#i've been so unfazed by my upcoming show

[neveragainscully]

arctic monkeys opening with mardy bum!! playing it for first time in 10 years!!

[sophrosynesworld]

Just Friends?

actor!Katsuki x actress!Reader

The studio lights cast a warm glow over the set as the host welcomes everyone back from the commercial break. I stand in the wings, nervously fixing my hair. Katsuki stands beside me, unfazed by the upcoming interview. The audience buzzes with anticipation, eager to hear from us about our latest movie.

"Welcome back to the Midnight Mic, everyone!" Late-night talk show host Hizashi Yamada greets the crowd, his voice bouncing around the room, riling everyone up. "We have a great show lined up for you tonight, so don't leave your seats!" Hizashi walks from center stage over towards his desk, pulling out the chair before directing his attention towards the second camera.

"Tonight, we have some amazing guests. Please join me in welcoming two of the biggest stars on the silver screen, Katsuki Bakugo and his leading lady!"

The applause is deafening, and I can't help but smile. Katsuki gestures for me to walk out first, my heels clicking as I wave to the audience. It's instantly twenty degrees hotter as the stage lights beat down on me. I don’t have to look back to know when Bakugo follows; the crowd’s excitement peaks as he steps out, giving a casual nod, his usual confident demeanor softened by a playful smirk. He glances at me as we sit, leaning over to adjust my dress.

"It's great to have you both here," Hizashi begins, turning towards us. "You two have been the talk of the town with your new film. How's the stardom feel?"

Katsuki leans back in his chair, clearly relaxed. "It's been a wild ride," he admits, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Most of us have done fine with the publicity. My co-star, on the other hand," he jokes, nodding towards me, "couldn't handle the heat at first."

I laugh, covering my red cheeks before nudging him playfully. "Yeah, this is just my first major hit. I wasn't used to the more persistent fans. This has been a wonderful experience though. The entire crew has really bonded over the last twenty weeks.

Our host raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "You seem to have a great dynamic, both on and off screen. What's it like working together?"

I glance at Katsuki, who gives me a look that says, "Go ahead." I smile and turn back towards Hizashi. "It's honestly been amazing. I don’t think Katsuki liked me very much in the beginning—"

“I didn’t.”

"—but I finally wore him down enough to tolerate me." I laugh, swatting his arm away while crossing my legs. "He’ll never admit it, but we clicked right away. It'll inflate his ego, but he's won three Oscars for a reason." I laugh lightly, smiling at the memories.

Katsuki grins, crossing his arms. "She’s being modest. I've won 4." The crowd laughs as he changes the conversation. "Honestly, she's the best costar I've had in a while. She's going to kill me during the nominations this year. I mean, there was this one scene where she just—"

"Oh, no, not this story," I interject, laughing.

He chuckles, ignoring my protests. "We're filming this one scene with all these seasoned professionals, folks who have been in this business for decades." He pauses, looking at me. "They had to rewrite the first version of the scene because her acting was so horrifyingly raw and realistic that it traumatized the crew. They thought she was actually dying."

Our host leans in, clearly shocked. "Are you going to tell us more? You can't leave us with crumbs!"

Katsuki shakes his head, his crimson eyes sparkling with mischief. "Definitely not. You'll have to see it in theaters to find out."

I shake my head sheepishly. "I don't even know if they left it in or not. They told me to act, so I did."

"This is why I love you guys. You're always so honest about your lives." Hizashi grins. Now, I hate to gossip, but there's been a lot of questions about your off-screen relationship. Care to clear up the rumors?"

Katsuki and I exchange a knowing look, a silent agreement passing between us. I decide to answer, leaning forward slightly. "We have a really close friendship. We're both super passionate about our work and love what we do, which makes working together even better. We definitely have a flirty friendship, but it's all in good fun."

Katsuki nods, his expression softening. "Yeah, she's great. We just get each other, you know? It's easy to be around her, whether we're on set or just hanging out."

Hizashi smiles, clearly enjoying our interview. "Well, it's clear that you two have a special connection. Before we go, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?"

I turn to the camera, feeling a wave of gratitude. "Just a huge thank you to all the fans for their amazing support. This entire experience has been mind-blowing, and I can't wait for everyone to see it. We hope you love it as much as we do."

Katsuki chimes in with a grin. "Yeah, thanks for sticking with us, extras. Our new movie comes out in theaters September 22nd!"

The audience laughs and claps, clearly enjoying their money spent. Hizashi wraps up our segment, and as the band leads us to commercial, Katsuki leans over, nudging me gently. "You did great," he murmurs, a genuine smile on his face.

I grin back at him. "You weren't too bad yourself," I tease, standing up and heading back towards the green room, waving goodbye to some of our fans in the audience.

Katsuki is quick to follow, his steps only a few paces behind mine, practically pushing my bodyguard out of the way. I open the door and sit down on the oversized couch. Katsuki follows my lead, plopping himself close to me. His large hands almost instantly wrap around me, lifting me up and pulling me into his chest. I straddle him, our bodies dangerously close together.

"Just friends?" Suki whispers, his lips grazing mine as he looks at me.

"Just friends," I reply, the words soft and delicate as my freshly polished fingers wrap around the fabric of his shirt, closing the distance between us.

Authors Note: I'm obsessed with this idea and could probably write 200 of these little one shots.

[sylusheart]

`sylus: a character study

finally here with the sylus post as promised <3 if you haven't already, do check out my caleb post. in this post i'll summarise the current theories/speculations regarding sylus, however with all the new confirmations and reveals a lot of the previous theories have been debunked so i'm only going to include whats still relevant as of now. and don't worry, even in the future if most of these theories are complete waffle i'll still leave this post up, as well as my caleb one and any other upcoming lnds theory posts. as always, if i miss anything or if you want to correct anything please fill free to mention it in the comments <3 also this includes spoilers for love and deepspace veresion 2 so if you haven't finished the new updates yet and don't want to get spoiled pls look away!!! but if you're thirsty for more sylus content buckle up and keep reading, let's start... ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

ᰔ the meaning of sylus' name

starting things off simple let's look into the meaning of his name. 'sylus' can mean "from/of the woods", or more specifically the name sylus/silas originally comes from the short form of 'silvanus' which means "protector" or "guardian" (of the forest). funnily enough, this has clearly been depicted throughout he main story so far as he's been watching over mc from the very beginning. it's also said that silvanus can appear as someone who is unfazed and daring with a rebellious soul and is willing to explore the darkest woodlands - which sort of links back to how sylus is so comfortable in the N109 zone despite it being a terrifying place to others and outsiders.

ᰔ the flower in his trailer represents mc

i've seen a few people point out that the untouched flower in his trailer represents mc. seeing as sylus is the ruthless leader of onychinus he's clearly meant to be seen as someone who is unforgiving and rather rash. but amongst all of the deadliness shown in his trailer, a lone flower sits unharmed as he walks past, suggesting a softer side to him. we can assume that him avoiding to trample over the flower was intentional because he steps over his wanted poster, this small detail in general shows how he holds a tender and respectful side that he reserves for mc. ultimately, it shows how sylus is a multifaceted character - he voluntarily avoids the flower, willingly choosing to be tender even when no one was there to witness so. not to mention, on the recent stream one of the kitties (blurple) said that sylus had rescued it when it found itself on top of one of the buildings (probably in the N109 zone) and he gently set it down to a safer place on the ground after telling it that "kitties don't belong here". to me, he comes off as a man that is unforgiving when need be, he's not going to start terrorising everyone because of how he tends to behave. he seems like someone who prefers not to cross over lines unless someone has crossed his first - that's to say, he won't act hostile or irrational unless he has been wronged first. but of course, many people who know of him can find that difficult to believe because all of the stories they hear about him don't tend to have a civil ending. it's sort of like he only shows his softer side in private, which makes sense if you think about it as he probably has an endless list of enemies and the last thing he needs is having someone/something close to him used against him for blackmail or whatnot.

ᰔ sylus' heartbeat, is he actually human? i remember that before sylus came out a lot of us seemed to think that raising his heartbeat would be worse than how it already is to try and raise zayne's, although if you've tried to do it you'll notice his heartbeat tends to be very fast almost all the time. his heartbeat in game is about 90-105 in the morning and then in the afternoon/evening time it ranges between 100-164. even though it varies, it's still a faster heartbeat than the norm. but why is it more faster later on in the day? i mean it could be because he has a preference for doing things at night which explains why his heartbeat seems to be more active during those later times of the day - but regardless, it's still overly fast.

a resting heartbeat usually ranges between 60-100bpm, unless of course excercise becomes a factor - but even then sylus doesn't go red or show any physical signs that can explain why his heartbeat is so high. so the only explanation as to how his heartbeat is so fast is because he simply isn't human. but to be fair, a crow's heartbeat is usually between 150 to 200 on average when awake and can rise up to 600 when resting, but then again just because his familiar/pet is a crow and he's associated with crows it doesn't exactly confirm that he himself is a crow-human... hybrid. so... then what is he? well, there's a part in the main chapter, a flashback of some sort, where mc is reliving a memory for a bit. she's seen to be holding a hand - a hand that doesn't look very human - and called it "sylus". the creature seems to look like a wanderer, and if it really is sylus but in wanderer form, i presume he''s stuck in the transition stages (if you're familiar with zayne's dawnbreaker lore, this'll make more sense) from human to wanderer as mc can still recognise him (?) as she's holding his hand (we assume) it might be that she's resonating with him? perhaps this halted the transition process or something... but it's not clear enough to indicate what exactly is happening, from what we can tell mc appears to be covered in blood and they both seem to be injured but other than that the whole ordeal looks quite bizarre.

within the main story chapter we also see the little girl describe sylus as a monster with horns and huge wings who can never die. from what we've seen of sylus' regeneration ability (his self-healing) during that part when mc shot him (actually, it was sylus who pushed down the trigger, using mc's finger but i'll go more indepth on that below), and he healed only moments later - further proving the little girls rumor that sylus is invincible. the other attributes in her description (horns, big wings and being a monster) seems like she's just describing a devillish like wanderer, which sort of sounds like how sylus would be if he were to be one...

if we go back to the experiments involving core fragments, the people who participated in the experiment said that one is to "implant a core in a person't heart" and the other is to "implant a consciousness in a high level wanderer body" and so from here we know that mc is the former and sylus could possibly be the latter, that is - if he truly was one of the test subjects.

also, in the destiny cafe he has an interaction that says he likes observing humans and also says that things without heart are more loyal.

going back to that main story scene where there's a memory/flashback of mc and the wanderer-like being, we see the creature hand over something to mc which looks like a sword with his claw-like hands. the bottom looked like it was inlaid with a red core a red ruby, so if this wanderer thingy isn't sylus himself perhaps it was sent by sylus (?) somehow… which could be why mc says his name. the wanderer asks mc to hold it tightly and at this point (if this wanderer really is sylus) he hasn't completely transitioned into a wanderer yet as he can still talk to mc.

so if the creature/wanderer really is sylus, from what we can gather - sylus was turned into a wanderer. if mc didn't kill him, then he might've completely turned into a wanderer, which is why he said "because if you don't, there's no going back", and so sylus in his wanderer form handed mc the weapon when he was still conscious so that mc could pierce his heart and prevent him from becoming a wanderer and losing consciousness. though it doesn't look like she chose to kill him and instead opted to resonate with sylus which ultimately made his self-healing ability increase/double in power. at the same time this pulled on the energy from mc's aether core and altered the heart in sylus body, reshaping it in such way that he can now regenerate/self-heal. it also paused his transition into become a wanderer. as pointed out, this only happened because of mc resonating with sylus - which is why the voice in mc's head tells her "it's your power", because without her sylus wouldn't of gained such abilities and be able to manipulate with his evol as much as he can now. maybe the real reason why he wants to resonate with her so badly is because he wants to give mc her power back so that she can be as strong and as powerful as she once was. i'm not saying he feels 'guilty' for mc choosing to use her abilities to save sylus' life but i feel like he feels as if its his time to pay his debt to her and give her back what was rightfully hers, even if that meant he'd die in the process (which most likely will happen if he were successful). the part in the main story where sylus is on a throne and he uses his evol to pull her onto his lap and then allows her to point a gun at him and shoot him, he notes her hesitation and clasps his own hand around hers - and if you look closely in that scene he pushes down the trigger himself (pressing down on her finger) so that the shot goes through his chest. maybe he thought her power would restore to her if he was killed by her hand. when she realises whats happened, she feels immense guilt and regret, believing she was the cause of this. mc says something like "you can't die yet" in a way as if she's known him forever and not for the few hours/days we are shown in the story so far. he makes a remark, and talks a little smug over mc feeling bad for what happened. at this point, he's probably realised that his evol was beginning to take effect because of the failure to resonate with mc - meaning he was going to regenerate and not die like he assumed he would.

going back to that wanderer memory/flashback, after mc resonates with the sylus-wanderer it must've reversed the wanderers body back to human. the use of her evol in all of this must've altered fate and went beyond the rules of the unprecendented and unparalleled, sylus has also said "someone has already overcome fate" and that people have done it/conquered fate before him (source: abyssal chaos) most likely referring to how mc changed his fate so that he wouldn't turn into a wanderer. he also says something about being told a blood-soaked disaster would be waiting for him, but he twisted fate by bringing a blood-soaked disaster to other people. it seems like to me, that there is a possibility for loopholes and changes of destiny in the deepspace but it's not something that can happen so easily.

sort of like how zayne was punished for defying astra, mc must've payed a price for going against the laws of fate to save sylus. i guess this means her paid price was the result of her death as she must've been overly exhausted from the loss of energy spent to save sylus.

sylus also said mc owed him a "farewell ceremony bigger than death" because the love-hate story between them has not come to an end yet, even if she died first. i haven't read his anecdotes yet but i've heard that he searched in all the galaxies across time and space to find the mc again, only to find her in linkon city (similar to xavier's situation with mc really).

ᰔ the significance of sylus giving mc wine someone pointed out that when sylus gave mc the wine it was somewhat similar to hades giving persephone the pomegranate seeds. if you're unfamiliar with hades and persephone's story to put it short, when persephone was going to leave hades gave her pomegranate seeds and she consumed them without much thought only to later realise that she was now unable to leave now that she had consumed food from the underworld, ultimately meaning she had to stay with hades forever. i really like this theory because it does really amplify sylus' possessiveness. not to mention one of his chat bubbles is literally a pomegranate... if that doesn't solidify this theory i don't know what else will.

ᰔ so was sylus also experimented on? a lot of the scenery associated with sylus seems to show much about cages/being restricted/tamed/tied up, it could possibly nod towards being experimented on (like how mc was) which is why sylus tells mc that they are the same and true kindred spirits. even if he didn't go through the exact same experiments mc was put through its possible he went through something similar. he does have aether core inside of him after all, just like mc, and i highly doubt he was just 'born' with it, it must've been planted there by something or someone or maybe it has something to do with one of his past lives (?).

ᰔ sylus and astra, what's the extent of sylus' evol? now onto some juicy stuff, i've seen some talk about sylus being astra personified and although sylus being astra might be a little far-fetched, i do think there's some sort of connection. in zayne's foreseer myth, there's a part that says “astra gifted one of his eyes to the foreseer. by walking the winding path of time did the foreseer understand its passing.” since zayne still sees his alternate lives when he’s dreaming, it’s safe to assume that he’s still connected to that foreseer eye, but what about the other eye? isn't it strange that it's only one of sylus' eyes that glow... when mc asks sylus if his eye is an aether core he doesn’t say yes, he responds with “something like that”. if the foreseer’s eye sees one’s fate then sylus’ eye sees one’s true desires - as evident through what we see in the main story. there's also a part in zayne's last myth that sort of links back to this: “it’s said the god wields the power of yin and yang, governing life and death.”

we know astra granted his eye to zayne, but what about sylus? was it a gift too or did he steal it? and again, it's possible he was a victim of one of the experiments that happened all those years ago.

now this brings attention to rafayel's heart. was that astra's too, the aether core? if mc has an aether core, and sylus and rafayel have one too… perhaps these are all just fragments of the real aether, and maybe there's 5 fragments in total meaning xavier and caleb may have one too... mc is also heavily affected by sylus' evol which is probably due to her playing a part in how strong it has become or because his evol in general can mess with anyone regardless if they're an ordinary evolver or not. it's pretty obvious at this point that his evol is most probably the strongest we've witnessed yet, not only does he has multiple abilities and an aether core, but some of mc's power too (if the wanderer = sylus theory is correct). it's also important to note that sylus' self-healing ability which essentially allows him to survive death is similar to how mc could come back to life after the many experiments she was put through that killed her each time, i guess this confirms that the only reason sylus obtained this ability in the first place was when mc chose to save him and resonate with him once upon a time. unlike mc, he remembers everything - or so it seems. to mc his words may seem cryptic, but he probably does know more than he lets on and he just chooses to be very vague with what he says (probably out of protection, it seems he wants answers - perhaps after he gets his answers he will be more open with mc and trying to get her to remember).

ᰔ sylus and caleb/ever group (?) in the main story, when speaking about ever group sylus seems to regard them in distaste. of course, as onychinus and ever are two different groups entirely, we can assume they're also on two sides and are potential enemies. sylus makes it seem as if he's quite familiar with them, probably having dealt with them on a few occasions, but with the way he speaks of them i presume they weren't very delightful occasions. there is a part where sylus says to mc, "the people closest to you might be the ones who want to kill you the most.” which could refer to josephine and how she quite literally participated in the experiments that repetitively killed mc. but i primarily think this line has everything to do with caleb. i get the sense that the only reason sylus can know caleb is through ever group and we all can tell caleb is associated with something bigger than the aerospace academy. so if caleb truly is part of ever group, then we know one potential reason as to why sylus dislikes them, or more specifically caleb. there's also an official artwork (see below) that has a white, red-eyed snake wrapped around caleb's arm. the snake could very much represent sylus in a way. the art itself can allude to when mc went into the no hunt zone. she takes on the role as a sinner by pretending to betray the hunters, and as caleb is speculated to be the guy in the shadows in chapter 8, there's a possibility that sylus might be forcing caleb to pretend to be dead/betray mc which is why he is maintaining a low profile. as sylus is the snake and has control over caleb like a puppet with strings, in the art we can also see that both caleb and mc are tempted to eat the forbidden fruit - however, mc is able to freely do so whereas with caleb’s side of the art it looks like he will get bitten by the snake if he even dares to, it's as if there are consequences if mc ever finds out that caleb is actually alive.

that's all i've gathered for now <3 i'll update as i find more and read more of his cards (as well as the new world underneath stories... i haven't read those yet) but it might take a while for me to update because i'm swamped with work :T but anywho, thank you for reading :3 pls let me know your thoughts! (⭒•͈ 𓎺 •͈ )

[lifeofpriya]

you got me in my jannik feels so bad. like im thinking about the first time his girl watches him play tennis or goes to a practice or something and some of the other players are teasing him and maybe matteo introduces himself to you and is like “jannik hasn’t shut up about you” and jannik is blushing so much and you’re blushing and later on you’re like “so…you talk about me?” and he’d instantly get red

omggg, that'd be such a cute moment aaaaaa 😩😩 i hope i did your prompt justice 🫡

A Chance Encounter

wc: 2.1k

You stand at the edge of the tennis court, the cool breeze playing with your hair as you watch the figure moving with graceful precision on the other side of the net. The setting sun casts a warm glow on the immaculate green surface, and the distant murmur of the city seems to fade away, leaving only the rhythmic thwack of the racket and the occasional bounce of the ball.

"You must be new around here," a voice says from beside you, and you turn to find a young man with a friendly smile and a casual stance. He's tall and muscular, with a head of dark curly hair that looks as if it's been swept by the same wind that's playing with your hair. You nod, feeling a bit shy as he extends a hand. "I'm Matteo, one of Jannik's friends on the tour. You're…?"

You introduce yourself, and he nods in recognition. "Ah, yes, I've heard about you. Jannik never shuts up about you." His eyes sparkle with mischief, and you can't help but smile.

As you watch the practice session unfold, you notice the unspoken communication between Jannik and his coach. Each gesture, each grunt of effort, is met with a nod or a shout of encouragement. The air is thick with determination, and you feel a sense of awe as you realize the sheer amount of work that goes into this sport you've only ever admired from afar.

Jannik's strokes are powerful, each swing a symphony of motion that seems to defy physics. His eyes are locked on the ball, and his body moves in a blur as he darts across the court, returning serve after serve. You can't help but wonder if he's aware of your presence, if he's putting on a show for you. But as you watch the focused intensity etched into his features, you know that he's in his element, lost in the rhythm of the game.

Matteo nods towards the court. "He's really into it today. He's been working hard for this upcoming tournament. It's a big deal for him." His voice is filled with pride and a hint of protectiveness, and you get the sense that the camaraderie between the two goes beyond just being colleagues.

The practice match is intense, with Jannik pushing himself to the limit. His opponent, a burly man with a stern expression, seems unfazed by Jannik's prowess, matching him shot for shot. The rallies are long and grueling, a dance of strategy and brute strength. The sun dips lower, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, and the shadows stretch across the court. You find yourself leaning forward, your heart racing with each volley.

Matteo chuckles beside you, noticing your growing investment in the game. "It's contagious, isn't it?" He says, nudging you gently with his elbow. "The passion, the drive. It's what makes Jannik so special. He's got the heart of a lion."

As the practice session nears its end, Jannik finally glances over, spotting you. His eyes light up with a smile that seems to warm the air around him, and for a brief moment, the world seems to pause. He waves, and you wave back, feeling a flutter in your stomach.

"Looks like you've got his attention," Matteo teases, nudging you playfully. You blush, feeling both self-conscious and exhilarated.

Jannik finishes his set with a flourish, the ball sailing over the net and landing just inside the line. His opponent grunts in frustration, but there's a hint of respect in his eyes. As they shake hands, Jannik's coach calls out, "Great work today, Jannik! That's all for now."

Jannik wipes the sweat from his brow with a towel and starts walking towards you, his strides long and confident. The moment feels surreal, like you're watching a movie but you're actually a part of it. He stops in front of you, his breathing heavy but his smile never wavering. "Hi," he says, his voice warm and slightly breathless. "What do you think?"

You nod, trying to find the words to express the awe you felt watching him. "It's…amazing," you finally manage to say. "The way you move, it's like nothing I've ever seen."

Jannik laughs, a bit embarrassed. "It's just practice," he says, but his eyes betray the pride he feels.

Matteo claps you on the back. "Don't let him fool you. That's what champions do - make the impossible look easy." He playfully winks at you. "Jannik, you've got to introduce us properly."

Jannik's cheeks turn a shade of pink as he takes your hand in his. "This is…" He hesitates for a fraction of a second, searching for the right words. "This is the person who makes my life worth living off the court."

Matteo's smile widens, and he claps Jannik on the shoulder. "Well said, amico." He turns to you. "You're a lucky one, you know. Not everyone gets to see this side of him."

Jannik's hand is warm and slightly damp in yours, and you can feel the calloused grip from hours of holding his racket. He squeezes your hand gently, his gaze locked onto yours. The connection between you is palpable, a silent promise of support and understanding.

Matteo chuckles at the affectionate display. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," he says, giving you a knowing look before sauntering off to grab his own gear. The air around you feels charged as Jannik leans in to kiss you on the cheek, the scent of his sweat mingling in the air.

"So, you never shut up about me, huh?" You tease Jannik as he wraps his free arm around your waist, pulling you closer. His laugh is low and intimate, a sound that makes your heart skip a beat.

"Well, it's not every day one of us falls in love," Matteo calls over his shoulder, already halfway to the locker room. "And definitely not with someone as amazing as you."

You blush, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks as Jannik's arm tightens around you. "He's not wrong," he murmurs, his cheeks tinged with pink. "You make me want to be a better player, a better person."

You look up into his eyes, the depth of his words resonating within you. "You're pretty great already," you reply, trying to keep your voice steady. The intimacy of the moment is both thrilling and overwhelming.

Jannik's gaze softens, his thumb stroking the back of your hand. "Thank you," he says, the sincerity in his voice causing your pulse to quicken. "But having you here, watching me, it gives me something extra to fight for."

As the sun dips below the horizon, the court lights flicker to life, casting a soft glow across the now-deserted space. Jannik releases your hand and picks up a stray tennis ball, bouncing it gently in his palm. "Would you like to hit a few?" he asks, his eyes searching yours for an answer.

You hesitate for a moment, your mind racing through memories of schoolyard tennis games and weekend matches with friends. But the excitement in his voice is infectious, and you find yourself nodding. "Sure," you say, trying to sound casual despite the butterflies in your stomach.

Jannik's smile widens as he hands you a racket, one that feels surprisingly light in your hand. "Don't worry," he assures you, noticing your nerves. "We'll start slow."

The first few hits are tentative, the ball wobbling awkwardly over the net. But as you find your rhythm, the game becomes more manageable. Jannik's encouraging words and gentle guidance soon have you playing with more confidence. The air is cooler now, and the hum of the city has turned into a lull as nightfall approaches. The sound of the ball against the rackets and the occasional squeak of your sneakers on the smooth court surface are the only noises that break the silence.

Jannik watches you closely, his eyes not missing a beat. He seems to read your movements before you even make them, and his advice is always spot-on. "Keep your wrist firm," he says, "and follow through with your swing." You try to mimic his form, feeling the power in your strokes as you do. With each hit, the ball sails over the net with more precision, and you can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

The two of you volley back and forth, the tension of the practice session replaced by a playful ease. The light bounces off the ball, casting shadows that dance around you. The lights above cast a soft glow on your faces, making the moment feel both intimate and exhilarating.

Jannik's eyes are focused, but not intense like they were earlier. They're filled with a gentle warmth that makes you feel seen and appreciated. He's not the untouchable tennis star you've watched on TV; he's the person you share quiet moments with, the one who laughs at your corny jokes and holds your hand when you're scared.

You manage to get a decent serve in, and the ball zooms over the net. Jannik returns it with ease, the power behind his swing evident. "You're a natural," he says, and you laugh, feeling the heat in your cheeks. You know you're not, but his encouragement is like a shot of adrenaline.

As you continue to play, the conversation flows easily between you, ranging from the mundane to the meaningful. You learn about his training routines, his favorite foods, and his fear of heights. He listens intently as you tell him about your job, your family, and the book you're currently reading. It's a dance of shared experiences, one that feels as effortless as the game you're playing.

The air is cooler now, a welcome relief from the earlier heat. The faint smell of sweat and rubber mingled together, creating a unique perfume that's oddly comforting. You can feel the dew starting to settle on the court, the dampness seeping into the soles of your shoes. But you don't care. You're lost in the moment, in the feeling of the racket in your hand and the thump of the ball on the strings.

Jannik's eyes never leave yours, even as he moves with the grace of a panther, always one step ahead of the game. His every motion is a silent lesson, and you find yourself unconsciously mimicking his stance, his swing, the way he leans into the ball. Each hit feels like a victory, a shared secret between the two of you.

The rhythm of the game takes over, and the world outside the court fades away. It's just you and Jannik, the sound of the ball a metronome to your burgeoning love story. The ease with which he plays, the way his muscles flex and release, it's mesmerizing. You've never felt so alive, so present in a moment.

Jannik's coach calls out, "Alright, that's enough for today," and the spell is broken. You both laugh, breathless, as you realize how long you've been playing. The night air is cooler now, a gentle breeze whispering through the leaves of the nearby trees. Jannik takes the rackets from your hands and places a gentle kiss on your forehead. "You're a quick learner," he says, pride shining in his eyes.

You watch as he packs up his gear, his movements efficient and practiced. His dedication to the sport is evident, and you can't help but feel a swell of admiration for him. As you walk towards the exit, the lights from the court spill onto the path, casting long shadows that stretch out before you. "Thanks for coming to watch," he says, his voice a mix of exhaustion and contentment.

"Thanks for letting me," you reply, smiling. "It was amazing."

Jannik's eyes light up, and he squeezes your hand. "You know…Matteo wasn't wrong," he says, his voice low and earnest. "You do make me want to be better. And not just on the court."

You feel your heart race, and you look away, trying to compose yourself. "You're already pretty amazing," you murmur, your voice barely audible.

Jannik stops and turns to face you, his eyes searching yours. "But you make me feel like I can conquer the world," he says, his voice filled with sincerity. He takes a step closer, and you can feel the warmth of his body against yours. "You know that, right?"

You nod, unable to find the words to express the depth of your feelings. The air between you feels electric, charged with unspoken emotions. Jannik reaches out and brushes a strand of hair from your face, his touch tender and lingering. "You're my lucky charm," he whispers, and you lean into his embrace, feeling the solidness of his chest against you.

His arms wrap around you, and for a moment, the world outside the court ceases to exist. You breathe in the scent of him - a mix of sweat, grass, and something uniquely Jannik. It's a scent that makes you feel safe and alive at the same time. His heart beats against your chest, a steady rhythm that matches your own.

[lanaturnergetup]

excerpt from my upcoming hinny quidditch au, heaven knows i've tried, below the read more!

(thanks to @solongdaisymayy, who made me this moodboard based off this scene and incentivized me to post an excerpt!!)

The Chudley Cannons to hold tryouts this Saturday

by Ginny Weasley

The Chudley Cannons will hold team tryouts this Saturday. The event, as all Quidditch League tryouts are, will be open to the press and to any hopeful witches and wizards hoping to end up with a spot on the team. Has the Golden Boy of Quidditch done the impossible and made a spot on the Chudley Cannons something to covet, instead of something to be whispered about in shame? Only time will tell! When asked for a comment, Ms Hermione Granger, owner of the Cannons, said, “We’re looking forward to seeing what everybody has to offer; I know Ron and Harry feel the same way.” When I asked Potter if Ms Granger’s words were true, he said, “I suppose.” Full details of the tryouts can be found on page 9. 

***

Harry hates Saturdays. 

Well. Not all Saturdays, but he hates this Saturday. He arrives at the Cannons pitch early, as directed to by Ron and Hermione. Ron’s waiting for him in the dressing room. “How did tryouts go at Puddlemere United?” he asks Harry. He seems to be attempting to inhale his coffee rather than drink it, but then again, it is just seven in the morning. 

Harry shrugs, setting his rucksack down. “Intense,” he says. “But don’t worry,” he adds, seeing the look of what can only be called pure panic on Ron’s face, “we’ll be fine. Where’s Hermione?” 

“She’ll be watching the tryouts,” Ron says. “Which is Hermione-speak for I’ll be doing paperwork in the sidelines, of course.” 

“Of course,” Harry says, amused. 

He’s written to a few of his old friends, but he’s not sure who’ll be there. Some of them have played for other teams previously, to be fair, so he’s got no idea which of them will be able to show up or not. The reserve team is… fine. They’ve had a few more days’ practice, as best as they can with a team that is still technically incomplete. Harry’s had a lot of practice holding in his temper, but it’s been hard. He’s desperately hoping for a good turnout today. 

“Morning,” says a familiar voice, and Harry turns to see Ginny Weasley at the entrance of the dressing room. She’s wearing robes today, a set of well-pressed and official-looking robes, and has an official press pass around her neck. Her official press clothes, Harry surmises. 

“You’re here early,” Ron says. 

“Early bird gets the exclusive with the Golden Boy,” Ginny says cheerfully. “So, Harry, how are you feeling about the tryouts?” 

“Oh, er. I dunno,” Harry says. 

Ginny rolls her eyes. “That would make a fun exclusive, wouldn’t it? Harry Potter, the Golden Boy of Quidditch himself, says he ‘doesn’t know’ about the tryouts. Come on, you don’t have anything better than that?” 

“I really hate the Golden Boy thing,” Harry says. 

“I know,” Ginny says. “You get all frowny whenever anyone brings it up.” 

“Frowny?” Harry repeats. 

“Yeah,” Ginny says, unfazed. “So. What are you hoping for? I’ve heard that people have already started to show up.” 

“Tryouts don’t start for an hour,” Ron says. 

“Yes, but when you get the chance to play for the Golden Boy himself…” Ginny winks at Harry, and Harry feels a spasm in his chest. A spasm of irritation, he tells himself, but he doesn’t know if he manages to convince himself in the least. “If I were you,” she continues, “I’d be hoping for a strong Keeper. You’re a strong enough Seeker that you don’t have to worry too much about the quality of your Chasers. But if you get a Keeper who lets in all the goals, you’ve lost before you even start playing, you know?” 

Harry blinks. As a matter of fact, that’d been his exact thought process. “Where are you going to watch from?” he asks Ginny. 

“The stands,” Ginny says. “In the press area. Why, is this a trick question?” 

“We’ve given the press a shit area,” Harry says. 

Ron cracks a smile at that. “I knew you did that on purpose.” 

Harry shrugs. “You should sit with Hermione,” he tells Ginny. “You’ll get a better view of everything.” 

“Are you sure?” Ginny says. 

In response, Harry gets his wand out and taps the pass Ginny’s wearing around her neck. “There.” 

“Thanks,” Ginny says. There’s a mischievous smile on her face as she says, “that’s almost as good as you giving me an official comment.”  

“Better luck next time,” Harry says. “You all set, Coach?” 

“Feels weird whenever you call me that,” Ron grumbles, but gets to his feet. “Come on, then. I’m all set.” 

---

[full fic coming soon, feel free to chat with me about it until then! <3]

[amberbeach]

'ULTIMATUM'

gif belongs to me

Before you started dating, you had seen Skull and Bulk around school and knew how close they were, rarely without each other - if ever. But it wasn't until you began to date that you noticed just how much Bulk bossed Skull around or insulted him in one day. You knew how much the comments affected Skull although he never showed it unless you urged him to talk about it.

You knew when you started dating Skull, that Bulk was a package deal, but you never fully realized how much of your time with Skull was interrupted by Bulk until one day you were eating lunch together and Bulk insisted Skull shared his lunch with him, ordering him to scoot over on the bench. You stared at the boys in front of you in disbelief as Bulk took Skull's tray, stealing his lunch.

"Give it back." You said sternly.

Bulk glanced at Skull who looked between you both nervously. "What did you say?"

"I said give him back his lunch. Now." You stood up, placing your hands on the table, unfazed by the attention you had earned. Bulk pushed the tray to the side and it slid off the table. You glared at him when he stood up, matching your stance.

"Listen, missy -"

"T-Take it easy, Bulk. She didn't mean anything by it." Skull awkwardly tried to defuse the situation.

"I don't like you." You said plainly.

"I don't like you either." Bulk agreed.

"I don't like how you treat him."

"Aw, that's so cute. Your girlfriend fights your battles, does she?" Bulk chuckled, slapping Skull on the shoulder.

"No, of course not, Bulk -" Skull laughed nervously.

"You're nothing but a bully. You make him do things he doesn't want to do and mock him constantly. Yet you claim to be best friends."

"We are best friends, honey. So why don't you go over there and sit with the other losers?"

"If they are your definition of losers, then I'll gladly sit beside them to avoid the stench of stupidity." You took your bag and Skull inwardly groaned when you left.

Later that day you were in the music room, practicing on the violin when Skull entered, checking no one had seen him. You glanced at him with a sigh, knowing he was afraid of losing his image. You placed the violin back in the case and he smiled, not picking up on your mood yet as he walked over to you.

"Hey, you're sounding great." He said.

"Thanks." You smiled faintly, picking up your case and heading to the door.

"Wait," Skull turned, catching your arm. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you let him talk to you the way he does?" You asked.

"Bulk? We've been friends for a long time, you know that. That's just how he is."

"And me? He dismissed me and you didn't do anything about it." You said, tears forming in your eyes. Skull opened his mouth to speak, but you spoke before he could. "It's him or me, Eugene." 

"Babe -" He chuckled nervously.

"I mean it." You walked away and Skull frowned when you left him alone, dropping his hand to his side.

After a few minutes, he walked out of the music room, not caring who saw him leave as he walked down the hallway, in a state of shock. Bulk approached him when he saw him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, there you are. Listen I've got an idea. Why don't we go -"

"I think Y/N is breaking up with me."

"You dodged a bullet." Bulk told him with a laugh. "Anyway, if we -"

Skull shrugged off the hand on his shoulder, looking at Bulk in annoyance and disbelief. "You don't get it, do you? I really like her. But you treat her l-like crap." 

"Take it easy, Skull."

"No. Because she told me to choose. Her or you."

"And you choose me. Wise decision." Bulk grinned. "There's plenty of other babes in sch-"

"I don't want another 'babe'," Skull said, making air quotes with his fingers. "Just her. She cares about me. I've never had someone who cares about what I want. I don't like how you treat her. Or how you treat me. I'm sorry, Bulk, but if I have to choose....I choose her."

"Skull..."

"I'm sorry." Skull sighed as he walked away to find you.

Bulk frowned as he watched him leave, before noticing the stares he was receiving in the hallway. "What are you looking at?" People averted their eyes and Bulk walked away, needing time to think.

You were standing at your locker when Bulk approached you, closing your locker. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"How about we make a deal? I get Skull Monday to Saturday and you get him for an hour on Sunday." He bargained.

You scoffed, starting to walk away.

"Okay! Okay! How about I get Skull Monday to Friday and you get him on weekends?" Bulk offered.

"No." You shot down, walking into class.

Bulk followed, taking the seat beside you. "Okay, how about Monday to Saturday and you get him for a full day on Sunday?"

You pretended to think about it, before looking at him. "No."

"Bulk, you don't take this class." The teacher pointed to the door and Bulk reluctantly left.

Later, you were walking away from school grounds, talking to Katherine who assured you that you were doing the right thing, not just for you, but for Skull as well. She agreed that it was time he stood up for himself.

"Y/N?"

You turned, looking at Skull when he cleared his throat. "I just want you to know that...I choose you."

You smiled softly, rushing forward to hug him. As he buried his head in your shoulder, wrapping his arms around you, he knew he made the right decision.

For the remainder of the week, Bulk observed from a distance, as you and Skull spent time together. During the weekend he did a lot of reflecting and realized just how happy you made Skull. And he realized he shouldn't have tried to come between you.

The following Monday, you were standing at your locker, talking to Skull about the upcoming music concert when Bulk appeared.

"Uh, hey."

You glanced at Skull who was equally surprised as you were.

"Hey, Bulk." Skull greeted him while you closed your locker, standing next to him.

"I've been doing some thinkin' and...you were right. I said some things that I shouldn't have and I just wanted to say...I'm sorry." He said. "You're dating my best friend and I should have respected that. Truth is, I think you're great together."

"Thank you." You said softly.

"Yeah, thanks, Bulk," Skull said, watching his friend turn away, feeling saddened that their lifelong friendship was coming to an end.

You nudged his arm with your elbow and Skull looked at you. "Go after him."

"Really?" He tried not to look too hopeful but you nodded and he grinned, kissing your cheek before walking towards Bulk. "Hey, Bulk!"

Bulk turned around and Skull stood in front of him. "Wanna grab some lunch?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great."

You smiled when the two hugged and rolled your eyes fondly when they laughed together. You started walking to lunch, feeling Skull's arm around your shoulders moments later as he quickly caught up to you. 

While the two caught up about their weekend, you realized that despite your earlier assumptions, Bulk did care about Skull, he just didn't show it in a way you'd expect. But when faced with losing his best friend, he had swallowed his pride and apologized.

You watched the duo as they animatedly spoke to each other, shaking your head when they high-fived, coming up with another scheme. They paused, looking at you and you rolled your eyes, nodding.

Skull grinned, putting his arm around you. "See, Bulk, I told you she was great."

"Yeah, she's alright I guess." You playfully threw a fry at him and Skull chuckled when Bulk retaliated.

The duo got an idea and grinned, "Food fight!"

You squealed when Bulk threw a handful of fries at you and you stood up in shock. Skull became nervous that another fight was about to start, but when you poured your smoothie over Bulk's head he laughed, nearly falling out of his chair. Bulk threw his burger at him and Skull threw his muffin at his head.

You squealed when food threw past your table, other students joining in and you moved away, seeking refuge underneath the table. Skull and Bulk followed suit, and the three of you shared a look before bursting into laughter.

[dreamwatchpro-wrestling]

Dreamwatch Blood Crown Tournament Night 1 (Match 7)

Ryuji Katagiri vs Ren Kanzaki

Katagiri looks to regain some momentum after his shocking world championship loss to Adrien Gutierrez at Dreamwatch: REMember. With his skillset, you can say that this style of match and this tournament is the best possible for for Katagiri. Considering that Katagiri even in traditional pro wrestling matches has proven himself to be able to beat the best of the best, his ceiling here in theory would be astronomically high.

He faces off against a newcomer to Dreamwatch, Ren Kanzaki. Ren definitely isn't new to the world of pro wrestling though, with all of the hallmarks of a grizzled veteran badass etched all over his body. Kanzaki and Katagiri are very familiar with each other due to Katagiri's upcoming and training in the JTW dojo. You could safely assume that Kanzaki taught Katagiri everything that he knows. If there's anyone that could not only beat Katagiri but utterly decimate him, it would be Ren Kanzaki.

This match was one of the most fascinating things I've seen in Dreamwatch for some time. It starts off with some very excellent fighting from two men with high caliber combat expertise. Tons of kicking and grounded submissions that both men were forced to adapt too. I feel like under most circumstances, people would be intimidated by a man like Ren Kanzaki. He looks like he's spent decades breaking people in half. Katagiri, however, showed no fear whatsoever (which makes sense considering Katagiri is pretty intimidating himself) and spent so much of this match walking forward into Kanzaki and attacking with a seemingly endless supply of energy. That's where things got realy fascinating. Katagiri had an endless supply of energy, and Kanzaki definitely did not.

At around nine minutes into the bout, Kanzaki was seemingly completely spent. He slowed to a crawl, practically unable to maneuver around Katagiri at all, which Katagiri took advantage of with a spinning heel kick. Most amateurs would be unable to do anything here, but Kanzaki was somehow able to sit in place and defend. Kanzaki's iron fortress-like defense was extremely impressive and honestly extremely hard to penetrate, Katagiri going in for offense and getting countered and struck down for his trouble while Kanzaki was gaining his breath. This incredible display went on for five minutes!

Eventually, Ren was firmly back in the game. Obviously hurt, and his stamina wasn't at 100% or anything, but he was able to move around at least. Katagiri, though, was unfazed. Katagiri kept marching forward, refusing to be denied, refusing to be intimidated, refusing to back down. Katagiri decided to truly end it in spectacular fashion, landing one of his signature hard punches and completely knocking Kanzaki out, resulting in a referee stoppage. With a single punch through the ironclad defense, Katagiri moves on to the next round!

Ryuji Katagiri: Ren Kanzaki. It's been so long since I've seen him, and he's as tough as he's ever been. Ren likes to be hard on me, and I knew he would try to decimate me out there. I can't afford that right now, I had to avoid losing at all costs. Not that I really care all that much, but all of the conversation backstage about me is about my championship loss to Gutierrez. It was my first defense, and now none of us have seen the title since its out of the country being held by someone who isn't actually in Dreamwatch. I don't want to enter a slump, I don't want to be a flash in the pan, so this match was a must-win for me to shut down the conversation. Kanzaki is a hard guy to beat, though. I've fought him many times, and the best way to beat him is to practically break his face with a strike, otherwise he's smart enough to survive any situation you can put him in. Maybe he was mad at me too for my championship loss and wanted to knock some sense into me. That's something he would do. You don't need to check on me, Kanzaki. I'm good here. I'll crush you if you test me again like this, but it was nice seeing you. See you all in the next round.

Ren Kanzaki: Katagiri... What the hell do you think you're doing out here, idiot?! Losing your title in your first defense? A joke. You make your title look like shit! Then I sat here and beat the shit out of you practically standing still until you started flailing your limbs like a child! Is this what you learned from JTW? Is that all? Stop slacking, dickhead. This is why I hate having my name linked to yours at all, you're going to make me look bad. You wont care about anything I'm saying, but you're a disappointment to yourself, I can tell. You can't fool me, I can tell when you're wallowing on the inside. Stop being a fucking baby, it makes me sick. Don't even get me started on the rest of that group. Those slackers haven't done a single thing. I've done more than them and I'm not even signed here! The fuck is wrong with all of you? Whatever, I'm not your father. If you want to waste your career, I'll take all of your places here.

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and Her Gunn (Part 115 2Xs2) "True Intentions"

@crystalbaby12 @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @5sosfam1dlover @rosefilledhearts-blog

"I've got different colored sticky tabs for the different spaces." Luna announces as she enters her storage unit.

Jackie and Sam are there with The Movers. Luna goes through picking out which pieces will go to The Brownstone, her Studio Apartment and the Recording Studio she just bought. She had signed the closing paperwork electronically with Monica and Ben earlier this week on the latter properties. The Apartment is ready but the Recording Studio needs a contractor for the equipment installation. Jackie being on top of that, they start the gutting process next week. Everything else is being moved out today.

"Whoah!!! Be carful with that!!" Sam cries out in concern as she watches The Movers roughly handle an original, stretched Mapplethorpe.

"What the FUUUUUCK." Luna groans as she rubs her forehead. "Why wasn't that crated?" She asks no one in particular as her phone rings. "Hello?" She sighs into the receiver.

It's Kylie. Luna's therapist. Calling because it's 2P on every other Thursday. Luna excuses herself, trusting Sam and Jackie while she finds an empty stairwell.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"It's just conflicting, Ky... " Luna let's out with an annoyed sigh and a cloud of smoke from her pen while playing with Colson's padlock around her neck.

She's been on the phone with Kylie for the last 45mins talking about everything and anything. Colson, Justin, trust, feeling over exposed, setting up the lable. Her therapist advising her to breathe as always and to make a Pros and Cons list regarding marrying Colson. Knowing there is no option, Luna humors her with an Okay before they get off the phone.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"How do we look?" Luna asks after coming back in from the stairwell.

"Good." Jackie begins to reassure her. "Everything you want is loaded into the two trucks. I'm gonna ride to The Brownstone and Sam to The Apartment... Uhm, Lee said you're good to go at Electric Lady Land around 7P... "

"And I talked to Mikey, he'll be there no problem." Sam chimes in.

"You guys are fucking AWESOME. Thank you." Luna pulls them in for a three way hug. "I gotta go meet Petey." She informs them once they release. "You guys good without me?" She asks.

Both women nod. Giving promises of phones calls if there's any problems as Luna heads back towards the stairwell; popping another XR and two 30s during her descent. It shouldn't be THAT hard... They're only responsible for moving half of her life.

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

Colson gets in touch with The Boys and heads to Amsterdam Billiards for pool and beers. Popping his own handful of Adderall along the way. Stepping out of the cab, Mod greets him with an excited hug.

"What up, Kid!" He squeezes his unhappy friend. "Aww, come on... Don't be like that, you know Luna'll come around. She always does." Mod tells him with a slap on the back as they walk inside.

Benny, Baze, AJ, Rook and Slim have a table racked up. Mod grabs more beers as Colson joins them. They're all talking about the GMA performance. Agreeing it was killer. While Rook also can't stop talking about Jackie.

"Good luck with that, Rookie. I don't think Loons is doing any of us any favors right now." Colson sighs as he leans down to break.

"Shit. Speak for yourself, that's my homie, Dawg." Rook disagrees with him as he swigs his beer.

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

Luna meets Pete on The Delancey's rooftop bar. He's already sat when she walks in. Noticing her, he stands for them to hug Hello. His normal excitement clearly missing as she orders a drink.

"I heard you and Colson got into it after I left." Luna cuts right to the core.

"Yeah. He wants to blame me for him running his mouth." Pete starts to complain to Luna's silence. "Like I started all this shit."

"You kinda did... I love you Petey but whether I cheated on Colson or Justin, like I told you last night, it's none of your business. My betrayal didn't land on you or even Colson so really the two of you are fighting over some shit that doesn't even concern you. It's that simple." Luna explains.

"So you did cheat on Beebs?" Pete asks her, ignoring everything else she had said.

"Yeah, Petey. I told you last night that I had an affair. I'm not proud of it but it happened." Luna shrugs as she fights back tears of guilt.

"Who was it?" He pries.

"What? No. You don't get to ask questions like that... Like, I don't understand why this feels like you're mad at me for some reason. I didn't do ANYTHING to you." Luna furrows her eyebrows at him as she takes a sip of her drink.

"Yeah but you did do something to my friend that he never did to you." Pete looks into his beer and then up at Luna.

"You didn't know Justin and I's relationship as well as you think you did. Just like you don't know nearly as much about me and Colson as you think you may. My turn? Your judgmental attitude towards me is really disappointing and if you're so worried about your FRIENDS than go make up with the one that's still in town. I'm outta here though." Luna swallows the rest of her Old Fashioned with two gulps. "Hit me up when you're done being a dick." She calls over her shoulder as she walks out of the bar.

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

Mike's sitting alone outside of Electric Lady Land when Luna arrives. Lighting a cigarette, he looks up. Green eyes taking her in as he stands to grab her guitar case from her.

"What's goin' on, Luna?" He asks as he sits back down and takes a drag from his Marlboro.

Luna fishes around in her bag for her joint box and flask. Finding them both, she takes a swig before offering it over to his acceptance. Lighting a joint, she sighs out a cloud of smoke as they sit in silence. Sometimes no talking is good.

After a while Sam shows up. The three of them head inside to meet up with Lee. Thanking him, he tells Luna no one was even booked as they begin to set up in Studio A.

Realizing they need producers, Luna calls Slim. Then Snaps Colson. Setting her bag on the table, she pulls out supplies. Weed, whiskey, cigarettes and more weed. Popping another few 30s before laying her guitar back onto her body.

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

"Yeah! No problem, we'll be down there ASAP." Slim says into his phone. "That was LunaTic, she wants us to come produce the track." He says excitedly to Baze once he hangs up. "Dawg! We gonna make some music in Jimi Hendrix's fucking spot, Yo!!" He exclaims as they slap hands across the pool table.

Colson's just about to put his two sense in when his phone goes off. Digging in his pocket, it's not the message he was expecting. It's a Snap from Luna.

"If I want? What kind of fucking shit is that?" He scoffs in his mind. "Why's she so fucking hot even while she's being such a fucking a bitch." He finds himself becoming annoyed with how much he wants her and her resistance towards him. He shoves his phone back in his pocket without responding.

The Boys are getting ready to head to  Greenwich Village when Colson's phone goes off again. It's the message he's been waiting for. Telling The Boys he'll meet up with them later, he's out the door before they pay the tab.

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

Luna's leaned towards Mike in the booth when Colson walks in. He can't hear them but he doesn't like that he can see him making her laugh. Mike's a little to comfortable in his interactions with Luna in Colson's personal opinion. Luna catches the back of his blonde hair and significant tattoo as she looks up, watching as he walks out of the room. He quickly heads down the hall towards the bathroom, promptly pulling out the quarter ounce of cocaine he'd grabbed from Nipple.

Colson walks back into the studio just as Luna, Sam and Mike begin recording. Sitting with Slim and Baze at the soundboard, he grabs a pair of headphones and slips them on. Listening and watching intently. Luna can feel his eyes burning straight into her soul.

Nailing it on the third full take, they leave it alone. Luna doesn't want it mixed. Layered, yes but not mixed. She's always preferred the gritty, garage rock sound over studio polish any day. Coming out of the booth, she approaches Colson as he stands up.

"You came." She purrs with a drunken slur to her sentence as she wraps her arms around his waist.

"I go where you go, Kitten. Always." He promises her before lifting her chin to kiss her deeply; enjoying their first real kiss of the day but opening his eyes half way through to stare down Mike from around the side of the top of her head.

Hanging out afterwards, they celebrate with beers and lines. Luna declining as everyone else partakes in Colson's party favor. Having done enough other drugs all day, she's still buzzing from earlier so she's solid without it. Preferring to burn and drink instead.

"What do you have recorded so far?" Mike asks Luna about her upcoming album.

"I think maybe three out of an ambitious twenty!" Luna laughs softly at herself.

"I'm down to help with anything you need." Mike offers as he passes her a joint.

"Thanks... I'm probably gonna take you up on that." Luna answers. "I don't really have a band right now and we... "

"That's why you got us." Rook interrupts her while plunking down on the couch beside her and tossing an arm around her shoulders; he doesn't like the way Mike has been hanging around Luna either.

"That I do." Luna giggles as she kisses his cheek.

"We backed her on Nightmare and I produced Outlaw." Rook declares proudly while studying to the musician.

"That's cool, Little Man." Mike responds unfazed by Rook as he stands up. "Luna, you got my number if you wanna use it for anything. I gotta run though." He smirks at Rook as he leans down to peck her cheek.

"You want me to walk you out?" She offers.

"Nah, I'm good... I'll catch you around though." Mike smiles at her before heading for the door.

Watching the entire interaction, Colson follows behind him. Calling out his name, he catches him in the hallway right at the front door. Mike turns around unamused.

"You know we're engaged, right?" Colson questions him with an irritated tone.

"Yeah... And?" Mike cuts back while cocking his lip.

"AND? And I don't like the way you fucking act around her so back the fuck up." Colson snaps at him.

"Gonna be kinda hard since it seems that SHE wants ME as her new bassists." Mike laughs at him while slapping him on the shoulder.

"Gonna be kinda hard to play ANYTHING when I snap your fucking fingers." Colson warns him as he shoves Mike up against the wall; Mike's 6'2 so there's not much of a height difference between them.

"Try it, My Man." Mike chuckles, unimpressed by Colson's threat.

"You know what, you're right... " Colson let's him off of the wall. "Maybe I overreacted." He says as he opens the door for Mike and he begins to walk through. "Or maybe I FUCKING didn't!" Colson growls as he grabs Mike's right hand and jerks him back.

Slamming it with the door, in between the frame. One. Two. Three. Four times. Most likely breaking it.

"YOU PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT!" Mike screams as he grasps his mangled hand.

"You can walk away right now or you can crawl away with two broken legs also." Colson advises as he props the door open again.

"You're gonna FUCKING regret this." Mike snarls to Colson's emotionless stare as he holds his hand and turns to leave. "That was a bad fucking move, My Man." He calls out from the sidewalk.

"Maybe it was... Maybe it wasn't... But DAMN if it didn't feel good." Colson walks back to the studio with a pep in his step for the first time today; having released a majority of his stress. "I never liked that motherfucker anyway." He thinks as he opens the door, looking to locate only Luna. Knowing in the back of his mind that her and Sam are gonna probably fuck him up for what he just did but he doesn't care. Fuck that Dude, he doesn't want him around Luna regardless of the cost.

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"There's stuff!!" Rook exclaims pointing at the large, round arial rug, crates and boxes in The Living Room as they return to The Brownstone. Everyone but Luna is zooted, even Sam. "Yo!!" Check out these fucking chairs!" Rook continues to holler, now from The Study.

It's also stacked with boxes of Luna's books and vinyls. Having one wall with floor to ceiling bookshelves, she's looking forward to using them. Walking in, she finds Rook lounging on one of the two highback, purple velvet chairs she owns along with the exposed Mapplethorpe.

"What's up with that picture?" Rook asks as he accepts a beer from Luna.

"My grandfather shot it." She tells him proudly as they clink their beers together.

"It's really cool. Like the two flowers are reaching out for each other. Like death grasping for life." He says thoughtfully.

"I think that's what he was going for." Luna smiles to herself, admiring the exceptional piece.

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Luna makes her way upstairs to the shower. Turning Fletcher on, she lights up a joint as she cuts up another two 30s and swallows two Xanax bars. It's been a long day, she hasn't been to sleep in almost 48hrs and she's incredibly shaky from all the Adderall. Wanting to simply wash everything away and knock the fuck out.

"Hey... " Colson's sitting on the bed when she comes out of the bathroom.

"Hi." She answers as she stops and looks at him with a sigh.

"Please come're, Luna." He asks for her as he reaches his arms out yet again.

This time she does. Sitting on his lap in her towel, she wraps her arms around him and nuzzles her head into her spot in the crook of his neck. Resting his chin on her head, Colson and Luna hold each other silently besides his constant sniffling.

"Loons, I'm sorry." Colson speaks first. "I shouldn't... "

"Please. I'm SO tired." Luna whines. "But, Colson, it's not the secret that you told. I would've told Justin had he cared to notice or ask. It's that you told A secret because I've got bigger ones than that. You have no idea." She sighs sadly.

"Like what, Kitty?" Colson pries with concern.

"Seriously, I am so fucking tired, Col. Can I please just sleep. I promise I'll tell you everything." She pleads with him as the Xanax begins to take over.

"Okay... " Colson agrees as he kisses her forehead. "Lay with you?" He asks.

"There's no way you can lay down right now... Just come to bed eventually, please." Luna requests.

"Yeah." He promises "I love you." He tells her before taking her face in his hands and kissing her passionately.

"I love you too." She kisses him lightly on the lips again once they release before crawling off of his lap.

Dropping her towel, Luna climbs into their bed. Wrapping herself in the warm, custom blanket, she snuggles into the pillow with heavy exhaustion. Colson leans down and kisses her cheek. Dropping another I love you into her ear as she mumbles the same. She's out before he closes the door.

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Colson, Sam, Baze, Rook, AJ, Benny, Mod and Slim are downstairs for the next few hours. Jamming, talking uncontrollably and bouncing in and out off the front stoop to smoke cigarettes as they blow through the bag of coke. 

The house is still bare so they decide it's a good idea to start setting Luna's books up on the shelves. They're all high as fuck, doing whatever they want. Sam and Mod begin trying to organize her vast collection but are making no sense. Baze gets caught up in a hardback limited edition entitled The Great Big Book of Rock and Roll. Slim and Colson are in awe when they open a box of her records. Sitting on the floor, they start going through them like little kids in a candy store. Rook's really flying and gets bored quickly, heading into The Living Room to beat his energy out on his new drum kit. Benny and AJ are the only chill ones as always. Maxed out in the purple chairs, they continuesly puff on and pass blunts to the other wackos. Luna sleeping through it all.

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Sam and Colson find themselves out on the stoop alone. Their normal awkward silence is gone as cocaine fuels their conversation. Talking all things Luna. This is one of the reasons Sam barely hits the slopes, she talks too fucking much when she's on 'em.

"You can't be mad at Pete." She offers up her opinion. "Luna's like another little sister to him." She tries to explain.

"Yeah but he's supposed to be my bestfriend." Colson disagrees.

"I get that... So can't you understand the fucked up spot you put him in between the two of you?" Sam counters as she takes a drag off of her Camel.

"Yeah... I think he thought she cheated on me... " Colson trails.

"Look, he had a really hard time with Justin and Luna's relationship too. We both did. Justin would disappear and we'd be looking for him with Luna. Sometimes we'd find him sometimes we wouldn't. Sometimes he'd call Pete, me or Izak on his own. Pete and Izak would hide him... It was fucked up." Sam shakes get head in dismay as her own heart breaks. "Justin would get clean, be good for a minute but then relapse all over again and she'd be a fucking mess. If anyone tried to paint their relationship as picture perfect to you than they didn't truly know them. Luna and Justin had a lot of problems." Sam admits to one of the first people ever; Colson seeming to have that effect on people.

"She doesn't really talk about him... I mean a little but I can tell it's restrained." He sighs.

"There's my Sammy Bam Bam!" Baze interrupts them with a grin as he opens the door.

"Make up with Pete." Sam pats Colson on the shoulder as she stands up to head inside with her boyfriend.

The Cocaine Cowboys eventually round their night out. Sam following Baze to his room as Rook, AJ, Benny, and Slim head to theirs. Mod being super grateful for the spare bedroom he slept in last night. Colson making his way up to a still sleeping Luna.

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Stripping his clothes, Colson climbs into bed with Luna. Her body is warm as he slides himself around her. Firmly running his hand up her outer thigh, along her hip and ribcage before crawling around her breast. Feeling every inch of her once more as he runs his hand back down her slender body.

Luna moans as her hips begin to shift back and forth out of need and instinct. Colson grows harder against her back as he slips his fingers along her pussy lips. Feeling her juices spill out as he lightly dips his finger inside of her.

"Mmm... Fuck, I've missed her taste." He mentally moans, not being a able to resist sticking his fingers in his mouth as his tongue dances around her unique flavor.

"I wanna fuck you." Colson husks deeply into her ear while he grabs her tit.

"Mhm." Luna murmurs hazily as she perks her ass into him.

Getting the Go, Colson seperates her delicate lips with his fingers. Taking his time, he slowly guides himself into Luna. Feeling her body tense as she moans and pushes her ass deeper into him. Tangling their legs in each other's, Luna reaches behind and grabs the back of Colson's neck to pull him closer to her. Kissing every inch of her that he can reach, he fucks her sternly while she bounces lazily off of his cock. With her face and closed eyes still resting softly in her pillow; she moans and fucks Colson contently in her sleep and drug induced state.

There's something about a SleepFuck that's incredibly satisfying to Luna. Her walls clutch Colson's dick in pleasure, making he thrusts harder. Releasing himself as he feels her cum all over him.

"FUCK." He breathes into her bare neck.

"Mmm... " Is Luna's only response, she's already almost back asleep.

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Pete shows up on The Brownstone's stoop with two coffees. Colson meeting him with four blunts. The two friends take a seat. Colson firing up the first blunt after Pete hands him his coffee.

"Yo... I'm sorry, Dawg." Colson starts as he exhales. "I put you in some shit... "

"Nah, Homie." Pete cuts him off as he accepts the blunt. "Luna's business is her own. No matter who it's with." Pete sighs. "I just worry about her, Man. And you too. I've seen you both go through some fucked up shit and I don't want to see it again, I guess." Pete half shrugs as he takes a pull.

"Look, Sam ACTUALLY talked to me last night so I get it a little more than I did before." Colson tells him as he accepts the blunt.

"It was just hard... " Pete shakes his head at the memories.

"I don't want this to fuck us up." Colson bares his soul to one of his bestfriends.

"Me neither." Pete agrees as he reaches for the second blunt and fires it up.

Both friends look at each other. There's an understanding between men that can happen without words. This is one of those times. With a simple nod, Pete and Colson are good. Going on to enjoy their coffee, each other and the NYC morning as they get high and bust it up like nothing ever happened.

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Luna's extra miserable when Colson wakes her up for their flight back to LA. The lack of sleep, too many drugs and her gunshot wound have her aching in every sense of the word. She doesn't shower. Just throws on sunglasses, cuttoffs and an oversized Hotel Diablo hoodie.

They make it to JFK just in time for their 11A flight. Everyone is dragging, not only Luna. Proving that cocaine is a Motherfucker. Once seated in first class, everyone knocks back out. Luna curling up against Colson as his face lays on her head and arm rests upon her bare leg.

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It's just before 8P by time they make it back to The LA House. Everyone is tired. No one is happy. All dropping their luggage in The Living Room before heading to their beds. They're so mentally jacked, no one's even thought to check The Charts, let alone eat at all day.

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Luna and Colson sleep clean until the next morning until her alarm goes off. Colson groans as she shifts away from him. Climbing out of the bed, she reaches high to stretch. Colson watching her out of one slitted eye.

"Why are you up?" He asks flatly.

"So you can truly see me." Luna answers before disappearing into the bathroom.

It takes a shit ton of coaxing and drugs to get Colson moving after Luna's shower. Complaining the whole time as she hands him water and joints. Once in the shower he starts to feel slightly better after he jerks off. He's FINALLY fully functional after his Adderall and coffee kicks in.

Not getting as much sleep as Luna and doing way more drugs, he's really edgy. She hands him a football before they walk out of the bedroom. He's so pissy they leave the house quietly without his trademark WE OUT.

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"Can I have the keys?" Luna asks, she's dressed in an overall romper, white shirt, long socks and one of her leathers as they walk towards the Rover in the early Saturday sun.

"Why?" Colson asks back as he tosses them to her in his own ripped jeans and black T.

"I need to drive and you need to listen." She answers before sliding into the driver's seat.

"You're talking to me now?" He counters with a slight attitude as he buckles his seatbelt.

"Do you think this is a fucking game?" Luna whips her head towards him.

"No." He answers solemnly as he sparks a joint.

"You don't seem to fucking get it at all." Luna shakes her head as she pulls out of the driveway.

"Look Loons, I'm sorry I fucked up with the Tommy and Justin thing. I shouldn't have said shit no matter how I was feeling." He exhales his apology as he passes her the joint and finally pops the Xanax she gave him.

"You still don't get it, Colson. How many times do I have to tell you.. It's not the secret you told. It's that you TOLD a secret. Period. You don't seem to realize that I'm dirtier than a fucking affair... Fuck." Luna let's out an exasperated sigh. "Let's be honest. In the short time you've known me; I've committed coercion, shot a federal agent, am in the process of setting up an underground abortion clinic... Oh! And I was blackmailed into issuing a public apology for fucking up one person out of what? A fucking dozen? And that's only been in the last 3MNTHS... Seriously, I am a fucking criminal." Colson stares at her as everything begins to register. "Fuck, I've got things going on that you don't even know about yet." She continues to worry as she hits the joint a few times while staring ahead. "And now, I'm terrified to fucking tell you about them."

"Like what?" Colson asks her with a concerned, yet amused SideEye as he takes the joint.

"Why should I tell you? Every criminal who's been caught is usually taken down because of their irrational lover." She looks over at him with a light smirk and hazy blue eyes for the first time during their car ride.

"You really gonna play me like that?" He scoffs at her before inhaling a huge hit.

"I don't know. You wanna say don't call Jax but are your stupid ass, jealous comments gonna get me popped one day?" She bites back as she fumbles for her cigarettes.

"Are you fucking serious?" He spits out as he starts to get angry with her. "What the fuck do you think I would do to you and what the fuck else are you doin' that's worse than what I already know? And where the FUCK are we going?" He demands as they continue to drive.

Luna's quiet for a long moment as she smokes her Newport. She's trying to keep herself calm and figure out exactly how to tell Colson about what things. Already having made her decision long before they got into the SUV to give up her biggest secret.

"Tell me, Luna." Colson asserts as he lights another joint.

"All in?" She asks him firmly as she looks over at him and holds his stare while he grabs her hand to reassure her. "I told you... I'm dirtier than you think. I own properties that clean money and stash shit for one of the biggest distributors on The East Coast." Luna admits in a hushed voice.

"It's for Tommy, isn't it?" Colson immediately snaps as his mind flashes back to his conversation with Benny.

"OH MY FUCKING GAWD!!" Luna can't help but scream. "You are so fucking hung up on other dudes that it's insane and probably what's gonna get me caught!" Luna stops. "How can you not see that I tell you more about myself WILLINGLY than any other human being on This Earth? That you know more about me than Justin ever did." Luna's lip trembles as tears escape from her eyes. "So, yeah... It started with Tommy but I have bigger associates now... " Luna shakes her head. "That's only a blip though. There is so much more at stake for me than that!" Luna slams her palms against the steering wheel in frustration as she begins to sob. "You have no fucking idea." She shakes her head again as her voice breaks.

"Then what is it, Luna?" Colson softens his tone with her.

Coming to a stop light, Luna turns her head and looks Colson dead in the eyes. Her hands are clutching the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles are white. There's a look on her face he's never seen before. It's a mixture of sadness, pain and determination. Taking a shuddered sigh, Luna flicks her cigarette out the window. She finds herself begging The Universe that he won't betray her this time as she's about to tell only Colson her true intentions. Lighting her own joint, she inhales deeply and holds the hit in. Looking over at Colson, she studies him. He stares back, waiting for her words.

"I'm gonna kill Smurf." She states icily before turning away, releasing the brake and focusing on what's ahead. "Still wanna marry me now?" She asks, puffing on the joint without taking her eyes off of the road.

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Part 2 of 2

To be continued...