where he meets up with his pal, 006 Alec Trevelyan.  We see them tackling this mission together, but Alec finds himself in trouble.  Bond decides to improv, and adjusts the timers to 3 minutes instead of 6 - but Alec gets killed despite following orders.  Bond is now pissed.  He manages to escape by driving off a cliff to catch a falling airplane.  

This is probably the most eye-rolling part of this movie.  I can suspend my disbelief more than most (I’m a pro wrestling fan), but this is just non-sense.  He manages to catch up to the nose diving airplane, get in, buckle up, adjust the rear view mirror, throw on some AC/DC for the road, and escape.  We see the bombs going off, Bond has completed this mystery mission. We never really find out what the mission was for.  I guess just to introduce us to Oromov and Trevelyan who will become key figures later on.

We come back from an intoxicating rendition of “Goldeneye” sung by Tina Turner, and we are now 9 years into the future.  Think of all the potential movies we missed out on in those 9 years!  We see Bond in Monaco being evaluated  where he meets a crazy speed demon who turns out to be Xenia.  Bond later goes to a casino where he find Xenia there and starts to realize that something troubling is brewing.  After further digging, he finds out she has a connection to the Janus Group - a crime syndicate who has an unknown leader.  Not really sure what Bond is doing in Monaco. Was he on holiday? Was he sent there for something in particular?

ANYWAY (thanks mom), Xenia ends up killing an admiral with her apparent titanium alloy thighs during a hot night and steals a “Tiger” helicopter that can withstand any sort of electro magnetic blast.  Bond doesn’t get to it in time, and the helicopter takes off.  Now Bond is really curious...and pissed. General Oromov from the opening and Xenia set off one of the Goldeneye satellites which trigger an electro magnetic pulse, destroying every type of computer generated device.  They then enlist the help of Boris, who had just hacked into the FBI security system all nonchalantly before having a cig.

The Goldeneye destroys the area and Oromov tries to cover it up by blaming it on British separatists.  But doesn’t realize that Natalya had survived the blast.  Bond now wants to meet thee Janus, and goes to see a russian mafia don who Bond has had history with and gets a meeting set up.  This is when we find out that Janus is actually Bond’s ole mate, Alec Trevelyan.  Bond is stunned and shaken.  9 years after he saw his death, here he is. Trevelyan notes that he didn’t account Bond improving and setting the timers for 3 minutes which burned half his face, and broke his heart. “007s loyalty is always to the mission...never to his friends”. Tear.

The plan is to set off another Goldeneye in London, creating a financial meltdown, putting England back into the stone age.  But now Bond has entered the fray, and is keen on throwing a wrench into the plans.  He does so...with a tank.  In one of the more entertaining chase scenes in Bond history, we see Bond chasing down Oromov with a bloody tank.  Destroying everything in his path, and finding time to adjust his tie in the process.  Man I love this scene.  Oromov is also another great character. Played by Gottfried John, Oromov is a desperate, corrupt General - trying to put on a front as head of Russia’s space division, but also keep Janus’ plans in tact.  With flask in hand, and sweating profusely, he has to tell Janus that Bond escaped.

(Seinfeld reference alert)

Bond saves Natalya from the bad guys, yadda yadda yadda, SATELLITE FIGHT SCENE!!  Bond comes to blows with 006 on the second base where another Goldeneye detonator is being held.  This fight is so brutal and hard hitting that it really feels like Bond is fighting Bond.  These two, once friends, now bitter enemies.  Just watching this fight hurts.  And just when we think Bond is at a dead end, he kicks a lever for the ladder and drops all the way down to the tiniest platform on the bottom of the satellite, leaving himself with no room for error.  The fight continues on this tiny platform where we eventually see Bond kick Trevelyan off and grab his foot for a final farewell.

I don’t necessarily have a fear of heights, but I do have a fear of falling.  What happens next always leaves me with the feeling of my stomach being sucked up into my throat.  Bond has Trevelyan by the foot as he dangles thousands of feet in the air.  Alec finally looks up and says “For England, James”, then Bond says “STFU” and lets him go.  I get shivers just thinking about it.

Oh, did I mention this score??? The music that plays throughout this scene is heart pounding and really gets me going. There’s nothing like incredibly written fight music and Goldeneye has the cream of the crop.

There is just so much to love with “Goldeneye”.  But unfortunately for Pierce Brosnan, this movie will be his first and his best.  Goldeneye was such a tremendous success coming off a 6 year hiatus after “Licence To Kill”, that all Brosnan’s next films suffered because of it.  This film was so good because it was dark, had an unforgettable cast, and had a TOUCH of humor.  That scene where Bond goes to see Valentine is really all the humor you need - how about that Minnie Driver cameo? After this, I guess the writers went all in on the humor bit of it because the rest of the Brosnan catalog can be little more cartoony and goofy.  While I did enjoy “Tomorrow Never Dies” - it just does not compare to “Goldeneye”.

Pierce Brosnan is the perfect Bond for this era and this film in particular.  I just cannot imagine and older Timothy Dalton doing this film justice.  Goldeneye ushered in a new style of James Bond.  This film would be a taste of what was to come with the future Daniel Craig movies, and it provided an opportunity for a new generation of young, teenage movie goers to hop on board the Bond Band Wagon with the N64 video game.  It got me, that’s for sure.  This was the first Bond film I ever saw, and I’m proud to say that it is my favorite Bond movie ever.

That’s it for me this week, let me know what you thought and why it was your favorite Bond movie ever!

Reviews from Friends:

My Mom:

I watched with your dad and two of your brothers. It was a very intense and exciting film. Brosnan is so good. But it was pretty complicated and as is typical, I have a hard time keeping up with it all. That is why I loved the simplicity of last weeks choice. Lol. Because I’m old. The characters were great and I loved the feisty females

Jeremy Tillema:

Greatest bond movie produces greatest first person shooter on the greatest gaming console of all time. I said it.

Jake Benrud:

Great review Sam, and I’m with you on this one. This is a fantastic Bond movie and one of my favorites, if not my favorite. I think I have seen this movie more times than any other (I think Casino Royale might be second). I’m pretty sure I had the VHS, and I think you and I watched it numerous times. (I think Joanna was getting sick of me quoting the movie when we were watching it since I knew all the lines.) This is the movie that really got me into Bond movies. The action, the plot, the twists all made this an excellent and entertaining installment in the Bond series. Makes me want to fire back up that ‘64 and get the rumble packs out!

Tyler Dahlgren

I have been following along to these and have been giving them the Facebook like, but haven’t been commenting or watching along because honestly I could probably recite every Bond moving verbatim from start to finish. My earliest childhood memories (way, way earlier than any kid has a business being exposed to Bond) are of sitting with my Grandpa in his recliner while he munched popcorn and watched Bond. For better or for worse they are like a comfort food for me.

I say all of that to say this. Goldeneye is my favorite. I still remember watching it for the first time with Mark Kulig. We played the game and watched the movie more times than you’d think possible. The double cross, resurrection storyline. The characters. The cast is stacked. It all adds up so well and revived the franchise from some abysmal showings. I love this movie.

24 Weeks of Bond will return next Monday with - 

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

[harryandmolly]

The Emancipation of Ginny ~ 4

summary: shawn and ginny could’ve ruined everything six months ago, and sticking together despite their past could make or break them now as ginny stays on as his personal assistant. but what happens on tour doesn’t stay on tour.

warnings: Language, tequila-flavored nostalgia, Gertler on the loose

WC: 4.6k

Shawn and Ginny chatter while Shawn reaches for the aux cord and scrolls through his playlists. With a gasping chuckle, he seems to find exactly what he didn’t know he was looking for.

“Oh my god,” Ginny snorts, but her knee is bouncing and she’s nodding along so Shawn knows he’s got her.

The sharp clapping starts followed closely by drums, then the pulse of the synthy keyboard. By the time the breathy vocals start, Ginny is already there, ready to imitate them perfectly, the product of a thousand sing-a-longs.

Her warm voice curls around the “ah… yeah…” but Shawn steps in with a headbang and joins her for Whitney Houston’s iconic “WOO!”

They’re buckled into the backseat, dancing and wriggling to the intro of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Jake bobs his head with a barely there smile. They do this a lot, especially when they’ve clearly pregamed their evening. Shawn knows what to play to get Ginny moving and singing along even louder than he is. Whitney is always a safe bet.

Shawn claps in time with the beat and sings a lower harmony to Ginny’s eerily excellent Whitney impression. When the chorus starts, they’re both belting, laughing and shimmying and paying absolutely no mind to the relative audience they’ve gathered.

They’re stuck at a light on Curzon St. because a lorry fender bender has blocked up traffic, but the folks around them are treated to a show as Shawn and Ginny put their all into the 80s pop classic. What they also don’t notice is the stunned teenager in the car to the right and just ahead of theirs who has the perfect angle to film them out the window, capturing every wail, every head bop, every time they grab Jake’s seat ahead of them to encourage him to sing along.

Shawn and Ginny didn’t know any of this until the next morning, by which time the Twitter video had gathered 11 million views.

+

Andrew Gertler has a Ginny Dresden problem.

Andrew adores Ginny. Andrew’s pretty sure that at this point, without Ginny, he’d have lost all his hair and maybe accidentally strangled his artist to death (not that Shawn isn’t a delight 97% of the time, but his job is very stressful, ok?!).

Andrew remembers when they stepped off that first plane together in New York, already thick as thieves. He had a feeling in his gut, the kind of feeling that directs him wisely, when he listens to it. The feeling didn’t have an action attached, it was more a reaction, a sinking feeling of dread.

The feeling said, fuck, this will be complicated.

The feeling, as always, was right.

Andrew saw it, obviously, as did everyone. When three months passed and he noticed no evidence of a sneaky affair, he figured they were safe, the sexual tension would remain just that (though, Andrew would admit, it wasn’t just sexual tension. Because that would be easy to get past. This was always more than that).

When Shawn and Ginny sat him down three weeks into their secret relationship, about six months after Ginny joined the team, Andrew was frankly stunned. He was annoyed, of course, at his naive belief that they had skipped over the complications he feared, and even more irritated that he didn’t notice, especially given the way they were looking at each other like they had each hung the moon for the other.

It’s probably weird to everyone around him, anyone in the industry who heard about this, that Andrew never considered firing Ginny. He really didn’t. He just… knew that wasn’t going to fly. He accepted their fate, trusted them to be grown-ups if and when things went south.

And when they did, chaos reigned only for a night before Shawn managed to right the ship. Thank god.

But Ginny, sweet, thoughtful, intuitively organized and proactive Ginny, she was still a problem.

It’s hard to know exactly what the fans know. They were whispering about Shawn and Ginny long before it became a thing, and they’ve continued whispering long after. Some believe they never broke up at all, that they hid their relationship for privacy. Some believe he’s still in love with her and refuses to fire her so he can win her back. And then some believe Shawn’s fucking Cez, so really, you can’t spend too much time listening to fans because as lovable as they mostly are, they’re also so insane.

But the fans keep Ginny in their line of sight at all times. They monitor how closely she stands by him, how often they’re seen out in groups together. She’s never far from their minds, or their theories, or their tantrum fits on Tumblr about how if she had any self-respect at all, she’d have left Shawn’s team when he dumped her ass.

Those posts make Andrew irrationally angry -- that’s when he knows he has to log off and take some deep breaths.

But the truth is, he can’t ignore them, not entirely. Because when they start chattering about how Shawn is playing with her heart, reeling her in and casting her back out again as he pleases, keeping her on the team for his own comfort, that kind of shit gets press attention eventually, if it gets enough of a groundswell buzz on social media. And then it becomes his business.

+

It happened all at once for Shawn, kind of the way falling in love did. When it started, he lived with it for 48 hours before he piped up and let it all come crashing down.

He remembers holding her on the plane, a Learjet taking them from Sydney to Tokyo. It was an overnight flight but Shawn’s body clock told him it was noon, so he was nowhere near tired, but Ginny could always pass out on command. He envied it, but he made her as comfortable as he could while he did it.

She was curled up against his chest in their reclined seats, the armrest up between them. He had a blanket draped over their bodies, bunched up under her arm because otherwise she feels “all trapped and shit,” which he knows she hates. Her springy curls are positioned so they’re tickling his nose. When he moves his head to avoid them, somehow they follow. So instead, he embraces it and buries his face in her hair.

The smell of coconut oil and something that’s just somehow Ginny completely overwhelms him. His heart kickdrums in his chest. His breathing starts to speed, but the weight of her on his chest constricts his lungs. He holds her tighter, blinking quickly as he tries to find his way out of this unfamiliar feeling.

He’s sick with it, whatever it is. The panic doesn’t fade when she nuzzles her cheek against him and lifts her head, blinking sleepily, mumbling in a raspy morning voice something about “get some sleep, you minger,” but he can barely hear her over the rushing in his ears. He just nods with a shaky smile and closes his eyes long enough to make her think he’s trying to sleep. She goes heavy against him again and he knows he’s alone, as alone as he can be with her plastered to his side, overheating him, clinging to him. He coughs uncomfortably, choking on his breath.

And the panic still doesn’t fade over the next couple days every time he looks at her and she smiles that big, beautiful Ginny smile, perfect white teeth framed by the signature matte red lipstain that is a scientific marvel because as much time as he spends kissing her, it never leaves a smudge. It’s like she was never there.

But she was. She was everywhere.

It was terrifying.

Even with the rise of panic, he doesn’t let himself consider the Scary Solution until 36 hours into what felt like a prolonged, very well-hidden anxiety attack. If Ginny caught on to his weird feelings, she never showed it, especially not when he was cupping her breasts and rowing his hips hard into her ass as he took her from behind, fucking her a little harder than usual.

The Scary Solution, of course, was ending it. The fact that he was even considering it was scary, though maybe not as scary as continuing. Two days ago, the idea of ending it would’ve made him bark like a defensive dog. He couldn’t imagine letting her go. Now, to his combined horror and relief, because fuck, human emotions are weird, it feels like the safest option.

He let himself stew for a while longer, but he didn’t want to draw it out too much, he told himself. It wasn’t fair to her. None of this was. So the sooner he ended it, the better off they’d both be, and the less likely it was that she’d hate him forever.

He sat her down in the armchair across from his and held her hands. He forced himself to look straight into her deep, dark eyes while he spoke because she deserved that kind of attention.

The truth is, he doesn’t really remember what he said. He stumbled something out about how much he cares about her, how he’s enjoyed the last two months more than any he’s ever had out on the road, but that this had all become too much. Things had moved way too fast. He didn’t want to end things like this, especially while they were still on tour, but he had to be honest with her. He had to focus on the music, on the path he’d be taking next and that as wonderful as she was, she was a distraction.

He hopes he said it as nicely as possible. But given the stricken, dumbfounded look on her face, he’s sure he could’ve done better.

Her tears were pretty immediate. His welled up but never spilled. She stared at him quietly for a while like she was waiting for him to take it back, or like she was looking for something in his expression that told her to dive in and fight for him. Maybe she didn’t find what she was looking for.

She stood on shaky knees, swiped at her face and mumbled something about talking to Andrew, about finding a replacement for herself quickly to minimize disruption to the tour.

That’s when it hit him. She was leaving.

He did realize when he made this decision she might not want to stick around, but somehow it didn’t truly register what he’d be losing until she said it.

His brain scrambled, watching her walk out the hotel room door, sniffling gently as she unlocked her room across the hall. He blinked. She hadn’t slept in her own bed in two months.

She was leaving him.

He was selfish to panic about it. He made this decision for them. He couldn’t expect her to stay, to be his personal assistant of all things, arranging his laundry and paying his house cleaner and reminding him to call his grandmother on her birthday. He had no right to feel this empty at the idea of continuing tour without her. But it was there, nonetheless.

He let himself lose his mind over that long, sleepless night without her. When he stood outside her room early the next morning, hearing her singing Norah Jones under her breath, he felt like shit.

“Please,” he begged, voice shaky with unshed tears, “Please don’t leave. Please. I know it’s fucking unfair to ask. I hate myself a little. I really do. But, fuck, please, I can’t do it without you, Gin. Not because… because I’d forget to fuckin’ put on pants in the morning if you didn’t tell me to, but because you’re… Jesus Christ, you’re my best friend. I can’t lose you like this.”

Ginny had every right to kick him in the shins. She didn’t. She had every right to laugh and tell him to go fuck himself for even asking. She didn’t.

Ginny’s dry cheeks stung with her tears. She sniffed and toed at the floor, locking her arms over her chest. “Don’t really want to leave, you know,” she murmured, “This is a good opportunity for me. I’m learning a lot.”

“So don’t leave,” Shawn pled, lurching forward. She adjusted, taking a step back. Shawn noticed and shivered, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Don’t leave. Stay. I think we can do it. I honestly think we can. We were best friends first, remember?”

She did remember. She had never felt this way about anyone before. That had to be worth holding onto, right?

+

Andrew’s been internally groaning all morning, watching the video spring up everywhere. E!News has it on their Instagram, People’s retweeting it, Tumblr’s having a fucking field day. Even Niall reposted the video on his Insta story with the caption: “😂😂😂 go off I guess.”

Not helpful.

In the next room, Shawn and Ginny are chuckling, nursing hangovers as they pack Shawn’s shit to get ready for their rescheduled flight to Miami. They find their viral video very amusing, thank you very much. When The Rock retweeted it with three of the dancing girl emojis, Shawn and Ginny both had to stop what they were doing, they were laughing so hard. Shawn’s wiping tears away when Andrew knocks on his door.

Shawn lets him in and narrows his eyes at the grimace on his face. “What’s up?”

“Just want to talk to you guys,” Andrew begins steadily, resigned. Shawn feels Ginny stiffen up beside him. The bed squeaks when she sits on it. Shawn lowers himself beside her and doesn’t let himself reach out for her hand.

“So this video. It’s… y’know, obviously it feels innocent enough, you’re just singing, being the shitheads you are, but it’s… ugh, god, you guys know I hate these conversations.”

Andrew looks weary. Ginny is silent, curious. Shawn is tense from head to toe, leaning forward slightly.

Andrew continues, “The reality is, there’s a lot going around about how you guys are back together again, how Shawn has seduced you again, how you can’t keep your hands off each other, yada yada--”

“Andrew--” Shawn interrupts, the word so sharp it almost sounds like a swear. Andrew cuts back in before Shawn can continue.

“No, but listen, you guys both know where I’m going with this. This will become an image problem. All we need is for one outlet to start sparking stories about how Shawn’s fucking the only woman on his team, and we’re all up in smoke. We haven’t had to work that hard to preserve the good guy image because, wow, how novel, Shawn actually is a good guy. But the media will have a hell of a time batting around the idea that he’s a fuckboy if we don’t shut this down.”

It’s not lost on Ginny that Andrew doesn’t seem to be speaking directly to Shawn, referring to him by name, glancing more at Ginny than at his artist. Probably because he can see the look on Shawn’s face and knows talking him into this is a lost cause. He knows he can use logic and reason and PR strategy to get to Ginny, but Shawn’s ears are already turning red.

“What are you saying then?” Shawn seethes.

Andrew sighs. “I’m saying you guys need to spend some time apart. We can’t have you photographed together for a while, not by fans, not by paps. You need to lay really, really low. If Shawn’s at the front of the pack, Ginny, you’re at the back. If we’re all out as a team, Ginny’s on one end of the table, Shawn’s at the other. We just have to let this blow over. It’s annoying and it’s strategy and I know you both hate it, but it’s where we are at the moment. I’m sorry, guys.”

Andrew’s words are simple. There’s no talking him out of this, he’s delivering his decree and that’s it. Ginny nods, looking exhausted. To Andrew’s surprise, instead of quiet rage, Shawn opens his big mouth.

“No.”

“What?” Andrew hums, eyebrows shooting up under the frames of his glasses. Ginny also looks startled.

“I said no. I’m not doing that. It’s stupid.”

They can both see the way Shawn’s bubbling over. They pause for a moment, waiting for him to continue. When he doesn’t, Andrew starts again.

“It’s shitty, but--”

“No, it’s fucking pointless, Andrew, we’re not doing that. We’re singing. We’re singing in the car. We’re singing Whitney Houston in the fucking car and someone put it on Twitter and now I can’t be seen with my best friend? No fucking way, I’m not doing it. My fans know better than this. They know I’m not some womanizing creep who’s fucking a girl on my team just because she’s a girl on my team. They know me and they know Gin, too. What are we supposed to do? Not speak to each other in public for a few weeks and boom, problem solved? That’s so fucking stupid. I refuse to live that way. It’s false and it’s fake and I won’t do it.”

Ginny blinks. Her lips are parted. She looks between Shawn and Andrew, whose face is unreadable. After a moment that feels like ten minutes, Andrew eases up out of his chair and looks down at them both.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

He lets himself out and back in to his own room next door. Ginny swallows. Shawn drops his face into his hands and leans forward taking a deep breath.

Ginny drops a hand to his back for a second before she takes it back and wrings her fingers.

“Fucking insane,” Shawn mutters.

“Well…” Ginny sighs. Shawn sits up.

“What?”

“Well, I get it, though. I get how it might not look great.”

“I don’t give a fuck how it looks!” Shawn croaks, “You’re really ok with that? With standing minimum ten feet from me at all times just to shut up the idiots on social media who think because we’re friends means I must be some gross loser who can’t keep his hands off his female teammate?”

Ginny wets her lips. “I’m ok with playing the game we have to play so we can stay on the path we’re on. I’m ok with whatever protects us.”

Shawn shakes his head. “Ginny, we can’t live like this. We can’t live dishonestly like this. This is how this kind of shit starts. It starts with a stupid little lie to protect some lame image and then it snowballs and then everything around me is a lie. Can’t you see that?”

He looks up at her, pained and red-faced. This time Ginny does leave her palm on his shoulder, rubbing her thumb into his muscle soothingly.

“I get that, I do. I know where you’re coming from. But I also know that you know that we have to pick our battles here. And more than that, we have to trust Andrew. You know it wasn’t easy for him to march in here and lay that out. You know he hates this kind of shit, manipulating something just to keep people off our backs. But he does it to keep you safe.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not a fucking child. I get that maintaining my image is part of his job, but--”

Ginny interjects. “No. Stop right there. It is his job. It’s what he’s paid to do. And he knows this better than we do. He knows what can happen if we do this wrong. So we need to listen to him and play by the rules, just for a little while. I don’t like it either. I really hate it, actually. The idea that people think I’m some sunflower following you around waiting for you is frankly incredibly insulting. But I’m focusing on the bigger picture, which is that if I stay on your team, I learn every day, I meet people, I’m growing my network and I spend all day every day with my best friends. So… yeah. I’m going to take Andrew’s advice. If you want, we can develop a secret sign language so we can still talk even when you’re standing fifteen feet ahead of me and not looking in my direction.”

Shawn snorts, defeated and tired. “Ok. If I pull on my left earlobe it means ‘hi.’”

Ginny smirks and lifts the hand resting on his shoulder to flick at his ear teasingly. “Kay. If I scratch my nose it means, ‘Shawn, spit out your fucking gum.’”

+

Shawn found time over the next day or so to mumble out an apology to Andrew for overreacting. Andrew accepted it graciously in that way Andrew does where he makes you feel like you never had to apologize at all.

Ginny and Shawn stick to the “strategy” and keep apart for a couple weeks in public, riding in separate cars when they can, Ginny chatting animatedly with Cez and Brian, looking totally disinterested in her ex-boyfriend. All went according to plan.

One day during soundcheck for a radio festival in Vermont, Andrew and Ginny are bopping their heads in perfect time (without their notice), standing in front of the soundbooth.

Ginny, eyes fixed on the stage, tilts her head toward Andrew’s to speak. “Think Cez should move Zubin’s mike to the left like--”

“-- five feet? I was thinking the same thing,” Andrew finishes with a laugh. Ginny chuckles and bounds away, communicating the suggestion. When they’re back in place, Ginny returns.

“Last couple weeks were weird,” Andrew acknowledges, “But I just… I wanna say thank you. Whatever you said to him, it worked. You made my job easier. So thanks.”

Ginny shrugs. “You were right. He just needed to hear that from someone that… wasn’t you.”

Andrew laughs. “But being that person isn’t always easy. I have so much respect for him, you know? I mean, I know you know. But his insistence on living a totally honest public life is so, so cool. It’s just not always the best thing for him. And I never want to feel like we’re ganging up on him. I never want him to feel too managed. So when you can step in and get something across to him that I can’t, that’s a big fuckin’ deal for the whole team. You’re gonna be a kickass manager, Gin, maybe sooner than you think.”

Andrew nudges her gratefully with his elbow and strolls away to make a call.

Ginny looks back up at the stage, watches Shawn’s eyes close, his brow wrinkle as he kicks into a “Particular Taste” high note.

And she thinks for a very long second that she should feel better about what Andrew just told her.

+

The days following the breakup were… hard. Shawn’s head reeled, trying to wrap around his own actions. Ginny was mostly numb, trying not to look him in the eye. They mostly avoided each other except when it came to professional necessity -- Ginny checking in with him about arranging his flight home, Shawn asking where his old pencil case filled with guitar picks got packed. All of this monitored very carefully by Andrew, who was looking for any excuse not to send Ginny home but knew he had to be looking anyway, just in case.

But before long, Andrew stopped watching. It became clear disaster wasn’t to strike. Shawn and Ginny slowly and surely became a new version of Shawn and Ginny, a version that had gone through a stage of innocent, flirtatious friendship, intense and all-consuming romance, and now were settling into seasoned, tried-and-true partnership.

It definitely didn’t happen overnight. Andrew doubts Shawn and Ginny could put a finger on when exactly they really would’ve called themselves friends again after the spate of awkward tension, but the fact that they did it at all meant they were gonna be ok.

But if Ginny had to guess, it would be that night in Antwerp when she heard him in the next room strumming “St. Patrick’s Day” by John Mayer and felt completely, totally comfortable snagging her Gibson acoustic and padding over in too-long plaid pajama pants to knock on his door and be invited in to play.

They sat cross-legged and pretended to ignore that the last time they were together on his bed, they were making love, and now they’re making music, and Ginny thinks that’s a pretty decent substitute.

+

In another three weeks, the video is long since forgotten.

Though, to be fair, given how much of the bottle of Patron they’ve finished between the two of them, most things are, in fact, forgotten.

Ginny and Shawn are planted on a balcony, barefoot with their legs stuck through the railings, feet swinging over the streets of… Chicago, Shawn’s almost sure. Wherever they are, it’s the kind of city where Shawn feels like he can really breathe, not like New York or LA. He can breathe in London, too. He and Ginny both love London. He’d like to go back to London with her, hold her hand, walk around her hometown, kiss her neck and feel her giggle…

Shawn sits up and sneezes loud. Tequila always makes him sneeze.

“Does not,” Ginny quips, and Shawn realizes he must have said that complaint out loud, “That’s not a thing. Tequila doesn’t make you sneeze.”

“Does, totally does,” Shawn grumbles, taking another slug of it anyway. He follows it with a sip of beer and… a sneeze. He holds out his hands and makes a face at her.

“I rest my case.”

“You’re drunk,” she accuses, pressing her face into the railings like she’s testing to see if she could get her head through. Thankfully, she doesn’t try very hard.

“I am. ‘S good, haven’t been drunk in a while.”

“We were drunk last week,” she points out, sipping at the lime wedge she’s already mostly sucked dry. Shawn watches her cheeks hollow out and turns away, feeling his face get hot.

“You know I’m like, so glad you didn’t leave,” Shawn blurts, pivoting the subject on a dime. Ginny blinks cluelessly.

“When?”

“When we broke up. You could’ve left. You didn’t. I’m glad you didn’t.”

Ginny swallows. “I didn’t want to.”

“I didn’t want you to,” Shawn sighs, dropping his head forward against the railing.

“I wondered if maybe you did,” she confesses quietly, closing her eyes. She can feel him turning to look at her curiously.

“But…”

“I know. But I wondered if maybe you felt guilty about me losing my boyfriend and my job all at once and that’s why you asked me to stay.”

Ginny chances a glance at him. He looks gutpunched.

“But that didn’t last long,” she assures him, “I know why you wanted me to stay.”

Shawn blinks. His tequila-slow body feels like it jumps into hyperspeed. He grips the railings tighter and swallows, waiting for her to say it.

I know you were scared.

“You’re my best friend, too, Shawn,” Ginny assures him, light-eyed and wistful. Shawn tries not to feel disappointment at her dodging the opportunity to poke at him, make him really talk about why he let her go.

Sweet and stupid, they drunkenly sway on the balcony for another hour, muttering to each other about Shawn’s next album, about the record company anniversary gala coming up, about a weird dream Ginny had about pancakes a few nights ago that she worries might mean she secretly hates dogs. They talk until Ginny falls asleep with her face against the railing. Shawn wakes her up before she can get an impression on her cheek from the metal. He scoops her up as much as he’s able when he’s more tequila than boy and drops her on the bed next to his, drapes the duvet over her, bunches it up under her arm and collapses onto his own bed, heavy with exhaustion.

Pls help me keep Ginny in lime wedges and buy me a Ko-fi (link on main page)!

Taglist:  @smallerinfinities @the-claire-bitch-project @achinglyshawn @infiniteshawn @stillinskislydia @singanddreamanyway @alone-in-madness @abigfatmess @shawnitsmutual @awkwardfangirl2014 @september-lace @grittyisathot @sinplisticshawn @mutuallynotmutual @rollingxstone @yslsaint @randi-eve

[callginalinetti]

whelp, this might be your view for the next seven years

made especially for @galaxygaydreams for the @b99fandomevents summer 2019 fic exchange (prompt: coffee shop au)

ao3 link

Jake Peralta was beat, pun intended, after a long day at work. Young, moppy-haired, and wearing a somewhat wrinkled uniform, he had only been on the force for a year but was having the time of his life running after low-grade drug dealers and thieves.

Today he had chased down a drug dealer, on foot, for six blocks. He brought back the criminal to the precinct and got commended by his sergeant. After his shift, still high from the adrenaline rush, Jake decided to walk home. Now, about 2 miles into the trip, he was regretting the decision. His excitement was starting to die down but he was determined to walk the rest of the way. The next block down he saw a coffee shop and made a beeline through the door. If adrenaline won’t get him home, surely caffeine will.

But it turns out he didn’t even need coffee to get his heart racing again, because the barista at the counter was strikingly beautiful. Silky dark hair pulled into a ponytail, chocolate eyes, and soft lips. Jake tried to go into his “cool guy” mode, which was really just him acting like an idiot. He hoped his cop uniform would be enough to impress this woman.

The barista greeted him. “Hi, I’m Amy, what can I get for you today?”

Now was his chance to be funny. “I’ll have the filet mignon?”

Amy didn’t get the joke and looked confused. Jake blew it. Amy slowly replied, “Uh, you know this is a coffee shop, right?”

Jake was embarrassed. “Yeah, uh, ha, I was joking. What I’d actually like is a small black coffee.”

Amy looked relieved. “Oh, okay, yeah. I can do that. Sorry. I’ve been so stressed lately cause this coffee shop is closing down next week.”

“Oh no, that sucks. So you’re probably looking for a new job, huh?”

Amy replied as she went to pour his coffee. “Sort of. Well actually, I’m starting at the Police Academy soon.” Her eyes lit up.

“That’s so awesome.” Jake didn’t realize he could be infatuated with this woman any more. “I’ve been on the force for a year. I love it.”

“Hey, are you busy right now?” Amy said, as she exchanged the coffee for his credit card. “My lunch break is in a few minutes and I’d love to talk to you about your experience. I like to be prepared.”

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll grab us a table,” Jake said, enthusiastic to keep talking to her.

———

Thirty minutes went by and Jake and Amy were laughing like they had known each other for years. When Jake shared that his inspiration for becoming a cop was Die Hard, she didn’t laugh. Okay, maybe she laughed a little, but she understood why it was important to him. When he shared the story about his big arrest today, she was genuinely so excited for him. Amy shared with him her passions, goals, and worries about joining the force, but even in the uncertainties, Jake could tell she knew her path and he was sure that she would make an excellent sergeant, maybe even a captain one day.

When Amy realized she took an extra two minutes on her break, she shot up out of her seat and hurriedly told Jake, “Sorry, gotta go back to work. Thanks for talking, bye!” and scurried into the back room. Jake wanted to get her number but he wasn’t sure if her quick exit meant she didn’t want to keep talking, so he simply left.

A few days later, Jake still couldn’t stop thinking about the incredible barista-soon-to-be-cop and decided to walk home and stop by the cafe. Unfortunately it was a dead-end. The shop had already closed.

It took a couple weeks for Jake to stop thinking about Amy. A couple months went by until he forgot about her entirely. Or so it seemed.

———

Years later, Jake Peralta had the same moppy hair but now was embracing the perks of being a detective by wearing hoodies to work instead of a uniform.

A new detective was starting today, Amy Santiago, who was sitting at the desk across from his. Whenever Detective Charles Boyle was in a relationship, he spent the rest of his efforts trying to set up Jake with every woman he met. In this case, Charles hadn’t even met Amy yet but was convinced she was going to be Jake’s soulmate.

Jake was walking back to his desk when the new detective walked in. Short dark hair, bangs, and a pantsuit. Some might say her look could make her fade into the background, but Jake thought she had the prettiest eyes. He was instantly smitten but kept it professional and introduced himself. Amy said hello and shook his hand. There was definitely a spark, a moment of recognition, but neither could quite place where or why.

As if out of nowhere, Charles came up to them and exclaimed “I hear wedding bells!”

Amy looked uneasy. Jake was embarrassed. “Uh, this is Detective Boyle,” he said, quick to move on from that awkward moment. “Welcome to the Nine-Nine. It’s pretty great here, we solve crimes and look good while doing it. Also the captain lets us get away with anything so we just do whatever we want.”

“Oh, I usually prefer to do things by the book,” Amy replied, but didn’t want to sound like a buzz kill, so she quickly added, “But I won’t get in the way of whatever you all want to do.”

So she’s Type-A. Jake knew his new mission would be to get her to have fun with the squad. “Cool, cool, cool. Well, the captain wanted to see you, his office in the back of the bullpen,” Jake pointed, “and I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you,” Amy said, tucking her hair behind her ear and heading towards the captain’s office.

A few minutes later Amy left the captain’s office and saw Jake sitting at his desk. “Hey, Peralta, do you know where I go now?”

Jake coyly replies, “Whelp, this might be your view for the next seven years, cause your desk is right there.”

“Not a bad view,” she answered, shocking Jake because he thought she was flirting until she followed-up with, “I mean, I can always see who’s coming and going in the elevator.” This disappointed Jake, but Amy’s comment did actually slip from her mouth because Jake was cute and maybe she is a little flirty when she wants to be. But this was a professional setting so she had to act normal.

During the day, Jake couldn’t shake the feeling that Amy looked familiar, although he had no idea where. He wrote it off as the fact that he thought she was pretty and that’s probably why.

———

A couple years later, Jake and Amy were working a case together. They were tracking a ring of robberies in the area. After a long day in the precinct, they decided to take a walk and get some coffee. On the way to the shop, Amy decided to talk about her past before joining the force. “Actually, I once worked at a café. I’m not good at making coffee though, so maybe I’m to blame for why they closed down.”

And that made Jake stop in his tracks. Suddenly he realized where he knew Amy. “We’ve met before!” he exclaimed. She turned to smile sweetly at him. “Yeah, we did. I was wondering if you remembered.”

“I couldn’t place it for the longest time but now I totally remember. Wait. So you knew this whole time? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Amy suddenly felt nervous. “I have a good memory. Well, and also it was really meaningful to me. Helped me be confident that I was on the right track.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you cared about what I say,” Jake tried to joke it off.

“You’re actually really smart even if you think gummy worms and chocolate milk is cereal.”

Jake laughed. Not his fake work laugh, but genuine joy. “You do know me.”

They stood on the side of the street, eyes locked, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Jake wanted to kiss her. It seemed like fate that she would turn up in his life again. Amy was thinking about how her fellow detective was kind of an idiot but also one of the sweetest guys she knew. Jake suddenly remembered Charles’ “I hear wedding bells” and broke off his gaze to continue walking to the café.

They went on, almost touching, but being very conscious of where their hands and arms and shoulders were. They were now silent, thinking about what just happened. Was that a moment? Amy was suddenly aware that she might actually have feelings for Jake and Jake realized he couldn’t deny his feelings for Amy anymore.

In the coffee shop, Jake ordered for both of them, including the chocolate croissant that was her favorite. They moved to wait on the side of the store for their order. Amy, now equally nervous and excited, barely whispered, “You do know me too.”

Jake turned to her, stars in his eyes. “Uh, um, yeah,” was the best he could come up with. “If you spend enough time with someone you learn their quirks.”

“I guess, but you seem to notice a lot.”

“Only when it’s you. I mean, uh, ‘cause I see you every day.”

“Remember when I sat down at my desk and you said this might be my view for the next seven years?”

“Yeah.”

“Well it’s not seven years yet but it’s a nice view.”

“Right, of the elevator.”

Amy bit her lip. “And of you.”

Jake stood there, speechless, looking at Amy. Should he kiss her? Was it the all in his head? He swore she was leaning her chin up but he wasn’t sure until…

Some stranger knocked into him and pushed him into the wall, now pushing up against Amy. Frozen in place, neither wanted to move but they couldn’t stay like this forever.

“Jake…” Amy breathed, and as if he was waiting for that word of permission, Jake leaned in to kiss her. Both were shocked at first, sparks coursing through their veins, and then they leaned into it. Jake’s hands rested on her waist as Amy placed a hand on his neck and pulled him closer. It felt like an eternity and only a second before the moment was ended by “JAKE!” yelled by the barista.

They looked at each other, a new love blossoming. Jake smiled, softly, and almost unnoticeable but unmistakably present. “Maybe we should get dinner instead?”

Amy nodded, starting to break free from the spell. “Okay, but I think we need to make some rules…” she started, as they walked out of the coffee shop, fingertips grazing, shoulders leaning against one another.

[briangroth27]

Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

This is my 200th original blog! I’m happy to make it about one of my favorite fictional characters and I’m glad to report that Spider-man: Far From Home is an absolute blast! I loved it and can’t wait to see more of Peter (Tom Holland) and his corner of the MCU. They did a great job of retaining the well-developed interpersonal relationships of Homecoming while upping the stakes and taking Peter and his classmates on a tour of Europe.

Full Spoilers…

Peter’s journey from street-level Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man to full-blown international superhero Avenger takes a solid step here, with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) drafting him into a battle with Elemental beings from a parallel universe. At first I thought it was kinda lame of Fury to be so all-in on high school junior Peter Parker suiting up instead of helping Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) fight the Elementals himself—I’ve always thought the MCU’s reliance on SHIELD to bring heroes together rather than the heroes teaming up by themselves made them less altruistic in a way, plus why do we need Fury if he’s just going to sit on the sidelines and point heroes at obvious threats?—but then I realized they were playing Fury as the parent or invested teacher in a high school movie. So, forcing Peter to help in the battle with the Elementals was their take on that kind of character encouraging a kid to step up and make the most out of their potential. He even goes so far as to ruin Peter’s vacation to get him to take his “job” seriously, and looking at him that way—with the Spider-films functioning as superhero movies by way of John Hughes—his role works really well (much like Tony Stark’s role as a parent who could say no to Spider-man in Homecoming). I also liked that Fury did agree to help Peter keep his identity a secret to an extent—that was reasonable of him—and "Night Monkey" was a fun gag (I wonder if he’ll don that simian alter ego again, given how this movie ends).

I liked that Peter’s anxiety over telling MJ (Zendaya) how he felt affected his Spider-sense—it seemed like a realistic parallel to being so stressed out that you literally worry yourself sick—and this worked much better than Spider-man 2’s Peter losing his powers just because he didn’t want to be Spider-man anymore. Making his “Peter Tingle’s” (lol!) function related to his stress and emotions also leaves the door open for his Spider-Sense to fail again, which is a nice dramatic bomb waiting to go off. Another dramatic bomb I’d like them to detonate is letting Peter realize that Tony wasn’t all great and did screw a lot of people over. Both Mysterio and Vulture made valid points about Tony and it wouldn't be a betrayal of Peter's Stark-adoration to recognize that he was a flawed person; it'd be the responsible, grown-up thing to do. Much like in Homecoming, I do worry that the MCU is playing Peter as Tony Stark's successor and heir apparent too much without fully exploring what we know to be the truth about Tony. I don’t want Peter to be the next Iron Man—he should be the first self-made Peter Parker instead—but it was a nice moment to see him take the steps of designing his new suit (even if I was hoping it’d be the classic one). Karen was fun and useful as someone for Peter to talk to in the last film, but I didn’t miss her in his new suit since he had Happy (Jon Favreau), Ned (Jacob Batalon), and MJ. I liked that Peter got to put his science skills to use and design his own web attacks instead of Stark gifting everything to him, though I’ll concede that the "moment" of Peter picking up the holo-designers did have a significant impact. Still, I loved him walking away from the Avengers in Homecoming (though I wish he hadn't gotten the Stark suit back) and I hope he eventually walks away from Stark Industries too instead of inheriting it or something. I want him at Horizon Labs and/or creating Parker Industries as a startup, inventing tech that helps the little guy instead of creating global defense networks. Speaking of, EDITH (Dawn Michelle King) was a fun addition to the film and Peter's mistakes with it felt appropriately teenager-esque (in a heightened superhero way, of course). I liked that it was way too much for him to handle and that he tried to get rid of it. I wish he’d destroyed it in the end, though my initial impression was that it’s essentially neutered now since all the drones are down and, given his reaction to seeing into everyone else’s phones, we can trust that he won’t use it that way again.

On the whole, the Spider-man films are the most enjoyable in the MCU (I also love that so much of their screentime is about Peter’s non-superhero life; we don’t get to see that from many other MCU heroes), but ignoring major dramatic moments keeps them from topping the Cap films as the MCU’s best. My biggest disappointment here is that we didn't—and apparently won't—see the fallout from May (Marisa Tomei) finding out that Peter is Spidey. I would’ve thought she’d be concerned about how being a superhero will affect his future (not to mention his safety), though I guess not since she fully encourages him to take his suit to Europe (also playing into that "embrace your potential" parental space Fury operates in). Was there a period where she worried about him before they came to this "everything is fine!" place? Did they compromise on ground rules for his superheroics vs. getting his homework done? The fallout from that reveal was a necessary piece of their arcs and it’s a mistake to skip it. I wish we hadn't had to detour into Infinity War after Homecoming (or that May walking in on him in the suit had also been Peter’s introductory scene in IW) and that we could've seen more of Peter and May's paths to get to this point.

Regardless, I liked seeing a new role for May now that she's in the know. It would've been nice to use that role to help give Peter advice or something, but it’s OK that that mainly manifested in her pushing him towards being a hero (and giving him an alibi to ditch the trip). Peter asking her for pointers on how to tell MJ he liked her would've been a solid route to take too (like when she helped him get ready for the dance in Homecoming), and it could’ve been a chance to bring up Uncle Ben and how he first told May about his feelings. I love that life for Peter and May hasn't ended with Ben’s death, but it would be nice to directly reference him. Continuing to mourn him would've been too much with Peter also mourning Stark's death (and it would've made Happy and May's flirtation awkward), but both Peter and May have clearly moved on so it would be OK to reference him without always being a downer. Ben’s initials on Peter’s briefcase were a nice subtle touch, but my friend pointed out that the suitcase getting blown up should’ve had more meaning to May and Peter instead of getting played off as joke (“Where’s your luggage? Oh right; it got blown up!”). Even a moment to say that physical things don’t matter when they can remember Ben and live as he did would’ve been enough. Speaking of Happy and May, I thought they were cute and I like where it's going (it if does go anywhere). At one point I thought not Snapping May would’ve been a way to bring the classic May into the MCU, but I wouldn’t have liked putting her through five years of hell with Peter having vanished. I like this May much better than the classic one who might have a heart attack just by finding out that Peter is Spider-man, and taking him away for that long probably would’ve led to that version so I’m glad they didn’t. I liked May helping the homeless shelter rather than sitting at home worrying about Peter being Spider-man: it’s nice to see her being a hero in her own right. I wonder if that job will bring us Mr. Negative sometime down the line; he could make things even worse for Spidey's rep.

Speaking of, this was an excellent rendition of Mysterio! I can't believe I didn't realize how perfect a villain he is for an era full of Fake News, where our leaders lie to us so casually and very few citizens bother to fact-check what they say. I hope he’s not dead and I don’t believe it. Faking that death would be a hard needle to thread with people clearly believing that he died a hero—so there must be a body, right?—but I’m sure there are ways around that. If he really is gone, what a way to go out! I definitely didn't expect him to announce Peter's secret to the world, but I'm glad they did: that’ll open up a lot of story potential and we’ve seen Peter do the secret identity thing in seven movies now; we can do one where he fights to put the genie back in the bottle and has to deal with the fallout. Gyllenhaal was very good in the role—the perfect mix of heroism, menace, and self-important ridiculousness—and while I knew he was a villain, he had me wishing that he wouldn't follow his comic book roots. I liked that he was the adult who let Peter slack and indulge in what he wanted rather than what was (arguably) best for his future (and certainly best for the world), and their chemistry allowed for a quick development of their brotherly bond. I liked the idea I saw online a while back about Quentin Beck having been a special effects guy on the "really old movies" Peter is always referencing who lost his job because of CGI, but his backstory here was so much better and it was very cool how they tied him and his cronies into the history of the MCU. I'm also so happy we got a comics-accurate costume for him! They really drove home the point that it would be impossible to fight Mysterio if you didn't have Spider-Sense and the sequence showcasing that was fantastic. Yes, that CGI was noticeably CGI, but given how he creates his illusions and the fact that it's a filter over real-world dangers, I thought it totally worked. The point wasn’t to create a photo-realistic illusion at that moment anyway, as there were several images that didn’t make logical sense in the “real world:” Beck was trying to scare and disorient Peter, getting him to hurt himself on real-world dangers, and the kid fell for it. I've never seen that threat level from this character before and that was a standout sequence of the entire MCU. I'm sorry that it looks like Sandman, Hydro-Man, Molten Man, and Cyclone are just illusions in this universe, but the Buzzfeed theory the gang finds means they could still be out there. Maybe Mysterio based the Elementals on them in the first place!

I'm of two minds about Nick Fury in this film. On one hand, I like the role he played in Peter's life here. On the other, the post-credits reveal that he was actually Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) acting as Fury while the real Nick was on vacation undercut the genuinely interesting character development Fury got. I really liked that he went from knowing everything about the world to knowing nothing. It's also more impressive if Mysterio dupes the real Fury instead of a stand-in. If Talos was sending Fury regular reports, then both those things are still at least halfway true, but it's not as effective or clean IMO. I’m glad to know Fury is a human who needs a vacation sometimes—the always alert, always prepared, always badass character the early MCU films painted him as would get boring and one-dimensional—but with these character developments maybe this wasn’t the best time to play the Skrull card. I hope the Skrull reveal is a one-time gag about Fury taking some time off (which does explain his insistence that Peter jump into the battle instead of doing it himself) and not a prelude to Secret Invasion. There just isn't time in these movies to sacrifice a whole film's worth of character development for a Skrull reveal. Secret Invasion would totally work in an MCU show, but the films aren’t like the comics where we have decades of time spent with the real characters plus a significant amount spent with their replacements; if they decide a character was a Skrull for an entire movie, that’s like a ninth of their total MCU screentime and development (if not more) erased.

I was happy that we got to spend a lot more time with MJ in this film. She's awesome, Zendaya plays her perfectly, and I really like this direction for her character! Her interest in the morbid history of everything is very endearing and I also like her obsession with telling the truth. At first I thought that might be a fun and interesting challenge for her once she found out about Peter (a twist the trailers shouldn't have revealed...classic Sony!), but now I'm thinking it could drive her towards journalism like in the Ultimate Comics universe. I would love to see her, Peter, and Ned team up to prove Peter's innocence and tell the world what really happened (while covering up Pete’s ID, which would bring that challenge aspect back to her). I liked that she played an integral role in discovering the truth about Mysterio and that she figured out Peter was Spider-man on her own; now I'd like to see that applied to her future. Her burgeoning relationship with Peter was sweet and felt well-developed given how long they’ve known each other; they are very cute together and their first kiss felt very teen-realistic. I can't wait to see how they work as a couple! With Midtown’s mascot being a tiger, I wonder if we'll get the "Face it, Tiger..." moment at some point.

Ned and MJ's low-key competition about knowing Peter's secret was fun too. I'm glad Ned has grown out of wanting to tell everyone Peter's secret (though that did create some fun drama and obstacles we wouldn't have gotten from the more responsible Peter by himself). I really like his friendship with Peter (and Batalon’s rendition of Ned) and even though he didn't get to be the Man in the Chair this time around, they could easily bring that back next time to help clear Pete's name. Ned and Betty's (Angourie Rice) trip-long summer romance was a funny subplot and a nice nod to their comic book marriage. I'm glad Betty got more screentime here, even if it's still weird to me that she's so visually patterned after Gwen Stacy (if they are saving Gwen for Spider-Gwen, I'm all for it!). I loved that the school news reports Betty and Jason (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) anchor are still so hilariously (and realistically) bad! They were the perfect vehicle to recap The Blip and I really liked how it was handled. This film isn't the place to look at the massive problems such seismic shifts in the global population would cause, but I firmly believe the MCU needs to address them somewhere (Agents of SHIELD and the other shows would be my choice). They could get literal years of great drama exploring the fallout of both snaps, the global upheaval, the extremes surviving heroes went to, surprising heroic turns from villains that were left behind, etc. and while I'm glad they didn't just erase Thanos' Snap, it's a massive missed opportunity not to mine the fallout for all it's worth somewhere. Global changes like this should be felt in everything going forward, even if they're not the main focus. Still, the kids’ frustration that they had to take their midterms over again and the weirdness over some kids having aged five years while the rest of them didn’t worked perfectly for the corner of the MCU this movie was playing in. Those felt like realistic teen complaints and they’re all I needed from this film in terms of the Blip.

Flash (Tony Revolori) was funny and I liked the surprise beat at the end about his parents not arriving at the airport to welcome him back. His adoration of Spider-man and jerkiness to Peter is still a fun combination too, though I would like to see Peter ruminate on that dichotomy a little more. Give Peter a moment where he feels like he’s getting one over on Flash because his bully idolizes his alter ego or something, then pull the rug out from under him with Flash being Flash (they almost have this moment here, but it’s more about establishing Flash’s Spider-fandom than Peter really considering/laughing at it). Still, I can't wait to see how he reacts to the knowledge that Peter is Spider-man! The teachers (J.B. Smoove, Martin Star) were great again too! Peter has one of the best supporting casts in the MCU and this film was no different. Mr. Harrison's tragic and over-shared love life was great fun, as was science teacher Mr. Dell being convinced the Elementals were the work of witches. Even though they do care about the students, the teachers being so inept goes a long way towards justifying how easy it is for Peter to slip away to do his hero thing. It’s also very funny; I wouldn’t change a thing! I liked that they made a point of joking that there had been very little science on this science club trip, but as excuses to get them to Europe go, it didn't bother me at all that they never got to study science.

I was delighted to see JK Simmons return as J. Jonah Jameson! That was a great bit and the evolution of the character into a Fox News-styled conspiracy theorist pundit who peddles lies is a perfect direction to take the character. I can't wait to see where he goes next! It would make total sense for him to hire the Scorpion (who already wants revenge on Spidey) or Kraven to take down the "menace" of Spider-man (perhaps as a dry run for the Sinister Six) in this context. I'm also wondering if we'll finally hear "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" as a rebuke to JJ from Peter: with such a large platform that commands power and implies trustworthiness, Jonah (and the press in general) has a responsibility to tell the truth, especially in an age where people will believe anything. As bad as our leaders are, the press enabling them by publishing conspiracy theories and not calling lies out as lies is an equally enormous problem and that would be an excellent “villain” to tackle in the next Spider-man. I wonder if they’ll let Peter re-establish his secret ID, or if he’ll end up accepting his pubic status as a way of showing he’s different from the liar leading the Daily Bugle.

The world of this film was great and I'm eager to see more of Peter's corner of the MCU. I liked that they continued to emphasize the diversity of the real world through Peter’s classmates; we definitely need more of that (in addition to getting more diverse characters as leads). I thoroughly enjoyed the acting from everyone in the cast. The pacing was perfect and they balanced the romantic drama, decisions about Peter's future, action, comedy, and stakes very well! There was a cool variety of fight scenes and I really liked Peter working to secure buildings and civilians while Mysterio took on the Elementals. The CGI was great and well-used. Michael Giacchino’s score was excellent once again! I really like his orchestral version of the 60s Spider-man cartoon theme (and hope we get a similar rendition of the 90s X-men theme for their reboot), as well as the other themes Giacchino developed for this series. The pop culture songs they used are great, but they shouldn't shy away from songs today's kids like as well. As a kid in the 90s, I listened to songs from the 60s on an oldies station along with current music so it doesn't bother me that Peter's music also spans decades, but there should be a more even mix of the two. I’ve seen comments online about how using modern music would date the film, but a major reason the 80s classics are “timeless” is because the people who grew up with them now use them in their films. Peter and his tastes shouldn’t be limited to what a 30-40 year old thinks is cool; they should be what the current teens think are cool.

I wonder how Peter being unmasked will affect Vulture for keeping his ID a secret, to say nothing of how it's going to wreck his personal life. This should be a seismic shift in his status quo and I hope they don't skip over it again like with May finding out. Maybe Black Cat could help Peter navigate the “criminal” lifestyle and make things even more complicated for him when he’s seen hanging out with an actual thief. Maybe Peter will get snarkier because of all this (since these movies are already so funny I didn’t notice his lack of quips until I saw author Gail Simone mention it on Twitter, but this turn of events could be a way to sharpen his comedy a bit). How will it affect May? Regardless of my (ultimately small) misgivings with certain aspects of this Peter’s development, Tom Holland is excellent in the role and they're telling their story very well, so I’m happy and excited to see as many adventures as he’s willing to suit up for! Who knows; maybe they can make Miles Morales the self-made, homemade Spidey instead of Pete. If he were Peter's contemporary instead of his multiverse counterpart here—do their team-up like a buddy cop movie with them as competing teenage Spider-men—they could make a statement out of Peter getting handed the keys to Tony’s kingdom while Miles has to resort to homemade methods, which would be pretty cool and socially relevant.

Whatever the future of the MCU has in store for Peter, I can't wait to see it! Far From Home is an absolute blast that's neck-and-neck with Homecoming for best live-action Spider-man film (Into the Spider-verse is still the best Spider- (and superhero) film overall) and you should definitely see this while it's in theaters!

 Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

[mystery-deer]

ray goes all out for kevin’s birthday

(I tried to write a fic but I got bored halfway through but I didn’t want to NOT answer this so ple ase enjoy this half finished fic as best you can!)

___________________________________________________________  “Look at you all…just talking. Talking away like this is business as usual.”The nine-nine looked at each other, they were used to being interrupted from arguments by their captain but this time felt different. Mostly because they were not in argument or shenanigan and were instead working with only slight breaks to chat. 

“Uh…sir? Is everything alright?” Terry asked, getting up from his desk. “Is there a problem?”“No.” The captain sighed. “You’re not even looking at the problem. What’s the problem Jeffords?”Silence as the bull pen exchanged worried looks. “Uh…”“What is the problem Jeffords?”“I…um, moral?”“No. What’s the problem Peralta?”“Did your sister visit and turn your baseball cap around backwards ag-”“No. The problem that we’re trying to solve is,” Holt said, his voice heightening to signal that whatever speech he’d been leading up to was beginning. “That there are good days and there are bad days and then there’s suboptimal days and then there’s this. We are the last dog at the bowl, the runt of the litter and we are going to die out there if we waltz in unprepared!”“Oh my God…” Santiago cried, standing abruptly from her desk and covering her mouth. “It’s Kevin’s birthday tomorrow isn’t it?”“Bingo!”_______ “I can’t believe you forgot your own husband’s birthday Captain!” Scully scolded.“Yeah that’s real irresponsible of you.” Hitchcock chimed in smugly, rubbing shoe polish in his hair. “You’re literally rubbing shoe polish in your hair.” Rosa pointed out, both her feet kicked up onto her desk. “I’m trying to get out the gray spots!”“It’s all gray spots.” Rosa sneered.“Enough. I didn’t forget Kevin’s birthday but my plans…changed a few times.”-flashback-Kevin is reading the paper over what seems to be lunch and Raymond is scribbling away in a notebook.  “Ah, Francis is having a big party this year.” Raymond pauses. “What do you…think of that?”“I don’t know, it seems a bit tacky. He’s almost as old as me, making such a fuss.”Raymond crosses out whatever he was writing and nods in agreement.__ “I was thinking, why don’t we go down to that bakery on 5th and purchase a pie?” Raymond asks casually, walking down the street with Kevin. “Oh no thank you. Martin is going on some sort of diet to prove that it’s medically unsound and I promised to participate as well as he wanted multiple testimonies.”“Hm…” Raymond hummed, nodding. He sneakily takes out his phone and frantically hits ‘cancel order’ on 10 pie deliveries.__ “Honey.” Raymond quickly shuts the closet door and turns to Kevin, who walks into the room. “I- what were you doing?”“Nothing. You were about to say something?”“Yes. I’m writing a paper about the prevalence of alcoholism in the gay community due to the chief lgbt spaces being bars and such. Because of this young people in the community begin drinking earlier than they might have otherwise due to wanting to be social and make friends with people they can relate to.”“…Ah. Did you need something from me in relation to that?”“No. I just enjoy keeping you up to date on my work.”“How romantic.” Raymond smiled and Kevin returned the gesture, walking out the room and closing the door.Raymond sighed dreamily and the closet opened to reveal Debbie, also smiling. “So is wine tasting out out?”-flash back ends- “Don’t you guys always go out to dinner or something lame like that?” Diaz asks. “Well yes but I…wanted to make this one special.”“With all due respect sir-”“Peralta.”“Kevin’s not a hard guy to impress…when you’re Raymond Holt and no one else. He thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread.”Amy and Holt share a smug look and chuckle. “Oh Peralta I hardly think me and Otto Rohwedder are even comparable in the mind of any sane man.” Amy lets out a bark of laughter and Holt leans back in his chair, satisfied.“God, I hate when you guys are like this.” Rosa moans.“Enough chit chat!” Everyone turns to the door, where Charles is standing, holding a large binder covered in lisa frank food and heart stickers. Amy gasps as the binder is tossed onto the Captain’s desk and Jake tilts his head, trying to determine if it’s the size of the binder or the way it’s casually tossed onto the desk that caused the outburst.“Let’s plan this baby.”_____________________ Kevin got off the train and began walking home, yawning. He checked his phone and read a text from Gina. Gina: Heyy so hows the plan goin??? Along with a string of boxes that always accompanied Gina’s texts. He had no idea what they meant and at this point it would be a bit awkward to bring up.You: Very well. Raymond is home and we are having a quiet night in.Gina: brb just got a text from JakeKevin put his phone back in his pocket and took out his keys, unlocking his door and stepping into his home to see-“CHARLES I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU SUGGEST A MASSAGE LINE AGAIN I’M GONNA SQUEEZE YOUR HEAD LIKE A WATERMELON!”Utter chaos.His phone vibrated and he took it out again, feeling shell-shocked. Gina: oohhhhh maybe not THAT quiet ____________________ An hour later the following events had transpired.    Amy had nearly fainted when Martin recognized her and asked how her teeth were doing.Terry and Charles had gotten into a long argument about romantic gestures which led to both of them spending five thousand dollars in gifts to their respective wives.Rosa had brandished a machete to cut the cake that Charles had made, which proved a mistake as the cake was for some reason made of meat. Specifically fish.Amy had to down two bottles of her allergy medication after Cheddar had gotten loose and chased her around the house, thinking they were playing some sort of game.Scully and Hitchcock attempted to sell Debbie Nutriboom smoothies.And Jake had proposed they play Just Dance which he was so horrendous at that he nearly had some sort of heart attack from all the exertion. Rosa meanwhile crushed everyone in her path to victory. “Hey, where’s Kevin?” Asked Charles, looking away from Rosa’s fantastic moves to ‘Circus’ on extreme mode.“I don’t know, I’ll go find him.” Terry said, getting up and searching the house. He found him upstairs in what seemed to be a room entirely devoted to paperwork. He had Cheddar on his lap and both of their eyes were closed. “Is Terry interrupting something?” Kevin opened his eyes but Cheddar’s remained closed though his tail began wagging. “Oh, Jeffords. Welcome. To the pity party.”“What’s wrong? Was it the ice sculpture of you that Jake broke the head off of?”“No.”“Was it that Charles’ meal was entirely fish based?”“Oh no I didn’t eat any of that. Did you know that he put fish in the water?”Terry nodded gravelly and Kevin placed a hand on his back in consolation. “I appreciate that this all for me and that you all went through the trouble of making this night rather extravagant but what I really wanted was-” The door behind them opened suddenly and when they both turned to look they saw Holt closing it again, glancing around as if worried. “Raymond what are y-”“Kevin? Why are you and Jeffords in here?” He sat down next to them. “Were you capitalizing on your seven minutes in heaven?”“You don’t know what that is.” Terry pointed out, looking around the room. “Terry’s gotta ask…is this room really just for paperwork?”“It’s for taxes.” Kevin replied in a tone that suggested Terry was the weird one for not having an entire room devoted to taxes.“Right…the tax room. Anyway, now that you two are here I’ll be heading back to the party. Terry’s not going to have anyone beating him at Boogie Wonderland. Especially Francis.” and with that the man left, leaving Kevin and Raymond alone.____________________________________________So the plot of this fic was going to be that Holt wanted to make Kevin’s birthday very special bc he wants to properly propose and ask that they renew their vows while Kevin wanted to have a quiet night in so that he could properly propose to Holt and ask that they renew their vows.In the end they, in the privacy of this room with the party raging downstairs, ask each other and they both accept. They have a lot of fun at the party and at the end of the night they make some very casual mention of the fact that they’re happy about deciding to renew their vows and everyone’s like “WHAT!?? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN!??” Also, can you guess what I’m parodying in the…I guess cold open?