#hopefully will be opening some scores soon

[banj0possum]

Touchdown

Playboy!Jock x GN Reader

CW: playboy behavior, mentioned nsfw

🏈Brandon was the star player in the school football team, who had his pick of anyone he wanted because of his good looks and talent in sports.

🏈He was used to short relationships that meant seemingly nothing, it was always just them walking up to him all flustered, him flirting, then a one-night stand or two, then a breakup that left them either a sobbing mess or with a burning hatred for the jock, either way, he thought nothing of them in the long run.

🏈He was sitting with the rest of the football team during lunch when he saw you. He wasn't sure if you were new or not, there were many people in the school that he didn't pay any attention to, so seeing you for the first time made him intrigued.

🏈You were sitting alone in one of the tables close to the corner to get some much-needed peace and quiet when you feel a weight on the bench next to you. You turn and see Brandon, a member of the football team. You raise a brow at him while taking a bite out of your food.

🏈The fact that you seemed so uninterested in his presence was amusing to him and he started making small talk to you, a little teasing and playful insults sprinkled in, perhaps some flirting if you squint.

🏈But all you did was reply to his questions about your life in the driest ways possible with absolutely no interest in conversation with a playboy like him.

🏈You've heard of him before from some friends of yours, how he's fucked probably half of the cheerleading squad and had a lengthy history of chatting up girls just to fuck them and leave. All of this and the way he presented himself to you as some stuck-up douche who's only talking to you in order to make fun of you made you annoyed and a bit revolted by him.

🏈Brandon on the other hand couldn't get enough of you. The more he talked to you the more interested he was about you as a person. You were modest, you had interesting tastes in music, you had cool hobbies he's never heard of before from anyone he's talked to in the past, and most of all you were...beautiful.

🏈You weren't that different from everyone else compared to looks, sure you were a bit prettier but average nonetheless, why does he think you're so cute all of a sudden?

🏈the bell rang, and you immediately stood up to walk to class, much to the jock's dismay.

🏈He takes your hand before to went off with a gentle but tight grip.

🏈"uh...so you like, have good english scores right? You think you could tutor me sometime?"

🏈Ohhhhhh so that's why he talked to you, because you were a nerd and he needed you to copy homework from.

🏈You offer your English essay, but he refuses, asking if you were available to help him to make his own.

🏈You were pleasantly surprised to say the least, you never thought someone like him would choose tutoring instead of copying from someone else for an easy A+.

🏈You let out a small laugh and smiled at him. "huh, Alright. See you after school then..." You then run off in hopes you wouldn't be late to your next period.

🏈Brandon stood there a bit frazzled, why did he say that? Why does he want to be tutored all of a sudden? Why was your smile so precious? Why is his face heating up???

🏈Before he could get his thoughts together, his friends approached him, ushering him to start moving or else he'll be given another detention. He snapped out of his confused state and tried to laugh off the thoughts of you swirling around his head.

🏈Who the hell were you to make him feel so...good?

an: making a part 2 soon, probably, hopefully. requests are open so feel free to give any suggestions of more funny lads to write about!

[hellodropbear]

like she used to (VII)

alexia putellas x sister

part I, II, III, IV, V, VI

this is the final part! it is 12:30am, I got home at 11 and read over it as I ate dinner so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes!

I hope you like the final part and sorry it has taken me so long!

~~~~~~

April 12, 2013.

"Alexia!" 

My sister was standing outside by the school gates, training uniform on, her skin bronzed from the Barcelona sun. I hadn't been expecting her to pick me up from school that day, but it was always a nice surprise when she did because it meant going to her training instead of Mami's work. 

"Hola, pequena!" She lifted me easily into her arms, spinning me in almost a full circle and carrying me out towards her car, avoiding the sympathetic glances she received from the parents around. 

I think she was sick of them, our father died almost a year ago and she had been picking me up at least once a week since. Surely they should be aware of it by now?

I was placed in my booster seat in the back of the car, Alexia stepping into the front seat and smiling at me through the rear view mirror. 

"Everyone is so excited to see you, pequena! I told them all this morning and they've been waiting all day."

I nodded from the back seat before diving into chatter about my day, what I had done at school. Alexia smiled and nodded from the front seat, only adding to the conversation when I left small gaps between my endless streams of chatter. 

The chatter continued as we arrived and I skipped ahead of her before she grabbed my hand with a stern glance, warning me to be safe on the roads. 

But Alexia was forgotten as I ran into the changing rooms, straight into Leila's open arms. 

"Hola, mi amor." She planted a soft kiss on the top of my head, trying to control my energetic and wriggly body. 

"Hola, Leila!"  

My long spiel started again, this time spoken directly to Leila as the others sat and watched in amusement, Alexia rolling her eyes at my loud and persisting voice. 

But my voice was silenced as soon as they went back out onto the training pitch, sat on the rug that Alexia had laid out with some colouring books and toys. Books and toys that lay abandoned as I stared at the footballers in front of me. 

They were incredible, I always thought. They moved so quickly up and down the pitch, shooting and passing the ball with pinpoint precision that I could only imagine to possess as a 6 year old who had only started to learn to play a few months ago. 

I idolised my sisters teammates almost as much as I idolised Alexia and I constantly tried to pick up on things they did, trying to be like them, trying to improve my own abilities. 

Alba came down and sat next to me, but was unable to pull me out of my trance, instead pulling out her schoolbook and doing some homework as we waited for Alexia to finish up.

But Alexia finishing up meant I was about to start, so I ignored Alba's groan as I jumped up from the floor as the whistle blew, running over to grab a stray ball and attempting to dribble it around the patch of grass near Alba. 

It wasn't long before Marta jogged over, guiding me to the small training pitch and trying to intercept the ball and getting me to try dispossess her as she dribbled along. 

It was all fun and games until we started shooting, and I found myself incapable of getting a single goal in the back of the net. I was progressively getting more and more upset, with Marta's words of encouragement doing little to cheer me up as I remained unsuccessful in scoring a single goal. 

I was forced to give up when Alexia rushed onto the field, apparently recognising my distress and picking me up, holding me close. 

I immediately calmed down. Alexia's arms were magical in that way, they never failed to calm me down, to cheer me up. To make me warm, to make me comfortable. 

My cries into Alexia's chest were light and she ran her hand up and down my back softly, smiling at Marta as the older Spaniard planted a kiss on my head and said goodbye. 

"Pequena, why are you so upset?"

"Because, Ale, I can't even score a goal! You and your team can score a goal from ages and ages away but I can't even score one from right in front of it!"

Alexia laughs softly and I frown. 

"You are six, Elena, you are so little and you have only been playing for a couple months. We are professionals, we have to be able to do these things because that is our job, just like your job is to learn how to read and write at school, something you are very good at! You will get better as you continue to practice, we have already seen you get so much better. You got the ball off Marta today, you should be proud of yourself like I am proud of you."

"I just want to be like you, Ale. Why can't I be like you?"

I lean my head into Alexia as she adjusts her hold of me and wanders over to where my belongings were left abandoned. 

"You are just like me. When I was your age I was exactly like you are now, only less determined and less talented. You will be better than me one day, pequena, if you keep working so hard. You just need to remember that I will always be proud of you. Every day of my life I wake up and think of how proud I am, how lucky I am that you are my baby sister. I love you pequena."

"Even if I am bad at football?"

"Even if you are bad at football. Which you aren't, by the way. You are incredible."

~~~~~~

November 18, 2017.

It was game day. 

The Catalonia cup final day, and my whole family was sat in the audience to watch as I played in the final for the under 11s. I only turned 9 last week, but was invited to play with this team a few months ago. 

The game was a big deal for me, playing with people so much older, so much taller. I felt the pressure as well, a defender against a team where the top of my head barely reached the base of the necks of the attackers from the other team. 

It was nerve wracking, and I felt everything churning inside me as I walked onto the field and into my position, waiting for the ref to blow his whistle and for the game to commence. 

I didn't want to look up into the stands, hyperaware of everyone watching me, everyone waiting for me to be just like Alexia. To stand out, to be fast, to be precise, to be incredible. 

But Alexia is a midfielder and I am a centre back. I am not like Alexia, but the only one who seems to understand that is Alexia. 

To everyone else, I am a younger version of her, waiting to follow in her footsteps. La Masia, Barcelona B. Barcelona first team. 

It makes me wonder what they will think if I don't have the perfect career like Alexia. 

But I am only 9, still to young to even trial for La Masia, so the under 11s from the local team will have to do. 

The game starts out well, my team scores twice in thirty minutes and we finish the first half up two goals to none. We are happy as we sit on the sidelines with our coach for the 15 minute break, eating slices of orange and joking around. 

I sometimes wonder how different it is at half time for Alexia when she plays in her big games. I don't think they eat oranges. Or joke around. 

The second half does not go nearly as well. It starts off with a goal to us, but the other team quickly gain possession and score easily. It's upsetting, but we are still two goals up. 

When their next goal goes in, we begin to get nervous, skittish. We are still a goal up, but it is not a big enough gap for our liking, especially since they just got two very quickly. 

The scoreline remains at 3-2 until the 81st minute, when an attacker from the other team tears all the way down the pitch and into the box. I am in the right position, it is entirely up to me to stop this goal from going in. 

But I don't. I try to dispossess her, but I'm unsuccessful. She sends the ball right through my legs and into the net for the equalising goal and I bit back my tears as she celebrates with her friends. 

My teammates pat me on the back, telling me it doesn't matter, that we can get another goal in the dying minutes of the game, but I am not focussed on them. 

I am focused on my family sitting in the stands because all I can see is disappointment. 

Except Alexia, who smiles and puts her thumbs up with an encouraging smile. 

But I am a disappointment, because I allowed the other team to equalise. 

Alexia wouldn't have done that. 

My teammates were right, they score again in the second minute of added time, and we celebrate winning the cup with medals and a trophy. But it all feels tainted, because I almost ruined this for the team. 

I disappointed my family because I am a Putellas, we are supposed to be good at football. 

It is only when we return to the dressing room that the first tears slip out, but I wipe them away quickly, frustrated that I couldn't stop them from starting in the first place. 

Surprisingly, Alexia is the only family member who is outside the dressing room with the other families, and I run directly into her arms, grateful that they are already outstretched. 

Her arms are like home. Like they have done for all my life, they cheer me up, take away some of my sadness. 

"You played so well, pequena! I am so, so proud of you, my little champion!" 

She grabs the piece of metal that hangs from my neck and kisses it. 

"Another gold to add to our collection."

Our collection. 

Like we collect them together. 

I just won an under 11s Catalonia cup, after almost ruining my teams chances. She has a number of Primera division medals, copa de la reina, copa catalunya, golf medals from world championships at the youth age level. A never ending list of MVP awards, honours from spain, from Catalonia and from Mollet del Valles.

And I almost lost my team the Catalonia Cup. 

We are not the same, Alexia and I. I just wish my family would see that, understand that I won't be like Alexia because how could I ever be that good. 

Alexia seems to pick up on my negative mood, lifting me up like I am still 5 years old and holding me close. 

"I know what you are thinking, Elena."

I look at her curiously, a silent question that asks her to continue. 

"You are thinking that their equaliser was entirely your fault, that you almost cost the team your victory, no?"

I nod slowly, and she wipes away the tear that slips from my eye. 

"You never would have done something like that, Ale."

She shakes her head, chuckling slightly. 

"You don't even want to know how many mistakes I've made, how many times I've thought it was all my fault that we lost or almost lost a game. This is your first, but it won't be your last and that is ok. Football is a team sport, Elena, it is never an individuals fault. You wouldn't be mad at a keeper for making a mistake and conceding an important goal and you can't blame the striker for not shooting enough if you lose an important game. Just like you can't blame a defender for conceding. The striker had to get through the midfield first, and they all made mistakes there, and other defenders could have helped you out but they didn't, the keeper wasn't positioned well either but everyone tried their best and accidentally conceded a goal. It's a team, pequena, you win together, lose together, score together and conceded together. And look at how many clearances you made! All those tackles where you recovered the ball, prevented their attack. I am so proud of you today because you were one of the best players on the pitch."

I nod slowly, slumping into her arms. 

"I just wish I could be like you, Ale. Because you are so good and everyone knows it. I am so scared that I will disappoint everyone by not living up to what you've done, but how can I? You are so good."

She sighs, shaking her head. 

"You are my sister, but that doesn't mean we are the same on the pitch. I am a terrible defender, you are a great one. I can score goals easier than you, but it doesn't mean you're not as good, or can't grow to be a professional like I am. And nobody will ever be disappointed in you either! Whether you play for Barcelona for the rest of your life or if you go and play for a terrible team like Arsenal, or even if you quit football altogether and decide to go down another road because that is always an option too! You are smart like I am not, you are artistic like I am not and you can play that piano better than anyone else I've heard. What I'm saying is that just because we both love football, we are not the same. Everyone knows that and nobody will ever be disappointed in you if you don't follow the same career that I have."

"They all looked so disappointed when I conceded though." 

She shook her head again. 

"They shouldn't have, because they were not. But even if everyone else fails you, pequena, which they won't, but if they do, you will always have me cheering you on. I will always be there, your annoying, old, proud sister, every single day I am alive I will be proud of you no matter what you do, because I love you so much, you are everything to me."

She wipes away the tears that slipped from my eyes, planting a kiss on my head. 

"Now everyone is waiting for us, a big celebration dinner because you won today. Everyone is so proud of you, Elena. You are growing into such a talented and strong little girl, the best centre back our family has ever seen."

I smile. 

Maybe I don't need to be just like Alexia to succeed. 

Maybe Elena is alright too. 

~~~~~~

July 4, 2019.

I was invited to trial for La Masia, but I don't know if I want to go. 

I know I am good at football, but I don't even know if I want to play anymore.

Because last week I played the best game I have in a long time, but this morning I singlehandedly lost my team any chances we have of winning the under 15s title. 

It had been rough from the beginning and it was even worse considering we were on the top of the league and we were playing a team from close to the bottom. We couldn't get past their defence, but their attack was easily finding their way through our midfield and defensive line. 

We conceded three and scored none. 

All three of the conceded goals were my fault. 

Every. Single. One. 

Alba told me after the game that it was alright, it didn't matter. 

Mami hugged me and said it would be better next time. 

But it isn't alright, it does matter and who knows if it will be better next time?

Alexia was in France, relaxing after her disappointing end to the world cup, but Mami or Alba must have filled her in on the disaster that was my game before she got home, because as soon as she arrived, she was upstairs and into my room, pulling me into a hug. 

"I don't want you to tell me that it doesn't matter, Alexia, because it does. Please don't tell me that football is a team sport and it isn't just my fault, because it is. It's all my fault and now I've destroyed their chances of winning the league. So please, don't tell me otherwise."

She shook her head, her arms tightening around my body.

"Mami said you don't want to trial for La Masia anymore?" 

I shake my head. I don't think I can even face the trials after the embarrassment that was the other night. 

"That's ok. You don't have to if you don't want to."

I look up at her in confusion. 

"Really?"

"Absolutely not."

She looks right back at me, brushing the hairs out of my face. 

"You're only 11, Elena. You put a lot of pressure on yourself to be great which is not necessary. You are already brilliant. If you don't want to trial, you don't have to. You love school, you love your current team and if you don't want that all to change it doesn't have to. There is always next time if you decide you want to make that jump."

I don't know how she always knows what I am thinking, because I never told her how much I would miss my school and football team if I ended up at La Masia. 

"And what if I don't? What if I don't want to play football any more. Throw away everything I have ever worked for. Wouldn't you be disappointed?"

I don't want her to tell me she wouldn't be, because I don't think that's the truth. 

"Elena, I will never be disappointed in you. Yes, I would be upset, but that is only because it is something so special that we share, something that connects us in a way that I can't be connected to anyone else in this family. But I love you and I would get over it eventually. But today, let's think about now."

I nod, which she uses as an indicator to continue. 

"You're 11 years old, starting as a centre back in the under 15s. You are good, very good and play games so well that nobody would even notice you were so young if it wasn't for your height. You had a bad game the other day, but every other week you have saved that team so many times, so if it wasn't for you, they would have lost that trophy weeks ago. You are smart, have heaps of friends at school and love to play the piano, to read, to hang out with those friends. You love to do things outside of football, it's all equally important. You were scouted to trial for La Masia, but you are 11 and these trials happen every six months so there will be many more chances for you to trial if you decide not to this time but change your mind later. You have a huge family of support right behind you, and you have me, who will always be so proud of you. It's all laid out in front of you, Elena, you just have to make a decision."

A tear slips out of my eye but she is quick to brush it away. 

"I don't want to trial, not yet."

Her arms pull me tighter. 

"I think that's a good decision. I am proud of you, pequena. You need more time to decide what you want to do. Not want Mami wants you to do, not what I want you to do. Not what anybody else wants you to do. I am proud that you have given yourself that time. You are mature, Elena, and so, so smart."

"I love you, Alexia."

"I love you too. Always."

Her arms are so warm around me that I feel myself drifting to sleep in them, waking up when the sun rises the next morning, still with her right arm hanging loosely around my waist. 

I am lucky to have her, I decide. So lucky, because she is like a guiding light who makes everything so much clearer. I don't know what I would do without her. 

~~~~~~

I made my debut for Barcelona yesterday. I came in for Irene in the 88th minute, Jonatan said he wanted me to get some minutes under my legs before I could play for longer. 

The feeling of running onto the pitch in the Barcelona kit, my name and number on my back, alongside the players I have grown up idolising was something I will never forget. 

Something so special, a turning point in my life that could map out my entire career. 

But it was all tainted by what I have lost. What I should have had supporting me. Who I should have had supporting me. 

"I will always be proud of you, Elena."

I think she has forgotten all those times she told me that, but I certainly have not. 

It feels like a long time since I have felt emotions like this. It feels like an even longer time that I have really felt happy. Euphoric, even.

It is harder for a centre back to be subbed in, because they make the foundations of the formation. But we were up by 6 to nothing so it was a safe bet. Any mistakes I made would not lose us points. 

I didn't make mistakes though. I made clearances, I stopped the ball from going past Cata and into the goal. Jonatan was happy, Aitana hugged me as soon as the final whistle blew. 

Mami was there, of course, cheering from the crowd. 

It feels like months since I have seen her. It has been a while since we have spoken properly, although she does not bring that up as she pulls me into a hug, telling me how proud she is of me. 

Alba stands from beside her, staring at me intensely, as if worried I will run away again. 

She knows that if she brings up the last time that happened, I probably will. 

The last month has been rough. I have stayed with Mapi, only leaving the safety of my room in her apartment for training. I did my school, I trained hard and I ate every meal. My days slipped by, I felt nothing. Not happy, not sad. Not anything. 

I think I was confused. Exhausted too. I had exploded, finally, and so I had to suffer from the repercussions. 

Mapi tried her very best to help clean up after that tidal wave finally hit, but her efforts weren't enough to rebuild what had been destroyed. So I ignored her when she came into my room each night, telling me that Alexia was outside, that Alexia wanted to see me. 

I didn't want to see her because I don't think I would have been able to hold it together if she had come crying to me. 

But she is here today and I don't think Mapi will let me avoid her when she inevitably approaches me in the change rooms. 

I walk there slowly, saying goodbye to Mami and Alba quietly and trailing behind Patri and Pina who don't even notice my presence. It is because I have been so quiet, I think, they don't really know what to do with me. They don't know what to say to make me feel better. 

There's not much that will. 

The room erupts into loud cheers as I enter, most of the older players proud of me for finally making my debut. 

It would have been a dream debut, really, if things were different. 

But everything is ruined, everything is overshadowed by so many things. 

Alexia has done all this before me, made her debut, broken into the first squad. I am simply just doing what is expected of me, as a Putellas. 

She got selected because of her talent. I was selected because Mapi got injured. 

But she is right there as I get passed through the room, standing up against the doorway, a soft smile on her face. 

Mapi is the one who pushes me towards her and I can't decide whether she doesn't notice my attempts of making frantic eye contact with her, or if she just decides to ignore it. She whispers that everything will be fine, that I just need to talk to her and things will start to get better. 

I try telling her that she's wrong, that it's not that easy. 

But those arms are around me as soon as I am in reaching distance and it takes everything inside of me to not crack right there. But I can feel the parts of me that were slowly rebuilt over the past month start to fall apart again, but differently.

All those things that crashed out of me by my piano a few months ago come racing right back inside. It is like she gathered them all up in her arms and carried them around for me until she saw me next, until she would be able to give them back. 

She sort of picks me up as I start to cry, moving out and into one of the physio rooms, giving us more privacy. Away from the prying eyes of our teammates who have been so intrigued by the drama between us. 

So intrigued by the drama that has been ripping me up from the inside. 

And it looks like it has also been ripping up Alexia, if you look at the suitcases under her eyes and the severe discolouration in her face. 

"Elena." Her voice is clearly tearful, but I can barely hear it over the gut wrenching cries thatI am releasing. 

In reality, they aren't really that loud but they overcome me in a way that blocks out everything else around me. 

Because I have been void of everything for over a month, no emotions. Not happy, sad, confused, excited, disappointed. Not anything. 

But to feel those arms. Her arms that keep me safe, that shelter me from life's issues. It is a feeling like no other. 

Something I can finally feel. 

And I never want to not feel again, because even though I am not happy, at least I am finally feeling something. At least I am not so empty like I have been, a bottomless pit in my stomach that simply could not be filled. 

And with Alexia's arms around me, it feels like I can get through anything. 

I am a Putellas. I am strong. 

"Elena... I have been a terrible big sister." Her voice breaks and her head lands in my hair. 

"And I have been thinking and thinking, wracking my brain to try and figure out what started this all, and I finally remembered the other day. Elena, I do not deserve you."

I move out from beneath her, looking at her intently. 

Wet eyes meet wet eyes and I immediately pull her into a hug. 

"I have missed you so much, Ale. I have missed you so much."

"I am so, so, so sorry, Elena. Nothing I say will be enough."

We speak at the same time, tears consuming us as we both try to fix our relationship. 

Fix the relationship that has been shattered, broken, kicked, destroyed. 

Fix the relationship that I would do anything to repair. 

"Please, listen to me." 

I look up at her as she grabs my face, cupping my cheeks in her hands and wiping away the tears that have fallen. 

"I said things to you. Things that I didn't mean, things that were wrong. And then I questioned why you weren't comfortable around me as much any more. And I stopped being your sister, pequena. I stopped watching your games, picking you up from training, taking you to ice cream, helping you with your homework. I just stopped a few years ago and never even tried to explain, never tried to regain your trust."

I frown. 

"At my party, the La Masia one. When I cried. You got upset at me and I was childish about the whole thing, I used it against you for so long."

"And you have every right to, Elena, because I was so terrible and I wish I had a reason, something to excuse my words, but I do not. I was stressed, I was anxious. I projected it all onto my perfect baby sister because I didn't know what else to do. And I was a bad sister before that, too. I never should have told you that I was too busy for you because you are so much more important than anything else in my life, but I acted like I didn't care about you at all. I am a terrible sister."

"I didn't help." My voice is mousy, squeaky. Because I have been crying and I am doing everything I can to avoid another round of tears. "I didn't make it easier for you, I wasn't strong like you, like I should have been."

Alexia inhales sharply, immediately shaking her head, pulling mine back into her chest in a tight hug. 

"I never want to hear those words come out of your mouth again, Elena, because you are the strongest person I know and I am so, so proud of everything you have done. You have been brave, determined, passionate, so many things. I have been the weak one. I have been so scared of losing you, but I was the one who ruined everything and I lost you, I let you slip through my fingers and I will never forgive myself for that. You are incredible, Elena, and you won't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not me, not anyone."

"I have missed you so much."

Alexia is surprised when I lean further into her arms, but I am grateful when she tightens them around me. 

She is my older sister, and I have missed her so much. 

She is my older sister, and I lost her for a while. I lost her and my life became miserable. My days were more dreary and I began to hate everything else in my life. 

But now she is here, she has acknowledged the issues and I finally feel some relief. 

I finally feel like I am getting her back. 

Her arms are filling me up with all those emotions, warm ones, cold ones. Things I never want to feel again but things I want to feel every day for the rest of my life. 

Alexia is my sister.

And I realised, last night, that I don't have to be exactly like her, because I am not her. I am Elena, and I debuted for Barcelona at 15. 

The youngest to ever do it. 

It's pretty cool. 

But it's even better to have my sister there, cheering for me like she always said she would. She is proud, she loves me and I do think she has missed me like I have missed her. 

And I can finally feel myself mending. 

We spoke more after the celebrations, she took me to dinner, slowly patching up my insides that I once thought were beyond prepare. 

She told me over and over that she was sorry, she feels terrible and she will never let me slip away from her again. She says that I am incredible and that she wishes she had my talent, that I will grow to become the best that the club has ever seen and that I have already paved my way into the history of this football club. 

But she also tells me that I am a good person, with good values and a good heart. That Papi would be proud of the person I have become. Not just the footballer, the person. 

For the second time that day, I feel happy, full of love, completely content. 

Because Alexia loves me, and sometimes, the love of a sister is all you need. 

~~~~~~

and that's it!

Let me know if you want to see anything else from this little universe and i'll see what i can do

thank you for reading this all, i have seen all the comments and asks and they mean the world :)

hope you enjoyed

[stevieschrodinger]

Part One Two Three

When uncle Wayne had walked into the room the first time, Billy had said, who the fuck is this guy?

Now, strangely, Wayne seems to be the person Billy likes the most. The visits are never long, he still has a job to go to, and the outside world seems to be picking up the pieces quicker than Eddie could have imagined.

“They had that kids funeral the other day. Shame, too young for something like that.”

“Yeah, yeah it is a shame.”

Jason Carver was a massive prick.

Didn’t deserve to die though. Probably. Maybe.

Billy snorts. Ask him how the Pacers are doing.

He’s going to get suspicious if I keep asking him this shit.

Wayne’s reading a newspaper, oblivious to the internal conflict happening three feet away in Eddie’s hospital bed.

Come on man, he’s literally the only person you know who speaks any sense. Please. For me.

“So, uh, watch any good, uhm, sports games, recently?”

Smooth.

Shut up, I cant just go right in. It has be like, making small talk, or whatever.

Wayne raises an eyebrow over the top of his paper, “maybe, a few.”

“Right. So. How are the Pacers doing? They, uhm, score any touchdowns recently?”

Oh my god. Oh my god you just cannot be trusted with a single thing. You-

“Eddie.”

- absolutely useless bag of -

“The pacers are a basketball team.”

“Right, right, sure I knew that. So how are they doing?”

Billy finally shuts up so he can listen too.

“I’m going to tell you, but only because I know exactly what’s happening here.”

“You do?”

He does?

Wayne nods, “I’ve got eyes Eddie. That Harrington boy, don’t think I don’t see how he looks at you-”

Oh my god.

“-and how you go all moon eyed over him. But listen now, it’s okay that you have different interests, you don’t have to try and change just to impress some boy-”

What is happening-

“-if he likes you, he’ll like you for you, understand?”

“I...yeah.”

“You’re a good kid Eddie. And you’ll be good enough as you are for the right person. Just promise me you’ll be careful, alright?”

Just say yes. This is...just say yes.

“Yes, uncle Wayne.”

Wayne stands up, folding his his news paper, “I got a shift in a few hours, but I’ll swing by in a couple of days, okay? Hopefully you’ll be out soon. I don’t know what the hell happened and I don’t think I want to know, but you’re going to like the new trailer, your rooms twice as big as the old one – Steve’s been in and out setting shit up for you.”

“Uh hu, and since when has he been Steve.”

“Since he watched the Pacers game with me, anyway, I’ll see you.”

What the fuck! Steve gets to watch the – never mind, get the paper! Get the paper Eddie! At least get the fucking-

“Hey, Uncle Wayne? You finished with the paper? I want the. The uhm. I want to do the cross word?”

Wayne frowns at him, but comes back to leave the rolled up paper for him.

Right, now open to the sports page and stare at it.

I don’t even-

I really don’t care. I’m reading about fucking elves and dragons, you can do this.

Eddie sighs, because, to be fair, Billy is right.

Part Five

[pombeom]

Hello pombeom hope ur having a good day/night !!! Idk if ur requests are open i forgot to check BUT if its alr... may i request a domtutor!taehyun x bratsub!reader ? 🙊

Having an intense terry brainrot its so crazy RGHHH so scenario is, reader is really behind her like classes and almost failing everything and the teacher said she needs to catch up and take a tutor blh blah blah.. so, the teacher assigned tyun to be his tutor. Then, Everytime they have a study session, reader wont take it srs so tyun snapped out of it and just fucked the shit out of her 🫨

Feel free to ignore this if u get uncomfortable with this request !! Sorry if its not the best description, but the rest is up to you !! 🤧

Also, do you have a taglist? If yes, i would love to be tagged in every txt fics, thoughts OR ANYTHING ABT TXT😶‍🌫️

tutoring trouble | taehyun fic (nsfw)

nsfw, mdni!

pairings: meandomtutor!taehyun x brattysub!reader

warnings: spanking, namecalling (slut, brat), dirty talk, blowjob, doggy, manhandling, creampie, unprotected sex, hair pulling, choking, mean mean taehyun, nippleplay, marking, hickeys, zero aftercare, dacryphilia (reader cries), lmk if i forgot anything

a/n: thank you so much for being my first request!! this was so much fun to write and i hope this cures your brain rot 😭 don’t have a taglist atm but when i do (hopefully soon 🤞(just need to figure out how it works)) i’ll definitely add you :)

requests open

“Can I have a word please?”

At the end of the seminar, your professor calls upon you as you and your friends begin to leave. 

“I’ll catch up with you guys later.” 

“Right. I just wanted to talk to you about your recent grades. For someone who used to perform well in every assignment, your performance has been slipping to well below average. Even on a test where everyone managed to score above 60% you were the only one with a mark of 48% which tells me that you might need some additional support. A senior student has volunteered to help you out so from now on you shall receive tutoring session from him every week. His name is Kang Taehyun and he’s a very capable student who I believe can give you all the support you need,” your professor waffled on as you simply stare into her face absorbing all the information she’s blurting at you. 

“Is that all?” 

“Yes that’s all. I’ve scheduled your first meeting for tomorrow afternoon. I checked both your timetables to make sure you were both available. You’ll be meeting in the library at 1pm. And remember, if I hear that you haven’t showed up, then I’ll have to deal out more severe consequences.” 

With even more information being darted in your direction, your mind wanders to the plans you made with your friends for lunch tomorrow. Guess that’ll have to be cancelled then. 

You let out a sigh of frustration as you thank your professor and walk out the room with a grimacing look. How dare she ruin your plans like that. Just imagining the thought of a tutor sounded like hell. This Kang Taehyun also seemed like a right old nerd. It’ll be surprising if he lasts more than a day with you. 

You were wrong. He lasted more than a day. In fact he lasted nearly 3 weeks of your bratty attitude which just refused to listen to anything he says, interrupting him mid-sentence to ask irritating questions or dozing off as he’s explaining a key concept. Even through the trials and tribulations, he still put up with you but you could tell that he each week he was getting closer to breaking point. He just needed one last push. 

Instead of the library, you asked if you could meet up at your house instead, using the fact that you were recovering from being sick last week as an excuse. Phase 1, complete. 

Taehyun arrives promptly at 1pm, tapping a rhythmic knock on your door. As if you were waiting for him, you opened the door within seconds revealing to you his casual outfit of a baggy t-shirt that he paired with dark wash straight leg jeans and a silver chain that hung comfortably around his neck. You may not have liked him much, but you appreciated his sense of style. Laid back but put together. 

Inviting him in, you direct him towards your room, telling him that that was where you worked best. You bought over an extra chair and placed it beside your own desk chair and you both pulled out your work materials. 

Without further ado, Taehyun begins the session, paying no attention to the change of setting that you hoped would throw him off. You were ready to move into phase 2 of your plan. 

Taehyun, being seated at your right proved to be advantageous as it allowed you the opportunity to make physical contact as you both move your hands at the same time, “accidentally” bumping your hand into his. 

You were also wearing your oversized pyjama shirt with a pair of black shorts underneath, your shirt unbuttoned quite low. Without drawing too much attention to yourself, you slowly push one side of the shirt down your shoulder, hinting at your black lace bra. You try and meet his gaze but his eyes were avoidant, only paying attention to his notes and whether or not you were writing them down too, which of course you weren’t.

“Can you please focus. We’ve got a lot to cover,” his eyes finally look up to meet yours giving you a stern glare. 

“I am focusing, aren’t I?” Your puppy eyes never worked on him but you were hoping that them playing with your bra strap might distract him. 

“Stop fiddling with your bra strap and pay attention,” his voice was commanding in a way that even you felt threatened into obedience. You also weren’t expecting him to be so direct. 

You pick up you pen and start copying down the notes as he explains them suddenly getting another idea. 

“Taehyun, I’m thirsty. I’m gonna get some water, do you want some too?” 

“Yeah, sure, get me a glass.”

You filled up two glasses of water in the kitchen, holding one in each hand and as you walk past him, you accidentally spill water on his shirt, leaving him soaking wet. 

“Fuck! What the hell?!” he yells, standing up in shock. 

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! It was an accident. Let me get you a towel.” 

You giggled as you walk away towards the storage cabinet grabbing a new towel. But when you return, you see a sight you weren’t prepared for. 

Taehyun had removed his shirt leaving him flashing his hard abs and built muscles. Instead of turning around or covering your eyes, you stand there gawking at his physique. So this is what he’d been hiding under his baggy T-shirt the entire time. You move closer to him, handing him the towel to dry off. 

He wipes his body dry and passes you the towel back glaring into your eyes. 

“This is what you wanted to happen right? When you invited me to your house, I knew something was up. Fucking brat can’t just sit quiet and focus on her lesson.” He inches closer to your body, pushing you against the desk as he corners you. His face was now mere millimetres away, leaving you gasping. 

“Go on. Tell me what you want,” he instructs, his voice a little raspy, “What? Now you suddenly can’t speak? Guess I’ll just have to punish you then.” 

His hands grab onto your waist pushing you up to sit on your desk, moving away any pens and paper in the way. His fingers tuck your hair behind your ear as he continues to move them along your cheeks and jawline leaving lingering touches on your skin, sparking like jolts of electricity. As his hands reach your neck, his fingers wrap themselves around it, his grip slowly tightening. 

Your lips part as you pant for air when his other hand swipes a touch across your bottom lip before he inserts his thumb into your mouth, pushing it in and out. He removes his finger from your mouth letting out a pop sound. 

Before long, his hands move down your shirt, undoing any remaining buttons, stripping you of your shorts as you’re left almost naked, feeling bare in front of his gaze. 

He’s skilful in removing your bra, cupping both breasts as he squeezes them into his face, breathing in your scent. 

“Such perfect tits. You were desperate to show them to me, weren’t you?” 

“Taehyun, suck on them. Please,” your voice trembled as you begged him. 

“Such a desperate slut aren’t you. Unlucky for you, brats don’t get what they want.” 

He’s strips you of your underwear and his own, leaving you both naked when suddenly he picks you up, flinging you over his shoulder, spanking your ass as he moves towards your bed. 

“Such,” spank,” A,” spank,” Brat,” spank. 

He drops you onto the mattress, and climbs over you. He moves up to your neck, sucking your sensitive skin rabidly, reddish purple marks appearing instantly. He moves along you collarbone sucking harshly while pinching your nipples, earning him a sharp moan. 

“Get on your knees.” He pulls you up by your hair and pushes you onto the floor as you become on eye level with his veiny cock. Your reactions to his hardness were instinctive: hands wrapping around the base of his shaft as your tongue swirls around the pink tip. 

“You don’t get to tease me ok, brat? Now suck my dick.” 

You feel your hair being pulled into a makeshift ponytail as he rams your throat up and down his cock, almost gagging you. 

You feel him twitch on your mouth and before he could cum he pulls out, taking away his own orgasm. 

Pulling you back up onto the bed, he places you on all fours as he grabs your waist firmly as his cock teases your entrance. Sliding in between the lips of your pussy, your wetness leaks out onto his dick, lubing it even more than your saliva. 

“Taehyun please just fuck me!” you whine, almost crying at the pain of his teasing. You needed him in you. 

Without warning he slams his cock into your core, hitting your cervix in one go. He continues to pound into you as he pushes your face into a pillow, muffling your moans as your tears leak onto the cotton. His dick is ruts against your gummy walls as he grunts with each swift push. You clench around his cock, feeling the veins as your wetness oozes out, dripping down your leg. 

“God your pussy is so good. Look at you, taking my cock so well, aren’t you? Only brats get fucked like this. Brats who don’t listen or pay attention. Brats who are so desperate. Brats who like to tease their tutor.” 

He’s now slamming into you at an unimaginable rate, your cries being heard even through the fabric of your pillow. The familiar sensation builds in your stomach. 

“Taehyun I’m gonna cum!” 

“Hold it. Only cum when I tell you to.” 

He’s ruthless with his speed, punishing your pussy over and over. His actions took over your entire body as your vision goes blurry even with your eyes closed and your legs shaking despite his support in holding you up.

“You can cum now.” 

You didn’t wait a second longer before your orgasmic wave comes crashing down sending ripples across your entire body when you collapse completely. At the same time, Taehyun cums inside your throbbing pussy, which remains pulsing even after he’s removed himself, pushing out the mixture of both your cum down your already wet leg. 

You’re left gasping for air once again, trying to catch tour breath after the intense sex. Taehyun leaves you alone on your bed to go put on his boxers and jeans, sweat dripping down his sculpted abs. 

“Oi, where’s my tshirt?” 

“It’s there.” You point vaguely behind you as you were unable to lift your head or body to help him out. 

He eventually finds it on the the radiator and at this point it had finished drying so he slips it back on and begins packing up his notes and stationery. 

“Same time next week. And maybe next time you’ll actually pay attention.” 

He waltz out, hearing the main door slam whilst you still lay in bed worn out. 

You don’t think you could ever focus in his tutoring classes again. Not when you knew how his cock felt inside you. His punishment failed. It only made you crave more. 

[wileys-russo]

cheeky little angst to fluff blurb for leah??

leah didn't do her acl in this because i said so insensitive II l.williamson

"-so i'll rest again for a bit in bed, go to breakfast and then i think we have our team walk in a couple hours? oh! then a few of the girls are gonna go for breakfast and to the beach tomorrow before our flights since they're later at night. the beaches here are literally insane babe the water is so blue, i'll make sure to send you some photos. i'm keen for one last taste of summer before returning to the bleak dead cold of the uk." you joked with a smile, your girlfriend humming tiredly in response.

"i'm sorry baby i'm talking too much. are you sure you're okay? you played brilliantly leah really, i was so proud of you." you softly assured, as you had been for the majority of this phone call which was really annoying the blonde more than helping her to feel better as you intended.

both of you away with your respective national teams for international break you'd both been on the phone much as you could, forever attached at the hip you missed the older english girl who held your heart terribly.

however it would appear that your break was going a whole lot better than leah's, australia coming away with an 8-0 win a few days ago and england having just lost 3-2.

your chances of qualifying were looking up whilst hers seemed in a jeopardy she'd not predicted experiencing.

"i'm fine." if you would have picked up on the hidden sharpness of her words you might have caught on and changed topics, however still half asleep you missed it, having been up very early to watch your girlfriends match.

"losses happen lee it doesn't mean you girls have any less chance of qualifying, you've come back from worse yeah? heads held high and leave it in the past, same thing you tell us all each week in red babe." you tried to comfort her only your words had the opposite affect.

with the loss playing heavily on her mind and leah attributing a large portion of the blame toward herself in defence, she felt a bitter bubble of jealousy and frustration begin to build up in her throat. and before she could think any better of it, it came out suddenly like a toxic word vomit.

"yeah well some of us have actual challenges to face to qualify. we can't all get the easy draw and piss poor low ranking teams to smash 8-0, scoring hat tricks against players with half your professional experience and no funding into their programs, can we? the entire olympics qualification system is a fucking joke!" leah snapped, a few of her team mates heads swiveling toward her with a mix of frowns and surprise at her harsh tone.

silence was all that she was met with after her little outburst, you opening and closing your mouth in somewhat a state of shock at the venomous tone from your usually calm mannered and always supportive girlfriend.

"you must be tired and your flights soon. i'll call you later before warm ups?" you asked hopefully, heart hammering in your chest. "no, i'm going into the training centre soon as i get back." leah replied bluntly, clearly not intending to watch your match as you felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"right. well i hope you get some rest on your flight then." and with that the line beeped signaling you ended the call, leah shoving her phone into her pocket and resting her chin on the handle of her suitcase she was currently sat on.

"leah mate...that was painful to listen to." georgia winced from beside her, keira humming in agreement. "what? she's being insensative! if she knew me she'd know i fucking hate being coddled and thats all she was doing, as well as flaunting her stupid win." leah muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"is that seriously what you think?" keira questioned, eyebrows knitted together as leah only gave a small shrug. "leah." the younger girl sighed, shaking her head.

"she barely mentioned the win to you when it happened, she spoke about her hat trick maybe once on facetime that night? she stayed in to call you like normal instead of being out for dinner celebrating with her team." keira began to lecture the blonde beside her.

"do ya know what time it is in western australia right now leah?" georgia continued on, eyes wide looking at her phone as again leah only shrugged, though a hint of guilt was just starting to creep in.

"it was 3:30 in the morning there when we kicked off and she watched the entire match and then stayed up for a few hours afterwards to call you, so that she could comfort you and try to make ya feel better." georgia lectured, leahs stern gaze beginning to crack at her words.

"then you just dismissed all of the graft she put in last match and her entire teams hard work down to something they have no control over. doesn't matter who they play leah, they deserved each win." keira continued, leah taking her bottom lip in between her teeth as she sat up and rubbed her face with her hands.

"then she gets up at 3:30 to watch your game and you tell her you aren't bothered to watch hers when its at a more than reasonable time, because you're busy feeling sorry for yourself." georgia added on, yet another blow of guilt for her to swallow.

"did you think it was insensitive when we beat them in the semi final of their home world cup, and you celebrated with your team afterwards?" keira asked with a raised eyebrow.

"nah that was different! i went right to her first to make sure she was okay and tell her how proud of her i was, and she told me to go out afterwards and went out with her own team." leah defended suddenly, shut down by the looks from her best friends either side of her.

"exactly leah, so then how is that any different than her trying to console you after this loss? and then you had to go and open your stupid hot headed mouth, stick your foot in it and probably make her feel like shit before her final international match of the break, which you all but said you wouldn't be watching. how is that fair?" keira delivered the final punch as leah crumpled, head hung in her hands with a small groan.

"yeah alright alright i get it, i've royally fucked up here." leah sighed, standing suddenly and walking off with her phone held to her ear, calling you over and over as each time the phone would ring out only affirming to her that she had really stepped in it this time.

trying you for a fifth time, urged to hurry up from her team mates as their flight was boarding leah's phone vibrated with a message as again you didn't answer.

from; lover girl i need some space please, i'll call you once i land back in london x

with a frustrated sigh leah heart reacted the message not wanting to overstep, locking her phone and hurrying over to keira who was impatiently waiting to board.

she had some serious groveling to do.

~

you opened and scanned through the multiple messages from leah she'd sent while obviously watching the game, withholding the urge to smile at her running commentary and complimentary words about how you and the team played.

still quite frustrated with her and still wanting space you opted not to reply, locking your phone and tucking it under your leg as you rummaged around in your backpack for your airpods.

"you're not gonna call leah?" steph asked with a look of surprise as you settled in beside her on the bus back to the hotel, where as normally you'd sit by yourself to call your girlfriend after each match like clockwork.

"nope." you answered simply, shaking your head and tucking one knee up to your chest. "what's happened?" the older girl sighed knowingly, draping an arm over the back of you as your head came to rest on her shoulder.

through the four seasons you'd played together at arsenal the two of you alongside caitlin and now kyra had become like a family, relishing in the familiar comfort of having your fellow aussies around living in a foreign country where you hardly saw your actual loved ones.

"i think we had an argument? but we didn't exactly argue." you replied, still a little in the dark yourself on what had caused leah's outburst. steph only gave you a confused stare and nodded for you to explain further as you did so, recounting your conversation with the blonde captain this morning.

"ahhh, i see." steph nodded now caught up as you hummed tiredly, the time now nearing eleven at night. "you know she loves you very much. but we both know she hardly has a filter on what she says sometimes, and she's quite potentially the most patriotic person i know both for club and country." steph chuckled, patting your shoulder.

"norf london foreva." you mocked her accent quietly with a small smile, admittedly missing it even more now you knew you'd not be speaking to her for a couple of days while you flew.

"but thats not to dismiss how harsh she was and how that would have made you feel. i think some space is a good idea, gives her some time to reflect on why you're upset and why what she said was wrong. you gonna be okay?" the brunette asked softly as the bus pulled in outside your hotel.

"yeah, i'll be fine. it's been nice being back home and seeing all the girls again, and we're going for brunch and to the beach tomorrow. i'm just focusing on that and the horrendous jetlag we're due for once we touch back down." you groaned, steph agreeing as the two of you filed off the bus.

~

"kyra i promise you, if you so much as breathe near me for the next twenty four hours i am going to murder you." you spoke calmly, stopping to take a deep breath as the younger girl purposefully stepped on the back of your trainer again.

you loved her dearly but it was like having your own child as she'd wound you up for hours now, giving you a brief moment of rest when she'd finally passed out on the plane. but now fully awake and in her usual tiresomely hyperactive mood she'd been kicking the back of your knees out and stepping on the back of your shoes from the moment you stepped off the plane.

"leave her be! honestly mate you're so annoying." caitlin groaned on your behalf, wrangling the girl into a tight headlock and dragging her away from you as the four of you headed out of baggage collection.

"i see your personal chauffeur has arrived." you looked up in confusion as steph elbowed you, spotting leah a hundred or so metres away. "ooo she's off to kiss her little girlfr-" kyra's sarcastic kisses and teasing words were cut short as caitlin suddenly swept her feet out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground on her ass.

"oi!" with that the two took off chasing one another around the terminal, steph kissing your cheek and telling you to call her if you needed her as she hurried off to sort your friends out, the three of them set to take an uber together.

you watched leah nervously shift her weight from one foot to another as you slowly made your way over, her face partially hidden by the hood drawn over her head. a hoodie which you quickly recognized as one of yours, a faded black australian national team hoodie from years ago.

you also noticed she had a bunch of flowers in one hand which she immediately held out to you. "hi." leah breathed out quietly once you arrived in front of her and had taken the flowers with a mumbled thank you.

"hi." you echoed back, adjusting your bag on your shoulder and shaking your head as she offered to take it from you, the two of you wordlessly making your way out of the airport and to the car park.

you dumped your bag in the boot which she opened and closed for you, sliding into the passenger seat with a tired sigh and carefully placing the flowers on the floor between your feet as leah sat beside you, starting up the car and pulling away.

"can we talk? or do you want some time to like actually sleep and rest, you must be insanely jetlagged. i can stay at beth and viv's place tonight? give you some space." leah offered, the two of you having been living together for well over a year now.

"no it's fine, we can talk." you confirmed, adjusting your position as your head slumped against the window, eyes struggling to stay open which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde beside you.

"are you sure? you look exhausted we can-" "leah i'm sure, we need to talk."

you hadn't mean to come across as bluntly as you did given your jetlag, as you saw surprise flicker across your girlfriends face for a moment before she nodded and you mumbled a quiet apology, rubbing your eyes.

"well i'll start. firstly; i am so incredibly unbelievably sincerely sorry for what i said to you love. i was tired and frustrated with my own performance not that thats any excuse, and selfishly a little jealous of your big win when we lost. which was completely unfair because i am so so proud of you in everything that you do. i promise!" leah started, glancing over at you as she stopped at a red light and you gave her a small smile, nodding for her to continue.

"you put so many hours of extra training in to prepare for the world cup and of course thats payed off and you're finally seeing the benefits. I was bitter and selfish and i lashed out at you when you were just trying to make me feel better, like always, and i am really really sorry baby." leah continued, falling silent after as you assumed she'd finished talking.

"well firstly; you were an asshole." leah winced at that but nodded, understanding her actions were to blame here.

"but i understand you were feeling poorly after a loss, i just wish you'd communicated that with me a little better and i would have left you be with your own thoughts rather than talking your ear off and probably worsening your mood." you sighed, the blonde quick to assure she normally loved you talking her ear off.

"i just felt like i didn't understand what i'd done to cause you to be upset with me, and then you snapped about the qualifying process and you weren't entirely wrong but-"

"i was! i was wrong about that. its been the way they're done for years now and its not anything you or i are ever going to have the influence to change single handedly, and i should have never dismissed the shift you and the girls put in for that win." leah was quick to clarify before apologizing for interrupting you.

"thank you. next time please just communicate with me how you're feeling and what you need lee." you smiled tiredly, your girlfriend reaching for your hand and smiling in relief when you allowed her to take it, the blonde bringing it to her mouth and placing a few tender kisses on your knuckles as she glanced toward you.

"eyes on the road thanks charmer." you smiled tiredly, leah not letting go of your hand but dropping it to rest on the middle console, her other hand expertly maneuvering the steering wheel.

the rest of the ride home was filled with a much more comfortable silence, leah thanking her lucky stars you'd been so forgiving and remanding herself over and over for ever wronging you, smiling softly at you asleep in the seat beside her.

parking in the driveway she flicked the car off, carefully getting out and softly closing her door. she grabbed your bags out of the back and hurried them inside, dropping them in your shared bedroom and rushing back to the car, leaving the front door open.

gently opening your door she caught your body as it slid out having been leant against the door, your eyes shooting open as you inhaled sharply and sat up. "we're home baby." leah advised, affectionately rubbing your flushed cheek with her thumb as she pressed a kiss to your temple.

with a tired nod you allowed her to pull you up and out of the car, walking yourself to the front door and rubbing your eyes. you stretched as you crossed the threshold of your home, squealing as leahs hands poked at the sliver of skin which popped out as your top rode up.

"hello." you latched yourself onto her the moment she closed the front door and turned, your cheek smooshed into her shoulder as her hoodie clad arms wound tightly around you. "i really really missed you." leah sighed, swaying the two of you back and forth as you relished in the familiar warmth of her embrace.

"so i can see, you've become an honorary tillie." you teased, tugging on the sides of the hoodie as your chin moved to rest against her sternum, looking up at her in amusement. "for you my girl? anything." leah promised with a soft smitten smile, leaning down to kiss you.

"leah what is that?" you spotted a piece of cardboard on the kitchen counter over her shoulder, pulling away from her right before her lips met yours causing her to frown.

"welcome home from prison!" you read out the sign with a scoff, leahs arms folding around you from behind as her chin rested on your shoulder and you felt her body vibrate with a quiet laughter.

"thought it might be a bit too soon for the joke to land right without an apology first." leah admitted, pressing a few light kisses to the side of your neck.

"mm yeah good choice. dick!" you shoved her playfully as she continued to cling onto you, spinning you around. "may i have a proper kiss now please?" the blonde pouted, puckering her lips as you smiled, shaking your head.

"well i am all for charity and since you asked so nicely." she pinched your side for the comment, pressing her lips to yours before you could say another word.

the way her lips slotted perfectly with yours would forever make your head spin, sending you into a love drunk haze of dizziness at the euphoric feeling of kissing her. the way her bottom lip would part slightly as her hand flew to the back of your neck, her tongue slipping into your mouth as her thumb rubbed gentle circles just below your ear.

her lips always soft and welcoming, her kisses calculated and thought out, making sure that with every fleeting second you could feel how deeply she cared for you. this kiss in particular was two weeks in the making, the blonde pouring into it every inch of her adoration for you with each slight adjustment and touch, her other hand resting on your waist to draw your body even closer into hers, trapping the two of you in a cocoon of warmth and love and safety.

"welcome home." she pulled away with a light smack, pressing a few softer kisses to your swollen lips before pressing her forehead against yours, closing her eyes and hugging you tightly, anchoring you in her arms like a lost ship coming ashore.

the sea of your relationship wouldn't always be smooth, but with leah at the helm and you loyal by her side the two of you could get through pretty much anything.

"it's two now baby. do you want to sleep for a few hours and then up for dinner? and we can stay up till around maybe ten to try and reset your schedule?" your girlfriend offered sweetly, warm lips pressing against the crown of your temple with each word.

"so long as you're with me i don't mind." you sighed, head falling to her chest as you squeezed her tightly, melting the older girls heart who hugged you back just as firmly.

"well you can't sleep standing up." with that she'd bent down to grab the back of your thighs, hoisting you up. "bed or lounge baby?" the defender asked with a raised eyebrow. "not the first time you've asked me that while i'm off the ground in your arms." you smirked, kissing her nose and grinning as she scrunched it slightly.

"even half asleep with jet lag you remain a cheeky cheeky girl." leah tutted with a shake of her head and carrying you with her over to the sofa, turning around and sitting down as she pulled you to sit between her legs which stretched down its length.

"can you put the golf on please?" you mumbled tiredly, shuffling so your head was resting on leah's chest, hearing her heartbeat beneath your ear as leah smiled happily in surprise at your request. "really?"

"yeah, always sends me to sleep." you continued, closing your eyes as leah rolled hers, carding a hand through your hair but doing as you asked, nails scratching at your scalp and the english captain chuckled seeing within a few short minutes you'd fallen right back to sleep.

desite the fact she actually enjoyed watching the golf much to your horror, a few holes in, she was ashamed to admit she joined you, eyes drifting closed.

[ggidolsmuts]

Bases Loaded, Holes Filled - Kep1er Yujin, Xiaoting, Mashiro

"Hmm? Hey Yujin!"

"Oppa, you can go 3 rounds right?"

"Yeah, I do 3 sets for my exercises, why?"

"Cool thanks, I'll see you soon!"

What was that about? You wonder. Probably nothing, just Yujin being random again. She did say she was going to the gym more, maybe she wanted you to be her gym partner? You don't think too much about it. You get a message from Yujin later that week to hang out, and you happily agree.

"Hi oppa!"

"Oh hey Yujin." She pecks you on the cheek, grabbing your arm and leading you in. "Oh hi Xiaoting, Mashiro!" You wave at them happily—they were probably heading out soon right? Yujin rarely calls you over with others around.

"We're playing Switch baseball, come join us!" They certainly looked the part, all dressed in the same baseball outfit you saw them perform in a while back. You shrug and join them, watching them play and taking a few swings yourself as well. The game was fun enough, you suppose, but it felt… boring? Like they were just whiling time away. You'd much rather go on a date with Yujin, if you were honest.

"Aish this is boring!" Xiaoting shouts, loudly and unnaturally.

"Oh, should we play something else?" you ask hopefully.

"No no, we just need to spice it up!" Mashiro chimes in on cue.

"Oh, how should we do it? Loser has to buy ice cream?"

"That's too tame oppa! We can have some fun you know." You recognize Yujin's playful tone—it's one she usually reserves for the bedroom. Wth some shock, you're suddenly aware that only the four of you are here. This was planned, a set-up.

"Yujin?"

"What? We can play with Ting and Shiro too, right?"

"Can we?" you ask yourself and them rhetorically.

"Yes, we're just playing." Xiaoting answers, pouting cutely, the same way Yujin would pout.

"Mmhmm, let's just have fun together." Mashiro scoots closer to you, mimicking Yujin's playful tone the best she can. "We trust you," she adds quietly and nervously.

"I… okay then." Is this really happening?

"Great! Oppa, you should play then." Yujin hands you the controller. "How much fun we have depends on how well you do." She runs her hands down your chest, rubbing circles over them in an open display of affection, even kissing your neck, sending a shudder down your spine—yes, this is really happening.

"I-I'll do my best."

You step up to the plate, and with the controller in hand you take a wild swing. It connects poorly with the ball, but you watch your in-game character run and make it to first base.

"Ooh ok, that's a good start!"

"Is it? I didn't score though."

"You got on first base, that's good enough. First base is Shiro!" Yujin takes the controller from you, and it is quickly replaced with Mashiro's hand as she leads you to the couch. You are hesistant as Yujin and Xiaoting sit down on the floor opposite the two of you, openly watching in anticipation.

"Pretend we're not here." Yujin waves your gaze away before leaning into Xiaoting and whispering in her ear. You wonder what she could be saying in such a situation, but you are quickly distracted by Mashiro grabbing your arms and pulling you into a kiss.

"Mmph, mmph!" You're falling on to the couch, Mashiro cushioning your descent as she pulls you on top of her. You much more vividly feel her cushions as she wraps her arms around your neck, making sure you can't not feel them. You bring a hand to her waist, still over her baseball jersey, and Mashiro moans loudly, clearly already forgetting about Yujin and Xiaoting.

"Mashiro?" Her eyes are round and shiny with desire, and she nods.

"Yes, please." She emphasizes it by bringing your other hand to her chest, begging you to squeeze. That's the sign you needed. You get to first base with Mashiro, enjoying her moans as you squeeze her breast. Your other hand slips beneath her jersey, gliding over her smooth skin. Expertly you feel for her bra, unclasping it from behind.

"Y-You're good," Mashiro comments, and she turns a deeper shade of red when you slide the straps off her arms. Neither of you hear the squeal from Xiaoting as you pull the bra off and toss it to the side—you're already busy feeling Mashiro up, fingers playing with her stiff nubs and making her squirm on the sofa.

Yujin's squirming along with Mashiro, knowing how it feels all too well. She watches you slip your hand down Mashiro's shorts, and her own hand drifts down her body, only to be stopped.

"Unnie!" Xiaoting is flushed red too, but she bites her lip and shakes her head—the three of them had so much planned, it'd be a waste to get themselves off now! They settle for holding each other's hands, squeezing and squirming in place as they each imagine themselves in Mashiro's position.

Mashiro does not have the luxury of imagination though, your two fingers slipping inside her very tangible and pleasurable. Your lips are on hers, and when she feels your tongue licking her lips she lets you in, allowing you to plunder her from both ends. Mashiro's soft everywhere, even on the inside, but her teeth clatters against yours when you find her sweet spot, her head jerking forward in response to your delightful rub.

"Nngh! Uhh, uhh, ahh, ahh!" Short husky breaths escape Mashiro, her cheeks puffing out as she purses her lips, trying to swallow the moan that is eager to break out. She gets louder in more ways than one as her wetness does the talking for her. Yujin and Xiaoting watch entranced, soaking themselves as they watch their cute racoon fall into rapture, a leg dangling lewdly off the sofa, showing off your movements through the stretching of her shorts. She manages to clutch at your arm, large round eyes looking at you unfocused.

"Do it," you whisper, and they roll into her head, a strained moan announcing Mashiro's climax. She shudders on the sofa, thighs taut and trapping your hand, making sure you feel her wave of juice over your fingers. You extract yourself when she relaxes, but you also let out your own moan when Mashiro reaches for you, grabbing you over your shorts.

"S-Shiro!" This time it is Yujin shouting. "Not yet!"

"Ah? Ahh, right, sorry." Sheepishly she withdraws her hand, pushing you off lightly. "Thanks oppa."

"What's going on?"

"T-That's just first base, we should keep going." Mashiro hands you a tissue shyly, and you cough and wipe your fingers with them.

"Okay, what's next?"

"We keep going." You stand up awkwardly—you are wielding two bats as you get in the stance, but clearly no one minded. You swing, and a strike, another swing, and another strike, you make a third swing and whiff also, and with that you have your first out.

"Looks like oppa needs some motivation." Xiaoting grabs her jersey and pulls up, but instead of taking it off, she merely ties it off into a haltertop, exposing her midriff for you. "Try again." Another three whiffs and you have a second out.

"Oppa, your stance is wrong, here, let me help you." She holds you from behind, pressing herself against your body—you notice immediately her lack of a bra, and her hand slips inside your pocket, grabbing your erection as she pretends to tweak your stance with the other hand. "Like this, got it?" She gives you a firm stroke, and your legs nearly buckle from her touch.

"Nngh, right, thanks."

"Good luck."

Strike one, strike two, ball, ball, ball. You take one last swing, praying it connects. It does, and you see the ball fly further out, but it is not a home run, instead leading to a double.

"Third base, good job, Yujin can you grab the things?"

Before you can ask what said "things" are, Xiaoting has dragged you backwards on to the couch, and you're making out with her like you did with Mashiro earlier.

"I prepared a lot for you," Xiaoting whispers, inviting your hand beneath her shorts, leading you to two discoveries—not only is she not wearing a bra, she is also not wearing panties; additionally, all you feel is bare skin around her warm entrance.

"T-Thanks— Ah!" You find yourself kissing Yujin all of a sudden, her hands aggressively tugging your shorts down. With quick strokes she gets you to full hardness, and with a groan you allow yourself to get wrapped up, a condom stretch over your shaft.

"There, done, go get her. Save some for me later." Yujin pulls away, joining a red-faced Mashiro who is not staring at you, but rather right in front of you. On the ground bent over is Xiaoting, naked from the waist down. You notice the bottle in your hand, and it leads you to a third discovery.

"Fuck me from behind, fuck me… there." There is no room for misinterpretation as Xiaoting pulls on one of her cheeks. You grab the bottle of lube and slather it on your shaft, spreading some around her puckered hole for good measure.

"Have you done this before?" you had to ask, both out of concern and curiosity.

"Just toys, nothing that big, go slow." You nod and press your tip against her rear entrance, applying a little pressure. "Harder." Your head presses more firmly against her ass, and you wriggle a little to open her up. "Fuck!" Xiaoting curses as your head slips in quickly.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"No no, give me time, fuck Yujin he's big."

"Y-Yeah, are you okay?" Ever the leader, Yujin's concerned about Xiaoting even as she's turned on, watching you disappear into her ass.

"Yeah, it's… filling!" Xiaoting nods back at you, and you begin to push in bit by bit, opening her up more than any toy could. You keep a firm grip on her hips, feeling for her reactions, listening for any moan or gasp of pain, slowly drawing her on to your cock. You stop when her toned ass finally touches you, and you take the opportunity to squeeze her butt—you're fully buried inside Xiaoting now.

"Fuck you're tight…" you groan, the pressure of Xiaoting clenching around you near overwhelming.

"Yeah? Better open me up then." You make sure to rise to her challenge, pulling out before pushing back in faster than before. "Oooh fuck, yeah just like that!" You settle into a rhythm, slowly pumping into Xiaoting, but each thrust is harder than the previous one. The clash of flesh is louder each time, as is Xiaoting's cry of pleasure. Forgotten in the background Yujin and Mashiro watch the two of you go at it, rubbing themselves—without Xiaoting to keep her in check the wet spot between Yujin's legs grow darker and larger, almost matching the one on Mashiro's shorts. You had never done anal with Yujin, but watching the forbidden act unfold in front of her sends her heartrate racing—she wonders just how full Xiaoting is feeling.

"Oh my god!" Xiaoting yelps in answer as you reach around her waist, sliding a hand across her shaven mound to find her clit. She immediately begins to fall apart—pleasure rockets through her body with every thrust into her ass, and that is now supplemented by your rubbing of her sensitive nub, a constant wave of ecstasy growing in the background. What was a pulsing, slowly growing ball of joy in her core is now burgeoning rapidly, persistently pushing its way through her thoughts, much like the way you are in her ass.

Mashiro watches you bent over Xiaoting, humping her, your hand hidden between her thighs, but it doesn't take much to figure out what you're doing to her. Xiaoting's arms weaken, and only her ass remains in the air. Mashiro spies her group mate's glazed over expression, and Xiaoting has never had a lewder look on her face. Her eyes widen suddenly, staring straight through Shiro, and her arm shoots backwards, trying to grab you.

"Ah! No— Yessss!" It's too late, with a wet gush Xiaoting splatters the floor loudly, her juice covering your thighs. She wails as you continue to rub her clit, extending her orgasm with violent quivers. Her slick continues to leak and trickle along her thighs, not nearly as explosive but just as hot.

"Fuck, gonna cum!" You groan, the pressure of Xiaoting around you too much after her orgasm.

"Do it, cum in my ass, want, you, to— Ah! cum!" Xiaoting manages to gasp between your plowing thrusts, eager for you to reach your own peak—with a grunt and a growl you press your hips to hers and unload into the condom. It doesn't prevent Xiaoting from feeling you throb in her ass, and Xiaoting moans with relish at the sensation.

"Haah, hah, ha, mmm…" You find yourself kissing Xiaoting mindlessly, stifling her last few moans. When you finally slip out of her, she takes the condom off you. She brings a finger to where you were earlier, gasping in surprise—you didn't just stretch her, you gaped her open, and there is a satisfying soreness to that, one that made her— Oh my! Blushing at the mess she made Xiaoting hurries to the bathroom without another word.

"Xiaoting? Are you okay?" You call out to her retreating form, but she the door closes without an answer. Yujin follows her quickly in.

"She'll be okay oppa, I think she's just overwhelmed, she normally doesn't squirt like that, or at all." Ever thoughtful Mashiro brings some tissues and wipes to clean up.

"Thanks— Mmph!" Mashiro jumps into your lap, juicy thighs straddling you. Through her shorts that she has somehow managed to keep on, you groan at just how soaked she is.

"Get hard quickly, we can do it before— Ah!" Yujin firmly tugs Mashiro off you, tutting at her.

"Later, it's not fair if you get two rounds before I even get one in Shiro!" The younger girl merely whines, but she nods in apology to her leader.

"Is Xiaoting okay?"

"Oh yes, she was just embarrassed, she's never done that before, but she said she wanted to do it again sometime." You gulp and get hard at the prospect of that. "And now you're hard enough, good, keep playing!"

"Are we really still keeping this up?"

"Yes! Otherwise Ting and Shiro won't be happy!" Mashiro nods seriously to reinforce the point.

"Okay okay!" You take a few wild swings, figuring you'll just luck into a hit and score. But no, maybe you were too horny to do it properly—it certainly doesn't help when Yujin begins stripping, supposedly for "incentive". All it does is distract you, and you strike out multiple times through multiple innings, until you're on your last swing. Xiaoting has returned, blushing but satisfied, and Mashiro and Yujin are growing agitated and annoyed.

"Aish, do guys lose all hand-eye coordination when they're horny?!" Yujin snatches the remote from you, and skillfully smashes it out of the park, home run! Immediately she jumps on you, tossing the remote to the side as she latches her lips to your neck, leaving a dark bruise. "It's a good thing I'm so wet, I got so bored and dry watching you whiff."

"Sorry!" With a moan Yujin eases herself on to your cock, and you see Mashiro and Xiaoting on the couch, enjoying the show and slowly pleasuring themselves too.

It is a different kind of tightness compared to Xiaoting's ass, but you enjoy Yujin's snug warmth all the same. Pinning you to the floor she starts humping you, midriff moving back and forth, throwing her hips up and down on you, making sure your length slides in and out of her fully each time. Sweat and scent soak through her jersey when she ups the pace, choosing to gyrate her hips instead, grinding her own clit against you. It's almost demanding the way she rides you, as if she's putting on a show for her groupmates.

"Are you gonna cum for me oppa? Gonna cum for Yujinie?"

"Yes, fuck Yujin I'm so close!"

"Good, cum in my mou—" Yujin makes to get off, but two pairs of hands stop her, holding her down on your shaft. "What are you doing!"

"Come on unnie, when are you going to tell oppa?"

"Nngh, what are you talking about?" you manage through gritted teeth, feeling Yujin clench around you—she's equally close.

"We found Yujin unnie's browser history, do you want to know what we saw?" Mashiro teases.

"No, don't!" Xiaoting keeps her leader down, firmly keeping your bodies flush together. You're even deeper inside Yujin now.

"Shush unnie. Oppa, the term she searches for the most is breeding, all her favorite videos end in a huge creampie, or even multiple."

"Fuck…" you moan at that thought, and because Yujin gets even tighter around you.

"Yet here she wants to get off you to suck you dry, what a coward, tell him what you really want unnie." Mashiro encourages.

"Yes tell him!" Xiaoting eggs her on."Don't you want to see oppa's thick load leaking out of you when you get off him, it's going to leak everywhere. Maybe we can record it too? We won't let you move until you tell him."

"Fuck!" Yujin cries out at the thought. Xiaoting helps both of you along, making Yujin move her hips on top of you, eking out just that little bit more pleasure and getting you just a little deeper inside her.

"中に出して! I don't need to translate that for you do I unnie?" Mashiro joins in on the filthy teasing.

"N-No, nngh!"

"Yujin I can't hold on much longer!" you grunt, Yujin's dirty thoughts and newfound desires gripping you just as hard as her pussy is right now.

"Okay, okay!" With a gentle push from Xiaoting she falls on top of you, whispering directly in your ear. "I want to be bred, cum in me! Breed me, please breed me oppa, I don't care, just cum in me." Yujin's begging whimpers become sobs of pleasure as you grab her ass and take over, bringing her down on you in time with your upward thrusts.

"Oh, oh fuck, that's so deep! Ah ah ah… yes yes yes!" There's no going back, and with a few furious thrusts upwards Yujin orgasms powerfully with you, clenching around your tip blasting seed into her womb. "I-I can feel it, it's so much, mmm…" She hugs you tightly, clinging to you for all she's worth and letting out small whispers of joy. For a while all that's heard is you and Yujin's laboured moans plus Mashiro's and Xiaoting's heavy breathing. When Yujin goes limp she sags on you completely, utterly wasted by the experience—you've never seen her like this.

"Wow… Look." Xiaoting helps pull Yujin up and back slowly. Your cock slips out of her, and immediately a thick stream of white oozes out of her. "Isn't that what you wanted unnie?"

"I guess, I— Shiro!" You back up as Mashiro straddles you, bending over to lick your load oozing out of her leader. She wiggles her ass as she does so, a clear invitation to get hard again quickly. You watch in dumbfounded surprise as the quiet girl continues licking Yujin, and it is only when her hands go to her shorts you realize what she is offering. You help Mashiro out, pulling down her shorts, just enough to expose her glistening pussy for the first time.

Mashiro's first attempt earlier was stopped by Yujin, but this time, having sufficiently distracted her leader with her tongue, the co-leader grabs your hard again shaft and lines herself up with it. Her moan is muffled by Yujin's muff, but there is no hiding your groan when Mashiro takes your stiff bat up her pussy. That is something for Xiaoting to stifle as she stands over you and grabs your hair. You take a moment to admire Mashiro's ass and thighs jiggling while she bounces on you, but soon your tilt your head back, allowing Xiaoting to push herself on your face. You eat her out from below, her juices no longer squirting out, but leaking constantly down your chin instead.

The sinful scene silently simmers, each of you quieting your pleasure through a pussy in the face or a hand on the mouth. Yujin's legs tremble, Mashiro's thighs bounce and jiggle, Xiaoting's pussy quivers and leaks, but it is all whispered names and whimpered "yes" until you grope Xiaoting's ass, spreading her cheeks while eating her out. A finger into her newly un-gaped ass forces her to break the silence, crying out a ecstatic apology as she floods your mouth with more nectar.

It triggers a chain reaction—Yujin watches Xiaoting's juice splash and trickle down your chin, and it triggers her own orgasm, her hands going to her co-leader's head, forcing Mashiro's tongue deeper into her cum-filled heat. Hearing the other two members cry out, Mashiro slams herself hard on your shaft and combusts with them, clenching around you and coating your shaft with her own slick.

"Fuck, I'm going to cum!" you shout, managing to disengage from Xiaoting's pussy to warn Mashiro.

"No, wait!" She shudders and forces herself to lift off you. Turning around, she tears her jersey off and makes you feel her bustiness, trapping your slick covered shaft between her breasts. "Do it oppa, go ahead." Watching the "innocent" racoon of the group push your cock through her cleavage and feeling her soft tits squishing around you proves too much, and with a jerk of your hips you splatter her face. Your own vision goes black, and you feel hands all over your shaft as you thrust blindly upwards through their strokes, shooting shot after shot until you are fully drained, and not even the hand on your balls can coax more out of you.

"Mmmmmph…" The sudden warm mouth on your cock does though, and you whimper and squeeze off a parting shot into it. You finally manage to open your eyes, just in time to see Mashiro releasing your shaft, licking your sensitive tip for good measure. Your eyes widen at her cum-covered face, a good amount on her neck and chest too; your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when you see Yujin and Xiaoting next to her, faces also covered with white splatters and streaks.

"Home run," Yujin whispers, and the three of them look at each other and giggle. "Come on, let's clean up." They head for the bathroom, leaving you to wonder what the fuck just happened. Groaning in exertion you reach for some wipes, cleaning their juices left all over you and the floor. Sore but satisfied, you pull on your clothes and sag into the clean end of the couch, and it feels like you've taken a short nap until you notice Yujin's weight in your lap.

"Oppa." She hugs you and nuzzles your neck.

"Hey, hmm I guess that's what you meant by 3 rounds, and here I thought you were talking about exercises."

"Oops, sorry. I mean, technically it's exercise."

"I guess, I'm pretty sore." Yujin joins you in your chuckle. "Are Mashiro and Xiaoting okay?"

"Yeah, they're both a little sore."

"Mmhmm, we normally don't have something that big to work with." The two of you are distracted by Xiaoting and Mashiro joining you. Xiaoting winces a little as she adjusts her stance slightly. "Definitely a little sore."

"It's a good sore though." Mashiro assures you. "Thanks for the fun time oppa."

"Sure, it was fun for me too." Xiaoting's glance flitters from you to Yujin, and a glance from her leader makes Xiaoting's eyes widen slightly in acknowledgement.

"We umm, we're going out to get coffee!"

"We are?" Mashiro asks. "We have a coffee machine at home though!"

"It tastes better from a cafe! Let's go. Unnie make sure you take your 'medicine'."

"Medicine? Yujin are you sick?"

"Aish, for a co-leader you are slow on the uptake sometimes!" Xiaoting grabs Mashiro by the arm and leads her away firmly. "Bye!"

"Get me something too Ting!"

"Yes unnie!" With that, you and Yujin are alone once more.

"So, about that medicine, or rather, why you would need to take something…" You trail off, allowing Yujin to pick up the thread as you watch her get off you and go take a pill, her face blushing when she settles back in your lap.

"I—I know we've been careful, but I've just been watching more umm, videos, and it's really hot. I didn't think they would find that, I wasn't planning on bringing it up with you until much later."

"Why not?" you ask, bring a hand to her cheek and finding it very warm.

"We've never discussed anything about that, I didn't want to scare you away or anything."

"Look, it's just a kink, we know what each other likes, I don't think hiding a new kink helps, I want you to feel good too when we do it." You kiss and hug her, murmuring in her ear. "We can discuss our future together and what that looks like next time, not right after you pulled me in for a foursome."

"That's fair, sorry." You peck her lips in acceptance of her apology.

"If that's a kink you have, I'm more than happy to do it. I can trust you to keep us safe right?"

"Yes, I'll make sure I stick to the schedule and remember to take it on time."

"Good, then next time I'll be sure to go three rounds again, and it'll all go into you, fill you up fully."

"Yah… you make me want to do it right now," Yujin hits you cutely on the chest and pouts, and it turns into a smirk as she slips her top slightly and reveals a shoulder.

"Hah no more today please! Besides, aren't they coming back with coffee soon?"

"Hmph fine!" You cuddle Yujin to appease her need for skinship, and it was lucky you two didn't go any further, as a few minutes later Xiaoting and Mashiro return with ice-cold drinks.

"Oppa we got something for you too!"

"Thanks a lot!" The four of you switch to playing some actual games until Yujin checks her phone.

"The members will be coming back soon, you should probably go."

"Yeah, I'll head out, thanks for having me over." It sounded insane, like you were thanking them for a quiet night in rather than a wild fuckfest. You hug Xiaoting and Mashiro goodbye, and they press themselves against you fully.

"Thanks oppa." Mashiro's cheeks are a tint of pink, to think she was writhing beneath you on the sofa earlier, and then bouncing on you later!

"Thanks oppa! Let's have more fun next time." Xiaoting waves as Yujin walks you to the door, and you kiss and hold her close.

"See you soon, remember to take your 'medicine'."

"I will I will, thanks for playing along with everything."

"As long as it doesn't become a regular thing, the three of you are a lot for me you know? I can barely keep just you satisfied."

"Oh I was definitely satisfied, and I'm sure Ting and Shiro are too. Maybe I'll listen to Ting and actually record it next time."

"From one risk to another huh?" Yujin pecks you good bye and pushes you out the door.

Weeks later you get a message from Yujin.

We're doing another baseball thing soon, you know what that means~

You start practicing the baseball game—you can't leave them waiting too long the next time after all.

A/N: Just a crazy idea I had, ever since they did the baseball thing I thought about the foursome. Finally got around to it. Little bit all over the place, thanks for reading!

[octavinelle-oyster]

the vice housewardens with a kuudere reader who smiles around them for the first time? 🙇‍♀️

Characters : Trey, Jade, Jamil, Rook

Type : Headcanon, fluff

Info : gn reader, pre-established friendship Trey and Jade, Jamil could be read as pre-established friendship as well or pining, Rook is Rook

One smile and you use my heart against me ~Eva Simmons

Trey Clover

The two of you were secluded in the privacy of Heartslabyul’s kitchen, preparing an abundance of various pastries for the unbirthday party the next day.

Rule 347 clearly states that one must be in the kitchen at all times whist the oven is in use. Of course, while the oven was on, Trey was in the kitchen.

You had joined him an hour ago. Helping him mix up batter or prepping filling for tarts, occasionally taste testing here and there.

The two of you had fallen into a nice rhythm.

Mix up the crust for the tarts, pop it in the oven, prep the next crust, start on the filling, retrieve the cooked crust and replace it with the prepped one, and repeat.

The output in which Trey was making tarts had doubled since you joined him in the warm kitchen.

Yeah, that was it. The kitchen must have been warm. That's why he felt his cheeks grow hot at the sight of a small smile adorning your face as you scooped a spoonful of strawberry filling and brought it to your lips.

He didn't make a big deal out of it. Taking a mental screenshot of your blissful face and turning back to the oven.

He could only hope to see that look on your face again.

Maybe he could be the cause of a smile on your face instead of some mushed fruit next time.

Jade Leech

The botanical gardens of the prestigious school was nothing short of extraordinary.

The vast collection of herbs and plant life alike tended to easily wow many interested in botany.

Jade would easily maneuver around the various limbs that stretched too far out and into the path as well as a loin’s tail peeking out from under some foliage. Leading you to the back corner of the green house.

For the normal person, this would mean certain death. The Jade Leech leading someone anywhere secluded meant trouble.

But your biggest concern would be for your ears after listening to the teenager ramble about the assorted fungi in his collection.

Soon the two of you were in front of varied terrariums.

Jade picked up and even opened a few of the glass chambers as he poked and prodded at mushrooms. All whilst explaining their deadly qualities with a growing grin on his face.

His eyes would dart to yours as he went on about the symptoms of death cap mushroom poisonin.

“The signs of death cap mushroom poisoning include the following, low blood pressure, nausea, and–”

When his eyes locked with yours he wasn't expecting a grin on your face.

“–vomiting.” He quickly finished his explanation, his eyes lingering on your lips as they curved up.

A sight he didn't see often. His own lips became more upturned as he glanced away placing his beloved terrarium back where it was previously sat on a shelf with his name tied to it.

If he knew his own grin was so contagious he might let a genuine expression grace his lips more often.

Jamil Viper

His shoes squeaked across the court as he tried to keep up with the ball a few people ahead of him.

All this moving and straining was causing his left arm to cramp, pain shooting up and down his arm every time he so much as brushed it against someone.

“Sea snake!” was the only warning he got when Floyd sent the ball to him. Bouncing the ball across the ground in one swift motion to get to point a from point b.

Jamil reacted fast, palming the basketball with his left hand. He had to react fast. Being just a second too short could cost them the whole game.

He just wished Floyd wasn't always so rough on the court.

He was being chased across the floor as he dribbled the ball, aiming to go straight to the opposite team’s net and hopefully score enough points to get this over soon.

Were you watching him?

Jamil faintly remembered seeing your face in the crowd. Maybe he could catch a glance of your face if he was quick-

He hadn’t expected to see your lips turned up, even your eyes squinting. A genuine smile from you had rendered him enamored.

You’re smiling.

And the ball wasn't in his hands anymore.

Just like that, an RSA student stole the ball from him seconds before he was about to shoot.

Though, it didn't get very far. Another NRC student quickly got it back, scoring for the team.

Hopefully, you weren't watching him too closely to notice his eyes darting to you periodically throughout the game in the hope of catching you smiling again.

Rook Hunt

He didn't think you’d catch him sitting in the tree you always sat under during break.

With all the times he’d manage to watch over you, memorize your schedule, alter his daily paths just to catch a glimpse of you.

He didn't think you’d notice him.

It's better to watch from a distance.

Beautiful things are fragile, but Rook was often quick with his advances. He could easily bump you too hard and break you like a glass vase holding flowers.

When you came to a rest under the familiar branches lush with leaves, he watched.

He watched as you plucked flowers from the ground or scrolled aimlessly on your phone, his eyes locked on you as he sat perched among the tree’s limbs.

He let out a sigh. Maybe it was the peaceful atmosphere that had him so relaxed. Or maybe you were just nice to look at.

When you turned around and gazed upwards, a look of shock showed on your face before it melted down to a hesitant smile.

Sure, one-half of your lips were more upturned than the other, and maybe your eyebrows creased with a questioning look.

But it even caught the Rook Hunt off guard with the expression on your usually deadpan face.

He felt his own lips growing into a grin as he rested his hand on his palm, his elbow resting against his propped knee.

“Ah, hello de toute beauté~”

First official post holy fuck

I hope you like this🙏 Ik I didn't do all the vice housewardens but I wanted to get something posted and I currently have two other things in my inbox-

[alovesreading]

Chicken Shop Date | Part 6 |

By @imagine-that-100 and @alovesreading

Description: Matty Healy x Reader (Female) | You and your best friend Amelia came up with a very simple idea of taking celebrities on awkward chicken shop dates, and somehow, it’s managed to become both of your jobs. In the past, you’ve found sitting across from some of the biggest stars on the planet and eating chicken nuggets easy. But then Amelia manages to score you a date with the man who you’ve been obsessed with since you were nineteen; Matty Healy.

Word Count: 22.3k 

A/N: This chapter is so exciting!!!!! It’s finally the New Years party and we hope you enjoy this as much as we did writing it! It was so much fun coming up with this whole thing and we’re still melting over everything that happens. Especially over THAT cameo *wink, wink* We thank you endlessly for your patience, you lot are the very best!!!! Enjoy!!!!!!! xx

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |

| N’s Masterlist | A’s Masterlist |

The thought of forgetting something wakes Matty up slowly and when he catches a glimpse of the time on the clock you’ve got on your bedside table, he remembers the whole evening in a matter of seconds.

A massive grin breaks on his face when he watches you cuddled up to him, pouty face and breathing so calmly. He closes his eyes again, pulling you in the tiniest bit closer when that nagging thought comes back to him, and it’s right then that he remembers you two have somewhere to be.

In his head, getting five more minutes of you like this won’t do any harm so he allows himself to let the time pass but the next time he opens his eyes, it’s been twenty minutes and he really needs to go for a wee.

Matty curses his biological needs and ignores it for as long as he can, which turns out to be a mere two minutes, until he feels like he can’t go any longer holding it in.

Even though he doesn’t really want to leave you, he definitely doesn’t want to wake you up, so he silently and slowly gets out of bed and sits on the side of it for a second, not wanting to move too quickly because he doesn’t want to disturb you.

He looks at you and all that goes through his mind is how lucky he feels to have you like that. It's certainly refreshing to feel warm inside every time he sees you or talks to you, and he’s completely sure he won’t take anything for granted when it comes to you. He still can’t believe it’s all working so well despite it being so soon in whatever you two were developing, he’s pinching himself time and time again to make sure he isn’t dreaming.

Then he looks up at your wall where you have a lot of polaroids pinned up above your bed. Lots of them are ones from your chicken shop dates so there is a variety of people Matty can point out but then his eyes land on the ones from your date. You have both of your pictures, the one you took of him and the one he took of you, pinned up right above the middle of the bed and he can’t stop himself from smiling seeing them there.

They are the closest to the bed itself, somewhere where you could actually see them when you were lying down if you wanted to. He finds it beyond cute because he can see that your pictures with Phoebe are higher up than his and he knows his date wasn’t the last you had. It warms his heart that little bit more and makes him feel even more special.

After a few seconds doting on the pictures, Matty gets himself up and grabs his underwear and trousers before making his way into your bathroom. He quickly, and hopefully silently, has a shower too and he’s in there for no longer than five minutes before he gets himself out and dry and he leaves your bathroom only dressed from the waist down with damp curls.

He’s pleased to see that you’re still asleep when he opens the door again, and you look so adorable all curled up in bed, he feels bad that he’ll have to wake you up to go out soon. So he decides to give you a few more minutes of peace and he silently slips out of your room to go and get you a drink thinking you might be a little parched after your earlier activities when you wake up.

Quietly he opens your bedroom door and slips out, and as he’s walking through your lounge to your kitchen he stops when he notices a new painting on the wall.

It’s a box painting, a design that he’s all too familiar with and he can’t help but smile seeing that you’ve got one of his best friends paintings on your wall. This one is of a forest, a foggy one that has mountains in the background and it looks amazing. And he can’t help but smile that you own one of these paintings and it sits proudly on your wall.

And he knows it's one of hers because he’s got a fair few of his own up in his house. Not to mention it’s not difficult to recognise his best friend's signature on the canvas.

With his grin unfaltering, Matty makes it to the kitchen and gets a glass of water for you and with quiet steps, he makes it slowly back to your room, giving the painting one last glance and getting excited about seeing the person behind the art piece tonight.

The closer he got to your door, the more he could make out your figure still resting on the messy bed. He feels so bad having to wake you up so he tries to make it as soft as possible.

Matty puts your glass of water down and he tucks your hair behind your ear before he leans down and kisses your temple a few times. He hopes it’ll be a nice way to wake you up and he's happy to see that you don’t look like you want to kill him when you open your eyes.

Initially you let out a little groan, frowning a little as you woke up but when you slowly blink your eyes open and you see him, a tired smile comes to your face. And it gets even bigger when he coos, “Hiya baby.”

“Hi.” You grin, the sight of him above you making you happy.

Matty cups your face and he gently caresses the apple of your cheek as he asks, “You had a nice sleep?”

“Always.” You hum and you lean into his hand.

Chuckling a little at your answer, Matty can’t help but smile at you. He remembers the water he got you then and he picks up the glass and hands it to you, “Got you a drink.”

“Thank you.” You sit up a little and take a few sips of it before putting it down.

Matty smiles at the sight of you still wearing his shirt, and he loves seeing you in his clothes. He already can’t wait to see you in more of them.

Catching himself stuck in his thoughts, he says, “Hope you don’t mind, I had a quick shower.”

“No, it’s fine.” You smile and reach up to run your fingers through his still slightly damp hair, “Get even fresher curls.”

“Yeah,” Matty smirks, “You’ve not ruined them by pulling on them, yet.”

Narrowing your eyes you backchat, “You say that like you didn’t enjoy it each time I did.”

“Details.” Matty narrows his eyes playfully but he’s smiling when he leans down to press his lips against your own.

And you hum in amusement as you quickly kiss him back. When you pull away, you ask, “What time is it?”

He tells you, “Just past nine.”

“Oh shit,” Your eyes go wide, and you sit up a little like you’re about to start rushing, “We need to go.”

“Take your time,” Matty assures you, “It's not an issue what time we get there.”

“I know but it will take a while to get over there.” You say as you rub your eyes to wake yourself up a little more, and you sit up properly now.

He chuckles at your haste, but he really doesn’t want you rushing about, “Doesn’t matter.”

You pull the covers back and twist your way out of bed, “I’ll shower quickly and get ready as-“

But you’re interrupted by Matty leaning in to pecking your lips to shut you up. And once he’s succeeded he just smiles, “Take your time.”

Pressing your lips together, you roll your eyes and get yourself up from the bed. You can hear him giggling as he’s managed to shut you up and you try your very best not to let out a chuckle of your own. You don’t think you’ll ever get tired of hearing him laugh.

You grab a few things before you go in your bathroom, but once inside you shower as quickly as you can and thankfully you’re not in there too long. Getting out you dry yourself off before getting into your fresh set of underwear and you leave the bathroom with Matty’s shirt in hand.

Walking out, you see that he’s now sitting up, leaning back against your headboard where he lay earlier and scrolling mindlessly through his phone.

“Here you go.” You smile as you walk towards him, offering him his shirt back but you watch his eyes focus on your body instead of his clothes.

Looking you up and down before finally making contact with your eyes, he’s dead serious when he says, “Oh my god, you’re asking to be thrown back in bed.”

“No,” You shake your head, unable to stop yourself from grinning at him. “I have to get ready.”

“I’m begging we stay.” Matty leans forwards and wraps his arms around you, pulling you down onto the bed beside him.

You’re laughing at his efforts as you dismiss him, “Nope. I want to dance to Mr and Mrs XCX dj-ing.”

“They aren’t that good.” Matty plays their talent down because he would love for you to remain in this attire for the rest of the night.

But you’re having none of it.

Disagreeing, you frown, “They are.”

Matty smiles but narrows his eyes at you, “How would you know?”

“The Reading afterparty, Matty.” You remind him, “I was around… Just didn’t want to bother you all. The music was great though.”

Realising that you were there makes Matty’s jaw drop a bit. “We could have had this so much earlier.” and you laugh when he pulls you against him, making you lie down beside him.

“Happy to have it now.” You hum, and you don’t miss the way his eyes run down your body, “Plus don’t you think our date was more iconic because we didn’t really know each other.”

“Yeah, we were amazing to be fair.” Matty smirks as he snakes his hand down your body and he rests it on your arse as he tells you, “Need to get you back in those red leather pants at some point. The whole get up was fit as fuck.”

“Maybe someday.” You chuckle.

But the singer pouts, “Not tonight?”

“Nope,” You shake your head, “I’ve got another look in mind.”

After indulging him for a few more minutes, you move away from him to dry your damp hair and Matty happily watches as you blow dry it, loving the view of you still in next to nothing. And because you quite like his eyes on you, you don’t get dressed before you do your make up either.

You do your makeup sitting at your dressing table and you both happily chat to each other as Matty plays a little music from his phone to get you into the partying mood. It doesn’t take you long to get ready, and you’re slipping on your black dress only half an hour after you woke up which you’re relieved about.

While Matty was a little upset seeing you hide away your lacy underwear, he can’t help but appreciate just how amazing you look in the dress you’ve just put on. It stops on your upper thigh, hiding your arse from him but it's tight on your body so your figure is still on display and he thanks his lucky stars he gets to see you looking like this all night.

So he doesn’t hesitate to say, “You look so good.”

“Thank you.” You grin, feeling great about how you look and feel right now as you adjust your dress in the mirror, pulling it down a bit to show a little more cleavage.

Matty can’t help but internally groan. You’re so painfully gorgeous, he can’t believe he’s lucky enough for you to want him beside you, as long as you're willing to put up with him. He can't help but hope it’s a long time.

“What do you think?” You bring Matty out of his thoughts by asking. “Heels or boots?”

“I think you’ll be more comfy in the boots.” The singer points out and you definitely agree with him.

Asking again, you give him your options, “Ankle or knee high?” and you raise both up so he can choose.

The singer thinks about it for a few seconds before he counters with, “You got any without a heel?”

You sigh but laugh a little, and you know exactly why he’s asked. So you tease him with, “Why can't you be taller?”

And you bite your lip when he immediately frowns and argues, “I am tall.”

“That's what short k-”

“Don't you dare call me a short king,” Matty interrupts, “I’m five-eleven.”

“And I’m five-nine.” You raise your eyebrows at him, “So if I put heels on you’re smaller than me… You’re my short king now.”

Both of you look at each other holding your amusement and Matty’s slight frustration back then. He’s so easy to rile up, you’re definitely going to add this to your list of ammunition to use against him when he starts embarrassing you.

“Just put the ankle boots on.” Matty demands, dismissing the subject because he knows you’re right which makes you start laughing.

After doing that, you stay seated on the end of your bed for a minute and you reply to Amelia’s message, telling her the date went well. You tell her that you’ve just changed and that you’re about to head to George’s party, and you can’t help but laugh a little when her next message comes through.

I do wonder why you need a change of clothes but I’m sure I can guess, dirty bitch… Anyway, what you wearing now Slut? x

Matty watches from his seat on your bed as you stand up chuckling. He has to ask, “What?”

“Amelia wants to know what I’m wearing.” You say as you stand in front of your mirror and raise your phone up, “So I thought I’d just send her a picture.”

You take a few of yourself, one with your phone covering your face and your full body in show and in the others you move your phone to the side a little so you can smile.

You decide to move your hair into a different position, and as you raise your phone back up, you can’t help but smile when you see Matty has stood up and he’s walking towards you.

There’s a grin on his face and on yours too but both of your smiles get bigger as you look at each other through the mirror and you're grinning like an idiot when his hand slides around your waist and he pulls you back to lean into him. You indulge yourself in the happy moment and you take the picture.

You look at Matty in the mirror and you watch as he turns his head to you and he kisses your temple. Again you take a picture.

Then you bring your other hand up to lace your fingers with his that is on your waist, and when you both smile at each other through the mirror again, you take another picture.

After that you put your phone down and lean back into him properly. You happily grin at him through the mirror and your heart skips a beat when he whispers in your ear, “Do you know just how stunning you are?”

Your cheeks heat up in an instant, and you press your lips together trying not to squirm as he compliments you. It’s so lovely of him to say but you’re really not used to hearing things like that in such a personal context anymore.

It’s hard to take his compliment. Because of that and because you’re British.

Matty sees your unwillingness to believe him but he’s thankful that you accept his compliment and rather shyly turn towards him, whispering back, “Might need you to remind me.”

Matty smiles at that and he cups your face making sure you look at him as he tells you, “Well I’ll be here to make sure you remember.”

You’re sure he feels your cheeks heat up at that but you don’t care. You just smile, “You’re cute.”

Matty shakes his head a little, “Not as cute as you.”

“Shut up.” You mumble before kissing his pretty lips again.

It’s impossible not to get carried away when he’s holding you close to his chest by your waist and your fingers are tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck. And trying to pull away when you come back to reality is also impossible, as he keeps leaving chaste kisses on your lips.

“You wanna pack a bag for mine later?” He suggests after giving you one last long peck, and he looks at you with the cutest puppy eyes that have you folding in less than a second.

You sigh softly, completely defeated under the effect of his eyes on you, “Yeah, okay.”

“Pack a few days worth of stuff.” He suggests, letting his hand fall a bit until he can give your arse a cheeky squeeze, “Gotta make the most out of the start of the year, remember?”

The way he’s smirking at you has you raising your eyebrows and biting your bottom lip not to giggle away from the anticipation, you can feel yourself burning up head to toe but you cover it by taunting him, “Right. The most of it.”

Humming, Matty presses another kiss on your lips but then he smacks your arse and says “Let’s go,” to get you moving.

A gasp falls from your lips, which only has his smirk getting bigger and to that you can only shake your head, trying hard not to look amused.

It takes you no time at all to pack a bag, and in that time Matty managed to get you a taxi that wasn’t too far away. You both had a vodka coke before you got in the car and when it arrived you both ran to the back of the car because it was still pelting it down with rain.

Matty let you get in the side closest to the door whilst he ran around to the other side with your bag in hand. Once Matty double checks the address with the driver, you’re on your way to the party but what makes you laugh is when Matty settles and he sees all the room between you and pouts.

“You’re so far away baby.” He frowns, and he can’t help but move himself over to the middle seat and puts your bag where he just was.

His arm comes around your waist to hold you the closest he can to himself and with a big grin on your face, you let your head rest on his shoulder. Matty sighs in content, “Now that’s better.”

Your heart swells when the words leave his lips from just how content he sounds, you can’t help yourself when you feel the urge to leave a kiss on his skin. Feeling your soft lips on his neck is something that makes Matty’s insides flip, and he truly feels like he’s on cloud nine when he’s with you.

It’s the way he clutches you the tiniest bit tighter that gives him away and silently you’re just really glad he has the same reaction to you as you do to him. It all just adds to what you’ve been discovering about him for the past week, and somehow it makes your appreciation for him grow even more.

The hour long drive to George’s is rather entertaining as your driver starts talking to you both and you find yourself the slightest bit chattier from how happy you are and the drink you already had.

There’s many times when the man behind the wheel makes you laugh out loud–bless him, working on New Years Eve, still having the energy to be witty–when you catch Matty just looking at you with those eyes you adore.

Under the passing streetlights you can catch them almost gleaming as they are fully stuck on you and you find yourself squirming nervously under his gaze. Every time you’re about to ask him what it was, your driver brings you back in conversation but it’s one last time when Matty does the same thing that has you letting out a little, “What?”

To which he just responds with a toothy grin that reaches his eyes and a kiss to your temple that has your melting right into his side.

After that Matty joined the conversation and it’s not at all awkwards like small chat with a taxi driver usually is. You’re surprised when you get to George’s faster than you expected and after being dropped off by the door, you wave the lovely man away and leave him a big tip for his kindness.

Thankfully, the rain has fully stopped by now and all that’s been left are small puddles in the ground that you avoid as you make your way in. But it’s not trying to avoid the wet patches on the ground that have you fiddling with your fingers and clumsily taking steps towards the front door, you’re actually slightly nervous.

And it’s a bit foolish of you to be, because you’ve met the lads already and spent a whole night drinking and chatting with them but this time it feels different.

Maybe it is just you being aware of this time being Matty bringing you as his date rather than just inviting you over to their greenroom after seeing you were in attendance at their gig. Maybe you’re just more apprehensive of what everyone’s reactions could be due to the change of circumstances.

So you find yourself silently begging for it all to remain the same, just so you don’t find yourself racking your brain about any comparisons from tonight to the night of the banquet records gig.

This time though, Matty is more aware of every single one of your actions and he can read you so much clearer so he doesn’t take long to notice the way you’re hiding into yourself, the shyness in your walk and how your eyes seem to look more at the ground than in front of you when he’s about to get to the door.

To give you comfort, he intertwines your fingers as he opens the door and his thumb rubs circles on the back of your hand as you take your first steps into the house. The loud music and colourful lights drown you both as you close the door behind you but you barely have time to take much in for there’s someone walking by that’s already greeting the man walking in front of you.

“Matty.” You hear the one and only Charli XCX enthusiastically exclaim your date’s name and throw an arm around him to give him a quick hug with her eyes closed.

“Hey!” He says as he reciprocates the embrace, giving her a quick squeeze before letting go.

She pulls back and opens her eyes to look at him when she says, “I was wondering why I had yet to see you.” but right then she catches a glimpse of you over his shoulder and she lets out a loud screech that has you giggling. “Ah! Y/N!”

You take a step forward so she can see you properly and she basically throws herself on you to embrace you, “Hey Charli,” you’re smiling so hard at her reaction to your presence, it starts dissipating the worries that were clouding your thoughts only a minute ago, “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Oh my god, anytime.” She sways you a bit before letting go and you catch the smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, “How'd the date go?”

You chuckle and so does Matty beside you, “Really good.” Is the shy answer you give her under both their intent stares.

And it makes you so happy that her reaction is a little giddy dance and a, “Yay! I was hoping it would,” to then wave at you both to follow her as she started walking further into the house, “Come with me. Let me show you where to get a drink.”

Before she gets very far though, Matty asks her if he can run upstairs and put your bag somewhere safe and Charli nods, telling him to go put it in hers and George’s room. She leads the both of you upstairs and points her room out to him and Matty puts your bag in a safe spot, all while she shows you around upstairs.

“Your house is stunning.” You compliment, finally being able to let your eyes wander around the gorgeous place. You almost didn’t notice Matty taking your hand again as you looked round you were so invested.

The rooms are all pretty big and the tall ceilings make the place feel even bigger, and you can only imagine it's the same downstairs. The decor is modern but it all feels really homely too. It makes you so happy that George and Charli are serious enough that they are living together, you’ve never been so happy for a celebrity couple.

“Thank you, better during the day when you can see it.” And you can definitely imagine that, the sunlight coming through the massive windows they have must look absolutely stunning washing over their whole floor.

As you make your way back downstairs, you’re brought back from your appreciation of the architecture and decoration when she genuinely suggests, “You need to come over and we can chill properly.”

Not really believing those words just came out of her mouth, you nod your head and give her a stupefied, “Yeah.”

The singer continues sorting out the plan out loud by playfully saying, “Can let the boys make our drinks that day. Keep them busy before they go off touring again.”

And of course, Matty, wanting you to have the best night, jumps on the idea and grants your wishes, “Can do that for you today, Charli.”

Charli winks at you like her plan has just worked and snaps her fingers with a smirk, “Well, hop to it then.” And then waves her hand to show the vast alcohol selection that’s set on the bar.

Yes bar. Mr and Mrs XCX seem to have spared no expense with their new house. There’s a full functioning bar that separates the kitchen from the main room where most people seem to be gathered. It’s like they have their own club in their house with a raised platform for the DJ on the other side of the room, and you can see a gigantic spinning disco ball in the centre of the room too. The club lights and the strobes lighting up the full wall mural that they have too makes it seem like you’re truly at a club, not in someone's house.

Charli smiles and tells you, “Please use anything and everything, we don't want to see any of it left tomorrow so please have as much as you like.”

“What do you want, baby?” Matty asks you first, his thumb still tracing figures on your skin to soothe you but you’re feeling more calm now so you squeeze his hand as if telling him you’re okay.

There’s so much in front of you that you just can’t find yourself making a quick decision so you just go for what you already had before you left your flat, “I’ll have a vodka and coke again please.”

Matty nods and then turns to Charli, “What do you want, queen of pop?”

With a triumphant smile, Charli replies, “Vodka cranberry please Matthew.” and right away, the curly headed boy lets your hand go with a soft squeeze and moves to make your drinks.

As he leaves your side, Charli takes his place and you both take a few steps back to just watch him as he gets your glasses and ice. You’re watching his swift moves, the way he delicately places the glasses on the table and goes to get one more for himself, his curls bouncing as he walks and his brows furrowing as he tries to find a vodka bottle he fancies, when the silence is broken by the woman beside you.

“So…” Charli starts with a slightly suggestive tone.

But you’re so distracted by the view that you fail to catch on to what she means, “So?”

“The date?” She asks a bit more forward this time, turning to you properly, and that seems to bring your attention to her.

“Oh, yeah very good.” You quickly reply, a genuine smile on your face remembering how it went and selfishly taking a bit of time to rewind and play back a little reel of what it had been.

It’s her next question, though, that snaps you right back to reality, “But was he very good?”

“Pardon?” You feel the heat coating your cheeks and you have to bite your tongue not to give yourself away.

It’s too late, you find out, when she sighs playfully and continues, “Babe it's written on both of your faces. Come on, spill, we’re friends right?” She nudges your hip with hers, making you break and let out a little nervous giggle.

You end up nodding your head, because why wouldn’t you admit he’d been very good. It was just your own mind reminding you of your previous thoughts that had you a bit timid about what you wanted to admit to yet, “Yea- Yes.”

“Yes we’re friends or yes he was good?” The singer asks for clarification, clearly wanting to get a bit more than a yes from you.

You can’t help but hope it’s not obvious to everyone though. You’ve met Charli quite a few times since her Chicken Shop Date with Amelia and each time you’d all got on like a house on fire, so a little teasing from her you could definitely handle. But telling her this feels like it’s a bit more personal, and despite knowing you can trust her it takes you aback a little bit that she actually wants to know.

“Charlotte Aitchison.” You say through your teeth, almost scolding her for wanting you to air any details in the middle of the room right in Matty’s presence.

You don’t care if there’s enough music filtering through from the other room to drown out your words. It’s still making your cheeks heat up and you want to hide under her gaze.

She laughs loudly and shrugs her shoulders like it’s just an innocent inquiry, “Hey, I just need to know whether the hype is for nothing.”

Trying your best to keep a straight face, you give into her attempts and admit, “Not for nothing.”

“Ahhh!” She screeches loudly, which makes Matty chuckle to himself and shake his head despite not knowing what you’re both talking about since he can’t hear a thing over the music.

“Fuck, I love this for you.” Charli throws both her arms around you and squeezes you tight, completely obsessed with how it’s all unfolding for you both.

She remembers watching the date with George and wishing that something actually would end up happening between you so the fact that her silent ship is working out has her beyond happy, especially since both of you are who she considers her friends.

You appreciate her excitement for you so much, it feels like such a relief to have more than just Amelia rooting for you and especially people that are from Matty’s inner circle but you want to turn the conversation away from you for a second so your heart isn’t erratically beating out of your chest. Instead, you steer towards the topic of her and George by saying, “I feel like I should ask about George now but I already know the answer if you’ve moved in with him.”

And you can’t explain the happiness that washes over you when she nods and very confidently states, “I’m going to marry that man, he’s not getting away.”

Raising your eyebrows, you chat back, “That good?”

And it’s very confirmed when she purses her lips and nods slowly but surely as she replies, “Oh yes.”

Your conversation is cut short before you can get any more details when Matty is back with both your drinks, “Here you go ladies.”

You both get handed your drinks and thank him before taking a long sip of them while Matty quickly grabs his own and joins you again. As he does, you ask her, “Did you have a nice Christmas in Florida?”

“Oh she had a fantastic time.” Matty chuckles and you can’t help but feel like he knows something you don’t.

And it seems that’s the case when Charli grins, “Ha, he’s right I had a fucking amazing time.”

But before you can question what it is that they’re alluding to, Charli notices someone waving her over from the living room, “Ah shit, I’m being summoned. You’ve got friends in the club and in the studio.” She points in the direction of both places and you two nod, “See you in a bit, have fun and save a shot for me.” She warns with a point of her finger and a wink.

Without Charli there, your eyes are falling back on the pretty boy in front of you and it’s then when you notice he isn’t having the same as you, “What are you drinking?”

Raising his glass a bit, Matty explains, “George saved me a few bottles of red, have a stash in the cupboard.”

You smile at him getting his way, “Perks of the party being in your best mates house.”

“Gotta have some.” He shrugs his shoulders and takes a sip of his red wine and basks in the taste of it.

He lowers his glass back down and puts out his free hand for you to grab, “Shall we go find some people?”

With bubbling excitement in your belly, you nod, “Yeah. Lead the way.”

Like upstairs, the rooms are tall, but you guess that makes sense for a house a gentle giant like George Daniel lives in. Everything looks amazing downstairs too, but you think your favourite feature is the large sliding glass doors that lead out to their garden. You can imagine it being stunning on a summer's day.

The room they are in though has been converted to the dancefloor. There’s a lot of people dancing in the middle to the DJ, who surprisingly isn’t George, but they look like they are having a great time. And there’s a lot of people standing with their drinks chatting to other people too, and no doubt more outside.

But both you and Matty spot a familiar face amongst the many you don’t recognise. And Matty wonders over to him first with a grin on his face as he holds your hand as you walk over.

“Hey.” Matty greets him, a big smile on his face seeing his friend again.

“Hey,” Ross smiles, a little shocked, “Where the fuck have you been?” as he hugs Matty back, but his question is answered when he spots you.

“Ah Y/N!” Ross grins brightly and he all but pushes Matty off him so he can hug you. You hug him back, letting Matty go to hug him properly, but the bassist makes you chuckle when he keeps you in his hold as he jokes, “I hope he wasn’t as annoying as he was on your chicken shop date.”

“Nowhere near as funny Ross,” You play along, and you pull out of the hug and smile up at him, “It's why I need my date with you.”

“Ah,” Ross smirks, gently brushing you off with, “Maybe for the next album.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.” You grin, pointing at him as you raise your eyebrows so he knows you're serious.

He chuckles a little and Matty finds himself laughing too knowing there’s no way it would happen. But he loves that you probably won't quit trying.

Matty takes your hand in his again as he asks his mate, “Did Hann show?” as he’s been looking around and can’t spot him or Carly anywhere.

“No, he did put in the chat but I assumed you haven't seen it because you didn’t call him a pussy.” Ross shakes his head, but his amused smile shines though. He then explains, “He’s staying in with Carly and baby, her Mum and Dad are over aren’t they, so-”

Matty takes over and sighs a little, “So they have babysitters and could have come.”

He really wanted Adam to come so he could introduce you to Carly, and he can’t help but be a little gutted because he knows that you’d get along so well with Mrs Holt-Hann.

“You bully that man enough.” You shake your head, dismissing Matty’s claims, “Give him a night off.”

The curly haired man can’t help but let his draw drop a little as his eyes widen. Ross is smirking as Matty asks you, “Who’s side are you on baby?”

“When it comes to you bullying Adam, whilst it's funny, I’m on his side.” You tell the curly haired man and he freins hurt putting his hand over his chest.

Ross laughs loudly and traps you in a side hug as he says, “You can stick around Y/N/N.”

“Thanks Ross.” You chuckle, leaning into him a little letting go of Mattys hand so you can keep a hold of your drink as you put your arm around Ross’ back.

Matty looking around and still not being able to see his friend who’s the size of a tree ends up having to ask, “Where’s G?”

“He’s around, was doing the music about half an hour ago but not sure where he is now.” The bassist explains, “Might be with the others in there?”

Ross nods over to another room that people keep on filtering in and out of and you see Matty silently ask you if you want to head over there and you nod. You move out of Ross’ grip and you take another sip of your drink as you move to stand beside Matty again.

The curly haired brunette asks Ross, “You joining us?”

“No,” He shakes his head and looks around the room, “I'm going to branch out and socialise a bit more.”

“Is that code for something, Ross?” You can’t help but tease at the way he scoped out the room.

But Ross is quick to fire back, “Was your date code for something, Y/N/N?” and a smile plays on his lips which screams that he knows you didn’t turn up to this party so late just because you were on a date, but you play stupid.

“Nope,” You shake your head and maintain your innocence, “We went on a date, a very nice restaurant actually.”

Matty can’t help but smile at the way you confidently play it off, the same way Ross pretends like he believes you, “Good.”

“I’ll send you the address for when you’ve found someone you like socialising with.” You smile knowingly back at him and before you start walking towards the door he nodded to, you playfully raise your middle finger at him with the hand you’re holding your glass with as you start pulling Matty with you.

Ross just laughs as you and the singer turn away from him and Matty can’t help but grin at what just took place. He squeezes your hand and asks, “What’s got you all feisty?”

“I'm not,” You laugh, “I just think Ross is on the prowl.”

“Good.” Matty nods like it’s something dire, “He needs to get some.”

“Matty,” You laugh at the fact he doesn’t know, “There's queues of people who want him.”

Immediately, the singer’s features scrunch together in disbelief. He shakes his head a bit, frowning as he says, “I don’t think so.”

“Well you need to open your eyes.” You scoff as you laugh, “More for him than you these days.”

Matty pretends to think about it for a second before humming, “Mmm no.”

“Okay,” You chuckle, knowing someday soon Matty will get the shock of his life. “Don't believe me.”

“I won't.” Matty grins proudly, before he pulls you over to the door, excited to see more of his friends before he starts socialising with other familiar faces, “Okay, who's in here?”

When you enter the room, you realise it must be the studio Charli was talking about earlier. There’s everything you could need in here to make music but also chill out as you do it. Comfy seats surround the place, the best being a big fluffy settee, and there’s computers on one side of the room and the rest is set up like a lounging area. But there’s a drum kit in one corner that thankfully no one is playing, guitars surrounding the place with various awards decorating the room.

There’s a lot of people in here as it's another big room, but it’s not as overcrowded as the other. You look around trying to spot anyone you might know, but come up short. Or that is until Matty spots someone who he’s been dying to introduce you to.

“Wheels!” Matty shouts, bringing you out of your thoughts as he pulls you over to meet her.

You watch as she gets up from her seat beside someone you don’t recognise but she rushes over to greet you both.

As she hugs Matty, you hear her say, “Heya Curly.” and Matty briefly lets go of your hand to hug her.

Your heart melts at the scene. It’s easy to see just how much they care about each other, and she smiles at you from over Matty’s shoulder and she looks just as excited to see you as she did him.

“Wheels, meet Y/N.” Matty quickly turns back to excitedly introduce you, and he takes your hand again as he says, “Y/N, meet Wheels.”

“Matty, you have to stop introducing me as Wheels, no one calls me that but you…” She smiles but shakes her head at him before her eyes find yours again and she offers you a hug after she says, “Hi, sorry, my name's Flo. It's so nice to meet you.”

“Lovely to meet you.” You smile, hugging her back.

It’s a little strange to you seeing Flo in person. You’ve known of her and admired both her and her work for years so it’s not really a shock that you end up telling her, “I love your paintings.”

“She does,” Matty grins excitedly, confirming that you do by saying, “She has one.”

Immediately, you look at him a little shocked that he knew that, considering you’d only just put it up when you got back home yesterday. And also because you’re shocked he would out you like that when you’ve just met her. You know no malice was intended but you know he also did it to tease you a bit.

And Flo can clearly see this too because just after George walks in the room and shouts “Matty!” She links your arm and says to you but loud enough for Matty to hear, “Please come with me, let's leave him to suck George off.”

You stifle a laugh at that, especially when Matty narrows his eyes at her and fires back, “He enjoys it and you’re just jealous.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Flo nods, a look in her eyes that dismisses him but also confirming that she would be. It amuses you entirely, and you see the amusement in his eyes when you catch each others gazes before you go your separate ways.

You manage to refrain from laughing once she walks you back to where she was earlier and she apologises, “Sorry about him, he gets over excited. Thank you by the way, for what you said about my art.”

“I came to your gallery back in 2018 and I was astounded.” You tell her, not seeing any reason to hide how talented you think she is, before you move on to say, “I wanted to come to the one earlier this year but I had a date and the guest was being an arse so it overran.”

“I fucking love your dates. They are the funniest thing.” Flo gasps, leaning in to tell you sincerely, “I found them over lockdown and I binged them all. I adore them. I even made Alex watch them with me and we were giggling for hours.”

Hearing that from her means a lot too. Just as much as people like Matty, Charli, and Andrew Garfield. It hits a special place in your heart.

“I’m so glad you liked them.” You grin, “They’ve certainly been fun.”

“Your one with Matty is the best thing I’ve ever seen.” She laughs at the memory of the both of you playing up to each other and the top tier flirting from you, “Especially the extended version.”

You chuckle and nod, “It was certainly my favourite one.”

“By the way,” Flo had been meaning to get Matty to ask you, but she forgot, so she's pleased she can ask now, “Your Spanish is impeccable, are you fluent?”

You can’t help but think that is so cute of her to pick out from the date, and you nod and explain, “My Mum is a Spanish teacher and she raised me with both languages, so yeah I'm probably not far off.”

“You can help me, I've not quite mastered it yet as well as the others.” She tells you, and you wouldn’t mind that at all.

Despite being fairly certain of the answer, you ask her, “You can speak French, right?”

“Yes,” Alex Turner appears and answers for her and wraps an arm around her waist as he carries on, “And Italian, so it's really difficult for me around the house when she's mumbling under her breath scolding me for something I don't know I’ve done wrong.”

Flo’s face is full of amusement as he says that, and she doesn’t even deny it. She simply says, “You love it.”

“Mmmm.” Alex hums, not sounding too convinced but then he smiles brightly at you and says, “Lovely to meet you, I’m Alex.” and he lets Flo go for a moment to shake your hand.

“Y/N.” You smile brightly at him and return his handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

As he shakes your hand, he’s telling you how much the both of them love your videos which again makes you want to pinch yourself. Alex’s music, both with Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets soundtracked the majority of your teenage years before you found The 1975, so it’s a little surreal that he even knows who you are. It's an Andrew Garfield moment all over again.

The three of you talk for a while about various different things, them telling you about their favourite date you’ve been on, you telling the two of them congratulations on them getting married this past year. But only about 5 minutes pass before the loud mouth that is Matty bounds back over.

You feel him before you see him, as his arm goes around your waist hugging you back into him as his head rests on your shoulder. He says to Alex, “You better not be stealing another one of my girls, Turner.”

It takes everything in you not to laugh. Matty talks of Flo so much like she’s a best friend, as he does George, that you forget that they are ex’s. It seems that they are all perfectly fine joking about it though because Flo laughs and Alex’s face is full of amusement and looking to the side you see Matty’s holding back how big he wants to grin.

Alex just smirks as he laughs, “No, I'm happy with the one I stole the first time around.” wrapping his arm around his wife again.

Flo smiles hearing that but she also curiously asks your group, but mostly Matty, as she leans into Alex, “Was it really stealing if I shagged him first?”

This, you’re confused by. She went out with Matty from 2011 to 2013, and there were only rumours about her and Alex in 2014 which you remember Flo denying in a drunken tweet one evening. But then it was pretty much a fact that her and Alex briefly got together after a lot more was shown on her Instagram live at the start of 2019 that she probably intended. So needless to say you’re confused, but you don’t show this as you don’t want to pry.

But you can’t keep your shock at bay when Matty laughs and tells Flo, “Losing your virginity doesn’t count, Sweetheart.”

Your eyes go wide and you can’t stop the, “What?” falling from your lips.

Your indirect sexual partners list just reached a whole new level.

“Oh yes,” Matty chuckles at your reaction, remembering you only have the outsiders perspective on past events. He very quickly glosses over it, making a mental note to tell you at some point but for now he leaves you with, “There's a lot more history than everyone ever knew, but it's all good. Their wedding was cute, I was practically the maid of honour.”

Flo frowns a little at that last part, correcting him quickly, “Think my best friend and Adam would disagree with that but you were definitely a bridesmaid.”

Matty hums, “Loved my pink suit to match the dresses.”

“Now I need to see a picture of that.” You smile, leaning back into him a little more so you can crane your neck around to see his pretty face again.

He grins at you with soft eyes and he can’t help but think you look absolutely stunning.

“Oh, I’ve got loads.” Flo grins and proceeds to take her phone out of her pocket.

The four of you chat for a while then, and that is until Matty gets called over by a few people he clearly knows and you talk to Alex and Flo a little longer. But it feels like not a lot of time has passed before Matty is stealing you away from them because he wants to introduce you to a few people.

A few people ends up being almost everyone, because when you’ve finished talking to someone, more come along wanting to speak to Matty so the process continues over and over. Not that you mind, everyone seems very lovely and it's no hardship chatting to Matty and hearing how he knows everyone.

However, when you escape to the bar just the two of you again it’s rather nice just to keep each other company for a few minutes. On the way over, you noticed Ross chatting to a girl you didn’t recognise but they seemed pretty close so you gave him knowing eyes when your gazes met. He very discreetly gets you back for earlier and sticks his middle finger up at you which makes you laugh.

After getting your drinks, Matty pulls you into the kitchen where it’s a little quieter and you manage to greet George properly. He gives you a big hug and once again you're taken aback by just how tall he is.

“You enjoying yourself Y/N/N?” The drummer asks just before letting go of you.

You nod with a soft grin on your face, everything has been going amazingly and you’re glad every passing minute has managed to quiet down the thoughts you had earlier.

“Very much, thanks for having me George.”

Taking a sip of his drink, he hums but then a smirk appears on his face as his eyes go from you to Matty, “How was the date? He wouldn’t shut up about it- about you, in fact.”

You let out a loud chuckle when Matty’s instant reaction is to yell out a mortified, “Mate!” as if that would somehow put you off.

George’s laughter makes you laugh even harder and you see Charli coming into the kitchen intrigued by the reason behind your loud giggles.

Before she can even ask what’s going on, George throws another question your way made to taunt his best mate even more, “Did he at least treat you to a better time than your first date?”

The laugh that was about to fall from your lips turns into a scoff of disbelief when Charli answers for you with a very suggestive, “Oh yes, heard he treated her to the best time.”

The couple in front of you laugh hard at the way both your faces fall and the only thing you can do is hide behind your glass to hope they can’t tell you’re flustered. Matty doesn’t let it affect him long, he smirks then and pulls you into him by your waist, leaving a kiss on your temple.

“What can I say?” He shrugs his shoulders with a smug expression on his face, “You get a date with me, you get the premium package.”

Noticing the loophole in his statement, you push his mistake to tease him, “What, so you do this every date?” You make sure to leave your glass with a thud on the kitchen island, frowning and letting your mouth fall the slightest bit open in faux offence. You take a step back as well so his hold on your waist loosens up and his hand is almost completely away from you.

“No, I-” He tries to interject and correct himself but he’s cut by Charli gasping.

“Matty Healy, you little slag!” She says like she’s shocked, making you have to bite your tongue not to laugh.

George giggles and then raises his eyebrows at Matty, “Fucked it there mate, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t- That wasn’t what I meant.” Matty finally says, as quickly as he can so no one interrupts him.

Trying to put your most unamused face on, you turn to him and talk back, “What’d you mean then?”

“Meant only you get the premium package.” Taking a step forward to be close to you again, he snakes his hand around your lower back and pulls you into his front.

He’s staring at your lips, silently asking if he can kiss you to forget about it but you act like you’re not interested in seeing him so you give him a curt nod and look away, to your friends who are watching it all trying not to laugh, “Right.”

You can almost hear the struggle George is going through not to laugh as he continues adding fuel to the fire, “You’re gonna have to work all night to save this now mate.”

Matty glares at George then and you take his sudden distraction to tease him even more. With your eyes now trying to scan the room adjacent to the kitchen, you start saying, “Might see if Ross is up for more socialising…”

The sole mention of the bassist has the singer whipping his head back around to see you, “No.” He says sternly, leaving a kiss on your cheek, “You’re not going anywhere.” He states again and he holds you tighter when he says it.

You still won’t give him your attention though, trying to take it a bit further, “I’m sure I saw him right outside.” You add almost sighing in disappointment and that’s when your date has had enough.

Matty cups your jaw and pulls you into his lips intently and it’s so quick that you gasp, which leaves your lips perfectly open for him to tease his tongue into your mouth. You reciprocate the kiss in bliss, seemingly growing fonder of having his lips on yours, though it makes you laugh - how a simple comment can get him like this.

So you can’t help the chuckle that you let out which interrupts the kiss for a second, Matty smiling against your lips before trapping them between his again, making you hum.

You forget you have an audience until Charli coos loudly at you two, but George is in the mood to get Matty back for all the shit he pulls on the daily so it’s not a surprise he interrupts the moment by reminding you, “Y/N! He does this every date he has!”

Matty instantly breaks the kiss and glares at him, “Fuck off!” is all he says with a frown on his face and that reaction has you laughing loudly once again.

George cackles just as loudly and that amusement has Matty sighing and deciding he’s had enough for now, “We’re leaving you two now, can’t trust you.”

He shakes his head, as he grabs your hand and starts pulling you towards the door, “We are?” You ask as you take the first step but try to hold him back so you can get your glass before leaving.

The curly headed man nods, intertwining your fingers as he looks at your getting your drink again, “Yes, let’s go back to Wheels and Alex.”

The drummer gives it one last attempt to torment him, “Oh yes, actually do. I’m sure she will out you even more.” he encourages with a smirk and silently hopes Flo actually does continue with the taunting.

All Matty responds to that is with a middle finger and it makes Charli, George and yourself laugh as you exit the room.

The last of your teasing is pointing out Ross is gone from where you’d seen him last and seems to have left the room, Matty shaking his head and stealing another hungry kiss from you at the mention of his other best mate.

It wasn’t hard to find Flo and Alex after that, they were sitting in the corner of the room the furthest away from the DJ desk which you assume is to be able to talk but also enjoy the party.

Matty waves at them and they wave back at you, encouraging you to come over to them. When you get there, Alex stands up so you can take a seat beside Flo and you thank him for it. You thought he and Matty would stay standing in front of you to chat but Alex asks his wife if she wants a refill and she nods with a smile and a soft please.

Taking Matty with him, you find yourself alone with Flo and notice how being in her presence brings you this sense of calmness that you certainly enjoy.

“I believe you wanna take me on a date?” Flo asks as you get comfy in the seat beside her.

“I really do.” You hum, sipping your drink before you sit up a little and say, “If you’re okay with jokes about them two, it could be better than Matty’s.”

And you truly believe that. You think she’s hilarious and with her history and her talent you think you could have such a good date with her.

Thankfully, Flo grins and confirms, “Oh, perfectly fine with it.”

“I have art jokes covered too.” You assure her, not wanting everything about it to be about her dating history, even though she is iconic for it.

She smiles, loving the sound of it already. But Flo can’t help but remember that she wasn’t the only one you were requesting a date with. “Believe you want to take my husband on one too?”

“Yeah,” You laugh, nodding as you explain, “I think he could be funny. And he can be dry back in the date and it not be awkward like it usually is.”

You’ve seen enough Arctic Monkey interviews to tell that Alex absolutely hates having to do them. Either not having the words or not wanting to give away too much, it makes him seem awkward, which is a sharp contrast to his amazing lyricism.

But Chicken Shop Dates are for the satire of it and you’re very good at pretending to be dry when you slip into your character. So Alex Turner is a prime example of someone who would be an excellent candidate for your show. Perhaps even more suited than Matty, but you’ll keep that to yourself.

What you do tell Flo though, is your alternate idea, “Me and Amelia were talking though, we think a double date where we sit down with him and Miles would be hilarious.”

“It would,” She gasps, covering her mouth with her hand before she starts giggling at the mere thought, “Oh my god.”

Miles would be absolutely hilarious. And the side of Alex that he brings out would make it even funnier. Flo laughs as she says, “They would end up flirting with each other and you could interrupt them and say, ‘Excuse me, why are we third wheeling when we’re on a double date’.”

“You’ll have to give me some tips for how to stop that from happening.” You laugh.

She nods, and grins as she says, “I’ll just sit in the corner off camera and scorn them. I’ve got them wrapped around my little finger.”

“I’ll hold you to that when the day arrives.” You chuckle before you take a long sip of your drink.

Organising dates like these on New Years 2022 is something you never in a million years imagined. You can’t help but be a little baffled that this is your reality and not just a hallucination from the amount of alcohol you’ve drank.

“I am down for a date with you whenever you like though, Y/N.” Flo smiles, bringing you out of your thoughts, but you notice she seems to think about it for a moment before adding, “Maybe we could do it before I start showing?”

“Showing…” Your jaw drops a little, but you hesitantly ask, “Are you and Alex…?” but she’s nodding before you can even finish your question.

“Pregnant.” Flo beams, resting her hand on her stomach and nods, “Fourteen weeks, I’m due in early July.”

“Oh my god,” Your eyes well up and you can’t stop yourself from leaning across and hugging her, “Congratulations.”

She chuckles at your reaction but hugs you back tightly, “Thank you, Y/N.”

“I’m so happy for you.” It leaves your mouth before you can stop it, but you don’t care too much because it is the truth.

Flo grins, squeezing you that bit tighter, “Thank you.”

Flo loves seeing people's reactions to the news, and despite you being new to the group she can sense a budding friendship with ease. She already knows you’re going to fit in great and you make Matty happy, so there’s no reason not to be your friend. Not to mention, your reaction is so wholesome considering you don’t know her all that well.

“Sorry,” You say when you let her go, and you drunkenly ramble on, explaining why there's a tear in your eye. “I know you don’t know me but I feel like I’ve known you for ages and I’m just really happy for you.”

“That’s okay, thank you.” She smiles, her heart melting at just how genuinely over the moon you seem for her, “You’re so lovely.”

“I'm so happy for you both.” You repeat yourself, making a mental note that you need to congratulate Alex when you see him again. But then you catch your volume and you control yourself, “Sorry I shouldn’t be so loud. Are you keeping it under wraps or does everyone here know?”

Flo smiles at you being worried for her, especially after she just openly told you, but it's nice to know you respect her privacy. From you apologising, something which you didn’t need to do, she can tell that you’re trustworthy enough with the information and Matty’s definitely found himself a good egg.

“Most of our little group know, like the band and Charli, all the close ones anyway. We’re letting everyone else find out when the little one arrives or when they catch me showing.” Flo explains.

“We told Matty the other day when he came to see us, he cried like a baby.” Flo laughs as she recalls, “Hugged me for about ten minutes straight and then him and Alex were both crying at one point... It was really amusing.”

“That would have been the best news for him.” You smile, picturing it so easily in your head and it makes your heart melt. You have to tell her, “He speaks so highly of you, as he should. I’m really not surprised he got emotional.”

“Christ, if he speaks highly of me, you should hear the way he speaks about you.” She grins, “You were all he could talk about the other day apart from mine and Alex’s surprise.”

Immediately, your cheeks are heating up, “Oh god.”

You pray to every god that there might be that he didn’t let slip the filth you were texting each other the day he was at theirs in Sheffield now.

“Nothing to worry about.” Flo seems to sense you cringing so she assures you, “He’s just being very cute, as he should. You seem amazing, he didn’t sell you short.”

That makes your heart melt, at both the fact Matty had been talking about you to his friends, and the fact that Flo of all people actually thinks you’re amazing. It means a lot coming from someone like her who you’ve looked up to for a long time.

Directing the subject away from yourself, you ask her about her and her art. Both of you chat for a long while about it with Flo trying to explain how she does different things when you ask her, and she ends up saying that you’ll have to join Matty when he next visits so you can see her home studio. She even says she will give you a lesson and you jump at the chance. The only catch was that you had to teach her more Spanish as you did and that was easy to agree to.

The subject moves on to George and Charli and how cute they are, but also your love for Charli’s music. And then it moves on to both of your love for live music and Flo was just telling you about how she’d joined Alex on the previous leg of Arctic Monkeys tour before Christmas.

She also tells you that the tour is how she found out she was pregnant. Flo had apparently been sick the few mornings they were travelling via plane and she went to the doctor asking for something to help with travel sickness and the doctor ended up surprising her by asking if she could be pregnant after she mentioned that she’d never been travel sick before.

Thankfully Alex waited in the waiting room at the doctors with her in whatever country they were in and she ended up doing a pregnancy test there and then and it came back positive. And Flo was just beginning to tell you that she was glad that there wasn’t much left of the tour and they could fly home for Christmas just a week after they found out, but she gets distracted.

You catch Flo’s eyes flick to the door and you follow her gaze when she presses her lips together to hide her amusement. And you understand why when you see Matty pressing into the room and continuing his dance to S&M by Rihanna.

He’s quite amusing, his arms waving in every direction, letting the music seemingly control his body as he intently sways his hips to the beat and sings his heart out to every line of the chorus.

And you’re both amused until he stops his singing when he lifts his hand up and puts the lit cigarette he has in his hand into his mouth.

“What are you doing? Don’t smoke inside.” Flo scolds Matty, giving him a dirty look that only an old friend could give someone, “It's their new house!”

“Yeah, George’s new house, Wheels.” Matty raises his eyebrows and reminds her, “When doesn’t the tree have a spliff in hand?”

“Well it’s not for you to get your fag ash all over.” You tell him, plucking it from his lips and holding it so he has to follow you, “Come on we can go outside.”

Matty frowns, looking between you and Flo as he pouts, but takes your hand, “I already don’t like that you’re teaming up on me.”

“Get used to it,” Flo smugly grins, “I’m going to be inviting her round without you soon enough.”

Matty frowns and scoffs, “Rude.”

“Don’t cry about it.” You fake a pout and you hear Flo laughing as you continue to pull the man who’s eager to get his cigarette back outside.

That apparently doesn’t mean he can’t tease you on the way though, as Matty cocks his head to the side a little and raises his eyebrows as he says, “You’re getting brave, baby.”

“Mhmm,” You grin, “Says the one who’s obsessed with me.”

As you make it through the sea of dancers, you make it outside to the patio and as the curly haired brunette steals his cigarette back, and he wraps and arm around you, pulling you so you're against his chest when he asks, “Remind me, who was on your blanket you got for Christmas?”

In some way you’re glad that nothing seems to have changed now you’ve slept together. Somewhere in the back of your mind you were somewhat worried about it, but considering he’s still trying to make you all blushy and flustered, you know that nothing has changed and you’re really grateful for that.

“The one you got me was plain actually.” You smile and bat your lashes at him, acting dumb to what he actually means.

He doesn’t buy your act so he rolls his eyes, “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Sighing, you don’t let him have the pleasure of you agreeing to what he’s insinuating, “Yeah but you don’t need an ego boost right now.”

Smugly, he puffs his chest out and lets a teasing grin tug at the corner of his lips, “I always do.”

But you won’t have him feeling smug for too long, “Oh right, sorry. I forgot, my cute short king.” Your mocking smile shines on your face, his jaw drops at your audacity.

“I’ll confiscate your boots.” Matty warns with a raise of his eyebrows, as if that would be enough to scare you from provoking him.

Clicking your tongue, you quip back not believing he’d actually do it, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Ye–” Matty starts but you interrupt him by pressing your lips to his.

You don’t need to hear his empty threats because he’d just be wasting his breath and precious time you could spend kissing which is exactly why you pounce on his lips. He tastes like wine and cigarettes, so Matty, and the fact that you’re growing familiar to that, to him, makes you grow warm inside.

Fingers tangling in his curls, you tug on his hair and he lets a hum of satisfaction out. You give him one back, when his arm squeezes you tighter and pulls you flush against his front.

You kiss until your lungs are aching for oxygen and you find yourself remembering where you’re at when you lean back to see him and your senses seem to take in your surroundings again.

For a couple seconds you scan his face and your hand comes up to his face so you can rub circles on his cheek with the pad of your thumb. Matty melts under your touch, eyes fluttering closed until you stop your ghostly touch on his skin and lean in to whisper in his ear, “You can take them off later.”

His lips fall on your neck and you can feel him smirking then before he leaves a couple of kisses under your jaw, “I hope I can take more than just those off later.” He replies, letting his hand fall a bit from your lower back so he can give your arse a little squeeze.

You grin, holding back from withdrawing into a flustered mess as you promise, “Whatever you like.” before you kiss him again.

As you stand outside with him, Matty slips off his blazer when he realises you’re a little colder than you’re letting on. It warms your heart that he takes it off and just puts it over your shoulders before slipping his arms around your waist and hugging himself into you.

The both of you stay outside chatting and stealing the odd kiss after he finishes his cigarette but then you hear commotion from inside and the music goes down for the moment and you hear George’s voice through the speakers saying, “Five minute warning guys, we want everyone in here by the time the countdown starts!”

Matty sighs, “We best go inside.” and releases you from his hold.

“You’re right.” You nod, and you quickly slip your arms through the sleeves of his blazer before you take the hand he’s offering you.

Once you do, you notice how Matty’s grinning at you and you raise your eyebrows silently asking why and he explains, “I’ve lost that now, haven’t I?”

“Oh yeah,” You chuckle, and as you walk into the now very crowded room, you tell him, “You’ve lucky you got your shirt back to be honest.”

Matty laughs at that and you both weave yourself through the dancing people. You notice that as the last song before midnight is playing both George and Charli are back having fun on the decks, being amazing hosts like you knew they would be. You just know that the set after it hits midnight is going to pop off and you’re so ready.

You notice that Ross is nowhere to be found, and you can’t help but chuckle at the thought of him off socialising somewhere and missing the countdown because of it, so you’ll be sure to comment on that when you next see him. However, you do manage to spot other now recognisable faces, you see Alex and Flo near the entrance to the other room but you can’t help but smile when you notice the way that they’re grinning at each other as they talk over the music. They are so madly in love, it’s so clear to see and your heart melts for them.

But not as much as it does when Matty stops you both and he wraps his arms around your waist, making sure you keep pressed against him. You grin and wrap your arms around his neck letting them loosely hang over his shoulders.

He’s moving you both to the beat a little which you don’t mind and he sings along a bit, but as Charli calls, “Two minutes!” you feel like you need to tell him a little more about you.

“You know, I’ve not had a New Years kiss that wasn’t Amelia for a long time.”

Matty’s eyes go a little wide at that, and he tells you, “Surprises me.”

“Why?” You ask curiously.

“Because you’re gorgeous,” Matty states simply, like it’s obvious that is it, “Do you know how difficult it’s been not to kiss you every second we’ve been here?”

Embracing the way your cheeks heat up at that, you just nod and flip it round on him, “I do actually.”

Because it has been difficult to keep away from him when you’d been so clingy in the afternoon. And just from the way his curls fall and the grin on his face, he’s difficult not to want to kiss in general, let alone when he’s being all flirty and adorable with you.

Matty finds himself blushing that, and you love that you can make him get a little flustered too. You’ll certainly endeavour to be the one causing the blushing more often.

To combat the teasing he knows you’re about to give him for getting shy, Matty leans in to kiss you, but you pull back before he makes contact, “Ah, it’s not midnight yet.”

“Nasty.” The curly headed singer pouts but you just giggle knowing he’ll survive.

But thankfully Matty doesn’t have to wait long for his moment because before either of you know it everyone around you starts shouting, “Ten! Nine! Eight!-”

And it's the way you both can’t take your eyes off each other as you join in for the last few seconds, “Three! Two! One!”

“Happy New Year Baby.” Matty grins and you can’t bring yourself to say it back right now, you’re too eager for his lips on your own.

Your fingers rooted into his curls by the time everyone got to 1, so you don’t hesitate to pull him in and kiss him how you’d been longing to since you got here. This time neither of you care that anyone else is around because most of them are doing exactly the same.

Matty pulls your waist closer so you couldn’t escape if you even wanted to, and you really don’t want to. This feels like one of those moments in life that you wish you could bottle up and savour the feeling.

It’s an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness that you don’t think you’ll ever forget. Never in your life did you think you would be seriously kissing Matty Healy on New Years and he would be holding you against him like he never wanted to let you go. You can’t imagine ever taking the feeling of being in his arms for granted, or the way your stomach floods with butterflies when he deepens the kiss as people cheer and start to dance around you again.

And because you’re not quite done savouring the moment, when he goes to pull away you pull that little bit tighter on his curls to keep him in the kiss for a second or two longer. You certainly don’t think there’s ever been a better start to a new year.

“Happy New Year.” You grin and Matty can’t just let that be it.

He leans in and pecks your lips over and over until the both of you are giggling and you kiss him properly again. Truthfully, he never wants to let you go, and that may partly be the alcohol talking as he knows it would be impractical for you both but he’s truly obsessed with you. Matty wants nothing more than this with you all the time.

It’s truly a shame the moment had to end, but Matty will forgive only because it's his best mate who bursts your little bubble by grabbing everyone's attention.

George played a song to kick off the new year, one that was great but no one really payed attention to, so you understand why they interrupt everyone now and announce, “Me and Charli wanted to kick off 2023 in the right way, with some new music.”

At that your jaw drops and you can’t help but say a rhetorical, “What?” as excitement starts to bubble through you.

“So we’re sharing our remix of Ms Caroline Polochek’s new song Welcome To My Island.” Charli tells everyone and you’re already excited. You can’t believe you’ve about to get a new Charli and George song. 2023 is already the fucking best.

“Oh my god,” Matty draws your attention back to him as he takes your hand, “Where’s Wheels?”

“She's over there with Alex.” You nod, and Matty moves the both of you over to the couple and you say a quick happy new year when you get to them but you’re interrupted.

“There’s no time for hugging,” Matty waves his hands stopping you from hugging Alex, instead he points at you and Flo as he says, “I need your two’s reactions to this song!”

You narrow your eyes a little and ask, “You’ve already heard it?”

“Of course.” Matty tuts like it is common knowledge when you didn’t know the song existed until 20 seconds ago. But you let it go because his excitement is through the roof as he says, “I cannot wait to see this.”

“Am I going to need to remind her she's married again?” Alex asks Matty, and it's impossible for you not to get more excited when Matty nods with wide eyes, meaning it seriously.

And that alone makes you so excited.

“You guys ready?” Charli asks and of course everyone says a loud ‘yes’.

But the performer in her has her shouting louder, “I said, are you guys ready?!”

“Yes!” You and Flo yell back at the top of your lungs and Charli smirks at the room before saying, “Play it baby.”

You don’t think you’ve been this excited for new music since Being Funny dropped, but you knew that was coming. This has just been sprung upon you and you’re feeling all of the build up of emotions you usually do when hearing a new song in the span of a minute.

The intro to the song starts and it easily captures everyone's attention with the distorted vocals and heavy ambient sounds. But as soon as the lyrics kick in you know already that you’re going to love it, and not just because mother and father created it.

You watch with a grin on your face as Charli sings along to her own song, “I like to live my life luxurious, eating caviar toast, buying out the Ritz,” and you absolutely fucking love how much she backs her own music and knows wholeheartedly that its a bop and sings it proudly.

“I won't lie, yeah, I've always been afraid to commit / But now I've fallen so hard, it's a total eclipse,” This has you pouting because you’re so beyond thrilled that Charli is happy and found her man finally.

But before you can dote on that line too much, the next has you gasping for air, “'Cause it's emotional and physical and so legit / He's got my legs wide out like banana split,”

Matty watches as both yours and Flo’s eyes go wide, but it's your jaw dropping and Flo grabbing your arm and he can’t help but let out a laugh. You both see Charli with a shit eating grin on her face at the dj deck with George and you see the drummer avoid eye contact with everyone and pay sole attention to his deck, more than likely pretending to queue up the next song so people don’t pay attention to him blushing.

“It was love at first sight from the moment wе kissed / I want a white dress, country sidе house, and kids,” Once again, this has you and Flo clutching each other as you react to how wholesome this couple can be when they aren’t being sinfully dirty.

Charli has been a friend of yours and Amelia’s for a while now, you’d met her at an event you were given tickets to back in 2019 and you partied the night away with her. You’ve never seen her happier than she is now and the fact she’s with a member of your favourite band just makes their relationship all that more special to you. Especially now as she can picture herself marrying him.

George Daniel is a lucky bastard and you really hope he knows it.

When you tune back in, you hear Charli’s voice saying, “I told him, ‘Catch a flight, see if you can handle it / And if you can then, welcome to my island, bitch’.”

The beat drops and you all but scream and start dancing in your spot, moving your head to the beat and letting your hair fly around everywhere. Matty can’t help but smile as he watches you, you’re looking at Charli and George like they are something otherworldly, he can’t help but picture you looking like that at his gigs, or he hopes you look that happy anyway.

“This is so fucking good!” You grin as you catch Matty’s gaze and he nods at you, still loving your reaction.

The second verse comes back in and you calm down a little, not dancing as much, so you can still pay attention to the song and lyrics, but you're still bobbing your head to the beat. And both you and his best friend don’t disappoint with your reactions.

“'Cause I can be a good girl, d,” Has your jaw on the ground, but what has both you and Flo screaming is the line, “Or you can drive me down to Florida and fuck me for days,”

“Oh I’m so fucking jealous of that bitch.” Flo says loud enough for you to hear and you turn to her laughing and nod in agreement.

“I'm jealous of both of them.” You nod, as you genuinely don't know who you’re more jealous of. It’s definitely a close call.

“Oh yes! You’re fruity like me,” Flo gasps and her grin is huge as he clutches your arm again, “I fucking love you.”

The song plays out and everyone is cheering for the couple, you and Flo amongst the loudest of the group, no doubt making both Matty and Alex roll their eyes but you love the couple so much you don’t care.

Charli and George play the song once more and again you’re taken aback by the filthy lines in the song. You really adore it, they are such a power couple and this song is just fucking amazing.

Everyone in the house is enjoying the new song, Flo and you are dancing to it softly but the one going all out for it is, of course, Matty.

You watch as he goes up to George and yells out something in his ear, brows furrowed in enjoyment as he continues to move to the beat. Curls bouncing with every move he makes, his smile is so big his eyes crinkle and it’s so infectious, it makes you smile almost as hard.

Flo catches the way you’re looking at him and you don’t even notice she’s been watching you until she leans closer to you.

“Tip for later for you Y/N.” She says into your ear, snapping you out from the trane you were on, “Pull him in by his belt loops and bite his lip when you kiss him, he will be putty in your hands in seconds.”

She gives you a wink before she stands back up straight and you giggle, watching her in awe, “I love that you’re telling me this.”

Shrugging with a smirk on her face, Flo continues to say, “Well, I have lots of knowledge about him that can be put to better use now I'm tied down.”

You take a deep breath when you feel the word vomit coming, if you weren’t this tipsy you would definitely hold yourself back from spilling out all the knowledge you have of them. “I know you don't know me and it sounds weird to say but I was really pleased for you and Alex when I found out you got married. I had been a fan of the 1975 since I was nineteen so I was gutted about you and Matty when we found out you split at the time, but I always thought you and Alex were really cute together.”

Not even the loud music makes you miss the gasp Flo lets out, “Oh my god, were you a fan that liked both bands?”

You nod and smile softly at her, hoping it doesn’t seem weird, “Yeah, I always thought the hatred was weird, the music and aesthetic went hand in hand in 2013 so I really don't understand why there was so much animosity between the fans.”

She agrees with a low hum, recalling the many times she’d thought the same throughout the years but then she looks at you with the hints of a smirk showing on her face, “You just liked The 1975 better though I'm assuming?”

Pressing your lips together, you try not to smile when you’re caught, “What gave me away?” You pull on the sleeves of Matty’s blazer making sure it covers your riot tattoo, trying to see if she had noticed it or if she was just making a lucky guess.

But Flo easily replies, “Matty’s love bites on your neck might have something to do with it?” and that’s enough for your jaw to drop.

Instantly, your hand goes up to the side of your neck, “No, please tell me you’re joking?” You change sides because you’re not even sure where the bruise she’s talking about is.

Stifling a laugh, Flo shakes her head, “Nope, sorry. He’s a menace.”

“Oh for fucks sake, I checked before we left and there wasn’t a mark on me.” You were sure you hadn’t seen one when you’d taken the pictures to send Amelia, “Not me about to go and ask Charli for some concealer.” You joke a bit but you’re actually considering, looking over to the singer and see where you could go through to go up to her.

Flo quickly eases your worries, “Don’t bother, we're all friends here.” Her arm comes around your waist to hug you into her side and she pinches your waist when she says, “As long as he showed you a good time, because if not, tell me and I will slate him.”

You see she’s completely serious about it when you turn to her, “No, you don’t need to do that… He was very… accommodating.” You muster with heat coming up to your cheeks, “I can’t believe I just said that to you.”

Seeing how you bring one of your hands up to cool down your cheeks, she lets go of her hold around your waist and grabs your wrist softly, “No, don't be embarrassed. It’s good to hear he still knows what he’s doing.” You cackle at that but the laughter is caught short when she adds, “Oh he’s got a bit of a degrading kink too, so have fun with that one.”

You’re left speechless with that bit of information, your brain going places in a split second and it’s all the scenarios popping in your head that have you heating up entirely. You shouldn’t be thinking all of this in public and here, in front of Flo, but you are and it seems like there’s no way of controlling your thoughts anymore.

Flo laughs watching your face, knowing just exactly what’s going on in that mind of yours but it seems you’re saved by the bell when Alex comes back to where you two are at and, after wrapping his arms around Flo’s middle, he rests his chin on her shoulder and is curious to find out what he’s just walked into.

“Hello again Y/N, is my wife tormenting you yet?” He knows that face of hers so well and it only could mean trouble, so he hopes he’s come to aid you. He knows first hand just how she can be, he absolutely loves it though, Flo’s always keeping him on his toes and he’d have it no other way.

Alex is the slightest bit surprised when you chuckle and give him an answer he wasn’t expecting, “No, she's lovely.”

He wasn’t going to refute, because it was the truth and he guessed you wanted to keep whatever had just happened between you two.

So Alex brings up a topic, he knows you will be rather interested in, “As I recall, you and Amelia asked Helders for a date with me at Reading.”

You smile for a second before you fake pout to say, “We did, very sad. I'm still waiting to hear something official.” But then you go back to your serious self to admit, “It's why I asked Matty to pester you both.”

He offers you a shy smile, “What sort of comments would I be in for and I’ll think about it.”

You almost let yourself gasp aloud but you have to force yourself to keep your cool so you don’t blow your one chance of having him on a Chicken Shop Date.

So quickly thinking about the jokes you’d come up with when Amelia and you started daydreaming about having Alex or Drake or Andrew over in a video, you recall one that will definitely make Flo laugh, “Oh you know, I’d make a joke like ‘Do you remember when you had your goatee?’ and you would say…”

The pause elongates as he’s hesitant to reply but then an “I do.” falls from his lips slowly after a few seconds.

“And I would go, ‘Yeah and so do we, so this is a public service announcement begging you never to do it again’.”

Flo bursts out laughing at that, and Alex pretends like he’s not amused and lets his jaw hang open, before saying a blunt, “Wow.”

“I fucking love you.” Flo cackles and throws her arms around your shoulders, Alex’s hold on her fell when she did that so you wrap your arms around her waist and over her shoulder you can see Alex smiling brightly at you.

You reciprocate the smile, not only because that’s how you know he actually found that funny, but because you also feel so incredibly welcome when you’re with them and everyone in their friend group for that matter, and that truly means the world to you and your overthinking habits.

It’s so easy to not notice time flying past when you’re speaking to Flo, both of you giggling at the stories you tell each other. Especially when she has so much to tell you about Matty’s teenage years, how much of a menace he’s always been and how the lads thought she was lying about knowing the Monkeys.

She’s got so many anecdotes that you know you would’ve died to know when you had just gotten into the band and it just makes you incredibly giddy that you get to hear them all from her now. That, mixed with the alcohol in your system only has you becoming more and more bubbly to the point you have to force yourself to stop giggling so much when you start hiccuping.

Flo then changes the topic onto you again, wanting to know of you and Amelia’s future endeavours and it fills you up with warmth when she shrieks loudly and envelopes you in a tight hug when you tell her you’ve got the Golden Globes coming up soon.

Seems like talking about how you and Amelia are preparing for it, learning a great amount of information about all the nominees and some more attendees, invokes her somehow because all of the sudden you hear a slurred “Oh Y/N!” and you don’t even have to turn around to know it is none other than your best friend.

“Ames!” Grinning, you open your arms for her to walk into your embrace.

You smile even brighter when she throws herself to you and screams “Happy new year!” into your ear, her words tangling on the tip of her tongue from what you can imagine the good amount of alcohol she’s already had before coming here.

“Happy new year!” You say back in her ear only a little lower so you don’t hurt her ear like she’s just done yours with her volume.

When she pulls away, you should’ve known it was coming: she cups your face with both her hands and brings you in for a quick kiss.

The second she pulls away from you, she says, “Now that’s a happy new year!” with a loopy smile and half lidded eyes and that sight has you cackling out loud.

Leaving a loud kiss on her cheek, you give her another hug, “Love you.” And with a squeeze of her waist, you loosen up your hold on her to ask, “Where were you?!”

“I couldn’t abandon Zoe before midnight and I knew you’d be right as rain here. I’ve missed you” She speaks so fast, your laughter escapes you faster than you can think of holding it when she goes to hug you again.

Amelia is very clingy when she’s drunk and it’s always made you laugh, from getting all of her affection to when she got in trouble for being overly affectionate with people at parties.

“You saw me yesterday.” You state biting your tongue not to laugh at her again.

“Yes but you’re all grown up now.” She coos at you like you’re a little kid, pinching your cheeks.

Smacking her hands away from your face, you tell her to “Stop.”

Her need to hear the details of your evening makes her dismiss your aversion for her touch, “How was it?” The smirk on her face and the pinch she gives your waist makes your face heat up and you thank everything that she’s too gone to tease you about it.

“Amazing.” Is the only thing you tell her hoping that’s enough for now.

And surprisingly it is, because she nods with pursed lips and a raise of her eyebrows, “Good.” but you know that she wants to be told more later from just the look in her eyes.

Deciding to ignore her silent petition, you take a hold of her hand and intertwine your fingers so she can follow you around the house, “Come on now, we gotta introduce you to some people.”

Firstly, you go to the kitchen since you wanted another drink and by lucky chance you see a head of curls you had lost a bit ago dancing to the beat of the song currently playing and pouring some red in his glass.

You faintly hear him click his tongue over the music, “If it isn’t Amelia Dimoldenberg.” Matty opens his arms at her with a drunk smile that reaches his eyes.

Amelia rolls her eyes but can’t help the smile that appears on her face, “Hello Matthew. Happy new year.”

Your best friend steps into his arms and he hugs her tightly for a few seconds as he greets her, “Happy new year Dimz.” And when he pulls back, he adds, “Thought you weren’t coming.”

“You think I’d miss this? Absolutely not.” Amelia quickly replies and then adds, “Maybe if it was your party but this is Charli and George.” like it was dead obvious just to taunt him a bit.

Matty scoffs, letting his jaw fall in offence and mutters, “Bitch.” at her just loud enough for you both to hear him.

Amelia cackles loudly at his reaction, you giggling right beside her and she blows him a kiss just to rub it in some more.

The singer rolls his eyes then, taking a sip of his drink and then says, “I’m a kind person unlike you so what’d you like to drink?”

His offer is about to be accepted as you see Amelia thinking for a few seconds and about to speak but you interject before she can suggest anything, “Nothing, she’s had enough.”

She knows she’s been stumbling a bit - a lot - and her speech is a little slurred but it’s not like she’s blacked out yet so she can handle some more, “Christ, Y/N, don’t be boring. Get me a vodka lime and soda please Matty.”

Matty nods and he snorts to himself when you playfully roll your eyes at her request, “Alright, I’ll be a minute.” But your attitude falls when he asks, “You want a refill baby?”

A soft pout appears on your face as you say, “Please?” and it makes him grin bigger.

“‘Course.” He says and turns to get on with making your drinks.

Amelia might be a bit drunk but she doesn’t miss the way you stare at Matty’s back when he’s moving around the kitchen, excusing himself to people around so he can grab a glass for Amelia.

Your best friend loves seeing you this happy, and she will definitely make a mental note to ask you all about the date tomorrow but for now at least she wants you to catch her up on what’s been happening whilst she’s not been here.

“Where’s the rest of the gang then?” Her brain is so caught up with the whole ambient and the amount of people around that she even forgets she caught Ross when she came in.

Licking your lips, you start listing, “Adam’s home, Ross disappeared a while ago, and you missed the hottest, filthiest, most iconic song from Charli and George.”

Her recount of seeing Ross completely flies off her mind when she hears the last bit, “What?!” Amelia shouts and then covers her mouth with her hands in shock.

“Yep.” You nod slowly, watching the disappointment wash all over her, “They did a remix to one of Caroline Polachek’s singles and, bloody hell.” You almost laugh when she starts pouting at you like you could do something about it, “T’was hot.”

Grabbing your hand, she shakes your arm, “I’m willing to do anything for them to play it again.” You laugh at her acting like a child and it gets louder when she switches to a very serious facial expression and sternly emphasises, “Anything.”

Biting your tongue, you raise your eyebrows and tell her, “I’m sure if you say please they will play it again.” slowly, like you would to try and get a child to behave correctly in public.

“I will kiss Charli.” Amelia states with a proud smile, as if knowing by heart that’d work.

Cackling, you point out her actual intention, “I think that’d be for yourself not for the good of the collective.”

And your best friend has no issue shrugging and agreeing with you, “True. But I will.”

“Have fun fighting George.” You tell her jokingly, and you’re about to ask her how Zoe was doing when she loudly fantasises about the scenario you’ve just said.

“Oh I would love to wrestle that man.” It sounds like she almost sighs as she daydreams about that and you can’t help but let your jaw fall and scoff out a laugh.

You scorn her by poking her ribs, “Amelia!” and she loudly yelps in response.

Matty comes back just in time to catch Amelia giggling away after she’s screeched and you with a shocked look on your face, “What’s she saying now?”

He’s holding your drink out for you to take and you thank him with a blown kiss before you go and explain, “How she’s willing to do anything for Charli and George to play their new remix.”

He shakes his head as he laughs and asks, “Anything?” like he needs confirmation.

Raising your eyebrows, you nod your head, “Anything.”

His curls bounce as he turns to shake his head at Amelia who’s laughter is still bubbling up from her chest, “Oh Dimz, you’re thirsty aren’t you? Lucky for you I got you a drink.” He holds out her glass and she gets it the quickest her drunk self can.

She clicks her tongue and takes a gulp of her drink, “Piss off Healy, not as thirsty as you.” Matty is about to ask why when she looks at him like he’s challenging him, “Need I remind you it was you who requested it was Y/N to do the date with you?”

The “What?” that instantly falls from your lips makes your best friend smile proudly at herself for putting your date on the spot with just a simple bit of information.

Your best friend turns to look at you and smirks as she reiterates, “Yes he did.”

Like a grumpy child, he frowns and refutes her, “No I didn’t.”

But Amelia points at him with an accusatory finger, calling him out for trying to lie about it, “Yes you did! At the NME Awards, I remember that conversation perfectly.”

You’re looking at Amelia and you know she isn’t lying so then you turn to look at Matty when he chats back with, “I think your memories are a bit clouded from how much you’ve had to drink.” and you know that he’s full of shit.

You cackle when Amelia fakes being impressed and quips back saying, “Wow, you’re a great gaslighter but no. You did.”

Once you see Matty has nothing to come back with and is just standing there with pressed lips and a frown directed at Amelia, you leap to hug him over his shoulders and coo in his ear, “Awh! You’re obsessed with me!” You leave a loud kiss on his cheek and seeing how he’s blushing already, you add “My cute little simp.” and pat the top of his head to tease him some more.

He pulls back slightly so he can stare at you and tries to warn you, “Call me little again and–”

You interrupt him just so you can challenge him to finish with a raised eyebrow, “And what baby?”

And just like you wanted to, he remains silent as he continues to blush under your gaze. You love it when it’s him flustered because of you, it fills you up with a buzzing feeling that you enjoy every time.

“That’s what I thought.” You pat his chest before letting go of him and take a step back to stand beside Amelia again with a victorious smirk.

“Did you just call him short?” Flo walks up to you and interrupts the moment with a grin on her face, “He always looks like that if you comment about his height.”

Matty scoffs loudly at that, “Oh piss off the lot of you. Didn’t come here to be bullied.”

Flo only waves him off like he’s overreacting for no reason, “Don’t cry about it, same height as Alex, remember?” The mocking grin on her face has you holding back your giggles.

Matty raises his eyebrows, a small smile playing on his lips as he jokes, “Let’s not start comparing me and Alex, don’t want to get you all confused again.”

“You’ve got ten seconds to run.” Flo warns him with raised eyebrows and Matty chuckles and very quickly kisses your lips before bolting from the room. Once he disappears, she chuckles and turns towards Amelia as she says, “Now he’s gone, hi! I’m such a big fan.”

Their pleasantries are exchanged and Flo tells your best friend about her love for the both of you and your show and it warms your heart all over again hearing how earnestly she’s saying it.

Not long after, you hear the hostess squealing from the door, “Oh my god, Dimz is here!” and you and Flo watch as Charli runs up to Amelia and throws her arms around her.

It’s still a little bit mental to you that Charli holds both you and Amelia in such high regard. It feels like a privilege to be called a friend by her and you know that she doesn’t mean it in an industry way. She genuinely considers the both of you a friend and that is one of the most heart warming things that you don’t think you’ll get used to for a long time yet.

After a long hug and a quick chat asking what took her so long, Matty comes back into the room, once again dancing and he grins at you as he does. It’s too hard not to smile back at his playful manner and when he holds his hand out to you, you take it.

This prompts the curly headed brunette to pull you towards him but he raises his arm so you’re forced to twirl around which has you giggling and feeling like a princess. He makes your heart stutter again when he pulls you close and he hugs your waist as he tells you, “You look so pretty baby.”

The ache in your chest gets a little bit more intense hearing that, and you can’t stop yourself from stealing a kiss from him. No, you’re not big on PDA but when you’re tipsy and happy you tend to let things slide so you indulge yourself in having his lips back on your own.

It doesn’t last for long because it’s such a sweet and innocent kiss, but when you pull away and you both stay close. You can feel that overwhelming sense of happiness bubbling through you but it gets more intense when you can feel his smile against your lips and you’re certain he can feel yours, and it's that that prompts the both of you to share another kiss despite the smiling making it difficult.

After that sweet little moment of bliss, you move both of you back over to the others where you’re quickly dragged out of Matty’s embrace and into the other singer you fancy.

“Matty go and get shots for us all,” Charli asks as she hugs both you and Amelia into her, “Please, you promised me.”

“Charli.” Matty sighs, almost pouting, “What am I? A mule?”

“Pleaseeee,” Charli coos loudly, almost begging. But when that doesn’t seem to be working, she uses you to further her ambitions. Her arm falls from Amelia then and she uses her free hand to sweetly cup your jaw, like she's putting you up for display, as she tells him, “Your woman wants a shot, you don't wanna upset her more after what you said earlier do you.”

Charli looks to you then for back up and immediately you nod at her and then at him as if that was what you were after all along. And you see him shake his head slightly at you, playfully scorning you for taking her side.

But it makes him do as he’s told, but not before looking at Charli again and saying, “Blackmail is not a good look on you.”

“Everything is a good look on me,” Charli laughs, loving that the only response he could muster was a fake insult and not a blatant refusal. She asks, “Did you see my last album cover?”

Matty pulls a face and silently mimics her making Flo and Amelia laugh, but you find yourself answering Charli’s question, nodding, “Yeah, it was hot.”

“Awh, thank you baby.” Charli giggles and kisses your cheek, but her saying Matty’s nickname for you has you that little bit more flustered than when Matty does it.

Not so surprisingly this makes Matty frown and he wanders off to get the requested drinks for everyone. Charli shouts after him, “Bring them outside Matthew.” and he flicks his middle finger up as he disappears back into the sea of people as he heads to the kitchen.

Needing some air, Charli moves the three of you outside, Flo staying behind because someone quickly pulled her for a chat but she said she would meet you out there. You can’t lie, you’re thankful for the cool air but also for Matty’s blazer because the temperature has dropped significantly now.

It’s not long before Matty comes back with a makeshift tray, which is a plate of shots for everyone and he’s brought George along with him. He tells you all, “Wheels and Al are coming to do them too so we need to wait a minute so we’re all here.”

Charli asks, looking a little confused, “Where’s Ross?”

George, Matty, and you shake your heads, and you tell her, “Not seen him since just after we first got here.”

“He left.” Amelia surprises you all by announcing.

You frown at that knowing she literally just got here. So you ask, “How do you know?”

“He was leaving as I was coming in.” She tells you, “We said a hasty ‘hi’ and ‘bye’.”

Matty questions her then though, “Why such a hurry?”

But as soon as you catch your best friend's smirk and slight hesitancy to answer, you know exactly why.

Taking a sip of her drink to mute her grin slightly, she lets it slip that, “He had some company…”

A victorious grin is on your face as you turn to Matty and say loudly, “I fucking told you.”

“Told him what?” Amelia asks on behalf of the group because everyone is confused at your small outburst.

You tell your friends, “That people are queuing up for Ross now more than they are him.”

“Oh yeah.” Charli nods in agreement.

But Matty is having none of it. He shakes his head, and counters with a loud, “There’s no fucking way.”

“What's all this?” Flo asks, her and Alex walking up and joining your huddle.

And you don’t waste a second to tell her what you’re going on about, “Matty doesn’t believe that people have the hots for Ross more than him these days.”

“Matty, that isn't news, that's a common fact.” Flo agrees, narrowing her eyes at her friend as if she’s disappointed he didn't already know, “Have you checked twitter lately?”

“Er no.” The curly haired brunette frowns, still clearly in complete denial.

“Well you need to because it’s all about Ross these days.” Flo quips back loving the opportunity to collectively humble the singer.

Matty scoffs, “That’s bullshit, they get all teary eyed if they see me in anything other than a suit. Ross doesn’t get that.”

“He does, but why are you even arsed?” Charli asks with a frown, “You have a sexy piece of ass right beside you. She’s all you need.”

Immediately you’re flustered by her saying that in front of the whole group, especially when Amelia giggles a little. You look at the singer, straight into her eyes and tell her, “Stop it.”

Charli grins before teasing, “I’m sure you were saying the opposite to him earlier.”

You can feel Matty’s smirk and everyone else’s smiles for that matter, but instead of losing your backbone, you give her a taste of her own medicine.

“I'm sure you were saying the same to George in Miami.” You fire back with a smirk.

“Oh my god, cat fight.” Alex announces with slight excitement in his voice, but that’s quickly muted when Flo playfully slaps his chest.

“Oh yes, please can we fight?” You joke, knowing it will get Matty all worked up again and sure enough it does.

“Okay!” Matty steps into the middle of you all and he holds his plate of shots in front of him, making you and Charli laugh at the quick intervention. “Shot time.”

“Wheels,” Matty walks up to Flo and he hands her one specifically for her and says, “Strawberry juice, for obvious reasons, but still your favourite.”

The grin that she gives Matty then is so unbelievably warm and you’re not exactly sure what the deeper meaning is but when she looks like she could almost cry at the gesture, your heart skips a beat and she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek as she thanks him. Matty gives everyone else what looks to be a Tequila or Sambuca shot and it turns out that is actually the case.

It was a roulette of sorts as to who would get the Sambuca, the easier option, or the Tequila and it's after those shots that the night becomes a little more difficult to remember. You know that over the next few hours you do a fair few more shots with both Charli, Amelia, and Matty, all on separate occasions, and Matty keeps disappearing and reappearing with new drinks for the both of you between those times. And you know at one point you’re talking to him for so long about everything that comes to both of your minds and you can’t stop grinning at each other.

What you’re not aware of is that when this was happening, you and Matty weren’t as tucked away from the world as you both think you were despite being in the corner of the room. Unbeknown to you, Flo and Alex are watching you chat from across the room from their spot on the settee.

They have been watching you both for a few minutes, smiling at each other like fools in love and your eye’s never stray from each other. Matty keeps on absentmindedly playing with the ends of your hair as you chat and you blush every now and again at what he says which just makes both of your smiles bigger.

And subsequently, Alex and Flo’s too from watching you.

Alex smiles and says loud enough for his wife to hear, “He looks happy.”

“Hmmm,” Flo hums, watching the both of you giggling at something you just told him. And it’s easy for her to tell when her best friend is down bad for a girl he likes, but there seems to be something even more special about you. So it’s a bold but true statement when she says, “She’s it for him.”

Alex nods in agreement, seeing it too. And he does hope for Matty’s sake that he has finally found the person he’s meant to be with. The singer wishes him nothing but the best.

But then Alex looks to his wife and sees her smiling at the couple, and he can’t help but whisper for her ears only, “I hope you realise that’s how I look at you, Angel.”

“As you should, husband.” Flo smiles like an idiot when she turns and looks at her man, reminding him in a whisper, “I am carrying your baby.”

“And I’ve never loved you more.” Alex grins before he leans in and kisses his Angel for the millionth time tonight.

More time passes then and you got dragged away from matty about an hour ago after Amelia caught him hugging you from behind as you talked to someone. And when it was just the three of you left, she shook her head and looked at Matty's arm around your waist and said, “And you wonder why I came late.”

And before Matty can accuse her of being jealous, you're laughing when she pulls you away and the singer is left to fend for himself. And you’ve not seen him in a while, other than him delivering you new drinks before he disappears off to interact with other people who keep wanting his attention.

It’s almost 4am when you see Matty properly again, and you’re currently outside with Flo and Alex as he’s having a cigarette and you’re chatting away. He’s making a conscious effort to keep the smoke away from his wife which you think is rather cute of him.

You’ve just been chatting about where Alex is off to on tour next, and you were about to ask him another question until a different but more familiar singer grabs your attention again, “Baby!”

Matty wonders over to you pouting as he points to inside, “They’re teasing me for what happened after our date.”

“Who’s they?” You ask, wanting to thank anyone who was teasing him instead of you.

The curly haired brunette reveals, “Amelia and Charli.”

“Why? What happened after your date?” Alex asks, a little confused.

Matty chuckles, “You’re polite not commenting on her bruised neck Alex I’ll give you that much.”

“Oh well,” This makes Alex go all awkward and stuttery, “I didn’t-”

But his wife saves him the embarrassment. Flo grins, “It’s okay, I already did.”

“Of course you did.” Matty grins at her but his eyes find you again quickly.

His eyes are full of adoration, taking every bit of your face and it’s like it’s just the two of you standing there all of a sudden. His captivating gaze makes you forget you’re in the presence of others, and especially when he says, “I can’t stop thinking about it.” almost out of breath.

And it’s just that, the memory of you desperate to get him off has him struggling to get oxygen to his lungs. God, he still feels so fucking lucky to have witnessed it, he can’t help but want to again.

“Is that right?” You watch his pupils dilate and don’t miss how he licks his lips before looking down at yours and then back up to your eyes.

He nods like he doesn’t even believe you’re asking, “Best night of my fucking life. In fact...”

“Baby,” Matty says, getting down on one knee, “That was the best head in the fucking world, I can’t let you go, please be my girlfriend?”

You're grinning down at him entirely amused because there's absolutely no doubt in your mind that he is joking. So of course you entertain him and smile, pulling on his hand so he stands back up and you ask him, “If I say yes does that mean the blowjob song comes back on the next album?”

With one of his arms coming around your waist, he leans in and says, “Anything you want, baby.” against your lips so they brush together and the faint touch is enough for him to cup your jaw with his free hand and press his lips hard against yours.

It’s all-consuming. The feeling of his mouth on yours, his fingers clutching you tighter as he pulls you flush against him, his curls tangling between your fingers as you pull on them, the hum of satisfaction he gets from it and the one you give him back.

You swear you can feel each other's heart beating out of your chests as Matty deepens the kiss, completely forgetting where you are and the audience in front of you. There’s nothing else but him and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You can’t think of a better way to start your year other than being entirely captivated by him.

And it’s like the alcohol in your systems makes you two even more aware of everything that you’re making the other feel. The butterflies flutter in your stomach and it feels like they’re going so quick that you can feel the hum of their wings in your ears. The pads of your fingers brushing the back of his neck making his skin erupt in goosebumps all over his body and bringing what feels like a shock of electricity to every atom in his body.

You break away when you feel like you can’t do without oxygen any longer and your chests heave and meet in the middle as you try to catch your breath. You giggle against each other's lips, tempting each other to steal a few pecks as your holds on each other loosen up just a little.

“Best head he’s ever had.” Flo frowns as she turns back to her husband.

But Alex finds the whole exchange horrendously amusing. Such a Matty thing to do, declaring the best sexual experience of his life as his ex girlfriend is standing right beside his new one.

“Don't cry,” Alex tries his best not to laugh, he just wraps his arm around Flo, pulling her into him as he reminds her, “There's a reason you married me, Angel.”

“Well yeah, I'm definitely the best head you’ve ever had. Your ex’s are dire,” She rolls her eyes, “Especially the last.”

“No need to lower the tone.” Alex frowns.

Flo just chuckles a little though before saying, “El tono se bajó cuando él se puso de rodillas…” (The tone dropped when he got down on his knees.)

At this you burst out laughing, shocking Matty in the process who just kissed you again but you couldn’t hold in the reaction.

“Lo siento mucho,” (I’m so sorry.) Your hand goes up over your mouth as you turn towards Flo straight away, “Me olvido que ustedes estuvieron juntos.” (I forget you were together.)

“Está bien, solo estoy bromeando.” (It’s fine, I’m just joking.) Flo grins and waves you off.

Matty however kisses your cheek this time as he looks to Flo and says, “You’s best not be talking shit about me.”

“You’ll never know.” You singsong and the curly haired brunette doesn’t seem to like that answer because he playfully scorns you before he traps you in another playful kiss.

It makes Flo and Alex laugh, but the kiss ends up being broken by the sound of gagging getting closer to you both. And when you pull away, you see it's none other than your best friend who was making those noises, now standing beside Alex.

You’re laughing as Matty pulls you into his chest as he says to her, “Dimz, you’re so jealous.” and he kisses your temple.

At that, she raises her eyebrows and corrects him, “Jealous you’ve stolen my best bitch, yes I am.”

“Well I'm sorry but get used to it,” Matty tells you, squeezing you tighter against him, “I'm keeping her.”

You’re giggling into him as your heart swells and you hug him back. Even the mere thought at him wanting to keep you around is making you feel all gooey inside.

The night continues like that: giggling away in Matty’s arms as you continue to dance and chat with your new friends, stealing kisses here and there which grow clumsy the more drinks you have, keeping each other on your toes as you joke about with the rest of the group - until eventually, it catches up to you and you find yourself yawning continuously in the middle of conversations.

It’s 5am when you say your goodbyes to everyone. You thank Charli and George for a great night, and you thank Flo for being so lovely and you congratulate both her and Alex again before they leave. Amelia was out for the count and you and Charli put her to bed in her guest bedroom, both of you leaving kisses on her cheeks. You send your best friend a quick goodnight text that she’ll see in the morning that turns out to have many spelling mistakes, but you don’t notice in the moment.

At the same time, Matty was grabbing your bag from his best mates bedroom before he ordered the taxi and he escorted you out once it arrived. You fell asleep on his shoulder for a few minutes in the taxi which Matty thought was adorable of you but then the next thing Matty knows is the taxi driver waking him up and so the curly haired brunette gently disturbs you from your slumber so you can both get into his house.

The air when you get out of the taxi sobers the both of you up a little bit as it’s bone chilling. But it makes Matty thankful he had the heating scheduled to come on at 5am so he knew inside would already be warm for you both.

Once inside his house, Matty finds himself giggling at you many times. The first being when he sees you take everything in like a little kid at a museum seeing dinosaur skeletons for the first time.

“Ooo this is pretty.” You say in wonder as you walk through one of the archways and approach a wooden side table which has a few empty flower pots next to one that homes a pretty peace lily.

The second time you have him silently laughing is when he’s getting you both a glass of water to take up to bed, after he’s picked you up and placed you on the worktop just beside the sink and he sees you looking over at the windows of his courtyard and you sway a bit as you gasp and point, “Oh wow, I've seen windows like these on Instagram somewhere.”

Matty grins when he suggests, “Maybe on my Instagram baby.”

He snorts when you let out an ‘ooooooo’ in realisation and nod, remembering the many times you had indeed seen it on his social media. Which makes you think of more things you’ve seen on there and after that, you find yourself trying to tick off in your drunk mind what you get to see that you remember from his posts and his instagram stories.

Leading you upstairs to his room he notices that you’re almost searching for something, and you also look confused, so when he gets to his bedroom, he makes sure you’re sitting down safely on his bed when he asks, “What are you looking for?

And his heart feels so incredibly warm when you ask him, “Where's Mayhem?”

You start digging through your bag, finding the makeup wipes you packed earlier and you look all annoyed at yourself when you accidentally pull two out instead of one.

Matty grins at your pouting before you start to take your makeup off, “Mayhem isn't here baby.”

“What? Why?” You ask in a shocked voice, looking up at him as he closes the blinds as morning light is already starting to seep through. “He’s your dog isn't he?”

“Sort of,” Matty explains softly, finding your worry about his dog adorable, “But Mayhem doesn’t live here all the time.”

“But- what-” Your drunk brain doesn’t seem to be able to comprehend such a thought as you try and take your makeup off at the same time as talking.

It’s when you frown and pout a little once you’ve finished with your wipes though that has Matty grinning at you again, asking, “What's up?”

“Was excited to see Mayhem.” You pout in a drunken explanation, and you shimmy yourself out of your dress as you lay back onto his bed. But then you ask him, like you don’t have a bag full of your own clothes with you, “Have you got a top I can wear please?”

Matty has to mute his laugh but he does promise you, “We can go and see him whilst you’re here, yeah?” and the singer grabs you one of his baggier tops so you’ll be comfy and he hands it to you after stealing another peck on the lips.

“Okay.” You hum, taking your bra off before putting the baggy top on before getting under the duvet and curling yourself up in his bed.

Matty finishes stripping himself down to his underwear and he gets in bed and he turns the lamp off before he turns to you and wraps his arm around you, kissing the back of your neck which seems to lead to you turning towards him and asking another question, “Can I meet Allen too?”

Matty again almost giggles but he just nods, “Course you can baby.”

There’s no better way you can think of saying thank you than with a kiss, so you lean in to capture his lips on yours and hope he gets just what you’re saying. He kisses you back sweetly at first until your hand appears to have a mind of its own and starts slowly travelling down his chest, a ghost of a touch that has goosebumps breaking on his skin and causes his stomach to flip.

You hear Matty groan when you trace your finger more intently over his We Are Kings tattoo, his hips pushing forwards a bit as he feels his dick twitch in his boxers. By then he breaks the kiss, hot air hitting your slightly agape mouth and his breathing becoming heavier the more you tease the pads of your fingers over the band of his boxers has a smirk breaking out on your face.

Hungrily, Matty pounces on your lips to wipe the smirk of your face and getting ahold of your thigh, he pulls your leg over his hip and, with his hand travelling upwards as he continues to make your head spin with his kiss, he grabs a handful of your arse.

You moan feeling him thrust forward at the same time his hand pulls you closer into him by your arse, the sudden friction and the dizzying kiss making yourself grow hot under the covers.

Trying to open your eyes to look at him after you break the hot kiss is almost impossible, you can barely look at him through half lidded eyes because when you smile at him your eyes close. He giggles at that, struggling to keep his eyes open as well. The light slightly peeking through behind the blinds is not helping either.

His hand goes from your arse to your inner thigh, a mischievous grin on his face as he feels you shudder under his touch the more his fingers trail upwards where you need him most. But then a yawn comes to you that you can’t even control and he lets out a breathy laugh at it.

Matty yawns back and you smile at him, you know you both would love to continue what you had started earlier but you’re far too tired and, quite honestly, being in each other’s arms is the best gratification.

The date went perfectly and your night was so much fun, so finishing it all off - and starting the year - like this, has you both silently thanking your lucky stars.

One of your hands comes up to brush his hair back, curls bouncing right back on his forehead and you laugh softly when catching that as your eyes continue to close against your will. Your fingers tangle through his hair until they end up trailing his jaw and you end up cupping it to lean in and give him another kiss.

This one is soft like the first one, sleepily trying to thank him for it all, and you both keep it that way. Getting slower as you succumb to your slumber, the kiss turning into long pecks and then into short ones until you’re just breathing against each other.

Maybe a minute goes by, maybe a bit more, when you realise you’re falling asleep so you leave one last peck on his lips and then hide your face in his neck, hugging his waist and snuggling yourself closer to him.

If you could have him like this all the time, you know you’d be the happiest girl on earth. You still don’t want to get ahead of yourself but it feels like the start of something that’s going to be good for you, whether that’s temporary or permanent you don’t know. But you guess time will tell, and you can’t wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Aren’t they disgustingly cute? *cries* Still trying to process the Wheels and Alex cameo, makes me tear up every time I read it, and I hope you liked it just as much as we do. We truly cannot wrap our heads around how much you guys love this story, it makes us the happiest reading every one of your reactions and we thank you all so much for reading and taking your time to chat about this with us. We cannot wait to have you read the next one! The news from this past month caught us by surprise lol but we’re so happy and this gave us more ideas on how to make the Taylor cameo even better. See you soon with the next one! xx (Also I have a little spin off from this exact chapter planned and I hope I have the time to write it and post it soon hehehe)

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[spatialwave]

𝐝𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞.

“𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋”

pairing: angus tully x fem!reader | benny o’donnell x fem!reader word count: 8.2k summary: with the emporium not being the only form of entertainment for the night, you find yourself nestled in the backseat of a car with a group of boys, all so you could spend a few more minutes with a cute, but troubled football player. you had no idea the chaos that was brewing, but hopefully you'd score a beer or two. warnings/tags: underage drinking and drug use, use of homophobic slurs, bullying, verbal/physical fighting, jealousy, love triangle. notes: this took so long, but i tried my best to make sure i could pace it out well, i hope you enjoy. <3

(ao3 vers.)

<- chapter two. | chapter four. →

When you woke up on May 28th, 1976 you had expected a fun, but well-planned day. Wake up and get ready much earlier than normal so you could spend dedicated time on your hair, makeup and clothes. Once at school, you’d go to each class with a smile on your face and be thankful that it would all be over soon. Finish it all up with some ‘light’ hazing over the incoming freshman’s and make way for Pickford’s party so you could get plastered in celebration of summer.

It was an extremely easy plan that shouldn’t have had any fuck-ups, but that’s not how your life worked. You could plan your day with an itinerary and share it amongst all your closest friends, but they wouldn’t listen–you were a magnet of chaos. Hell, your friends were chaos.

Hazing hadn’t even concluded before you were running off with the boy you’d spent the past few weeks dreaming of, praying for his affection. Then, after the party fell through, you found yourself with Benny, his presence comforting for the first time. A new experience that left more to be desired.

Perhaps Kaye was right, had you become a walking cliché? 

It’s not like you’d meant to get involved with two boys, but you’ve heard this line many times in your life–the heart wants what the heart wants. You just happened to have two people digging into your chest, racing to claim it, and you weren’t sure who to open it for.

Angus Tully was one of the kindest boys you’d ever met, sure, a firecracker at times who despised authority in all forms, but he was kind. The first day you met him, he greeted you with a tiny smile and invited you to a poker night with Mike, Tony and Cynthia. You would never forget the way that invite, as small as it was for him, was huge for you–a light in the darkness for a girl who transferred schools in the middle of the year, fearing that she’d never make friends again.

Benny O’Donnell, well, he was a different story. You’d met him formally at a party at Shavonne’s place, a few beers in and looking for attention that he was more than happy to provide. That was the first night in a string of many where you learned each other’s bodies in ways that no one else had. It evolved into what you could only describe as casual hook-ups, although, there were blossoming feelings you’d tried to ignore.

It only became complicated when Angus came into the picture. When you finally decided to take him up on the offer of poker, a month before school ended. The plans had fallen through when Tony and Cynthia fell sick with a bad cold, and Mike said that he was bored by playing poker with only three people. Before you could withdraw for the night and rely on Benny for backup, Angus convinced you to spend the evening with him.

Unbeknownst to you, you fell for him that night. Hard.

It was easy to pretend like those feelings weren’t there, but you’d started cancelling on Benny more often and instead finding yourself in the passenger seat of Angus’ car. That was telling.

Now, you were in the backseat of Pickford’s car with a familiar hand on your thigh and the smell of weed strong in your nose. You weren’t sure how you let yourself get caught up in this mess, but the lack of willpower to speak your mind was the likely culprit.

Smacking your lips, you looked down at your feet when you feel something hard and cold against your sandal-clad foot. Your eyes dropped, and you blinked a few times in the darkness of the backseat as Pickford backed out of the spot at the Emporium. You furrowed your brows together and reached down, hands gliding over a smooth sphere, save for three holes in the top.

“Who’s bowling ball is this?” You asked curiously, picking up the heavy ball and resting it over your lap which had Angus pulling his hand away from you to make space for it. You quickly wished you left it down at your feet.

“Yours,” Jason said from the passenger seat, a grin on his lips as a flame illuminated his face while lighting the end of a half-assed rolled joint. 

You snorted a laugh as you rubbed your hands over the bowling ball, feeling the surface of it and relishing in the way it felt against your skin. You pulled your gaze up to look between the two boys in the front as you slowly slid closer to the middle seat, the bowling ball snug between your hip and the door. Your eyes then watched as Jason’s hand reached behind his headrest, joint in hand as he passed it to Angus.

Sitting closer to him now, you watched as he held the joint to his lips and inhaled. The embers at the end of it reddened, you were mesmerized by it—by him. By the way he pulled the joint away and parted his lips and inhaled the lingering, thick smoke that dared to escape. Your eyes were fixated on his lips, and you hadn’t realized how intently you were staring until your gaze flickered up, and you saw the smirk on Angus’ face just as he exhaled.

Straightening up slightly, your eyes were pulled away when another hand reached back behind the headrest, Pickford’s—offering you his lit joint.

You took it in your hands eagerly, inspecting how expertly it was rolled, and you imagined the way Michelle likely rolled this one. Carefully and meticulously, yet like it was no trouble at all.

“You a smoker?” Angus chuckled, his hand returning after he passed the roach back to Jason who smoked the rest until he threw it out the window.

“What? A lady can’t indulge?” You quipped in return, smiling as you brought it to your lips and inhaled with ease. The smoke filled your lungs, and you pulled the joint away, holding the smoke for a few seconds before parting your lips and letting it flow out of you and into the air—dissipating instantly from the wind coming in through the windows.

Your chest burned, but you didn’t cough, and you scrunched your face as you stifled it. 

“God,” you groaned before taking another small hit, quickly passing the joint back to Pickford as you exhaled once more, “And you?” You asked, turning to look at the boy sitting next to you, “Thought you weren’t supposed to be smoking or drinking… you know, that little pledge of yours, Mr. Quarterback.”

“Fuck that,” Angus huffed, “that pledge is bullshit.”

“Just sign the damn papers, man,” Jason jumped in the conversation, “It’s the least you can do, it’s not like we’re all going to turn into prudes tomorrow morning, we’ll still be having fun next year.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the issue,” the boy beside you grumbled, “It’s that we’re signing this stupid pledge and letting them have the upper hand over us. It’s so fucked that they think they can control us.”

Jason rolled his eyes, biting his tongue back from continuing the conversation.

You watched Angus as he spoke, the anger palpable. Silently, you reached a hand to rest on his thigh, his attention moving from the back of Jason’s head and to you, gaze softening. You squeezed his thigh, an action of reassurance––a familiar touch, one that he often gave you.

“Hey, hey!” Jason exclaimed, reaching an arm out and hitting the exterior of the car door, “pull over to the trashcan. Pull over!”

This was enough to perk up and gain your interest, leaning a bit forward in your seat as you watched Pickford slow down and pull over to the side of the road, but still moving. You hadn’t realized how high you’d gotten until your body couldn’t hold itself forward anymore and had to rest back into the seat, almost like you were glued to it.

And just like that, Angus’ attention was far from the pledge and instead focused on Jason with a big smile as his friend picked up said trashcan.

As you opened your mouth to ask what the hell his was doing, your eyes widened as he threw the trashcan at a mailbox as Pickford sped back up—destroying it completely. The boys whooped and cheered, but all you could do was sit there with an open mouth as you turned in your seat and looked back at the trash scattered on the person’s lawn, mailbox somewhere in the mix.

“This is what you do for fun?” You quirked an eyebrow at Angus, a permanent smile over your lips as your glossy eyes stared at him.

“Sorry if it isn’t up to your standards, my highness. Maybe you should learn to get off that high horse of yours and loosen up a little,” he grinned, rolling down his window as he watched your face turn into one of offense, “Slow down,” he called out to Pickford, leaning over and out the window carefully, “let me get this one!”

From your position beside him, you watched Angus with half-lidded eyes that glimmered with curiosity and interest. As if you were scared he’d fall out, you reached your hand so you could loop a finger into the belt buckle of his pants as he leaned out and grabbed onto the trashcan. You were able to get a better look this time as he picked up the metal bin, holding it a few inches off the ground as the car sped forward. Soon, he mustered up the strength to toss it at a mailbox that was decorated white, blue and red patriotically, immediately smashed into pieces.

Again, the boys cheered and whooped loudly––the car full of laughter as the sound of the rolling trashcan on pavement became quiet as you sped away from the scene of the crime. 

With a big smile on your face, you leaned back in your seat, now perfectly in the middle and nestled up against Angus like you’d been in this position many times before. It felt normal, his arm dangling over your shoulders and a grin on his lips as he smoked the last joint you’d four had been smoking. You couldn’t help but stare up at him in awe, watching as his curls became nothing but a mess because of the wind rushing in through the open windows. And how his cheeks flushed red when the smoke hit too hard and started coughing.

You could never have a nice, gentle moment, could you?

“The bowling ball––” Jason blurted out as he finished swallowing down half a beer, excitement radiating like it was a Nobel Prize idea. The teen turned around completely in his seat so he could look at you and point at the heavy bowling ball just to your left, a wide smile that made you uneasy. 

Your eyes travelled, settling on the globe. If you were sober, you’d be retorting at the blonde boy for having such a stupid idea, but you couldn’t think straight. You couldn’t think at all.

“The ball?” You questioned with furrowed brows, pulling away from Angus’ touch as you let your hands touch the surface of it again, picking it up and feeling the heaviness as it dropped on your lap, “You want me to throw it?” A laugh bubbled up from your throat at the mere idea.

“Fuck yeah, I do. Throw the goddamn ball.” Jason beamed, eagerly sitting closer and Pickford’s eyes watching from 

“Throw it,” Angus chimed in, leaning so close to you that you felt his words tickle your ear. 

Still, even as you neared a felony offense, you hadn’t had any urge to stop. You were a puppet to the boys right now, willing to do whatever they said to fit in. You were no better than your younger brother, who was likely doing the same thing back at the Emporium––though, your foggy mind kept you from overanalyzing the ‘why’ of it all.

All you could do was keep pushing forward, sliding your body until you were against interior of the car and head peaking out the window. The air was cool against your skin, offering relief that you didn’t know you needed from the heat of the car. Your eyes adjusted to your surroundings, a residential neighbourhood with rows of houses and mailboxes all waiting to be destroyed by a flying bowling ball. 

Knowing that your audience was waiting, you used all the strength that you could muster up in your altered state and pulled the bowling ball up until it was resting between you and the base of the car window. 

You wasted no time.

Within seconds, you took hold of the bowling ball and threw it, intending for it to smack the mailbox that was adorned in colour birds and butterflies, likely home to an elderly woman. Instead, you were greeted with the sounds of glass shattering as it landed right into the rear window of an old Cadillac.

Time slowed for a second, your eyes watching as the now-damaged vehicle passed by. Waiting to ruin an unfortunate soul’s morning when they realize their car has been subjected to high school shenanigans.

Your jaw dropped, and you pulled yourself back into the car, eyes wide and your high threatening to disappear as reality sunk in. Yep, you’d done it. You finally allowed peer pressure consume you to the point of vandalism and criminal offenses. So long to the scholarships you so desperately wanted, and hello to juvenile detention.

Your mother would cry when she found out, your father disowning you. Your younger brother would follow in your footsteps, becoming a menace and fitting in with the wrong crowd. Oh, and your grandmother––how would she react? You didn’t want to think about that.

Body frozen, you thinned your lips as your mind rambled, yet, at the same time, felt quiet. Your eyes flickered around, and you saw that the three boys all looked similar, but there was a hint of amusement. Pickford was fighting back a smile, and Jason was starting to snicker.

Angus was the first to erupt into a loud fit of laughter that the two other boys joined, leaving you speechless… and relieved. A small smile spread onto your face as your body relaxed into the leather seat, their laughter contagious as your emotions went from scared shitless to who-gives-a-flying-fuck!

“You’re nuts. Fucking nuts!” Pickford laughed, leaving you blushing under the attention as he reached his hand back for you to take. He shook your hand proudly, a big smile on his lips, as Jason cheered and looked around for a celebratory beer.

Even as your attention was enraptured by the two rowdy boys sitting up front, you noticed the way that Angus was smirking at you out of the corner of your faded vision. Lips pulled to the side lazily, his hand reaching to rest on the designated spot on your clothed thigh reserved solely for his touch.

Fuck. You squeezed your thighs together––the fluttering in your stomach mixed with the high was making you feel good.

“Hey!” Jason called out, grunting, “We’re outta’ beer, man. We have to make a stop at grab ‘n’ go.”

“I don’t have any money,” Pickford was prompt in his reply, hand tightening over the steering wheel as the car made a sharp turn toward the corner store.

“Who’s got money?” The blond spun in his seat, eyes flickering between you and Angus, leaving you doe-eyed and shrugging.

“I––” you stuttered, hands flying to your jean pockets and fingers digging inside, Angus following in suit.

Jason waved his hand in front of his face, turning around in his seat as, “Doesn’t matter, I’ll get it.”

“What are you going to do, hoist it?” Pickford asked as he slowed the car, shifting into park and twisting the keys in the ignition so the engine lulled.

“It’s all I ever do,” Jason retorted, turning around in his seat and grinning at you, “I just need a certain someone as a lookout.”

“Me?” You questioned quickly, looking over at Angus and feeling your body grow warm. Was throwing a bowling ball into someone’s vehicle not enough? Now you were being wrangled into petty thievery. 

“I don’t know about this, Jay,” Angus shifted in his seat uncomfortably, and you could see the worry on his face for getting you involved. That didn’t stop Pickford from getting out of the car, though, pulling his seat forward and giving you space to crawl out and be a lookout, so the group could score.

You inhaled a sharp breath, pulling your gaze from Angus and deciding that you’d do it. You were already in deep, you might as well get a beer or two out of this. 

“Be careful, darling,” Pickford grinned as you stepped out, smoothing down the halter top you wore that had ridden up your rib cage and exposed most of your stomach.

“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes, stepping away from him and heading to the front of the store with Jason, feeling like you could definitely use more weed and beer to get rid of your sobriety. Being caught up in crimes was a sure way to get that hazy feeling out of your head, “I don’t know about this Jason,” you spoke softly, your arms wrapped around your stomach as you slowed down near the door, wide eyes looking up at him and pleading.

“Shh,” Jason shushed you, stopping in his footsteps and peaking around you to look over at Angus and Pickford, eyes settling on you again, “I’m going to pay for it, I’m just messing with them.” He smiled wide, immediate relief washing over you when you realized he was only trying to be ‘cool’ in front of the boys.

A quiet laugh came from you as you slid your hands into your back pockets, nodding at him as he walked inside the convenient store and pulled some bills out of his wallet.

You were given a moment of reprieve as you stood under the fluorescent lights of the store’s awning, tilting your head back and inhaling a deep breath of the late, summer air. It smelled like there was rain in the distance, and you wondered if tomorrow you’d be spending the day inside recovering from a hangover and listening to a thunderstorm. Not a terrible way to kick off the break––cozy and relaxed.

Your eyes closed as you relaxed, breathing slowly and listening to the distant sounds of Pickford and Angus chatting, likely about they’d be doing for the rest of the evening. The buzzing of the lights above you, the crickets that sounded like they were across the street in the grassy park.

The sound of the door opening startled you, having been lost in your thoughts for a few minutes while Jason had ‘stolen’ the goods. 

“Go, go, go!” He said to you, ducking down underneath the building windows and putting on a show for the others like he’d just stolen everything he held in his arms. Quickly, you turned on your feet and scrambled for the car, adrenaline coursing through your veins––even if this was pretend.

You hadn’t noticed the sound of tires screeching behind you as you slid into the backseat as Pickford leaned forward in the driver’s seat, only noticing someone else had arrived when a well-polished revolver was pointed at your face.

People lied when they say they see their life flash before their eyes in those fleeting moments before death because you didn’t see shit. All you saw was a huffy, angered man who was too unhinged for his own good. You didn’t get to witness all of your greatest moments one final time.

This sucked.

“Don’t try anything, or I’ll shoot the shit outta’ ya!” He growled at the group, pointing the gun now at Pickford and Jason.

As your heart leaped up into your throat, you felt arms wrap around your waist and heat press against your back. Angus held you tight, and you could feel how fast his heart was beating, too, as you put your hands over his and squeezed them until you felt like you would nearly break them.

“Jay, give him the money, man.” Pickford said as he lowered in his seat, eyes wide and focused on the blonde boy sitting ahead in the passenger seat.

“I paid for the beer, man.” He replied, staring down the barrel of the gun.

You squeezed at Angus’ hands again, trying your best to keep a steady breath and not spiral. It was difficult, though, because at any moment you feared the sounds of four gunshots and meeting with an untimely death. All because of what? What the hell did he want?

“You busted my mailbox, didn’t you?” He asked, hand shaking as he pointed the gun with fervour and intimidation. It worked––all of you shivering in fear and hoping the barrel wouldn’t point at you. “Look me in the eye, girl!” He snapped, pointing the gun to the back seat and in your face.

That’s when the image flashed through your head, the mailbox painted red, white and blue… scattered and broken on the lawn.

“I-I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you spoke, words shaky and heart racing, Angus’ arms around you providing no comfort when he couldn’t block a shot from going in your head, “I think you might’ve got us confus–”

“Huh?” He goaded loudly, now pointing the gun at Pickford, the silver barrel pushing against the boy’s nose, “Tamperin’ with mailboxes is a felony offense. Now, I done called the police…” The old man grunted, uncocking the gun and taking a step back, slowly. Your eyes flickered to the boy in the driver’s seat, and you noticed how his shoulders relaxed, but eyes still wide as he slowly turned to look at Jason––begging for an answer on what to do.

“I think you boys ought to get out of the car,” the man huffed, holstering the gun in his pants as he took a step back.

That’s when Angus clung to you tight as he leaned forward, whispering between Pickford and Jason, “Just get the fuck out of here,” he hissed, keeping his voice low, “go!”

It felt like everything else happened in the blink of an eye, your eyes flickered to see as the older man had reached forward and opened the driver’s door ajar in an attempt to coax you all out of the car. Then, you heard the sound of the engine roar after Jason shifted the gear into drive and Pickford slammed his food on the accelerator. 

“Go, go, go, go!” You shouted loudly, flying back against Angus as the car shot forward, and all you could hear was the sounds of the man yelling loudly as he tumbled back onto the pavement.

With wide eyes and smiles adorning your faces, both you and Angus turned around in your seats, watching as the man scrambled to his feet. Your lips had parted to shout something at him, some form of a ‘fuck you’, but you were greeted with a gunshot. The bullet missed the car entirely, but all of you still slid down to avoid any strays that could penetrate the windows.

“Holy shit!” You yelled loudly––Jason’s laugh louder––hands over your head as you kept your body sunken below the seat, glancing over to Angus, whose eyes were already on you. Two more shots missed the car, but by now the entire situation felt like a distant memory as you stared into those big brown eyes full of life and wonder, fear long gone now that you’d all escaped with nothing more than adrenaline pumping through your blood vessels.

Both Pickford and Jason were too caught up with each other, sharing a laugh over the old geezer who would be doing nothing but dealing with cops and unknowing who the hell to charge.

You, though, were completely enraptured by the boy next to you, a big smile on your face that matched his. Your heart skipped when he reached a hand forward, using it to tuck back some of your that had blown into your face from the breeze blowing through the open window. 

This was terrible timing, you knew it. You knew that driving away and being shot at by some crazy old man who loved his mailbox more than his wife was likely the worst time to realize how deeply in love you were with someone. But you couldn’t help it. 

Not when his long fingers brushed against your warm cheek, your skin tingling in its wake. Especially not when he leaned forward so slowly and left you completely breathless when his lips grazed against yours in a kiss that made your entire body shiver and ache for more. Your eyes closed, and you inhaled sharply through your nose as you two moved your lips together just barely—just enough to taste each other for a brief moment.

Nearly as quick as he’d done it, he pulled away with reddened cheeks and left you having to swallow down an audible whimper. 

It was a saving grace that Pickford or Jason didn’t notice, instead too fixated on passing the last remnants of the joint between each other––the smell of marijuana pulling you both away from the kiss you shared and back into the present. Feeling nothing short of awkward as Pickford reached forward and turned up the radio, so Low Rider could play loudly through the speakers.

Clearing your throat, you pulled away and sat up in your seat, your thumb brushing against your lip longingly, watching through the corner of your eye as Angus pulled away just as quickly, running a hand through his curls.

The rest of the car ride was silent between you two, sharing nothing more than the smallest of knowing smiles and wondering if this meant you’d be seeing more of each other later. The troubles of Elise and Benny were far from you––until the car pulled back into the Emporium’s lot and your eyes landed on the blond boy standing outside the building, cigarette between his lips and hands on his hips. He wore a long-sleeve striped button down and a blue ball cap snug on his head, an outfit you’d seen him wear on many other party nights. Discernible as his ‘nice’ outfit.

The more you stared at him, the more you had begun to realize that he wasn’t… well––he wasn’t Angus. You felt terrible, staring at him from the darkened backseat, watching the sparkle in his eyes when those blue eyes flickered over and landed on you. 

It wasn’t until you felt the pressure removed from your thigh that you realized Angus had already slid out from the backseat, dipping inside the Emporium with Jason tagging along. Abandoning you, so you could have your time with Benny. 

As you moved out from behind the driver’s seat, your fingers brushed your lips again absentmindedly. Angus’ lips were softer than you imagined and had tasted of cheap beer, a taste that wasn’t new to you, but was heavenly coming from him.

“Hey!” A girl’s voice called to you as you shut the car door behind you, your hand quickly dropping from your lips and instead shoving it deep into the pocket of your jeans, “I heard you got shot at by some old geriatric.” Shavonne laughed, leaning up against the side of Pickford’s car, a cigarette snug between her fingers.

“News travels fast,” you returned, chewing on your bottom lip as you took the cigarette and indulged in a drag, “It was insane. I don’t know why I let myself get caught up with them.”

The blonde took back her cigarette begrudgingly, taking the last drag before stomping it out with her shoe on the ground, “I don’t know why you’re complaining, you’ve got messy hair and red cheeks. You look like you had the best time of your life,” she said to you, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked deep into yours, “and you’re high as hell.”

“Am not,” you protested, the effects of the weed long gone.

“Don’t lie to me, girl,” she giggled––her teasing sending a shiver down your spine as it reminded you of the old man who had said the same thing moments earlier. She shoved you playfully with her hand before reaching up and fixing some of your misplaced hair, “I suppose a gun in my face would sober me up too.”

“The problem is that I don’t want to be sober anymore,” you huffed, arms crossing over your chest as you let her fix you up, pursing your lips.

“Join the club. Nobody wants to be sober.”

Once inside the Emporium, you managed to score a beer from Teddy. One of the few perks of being linked to Benny––free beer and sexual relief when you needed. You knew better than to complain.

As you stood off to the side, watching Teddy, Mel, Wooderson and Benny indulge in a game of pool, you found yourself growing restless and bored. Stuck here with nothing better to do but watch. You could sense that the others were beginning to feel this way too, the most excitement tonight was coming from Pickford, Angus and Jason who were making their rounds in the Emporium and telling the story of how you’d all been chased by a gun-wielding maniac.  

Your eyes settled on the brunet across the room, watching Angus as he closely stood next to Elise––a big smile on his face as Pickford retold the story again to her and Darla with animated movements. Your jaw clenched when your eyes moved downward, seeing the way his hand had snuck behind the girl’s body, much too low to be resting on her back.

With half a beer reigniting the fire in you, you nearly pushed yourself away from the wall and started a scene… until a certain someone stopped you.

“So, you’re a tough girl now?” Benny said, standing a few feet away from the pool table and in front of you, leaning against the cue stick.

“Huh?” You scrunched your face as you looked up at him, blinking through the confusion.

“A tough girl,” he said, “You know? Running away from an old fuck with a loaded gun?”

“Oh, right,” you smiled, shaking your head slightly, “Sorry… I spend one car ride with Pickford and my mind is fucked from the weed,” you carefully avoided the truth, thankful for the distraction from Angus.

“Don’t turn into a stoner on me now,” Benny grinned, looking you up and down, “you have too much potential for that.”

“Oh, a girl can’t smoke once in a while and get chased by someone with a gun without ruining her potential?” You returned the smile, one hand on your hip and the other tucking the can of beer against your halter-covered chest.

“Now you’re twisting my words around,” he chuckled lowly in his throat, the sound making a chill run up your spin as you watched him turn around and strike a ball perfectly into one of the corner pockets, “fuck yeah!” He cheered, sharing a big smile with Kountze, his pool partner.

“Hey, kid,” you heard Mel start speaking, noticing him whispering over to your younger brother and slipping him a couple dollar bills. You watched as your brother’s eyes widened, a smile on his face as he left.

“You get freshman to do your beer runs?” You asked him, quirking an amused eyebrow as you stepped closer to the pool table, looking down at the game that he was losing at as Teddy took a shot.

“Sure do,” he flashed a smile at you, “Don’t worry about him. One day he’ll be doing the exact same thing.”

“Mhm, sure,” you nodded cheekily, taking another sip of your beer and staying close to Benny’s side.

With an entire beer in your system, and another couple hits of a joint, you’d happily forgotten about Angus and Elise now. The anger that had accumulated inside you and was ready to burst had vanished, and you were left only with a buzz that left a smile on your face. You held a cue stick in your hands as Teddy took another shot, loudly cursing when the cue ball struck nothing, leaving you trying to hide a laugh as Benny helped you make a shot for him.

“Benny, just shoot yourself man, I don’t want to lose.” Teddy grumbled from the side, a frown on his face as he looked at you with what you could only discern as disgust. You had no idea how this man still managed to stay afloat in the social ranks.

“Don’t be a prick,” you said to him, but Benny was quick to pull your attention back to the pool game before you and Teddy could go head-to-head in a screaming match.

“C’mon, lean over,” he whispered, guiding you with a hand on the small of your back as he took in a deep breath, pressing you forward until your chest was nearly pressed against the cue stick parallel to the table. Your face felt hot underneath the lamp that lit up the pool table, lighting you up perfectly as several people watched and waited for you to shoot.

“Like this?” You asked quietly, gliding and balancing the stick along the skin between your pointer finger and thumb.

“Yeah, just like that,” Benny knelt down beside you, just enough to get a levelled look at your play. His hand gently rubbed the skin of your lower back, soothing, “Go for the hit.”

Your nose scrunched as you pulled back on the cue stick and slid it forward with a quick ‘snap’. The cue ball rolled forward and crashed into the eight-ball––the one you were trying to avoid. With a look of horror, you quickly pulled yourself upright as you sunk it perfectly into the middle pocket before you could get rid of all the solids, ending Benny and Teddy’s game against Wooderson and Melvin with a loss.

“God fucking dammit,” Teddy groaned, “You might possibly be the worst pool player I’ve ever seen in my life. Seriously.” 

“Suck a dick,” you retorted angrily at the boy, sneering in his direction as Benny laughed and so casually wrapped an arm around your waist. You noticed the foreign touch quickly, eyes widening slightly, but refusing to look up at him and allowing your surprise to be caught by him. 

What you hadn’t noticed, however, was the glare being shot into the back of your head none other by Angus Tully, who had been standing with Jason a few pool tables down. Those brown eyes were full of jealousy and rage as he clenched his jaw and hands balled into fists, watching too closely at how Benny’s fingers had teasingly dipped into the hem of your halter top along your waist.

You did your best to remain as cool and as casual as you could, thankful that your brother had returned with the score of beer for Melvin so you could focus on something else other than the blond’s large, calloused hand over the exposed skin of your waist. Leaving you shivering at his touch and silently praying for more.

Your head was far in the gutter.

“Benny––” Teddy snapped, “come on, let’s play another, you and me.”

“Weirdo,” you breathed out under your breath, looking over your shoulder as Teddy walked away and started provoking two other boys into playing a game against them. You looked up at Benny and you could see in his eyes how he was trying his hardest to pretend like he wasn’t desperately wanting to go play another round, “go on,” you laughed softly, pulling away from his touch, “I’ll go find Shavonne and Kaye.” 

“I’ll catch you later, right?” He asked you, grinning from ear-to-ear as he took a few steps back.

“Yes,” you smiled, waving him away. As you turned on your heel to find your friends in the sea of teens, your eyes met with Angus’ and you sensed exactly what he felt because you’d been looking at him with those same eyes when he was with Elise earlier. Sharp and narrow.

The energy between you was tense, not hostile… but it was sharp. Electric. Jealous. Desire.

You puffed out your chest proudly and walked yourself out of the Emporium with a swaying in your hips as if to take a stab at him, as if somehow he’d sense exactly what you felt. It was so incredibly childish because you both had taken one small step forward with that kiss, only to jump back three paces the moment you felt an ounce of jealousy.

Teen dramatics were a curse.

The moment you were outside, you were able to take in a deep breath, one that expanded your lungs fully and left you able to think clearly for once. “Fuck.” You murmured shakily to yourself as you closed your eyes tight, feeling the cool night breeze on your hot skin, unaware of what was happening just across the street. 

A plan concocted by your younger brother.

“Move–” you were rudely interrupted by the voice of Teddy Kountze. The bastard practically knocking you aside as he ran to his car and grabbed his paddle.

“Watch where you’re going!” You grumbled as you caught your feet, watching with sharp, angry eyes as he ran over to the other side of the road to the machine shop––you could just barely make out the boy being leaned up against the large shop door. Carl… something. A friend of your brother’s.

You cringed to yourself as you walked forward to the corner of the Emporium, listening to the foul language that Kountze was spitting at the poor boy. It made you wonder what your brother had gone through earlier that evening at the hands of him. Speaking of the devil, with your arms crossed over your chest, you looked over your shoulder to see your brother standing behind you, with Wooderson and Angus lingering a few steps behind. 

“That’s your friend?” You asked him, furrowing your brows together.

“Yeah,” He murmured, doing a good job at pretending like he was worried. 

A crowd had started to form just outside the Emporium, tens of eyes watching the scene unfold as Teddy took his precious time, eating up the situation slowly and savouring every last bit of fear coming from the freshman. You could barely make out what he was saying, but you could see the sinister smile on his lips. That man was pure evil.

Though, just as he was preparing for the first of many paddles, your eyes flickered up, and you saw two kids leaning over the roof of the shop with something large in their hands. You were having a hard time connecting the dots, leaning closer as if you would get a better look at them.

Your eyes widened when you saw the paint, watching the white liquid trickle out of the can and splash onto Teddy’s hair. Only enough to get his attention. 

“Holy shit,” you grinned, your entire expression brightening up as he lifted a hand to touch the paint in his hair.

“Remember me, you pig?” One of the boys asked loudly from the rooftop, only now seeing that they were also friends of your brother. They began imitating the sounds of squealing pigs as Teddy looked up at them, only to be greeted with an entire bucket of white paint which splashed onto him, covering all of his hair, most of his face and shirt. It left him so vulnerable and pathetic. A small, small man.

You burst into laughter, hell, most of the people around had. If there was anything most people could agree on, it was that Teddy Kountze was a fucking asshole and deserved this.

“Fuckin’ freshman, bastards!” He screamed, pushing the white paint out of his eyes and watching as the kids dropped from the side of the roof and ran to a car that quickly sped off. He walked over to the other senior boys in the class who had been firstly trying to paddle Carl, turning the blame to them, “Jesus! You let that little fuck get away! What’s the matter with you? It’s fucking pitiful!” He shouted at them, turning his anger away from the boys and instead looking over in your direction.

Your brother’s direction.

He began walking across the street, eyes scouring over the crowd that watched, eyes landing on your brother as he narrowed in and chose his next target. It was never Teddy Kountze’s fault.

“What are you smiling at? You little freshman faggot? Huh?!” He walked right past you, reaching out and shoving at your brother so hard he nearly tumbled to the ground.

“Don’t fucking touch him, you pig,” you swore at Kountze, your heart pounding hard in your chest. No one was allowed to treat your brother like that. Absolutely fucking no one. 

You reached forward and grabbed at the wet fabric of his shirt, pulling him back hard enough that his attention had gone from your brother and landed right on you. The look in his eyes was wild, crazier than the man who had been pointing a revolver in your face. Teddy Kountze, too, might be more dangerous.

“You step the fuck back,” he warned you through a deep grunt, taking a few taunting steps forward so that you had to back up, “What are you doing to do? Hit me? Stand up for your pathetic little brother?” He teased you, close enough that you could smell the beer radiating from him. Kountze was an angry drunk.

“Don’t take your anger out on the freshman just because you’re an idiot who’s too dumb to graduate.” You quipped, hearing the ‘oohs’ coming from the crowd that gathered around. It was a brave statement coming from you because you knew that it would only take a few seconds for him to blow.

You were almost certain that Teddy Kountze wouldn’t be afraid to hit a woman. 

“You shut your whore mouth. Sluts shouldn’t talk––”

Your fist moved faster than your brain, eyes widening when your knuckles made contact with his jaw and pain shot up through your arm. Immediately, you winced in pain, but before you could continue taking your pent-up anger out at him, you felt someone pull you back, while Wooderson pulled Teddy away.

“Didn’t know you were a fighter,” Angus breathed into your ear, you could feel the smirk on his lips as he tugged you back as you tried to wrestle yourself out of his grip to get back at the paint-covered senior. You gave up very quickly, though, when you saw Kountze pulling away from Wooderson.

“Ah, fuck you! Fuck everyone here!” Kountze yelled as he pulled himself away from everyone and stomped to his car. For his final statement and burst of anger, he took the paddle and smashed it onto the ground until it split it in half––tossing it aside before angrily getting inside his car and speeding away in shame.

The crowd had turned to laughter again, a few people telling you ‘good job’, but you didn’t feel like it was a good job. Your hand felt like it had shattered, and the bruising had already started, and now you were wrapped in Angus’ arms wanting nothing more than to spin around and finish the kiss he’d left you with.

You were a mess. Everything was a mess, and you could hardly think straight.

You were a flurry of emotions now, taking a quick, but longing, glance at Angus before pulling away from his grasp and heading right toward your brother––he was far more important right now.

“Hey, are you okay?” You asked him, reaching up to touch his cheek, but he pushed it away.

“Don’t,” he laughed, “it’s covered in paint!”

“Sorry,” you smiled, crinkling your nose down at your hand that had paint smeared on it from the punch you’d just landed on Teddy.

“I’m fine,” he added, “that was badass… but I think he’ll probably hate me for the rest of my life.”

“Yeah, probably,” you breathed out your nose, feeling apologetic for the complications you’d been getting your brother in, “I guess I’ll just have to punch him if he tries something again. Maybe he’ll learn his lesson.” 

You both shared a laugh––a gentle moment you both needed during this wild night.

Soon, Mitch’s attention had been taken away by a blonde sophomore girl, leaving you with a small smile at the prospect of your younger brother running in the same crowd with you now. You had long disappeared from the chaos of the night, having met up with Kaye and Shavonne in the quiet washroom as you cleaned yourself up and shared a cigarette with your girls. You promised yourself that you’d spend the next while with them, you seemed to get way too caught up in trouble with anyone else… you could use some time to breath and think over everything that had happened.

Everything about Angus.

“The moon tower?” You asked as you finished touching up your lipstick that you borrowed from Shavonne, noticing in the mirror how your knuckles were nicely bruised, “I don’t think I’ve ever been there.” 

“Really?” Kaye questioned, taking a long-needed drag, “I would’ve thought that you and Benny would frequent it a lot… but I guess the floodlight there doesn’t give much privacy for young love, does it?”

“Ha. Ha.” You faked a laugh, “If you must know, we usually have the decency of fucking behind closed doors.” You chided, smacking your lips together a few times before blotting on some paper towel, returning the lipstick to Shavonne.

“So, you and him are still a thing, then?” Your short-haired friend asked, smirking as she passed the cigarette to you.

“Well, I don’t know,” you shrugged with a slight frown, passing it over to Shavonne, not wanting to ruin your lipstick, “What do you want me to say to that?”

“Well, what happened to you and Angus?” She tilted her head, “I don’t think I’ve seen you two interact since you got back from that… joyride.”

“What are you, a stalker?” You prodded at her, “We actually saw each other outside, just before I came in.”

“Really?”

“... Yeah. Kind of.”

“Quit being a prude and fucking tell us! What happened?” Shavonne exclaimed loudly, tired of you beating around the bush, as she took one more drag and tossed the cigarette into the wet sink.

You stood in the middle of the washroom with your arms crossed over your chest, fingers digging into the skin of your forearms as your two closest friends stared daggers into you. Forming the right words in your head was hard because you weren’t exactly sure just how much you should share, or if they would judge you––but the words slipped out so quickly.

“We kissed, okay!” You admitted, your gaze flickering between them, “We kissed in the backseat after that guy pointed his gun in my face. It happened so quick and then… we got awkward about it. I don’t know. Now I feel like we’re just… waiting to see who caves first,” you felt your cheeks warm up, “and I liked it… and I want it to happen again.”

“God. One just isn’t enough for you, is it?” Kaye teased, her voice gentle to show she hadn’t meant anything negative. If anyone was your real best friend, it was her.

“Well, we better get our asses to the moon tower, then.” Shavonne grinned excitedly, licking over her teeth as she pushed herself off of the sink counters, wrapping around your shoulders and tugging you along as Kaye followed, “You, my friend, need a shit ton of beer so you can stop being such a worry wart and finally make the first move.”

A quiet laugh bubbled up from you, knowing that even if she was a bit wild-spirited and acted on impulse, there was truth behind those words. You know that before this night ended, you needed to kiss him again––and preferably on your own terms.

Shortly after, you had settled into the backseat of the car, sitting up on the back of the seat with Sabrina by your side. You were giddy—thankful that there was finally something to do instead of just mayhem after mayhem. An actual party where you could drink, smoke and maybe dance if someone played music loud enough. 

A real graduation party.

Just as Kaye backed out of the parking lot, you looked over at the Emporium’s entrance once last time and your eyes settled on Angus Tully as he stepped out of the doors with Jason close behind, hands tucked into the front of his pockets. Everything felt slow as you drove past, your eyes fixated on his as you two shared a knowing look.

Angus winked and left you with a tiny smile on your lips and butterflies swirling in your stomach.

You both wanted each other, desperately.

[anomander-dragnipurake]

I'm Plenty Warm

Summary: The Grand Prix's held in winter this time. Bowser doesn't fair well in the cold.

~

The cold seeped into every inch of Bowser’s being, settling deep into his bones. It took every ounce of his self control to keep his shivering to what was hopefully an invisible minimum. Why did the damn Grand Prixhave to be held in winter this year? There was simply no need. Yeah, the Xmas lights were pretty but not exactly the kind of thing one typically thought of for racing.

Of course Mario with his warm blood and fuzzy coat didn’t look the least bit bothered by the cold. Punching him for that would be nice but would get Bowser kicked. He was not going to let all the effort and suffering he’d already put into this damn thing go to waste just because he was annoyed at Mario.

Instead he huffed and looked towards the other racers mingling about, waiting for the call to push their karts onto the track. He shuffled his feet, trying to make it look like impatience instead of the desperate attempt to get some feeling back into his feet that it was. After the race though he was totally going to…

“You okay?”

Bowser almost flinched as he looked the green Mario brother who’d apparently come up to stand next to him. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Why are you asking?” It had to be a trap, right? He was looking for weakness.

Greenie shifted, breaking eye contact. “It’s cold and uh, from what I understand you’re cold blooded so the cold is even worse for you. So I figured I’d come over and ask how you were doing.”

As far as Bowser could tell he seemed sincere in his concern but that didn’t mean that he was. He’d learned the hard way early on that sometimes people liked to lie and take advantage of others, especially people in positions of power such as himself. No matter how hard he tried, he’d never gotten good at spotting when someone was trying such a thing and thus made it a rule to never fully trust anyone other than Kamek and the kids. So whatever Greenie was trying here, he wasn’t going to fall for.

“I’m fine.” He put a slight growl in his voice, making Greenie flinch a little. “I breath fire, remember? So I’m plenty warm.” He let out a small puff of it to prove his point. It provided only a small burst of warmth to his face and mouth though as it didn’t ignite anywhere inside him. Measly humans shouldn’t know that though.

“Oh, uh, I guess so, huh? Well, good luck.” Greenie gave him a thumbs up before turning and fleeing. What had he even been trying to get out of Bowser? He was so far down in the rankings, getting Bowser out somehow wouldn’t have helped him much. Maybe it was for Mario’s sake. … Yeah, probably. No way was he genuine.

Bowser shuffled his feet again. The damn race better start soon before he froze solid. Driving with numb hands and feet was going to suck but he’d managed up until now somehow even if just barely keeping himself in the running. All he had to do this race was come in place ahead of Mario and his final score would be higher than Mario’s. Winning the whole tournament – something only possible if he made first this race and the current leader scored low – would be ideal but beating Mario was what mattered most. He could do that at least, no matter how cold it got. He had this in the bag… basically.

~

A hand shook him, pulling him towards consciousness. He could’ve fought it and almost did but a voice accompanied it. The words he didn’t understand, they were in a different language, the voice though, he did. Mario’s brother… Luigi was his name, wasn’t it? Odd that it would come back to him now but such was often the way with remembering forgotten words.

He sounded worried. Why would he sound worried about Bower taking a nap when he was so tired he clearly needed the sleep? Heck why would he sound worried about Bowser at all?

It was odd enough to spur Bowser into clawing the rest of the way awake himself. His eyes fluttered open to see Luigi looking down at him, his frantic expression matching his worried exactly.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re not dead,” he said. “I’d thought for a moment I’d let you go too easy and…” He let out a sigh, cutting himself off.

“What happened? And why can’t I feel anything.” Everywhere he wasn’t numb he was so cold he couldn’t feel anything else.

“You crashed into a snow bank. It shouldn’t have hurt you much but you didn’t get up and it collapsed back onto you and you still didn’t move. And then I remembered what I’d worried about earlier before the race and I thought for a second you were freezing to death so I rushed over to…”

“I am,” Bowser interrupted his worried ramblings.

“Huh?”

“Freezing to death.” Prior Grand Prixs had had single tracks in cold places, all of which had sucked and been hard to get through but he was tough and stubborn. Every single race being cold though and there being no real warmth in between them, it compounded into a serious problem for anyone cold blooded. It’s why he was the only one in the race who was. He’d thought he could handle it long enough to get through it but seems Kamek had been right again and he couldn’t. And now not only had he humiliated himself but was going to die for it. Already sleepiness pulled at him again, threatening to pull him under against his will.

“Ah, mamma mia!” Luigi mumbled something else in Italian before standing and shaking himself off. “Okay, okay. I’ll… hook you to the back of my car and pull you out and get you somewhere warm and then…”

“Why? Wouldn’t it be easier to let me die?”

Luigi, already moving back towards his car, gasped but didn’t pause. “That would be wrong.”

“I don’t want to be in your debt.” He’d almost rather die than let someone save him just so they could extract something from him. Only almost though which is why he didn’t try to fight when Luigi returned to him with a chain. It had a hook on the end for towing.

Luigi didn’t respond as he hooked the chain to the inside of Bowser’s shell. His exact expression was still hard to read but he looked more determined than scared now. A new look for him, normally he was a scaredy-cat. Seems he had a backbone after all.

“Can you at least try to take me somewhere where no one will see?” Probably a futile ask but he’d never live it down if Mario saw him almost frozen to death, curled up in his shell as it was dragged behind Luigi’s car.

“I suppose I could. We’ll have to go off road a bit but there’s a cabin not far from here. You could start a fire in the fireplace to warm yourself until you’re no longer immediately in danger. I’ll have to come back for your car but I would’ve anyway.”

Which would put Bowser even further into his debt. Not a good scenario but his fate was already sealed on that and it was better than allowing everyone else to see him like this. So… “Thanks,” he said before pulling as much of himself into his shell as he could. He was still too stiff and frozen to get all the way into it but it should still make getting dragged along by the chain a bit easier to bear.

Perhaps if he were lucky Luigi was sincere in his implied motivation being nothing more than being a good guy. Probably not but it sure would be nice if such was the case.

[lafrexniere]

Rutger McGroarty - Decisions

You were taking a gap year, still being indecisive on which school you were going to play for. You had received several scholarships from many colleges, but none of them were speaking to you. You needed some kind of push in order for you to make your decision, you thought seeing two of the colleges that offered you scholarships play would be the push you needed. Penn State was playing the University of Michigan near your hometown, which you thought would be the perfect opportunity to decide between some of your top schools. You were walking around the arena as soon as the doors opened and it was empty. You found your way to your seat by Michigan’s tunnel. You looked at the row your seat was in and saw someone sitting there. He had headphones in and had his hands folded while his leg was shaking. You began to enter the row and headed for your seat, but it was the seat he was sitting in. You didn’t know whether to say something to him or just wait for him to go on his own. He turned to look at you and you began to blush, he was really cute. 

“Am I in your seat?” he asked.

“Yeah, but it’s okay take your time, I know how important focus is before a game,” you smiled. He took out his headphones and moved over one seat. He gestured for you to sit down next to him, you took your seat and put your ticket in your pocket. 

“You play hockey?” he asked you.

“Yeah, but I’m not sure where, I’m hoping this game helps me make my decision on where to play,” you explained. Could he have been the sign you were waiting for to play for Michigan? 

“I’m Rutger by the way,” he held out his hand.

“Y/N” you shook it.

“So you’re thinking about Mich?” he asked.

“Yeah, of the schools that have offered me scholarships, Mich is in the top three.”

“You must be good if that many schools are offering you scholarships,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess,” you giggled. The two of you sat there looking at each other for a bit, blushing and smiling. He checked his phone and realized he had to get ready.

“I gotta go, hopefully, I see you at Mich,” he stood up and put his headphones back in.

“Rutger wait,” he turned back to face you, “can I get your number, or snap, or something, just so if I do go to Mich I will already know someone there,” you tried to be subtle, but all you really wanted was to get to know him more.

“Oh yeah sure,” he handed you his phone and you put your number in, he did the same with yours.

“Thanks, good luck,”

“Thank you,” he smiled. He went back down to the tunnel where some of his team was standing. He began talking to them, then they all looked at you. You smiled and waved awkwardly, the group of boys waved back and then went into the locker room.

While you waited for the game to start you found yourself looking at the tunnel every so often. Were you crushing on Rutger? Maybe a little, but you just met. You began to daydream while you waited for the game to start. You thought of yourself at Michigan, then you thought about hockey, then Rutger, then playing hockey with Rutger. More and more ideas were flowing through your head when you were interrupted by cheering. You looked towards where the cheering was coming from. You saw the line of yellow jerseys standing in the tunnel. A player waved at you, you saw the number two on the jersey. You looked closer and realized it was Rutger. You smiled and waved back as he began to walk towards the ice.

The game started and it was really close. You got nervous after Penn State scored first. Michigan was playing really well, but Penn State’s goalie was incredible. The game got tied and you were getting nervous as the end of the third period approached. You could feel the tension in the building. You got ready for overtime, for what you thought would be a long overtime period, but it ended in the first minute. You screamed and cheered and rushed towards the glass. You watched the team celebrate and saw the smiles on all of their faces, but Rutger’s smile was brighter than the rest to you. As the players began to get off the ice you went towards the tunnel hoping to see Rutger. He came over to you immediately. You tried to get down to where he was standing, but security pushed you away.

“Hey, she’s with me,” he yelled at the guard. You walked through to where Rutger was waiting. He was out of breath from the game, and dripping in sweat, but you didn’t care because you hugged him.

“That was amazing, I’m so happy for you”

“So did we help with your decision?” he grinned still having his arms around you.

“Yeah, I’m going to State,” you laughed. He looked disappointed by your joke, he rolled his eyes and let go of you.

“Oh that’s too bad Y/N,” he smiled, “cause I was hoping I could take you out when you committed to Mich,” his smile grew wider.

“I’d love to go out with you, you’re cute Rut, and an amazing hockey player,” you blushed. He stepped even closer to you, making your heart pound even faster than it was already. 

“Great, because I think you’re really cute too,” he smirked. The two of you stood there gazing into each other’s eyes smiling when your moment was interrupted by a voice shouting.

“Just kiss her already,” one of his teammates yelled.

“May I?” he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, then rested his hand on your cheek. He pulled your face to him as you stood on your toes to reach his face. Your lips met and you felt like it was just the two of you in that arena. You both pulled away for air, smiling.

“I’ll see you in Michigan Y/N,” he smiled heading towards the locker room.

“I can’t wait,” you called back.

_______________________________________________

Naw bc he was literally sitting behind me when I was waiting for them to come out of the locker room, he was literally just sitting in an arena seat and had to walk past me to get to the locker room.

Wishing I said something to him now 🥲

[temporarilyunstable]

it's a monster of a ppp essay

Finally writing about this film I’ve pretty much obsessed over for months! Hopefully I can put some order into this but in case I ramble you have been warned lol. Spoilers will be discussed. 

I first saw this film in Japan on opening day— prior to that I tried to gather as much information as I could via JP tweets and impressions, especially those of the pre-golden week screening on April 29, then adding more info as soon as spoilers were lifted to increase my understanding. And now a couple of months later, I finally have full context, but really happy that most of the information I got was accurate, and the only details that I had to clear up were related to the more complex elements of the plot, plus the ever-important talk-no-jutsus (tnj) in the film. 

If I were to give this film a score, it’s a 9/10. Prior to this, my fave iteration was case 3, being the ever-economic-just-over-an-hour-but-does-everything-right entry to the series. Maybe it’s my Akane bias but PPP just knocked that one right out of the park. The animation was great (I am not well-versed in this so you won’t hear me talk about it much), even if wonky Arata took me out despite the emotion in the scene. Voice acting, no one does it better than the JP actors, I will not be convinced otherwise. It’s my preference and frankly if you’ve never watched this in sub I do think you missed out. The music was TOP-TIER. I’ve not stopped listening to this OST ever since it came out, blessdt Ennio-Morricone-esque Is this your choice, Akane Tsunemori? track #27 CD2?!!?!??! *INHALE* 

I can’t actually use technical film critic jargon here so in short, I LOVE this film so much. 

A bit of background info from the recent interviews Director Shiotani participated during the roundtables/live stages in JP - the “switching” of the timelines were at the behest of the producers (Fuji TV), including the introduction of new characters, in order to continue the story indefinitely from a TV perspective (link). It was a ballsy move, and in hindsight it paid off, but not without its pitfalls which I will touch on later. PP3/FI was developed during PPSS, and PPP was developed during PP3/FI, so you can imagine the difficulty of making sure the creative team have crossed their t’s and dotted their i’s. That being said, apart from telling the story it wishes to tell, the purpose of this film was to tie the past to the present, and I think that they did it very well. 

My thoughts are still evolving, but interestingly enough, most of my impressions haven’t changed. So I’ll talk about some elements of the plot that interest me, then I’ll go to specific characters, and ofc I’ll talk about the ship (not the Grootslang 😉).

There’s a clear three-parts to this film: up to Saiga’s death, up to Atsushi’s death, and Akane’s career death (if it is to be said, so it is lol). Each part had their pros and cons, but it’s quite a feat managing to squeeze all the information in. There was no dull moment for me.

I think the deaths here (especially of the characters we were supposed to care about)— the manner and speed in which they perished, and at a certain point in the film, all for nothing— were part of the point.

Before I watched this with subs I actually thought that it would be more difficult to understand, but I have to say that the nolan-esque expositions were well executed and nicely placed, for example the talk about possession between Kogami and Shion was a good prep for the audience for when we actually get to hear about how it works from Akira. Also a great way to show both Kogami’s detective skills that have not dulled the slightest, and his and Shion’s closeness(?/familiarity? Call it what you want). Another example is the Mika-team essentially telling the audience what’s about to happen prior to us seeing Sugo get things done in the sky (also I forgot he was just flying a drone and was out of harm’s way ehehe). I would say that the hardest parts to piece together have to do with the elements related to PP3, including the involvement of Bifrost. I’ll touch on this later.  

I’ve talked about Saiga’s death to my friends way before the first trailer ever released. Him not being present in PP3 was the biggest clue, and not that I wanted it to happen, but it was necessary to raise the stakes and make it personal. As a fic writer, admittedly I’ve never been happier to be right 😅. His scenes with Akane and Kogami at the beginning of the film were standouts. I particularly love how Saiga and Akane are so at ease with having a simple conversation— they’re talking about work but he could so easily talk about his doubts regarding Atsushi, for example. I love how he’s the same with Kogami, how he clearly states his allegiance to Akane, and ofc reminding Kogami to apologize (and something else I picked up that I will discuss later). 

I can say that despite the initial ridiculousness of the Divider/possession, the way it was explained was quite convincing to me compared to how they brushed over how Arata’s mentalist skills worked in PP3. Also, there’s kind soul from the JP fandom who attempted to explain how it could probably work irl (link). It’s creepy, if you think about it, and well-documented too. Have a read if you’re interested. 

Action scenes, definitely a strong suit of this film - you just know they can’t help themselves sometimes LOL. Kogami v Akira is definitely the best one (RIP Kogami’s balls hihi), and I’ve said this before but they definitely have perfected Kogami’s animation when it comes to fighting, and he is always the most flawlessly animated, however I think they did Gino really well here too. There’s this other really wonky one where Sugo falls down the escalator and it just looks like he’s a solid object and not a human body asdlfkjaskldfj. Honestly I finally understood the critique that the Sugo drone scenes were definitely way too long (I didn’t notice this bec it was hella entertaining when you don’t have subs plus it was super fun if you watch it in 4dx/mx4d).

Really dropped the ball on the Stronskaya Papers imo. I think, for something that was meant to be so important, the exposition regarding its use was really a lazy excuse. “SEAUn essentially proved its value” ain’t gonna cut it. If this is something so important people choose to kill/die for, then the implications of it should have been shown to the audience, not told. 

I only noticed after the third subbed rewatch, but to me, everyone is being measured against Akane in this film. I will elaborate later.

Sibyl as an AI

Finally, the little complication about using the term "AI" when describing the Sibyl System. When the first impressions of this came out, there were a LOT of dissatisfied JP fans. Until it was described as such in the film, since the system constitutes actual human brains, then the interpretation is that it is human. I’m not sure if this was a general interpretation btw, but since this is the first time the term “AI” was used to describe Sibyl, ofc it rubbed people the wrong way, especially bec it feels like the whole concept of Sibyl was retconned. 

I somewhat agreed with this interpretation— I had always considered the Sibyl System as an independent character in this series, who was meant to be impartial but somehow acts/reacts as a human would— and it's not hard to think so, when you look at the way the system has acted and evolved throughout the show. At times, the system is shown to be curious, greedy, and even cruel. I am ofc talking about them as a whole and not their androids (Kasei, Misako, Chuan Han, Hosorogi, even the dude in Case 2, etc)— individual brains act as human with a CA constitution (so still slightly different from a normal human), that’s clearly shown in the series.

When I read about this through interviews of Director Shiotani, I didn’t quite get the full context as it was used in the film. My initial interpretation was that the system was human, but the mechanisms that make it work (the claws swapping brains supposedly without human intervention, the city/country-wide whole network/surveillance system, the immediate reaction to process a Dominator’s request, etc) were powered by AI. I thought that they used the term AI to update the terminology, since this technology is quickly becoming commonplace irl. Now I've seen PPP with subs and thought a bit more about it, I still somehow think this is the case but also, all things considered, the term AI also makes sense. 

Bear with me as I try to break it down. The Sibyl System is a system that is bound by its raison d'être: the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people (very important: not all). To achieve this, it has taken over control of the lives of its citizens via the Psycho- Pass, a quantified measure of mental states/psychological tendencies and aptitudes— a supposedly objective measure. This includes law enforcement, as the system is able to predict an individual’s tendency to commit crime. We also know that the Sibyl system has auxiliary functions, like planning citizens’ lives or recommending the best option for the individual’s happiness, matchmaking, art/cultural/historical/religious control. Its role is very simple: assign the best possible job that one is most capable of (essentially eliminating non-productivity as a society), and through psycho-pass measurements, maintain/execute (criminal) law and order under the PSB. It can be implied that other non-criminal laws can’t be divorced from Sibyl, since its functions make all these possible within the confines of what Sibyl constitutes as “right” (and is implied,) based on the rule of law. Sorta like a chicken and egg situation, but the law, being at the base of it all. Sibyl came into legal force - it is, first and foremost, lawful.

Applying that to the definition of AI, we could say that at its inception, the law would be Sibyl’s code/algorithm, prior research (be it criminal/non-criminal data/aptitude/psychology/physio etc etc) and eventually its actual application is its data set, and the use of human brains as its processing mechanism. If we review how the system has "acted" so far, it's all consistent with the fulfillment of their purpose, EVEN if exceptions, limitations and anomalies exist. 

A key concept that has been repeated in the show’s run is Sibyl’s “evolution”, which coincides with the same concept of AI “developing/learning automatically”. If I still have your attention, you will probably know that the main driver of Sibyl’s evolution has always been Akane, be it directly (S1, PP movie, PPP), or indirectly (PP2, PP3). This has been introduced from the start, with Sibyl itself acknowledging its imperfection, but insisting on the need to maintain its perceived perception in the interests of a peaceful society. 

What makes it a bit contentious is the fact that the individual brains ARE very obviously still human - so I think that the “the Sibyl System is an AI” really feels off somehow, or at least conceptually feels like it should have been carefully defined rather than left up for interpretation, given what we’ve seen in the series thus far. In any case, here are some references to help you think about it and make your own interpretation.

World Affairs (OffiPro)

Genesis 1-2

Genesis 3-4

Characters - I’m just gonna put this disclaimer, basically if I quote something from the film please just understand that it’s mostly paraphrased. 

Akira

Definitely one of my favorite additions to this massive cast. Not the first one to say it but what a shame (he’s so sexy UwU). He’s probably less complex of a character than Atsushi (oh we’ll get to him), since his motivations are not “heavy” enough for me to believe such a sacrifice. He volunteered to be a double agent, burned his face to prevent identification, took on the mental (physical, actually) load of the chips in his brain and for what? For the greater good? Where did we see that anywhere? It is implied that as an immigrant he’s had his fair share of exposure to wars/conflict - we all know this was the same case with characters like Kei and Maiko, for example, but if we’re simply relying on the context of this film, I got the impression that he was merely doing it for his brother. 

Things I love:

Dropping the machine gun post shootout with Kogami, signaling that he has no intention to go that far (gonna talk about the other side of this coin in a bit)

RECITING THE GREAT ASO on top of that holo cliff *chills* 

In the JP version, his very VERY noticeable voice change when he surrendered to Kogami and Gino

His “please take care of Kei” never fails to make my heart ache T-T AKIRAAAAAAAAAAA

Atsushi (& a bit of Yabuki)

One of the best characters in this film (who no one will invite in their wedding— oh the irony lol). I think that a good baseline from watching PP3/FI really helps appreciate him, though I didn’t actually care much if not for Niki making me notice in PP3 that there are conflicting accounts about him (a malicious one c/ o Obata in her testimony, vs Arata’s POV of him as a good and loving father), plus the more I learned about the complexities of Bifrost the more I got interested in him, too. Atsushi is clearly a morally grey character, and in this film it both comes out of his mouth (as a form of admittance in his speech), and shows in his actions. His speech: "The right choice can be wrong in a different time, that’s because righteousness is relative, but the truth is absolute. What we need is the truth, the means to accept that truth and choose the path where no one gets hurt." is clearly directed at only four people in that room. The speech also served as an admission of his guilt— and once again, the theme “he did what he had to/someone had to do it”.  

There’s a line during his interview with Akane where she says “you don’t make mistakes. Everything you do puts you a step further in your career, as if you’re following a path laid out before you.” When she seems to have hit the right line of questioning, he was clearly about to confess, but alas, it was not to be. I remember reading an interview where Director Shiotani said “he doesn’t get to have it easy” and you know what, ok fine. 

Atsushi and Yabuki’s approach is, in a nutshell, big picture thinking, the end justifies the means. They make difficult decisions, get things done and can’t avoid people from getting hurt. This is also driven home by Yabuki’s words to Frede “ideals are not enough to bring about change”. (He also said something good about needing that kind of power to exact justice and being prepared for the infamy that would result - help me if you remember this was my takeaway from it). To me, they both represent the kind of people who are about to become obsolete in Sibyl society IF it is heading towards the path people like Akane and eventually, Arata, are aiming for (put a pin on that). 

We know that he was a Bifrost Inspector, and interestingly enough, it seems that Yabuki is too since they’re communicating via the terminal we saw Kei use. As is on trend for anything related to Bifrost, you do not see the hands of these guys getting dirty despite all the dirty work they actually do. That said, Akira, Milcia and most likely Saiga, are probably foxes.

Things I love:

I think that he and Tonami, while they must have believed there was no other way at the time, acknowledged that there was no excuse, and as a result are inspired (or in Tonami’s case, persuaded though begrudgingly) to trust the newer generation to do it better than they could. I feel like Atsushi already knew his time was coming the moment the deaths of those he had personal ties with started piling at his door. 

His conversation with Kasei/Sibyl: “we’ve been watching you for a while”, implying Sibyl being complicit in all the dirty work he’s had to do. “Do you believe in the potential of humans?” and the response “of course. this is the reason why we exist” — really rubs the god/religious themes here, handing him the gun that will take his life as their parting gift, as if to say “this is your judgment”. I’m gonna touch on this again with Akane. 

I’m not the first person to say this but with the exception of Yabuki, who was killed, at the end, Milcia, Akira and Atsushi’s acts were extreme, and I’m just not gonna gloss over this, cowardly. Choosing to die instead of living. Choosing to be absent instead of being present (in his brother’s life, in her daughter’s life). Atsushi preached it to his son (“do not dive without a lifeline”) but not only failed to act on his teachings but continued his approach. You could say it was the only choice at the moment, but all their previous choices led them there, and it’s even worse that they got someone else involved and killed, even if that wasn’t their intention. 

HOWEVER, and this is going to be brought up again: someone has to do it, and therein lies the nuance in the other main character in PPP we’ll talk about later.

Saiga

I don’t really have much to add except they made him especially handsome in this film… 😳 And ofc I love that he picked up the lack of people in the building, he really said you can’t hide anything from my keen observation skillz. I loved that he was pretty chill about it too, maybe he was trying to cool down his favorite student 🤗

Things I love:

Akane visited him at 23:41 in the evening, I am assuming on that same day (it’s the time stamp on his laptop, also confirmed by Director Shiotani). I guess the concept of after office hours does not exist bec it looks like they left for Dejima immediately after. 

“People aspire for comfort and find themselves unable to escape it, like me” and Akane immediately saying that’s not the case 🥹

Coffee on the lips. Leaning back on the couch. The toast and the chuckle RIP

“She’s not a saint/bodhisattva”: I’ve understood this to mean that she WILL enforce Kogami if it comes down to, hence he better apologize to her while he can. 

His very meme-able criticism of Kogami before they got on the elevator 

“Well, that was crazy!”

HIM BEING PEAK HANDSOME WHEN HE HAD A KNIFE ON HIS THROAT LIKE?!?! 

The desperation and VERY obvious there is no other way here when Akane’s whole body is about to fall just trying to hang onto him

That they muted Akane’s scream when he fell

That she went straight down to him without so much as looking back at the fighting still happening

That she fixed his body 😭

I’m really gonna miss him. I always used to hc that Akane and Kogami would have a moment with him at some point in the future, calling back to their visit to his house in s1 but alas… we can’t have everything we want, huh? 

Tonami

AHHHH old man, old man. 

My favorite part about Tonami is that they clearly improved on making sure they don’t paint him as an evil guy. They tried to do this with Garcia, but frankly the novel did a better job at making him look more nuanced than the movie did— and that’s saying a lot since like I said, I love case 3. This is probably because they had the benefit of time, of course, and we’re gonna touch on this again later, they spend less time making Kogami look good (i mean, not physically) in this film. 

They were very economic with how they portrayed his character, too. With just that one scene of him and the kid, you immediately empathize and are forced to listen to what he’s actually saying. My favorite scenes of any iteration is the “reckoning”/tnj that Akane has towards the end, basically summarizing the thesis of the story, and the questions it poses to the audience. This film is probably the best at presenting the most nuanced argument of the series so far between two sides. Very simple, very straightforward, and the movie’s prior scenes have done the legwork for the viewer to connect the points each is trying to make, like neat little puzzle pieces that make you go oh.

Things I love:

“Don’t forget you were the ones who made me this way.” (mic drop).

Akio Otsuka’s voice acting, especially when Akane was crawling to grab the Dominator. THE FRUSTRATION IS REAL.

This was pretty much confirmed and I’ll touch on it again later: he was not going to kill Akane (link) . I thought this was up for debate at first, but actually after seeing the subbed version I am convinced this was actually not up for debate due to the following:

It was him talking to Kai when he killed Milcia, he asked “You killed her?” and said “You messed up, Kai” 

We do not actually see him kill unless there is a purpose. Killing the SAD guys to get to Milcia, killing the SAD guys to get to Saiga. He revived Bokamoso because he needed to get the papers (wasn’t convinced that Saiga really didn’t have it, as already established by Saiga a few scenes prior), and was biding their time when he engaged with Frede & Gino after Kai confirmed the papers were not there, probably waiting for Kai to finish with Kogami (“time is up”). Decided the ops team (Ko, Gino, Frede) needed to die after they were exposed and the safety of the General and Raphael were put in jeopardy. 

He shot Akane in the same place he shot Kogami a few scenes prior— this is also why I do not believe this is random, but rather just a means to incapacitate them while he needed to do what he needed to do: possess Kai bec he now knows where the General is and needed him out of there, (unclear whether he knew at the time that Kai had the papers but likely he did since he referred to the memory chip during his first meeting with Akane), and have Akane not bother him while he possesses the peacebreakers in battle).

Shooting Akane again, not fatally wounding her.  

Akane’s line “why don’t you just kill me?”. Like, really, why didn’t he? The link above sheds some light on the creator’s vision on this and it’s delicious, lol. IMO, if he had wanted her dead they’d not have even talked. Very simple.

This is not to justify his actions btw, in fact, Akane even called him out “the same wars you helped perpetrate”, and her lichrally saying “I promise to expose the truth about the peacebreakers, but this doesn’t excuse what you’ve done”. Madame Justice said YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY THE POWER VESTED IN ME AS AN INSPECTOR OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUREAU ETC ETC  

He cares about Kai/Akira (the line to Atsushi “so Kai is your pawn, too?” at the helipad, and his concern about the divider overloading and his reaction that Kai is choosing to die). He clearly cares about the peacebreakers, too. Nuance, man. Delicious. 

“You can’t stop what you started here” CHILLS. Definitely reminds me of Kamui’s tnj in S2.

Frede

I have a soft spot for her. She’s clearly more loyal to Yabuki & the MFA than to Saiga, and, judging by her character we’ve seen so far, she’s taking after Yabuki as well 😉

The reason why? #21 in Director Shiotani’s Q&A space last June 15 (link).

So pretty when she was conflicted about not telling Saiga/Kogami about le grand  ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶  plan

I like how she calls Yabuki “boss” 🥹

Fave scene when Kogami calls her out for lying to Saiga LOL, I just love that he can just do that and that she doesn’t even bat an eye, I like that about them. 

Gino

He’s not my fave, but I’ve grown a bit soft on him here I have to admit. Love that they gave his devotion to Akane more context, and that this whole system of trust between them (and the rest of Div 1) is shown. 

He is right, it’s his ego talking (the boat convo). Akane didn’t and isn’t staying/tied to the CID bec of them (Ko & Gino) jeez man. It’s not about YOU. LMFAOOoOOOOooo 

Little Ginomika moment, I loved that. Speaking of…

Mika

“This is no time to be playing politician” sis— did anyone ever tell you that you have an aptitude for it? The whole plan about selling them out if they all die so she could save their asses, then actually coming to their aid when it truly mattered? Does your fave ever?!?!?! 

While she’s probably the one who has one of the best charadevs in the show, I fear a little that she’s starting to become a gag character, ALTHOUGH i’m arguing that she’s clearly still a writer’s fave with the way they give her critical hero moments when it counts (the whole rock star raid at heaven’s leap in PP3, then this “I got it covered” in PPP). I think Mika best displays the balance required to stay (sane) in this job. She’s able to take on what she needs to, and accomplish the role she’s set out to play, and at the end of the day she probably goes home and has a boba, binges netflix and has a good night’s sleep. 

I dunno where I read this - but there are main characters, and there are main side characters. This is Gino and Mika’s fate in the grander story, with their arcs pretty much over since Case 1.  

Finally, the good stuff. If this ain’t much of an overly long essay already.

Kogami

Before I go off, my experience is as follows:

When the first trailer of PPP came out, his words “I have no regrets” were so jarring to me. I didn’t quite understand how that was supposed to add up to the Kogami in my head, the hopeful man who was ready to come home at the end of Case 3, and the guy who said sorry at the end of PPFI. This led me to find some answers by machine translating the PP3/FI novels, and the case 3 novel. 

In a nutshell, I had thought that the ending of case 3 meant that he was going to turn a new leaf and fight for the same justice Akane was (in short, no killing). Guess what? I forgot that he did kill Jackdaw in PPFI, and the novel pretty much confirmed his actions and thoughts around it (aka, he was really going to kill the guy— I mean, he came into the scene guns blazing, you know? AND I FORGOT ABOUT IT (I call this my akane-tinted glasses 😉).

Another line in Akane’s monologue that cemented my reinterpretation of Kogami, and I was immediately reminded of this passage when Akane sadly spoke to him right after he shot Tonami: 

“Believing in the meaning of the stars was something only she herself held, and it was as if she was being told that the stars were just stars by the others she believed to be her comrades. When she began to consider that perhaps it was not the incomprehensible others who were truly isolated, but rather herself, true loneliness arrived. The moment of being cast into the sea of true loneliness, without even the stars or the sound of waves.” (the stars here was implied to be either law, or justice)

It’s been confirmed by Ryo Yoshigami that Akane’s monologues in the PP3/FI novels were written with the plot of PPP in mind— so you all know, this was intentional. The novels really helped me take a step back and assess what I was really looking at as a character, and Kogami’s role in the overall story. I thought he was someone who was on his way to change, I was wrong. I thought that his values have aligned with Akane, again, wrong. Now I know what some of yall are gonna say, that you didn’t misinterpret him. Sure, this statement isn’t for you then. BUT don’t lie to me, those who DID. 🤪

As for the rest, go read and form your own opinion  (PP3 Novels)

Kogami’s sense of justice

As a main character of the series, Kogami’s journey has been up and down, but one thing that’s consistent about him, in the simplest terms: his justice is personal. Whether it’s one of revenge, which he had closed the door on post case 3, his inability to turn away from injustice, and in PPP, his acceptance and taking responsibility of what he stands for, and what he can do. 

In the beginning of Case 3, he was making an effort to avoid killing— even using it as a condition for cooperating with Kinrei on the raid in the train station. This was during a time when he was clearly at a loss of what to do, still swimming in his regrets and just letting himself go in whichever direction life takes him. Come the end of Case 3, we see his hopeful decision to return, and, in PPP, clearly stated during his convo on the boat, his reasons. He did not come back to die, but to help people. This is essentially an explanation of his choice and lack of regret that he failed to explain properly to Akane, but if it wasn’t clear yet, this is also where the lines have been drawn between the two protagonists, interestingly enough, since the beginning of the series. Akane’s sense of justice is directly tied to the law, whereas Kogami’s does not (and, I think a moot point to argue now, will never). 

He does what he does because it’s what he can do. The difference between Kogami S1 and Kogami PPP/PP3 is that he’s found a purpose/place that aligns with his sense of justice. He owns it, and takes full responsibility for it. It’s a facet of growth, though probably not in a direction that would bode well for him if he fails to look from above, as was Saiga's last words to Akane. I can take this apart in a few ways, firstly, and especially towards his “belief” in Akane, he’s a hypocrite (LOL). Says one thing, does another. Wanting to be judged after the fact is like, are you kidding me, man? Right in front of the blood of someone she just tnj’d “you will be judged according to the law”?!?!?!!

Let's take a break, I’ll throw him a bone.

He simply cannot turn away from injustice and would rather get his hands dirty than allow others to get away with their crimes

This is a great callback to his time with Garcia “you hesitated, and now someone’s dead.” See? Charadev. (I’m being sarcastic). It must suck for him that though he didn’t hesitate, Saiga is still dead. 

To me, he’s started walking forwards post case 3, and while he still regrets everything he did before that, he’s left that behind to fulfill a new purpose in his life

In this scene specifically, he would rather kill than have Akane be killed.

Very personal, very short-sighted, very impulsive, reactive sense of justice. That he agreed with what Tonami had said, for all that talk of his belief in Akane, he’s a funny  ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ guy, isn’t he? 

I’ve always argued that if his aim was that good (and again, Tenzing commented on this, he CAN shoot to disarm someone), then why didn’t he? Kogami in PPP, in every scene, operates on a shoot to kill. I’m no longer here to apologize for the guy, even if he did, three years too late. I think that it helped me come to terms with their differences, and this is fundamental. Don’t get me wrong, I still like his character, maybe even more now that we’ve learned quite a few things about his… shortcomings (lol), but I’m not gonna make excuses for him in the same way he doesn’t make excuses for himself. He chose. He still chooses to. Cool motive, still murder. 

Where this will lead him, it’s been alluded to in the film. Tonami is what a misguided Kogami could become, and even Saiga clearly reminded him of it. That’s a matter for his future, but know that this movie is sowing seeds the creators may decide to reap someday.  

Things I love :

He got his balls kicked!!! Love that for him 🤣

Used to complain about how lousy his shirt looked is in pp3 and whoooaa he took the jacket off and I'm sweating

WET HAIR

TACTICAL GEAR

The PP OST and the dominator UI, before he takes his first shot *chills*

Despite all my beef about him, I still really do love the guy. Now I just dunk on him every chance I get, it's fun. And ofc, I still have a tiny bit of hope about his future, and I’ll be holding him to that standard, otherwise yeah, he can die in a ditch (or if we’re going there, he can die whilst leading an uprising to destroy Sibyl) 😉 

Akane

So when I said earlier that everyone is being measured against Akane, I really meant it. She had taken a back seat since the PPSS films, and in PP3/FI the whole mystery surrounding her imprisonment was an invisible hand driving many elements of the show. PPP is HER film, and as a character, her continued relevance to the series' thesis cannot be discounted.

“The law doesn’t protect people. People protect the law.”

If Kogami was consistent about his sense of justice, she is even more so. What makes her leagues above him is that she’s driving change, and change DOES happen in the manner that does not allow her to break her principles… that is, until the end of PPP 😉. I’m not going to elaborate on her sense of justice, it’s pretty straightforward even if the series likes to throw stones at it as if following it is the hardest thing in the world. What makes Akane stand out is that it's actually not hard. Look, ask yourself whether it’s easier to kill another human being or not— I’m not talking about exceptional circumstances, but even then, I think you know the answer— there’s a moral and ethical basis here that she shares with a great number of people. Killing is wrong, it’s against the law to take another life. To me, the point of each iteration is to keep stacking odds against her through characters, each with their own complexities and nuance that the audience is made to empathize with and contrasted to her sense of justice, resulting in making it look like her principles are ideal and impossible to achieve, when actually, they're not. 

One of my favorite lines of the film, when Tonami says to Akane, “these are the facts that lie in the shadow of the peace that you enjoy”. Let’s be real. Akane is privileged. She’s not had to fire a gun to defend herself in a war torn land— but the argument against this is the same argument for it— it’s because she doesn’t have to. Kogami is back in Japan, it stands to reason that he must adhere to its laws, because despite his experiences abroad, he is not and will never be above the law. 

I’m gonna touch on something I already discussed on twitter, because there’s a difference between the way Kogami has killed, versus the way Gino and Sugo have. 

As far as the series has shown, the following are Sibyl-sanctioned “killing”, the last one specifically relates to PPP:

As judged by the Dominator (LE/DD)

In cases of national defense/during the execution of duties as members of the NDF

In cases of self-defense in the course of an official operation

It stands to reason that just because they are sanctioned does not save the person from their hue deteriorating, because that part is directly related to a person’s view of guilt. Throughout the show, the audience is constantly reminded that the act of (indirectly) killing does not necessarily impact one's hue (e.g. the PP of the person who manufactured the gun is not the same as the person who fired it, the whole premise of the foxes in PP3, etc), hence the "guilt" associated with the act falls on the person who does it, which may result in a higher cc. A person is able to absolve themselves precisely bec they know they're doing it within the confines of the law, but this doesn’t always follow (e.g. Sugo’s hue deteriorating in Case 2). There's a good example of this in action during Akane's operation in PPP, when Tonami issues the order to kill, and the team, who had been disarming/arresting everyone a few minutes before, was left with no choice but to defend themselves, often resulting in a kill.

While the Peacebreakers were able to hand over this guilt to Tonami via the Divider, Gino and Sugo could not. At the start of the film, they only used the guns when the Dominator was not functioning. The difference with their actions in the last third of the film is they participated in an unsanctioned operation with Akane, have killed as a result and are now likely above regulation. Had no idea the words “once the hounds have thrown away their collars, public safety will never tame them again” also served as foreshadowing as this is probably why Sugo and Gino were requested for transfer to the SAD. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that Gino actually gets the job done with fewer bullets than Kogami does. Kogami, from the start, comes into the scene, kills all his enemies on sight without hesitation. This is a huge difference, and this is what Akane is trying to keep him from defaulting to. Violence to fight violence was not the answer, but they clearly do not align on this. It’s a perspective thing. 😉 

So why did she do what she did? 

In principle, she made herself an anomaly, directly challenging the decision to repeal the law, by committing a crime in public while not having her PP deteriorate. In short, she pretty much broke the law to protect the law. So how did she objectively know that her plan would work? 

I had a few discussions on twitter surrounding this, and frankly the “she knows she’s doing the right thing, not for herself but for the greater good” doesn’t cut it for me, nor does the premise of “leap of faith”. To do this, she HAD to have known with certainty that her hue would not deteriorate because if the dominator suddenly activates for her, then it was a pointless act, and more importantly, she was fully aware (as stated in the PP3 novels) that she was committing a crime. 

There are cases to be made of course, the first being she knew that Kasei is merely an android and that Akane avoided shooting the brain (effectively keeping Kasei alive), but that still doesn’t establish the fact that Akane does not absolve herself of the act, and again, that she needed to objectively know this would work. This is theory time, but the only thing I can think about are two specific things, one in the film, one not. 

Defying Sibyl orders to enact her own operation in the Kuril Islands - this is directly disobeying Sibyl, using her Chief Inspector authority to assign temporary roles to Kogami and Frede so they could participate, loading the Stronskaya Docs to her Dominator and giving it to the General, all these, unsanctioned and should have at least raised her PP. My guess is, in the aftermath, she noticed that it had not, despite the scale and the effort and potential losses had things gone wrong, and decided that was enough to go ahead with the “answer” she found for herself.

She had to have procured a gun. This was not in the film - but procuring the gun establishes her intent/motive, and should have also raised her PP - my guess is it did not. This would have been sufficient, but you can imagine, until the point of carrying the gun to the venue (probably hidden inside her hat), the fact that she wasn’t flagged basically made it certain her plan would not fail.

In the June 25 roundtable (link) , Director Shiotani wished that if he had 3 more minutes to add, he would have added a scene right after Atsushi’s death where the men in the roundtable ultimately decided to proceed with the abolition of the law. In hindsight, I think adding this scene would have been better, because it takes away room for interpretation that Akane was actually in a desperate situation, and not just frustrated at the close of the case. In the movie, this was supplemented by Kogami’s line “what Tonami said is probably going to come true, the law will likely be abolished.” Not as desperate, if you ask me. 

Deviants

The difference between Akane and Atsushi is that, Atsushi, in his capacity as a double agent and methodology as a Bifrost inspector, is like a puppet master holding the strings, indirectly enabling change and leaving mere traces of his impact while others either take full credit (or fall) from it, whereas Akane pushes change by directly challenging Sibyl head-on. We have yet to clarify Atsushi’s motivations in rising the ranks of Bifrost (he was alluded to be on the way to being a congressman or that he had the talents for it), and the fact that he’s played double agent for so long with his methods steadily growing shady over time just goes to show that there was clearly a better way (and he ofc acknowledges it). 

In the same way a CA can only be recognized by Sibyl by committing crimes OR if a Dominator was wrongly pointed at them, Sibyl becomes aware of these deviants (I’m gonna call them that) the moment they start defying Sibyl while being able to keep their hues clear. Perhaps Atsushi would be an imperfect version of a deviant, Akane the better one, and Arata probably the ideal despite being CA, sort of like Genesis 3-4’s Makami Sou. It would be interesting if Akane becomes APA, let’s see (read the Genesis links above 🙂). 

“Do you believe in the potential of humans?”

Post-op Akane was forcibly promoted to Atsushi’s role (iirc, a Department Head of Statistics in the Ministry of Welfare c/ o Steohsama's translation). I think it can be read two ways: one, in the context of the recently closed case, to get her fully out of the way and busy with other, bigger stuff that she was already dipping her toes in prior to Atsushi’s death (referred to during their convo, about her not “making a fuss”). Two, that she really did have the aptitude to be someone like Atsushi— only that her methods would clearly be different. Now that she’s back in the CID, there’s obviously a question of Akane’s future as a statutory enforcer (fun fact, the creators pretty much confirmed that it’s just a name for someone judged according to the law but whose PP did not deteriorate / someone who was appointed as an enforcer whose PP is below regulation ( link / link ). If Hinakawa will be promoted to an Analyst, then there’s a spot open for her in Division 1, assuming she’ll be playing detective. While I think this is likely to happen, I think it’s a boring outcome for her. Like Atsushi, I want her to move up in the world, especially if the world is gearing towards Sibyl going public. It’s going to be interesting what role she’ll play in the future, especially because, as Niki had so nicely put, “she can’t do this alone”. 

Oh, Koaka. 

Objectively, I no longer think the ship is romantic in canon. I’m gonna copy-paste some thoughts I already shared at length in discord and edit parts of it, but if you’ve seen me the last few months, this isn’t new.  

This is nitpicking, because I'm a writer and facts like they don't know each other, not really (they spent not more than 100 days in s1, maybe a few days in PPP) are things that are at the back of my mind always. I have yet to see Kogami and Akane treat each other more than the pedestals they put each other on (arguable for Akane but I think this is also why she keeps getting disappointed that their sense of justice doesn't align).

This divide between their sense of justice is their biggest flaw as a potential couple, and one that is too fundamental. I do not see compromise here, especially after the events of PPP. If Kogami were to gear towards a positive change, then there’s hope, but I leave very little room for that now. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, either. I see it as a potential stance that the show is trying to make. “You murdered someone, you can’t go back.” If he had been heading towards change it should have been on the way for a while, not a “possibility” that he keeps failing to live up to. Getting over this hopeful assumption took me a while, but I think that it also helped me appreciate the wider story being told. 

That being said, I think that romance in stories is important and I would like to see the writing team go there, not just from a shipping perspective but from a storytelling/amping up stakes perspective. In PPP I felt how Gino was much, much closer to Akane, and I didn't see this previously. In the past he was more like a controlling dad esp in s2, undermining Akane's POV, improved a bit in the pp movie though he still felt a bit on the overprotective i know better than you side (nicely resolved in ppp where we see a piece of his mind btw)— there's a whole lot of trust there. With Kogami and Akane, while they cleared the air after the infirmary scene, once again I saw that trust shaken when he shot Tonami. 

These characters are depicted as human beings, and I think that entails grounding. While meaningful connections can be made through short moments (destiny, if you will), relationships built over time like literally and not let's have a nice moment in a film i'll see you next movie kind of thing, is something that, to me, means more. That said, Kogami was separated for a long time and it's lichrally impossible, but they're in the same place now. Where does that lead them? This is where part of my hope lies, small as it may be. Granted, this is not that kind of show and I'm fully aware of that, which is also why I'm happy to get what we get and that artists/fic writers are there to fill those gaps.

I still ship them but a lot less— I find it funny because even before PPP, I was always looking for more (I'm greedy haha!). I always saw the PPFI scene as just the beginning of their relationship— I wasn't convinced that scene was enough, despite the romantic undertones. And let me tell you the betrayal I felt when I found out the reason why they did the whole back to back thing in PP0308 was because... IT WAS AWKWARD FOR HIM TO CROUCH DOWN THE LITTLE WINDOW OF HER CELL and not the little romantic shit I had going on in my head— I just ( ╯°□°)╯ ┻━━┻

I went through the five stages of grief but at the same time it's not as bad since it's not like I didn't think that way from the start (it's just me being anal about it all, really. Because I would end up writing whatever I wanted anyway and canon didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things).

I do like their dynamic now given the recent developments, Kogami especially being particularly unskilled in the romance department just makes it all the more funny (I'm not capable of writing him that way though so I guess all my fics are ooc now 🤣). If they don't develop past the Arguably Platonic™️  way they treat each other then I won't be surprised if I stop creating for the ship, likely bec it will no longer satisfy my enjoyment of it.

Final Thoughts

I think it’s pretty much confirmed we’re getting more, it’s just a matter of when (can’t believe I’m staying here forever, huh?). Director Shiotani wishes that he will be making PP in the next 30 years, gotta love him for that. 

As the series progresses, there was a clear tonal shift and hopeful direction it seems to be heading towards. To me this is partially because in a practical sense, this benefits the prolonging of the show (which we already know is true), but in a thematic sense, destroying Sibyl means the end of the series overall. No Psycho Pass without the Psycho Pass. And to this I give credit where it’s due. This is not the kind of progress you’ll see if Urobuchi is still in the writer’s room, and frankly, the complexity and depth of the show ever since he left has pretty much taken off in great strides. I had wished they were heading towards a natural conclusion (Sibyl going public) and leave it alone for a decade before they pick it up again, but I guess the producers have other plans. After all, they don’t have any other IP that has withstood the test of time, is ahead of its time and continued to remain relevant as time went on. While not perfect, this is an amazing feat of a series, and this movie is a stellar addition to it. 

They’ve got a dilemma of course, because until now it seems they went with a serialized format (with a definite ending) versus an episodic one (criminal of the week). By choosing to expand the world and explore other facets of society, all the while connecting the threads in an overarching plot, they have to complete the “passing of the torch" before going back to an episodic format, which means they MUST give the new kids their time of day,̶ a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶x̶c̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶c̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶l̶e̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶k̶s̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶a̶i̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶z̶u̶k̶a̶. Shifting the timelines allowed them to usher in the new cast, but now they’re marketing the legacy cast and have to contend with their obvious popularity compared to the new, fully knowing that the legacy cast is returning to the back seat once we kick things off again. This is a problem that can be solved if a spinoff is decided for SAD, because at least a chunky (huehue) part of the cast will be cordoned off doing their business in Dejima, while the CID with its usual players can stay where they are. I think if you’ve been following Director Shiotani though, this is not happening without him in the driver’s seat, so it’s like… if they’re smart he will delegate this task to someone he trusts and we’ll get both a main and a spinoff, then a converging point somewhere in the form of a movie. 🎶Psycho-pass forever!🎶 (to the tune of Emilia Clarke "best season ever" GOT S8 interview, iykyk). 

Finally, I’m just gonna say that I love Akane so much, I’m glad she got the spotlight on her in this film. To be able to experience this film is unforgettable, I’m so grateful that it was possible for me. I’m training myself to expect she’ll take a step back next time I see her, but more than anything, I hope to see her happiness fulfilled, no matter what that entails. Once more, I just can’t thank these creators enough. They’ve made a series and a world I’m obsessed with, makes me think and makes me evaluate its implications in real life, makes me create!!!!! I’m so happy that they continue to believe in the stories they want to tell. I hope they are all healthy and resting now (until the next one, eheh!)

I’ve talked way too much and it’s really just because I want this out of my plate so I can start writing my fics now lololol. If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Always happy to discuss! 

[chrisevansonly]

Snowy Miracle

Chris Evans x Female Reader (no use of y/n in this one)

Summary: After a nasty winter storm cancels your flight to Boston, all hope seems to be lost to get home to your husband, but one cancelled flight won’t stop you from spending the holidays with your favourite person

Warnings: light swearing, but other than that just fluffy goodness<3

A/N: Okay, so this is my first fic in a while so bear with me while i get back into the swing of things! It’s not a super long one, but we’ll get there! Hopefully I did okay, happy holidays! ☺️

Word Count: 753

You should have known the second those big white flakes of snow started falling, flights would start to get cancelled and delayed. A last-minute business venture to New York before the holidays is what started this whole ordeal in the first place. So when the stripe of yellow indicating the last flight to Boston turned red cancelling it entirely, a sigh fell from your lips.

“Of course this has to happen now..”

Mumbling to yourself in annoyance your brain began to start figuring out alternative ways to try an salvage the trip home. Pulling out your phone out and finding a quiet spot to sit you sent a text to your husband back home

The Wife♥️: hey honey, the last flight into Boston was cancelled, I am going to figure out another way, stay tuned, I love you.

Your phone remained silent as you walked through the terminal over to grab your bags, spotting a car rental booth just near the baggage claim. It wasn’t the brightest idea you’ve ever had, but what is the harm in asking them for the most winter appropriate vehicle they have in order for you to get home. After grabbing your bags your phone chimed

Chris: fuck, I should have known that storm would cause problems…I can come get you?

The Wife♥️: it’s all good, I think I figured something out, I’ll keep you updated.

Chris: Okay, I love you, be safe

You managed to score a rental from the company to drive home, and luckily enough they had given you a big SUV with all the four-wheel drive options to make the three hour drive home. After the day you had, all you could think of was a tight hug from Chris and the comforts of your own bed.

————————————

Pulling into the long driveway just after 6:00 pm you finally let your tense shoulders relax, the drive had been nothing short of horrendous, but you finally made it, and were more than ready to get all your things inside. You pulled your suitcase behind you and up to the front door, unlocking it with your keys, the sound of Charlie Brown Christmas on the TV which made you laugh to yourself. Your husband may be 41, but that never stopped him from loving all the classic children’s holiday movies. The rattle of your keys hitting the porcelain bowl on the hallway table echoed through the lower level and soon enough Chris appeared in front of you, eyes wide in surprise but a small smile beginning to pull at the corners of his lips.

“Surprise?”

You laughed and opened your arms for a hug which Chris quickly acted on, wrapping you in his arms and squeezing you to his chest. A slight smell of firewood on his sweater knowing he’d put one on not long ago

“How the hell did you get home angel?”

Pulling back enough to look up at him you smiled

“I got a rental car and drove the three hours home, it was shitty weather, but I made it”

Chris leaned down connecting your lips for a much-needed kiss after being away from each other for a couple days before letting you come further into the house

“I’m glad you’re home in one piece, not sure I love that you drove..”

“I knew you wouldn’t like that idea, so I didn’t tell you, but I’m here now and I didn’t miss Christmas”

A smile appeared on his face again and he didn’t hesitate to pull you back in for another hug, his lips pressing a few kisses to your temple, hands rubbing up and down your back as you held each other in silence.

“How about you go shower, change and I’ll order some dinner? We can watch Home Alone and then work some more on our tree”

He looked towards your very sad looking Christmas tree and laughed; you still had a decent amount of decorating to do

“That sounds perfect, I’ll be quick”

“Take all the time you want pretty girl”

A blush crept across your cheeks before kissing him once more, happy to finally be back with your person

“I love you, I’m happy you’re home”

You smiled before crossing your arms

“I love you too, even if you started Charlie Brown’s Christmas without me.”

Chris’s boisterous laugh the last thing you heard as you made your way upstairs and towards your shared bedroom. A little snow could never get in the way of you getting home for the holidays.

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episode 1 Subbed (Finalized Re-Release)

(Original Finalized Release Post)

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-1: Yugi's Successor

On his way to the Entrance Exams for the Duel Academia High School, Judai Yuki meets the legendary duelist Yugi Mutou and receives a card from him. Running late, Judai arrives at the venue and requests to take his exam, but Instructor Chronos sees Judai's exam as pointless given his lackluster score on the written exam. A duel begins between Judai and Chronos, and Chronos's rare Antique Gear Golem card uses its powerful 3000 ATK to damage Judai. His back against the wall, Judai hears the voice of a Monster--which turns out to belong to the card he received from Yugi, Winged Kuriboh...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...I first posted the original finalized version of this episode almost 10 years ago??? Time is an illusion...

Fresh off the presses, it's a re-finalized version of my episode 1 subs! Well, probably re-re-re-re-finalized given my penchant for consistency and quality after previous revisions in the past 2-3 years, between fixing a handful of animation errors and terminology revisions... But this one merited a new post not so much for any updated translations, but because after casually skimming through this episode a while back, I noticed more animation errors, all card-related, that I'm now able to fix as I have for episodes since. You know the deal with this one, I'm sure; new kid on the block bumps into the Game King himself as he runs late for his Academia exam and manages to hit one of the school's best with his skills--literally. Fun opening episode to a fun series.

With this, I'm hoping to officially call this episode finalized for good, mainly because the kind of annoying thing about doing further revisions now is that, thanks to my solid-state drive (SSD) failing in October of 2022, I lost my personal copies of the episode scripts with the ATK/DEF counters I stylize and all, so it means I have to cut/stitch together different parts of the episode between the fixes I applied and the previous hardsub to account for the stat-counter subs or the eyecatch subs I started doing--since the softsub MKVs I release don't have those specific subs, they're easier to update. So I hopefully shouldn't be touching anything before episode 84 (the first one I finalized after getting a new drive) again and those can ideally be considered finalized for good. I'm hoping I can also give that title to 84-109 (where I currently am), but I'd like to think I didn't miss anything, lol.

Anyway, as mentioned, this revision applies several card-related fixes to the episode, some of which replicate fixes 4Kids did for the dub that I took a cue from. The fixes were added to the last DVDRip I released, subsequently made into a new softsub MKV, both of which will be up on NAC soon with the updated hardsub. List below the cut below as always, for the interested~ (Nice thing with some of these is that the frame rate was usually consistent, which meant that editing most panning shots and the occasional zoom shots were usually more of a breeze than later on, haha.)

Enjoy, folks; with this out of the way, since it's been about two weeks since 108 and 109 were finished up, I'll start setting up stuff for finalizing 110 while doing a little more TFSP work here/there before I fully start on 110 sometime next week. Stay tuned!

Fixes & Edits!

*The bolded edits below were applied back in 2021 and were added into the original release post; adding them here for completeness.

Applied a card back to an orange rectangle that was a face-down card during the panning shot of the Exam Duels going on over the episode’s opening narration as it fades to Chronos watching, repeating the edit as it pans back around again before fading to Manjoume and Ryou/Asuka watching.

As Misawa's exam proctor says that he stands no chance against his Super Defense Deck, the blank-art cards on his Disk for Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress are reversed (the wider side for the effect box should be on the right). Fixed by applying proxies on them for a frame in AfterEffects, masking in the card outlines for blending, before taking that frame into Sony Vegas and zooming it out for the zoom shot here.

As Misawa's Ring of Destruction destroys Vorse Raider, we see the smoke rush onto the proctor's side of the field--and as we do, we can quickly see the blank-art Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem cards on his Disk are again reversed before the smoke covers them. Fixed first in AfterEffects by slapping the proxies on for a frame, then in Vegas by taking that frame into and keyframing it to the rapid panning shot for most of its 17 frames. (Incidentally, throughout this scene, a different error happens in the dub, where aside from keeping the cards' orientation on the proctor's Disk incorrect, they also shuffle between Gear Golem and Big Shield Gardna being Normal or Effect Monsters--bit of an identity crisis!)

Fixed the error with Misawa’s LP dropping to zero after he uses Ring of Destruction to finish his Exam Duel; should have dropped to 1300.

After the proctor's LP drop to zero, he congratulates Misawa on his win, but the Gear Golem card on his Disk is reversed. Fixed first in AfterEffects by applying my proxy for a few frames, then taking one of those frames into Vegas to lightly keyframe as the shot pans left. (As a fun editing aside, I could tell 4Kids likely edited this in a similar way to how I did because as the cards fade out, you can briefly see some residue of Manjoume's hair outline on Big Shield Gardna's card which they didn't cover up; I definitely made sure I went the extra mile with redrawing the arena floor to cover that haha.)

After Misawa thanks the proctor, we zoom out to Manjoume in the stands as the Solid Vision fades out, but the cards under Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem are--you guessed it--reversed. Fixed in a few ways, with the goal being to redo Big Shield Guardna and Gear Golem fading out--first, in Vegas, I took the first frame after they're gone and zoomed it into place at the start of the zoom, which let me cover up Gear Golem and most of Big Shield Guardna, but because Manjoume's hair moves upward as the shot zooms out, doing this means I couldn't fully cover it. So, I then took this first post-fadeout frame into Photoshop, where I used the Clone Tool to duplicate the arena floor and cover up the rest of Big Shield Guardna, reinserting it into Vegas and applying the zoom keyframes I did to the earlier frames to it--this lets my edited frame properly zoom out with the shot. Once done, I went into AfterEffects and applied the Big Shield and Gear Golem proxies onto the shot's first frame, masking them above the cards, then took that frame into Vegas to zoom out with the shot (rather easily, luckily, thanks to the frame rate note I mentioned up top), masked out Big Shield and Gear Golem and made them fade out into the edited frame in the layer below. With that set, all I had left was to go back and mask Manjoume's hair back above the edits for the duration of the fade, which was pretty easy, and boom goes the dynamite.

After Judai's duel with Chronos starts, he summons out Elemental Hero Featherman, but the card gets placed reversed on his Disk. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying a proxy first to one frame during the initial light zoom-out in the shot, taking the fixed frame into Vegas to re-zoom and hold once the zoom was over.

Chronos reacts to Featherman's summon, and as Featherman lands in front of Judai, his card on his Disk is reversed again, but also as the screen pans right, for a few frames as Judai moves to then place a card face-down, the shadow under his left leg goes from being more gray to black, turning back to gray once he stops moving. Fixed in AfterEffects first by placing a correctly facing proxy on his Disk for a frame, which I then took into Vegas and re-panned into the shot; while in Vegas, I then masked in the gray leg shadow over the black, masking in part of Featherman's ATK/DEF counter over the edit to blend it in.

In the next shot, as Judai ends his turn and their LP counters pop up, the Featherman card under him on the field is reversed; fixed in AfterEffects by slapping in a proxy, masking Featherman back in above it.

[cont below]

(10) After Chronos uses Confiscation, as he sends Judai's Revival of the Dead/Monster Reborn to his Cemetery, a few things happen: 1) the Featherman card on his field under him on the field is facing Chronos in Attack Mode, and 2) it's in the wrong Zone on Judai's Disk, as it should be in Monster Zone 3. I fixed this a few ways, first fixing the Featherman-on-field aspect in AfterEffects, applying a Defense-Mode proxy under Featherman and masking him and Judai back over it; I then took a cue from 4Kids and took the frame immediately after his Cemetery stops being lit up (but before Judai starts to move) and the frames as Judai moves into Photoshop, where I copied the empty Zone 1 into place over Zone 2, blending it in with some minor editing, and combined it with the AfterEffects edit I then did by applying a Featherman proxy in Defense Mode to Zone 3. After throwing everything into Vegas, I then applied some masking to a solid-white color layer to replicate the lights coming from Judai's Cemetery slot (helped by the fact that, luckily, the lights don't move). (The dub, for their part, only handled the Disk aspect, applying a weird light to cover up their Zone 2 edit while the Graveyard was lit up, leaving the Featherman card on the field as it originally was, OCG format and all lol.)

(11) Chronos activating Heavy Storm causes a huge storm of wind on the field, and as it gets to Judai's field, we see that the Defense-Mode Featherman card on the field under Featherman is reversed. Fixed first in AfterEffects, applying a proxy in a frame where most of the card was visible and masking Featherman back above it, then taking that frame into Vegas where I first redid the panning that happens, then I created a solid-color layer colored like the wind and applied some masking to replicate the gusts of wind that blow over the card.

(12) After Chronos summons his Wicked Lord Tokens and the crowd reacts, the smoke on the field from their summon simmers down, but the Featherman card under Featherman is reversed again. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying a correctly facing proxy and then masking Featherman back on top.

(13) After the commercial break, fixed the error with a Ra Yellow student’s miscolored jacket as he and the others watch Antique Gear Golem being summoned, thanks to thepalebride’s help.

(14) After crowd reaction to Antique Gear Golem being summoned, Asuka looks out onto the field and says she unfortunately heard the sound of the Academia's gates closing shut for Judai--as she does, we see that the blank-art card under Featherman is reversed. Fixed first in AfterEffects by applying a proxy under him in the first frame of the shot and masking him back on top, then taking that frame into Vegas where I re-panned it as the shot pans upward.

(15) After a brief blush, Judai summons out Winged Kuriboh, but he places it reversed on his Disk--and in the very next shot, it's correctly facing such that its name box is to our left. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying a proxy as he places it on his Disk, masking his fingers over it.

(16) After Antique Gear Golem destroys Winged Kuriboh and Judai tells Chronos that it reduces his damage to zero--to Asuka's shock--Judai takes Winged Kuriboh off his Disk and places it in his Cemetery slot in a quick shot, but the card is reversed again. Also fixed by 4Kids, I fixed this in AfterEffects by applying a proxy facing correctly in the frames in which Judai moves it.

(17) After summoning Flame Wingman, and after some taunting from Chronos, Judai activates an arena as heroic as he is in Skyscraper, but as he does so, Flame Wingman is missing from his Disk, as it should be in Zone 3. Fixed first in AfterEffects by applying a proxy (after finding the best-quality screenshot of Wingman's anime art and touching it up using an AI tool [I think I settled on Waifu]), fading it in as the scene fades from the Judai closeup to Judai about to swing his Disk around, and adding it as he does so, then applying a brightening and dimming as the Solid Vision lights go on around him. Once I did that, I went into Vegas and applied some masking on the little flickers that pop up over that zone to blend the edit in. (Side-Note: while dubifying the Skyscraper card in Judai's hand, 4Kids forgot to mask in his thumb over it, begging the question... how is Jaden holding that?)

(18) Fixed the blank Normal Monster card that should be Flame Wingman, both as Antique Gear Golem crashes onto Chronos and as the duel fades to an end.

[beemynumberone]

All The Colours (6/7)

-> In which Idol!Minghao and Actress!OC convey their heartfelt messages through colours.

-> slowwwwburn romance. friends to lovers. no smut.

-> constructive feedback is always appreciated!

All pictures are from Pinterest, I do not own them.

Writer’s note: Hi! I am writing these scenarios to placate my active imagination and hopefully make someone’s day/night. I do not intend to hurt anyone/anything through this fic.

Thank you for picking up my story and happy reading!

Masterlist

*btw, Yile is pronounced as Yi Le (in Chinese pronunciation), it is not supposed to rhyme with Kyle

Part 6: Grey

The Grey Area

Yile’s POV:

Yile stared at her phone, the circulating lyrics lighting up and fading like a Ferris wheel. Should she accessorise the plain background? Gnawing on her bottom lip, she decided on captioning with the song title and added an emoji. The white question mark would fit perfectly with the song’s title. Besides, it would pair with Minghao’s red question mark. It would look cute :] ,Yile thought. She hoped it wasn’t crossing a line. Her heart raced.

Minghao’s POV:

Great. Yile reciprocated his message. The continuation of the lyrics and the addition of a white question mark emoji to mirror his red one? Well done him. Minghao screamed internally.

Now what? He was sure they had moved on to the next level of ✨mutual friendship✨. But did this mean that they were friends? Were the lyrics she chose supposed to mean something or simply a continuation of what he started? Was the white emoji supposed to mean something? He stared at the words. He was definitely overthinking way too much. Every crumb she threw out was devoured eagerly by him and he wanted more.

A slew of messages popped up on his screen.

— Dokyeom:

It means she’s interested and wants to know more, you dummy!

Minghao opened the groupchat.

His band members were gossiping about his “love life” ever since he gave the green light. Not that there was much to talk about anyway.

— Seungkwan:

Send a message back! Don’t leave her hanging!

— Dino:

Yea hyung! Ask her out!

— Junhui:

I have her sister’s number ;) Do you want it?

— Dokyeom:

Go for it!!!! We’re rooting for you two!

— Soonyoung:

Good luck Minghao!!! Get your girl 🐯

Swallowing, Minghao opened the contact he got from Junhui. Jun was quite the social butterfly surprisingly. He charmed swindled their makeup artist of Yile’s sister’s phone number. It was pretty easy from there, if you exclude the blaze of questions Yile’s sister fired.

“Do you intend to have kids one day?”

Minghao was stunned. “Er, hopefully yes.”

“Okay. Yile likes children too but don’t pressure her.” Yile’s sister paused to take a breath.

“From what I’ve heard, you’re a pretty decent guy so you have my blessing for now. Take good care of her! If I see her in tears or sad in any way, you’ll have me to answer to.”

“Yes Ma’am”

Yile’s POV:

Her phone pinged.

— Little mum:

Sis, I gave your Minghao your number. He’s got a good heart. You have my blessing.

— Minghao:

Hi Yile, this is Minghao from svt. I got your number from your sister. Wanna meet up sometime soon?

— Me:

Hi Minghao, I’m free this Thursday for breakfast. I know a place :)

— Minghao:

Sounds good! See you.

— Me:

p.s. Wear blue!

When Yile shut her phone off, Xinhui (who was hovering over her shoulder) leaped into the air.

“Omaigawsh, you scored yourself a date Yile!” Xinhui squealed.

Yile’s heart rate was through the roof. Yay, they were finally going to meet. But… Minghao used ‘meet up’. Were they meeting as friends or something more? Her mind ran through the possibilities.

“Do you want this to be a date?” Xinhui asked.

“Well yes, but I wouldn’t mind it being a friendly meet up either.”

“But you want this to be a date, don’t you?”

“Yes”

“Then ask some pointed questions. I’m pretty sure he likes you romantically but if the worst does happen, don’t worry too much about it. Doll yourself up, don’t do anything stupid and have a good time! Be yourself.”

Yile hugged Xinhui. “Thanks for being my hype man.”

“Always.”

[aimasup]

How do you think Wander x reader scenarios would go? (I’m a WOY fan, so I’m quite curious)

sorry for the wait on this aaa

ok bc this is a romantic ‘x reader’ no one is undateable, I’m just ranking these 6 guys from ‘best partner’ to ‘most work needed to put into the relationship so it’s not a complete shitshow’. WOY is a show based on platonic love so some of these are stretches

Also unless specified otherwise in the ask, y/n isn’t a villain or anything, just some random person

long, long post warning

Wander:

buddy when I tell you that you SCORED

he’s SO sweet oh my god. has tons of specific scenarios for dates, but it doesn’t matter if it’s a life-risking adventure or knitting in the woods. he just loves every second spent with you

he’s snuggly! he’s cuddly! You’ll never be touch-starved with him! And he’ll note if you’re not a hugger probably but he might get too excited

You’re dating a walking plush toy built like a scarf with the cutest scruffy face at the end of it that also has wild animal mannerisms

you could toss him in a dryer with malicious intent and he’d come out with a love ballad for you ready to go

knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. You’ll always have the option to meet new friends and go to new places

If you didn’t have an adventurous streak before meeting him you do now. He doesn’t seek conflict, conflict seeks him

He does his very best to accommodate any needs you may have, he respects your boundaries and finds solutions to brighten up your day

you also brighten up his day. get ready to be sick of the phrase 'I love you'

he does his fair share of the chores and more. He also loves cooking for you! You become the couple everyone’s jealous of because Wander’s in it and you get to experience his cooking

He doesn’t butt in to do things for you, but he loves making your life a little easier. So instead of ‘is everything comfortable my liege’ it’s more ‘I made you a lunchbox, have a nice day!!<3'

Wander has so many stories to tell. You learn new things about each other a lot. He has no problem filling silences, it’s like he never runs out of conversation topics

He loves talking about you so much. Now the entire galaxy knows they have something to use against Wander, next to Sylvia

He's your personal therapist now

Cons:

his energy can be draining, especially when he’s on a roll and oblivious to what’s happening with you

his selflessness blends into unintentional martyrdom often. You need to do some rescuing so he doesn’t get himself killed just so you could have some exotic dessert; it’s very stressful to see him put you above his wellbeing

he’s so stubborn actually. when he decides something’s for the better it takes some heavy lifting to shove the proof in his face

the concept of privacy is but a suggestion to him. And he’s open to suggestions! It’s just that a pet always wanting your time is cute, but when it’s your date it gets annoying

if you nicely let him know when he’s overstepping boundaries he’ll apologize and make up for it

Sylvia:

she rejects that lovey-dovey romantic stuff but she’s more similar to Wander than she realizes, in that this tall mass of muscle is endlessly devoted to you

if you’re fine with being lightly made fun of and sassed at a ton, then you both can spend any time ribbing at each other casually

It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, she enjoys time spent together

she loves chilling. just vibes. umbrella drink and hammock and nice music and all. You two can hopefully just exist in the same room for long periods of time, there’s a lot of comfortable quiet going on.

she’s very clear about her boundaries and expects you to pull your weight in some capacity, though it’s fine if the task she needs done isn’t done soon.

she makes you feel powerful and safe and secure because she has no problem beating the shit out of troublemakers for you, and also yelling the most profane of insults in public. She can talk to any stranger, take control of any situation, bust through any boulder; it’s kind of scary but also empowering to just witness

Logically she might understand why something could emotionally upset you but she can't truly empathize, so she settles for being there for you all the way

she ends up carrying you a lot. under her arms, on her back, with her tail, like a sack of potatoes by the leg, etc. and she loves! cuddle piles! and curling up around you when you’re both sleeping! Tease her about it and she’ll toss you into a lake (out of love)

she stutters when she’s awkward. it’s cute as hell

You can go to her with any problem you have and she’ll comfort you, and give you advice even if she states that it’s a ridiculous issue. 95 percent of the time she’ll be on your side too

if you’re willing to learn, she wants to teach you how to fight. She worries about you and wants you to be able to hold your own without her around.

If you order something and she says 'nah I'm good' it's a LIE. She'll have a bite of whatever you're having. So get her something too even if she protests

she’s also fine with goofing off when needed. And she’s tough enough to try new things with you, might even have more fun than you while at it

meeting her family is emotionally exhausting. the ‘WHEN IS THE WEDDING’ questions don’t cease. you turn to her and go ‘damn bitch you grew up like this’ and Sylvia ‘had a job at 6’ Zbornak goes ‘yeah why’

she’s not as open about herself as she’d like to be, but if prodded she could tell you some tidbits about what bounty hunting was like

You may have trouble keeping up if you’re not very physically active. She has trouble slowing down too

your wedding is officiated by Wander, who is also best man. Wesley is the ring bearer god bless

Cons:

She not as stubborn as Wander but has trouble putting herself in the shoes of others, or seeing things from another perspective.

unless given a good reason to budge, she’s not moving when her mind’s set on something

a bit too quick to anger. Not directly at you, but sometimes her remarks cut too deep and her snark is too dry, and the lecture’s too loud.

She’s not very (outwardly) jealous, unfortunately she doesn’t trust easy. So your new friends, or new job, or new anything that she catches even the slightest whiff of ‘not right’ in her mind, she’ll be worrying and pointing out flaws here and there, and now both of you are anxious

you can talk to her about things she can change about herself, and she’ll try. You ground her and her temper and she likes that about you.

Peepers:

see this post

Hater:

on paper the 7 foot tall skeleton overlord with teleportation, force fields, electricity, levitation, and planet-toppling raw strength sounds like some grimdark video game villain but he’s just your personal phone charger now

wants to know about you as much as he wants you to know about him

he always looks for an opportunity to impress you or gain your attention. He likes showing you random stuff, all his shiny toys, his video games, some flower he found at the side of the road, etc.

at the same time he tries to be cool and aloof. He’s also genuinely pissed that he enjoys your company so there’s a lot of screamed affection

not good at speaking or gestures, better at actions. Surprisingly touch-affectionate. He loves carrying you, or holding your hand, or kissing.

You end up being added to the list of people he makes an effort to listen to. consider yourself lucky

He complains about everything but when it comes to things you find neat he doesn’t hate them as much now that they’re associated with you. You are the chill pill.

He talks edgy but he's an open book, and you impress him easily

both of you can geek out over the same things like music and weapons

He’s actually really good at words on paper. So things like secret love letters, lyrics, or rehearsed speeches.

Will loudly defend your honour in public, will try talking it out if he has to

mate you are about to learn some RESPONSIBILITY this man has no home skills. If you don’t want your diet to be takeout for the rest of your life start learning how to cook

If you decide to get married it will be a whole Thing and you'll learn how many times he's organized a wedding before. Ask the watchdogs

Cons:

his whining gets legitimately annoying, and he doesn’t make compromises nearly as smoothly as you might hope. It’s almost like dealing with someone who only recently learned how the world works (so you don’t want to ask about his real name.)

loud, petty, self-centered, possessive, and sometimes you can’t deal with that if you’re both having a bad day

When he’s doing some grand gesture of romance it usually ties back into you giving him compliments

Despite being emotionally open he doesn’t talk about what goes on in his mind a lot, so he might come to bizarre conclusions or not explain his thought process, even if he’s on the right track

he’s self-aware to a degree at least, and he’s actively trying to not make everything about him.

Awesome:

banging my head on the wall, trying SO HARD to find redeemable qualities

he’s the kind of fucker to smugly say ‘you know I’m right’ regardless of how obviously he's not. He thinks obnoxious property-damaging prank videos are hilarious.

his style of villainy is almost worse than dictatorship because he has such little regard for the people and places around him that his hedonism literally causes worlds to end

in other words he’s so disgustingly shallow that the simple concept of an equal in his life at rock bottom would force him to fix himself

anyways uhh dating him would be weird. Like he’s physically useful I guess, also he’s rich so you’d get anything you want. Speaking of physical, he's a really good meat shield in times of crisis.

not controlling, just weirdly opiniated. Thinks any past time that isn’t clubbing or drinking or high-energy is lame, seperates himself from ‘uncool’ things, judges passersby in a mean way, is far too encouraging of you to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

You need to be assertive because he still cares about what you think, somewhere in there.

So if he goes ‘no biggie but I think you’ll look better in this’ or 'no don't spend your time like that', or ‘you shouldn’t call them back’ just get rightfully upset and demand why. Guarantee he will not have a good reason to keep this up. Know your rights and make sure that man knows guilt

Pros:

ok this is either a bad thing or a good thing but he’s observant enough to know how to distract you. If you’re mad or sad about something he can push all the right buttons to get your mind off it, but again he can use this to deflect from serious stuff

surprisingly responsible? Like idk how to explain it. He knows what items go with what needs and is really good at planning ahead. Not like making a shopping list, but like connecting the dots based on logical assumptions. “We could get this sturdier metal hanger for the drying rack but it rusts easily so we should get the cheaper package deal ones.”

such a stereotypical dude-bro that it’s kind of adorable. He watches sports and has opinions on canned alcohol. Also a great hype-man.

you literally never need to worry when going to social events. He has enough confidence for the both of you.

probably hits a turning point when he realizes that the people he hangs out with are dicks when they make fun of people like you and does the tiniest bit of self-evaluation without coping horribly

not protective or jealous. Doesn’t even get mad really. Laid-back about so many things and knows how to roll with the punches, knows when to draw some lines. He's very honest too, in the funny way

eventually he does get okay with mediocrity and mundane activities. He still tries to make things more exciting now and then, it backfires but that's the fun of it

his cats love you

Dominator:

hoo boy where do I start

there is literally an entire episode on why she’s a terrible date. Her thought process in the beginning was LITERALLY ‘ughh I’m bored -> ugh lookit that planet -> ugh I bet those guys are having fun -> how dare they -> I wish I could DESTROY THEM’ like girl what

needless to say getting her ass kicked might’ve humbled her by like 5 percent but she’s still kill-happy

She perpetuates her own cycle of a ‘dog eat dog’ world by being a dick before anyone else can. Either because it’s self-defense or a competition or it’s fun

The way she speaks to you, even if she genuinely enjoys your company, she just can’t help but throw some insults in there. Not passive aggressive ones, just plain insults.

If you’re into that then a one night stand would be fun but she’ll forget your name the morning after

If Emperor Awesome is manipulative, then Lord Dominator is controlling. She doesn’t understand why you aren’t feeling what she thinks you’re supposed to be feeling, or dropping everything to come spend time with her immediately, or egging that innocent old man on her command.

her casual, bubbly attitude can be dissonant with the actual situation. it’s not that she can’t read a room, it’s that she’s thoroughly analyzed it and concluded that it’s either hilarious, irrelevant, or beneath her

The only way she’d even get close to you in the first place is if you had something she wanted in the first place, like information, status, or power.

the relationship is an accidental bonus, and now neither of you know what’s happening, and ‘oh god what do you mean you’re Lord fucking Dominator’

You are dating a gangly pocket knife with anger issues and hips for days. This might as well happen

She’ll deny it to her last breath but she’s fiercely protective of you, like how wild animals become protective of those they see as weaker than them. The way she shows this is either by kicking ass or glorious, glorious insults.

Pros (?):

"What is this?" "Affection." "Disgusting. Do it again."

If you’re indecisive or anxious, her authority fills that gap. She fully emits the vibe that she owns any room she walks into, and eventually she might have you learn to stand up for yourself too.

She’s not a Mean Girl, she can’t fake nice with a straight face. The phoniness also wears her out; she prefers telling it like it is. This is also a con

Lowkey really hopes you find her impressive, which is easy given all the things she can do, but also hard because of her loser vibes

If you learn to banter with her, arguments get entertaining, and it becomes a conversation in itself. You also need to out-weird her and annoy her as much as she annoys you. And now you both can get your way with minor conflict

you can watch cartoons and talk about pop culture together. Not to mention she can always entertain you or make you laugh, intentional or not. She can recite a whole gorey B-movie from memory, and also act it out, and it intimidates you but that's what happens when the wifi goes out and she's bored

Like Wander, you end up in dangerous shenanigans together. She’s passionate like Wander, assertive like Sylvia, chaotic like Hater, organized like Peepers, fun-loving like EA, and also smart and diabolical and talented and dorky in her own way.