#let's dance around the flame together and lose ourselves

[ratcandy]

ah no the moth is in my head permanently

[untoldreader]

Heartbeat Acceleration

Kate bishop x fem reader

Summary

The attraction turns to something more as their hearts start to beat faster every time they see each other. There is an urgency and passion that can't be denied

Warnings

None?

Tag list

@nayarianna1302 @tigerlillyruiz @alexawynters

As our journey together continued, the attraction between Kate and me began to transform into something deeper, something that ignited a fire within our souls. Every time our eyes met, our hearts would race, and a sense of urgency and passion filled the air. It was a connection that transcended words, a language only our beating hearts could understand.

In the midst of the chaos and danger that surrounded us, our stolen moments took on a heightened intensity. The world would fade away, leaving only the two of us, entangled in a dance of desire and longing. Each touch, each kiss, became a testament to the unyielding love and passion that burned between us.

There were nights when the weight of our responsibilities felt overwhelming, when the dangers of the Universe threatened to tear us apart. But it was during those moments of uncertainty that our love blazed brightest, fueling us with the strength to endure.

In the heat of battle, as Kate unleashed her archery skills with precision and grace, I stood by her side, offering unwavering support. The thrill of the fight, the adrenaline coursing through our veins, only heightened the intensity of our connection. It was as if the chaos of the world around us served to strengthen the bond that held us together.

But it wasn't just in the face of danger that our hearts beat faster. Even in the quiet moments, when the world paused and allowed for stolen breaths, our connection remained electric. A simple touch, a glance across a crowded room, was enough to set our hearts ablaze.

There were nights when we would steal away to secluded corners of the city, hidden from prying eyes. In those moments, time seemed to stand still as our bodies melted into one another, our souls intertwining in a dance of passion and vulnerability. The urgency of our love manifested in every caress, every gasp, as if we were trying to capture eternity within the confines of our embrace.

But as the fires of passion burned brighter, so too did the risks we faced. The line between love and danger became increasingly blurred, and we found ourselves navigating a treacherous path. The fear of losing each other, of the unknown that lay ahead, only fueled our desire to hold onto every stolen moment with an unyielding grip.

In those moments, we surrendered ourselves completely to the intensity of our connection, knowing that time was fleeting. We were aware that the world could snatch us apart at any moment, yet we refused to let it extinguish the flame that burned between us.

Our love was a force that defied the boundaries of the Universe, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. We were two souls intertwined, traversing a world of heroism and sacrifice, driven by an undeniable passion that transcended the boundaries of space and time.

As we faced the challenges that lay ahead, we did so with hearts entwined, our love serving as a beacon of hope through the darkest of times. The urgency and passion that coursed through our veins only grew stronger, reminding us that every stolen moment was a gift, a precious reminder of the depth of our connection.

Together, we embraced the journey that fate had bestowed upon us, knowing that our love would guide us through the trials and tribulations. The heartbeat acceleration that pulsed through our veins served as a constant reminder that our love was a force to be reckoned with—a force that would endure, no matter what the future held.

[anonymous-spider]

I lost my keys.

I’m so lucky.

(This will not be that coherent — I want to test out a theory.)

So this thing happens anytime I have a really joyful moment or event. I get myself hyped up, I enjoy myself and I’m happy, and then I lose something really important, or forget something really important.

It’s not the first time it happens.

And it’s a specific kind of joy — it’s the joy I have when I’m enjoying myself because of others’ joy. Let me say out an example:

My choir conductor is Lebanese. Her parents and brothers have come to the concert we’re having. She had to leave for some time, leaving them to wonder around, and we formed a group, presenting the family some buildings and some history from Romania. They were enjoying themselves and I felt happy that they were happy. They wanted to try out some Romanian food, so I made a reservation at a Romanian restaurant in the City Center. Me and the other chorists planned out the route we were going to tale to show the people around — it went great, we had fun, or at least it seemed like it. We got there and sat down, the music was absolutely beautiful and we were enjoying ourselves. We got to dance together and share subjects. They loved the dessert. I was happy because they were happy — I simply didn’t matter to the point I could still pe of use and make everyone feel comfortable and welcome.

So I did my job well, and the conductor thanked me for all that. And we had fun. I was having fun in an unusual way, because it didn’t depend on me — I was just happy that everyone was alright, not even being sure that I was alright. I wasn’t the matter there, but they were, and I’m glad I did well.

And now, after all the laughing and after all that giving/offering, I find out that I have lost my keys to the house and I cannot get inside. My dad is mad. I am a child, a scoundrel. I cannot get things right. I’m not good at anything. I cannot be treated as an adult, as I expect to be treated.

And I have lost my keys.

This is not the first time this happens. I have episodes like this one where I like to offer as much as I can give, and where I get my happiness from just seeing others happy — and this happens especially when I see people capable of love, like a loving family, like a healthy boundary. I generally cannot find this type of pleasure and joy that often because I simply do not see people happy, so I’m not either. Yet, when I see happy people, I feel like giving them everything, because I like to fulfill happiness, I like to keep the flame alive and well fed.

Well, the gods must be mad at hybris. I must get so happy that it is necessary to lose/forget something, so as not to be that radiant anymore, so as not to be punished. I must shine that bright that I need to be levelled down, because I might be punished — that’s why my guradian angel makes me go inside out, upside down, so I don’t get punished for my hybris.

[imastrangeone98]

Indulgence

(A/N: y'all I have to write for daddy zhongli I HAVE TO ITS AN ABSOLUTE NEED)

WARNING: mild smut. Some poorly attempted background and plot. That is all

Daddy zhongli came home I wasted around $100 for him but it was worth it to hear his sexy voice 🥺

Love is a human indulgence. Zhongli knows this better than anyone else. He had spent countless millennia without it, after all, and had functioned just fine.

...So, why? Why do you captivate him so deeply, so helplessly, that he can't possibly imagine a day going by without stopping by your humble tea shop for just a mere glimpse of your face?

Why do you cause his heart to cease beating the moment your sweet voice reaches his ears, oh so politely asking him to stay for a cup of tea, maybe even a homemade moon cake?

But most of all... why do you make him hunger?

Even now, as the two of you walk through the harbor, his eyes never stray far from your lips. His hand never leaves your waist. His ears focus on the rhythmic cadence of your words.

And most of all, his tongue craves your taste.

He imagines you squirming beneath him, whimpering his name as he buries his face between your legs, tongue delving further and further into your tight, wet-

"Zhongli? Are you feeling alright? Your face is positively red!"

You reach out to brush a hand against his forehead, but he gently nudges it aside, out of fear that if you touch him, he will lose himself completely.

"Pardon me; it seems I was lost in thought. Let's continue on, shall we?"

But the images never left. In fact, they evolved.

He can no longer look at you without having the most depraved thoughts race through his mind.

Your voice moaning his name. Your hands scratching his back. You legs wrapped around his waist as he pounds into you, over and over, until he can no longer tell where he ends and you begin.

When he lays down for the night, it is not sleep that embraces him, but instead, the phantom image of your arms. The feel of your nonexistent chest meeting his back, as you whisper for him to lie back down.

He feels your presence in every aspect of his life. From the tea he drinks, to the silk sheets on his bed, he sees you. He feels you. He smells you. He tastes you.

You reek of indulgence. And he wishes for nothing more than to indulge. After all, he is no longer bound to the duties of the Geo Archon. In many aspects, he is, essentially, human.

So... why not indulge as the humans do?

[...]

It is raining.

The two of you are just returning from a peaceful walk around the harbor when it suddenly begins to pour, complete with flashes of lightning in the distance. And you, with your ever gracious heart, offer to let him shelter in your home until the storm passes.

As the two of you sit in the waiting room, sipping on a warm milk tea you made, he takes note of everything in your small, yet cozy home: the cluttered kitchen, the various small plants tucked away in the corners, the ever-present smell of jasmine. He even spots a few of his courting gifts to you placed on full display for all to see.

It sparks a flame of pride in his chest.

Encouraged by it, he scoots closer to you. And he delights in the way you lean into him, head resting just below his shoulder because you're just so small, compared to him.

You'd look so nice beneath him, he thinks.

"So... what shall we occupy ourselves with?" he asks you, setting down his teacup and looking at you eagerly. "A game, perhaps?"

"So long as it doesn't involve mora," you joke. "You'd lose it all in a heartbeat."

"And yet you always play." His voice suddenly drops to a whisper, and he leans closer, nose brushing against yours. "...I have an idea for a game, if you're willing."

You smile. "And what could it be?"

In a flash, he scoops you up, gazing deep into your bright eyes.

"How about I show you?"

[...]

And show you, he does.

Eagerly thrusting into your wet hole, he delights in the way you whimper, nails raking down his back as he takes you.

"Zhongli..." you cry out helplessly, with that sweet voice of yours. "Zhongli...!"

"I'm here," he pants, pressing his lips to your cheek. And he fights the moan rising in his throat when you suddenly tighten around him. "Finally..."

You're here. With him. In his arms. In your bed. Bodies pressed so close together, he can no longer tell where he ends and you begin.

And he has never felt more complete.

"Mine," he growls, hips viciously slapping against yours as your hands thread their way through his hair. "I'll never let you go."

You smile and nod, tears in your eyes.

You're so beautiful.

"My jewel," he purrs. "Mine."

"Yours," you whimper, pulling him down for a lip-bruising kiss.

And his vision turns white. Stars dance across his eyelids. He has never seen the world quite like this.

And it's all because of you.

You are better than any image he could conjure, than any fine tea in all of Teyvat, than any of the most beautiful glaze lilies.

...He loves you.

And as the two of you pant, staring deeply into each other's eyes, as your hand rubs soothing circles onto his cheek, he feels more than sees...

...That you love him too.

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

A/N: I know this is pretty fucking self-indulgent... but ngl I actually really like this

[spenciegoob]

Petrichor (Blurb)

A/N: hi hi hi! I wrote this instead of PWYC pt. 5 and i’m sorry, but enjoy!

Summary: Reader loved the rain, but Spencer loved them a little bit more.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral!Reader

Category: fluff

Content Warnings: none! it’s just good feeling, happy fluff

Masterlist

Word Count: 1.2K

____

One day they described the rain to me, how it felt to watch it dance on top of cars from their old apartment. How at ease their mind would feel when their French windows were wide open on a stormy night, watching the lightning ridicule the world for taking advantage of it’s tears.

“You’re drenched, and you’re going to get sick. How can you sit in the pouring rain?” I asked when I found them perched delicately on the windowsill, half their body already dripping.

“The rain is beautiful. Look!” Their excitement was endearing enough that there was no argument for me to stick my head out the window to look at the gray world around us.

“What am I supposed to be seeing?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just like to appreciate the underlying beauty of a storm before basking in the sunlight.”

I remember hoping they would speak about me with that same curiosity one day.

I don’t believe a purer love existed. I was completely infatuated with them, and for reasons beyond my control, they felt equally about me. It was obvious from the first time our eyes met. I watched, I couldn’t help it. They were mesmerizing, their eyes looking up at me with such innocence through bright, unadulteratedly joyous eyes. 

They saw beauty within me in things I thought impossible. When I or anyone else would hide in dismay at the summer storm raging in my chest, they gazed through those French windows, fascinated at how the light could paint my eyes so dramatically.

And even after all this time, the years bringing less and less surprises as they went, the love we felt for one another was still beautifully unexplainable. Perhaps it is shown through the way my hand always searched out for theirs in grocery stores because losing them even for a second frightened me to the core. Maybe it was the way they stared at me through those unfathomable eyes as if I was the only man that would truly ever know them.

Either way, we fit one another to the bone, a love so pure and fragile I would spend an eternity looking for them if they hadn’t stepped into my life. For all the darkness and cruelty I see, one look at them and the world melted down to an innocent and kind place.

So I knew tomorrow when I stood at the altar, waiting for them to enter both the room and a new step in our lives together, I held no doubt. I was going to spend the rest of my time on Earth in their arms.

I sat at the kitchen table, holding a pen with enough force to be suffocating, and stared at the blank page in front of me. For all the times that I’ve let scientific facts and statistics flow off my tongue without a care, I could not find the words that held enough weight to convey my love for them.

“Hey Spence?” They called for me from the doorway of our bedroom. I looked up to find them in a t-shirt of mine with a cheesy chemistry joke printed on it. Since the day I explained the punchline to them, they wear it every chance they get. Little, fuzzy sock clad feet slid across the floor over to me where I was stuck admiring.

“You coming to bed soon? Your side is getting cold,” they whispered the last part with the lips grazing the top of my head, resting their hands on my shoulders. Immediately the tension left my body, and I turn, the words flooded my brain.

“Uh, y-yeah. In a second. I just need to finish something.” I felt their smile before I looked up to see it, and God was it breathtaking.

“Okay, my love.” Even though my hand itched to start scribbling my undying love, I watched their descend back to our bed, turning around once more to smile at me over their shoulder. Once they were completely out of my sight, I snapped back to my unfinished vows.

‘The day I met you, I was fully consumed by my undeniable fascination and the need to know who you were, You’re unlike anyone I have ever known. You’re this curious, ever-seeking, ever-feeling person who believed the world was good. You loved me before you ever judged me, a kindness not many people possess. Your ultimate adoration for just being alive immersed itself around me and for every moment I’ve been with you, the world has slowly started to become brighter. You give me purpose, like lighting a lost flame I thought to dismiss years ago.

And in 40 years, I have no doubt I’ll be sitting on our porch, surrounded by a white picket fence and a domesticity I can only find with you. I’ll just watch our memories relive and unfold, but the best of all is that you’ll be there next to me, and I can’t imagine not looking at you with the same amount of love as I feel right now. I am unconditionally infatuated with you now, and forever.

Because it’s always been you, and it will always be you. God, I love you.’

During the night after we devoted ourselves to each other, I watched as they lied next to me, my breath grew unsteady as theirs evened out. I was captivated by their hair spreading softly across pillows that would never compare to how soothing it was to lay across their chest. The way their eyes stared up at me with familiar amazement that made my stomach swell with butterflies and my pulse jump.

They were absolutely breathtaking.

In most literature, rain was mainly used to portray a certain kind of sadness that made the world feel like it was coming to an end, but not now. Right here, laying in between silk sheets that sculpted their body as if they were their own french painting, rain meant devotion, adoration, love.

A kind of endearment I would never find within wet clothes and runny noses unless my lover was next to me basking in the storm.

I know it was impossible, we were indoors for Christ’s sake, but the drop of rain that hit my arm felt real. It wasn’t until my lover’s face dampened with their own pouring raindrops that I realized mine came from my own eyes.

I was quite literally hypnotized, not moving to wipe the tears running down cheeks that were pushed up from the wide, involuntary grin spread across my face. I could only fixate on them, the way they smiled back and the blush that rose to their cheeks. I couldn’t take my eyes away.

It was okay though, because they never looked away either, and reached up to wipe the teardrops I let fall carefree. I nuzzled into the palm of their hand like I couldn’t get enough, but the truth was their touch ignited a comfort that deeply resonated in me, and I would selfishly search out for it every chance I got.

I would pray for the sky to turn gray and rain to fall in sheets for the rest of my life.

____

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[tearsofgrace]

slippery slope

written for destiel december 2020 day 4: sledding

i hate myself for writing fluff

wc: 2.1k, tags: fluff, cute shit, literally there’s like zero sad how did i do this, family bonding, christmas fluff, first kiss

also on archive

Dean blew hot air onto his hands and rubbed them together before pulling on his gloves. The sun hung heavy in the sky, its harsh rays glinting off the snow straight into his eyes. 

When he popped Baby’s trunk, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the contents. Sam and Jack really knew no end to their family Christmas activities. It wasn’t like he was really mad, of course. This was the first Christmas they were really together, the first Christmas with no Chuck, no world-ending crisis, and if they wanted to do corny shit like sledding, then he was all in. 

He grunted as he pulled the two sleds out from the trunk and handed them to Cas. When Cas’ hands wrapped around them, Dean frowned at his bare fingers. 

“Aren’t your hands cold?” 

“A little. I’m okay,” Cas said, meeting his eyes with a soft smile. 

“I told you to bring gloves.” 

Cas huffed and rolled his eyes, an action that he seemed to use at every opportunity now that he was human. “Dean-” he started. But Dean was already pulling the gloves from his fingers and holding them out to Cas. 

“Here.” 

“You don’t need to-” Cas trailed off as Sam and Jack walked up holding two mugs of steaming hot chocolate. He took the gloves after a look from Dean and pulled them over his bright red hands. 

“Thank you.” 

“We just got two, we figured we could share,” Sam said, passing his hot chocolate to Dean. 

Dean took a sip, letting the liquid warm his core. There was almost no one here, just a couple families with smaller kids. He passed the cup to Cas, trading him for the sleds, and turned toward the hill. 

“Let’s get this over with,” he said gruffly. But when he glanced back at Jack, saw his eyes lit up as they took in the snow-covered slope, he couldn’t stop from breaking into a grin. 

“Have you been sledding before?” Jack asked as they walked across the parking lot. 

“Once,” Sam said. 

“Oh, man, I’d forgotten about that story,” Dean laughed. 

“What story?” Cas and Jack said in unison. 

Sam looked back at him and smiled, his eyes far away. “I think I was 13, or 14? Dad was on a case in,” he paused, frowning, “Where was it, Dean? Colorado, right?” 

“Wyoming.”

“Right, Wyoming. So anyway, Dad was off hunting and Dean and I were holed up in this motel room with nothing to do. It was right during winter break, too, so we didn’t even have school to occupy ourselves. Dean gets me up at the ass-crack of dawn and drags me out to this car he had hotwired just so we could have a day outside the motel. We drove for like, ten hours-”

“It was an hour, max” Dean cut in. They had reached the top of the hill now, and they were standing in a circle, eyes fixed on Sam. Dean’s arms had started to ache from holding the sleds, and he let them rest on the ground. 

“Whatever.” As Sam went on, Dean let his eyes drift up to Cas. He was watching Sam with a blank expression save for the mirth dancing in his eyes. His cheeks were slightly pink from the cold, and Dean allowed himself to stare a second longer before turning his attention back to Sam. 

“We stopped at this little roadside stand and got hot chocolate. Dean tried to make me think it was magical or some shit. Then we got to this giant hill. I mean,” he gestured to the steep hill behind him, “This thing has nothing on it. It was freezing, too, so the snow was almost ice. We pull up to the hill, and Dean pops the trunk, and in it there’s just these two,” Sam starts laughing then, and after a minute, Dean joins him. There’s a sadness behind it, too though. And acknowledgement of how fucked up that situation really had been. “These two trash can lids.”

“I lifted ‘em off the motel manager. He almost caught me, too,” Dean said as Cas and Jack started to laugh. 

“So we go to the hill, the sun is finally starting to rise, but everything is still freezing. Dean sits on the lid cross-legged and since he was my idiot older brother, I followed him. He pushed us both down the hill. It was basically solid ice, and we were on metal trash can lids.”

Cas and Jack were staring at him with wide eyes, holding back laughter. 

“Yeah,” Dean cut in. “It was bad. We flew down that hill so damn fast… and when we hit the bottom we both went flying. Hurt like a son of a bitch. We were all bruised up. Dad got back and thought we’d hunted something by ourselves,” Dean snorted. “Wasn’t my best idea.” 

“I thought it was worth it,” Sam said, meeting his brother’s eyes. Unspoken words passed between them. Childhood trauma wrapped in brief moments of relief. “Man, I remembered that every single Christmas. Always wanted to go again.” 

“Well,” Jack said suddenly, and they all turned their attention to him. “I don’t want this to be like that.” 

Dean clapped him on the shoulder and passed him one of the sleds. They were huge, meant for two people. The underneath was slick, primed for speed. Sam had wanted more basic ones, but Dean had insisted. If they were doing this stupid Christmas thing, they were at least doing it right. 

“Okay, which of you is going on the winning sled?” Dean asked playfully, taking the now empty hot chocolate cup he had shared with Cas and tucking it into the bag he’d brought. Sam handed him the other one and Dean shoved it in too before looking up as Jack spoke. 

“It’s a race?” Jack said, tilting his head in a way that was so Cas it hurt.

“I’ll go with you,” Cas sighed, his eyes fixed on Dean. 

Dean gulped as their eyes met, and not for the first time today he wanted to reach out and take his hand. Instead he let his eyes turn to Sam and Jack, issuing a challenge. “You guys are going down.” 

Sam rolled his eyes but helped Jack onto the sled before getting on himself. 

“Do you want to sit in front?” Cas asked. His eyes were downcast and there was a small blush rising in his cheeks and Dean realized that holy shit his entire body was about to be pressed against Cas. 

“Yeah,” he said, trying to keep the tightness from his voice. “The front is great for me.”

Wow, Winchester, that sounded totally normal. 

Sam was smirking at him from the sled and he considered flipping him off. But that would just show there was something to be mad about. Which there wasn’t. 

Dean got on the sled and looked anywhere but at his brother and kid while Cas climbed on behind him. Cas pulled his knees to his chest, almost not touching Dean at all. 

“You’re gonna fall off if you sit like that, man.” He cleared his throat again, pointedly not looking at Sam, and reached for Cas’ legs. “You gotta wrap ‘em around up to the front like this.” 

Cas just stared at him as he moved his legs, his eyes wide. Or maybe that was just Dean’s imagination. Maybe Dean just wanted Cas’ heart to be beating as fast in his chest as his was. 

With Cas pressed up against him and his cheeks flaming red, he finally looked over at Sam and Jack. Sam’s smirk hadn’t faded, and Jack was watching them with a pleasant smile. 

“You ready to lose?” Dean said, his voice a little too high to convey any real bravado. 

“Only if you are, jerk.” 

“Bitch,” Dean said automatically. 

Jack counted them off with a ready, set, go, and before he knew it, the sled was slipping over the edge and hurtling down the hill. 

Cas made a soft sound of surprise and Dean immediately felt arms wrap around his stomach as Cas’ face pressed into his shoulder. He looked straight ahead, letting the wind whip through his face and sting his eyes. But his heart moved from frantically pounding in his chest to leaping into his throat. 

Cas’ weight was warm and steady behind him, and Dean let himself relax even as his adrenaline spiked. 

Sam and Jack were somewhere ahead of them, already sliding to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He felt like it had been minutes, sitting here with Cas wrapped around him. In reality, it couldn’t have been more than twenty seconds. 

Dean’s eyes widened as he looked ahead of them and saw a rough bump in the powdery snow, and he tried to steer away from it. It was too late. They hit it at full force and the sled was flung into the air. 

For a moment, he was weightless, then he was slamming into the hard ground flat on his back, the sled bouncing somewhere to the side and Cas… well, Cas landed right on top of him. 

He blinked away the daze and looked into Cas’ eyes, their chests pressed together by some trick of whatever gods still existed. 

Cas just stared at him, unmoving. His lips were so close, breaths falling hot against Dean’s already warm face. Cas’ whole weight was pressed against him, and it should have hurt. Hell, his head was still pounding from hitting the ground at full force. But despite all that, he just felt safe. 

“Cas,” he breathed out. 

Cas’ blank face slowly melted into a smile and he stared into Dean’s eyes, almost as though he was searching his soul. “Hello, Dean.” 

Everything was warm and safe and bright and nothing else seemed to matter. He couldn’t remember why he and Cas didn’t normally get this close. It was some distant warning voice in his head, but the voice was too far away. 

All he could see, all he could think, all he could breathe in, it was just Cas. 

And he wanted more. 

He lifted himself up slightly and let his lips brush against Cas’. Cas tensed above him, but almost immediately he relaxed into Dean, pressing them closer together and letting their lips move in sync. 

Dean sighed in content and let his hands wander up from the snow to wrap around Cas and pull him toward the ground. Why they hadn’t been doing this all along, he had no idea. Cas was everything. Cas meant everything. So why couldn’t he and Cas have everything?

It took him a second to hear the cheering, and as soon as he did, all the old fears returned. A blush rose to his face and he pulled back from Cas at the same time that he pushed off Dean and stumbled to his feet. 

Sam walked over and reached down a hand to help Dean to his feet. Dean took it, keeping his eyes down and trying to ignore how hot his face had gotten. 

“Well,” Sam started as Jack joined them. “I think technically Jack and I won the race, but this definitely tops that.” He clapped Dean on the back and Dean finally raised his eyes. 

“It does,” Jack agreed solemnly. 

Dean ignored the fear seeping through him and shrugged, hoping he looked more casual than he felt. Then he turned to Cas and took his hand before he could change his mind. The gloves he had lent Cas were rough against his hand, but underneath the weight and pressure was grounding, safe. 

He looked at Cas and grinned, his heart beating erratically when Cas smiled back. 

“Yeah, sorry, Sammy,” he gave Cas’ hand a short squeeze. “Cas and I have got you beat.” 

Sam snorted and met Dean’s eyes. Beyond the teasing, the laughter on Sam’s face, Dean saw something else. Pride. His brother looked so goddamn proud of him it hurt. Dean felt something inside him stir and he held back the tears that stung in his eyes. 

He looked back at Cas and found him staring at him with an expression of joy and confusion and wonder and just about every other emotion that was running through Dean right now. But that didn’t matter. They would have time to sort out whatever this was between them. They would have time for long talks and heart-to-hearts and whispered confessions. For now, they were good. All of them were good. 

Dean took a deep breath in of the cold air and looked around at his family with pride. 

“Anyone in for a rematch?”

****

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[chusui00]

Not Meant To Be

Word Count: 2,107

Pairing(s): Anthony Bridgerton x reader, Simon Basset x reader

Summary: The Bridgerton family and the Duke have been invited to a picnic that was planned by yours truly. Tensions begin to grow, and things don’t go quite as you hoped they would.

TW: none

Part 2/6

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Today’s weather of sunshine and blue skies called for a picnic. I gave clear instructions to Cook that he should prepare a delicious meal and treats, including Simon’s favorite of gooseberry pie. I would never forget something so important about him because it always came in handy.

I then go to find our butler, Charles, and say, “Please send invitations to the Bridgertons and the Duke of Hastings, Charles. There will be a picnic at the park, and do tell them that it will be late at 1pm.” He bows in response, and repeated my words before he left to complete his tasks.

With a nod of satisfaction, I left the main floor then up the stairwell to change my attire. What I was currently wearing fell short of today’s planned event, and I needed to win Simon back. Once inside my bedroom, I closed the door and quickly strode to the wardrobe to see my options.

My thoughts roamed to the man who promised that we would spend the rest of our lives together, which made my blood boil with rage. Men these days were either too dense or too arrogant or had little backbone. Simon was a mixture of having a huge ego and vulnerable when he opens up to the people that know his true personality.

None of this was my fault whatsoever. I left for only a mere three months to study abroad in France, then I return to the ‘wonderful’ news of his engagement to a girl named Daphne Bridgerton. A trip to London hadn’t been something I expected for myself, but I came to the city for him and no other reason.

In truth, Simon technically was still my fiancé, although I knew there was an explanation for everything that took place while I was absent. As a matter of fact, he brushed off the situation like it was a speck of dust that ruined his perfect image to the desperate mamas and equally egotistical lords.

“Good heavens, I’m going to get wrinkles if I keep thinking about the “what-ifs” and not do anything to change them.” I huff in exasperation at my own foolishness, a bit disappointed in myself for having such thoughts when the damage had yet to be done.

After endless decision-making, I chose to wear a yellow dress with a simple pink floral design from the sleeves to the hem of its skirt, and I twirl in front of the mirror with a bright smile. It wasn’t a ball gown, but this would surely make Simon realize that he wants me more than anyone in all of Grovensor Square. It just had to.

I had to admit, the dress itself was too revealing for a lady of my status. Well, at least it would be just myself, Simon, and the Bridgertons alone for a picnic. A reminder to cover my legs repeated itself over and over in my mind, yet I had a feeling that I would catch the attention of everyone’s eyes anyway.

The clock rang the second its big small hand reached 12pm, which meant there was an hour left for preparations and riding to the park. “Marianne! Please call for the carriage, and tell chef to hurry!” I shouted into the air, and I heard Marianne reply from down the hall. Perhaps I was rushing for punctuality-sake, but a host or hostess must never arrive later than their guests.

It was a good thing that mama had long left for tea at Lady Farland’s estate, and papa was probably gambling at the gentlemen’s club again. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he came home with news that he either won lost of money or lost a majority of what he gambled. No one could tell me that the picnic was meant to open Simon’s eyes and see just me in them rather than that so-called “flawless” Bridgerton girl.

Nonetheless, I had to get going before they gossiped of my tardiness if I wasn’t already at the location. Time seemed to blur from when I scurried down the stairs to gather everything I needed to when I got into the carriage and made it safely to the park. The next thing I knew, I was trying my best not to laugh at a discreetly explicit joke Benedict had shared amongst ourselves.

Anthony looked like he was going to strangle his brother or maybe he was going to give him a pat on the shoulder? I couldn’t tell because I was too preoccupied with devouring my favorite sandwich while I brushed my shoulder against Simon’s. Of course this got his attention, and he whispered into my ear, “Now is not the time nor place to play, y/n. Behave yourself.”

His warning provoked something inside of me, but there were too many people who would witness the indecency behind my innocent act. “My apologies, your Grace. I’ll be a good girl for you.” I whispered in reply, then continued to enjoy my delicious sandwich as though I did nothing wrong in the first place.

I knew what I was doing to him, and he liked it. He knew what would happen if I went further, and I was fanning the flames with fervor. “Is Daphne aware of our relationship? Sorry, I meant, what it was supposed to become? You know, such as getting married? Living together and in the country?”

Simon’s jaw clenched just like when he used to have me underneath him, calling his name and coming undone by his touch as I squeezed tighter around him. Those nights were by far the best I had ever experienced, and he treated me with such tenderness after we were spent.

“Don’t you remember the great times we had, love? Everything fell apart when I came to London and found you dancing with the red-headed girl in the moonlight.” I scowled under my breath, then I slowly calmed myself down before I could ruin this lovely picnic with a beautiful family and my old lover.

I needed a moment alone, so I stood up and sheepishly excused myself from the blanket before walking away. It was almost as though the night I found myself standing at the lake was repeating itself again, but this time, I knew where I was going and no tears would shed. No, this time was different than last. Instead of crying because I couldn’t control some situations, I chose to think about I would take back Simon for myself.

Seeing Simon chuckle and comment on every little thing Daphne said created small cracks on my heart. I couldn’t think of when he used to do that with me, and I close my eyes to forget all of the recently bad memories. Heavy footsteps approached from behind, but I was too distracted by the wrong Simon had done to me.

“Y/n, are you alright? You left so suddenly, and everyone is worried about you.” Anthony softly called out to me, his hand resting on my shoulder to turn me around and see the miserable state I was in. “I’ll be better, my lord. There’s no need to waste your worry on me.” I mustered a fake smile to dissipate his concern for me, but apparently he had dealt with heartbroken maidens before.

The Viscount gently pulled me into his arms, and rocked our bodies back and forth. I was speechless for I had no idea what he was doing, and yet I didn’t want him to stop. It felt pleasant to be comforted by a warm embrace that held a promise of always being there when it was most needed in times of anguish.

“You are a strong woman, y/n. You don’t need to act as though nothing can break through your walls. You’re still human, and that’s okay. Believe me, I know what it’s like to feel helpless.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and smiled when I pulled away to stare at him with wide eyes. I always knew what kind of man he was, but the side of him that I admired truly was a rare sight to behold.

What felt like an eternity of comfortable silence was interrupted by Eloise who came searching for her brother and I after he had been gone for too long. “Mama won’t stop spouting nonsense that you’ve gotten lost, brother. We had to stop her from creating a search party.” She snickered at the fresh memory, and it stopped when she realized that Anthony was hugging me unusually close to his chest.

I caught on and quickly pushed myself away, then I fixed my dress before thanking her. “Thank you for taking the responsibility, Eloise. You’ve found us alright, and I believe we best return to your family.” Anthony cleared his throat, a big embarrassed that the particular sister of his had seen something she would never let go.

“Yes, Miss Denbow is right. Let’s return before mother actually gathers a search party for three people.” He leads the way, and I smile awkwardly at Eloise as I walk past her. I then let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding in since she found Anthony and I, but I hoped that she wouldn’t mention it when we got back to the picnic.

Once there, Lady Bridgerton literally shed tears of joy as soon as she saw my face and brought me into a hug. What was with the Bridgertons and hugging? I could see Simon lean over to Anthony, his mouth forming the words, “Thank you for bringing her back safely.” Anthony nodded in reply, then sat down in between Colin and Benedict before he grabbed his glass of wine to take quite a long sip.

Well, it was back to where I started. I didn’t want to ask questions and make matters worse, but I knew that the current engagement wasn’t going to last for long. According to Lady Whistledown, Queen Charlotte was not convinced of the proclaimed love that everyone said Simon and Daphne shared.

I had to say it. Otherwise, I would lose the love of my life to a woman who gained Her Majesty’s favor, and I would be lonely until the day I die. “The Duke and I were once lovers, but now he’s going to marry Miss Bridgerton.” Complete and utter silence. I take in a deep breath before I continue.

“I had traveled to France for three months, and the Duke asked me to come see him here, in London. I truly thought that he was going to marry me, but I was proven wrong and a fool. He’s pretending as though we didn’t have a beautiful relationship before he chose to help her and she him.”

Lady Bridgerton was the first to break, and she began to stumble over her words while overcoming the insurmountable shock that I gave to everyone. Eloise tried what she could to stop herself from laughing, Benedict smacked her arm while he was struggling to do the same.

Colin couldn’t find the right words, and Anthony spat out his wine. Except for the two youngest children who were playing in a flower field, we adults all sat together with no help to describe what our mixed emotions were. “What is the matter with you, y/n? Did you even think this through before you babbled on about the past? If I had known that you were so childish, I would’ve left you a long time ago.”

Simon glared cold daggers in my direction, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The man who I loved was now a stranger with a much better woman than I, so there was nothing I could do now to take him back. “You’re right, Simon. I’m such a child, and I don’t know any better than to tell the truth when living a lie is all the more tempting.”

I gave my deepest apologies to Lady Bridgerton, promising her that I would make up for my demeanor with tea and a visit to the spa one day. I then said my farewells to the Bridgertons, but I didn’t spare the slightest of glances to Simon who looked like he was going to let out a fury of anger.

It served him right for playing with my heart, and if he was so play a part not meant for him that would end in heartbreak, then so be it. I knew someone who could help me make him regret losing me, and they were a professional when it came to such lengths.

Just you wait, Simon Basset. Just you wait.

[cristalconnors]

TOP 20 SONGS OF 2020

20. “BELOW THE CLAVICLE”- EARTHEATER

“The meaning hasn’t come up yet. It’s still under the surface below the clavicle.”

It isn’t just Alexandra Drewchin’s ear splitting soprano when she hits that impossibly high B, practically shrieking out the “cle” syllable of clavicle, though that’s undoubtedly when I first knew that Eartheater’s avant folk was for me- it’s also the cinematic, lush strings, both bowed and plucked (is that acoustic guitar or harp? I genuinely can’t tell), deepening and complicating the sonic texture of Drewchin’s study of parsing through emotions you aren’t ready to make sense of yet. 

19. “PUSSY TALK”- CITY GIRLS, FT. DOJA CAT

“This pussy so ghetto, this pussy speak ebonics”

“WAP”’s funnier, classless Irish twin, though it’s important to note “Pussy Talk” came first. Yung Miami and JT enlist Doja Cat to expound on everything their pussies deserve and will absolutely settle for nothing less than. And why should they when they’re spitting out verses this inspiredly hilarious with such confidence and flow? 

18. “LICK IN HEAVEN”- JESSY LANZA

“Once I’m spinning, I can’t stop spinning...”

Jessy Lanza is talking about losing your cool, letting your emotions get the best of you and lashing out instead of letting cooler heads prevail, but when that earworm of a chorus hits- “once I’m spinning, I can’t stop spinning” - I can’t stop spinning. I’m that woman on the single art, a wine mom lost in the delirium of the dance floor and in Lanza’s hypnotic, fragmented rhythms.  

17. “GASLIGHTER”- THE CHICKS

“Boy, you know exactly what you did on my boat!”

“Gaslighter” finds Natalie Ames and her Chicks at their most simultaneously ruthless and ebullient, ripping Ames’s ex-husband Adrian Pasdar a new asshole and ratcheting up the righteous anger of “Goodbye Earl” tenfold, channeling it into a glorious wall of sound in what might be their most rousing, emotionally resonant chorus in their storied career. 

16. “HANNAH SUN”- LOMELDA

“Hannah do no harm...”

While “Hannah Sun” begins as an exquisitely observed rumination on grappling with long-distance, pining for someone who’s a continent away, it gradually becomes clear that Hannah Read blames herself for putting the distance between her and the subject of her longing, and that the distance isn’t strictly literal. Skittering synths (or is that distorted flute?) complicate and enrich the texture of the song, allowing it to build organically and stunningly towards a heartbreaking plea to herself- “Hannah, do no harm.”

15. “FIRE”- WAXAHATCHEE

“And when I turn back around will you drain me back out? Will you let me believe that I broke through?”

When I’d drive back and forth between Dallas and Austin over and over again when I was in college, I’d often get off I-35 past Waco and take the back roads through towns I’d never heard of, the sun setting spectacularly behind the titular hills of Hill Country that were beginning to roll out in earnest. I think about that a lot when listening to “Fire,” a song dripping in rural Americana that was, unsurprisingly, inspired by a road trip. We’ve probably all been Katie Crutchfield as she crossed the bridge into West Memphis- alone in the car, awed by the simple beauty of the American countryside, making speeches to ourselves about our past mistakes and figuring out a way forward. 

14. “3AM”- HAIM

“On the screen and in my jeans, just make me feel good.”

On an album full of genre departures and decidedly darker themes than we’ve typically heard from Haim in their near decade of syncopated bubblegum pop rock, “3AM” stands out not only as their most effective stab at pastiche, slipping into the trappings of contemporary R&B with shocking ease and gusto, but also as their most unabashedly fun track in their entire oeuvre. “I think you can hear the amount of joy and laughs we had making this song” Alana Haim tells Apple Music, and you absolutely can.

13. “QADIR”- NICK HAKIM

“We’re sinking down a hole without thinking about our loved ones who might be shrinking...”

I often wonder if I’m putting enough effort into maintaining my relationships with friends I don’t see regularly, who live several time zones away, living their own lives while I live mine. When the thought of sustaining simple correspondence becomes overwhelming, it’s easy for months to go by before you realize you haven’t spoken to one of your closest friends. “QADIR” plays less like a eulogy for a friend gone too soon (though of course it is that) than a plea to the listener to put in the work. It’s worth it. You never know when it’ll be too late.

12. “LEVITATING”- DUA LIPA

“Glitter in the sky, glitter in our eyes shining just the way we are.”

Just a few bars of that delightfully bouncy, extra-terrestrial beat is enough to launch me into space. It’s so refreshing to hear a song that remembers that pop is supposed to be joyful and is best when it’s a bit silly. When discussing this track with Apple Music, Dua Lipa cites Austin Powers as inspiration, elaborating that “if I do a video for this, Mike Meyers has to be in it.” Can’t you just see them together, performing a farcical pas de deux of seduction like the spiritual successor to “Beautiful Stranger?”

11. “RIQUIQUI”- ARCA

“Love in the face of fear! Fear in the face of God!”

Arca’s made a career of harnessing chaos and somehow making sense of it. On an album that finds her embracing more traditional, accessible song structures, “Riquiqui” is a reminder that even when working within an AB structure, she’s still breaking rules left and right and having a blast doing it. She’s also never sounded so ferociously empowered in either her femininity or in her Venezuelan identity, rattling off local colloquialisms with affection and verve without a second thought as to who’s going to understand it. 

10. “FANTASY”- AGAINST ALL LOGIC

“I think about you all the time...”

Or, the musical embodiment of this gif:

When Nicolas Jaar’s tormented synths and crunching beats give way to Beyoncé’s unmistakable alto, it is indeed quite the shock. But should it be? Even if 2017-2019 finds him ditching the dancefloor in favor of more severe, unforgiving soundscapes, his already varied career has shown us nothing’s off limits to him. So why not reinvent Beyoncé’s iconic “Baby Boy” into an industrial, vaguely sinister certified bop that arguably surpasses the original?

9. “PEOPLE, I’VE BEEN SAD”- CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS

“If you disappear, then I’m disappearing, too.”

“People, I’ve been sad” plays out with the vulnerability and intimacy of a tumblr text post you put out in the middle of the night, only to hastily delete later when it gets no notes. It forgoes flowery language in favor of just getting to the point. “I’ve been sad.” Héloïse Adelaïde Letissier blows up this deceptively simple sentiment with richly layered textures and a big screen gloss not to offer any remedies but instead to offer solidarity. We’re all in this hell together.

8. “DESCRIBE”- PERFUME GENIUS

“Can you just find him for me?”

Mike Hadreas has never sounded so hopeless. Utilizing harsh, rattling guitar that would make Kevin Shields swoon, he conveys the experience of being so estranged from happiness and joy that you need to rely on others to describe the sensation to you. But how, when exploring darker textures than he ever has before, does he make despondency sound so divine? 

7. “4 AMERICAN DOLLARS”- U.S. GIRLS

“No matter how much you get to have, you will still die and that’s the only thing.”

Meg Remy picks up where she left off on “4 American Dollars,” reviving the subversive pastiche she mastered on In a Poem Unlimited, this time harnessing the power of funk to dismantle the fallacies we’re taught about the virtues of capitalism. Heavy stuff, but Remy makes it less didactic than joyous, ensuring the listener will be singing “I don’t believe in pennies and nickels and dimes and dollars and pesos and pounds and rupees and yen and rubles” until they start to wonder if maybe they shouldn’t, either. 

6. “STUPID LOVE”- LADY GAGA

“I freak out, I freak out, I freak out, I freak out!”

Due to a healthy spirit of contrarianism mixed with a touch of internalized homophobia and genuine bafflement at her universal appeal and praise, I was a proud Lady Gaga hater for as long as she’d been a cultural entity. I just didn’t get her at all and loved that about myself. Annoying, I know. 2020 was the year I was finally ready to let that all go. Just before the world fell apart in March, I was out at Flaming Saddles (RIP) with friends the night this song came out and by the sixteenth time it played, I understood why it was inducing such hysteria. This was a cultural shift. After a frustrating near-decade of Gaga subverting expectations so thoroughly that she was actively working against her strengths and sabotaging her cultural ubiquity in the process, coupled with the most frightening era of political upheaval in our lifetimes, she was finally ready to save us and be Lady Gaga again. Booming synth, drag sensibilities, absurd thematic conceits- all was right in the world. For the first time in a long time, people had something to be hopeful about, and as I danced that night, I felt that hope, too. 

5. “SHELLFISH MADEMOISELLE”- RÓISÍN MURPHY

“How dare you sentence me to a lifetime without dancing?”

As soon as that bass starts (the funkiest bassline in the history of music?) it’s like Róisín Murphy’s snake charming oboe, coaxing even the most stalwart curmudgeon onto the dancefloor and keeping them there, dancing frantically and involuntarily like the citizens of Strasbourg in 1518, trying their best to keep up with Murphy who isn’t even breaking a sweat, commanding the masses with a sultry remove, beckoning you closer, pulling you inexorably deeper into the mass of gyrating bodies and whispering in your ear “come and have a dance with yer mum.”

4. “PARTY 4 U”- CHARLI XCX

“I only threw this party for you...”

As PC Music / Bubblegum Bass / whatever you want to call it enters its second decade, Charli XCX proves not only that there’s still new textures to explore within it, but also that no one can exploit its artifice to get down to emotional truths like she can. How can she make something this slick sound so vulnerable? “I only threw this party for you” she croons over and over again over glorious syncopated synths that build exquisitely, reaching their climax only to immediately fall away, until it’s just her and her trusty autotune, pleading with the subject of the song to just come to the damn party. But they won’t, of course. They never do, do they?

3. “WAP”- CARDI B, FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION

“I want you to touch that lil’ dangly thing that swing in the back of my throat!”

Sometimes you just immediately know you’re living through a significant cultural moment. No, not COVID. I’m talking about the experience of hearing Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s instant classic “WAP” for the first time, a titanic meeting of the minds that finds both of them at the apex of their cultural influence and at their most undeniable. Can the argument be made that these two aren’t the two best rappers in the game right now? How could you hear this inspiredly filthy sex positive juggernaut, where Cardi and Megan are trading the sickest verses of their careers, and not think these two deserve the world? 

2. “KEROSENE!”- YVES TUMOR

“I can be your baby in real life, sugar. I can live in your dreams.”

If the 2010′s were all about the pop-ification of all music, trading in live instrumentation in favor of polished synths, 2020 forcefully announced the return of the electric guitar when Yves Tumor and Diana Gordon’s back and forth lustfully submissive declarations of desire suddenly gave way to that nasty guitar rip lifted from Uriah Heep’s “Weep in Silence” to announce yet another cultural shift in a year chock full of them- rock and roll was, indeed, here to stay. 

1. “I WANT YOU TO LOVE ME”- FIONA APPLE

“I move with the trees in the breeze, I know that time is elastic.”

We live and we learn. Years spent soul searching and on self-discovery shape us into better, smarter people, progressively knowing and understanding ourselves and the world around us more and more clearly, but Fiona Apple knows that none of that can quell the ferocious desire to be loved by someone. By anyone. By you, whoever that is. We can know that time is elastic and that when we’re gone all our particles will disband and disperse and then we’ll be back in the pulse, and we can know that none of this stuff actually matters, but still- we want, we want, we want. 

[lahirup]

For what is worth here are some of my thoughts. I’ve been tweeting here and there but thought of putting some thoughts together here:

People want GR to resign, it looks to be one of the primary prerequisites to end the protests.

But will he?

IMO he will not, and his close circle (especially the ones who do not have dual citizenships) will not want that to happen at any cost. If the executive power is taken away, there’s no protection for people like Johnston F. and Rohitha A., etc. (the list is too long and it includes several “successful” businessmen as well) They wouldn’t care if the country goes up in flames, they just want to protect their vested interests.

The only proposal that govt is floating around is for the opposition to take up premiership? IMO that will not happen either.

Why?

SJB is not going to take up the premiership without having the executive presidency under its grip. They have been burnt too many times.

The political calculus GR and his clan is making right now is if the opposition takes up the cheese and forms a caretaker govt, they will get stale in voters’ minds by the time the next election rolls around, even though it could be within the next year.

Or

they are counting on people getting tired of coming out onto the streets after a couple of more weeks, especially if the Govt can use the short-term funding from India and China to get Fuel, food, and emergency medication.

Why do we need a shrewd politician to navigate this?

We are at a boiling point, there will need to be concessions made by people on both sides to navigate this away from what a handful of politicians around GR do not mind happening compared to the alternative.

There might be a “deal” to be made to protect us from another ‘83. I know “a deal” is the most hated word in SL vernacular these days.

Realistically, someone will need to make a political sacrifice to come out of this political soup we find ourselves in. The alternative is another 83. It’s highly unlikely GR or Sajith will be willing to be the sacrificial lamb given how much they stand to lose.

Hence my proposal:

RW should take over the interim govt with the promise that he would retire from politics when a new election is called. Wherever we land on the political spectrum, I don’t think we have another leader better equipped to handle this particular situation given his experience & connections. GR should sign an agreement with RW expressing he will resign in X number of months. And, set a timeline for the next presidential election.

Why?

I do not see a future for Ranil W. in politics beyond next year (unless backchannel talks are going on to merge UNP with SJB which I highly doubt) This is the time to establish his legacy. Initiate the economic turnaround and sacrifice his political career (whatever remains of it), people will remember him forever.

GR will have time to calm the waters and allow his comrades to figure out an escape path.

I’m sorry to the bearer of the bad news, unless we are willing to go through an uprising similar to the ones against the Czars of Russia, nobody is going to willingly return their ill-gotten wealth. They have too much to lose and they are powerful enough to make this a bloodbath.

Robbing public money through bribery and corruption cannot be taken away by just flipping a switch. They are built into our day-to-day life. I don’t think this is the time to pick that fight up, we are way too perilously close to doomsday. Let it go for now!!

What about the rest of the opposition?

Journalists & media Orgs have a tremendous amount of responsibility now. We need to push NPP, Wimal W. Udaya G., & the group around them to put forward their economic plan. It is not enough to talk in fancy words & dance around phrases. Time to say enough is enough! We should demand roadmaps, examples of countries they plan to emulate/take lessons from. Do they accept the road maps outlined by Dr. Nandalal W. & other central bank stalwarts? Where do they agree & where do they differ? We need answers; Mass Media should be the ones to dig this out.

Should all 225 go home?

Is the current 225 a good representation of our country?

From the overall population:

~95% do not have a bachelor’s education.

~50% have failed A/Ls

~25% have failed O/Ls

In the parliament:

There’s no way to reliably gather the above information. I believe Sunday Times tried to get this information using the RTI act but that had been denied.

But my educated guess is the current education levels of the people in the parliament are more or less a good representation of the entire country’s education levels when you normalize it to the past 30-40 years.

Don’t be fooled by overarching trendy phrases, and don’t be naïve, this specific 225 is not the problem. I propose two ways to skin this cat.

1) Let’s assume we remove all 225 (although there’s no way to do it without another election) but let’s do a thought experiment: Let’s assume the major parties will assign people who have had a good education and have been social activists to the parliament. Let’s also assume these new 225 do not want to get elected in the next election, leaving them to perform their duties to the public honestly and with the best intentions.

But what about the layers of bureaucracy and the people who have been used to the current “system”, will they allow that transition?

OK, let’s say we change the bureaucracy structure by changing the constitution and then the critical laws that are hindering progress and providing a safe haven to the corrupted. But who will be dependent upon to execute the new laws and the decisions? It will be the same bureaucratic arm. Don’t you think they will find loopholes and ways to circumvent the new laws and procedures?

(I have been arguing that the primary responsibility for where we now lie with the government servants, specifically with the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. But that’s for another day)

2) Role of the Elites

Who profits the most from the current system?

The elite society who does not ever pay taxes (other than payee tax in some cases), and who pays off everybody from the cop around the corner to achieve their sleazy objectives.

Elites will always find a subsection of the 225 to do their bidding!!

It’s all well & good to go after the current politicians but think about it: who controls them? Who funds them for their mega-million election campaigns?

And who has benefited from the politicians tremendously (not just through bribery and corruption but through favorable policy decisions), How many monopolies have they created?

Making the 225 accountable:

“System change” will not happen by replacing the current 225+1 with another 225+1. It happens through people in a democratic country exercising their right to question authority and protest when elected officials do not live up to their promises. Bottom line, we need to hold our elected officials accountable vigorously and often whoever they are.

Get them to hold monthly open discussions with the community. Make them explain the Acts he/she supported during that month. Ask questions about what they plan to support in the coming months. Bombard the offices with phone calls/e-emails demanding answers.

Not to be a -ist against the less educated people. But the majority of the above responsibility lies with the people who are in the lower middle class to middle class with a decent education. The less educated do not have time to exercise their right because they do not have that luxury. They will get involved in politics only if they are personally rewarded for it. (Look at all the henchmen around Johnston and Rohitha and alike)

The rich/elites will not get engaged because they are profiting from the existing system.

From what I have seen in the US and in other countries, it’s the educated middle class (Retired professionals, educated housewives, independent and political professional groups, etc) that holds authorities accountable along with investigative journalists.

If any of the ex-pats looking to help Sri Lankan democracy, create an independent young group of investigative journalists that are supervised and emboldened by an internationally renowned group of trustees operated as a non-for-profit. Let them go after politicians and bureaucrats and expose their illegitimate dealings.

[netflixbingger]

I’ll Find You- Part 3

Chapter 3: Burned Memories- Prince Zuko x Reader

Masterlist: Pinned to profile :)

Summary: Y/N struggles to accept Zuko’s fate of Agni Kai.  

Word Count: 1678 (Short, I know) 

Warning: Agni Kai. 

A dulled silence filled the gloomy halls as dark curtains covered the windows closing off any natural light from entering. You felt as if you were walking in slow motion towards the door; eyes heavy from tears, mind-numbed from thinking, and a burden of fear buried deep within your chest. As you reached your destination you saw Iroh slouched on a nearby bench; holding the same fearful expression as yourself. He looked up at hearing your footsteps and gave you a sad smile, nodding his head. He slowly sat up, exchanging a bow of respect before walking away; giving you and Zuko alone time. You were always grateful for Iroh, he was a beam of light in such a dark place.

It has been a little over a year since the New Year Ball and ever since then things amongst the royals have changed drastically. Azula was placed in a specialty fire bending school, Ozai banned any social ball exchanges, and the expansion of the Fire Nation grew. Though with all these new changes, there was one constant thing: Zuko.

After that night at the ball, you and Zuko made a promise for things not to change between the two of you. Even though his schedule was full of private policy classes and firebending training, he made the effort to see you as often as possible. Sometimes this would be accomplished by helping him study for a history test or a simple walk around the gardens. He never failed to make you feel wanted, and he did a good job reminding you that you were still his best friend. But given with age, you couldn't help but think there could be more than friendship between the two of you. You felt as if you were laying on the edge of friends and on the path towards a romantic relationship. You were always yearning to touch him in some way, and you’d occasionally catch yourself staring at him the same way your mother looked at your father. But though there was so much pulling you towards the boy, you ever acted on your feelings; you couldn't. He was a prince, planned to marry some high-ranked-ass-hole general's daughter. And you, you were nobody. You didn't belong in the palace, your family had no high nobility and it was obvious that his father hated you. You knew the only reason he allowed you to continue on with Zuko was because of Azula. For some reason, she talked to Ozai about letting you continue your palace visits. She claimed it was to practice her firebending with you, but you knew somewhere buried deep within her heart; she cared for you and Zuko.

Closing your eyes you reach your hand out towards the door, hovering it above the wood before knocking. You heard a sigh from inside the room and then within a second, the door swung open to reveal Zuko’s serious face. You both stared at each other for a moment before he stood aside and allowed you into his room.

You hung your head down as you stepped beside him, taking your time to examine his chambers. It was strange being here, you only remember his room from when you were very young and hiding from your duo of mothers. It was improper to be here alone with him, but you didn't care. Walking towards his bed, you danced your fingers along the silk sheets, pretending to examine them as Zuko watched from the doorway. But as the silence continued to loom in the air, you gave in, “Zuko please, you don't have to do this.”

“I don't have much of a choice, I disrespected the General” he sighed, walking towards his window; unlike the rest of the palace, his curtains were pulled open allowing the sunlight to glow along his skin.

“We could run away together?” you asked half-jokingly, hesitantly stepping forward toward the boy, “We could visit the other nations! Create new lives for ourselves, new names too!”

He continued to stare straight through the window, ignoring your pleas. You let go of his silk sheets as you made your way towards the boy. Standing beside him, your eyes scanned his face for emotion, for a sign of hope. Placing your hands on his arm like a child pulling at their parent, you continued on with your story, “Hmm, how about Izumi and Lee!”, you jumped at the idea, gripping his upper arm with much force.

“Y/n” head high held as he slid your hands off his arm and gently placed them down at your sides, “I can't just run away. I’m the prince, I have an honor and duty I need to withstand”

His refusal to meet your eyes burned your heart, he squeezed your hands before walking past you towards the door. You didn't know what to do, how to get him to stay. He was 13 years old and he was about to fight against a trained general. Your mind was racing on the possible outcomes, and soon enough your legs gave out from under you and you collapsed on the nearby chair. He turned around at the sound of the chair legs scraping across the floor and stared at you.

“Zuko, please” you pleaded with tearful eyes. You picked at your nails within your lap trying to distract yourself from the reality that is about to come. You heard Zuko release a breathless laugh before he made his way towards you. Kneeling down he took your chin in his hand and tilted your head up. A sad expression unmasked before you as he wiped your tears away with a forced smile. He rested his hand on your cheek before moving it towards your lap and lacing your fingers together. You can tell he wanted to say something, wanted to tell you something. But as your fingers danced with one another, the silence continued.

“I promise Y/N, it's going to be fine” he gulped before standing back up, stopping midway to place a kiss upon your forehead. He let his lips linger on your soft skin, taking a sniff of your perfumed hair before he retreated into a full standing position. You could still feel the burn of where his lips once laid. “I got this, besides we all know I can take down the General in my sleep”

You felt silenced, but you nodded your head as you knew it was time for him to go. He gave you a toothless grin before approaching the door once again, and just as he was about to walk out, you called, “Zuko wait”

As he stared at you, you wanted to run to him. You wanted to wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him. You never held this strong of feelings before. But your heart was pulling at you to do it, to take the risk. You stood up, taking a step forward. If you weren't watching closely you would have missed how he leaned your way, opening himself for what was about to happen. He looked away from your eyes towards your lips as if he was yearning for the same touch.

But you couldn't move, you were too afraid. Taking a step back you bowed towards him, “Good luck, I’ll be waiting” your voice cracked as he sadly nodded in your direction before walking down the hall. Within a split second, you already regretted fighting the urge.

The next few hours felt like a nightmare. It all happened so quickly; the flames, the screams, the smell of burning flesh. Something you will never be able to remove from your memory, something that will haunt you for years to come. As Firelord Ozai’s banishment fled through your ears, pain began to fill your entire body. You must have gone into shock because one moment you collapsed into your crying mother's form and the next you were screaming and thrashing at the guards as they escorted you out of the palace: an order from Zuko himself.

He didn't want to see you. He refused to see you. He was willing to leave without saying goodbye.

You never experienced so much pain as you did that day. You lost your best friend and you lost your childhood: the innocence you once held has now vanished. Visions of fire and pain constantly flooded your mind. It was only a matter of a few weeks before your family was stripped of any nobility and your father was deployed to the Fire Nation front lines.

After that, everything began to shatter at once, and you were beginning to lose your mind. You felt as though you had been banished beside Zuko, and that Ozai was attacking you personally. It was when your father was announced a traitor for disobeying General commands that your mother decided you had no place in the city anymore. You were expelled from the Fire Nation Academy for Girls, your mother was banned from local shops and gatherings, and your father was sent to Boiling Rock.

As Ozai’s war spread further into the world, your mother wanted nothing to do with a nation that caused nothing but pain. You and her shed your red and black clothes, promising never to wear the color of fire again. You removed yourself from the studies of firebending and settled into an Earth Nation village called Gaoling. Here you led a normal life; worked in a soup shop with your mother, and learned the true history of the Fire Nation.

3 years passed since you last saw the banished prince, but the nightmares of his screams still haunted you. You loathed Firelord Ozai, and you made it your life mission to avenge his sins. So when you had run into the Avatar, you promised to help him in any way that you could. You explained how you knew the royals inside and out, you knew the city like the back of your hand, and you knew how to take Ozai down.

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Found this sitting in my drafts for a verrrry long time, but tell me what you think! And if you would like to be added/removed from tag list just let me know :)  

Tag list: @sadgirlnumber92899​ @fandom-addict-aesthetics​ @roastbeats​ @lammello​ @unicornwithachainsaw83

[litwitlady]

Never Have I Ever (5/?)

Read the Board Game Verse on AO3.

The next Friday night Michael shows up early and with a list of demands. ‘Put on some warm clothes and grab a couple of blankets you don’t mind getting dirty. We’re taking this show on the road.’ He heads into Alex’s kitchen to pilfer the fridge, and Alex doesn’t bother asking questions, he just does as told.

Outside at Michael’s truck, they toss the blankets and whatever Michael took from his kitchen into the bed. ‘Your firepit? Where are we going?’

‘The desert. Our old spot. Hop in.’ A little thrill shivers down Alex’s spine as he climbs into the Chevy. In all their years of each other, spending the night in the desert has only ever ended one way.

Their drive out is twenty minutes of quiet, radio softly playing between them. Michael’s window is down despite the chill, and Alex enjoys the way the wind dances through his hair, making a mess of his curls. Every couple of miles, Michael glances over at him with a promise-painted smile, the same way he used to when they were seventeen.

They turn off the highway, tires kicking up dust clouds behind them. Beyond the mountains the sun is setting, pink and purple and orange flames licking at the first stars daring to blink down at them. The desert around them looks the same as it ever does with pockets of snow still unmelted from the season’s first snowfall. Eventually, two familiar mesquite trees appear and it’s like coming home, both of them breathing a little easier.

Michael puts the truck in park. ‘This place never changes.’ He slides out of the Chevy and before Alex has even set foot on solid ground, he’s managed to float everything out of the bed and onto the desert floor. ‘You want to sit on the ground or would the tailgate be easier?’

He looks nervous and that makes Alex nervous. ‘On the ground, near the fire. Just need a hand getting down there.’ He reaches out to Michael, asking for help but also offering comfort for whatever anxiety is biting at both their heels. Michael helps him onto the blanket and plops down beside him, the fire close enough to keep the encroaching sting of autumn winds at bay.

Scattered around them is an array of food. Everything from paninis oozing melted cheese to a handmade Greek salad from a recipe Michael had found at Isobel’s house while rummaging through her cookbooks. ‘I might have gone a bit overboard, but in my defense, I skipped lunch and was starving.’

Alex is already halfway through one of the paninis, eyes closed in satisfaction. ‘This is delicious.’ Michael makes a mental note to keep the panini maker he’d borrowed from Max. It’s not like Max ever uses it anyway.

Once they’ve eaten their way around the blanket, Michael gets back up and removes a large black case from his truck. ‘There’s a reason I wanted to come out here tonight.’ He winks down at Alex. ‘And no, it’s not the reason you’ve been thinking since I first mentioned the desert.’ Alex looks away quickly, hiding the disappointment that suddenly floods his face.

Michael doesn’t notice, too busy pulling a large telescope from the velvet lining inside the opened case. ‘Mars is brighter than it’s been in years this month. I’ve been itching to get out here and have a look. Isobel gifted me the telescope on our shared birthday in June. I was going to pawn it.’ He shrugs and peeks his eye through the eyepiece, adjusting the fingerscope per the instructions he’s found on his phone.

Alex looks up at the night sky and finds Mars with his naked eye. It is extraordinarily bright, a glowing pink orb rising through the inky black expanse of space. And when Michael finally captures it in the lens of the telescope, he gasps and grabs at Alex’s arm. ‘You can see so much detail. All the pockmarks and craters. And the dust looks almost orange. It’s amazing. Look.’

He drags the telescope closer to Alex so he doesn’t have to move much, checking through the eyepiece one last time to focus directly on the red star. Leaning back on his heels, Michael motions at Alex to take his place and turns his own eyes upward. They are both looking at the same star but he also knows they are seeing something entirely different. He huffs out a sharp laugh which draws Alex’s eye away from the telescope. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘Nothing. Just metaphors and nonsense. The ways that perspectives get so warped and are so hard to understand when everyone doesn’t have the same telescope.’ Alex gives him a funny look and Michael laughs outright. ‘I’ve been hanging around Max too much.’

Alex shakes his head gently. ‘No. I think I get what you’re saying. For a long time, we’ve wanted the same thing, but we’ve been coming at it from our own messy angles. I’ve often thought we were similar to the codes I break. We’re on the same page, but written in a language the other needs help translating.’ Michael nods at him, smiling sweet.

They spend an hour searching through the various stars and distant galaxies before a growing ache in Alex’s chest pushes him to ask a question he’s been holding inside since they decided to work on their friendship weeks ago. ‘One day you’ll be able to find your star. The one you’ve been searching for since you crawled from that pod. And you’ll figure out how to finish building your ship.’ He pauses to collect himself, already feeling the emotion in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. ‘One day, you’ll be able to go home.’ His eyes start to burn with unshed tears, but he keeps going, meeting Michael’s gaze with determination and readying the fortress around his heart he was so sure he wouldn’t need anymore. ‘Is that still what you want?’

Michael reaches up and swipes at the first tear that falls from the corner of Alex’s eye. ‘I found my star a long time ago. And I’m not going anywhere without you.’

Alex drops his eyes to his hands. ‘I have no right to ask that of you. I know that. Not after all the leaving I did.’ He tugs nervously at the hem of his shirt, hands starting to shake with the cold. ‘But I’m never going anywhere without you ever again. I promise.’

‘I know.’ Michael grabs an extra blanket and wraps it tight around Alex. ‘So what’s tonight’s game? Didn’t see you toss anything into the bed when we were leaving.’

They both lean back against the Chevy’s tire. Alex stretches the blanket around Michael’s shoulders so that they are sharing more than just the woven wool’s warmth. ‘How about the classic drinking game, Never Have I Ever? Sans alcohol but with a new twist.’ He grins, lips sharpening at the edges and eyes darkening with dare. ‘Instead of taking a drink, you have to kiss the other person.’

Michael snorts. ‘So we’re just soundly saying goodbye to the friends experiment then?’

‘No. Platonic kisses only. No kissing on the mouth and no use of tongue.’ Alex hears the bullshit in his words and knows Michael does too. His nerves return and he begins to second guess himself. ‘Or we can play like normal. There’s still plenty of wine left. Or not at all. I’m happy to just sit here with you too.’

‘That’s okay. I like the new rules. Not much of a wine guy anyway. Who goes first?’

‘Me.’ Alex sits up a little straighter and spends a fair amount of time considering his first move. ‘Never have I ever used my telekinesis to do literally anything.’ He follows the statement with a cheeky grin, clearly quite proud of himself.

‘Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be? That’s how we’re going to play?’ Alex tries to suppress the manic giggle that bubbles up in his throat but loses the fight pretty quickly. Michael shakes his head. ‘Have a placement preference?’

‘Nope. I’m looking forward to wherever you choose.’ He blushes and struggles to meet Michael’s eye, muscles tensing in anticipation once he feels Michael shift against him.

A breeze nestles between them, but neither of them notices. The cool air doing absolutely nothing to assuage the heat pulsing between them. Michael presses his lips to Alex’s temple, less a kiss than a remembrance of every kiss that has come before. Alex closes his eyes and lets this new memory burn a spot next to all the others.

It’s strange. Michael has kissed him goodbye dozens of times over the past few weeks. None of them half as affecting as this barely glancing touch.

Abruptly, Michael pulls away. ‘Never have I ever gone to war.’

Alex reopens his eyes at the sound of Michael’s voice. ‘If we keep this up, we’re going to dig ourselves into a hole, Guerin. One we can’t get out of.’ He brings his fingers up to the sleeve of Michael’s shirt. ‘You told me to dress warm when all you’re wearing is this thin t-shirt.’ Michael watches as Alex slowly guides the sleeve up over the top of his arm. Alex bows his head far enough to leave a trail of rough, chapped kisses where the bony end of his collarbone meets his shoulder.

Michael’s breath hitches the instant Alex doesn’t stop with one single kiss. The dry scrape of his lips sending goosebumps down to his toes, his heartbeat a staccato rhythm echoing throughout his entire body. ‘That doesn’t feel at all platonic.’ His voice is low and strained, edged with the desire to flatten Alex hard against the wool blanket beneath them.

Alex smiles and smacks his shoulder with one last loud kiss. ‘I guess that depends on your perspective. Never have I ever stepped foot on another planet.’

‘How about I share a little bit of my perspective with you?’ He scoots impossibly nearer to Alex, hand cupping his cheek and tilting their mouths dangerously closer. Their breaths mingle together although Alex is almost certain he’s not breathing at all anymore. Michael’s lips hover over Alex’s, the anticipation building to a crescendo they’ve both been waiting for since five Friday nights ago at the Wild Pony. And it doesn’t matter how many times they’ve kissed before. Because there’s never, not once been this much hope waiting for them on the other side.

When Michael’s lips finally land on Alex’s skin, they narrowly miss his mouth. Instead they fall at the corner of his lips, a sliver away from touching home. Alex exhales, half-groaning with the comedown. He’d been sure, so sure this was their moment. Swallowing down what he really wants to say, Alex turns to Michael just as he pulls away. ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.’

‘I think this was the best idea.’ He tilts his head and smiles at Alex so beyond innocent that Alex yelps when Michael pushes his shoulders roughly onto the blanket and slides effortlessly between Alex’s welcoming thighs. Alex barely has time to take another breath before Michael’s mouth steals it away, sucking at his bottom lip so desperately Alex has to lift his head to chase after Michael’s urgency.

The kiss is needy, both of them grasping at each other like they’re dangling off a cliff holding on with nothing more than their fingertips. Michael’s hands tug at Alex’s hair, jagged, work-worn nails digging into the softness of his scalp without apology. And Alex fills the gaps between Michael’s ribs with his fingers, feeling Michael’s lungs expand with each new, shuddering breath. Eventually twisting Michael’s t-shirt so tight in his fists it rips at the seams.

One kiss becomes two becomes twenty until neither knows whose tongue is whose anymore. Michael’s shirt is long gone and Alex’s pants are shoved halfway down his thighs before either of them has the sense to stop. ‘Your skin is like ice, Alex. It’s too cold out here for this, even with the fire.’ His breathing is ragged, his chest heaving. Leaning back on his knees, he helps Alex back into his jeans, despite his ardent protests that he’s not too cold, and grabs the remaining blanket to wrap around them. Even with two thick, wool blankets, the night air is still harsh enough to make both of them shiver. ‘Maybe we should go back to your place.’

‘No. Please not yet.’ Alex shifts closer to Michael, joining their bodies wherever he can reach. Laying his head on Michael’s chest, he hums in satisfaction at the steady beat of his heart. ‘You’ll keep me warm. Tell me about the stars like you used to.’ Alex points to a random patch of desert sky. ‘Isn’t that Polaris?’

Michael snorts into Alex’s hair. ‘You’ve always been so bad at this. You can’t really see the North Star from here. It’s not bright enough.’ He drags Alex’s still-raised finger to another part of the sky. ‘That’s Gemini. The twins. I’ve always thought of me and Max as Castor and Pollux. But the version where only one of them, Pollux probably, is immortal.’

‘Max is Pollux, I’m guessing?’

Michael nods, chin tapping against the top of his head. ‘Yes.’

The stars glow brighter as Michael spends the next hour recounting so many of their mysteries, fingertips dancing up and down Alex’s arm like he’s tattooing the stories into his skin. Alex pretends like he’s never heard them before when in reality he’s had them all memorized for over a decade. The stars and Michael’s stories are what had kept his first tour overseas from chewing him up and spitting him out.

Tilting his chin, Alex kisses into Michael’s neck, leaving a sloppy trail in his wake as he nibbles up to his ear. ‘Take me home.’

The warmth of Alex’s house beckons as they pile everything back into the truck. With no traffic, they pull into the driveway in record time, not bothering to unpack the Chevy before heading inside and straight to Alex’s bedroom. They collapse onto the bed and undress each other slowly, allowing the furnace’s heat to melt them into nothing but nerve-endings and sensation, their sweat-slick skin sliding smoothly together.

Once they’re sated and sleepy, Michael throws a leg over Alex’s thighs and wraps an arm around his waist, tugging him as close as possible. ‘I guess we’re dating now.’

[useraew]

Anxiety Attack

Colby Brock x Female reader

Trigger : Includes the reader having breakdown as a anxiety attack kicks in. 

Plot : In the midst of everyone telling you that your friendship with Colby is more than you think, it leads you to have an anxiety attack.  This takes place in the new trap house. 

This is both going to be in the reader’s pov and Colby’s. 

Y/n’s Pov 

The underlining feelings I had for Colby made me wanna scream. I’ve been friends with him for over a year or so and within that time, everyone seems to notice how close we were. I never really notice it at first but we always had our inside jokes. Our own handshake we created just for us. The amount of time we’d just hang out to just ourselves. Never thought in million years I’d have a friendship like this. 

I’ve always noticed the way Colby smiled at me, it always made me feel something real. The way he hugged me as i’d place my chin on his shoulder for a moment.  Looking at pictures that both of us made and feeling a smile appear on his face, just the way he looked me drove me to my core. A joy Colby would be when he’d make a silly face to make me laugh or make me happier when i’m down. 

Downsides to having feelings for my best friend was everyone else teasing me,making hints at Colby, and the amount of anxiety that would come with it that would destroy me mentally. I’d try to ignore them as using my phone to distract my thoughts would only work for a little bit of time. 

Pressing the doorbell as I arrived at the trap house, i hoped Colby would answer so i didn’t feel a boost of nerves with it being him answering the door. As the sound of feet moved closer to the door, I started to play with my fingers. The sound of Colby’s voice filled the air as I let out relief. As always he hugged me, my chin placed on his shoulder as i felt safe for a moment. Letting go of him i felt the nerves slowly fill me up. 

Following him to where everyone else was, he whispered in my ear making me pale . “I’ll get you a white claw okay?” My eyes meeting his; I nodded as he smiled going to the kitchen. Once everyone noticed my presence, the room filled with giggles and laughter making me take a hold of my fingers as I took a seat next to Tara. 

“Hi Y/n, doesn’t Colby look extra cute today” Reggie teased as I gave him a blank face trying to hide my anxious state. As Kevin was about to comment on Reggie’s statement Colby’s voice appeared. “Here you go darling” Gladly taking the White claw from Colby he took a seat next to me. Opening the drink the taste of lemon hit my tongue distracting me from the boys. The feeling of Colby’s hand fell down to my lower back as my eyes grew wide. 

My eyes wondered back at my best friend watching him give me a wink. “Aww Colby and Y/n are so precious” Looking back at Jake as he chuckled afterword. “Gosh why aren’t they together?” Kevin mentioned to me as I kept my eyes down to my drink . “Oh god I assumed you guys were a thing” Katrina spoke as Tara agreed. All the anxious feelings came over me making me feel like i was going up in flames. I took another sip of my beverage before slowly just staring at the wall. 

Before blacking out, the faint sound of Colby's voice filled the room. “Guys shut the fuck up” Finishing off my White Claw, easily using my hand to scrunch it up but that wasn’t enough to fix my sadness I was feeling. Letting the White Claw fall from my hand to the floor I finally stood up and left to the front door. Everything started to go up in the flame within me, shouting of my name and my pace sped up when finding my way out. 

Feeling the air as I find myself jumping into my car, with the footsteps belonging to my best friend behind me. Looking out the car window, a concerned boy who I knew so well watched as a tear formed in my eye. “Y/n, what’s wrong?” Opening the car door, Colby took that as a clue to open it all the way, once I could feel the air hit my face, he was fast to bring me in his arms again.       

Taking deep breaths I found myself calmly speaking up, “anxiety attack” I mumbled into his ear as he rubbed my back. “It’s okay sweetie, you wanna go to my room and lay down for a bit?”  Shaking my head yes he helped me out of my car and locked it for myself as he lead me back into the house. As I walked back in with Colby's arm around me still, he bent down a little to whisper in my ear again. “Go to my room and lay down i’ll be up in a moment.” “mhm” came out of my mouth as i walked upstairs to his room. 

Colby’s Pov

As his bedroom door clicked shut, Colby found his way back over to everyone. “Hey is Y/n okay?” Tara questioned as she had a full face of concern. “She had an anxiety attack no thanks to everyone’s jokes and teasing about her and I” “Oh” Tara and the rest of the friends looked sadden by the news. “I hope yall are happy” Colby mumbled under his breath. Before he could get back to you the feeling of Jake’s hand bringing him back. “I thought you and y/n had something going on?” Colby was taken back by his words as he defended you and him. 

 “If their is then that’s between her and i not anyone else, now if you don’t mind i’m gonna go upstairs make sure she’s okay” With that I quickly got back upstairs to y/n. As I opened the door I found Y/n laying there looking adorable under my covers. As my eyes looked into hers I gave her a assuming smile as I joined her in my bed. She giggled as I held on to her, my lips lightly kissed her shoulder. Her head turned to me as my attention was only on her face now. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked as i waited for a reply pulling her hair behind her ears so I could see that earring in her ear. “It’s been about you since the day we met” Seeing her look away from my glance made me realize how she was feeling. Directing her eyes back at mine I let her continue, “I don’t want to watch myself lose you because you don’t feel the way I do about you”     

Sitting up in my seat, planting my hands around her face I forced her to look me in eyes. “Nothing will cause us to lose each other and nothing is going change how I feel about you Y/n.” The gaze in Y/n’s eyes on me gave me goosebumps forming on my arms as cold breeze was brought in. In another moment we moved back in a normal position with her chin resting on my chest. “Are you cold?” She muttered as y/n examined my arm. “I’m okay” murmuring back. “How are you feeling y/n” She took a minute to answer me as her body reposition to her sitting criss cross applesauce. “I don’t know” Y/n shrugged 

Getting up Y/n paced around my room seeing feel this way made my heart break. “I just wanna be the girl you love Cole, I want it all” Trying to get from my seat she was hesitant towards myself. “No, is it because i’m gonna get rejected? Or i’m not your type?”  She projected herself against a wall as her tired eyes developed more tears. Finding myself towards her again, her cry became more powerful. She sighed as our foreheads met she took deeper breathes. 

“Shhh” Calming her down, I kept eye contact to make sure she knew everything was going to be okay. “I would never reject you ever in my life, god you are so my fucking type okay?” Shaking her head i cleared her tears. “i do also love you, i would love to have it all with you.” I reassured her.  

  Walking away from Y/n to find my record player, I could feel Y/n’s stare from behind me. Her feet moved slow as she came up on my right side. She watched me put a record on as the music came out. “May I have this dance?” taking her hand we slow danced. Holding her from her waist she smiled. 

Twirling her around I kissed cheek making her chuckle. “Colby” She spoke as she turned around to look at me. “yeah honey” Y/n took this opportunity to wrap her arms around my neck. “I’m in love with you Cole” A moment like this was never what I expected I've always had these loving feelings for Y/n. When everyone had this idea that we were already together or what ever I tried not to make anything of it not realizing it affected y/n the way it did. 

“Y/n, I’ve always loved you” As the music started to get more upbeat Y/n took it upon herself to kiss me. As the kiss got deeper, I had her in my arms only focusing on her lips. Pushing myself up against the wall my left hand intertwined with her right hand. My right hand helped keep her balanced before Y/n let go of my lips to take a breather. 

“You’re so beautiful Cole” Y/n admired me as I gladly took her back to my bed. Placing her down I kissed her forehead. “You’re more beautiful and you have always been the love of my life” Cuddling her close now I was left with the sound of music filling the room and her safely in my arms.      

[iwriterobots]

Claw-Shaped Scars

Alice has a claw-shaped scar on her right thigh. I’ve seen it, even traced my hand along its rough edges. The skin is pulled tight around the three, raised marks on her leg where something once raked across her flesh. The muscle underneath is taught and twisted, hardened like her soul. I knew it was there, of course—we all did. Even if she didn’t show it.

“It’s from the beast.” She says, sliding to the edge of the bed beside me and yanking on her worn-out jeans. 

“I’m sorry, that must have been very painful.” 

Alice just looks at me, expression steadfast and knowing. I’ve seen this face before, of course—her brow unwavering but kind, eyes soft but intense. It is a face she wears often. With it comes begrudging patience, for weathering a storm of recovery, for repeating the same fake answers again and again. But I know how her scars still ache, how she must stretch them against the pain shooting through her leg and the guilt shooting through her mind. I know how Alice pushes herself, how she treats that pain like an old friend, how she greets it with gritted teeth each step of the way.

She heaves herself to her feet with a grunt, fetches her cane from where it rests against the night stand, and extends a hand to me. Together, we leave the small cabin at the top of the hill and head down the path towards the beach below. 

Alice works mostly freelance these days. That’s what she tells people, anyway, though I still don’t know what kind of work that entails. I picture her cutting down trees in some ratty, old overalls, hauling the logs over her shoulder to a rustic timber mill in the middle of the woods. Something strong like that. It’s just how Alice has always been. Even before the beast, before the scars, she was determined to be known as the strongest friend. Maybe one day she’ll realize that she always has been.

We don’t tell the story that often nowadays, but when we do, we make sure to tell it right. You see, when the beast came hunting for Alice in our neck of the woods, I prayed for him. Poor bastard didn’t know the kind of hell he was in for, picking a fight like Alice. Sure, he could bite, but Alice could thrash just as hard. Sure, he could roar, but Alice’s snarl was twice as piercing. Sure, he had those gnarled, raking claws of his, but for each slash into her leg, Alice had three of us in her corner, ready to patch her up and hand her a baseball bat or metal chair. The beast was never going to win. 

Alice tells it differently, of course. 

“I hit him too, you know.” She tells us each year. “And as I wailed on him, he just kept howling at me, begging me to stop. He was spitting blood up at me, right into my eyes. Now I just see red.” 

We hold her. And to each anxious gasp, we respond with reassurance—truth. A kiss that says, “It’s over now.” A squeeze of the hand that says, “We’re still here for you.” A gentle arm draped about the shoulders that says, “You are stronger than these scars.”

Alice winces as we make our way towards the others who are waiting for us on the beach. She stops after each big step, turning back to me with a gentle smile and offering a hand to help me down. I smile back at her. No, the beast could never truly stop you, I think to myself. 

 I can hear Owen laughing as we get closer, his voice warmer than the fire pit and ten times more inviting than the sweet, wafting scent of smores. As we take our first steps into the cool, gritty sand, he calls out to us with a grin. 

“What took you two so long?”

“Alice didn’t want to put her pants back on,” I tease, and he guffaws, throwing his head back with laughter.

Owen’s neck is an intricate lattice of the cracks and fractures left behind by dancing flames. They promised to choke him, once. Now the white-hot whispers of their empty threats weave their way along his beautiful, pock-marked skin. But those scars will never outshine that smile. 

I’ve known Owen since I was a kid. He ran around in my backyard so many nights and spent so many family dinners with us, my mom likes to say that she raised him too. But I know that he raised himself, really. We all do. I can see it in the faces he makes as he listens to someone talk, hear it in the way he laughs at our jokes, encouraging us to be ourselves. 

Owen was a loud, talkative kid before high school. He learned loud, he played louder, and he hurt loudest of all. But I never minded. I remember our teachers in middle school would berate him for blurting out answers. They never cared that he was right, that he was brilliant. None of the other kids in our classes wanted to listen to him either. They knew a black sheep when they saw one. But I’ve always liked it when he dyes his hair darker. 

Through the years, they built a pyre in his soul, stacked logs against his heart, struck a match on his spark of creativity, and then had the gall to ask him for a light, for his warmth. And when the smoke clawed as his throat, when his words smoldered in his mouth and the oxygen burnt up in his lungs, Owen got quiet. 

We’ve spent the last few years putting out the fire. I still try to turn on the sprinkler system when we have some alone time, just to make sure it works. It had been rusted shut for so many years, backlogged with the tears that had evaporated in the heat of a blaze that screamed, “shut up.” 

As we approach the campfire, Owen drapes a blanket across my shoulders and takes my hand, ushering Alice and I in to sit with the others before continuing with the story he had just been telling. He still coughs against the few lingering wisps of smoke that haunt his lungs, but they can’t choke him anymore. He shouts the funny parts of his tale and laughs along with us. It’s a loud, hearty laugh, the kind that makes you shake with your whole body until you’re wiping your eyes and holding your gut. And that’s just what we do. It’s the kind of laugh that makes you love him. And that’s just what we do. 

When only embers remain, and the stars hum along to the gentle melody of the waves caressing the shore, I drape blankets and give good-night kisses on the forehead. The others sleep peacefully on the beach behind me, hearts full and tired as I walk through the sand to the old, wooden platform that protrudes out into the waves. Rippling blackness extends out before me, moon reflected in its stillness. I lie there at the edge of the dock, feet kissed by the lapping water below, as I trace a familiar face in the stars overhead.

I have a nail-shaped scar in the palm of my right hand where I once fought to hold onto you. Fought harder than I ever have. Harder than I will ever be able to again. Tears begin to blur the twinkling lights above me. 

It didn’t matter in the end, of course. 

I still lost my grip. 

I trace the hardened indents with the fingers of my other hand as I lie there. I’ve grown used to feeling the aches of these scars softened by the love of another, cradled in the tender grip of a hand in mine. I wonder if the others can feel the desperation with which I grasp their love, too afraid of losing my grip again. I wonder if they can see themselves in every shared memory of you. 

I still haven’t let go of you, have I?

[angelliev]

Lover Boy - JJ Maybank x OC - Part One - Paradise on Earth

Word Count: 2K

Summary: Aria Prescott is new to the Outer Banks and is ready to make some new friends and new beginnings. What she wasn’t expecting was making some unforgettable memories with JJ Maybank. 

Warnings: Light smut, some cursing, alcohol/drug use and maybe some typos lol.

A/N: Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. This is my first time ever writing and publishing a fanfic so, I’m pretty excited and really nervous at the same time. I was inspired by the writers on here to finally put on my big girl pants and give this a shot. I'm really looking forward to see how this turns out. I’m planning on making this a series. Hope you like it! (Not my GIF. Credits to the owner. I don’t own the show or any of the characters) :)

Lover Boy Series Masterlist

“The Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth.” I used to think that was an exaggeration. I’m originally from Chapel Hill, so visiting the OBX was common. Now I’m living in Figure Eight. My parents wanted a change of scenery. So, what’s better than living in Paradise on Earth? To be honest, I really don’t mind. I already have a few friends I’ve known for a while who live here.

For example, would be Charis Donahue. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten. She’s an absolute wild card. Everyone who thinks they know her, thinks that she’s an innocent goody two shoes. Her real friends however, know that’s a load of bull. If you look up the word party animal in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Charis beside it. She’s the perfect combination of crazy, loyal and fun. That’s what makes her one of my best friends.

My other best friend is Sarah Cameron. The kook princess. Our parents are good friends, so I’ve known her for a while now. Speaking of now, we’re currently having brunch on the balcony of my new house. Charis scans her surroundings, for any adults before pouring a little bit of vodka into our glasses of orange juice before quickly shoving it back into her purse.

“Score.” Sarah praises the rebellious teen who raises her glass. “Cheers to Aria for finally getting her ass out here. Welcome to the Outer Banks love.” We all cheer and sip together, basking in the sun. “So, what are we doing tonight? Cause I’m bored out of my mind.” I confess. The two share a look.

“Well you’re in luck, because tonight we’re having a little get together at my place. My parents are flying to New Jersey for some charity event, so we have the place all to ourselves.” Charis smirks. “Nice, but what do you mean a little get together?” I asked curiously. “It’s just going to be us, Charis’s boyfriend, my boyfriend, and his friends, JJ, Pope and Kiara.” Sarah explains.

I’ve only met Charis’s boyfriend, Diego, once at a baseball game that took place in Chapel Hill. I’ve never met Sarah’s new boyfriend either, but I can tell she really likes him. She’s been talking about him nonstop ever since they started going out. I hung out with Kiara a few times during freshman year, when she and Sarah were friends, but then they had some weird blowout. Thankfully, they’re friends again, because it was kind of awkward talking to both of them when all they wanted to do was claw each other’s eyes out and I had to play the peacemaker.

“Sounds like fun. I can’t wait to finally meet this mystery stud you’re always rambling on about.” “Tonight will be epic.” Charis says. “How so?” Her helicopter of mother, Ingrid, startles the three of us. “We’re having a sleepover tonight.” Charis replies nonchalantly. She’s also a very good liar. “With who’s permission?”

“Dads’ of course.” This seems to annoy her mother. “Is that so Oscar?” Ingrid asked her husband, who was having a conversation with Ward and Claude, my dad. “Oh, come on honey. She’s old enough to host a sleepover with her friends for one night.” Oscar defends Charis, much to her mother’s dismay.

“There better not be any boys, alcohol or drugs at this sleepover.” Charis simply says okay and continues scrolling through pictures on social media before her Ingrid snatches it from her hands. “I’m serious Charis!” The two of them both had scolding eyes. “Okay! It’s just going to be us girls. I promise.” Charis snatches back the phone. Her mother scoffs and rolls her eyes before leaving us to speak with Rose. “God can she be any more annoying?” Charis grumbles under a hushed tone. “Yeah when is she not on your ass?” Sarah asked. “When she’s on my dad’s.” She replies. Both Sarah and I both scrunch our faces in disgust.

Hours later…

As of now, I’m going through my closest attempting to find something to wear. I finally decide on my black and white bikini, denim shorts, a white crochet coverup and sandals. Satisfied with my look, I grab my bag before heading out the door and down the street where I see Sarah parked outside.

“Hello my little splinter bean.” Sarah greets me with her odd nickname as I sit down in the remaining passenger seat. “Guys this is one of my best friends Aria. You already know Kie of course. This is my boyfriend John B.” He fist bumps me. “And this is his best friend JJ.” My breath hitched slightly when I looked at JJ. He’s got to be one of the most handsome guys I have ever seen with his blonde hair, tan skin, baby blue eyes and rather flirtatious smirk. I’m happy with the outfit choice I made, due to his eyes roaming up and down my body.

“Pleasure to meet you beautiful.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Likewise, lover boy.” I can hear both John B and Sarah snickering up front. It was rather difficult to keep my cool, while being so close to JJ, our legs touching. I began wonder what the rest of his skin felt like. I was rather a little disappointed when the moment ended with us exiting the car and entering the house. We were surprised to see flames over the grill outside on the patio. “What’s good bitches?” Charis waves with a spatula and Diego sits at the bar.

“What the shit?!” The five of us say in union. Not too long after, Pope comes running in with the fire extinguisher in hand, disposing the flames.

“Jesus, what the hell were you numbskulls trying to cook?” Kie asked astonished. “Burgers, but that plan obviously went to shit…”. “Well it’s a good thing we brought beer.” JJ pops one open. “Thank god.” Says Diego.

For the rest of the night we all drank, swam, laughed and more. I genuinely enjoyed hanging out with them tonight. They’re a lot more fun than the kids at my school. I also liked catching JJ and his wandering eye. I think it was around one in the morning when everyone began to fall asleep. Me on the other hand was tossing and turning nonstop. Giving up on sleep I silently sneak out the room and to the pool where I dip my feet, enjoying the peace.

“Feeling a little restless, are we?” I turn to see JJ walking towards me. I let my eyes wander across his shirtless body. It’s a sight I could get used. He catches my gaze and smirks. “Yeah. You too?” He pulls out a blunt before lighting it. He rests it between his lips inhaling, holding the smoke in his lungs and finally releasing the toxic cloud into the warm night air. He sits next to me all close. “You want a hit?” He offers me the blunt. I was unsure at first, since I never smoked before, let alone weed. “First time for everything.” I sigh. “Atta girl.” I was definitely way over my head when I inhaled the burning smoke. I violently coughed, desperate for clean air. This earns a chuckle from him. “That shit burns.” I complain with watery eyes. “Takes some time to get used to. C’mere.”

He takes my face in his rough hands, with his thumb pushing down on my bottom lip. This time instead of exhaling the smoke into the air, it enters my mouth instead. Our lips barely brush against each other, very tempting to close the gap. This would make an interesting first kiss. I bite my lip when he pulls away. Not knowing what to do, I ask, “Wanna go for a swim?” letting my body fall into the water, waiting for him to come join me. He doesn’t disappoint when he jumps in too. I admire how his sun kissed skin gleams from the water and watch the droplets race down his muscular body.

He swims dangerously close to me, until my back hits the wall, trapping me. His hands grip my thighs before spreading them apart, before they find their way around his waist, leaving no space between us. Our lips are almost touching. My heart beats so fast I can practically hear it.  I grow impatient and pull him into a kiss. Our lips dancing against each other, our tongues intertwining, and our hips grinding together. Everything is so erotic and passionate, which leaves me craving more.

His skin against mine was electrifying, especially when his hand snuck up my back to undo my top exposing me. He licks his lips and begins to kiss his way down to breast, leaving hickies on the way. I let out a surprised moan when his mouth attaches to my left breast, while his hand plays with the other. It didn’t dawn on me until now that we moved past second base and were most likely going to skip third and straight to home run. After all, the only thing that’s separating us are the two swim bottoms.

Am I seriously about to lose my virginity in my best friend’s pool to a guy I just met? A guy who knows what he’s doing with his skilled mouth and hands. I should pull away before this goes any further, yet I continue to moan and encourage him to continue as his fingers disappear under my bikini bottom. Before he could venture even farther down there, we’re interrupted by surprise visitor.

“What the actual shit Aria?!” My head whips over to the voice, belonging to Jasper. Charis’s older brother. JJ acts quickly by withdrawing his hand, earning a whimper from me, and pulling me flush against his chest attempting to shield me from the poor guy who’s staring up at the sky. “Jasper what are you doing here?!” He gives me a dumbfounded look. “I live here? And I should be asking you the same thing.”

“We were having a little get together.” “Oh there’s a little get together all right.” He said with a judgmental tone, earning a chuckle from JJ, who’s face is nuzzled into my neck. “I take it my parents don’t know you guys invited a bunch of unexpected guests?” I don’t even bother to respond to that. He simply sighs. “Just get dressed and go to bed. Secret is safe with me.” He walks back into the house leaving the two of us alone once again. We both let out a mischievous laugh before our lips connect again.

“We should continue this later babygirl.” He playfully slaps my ass making me squeal. We sneak back into the room as quiet as possible, drying ourselves off before slipping under the covers.

He spoons me, to my surprise, bodies molding together perfectly. One of his hands sneak under and up my shirt cupping my breast, while the other slips under my panties. His long fingers begin to play with my folds and clit making my breath hitch. He finds my sweet spot again before nipping at it. I let out a whimper, the sensations all over my body are too much. “Quiet babygirl. Don’t want to wake up the others.” His hot breath reaches my ear.

I gasp when a finger slips into my folds testing the waters. I bite my lip attempting to remain silent as it thrust in and out of me. He adds another, curling his fingers. I began to wonder if I was having a dirty dream. It felt too good to be real. I then realized that it indeed was real when he started hitting the sweet spot buried deep inside me bringing me close to orgasm.

“Jay, I think I’m close.” He speeds up and uses his free hand to cover my mouth. “Cum for me babygirl. Cum all over my fingers. Imagine it being my cock.” His provocative words were all that I needed to finally release. My juices coat his fingers, which he brings to his mouth licking them clean. I’m seconds away from falling into a deep and satisfied slumber.

“I can’t wait to taste more of you. For now, go to sleep. Dream of me fucking you good babygirl.” And with that I let sleep consume me as I lay next to him, hoping that I would still see him in my dreams.

[writings-of-dumpy]

George Weasley and the Girl in Ravenclaw: Part 1

A/N: So basically I started in Goblet of Fire, which is Fred and George’s 6th year, sooo yeah. This is going to be a long series, so buckle up! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

“Come on!!” George yelled in the stands as the bunch made their way to their seats. Raven giggled at his enthusiasm and smiled to herself. She had always gone to Gryffindor’s games and even cheered them on despite being in Ravenclaw house. She’d never forget the first match she had attended between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in her third year. She cheered on her twin best friends from the opposing team’s stands. She saw George protect Oliver from a Bludger and prevented Ravenclaw from scoring a goal and she cheered for their move despite her housemates surrounding her booing. She laughed to herself.

“Look, it’s the Irish!” Ron said from a few people away. Music blared through the speakers and a team adorned in green robes flew through the air and sparked fireworks in the shape of a leprechaun that then began to dance. It was then that Raven noticed how far up they all were.

“Oh god, don’t lean so far, you might fall!” she warned Fred.

“Don’t worry, Ven, I’ll hold onto you,” Fred said with a sly smile and slung his arm around her waist. She blushed as his large hand smoothed across her back and secured itself around her opposite side. He saw George’s eyes narrow at his brother slightly, but the three of them were distracted by the deep drum sounds of the Bulgarian team’s entrance and the crowd chanting the seeker’s name. As his face pooped up as an image across the stadium, Hermione and Ginny shared and impressed look with each other and turned to Raven, who gave them a thumbs up.

Throughout the game, Raven noticed George and Fred getting increasingly riled up and when Ireland won the match. When the snitch was caught and the game ended, Ireland still came out on top and the twins cheered and hugged Raven close between them.

After a short walk back to the massive tent, Ron started to gush about how wonderful Viktor Krum was during the match and the twins teased him endlessly.

“I think you’re in love, Ron,” Ginny mused.

“Shut up!” he said to her in return.

“When we’re apart my heart beats only for yooouu…” Fred, George, and Harry sang to the younger redhead. Raven laughed harder than she had in quite a while and caught George’s eye as he sang the lyric. Shortly after, Ron started beating Fred with a pillow.

“Stop it! Stop! It! We’ve got to get out of here. Now,” Arthur said in a rush as he came practically running into the tent. Raven quickly stuffed what she had pulled out of her bag back in and ran with the Weasleys out of the tent.

“Get back to the portkey, everyone! Fred, George! Ginny is your responsibility!” Arthur barked as flames and explosions surrounded them. An explosive spell landed just shy of her head and hit a metal beam of a nearby tent. It feel away from her and she looked back to where the spell had originated. Arthur rushed to fight off the attackers, and in the chaos, Raven lost sight of him. She pulled out her wand and prayed that the ministry wouldn’t notice if she put out a few fires.

“I’m not risking you getting hurt,” she heard George shout over the screaming from beside her just as she was about to perform the enchantment. She felt his hand grip hers and he began to pull. With a shake of her head, they ran back up the hill together with their fingers locked together.

George looked over at Raven as they reached the top of the hill with the rest of the group minus Harry to make sure she hadn’t been injured.

“We have to go back and find him, he could be really hurt!” Raven protested and dropped her sack and began to head back toward the flames.

“No!” George said sternly as his adrenaline rushed through him. “YOU could get hurt too. I’m not letting that happen. Dad’s still down there, he’ll find him. We need to get back home.”

With a sigh, Raven nodded and once again took George’s hand and followed him to the portkey.

~*~

“That’s rubbish!” Fred and George called out among the boos from courageous but underaged Gryffindors and Slytherins after the age restriction was made on this year’s Triwizard Tournament.

George was livid. The tournament sounded like something he would kill to be a part of. Eternal glory? Riches beyond wildest dreams? Dangerous tasks requiring brave and creative solutions? Sign him up. He wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. But he fell a year short. He’d be 17 in April, but the tournament would have been well underway at that point.

Dumbledore shushed the hall and George stopped paying attention as he was already figuring out ways to circumvent the rules, as usual. The following day, he and Fred approached Raven after their potions lesson.

“Hello, love,” George greeted with a beaming smile.

“Cleverest witch we know,” Fred continued.

“Brightest in the school, I’d say,” George complimented.

Raven shot them a suspicious smile. “What are you two on about?”

“Well I’m sure you’ve heard of the Triwizard tournament,” Fred began. “And that horrible rule.”

“The one meant to keep children safe? Seems a bit hypocritical to me,” Raven said and the trio sat on a bench in the courtyard.

“Oh?” George asked.

“If they really wanted to keep children safe, the tournament wouldn’t be held at schools,” Raven said. “Now, what about it?”

“Well, Georgie and I want in on it,” Fred said. “One of us has to be champion enough, eh?”

Raven’s eyes went wide. “You’re joking, right?”

George felt slightly guilty and looked at Fred, who pressed on, “Not in the slightest, my dear.”

Raven scoffed. “Thank Merlin you’re too young to put your name in that goblet.”

“But that’s where you come in, darling,” George said with a sweet tone, remembering his goal.

Raven raised her brow at them in a quizzical manner.

“We need some ideas about how we can get our names in there. Got to be a way to do it, and who better to ask than the most intelligent person we know,” Fred said and began to put his arm around her. She shot up and looked at them both with a disapproving and shocked expression.

“Do you honestly expect me to help you get yourselves killed? I will absolutely not help you, and I can’t believe you two would think this was even a remotely good idea. What would Molly say? I’ve already lost my mother, and you two would have me help myself to lose more people I love? No,” Raven exclaimed with watery eyes. Before George could say anything, she turned and walked out of the courtyard and presumably to her dorm. Even though she was angry with them, George couldn’t help the butterflies he felt when she said she loved them.

A while after the butterflies subsided, George felt horribly guilty. He didn’t realize the kind of pain that Raven was feeling and he didn’t realize that by wanting to put himself in harm’s way, he would hurt her. As he and Fred scoured the library for an idea, he looked up at his brother.

“Hey Freddie?” George said in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, Georgie?” Fred replied without looking up from his book.

“I’ve been thinking… Raven may have a point. Putting ourselves in danger could hurt more than help,” George reasoned.

Fred looked up. “Think about the reward, though. Not to mention how fun it could be. If we win, we’d be richer than we could imagine! Finally be able to get mum the life she wants. And I’m willing to get hurt and die for that chance, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am, I’m just weighing options,” George said. “Raven just seemed so upset. I didn’t expect that from her, I suppose.”

“She’s unpredictable, that’s for sure. Part of what makes me like her so much, I guess,” Fred smirked and turned the page.

George’s head snapped up. “You what?”

“Like her. You do too,” Fred said with a sly smile and looked at his twin. “Why else would we call her our best friend?”

George stayed silent as he tried to understand what Fred meant. He knew he was developing feelings for Raven, but was Fred? He couldn’t pick between his brother and her, it wasn’t fair.  He knew Fred had often been the more mischievous of the two and certainly a charmer as they both were, but what was he playing at?

“An aging potion!” Fred said with glee. “That’s it!”

[turtletotem]

Burn Me Down - a Catradora fanmix

Fifteen-song Spotify playlist for giving you Catradora feels, presented in roughly chronological order for their relationship. Fairly Catra-centric because of my brain.

Songs and their relevance under the cut!

1. Ashes (Braden Barrie)—Catra's POV of Adora leaving

Wish I had known back then That when you told me That this was goodbye I'd never see you again

I know the stars still shine And the moon still glows But my heart still beats for you And I wonder why you gave up this time Maybe I just wasn't enough for you

2. Someone You Loved (Lewis Capaldi)—More Catra, particularly when she tears the bed up

Now the day bleeds into nightfall And you're not here to get me through it all I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved

I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you

3. The Horror and the Wild (The Amazing Devil)—Catra's growing anger at Adora and maybe also at Shadow Weaver

Think of all the horrors that I Promised you I'd bring I promise you, they'll sing of every time You passed your fingers through my hair and called me child

4. Bad Blood (Bastille)—"You promise?" "I promise."

We were young and drinking in the park There was nowhere else to go And you said you always had my back Oh but how were we to know That these are the days that bind you together, forever And these little things define you forever, forever ... If we're only ever looking back We will drive ourselves insane As the friendship goes resentment grows We will walk our different ways But those are the days that bind us together, forever And those little things define us forever, forever

5. Don't Make Me (Malinda)—Back when Catra and Adora still didn't want to fight each other.

Don't make me be the bad guy Don't make me be the bad guy Despite all of my foresight I keep hoping I'll be right about you But you were the psycho So what do I know? (I know) Tell me you're the bad guy No, don't make me be the bad guy

6. Circles – Minor Key Version (Chase Holfelder)—They can't just turn their backs on each other, no matter how they try. I like the minor-key version here for a more tragic tone.

We couldn't turn around 'Til we were upside down I'll be the bad guy now No, I ain't too proud … Seasons change and our love went cold Feed the flame 'cause we can't let go Run away, but we're running in circles Run away, run away

7. Until the Day I Die (Story of the Year)—Post-portal, when things get… very bad between them.

My hands are at your throat And I think I hate you We made the same mistakes Mistakes like friends do

My hands are at your throat And I think I hate you But still we'll say, "Remember when" Just like we always do Just like we always do

Until the day I die I'll spill my heart for you, for you

8. The Beauty and the Tragedy (Trading Yesterday)—Oh the repressed feelings

Watch your step, love is broken I am every tear you cry Save your breath, your heart has spoken You already have my life For I am finding out that love Will kill and save me Taking the dreams that made me up And tearing them away But the same love will take this heart That's barely beating Fill it with hope beyond the stars Only love

9. Broken Inside (Broken Iris)—Emo song for emo season-4 Catra and her slow-spiraling breakdown. [WARNING: There’s a scream at the end of the song for some reason.]

Until the end of me You'll be the death of me I dare you to cross the line again Because deep down inside there's something that waits to be Broken inside Feeling alive Forced to defy Who casts me aside I'm waiting to be Broken inside Losing my mind Gasping for life Crashing through times That drive me to find The darkness behind Will never run dry But I'll still stand

10. Wrong Direction (Hailee Steinfeld)—Adora POV

I don't hate you No, I couldn't if I wanted to I just hate all the hurt that you put me through And that I blame myself for letting you Did you know I already knew?

Couldn't even see you through the smoke Lookin' back, I probably should have known But I just wanted to believe that you were out sleepin' alone Love me with your worst intentions Didn't even stop to question Every time you burned me down Don't know how, for a moment it felt like heaven

And it's so gut-wrenching Falling in the wrong direction

11. Fairly Local (Twenty One Pilots)—Catra's heel-face turn in "Corridors"!!! Credit to @yesbpdcatra for pointing out the amazing Catra-ness of this song.

I'm evil to the core What I shouldn't do I will They say I'm emotional What I wanna save I'll kill Is that who I truly am? I truly don't have a chance Tomorrow I'll keep a beat And repeat yesterday's dance … I'm not evil to the core What I shouldn't do I will fight I know I'm emotional What I wanna save I will try I know who I truly am I truly do have a chance Tomorrow I'll switch the beat To avoid yesterday's dance

12. If You Need Me (Julia Michaels)—Adora POV, especially deciding to go back for Catra after she saved Glimmer.

Have I spent too much time on what we used to be? Am I making up details in the memories? Have I got too caught up on the you and me thing? Well, I'm hoping not 'cause I loved what we got Out of sight, don't mean out of mind Not in your space, but you're still in mine Hope you don't think I could leave you like that

13. Vow (TENDER)—Catra, trying to change and be better.

I'm gonna need you tonight Walkin' miles in the moonlight Got myself into the wrong fight So, show me where To make amends

14. Control (Zoe Wees)—Catra recovering—from Prime, from Shadow Weaver, from everything—with Adora to help her.

Sometimes I still think it's coming but I know it's not Tryin' to breathe in and then out but the air gets caught 'Cause even though I'm older now and I know how to shake off the past I wouldn't have made it if I didn't have you holding my hand

15. Marry Me (Train)—The sweet, gauzy, sappy fairytale-ending song they deserve.

Together can never be close enough for me To feel like I am close enough to you You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you And you're beautiful Now that the wait is over And love has finally shown her my way Marry me Today and every day