#mac and cheese stream

[mawklee]

the world's greatest and most comprehensive mac and cheese ranking video

[lars-artwork]

LIKE to go to his birthday party

SHARE to give him a present

IGNORE to leave him all alone on his birthday :’(

[gotouda]

i had this horrible dream where i was on a weeklong group trip to tokyo and i was sick for 6 days and then on the 7th day i just wanted to go buy magazines and cigarettes but i had to take care of someones random baby that was on the trip with us so i couldnt. and everyone was like just leave the baby at the hotel its fine and i was like its a literal baby we cant do that… so i had to stay up all night looking after a baby while everyone else went out. what do you think that means.

[indigogirled]

it’s tuesday

[cinnamnt]

do you guys think jerma died without telling us

[trainwreck-pumpkin-pie]

CATBOY STER?????????????

[byunbaekhyunie]

oh we’re so back

[jazzyinspace]

Lucas shared his life story with Jeff over Blamco Mac & Cheese and honey-flavored popcorn, and then this happened. ...Friendship?! 🍿💫

Captured during @jonnyonearth 's stream: twitch.tv/jonnyonearth ❤️

[nuclearpoweredsniper]

i deleted that post but im right

[mawklee]

jerma in unpaid intern ep. 3

[goldfades]

joe dealing w pregnant reader who cries all the time cause yk the hormonesss

Joe had been through enough seasons to know how to handle pressure. He’d stared down defenses, taken hits that rattled his ribs, and played through pain most people couldn’t imagine. But this? This was something else entirely.

This was his wife—his beautiful, stubborn, currently very pregnant wife—crying into a bowl of mac and cheese at the kitchen counter.

Joe leaned against the fridge, arms crossed, watching her with a mix of concern and amusement. He wasn’t sure what had set her off this time. Could’ve been the way the cheese didn’t melt quite right. Could’ve been the cat looking at her too intensely. Could’ve been, as she’d said last night between sniffles, just everything, Joe.

“You wanna tell me what’s wrong, baby?” he asked, voice careful, gentle, like approaching a skittish deer.

She sniffled, lifting her head just enough for him to see the glassiness in her eyes. “It’s just—” She let out a dramatic exhale, her hand resting on the swell of her belly. “I don’t even know! I saw a video of a baby giggling, and then I thought about our baby giggling, and then I thought, what if they never giggle, Joe? What if they’re just a serious baby who never laughs?”

Joe pressed his lips together, nodding like this was a completely reasonable thing to be distraught over. “A serious baby, huh?”

She nodded back, lower lip trembling. “Like—like they just stare at people all the time. What if they don’t even think I’m funny?”

Joe pushed off the fridge, walking over to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Baby, no child of yours is gonna be that serious.”

Her voice wobbled. “You think so?”

“I know so.” He ran a soothing hand up and down her back. “I mean, look at you right now. Crying over mac and cheese and imaginary serious babies. That’s not exactly a stoic household we got goin’ here.”

That earned him a wet, half-hearted laugh against his chest, her fingers curling into his hoodie. “I feel ridiculous.”

“Nah,” Joe murmured, smiling into her hair. “You’re just pregnant.”

Joe had never considered himself an overly emotional guy. Sure, he felt things deeply—he loved hard, played harder, and had his fair share of moments where a win or a loss sat heavy in his chest—but this? This was a whole new ballgame. His wife, the love of his life, was crying over mac and cheese at 2:30 p.m. on a Wednesday because she was afraid their unborn child wouldn’t think she was funny.

And the thing was—this wasn’t even the first time she’d cried that week.

No, this was just another tally on a growing list of things that had brought her to tears. At first, Joe had been concerned. The first time it happened, he’d rushed home from practice when she called him sobbing, thinking something was actually wrong. He’d barely been able to make out her words between hiccups, and his heart had been in his throat the entire drive back.

He had all but sprinted through the front door only to find her curled up on the couch, wrapped in one of his hoodies, tears streaming down her face as she pointed at the TV.

“Look at them, Joe!” she had wailed, gesturing wildly.

He had followed her gaze to the screen, where a baby elephant was struggling to climb over a small ledge, its little legs flailing before its mother came to the rescue.

Joe had blinked. “Is that what I think it is?”

She had turned to him, her face crumpling even more. “It’s an elephant, Joe.”

“Yeah, I see that.” He had hesitated. “Did something... happen to it?”

“No!” she had sobbed. “But look how small it is!”

That had been the first time Joe realized what he was in for. That was weeks ago now, and he had since learned to navigate the emotional minefield that was his pregnant wife. He loved her more than anything, and God help him, he would stand by her side through every mood swing, but he had to admit—it was exhausting.

Thursday: She cried in the car because she saw an older couple holding hands while crossing the street.

Joe had been driving them home from dinner when she let out a dramatic gasp, her hand smacking his thigh. “Oh my God.”

His eyes immediately flicked to the road. “What? What happened?”

She twisted in her seat, staring out the window with watery eyes. “They’re so old, Joe. And they’re still holding hands.”

Joe, relieved that there wasn’t an actual emergency, squeezed the steering wheel and nodded. “That’s sweet.”

She sniffled. “What if we don’t make it that long?”

Joe exhaled slowly through his nose. “Baby, we’re gonna make it that long.”

“But what if—”

“—we will,” he said firmly, reaching for her hand. “You think I’m goin’ anywhere?”

She shook her head, squeezing his fingers like a lifeline. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

She had sniffled the whole way home, and Joe had pulled over at a gas station just to buy her a Slushie, which seemed to help.

Friday: She cried while folding baby clothes because they were so tiny.

Joe had been minding his business, sitting on the couch reviewing game footage, when he heard a sudden gasp from the laundry room. He turned his head just in time to see her stumble out, a baby onesie clutched in her hands, her lip wobbling.

“Joe,” she whimpered, holding it up for him to see. “Look.”

Joe squinted. “Is that the—”

“It’s so small.” Her voice cracked.

Joe sat up, rubbing his chin. “Yeah, it is.”

She let out a weak sob. “What if they don’t stay this small?”

“Well, that’s kinda how babies work,” he said gently.

She ignored him, running her fingers over the tiny fabric like it held the meaning of life. “One day, they’re gonna grow up, and they’re not gonna be this little anymore.”

Joe sighed, patting the couch beside him. “C’mere.”

She trudged over, curling into his side as he kissed the top of her head. “I just want time to slow down.”

Joe smiled, rubbing her arm. “They’re not even here yet, baby. You got time.”

Saturday: She cried because the cat looked sad.

Joe had just walked into the living room when he found her kneeling on the floor in front of their cat, hands cradling his furry face.

“Oh, buddy,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Joe froze. “What’s wrong with him?”

She turned, her eyes glassy. “He looks so sad, Joe.”

Joe squatted beside them, inspecting their fat black cat whom they had adopted during their first year in Cincinnati, who seemed perfectly fine. “He looks… normal?”

She shook her head, burying her face in the cat’s fur. “He can feel that something’s changing. He knows he’s not gonna be the baby anymore.”

Joe sighed, reaching over to scratch behind the dog’s ears. “Baby, he’s a cat. He’s still gonna get plenty of love.”

She sniffled. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

By Sunday, Joe had a system.

He had learned that the best way to handle these crying spells was a mix of patience, snacks, and an occasional distraction. He had learned that, sometimes, she just needed to let it out, and his job wasn’t always to fix it—but to be there.

So when he walked into the kitchen that morning and found her staring at her phone, tears welling in her eyes, he didn’t panic. He didn’t even ask.

Instead, he walked over, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder. “What’s got you this time?”

She let out a watery sigh, tilting her phone so he could see. “It’s a video of a baby hearing their mom’s voice for the first time with hearing aids.”

Joe pressed a kiss to her temple, smiling. “That is pretty sweet.”

She sniffled. “I just love babies, Joe.”

Joe tightened his hold on her, resting his hands over the curve of her belly. “I know, baby. Good thing we’re havin’ one, huh?”

She turned in his arms, burying her face in his hoodie, and let out another soft sob. “I just love you.”

Joe grinned, swaying her gently. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

And just like that, he had her laughing through her tears.

[hurtspideyparker]

"What's up small fry?" Tony asks when he catches a blur of red and blue in the corner of his eye.

He continues unscrewing pieces from inside the old car engine at random, deconstructing the machine. Tony looks up at Peter when he gets no reply.

"Pete?"

Peter's hand slips from the door frame, trudging over to Tony across the workshop.

The sun must have gone down without Tony noticing, the only light in the room coming from a few scattered table lamps. Explains all the squinting he's been needing to do anyways. Peter doesn't have his mask on, but his face is too shadowed to read.

"How was patrol? I think someone made dinner, we can heat it up together. Or there's that mac and cheese you like—"

Peter comes closer and doesn't stop until he's crashing into Tony in an all-encompassing embrace. His arms constrict around Tony's waist, face squashed into the older's chest.

"Oh."

Tony looks down at the tuft of gelled curls, a warm sigh leaving Peter's mouth as his body melts into Tony.

Tony's arms jerk to catch the boy, scared he'll simply wash away, but Peter only relaxes further into the hug. Peter secures his grip with an unwavering hold despite the tension that drains from him in a steady stream.

When the hug sustains Tony pulls him closer, tucking his chin over Peter's head and breathing out his own restlessness. One arm rubs up and down Peter's back, thumb drawing a strong pressure into the firm muscle.

They stay like this; Tony's eyes close at some point, their breathing syncing into even exchanges like heart beats. He isn't sure if he should be worried or confused, but all thoughts flit out of his brain at the genuine expression of affection being laid upon him.

It's Peter who lets go first, death grip sliding away until Tony becomes aware enough to unwrap his own self as well.

"Sorry, I just really needed that," the boy mutters.

"Um. No problem."

Peter steps away, and Tony gives him a look up and down. He doesn't seem injured, but a weariness clings to his bones like laundry scent on fresh sheets.

"M'hungry. Can you make the mac n' cheese?"

Normally Tony would refuse, mostly out of the habit of saying 'no' whenever someone asks something of him before he even actually considers it, but Peter's eyes are big and earnest, and he quite possibly has turned Tony into a giant teddy bear with the way he's been appeased and clung to.

"Sure thing. Why don't you go get changed and I'll meet you in the kitchen?"

Tony is plating up the steaming, alarmingly orange food with a side of the lamb chop someone cooked earlier and a peeled clementine when Peter wanders into the room. He's in his signature hello kitty pajama pants and a striped sweater Tony is sure is his girlfriend Michelle's.

He looks a bit better now, simply sleepy instead of dead on his feet, the attempt of usual pep in his step as he comes and lays his head down in his arms on the kitchen table.

Tony places the food in front of him, Peter immediately shoving a spoonful of the pasta into his mouth without picking his head up.

"Fank 'ou."

Tony lets a humorous puff of air out of his nostrils.

"You're welcome, now don't talk with your mouth full," he says while ruffling the boys hair.

He swallows, "your hand smells like oranges."

Tony pilfers a piece of fruit from Peter's plate, taking a seat across from the boy and shooting a brief raise of his eyebrows his way.

"I wonder why."

Peter smiles at him.

He smiles back.

[unsuperingyournatural]

chemistry

Pedro Pascal x Actress!Reader

The lights are warm. The cameras are rolling. And Pedro’s already throwing you under the bus.

“That was one time,” you say, half-laughing, half-mortified, as he grins at you from his chair. “My nails were wet.”

Pedro shrugs, shameless. “She ate an entire bowl of popcorn with chopsticks. And not even the long kind—the tiny ones from the sushi place.”

“I was being resourceful,” you shoot back, then lean toward the interviewer with mock seriousness. “This is what I’ve had to deal with for six months.”

Pedro leans toward his mic. “And I’ve loved every minute of it.”

You glance at him. He’s smiling so wide his eyes have nearly disappeared into those crinkles you’ve definitely stared at for too long on set. Your stomach flips, but you pretend it’s from the coffee.

The interviewer laughs. “I can already tell this is going to be fun. First question—how was it working together?”

Pedro wastes no time. “Terrible. She snores.”

Your mouth drops open. “I do not!”

“Okay, maybe not snoring, exactly,” he admits. “But you do this little sigh when you fall asleep during car rides.”

You blink. “You’ve watched me sleep?”

He gives you a look that’s far too confident for this early in the interview. “Of course.”

There’s a pause. The interviewer chuckles nervously, but you and Pedro are still staring at each other like you’re the only two people in the room.

It’s been like this since the table read—this strange gravitational pull, this banter that feels too natural. You’d both shown up in the same denim jacket, carrying the same iced coffee, and with—of all things—the same ridiculous cracked phone case with a tiny cartoon frog. He’d smiled when he saw yours. You’d cursed the universe and smiled right back.

“Okay,” the interviewer says, flipping to a new card, “lightning round. Say your answers at the same time. Ready?”

You nod, turning slightly toward Pedro. He does the same. The air shifts just a little, the way it always does when he’s close.

“Favorite comfort food?”

“Mac and cheese,” you both say.

You whip your head toward him. “No way.”

“Hot sauce on top,” he adds casually.

“Okay, that’s creepy.” You squint at him. “Do you have cameras in my apartment?”

“I don’t need cameras,” he says, lips twitching. “I just know you.”

Your pulse jumps at the way he says it—too smooth, too knowing, too much.

The next question comes fast. “Celebrity crush growing up?”

“Gillian Anderson,” Pedro says.

“David Duchovny,” you answer at the exact same time.

There’s a beat. Then you both burst out laughing.

“Are you guys serious?” the interviewer asks, eyes wide.

You laugh so hard you have to lean forward, your shoulder bumping into Pedro’s. He doesn’t move away.

“We’re just the same person in alternate timelines,” you say.

“I’ve been saying that,” Pedro agrees. “If you were a man, I’d probably have a confusing crush on you.”

You give him a sly look. “You already have a confusing crush on me.”

His smirk is slower this time, and when his eyes find yours, they don’t waver. “It’s not that confusing.”

Your breath catches, just a little. You wonder if the cameras picked that up.

“Okay, okay,” the interviewer says, waving a hand. “Before you two combust—what’s next for you?”

You shrug. “Hopefully another project together.”

“Or a cooking show,” Pedro adds. “Mac & Cheese with Hot Sauce: The Series.”

“Streaming nowhere,” you deadpan. “Because we forget to press record.”

“But the vibes?” he says, nudging your foot with his under the chairs.

“Impeccable,” you say, matching his smile.

There’s a pause after that. Not awkward—just full. Charged. You glance over at him, and he’s already looking at you, eyes soft, mouth curved in that lazy smile that always gets you into trouble.

You lower your voice, just enough so the mic doesn’t pick it up.

“Still think it’s not a crush?”

Pedro leans in, close enough that you can smell coffee and something warm and familiar on his skin.

“I said it wasn’t confusing,” he murmurs.

Your heart does something stupid. You smile—maybe a little too wide—and turn back to the interviewer before you get carried away.

You tell yourself it’s just chemistry.

You tell yourself it’s just banter.

But the way he’s still watching you?

You’re starting to think it might be something else entirely.

[tomasweetheart]

FAVORITE ࿔*:･ﾟ

꒰ m. osamu x gn!reader ꒱

° sypnosis: what's osamu's favorite food?

° warning: SMUT 18+ MINORS DNI!!, post-timeskip, it's gender neutral but reader has a vagina, cursing, osamu calls reader: sweet thing, pretty & baby, oral (reader receiving), munch!osamu, cunnilingus, slight overstim at the end

° notes: DON'T LOOK AT MEEEEE!!!!!

Osamu swears up and down that he does not have a favorite food.

They are all equally delicious to him, every bite of every dish he tastes dances on his tongue with a new partner each time. Whether it be an elegant waltz from the caviar served at his brother's wedding, a playful jig from a bite from the plastic dish of dippin’ dots he got for nostalgia’s sake or the quick-paced two-step from the baked mac ‘nd cheese his Ma makes for every family picnic. It’s baffling that anyone would ever expect him to pick a favorite.

This is the socially acceptable answer. This is what he tells Atsumu when he asks for reference. This is what he tells his customers if they even suggest that onigiri is his favorite. This is his go to, but the truth?

Osamu’s favorite food is the one buried deep between the apex of your thighs. 

Just like every good dish, this one has to be prepared with love and care. It starts off tender, it always does with him. Slow, messy, desperate kisses with gentle nips at your bottom lip. His hands graze up and down your sides, before ultimately landing on your hips with a soft squeeze. Your skin feels so warm, so plush and right against the skin of his own hands. Rough from volleyball, fights with Tsumu and endless days molding his rice into perfect triangles. 

His lips move down, pressing messy open-mouth kisses against your jaw. Stopping at the junction that connects your jaw to your neck, sucking a deep hickey before continuing his journey. His hands travel up your shirt, but that’s as far as they go. He’s not wasting time, not tonight. That’s not what he’s hungry for. 

He’ll nip, and suck, and bite, and kiss until you’re writhing beneath him. Not even undressed yet, but somehow you can feel him on every inch of your bare skin. He’s got you right where he wants you. 

Your skin feels so hot, you’re pulsing, throbbing with need. Your whines only spur him further as he lets out a low chuckle and a quick: “Patience sweet thing, I’m gettin’ there.” 

He fumbles with your jeans, he’s too eager now. Too impatient, he won’t wait for his food to cool down. He pulls them off with one swift movement, your underwear catching on the denim and sliding down with them. 

“You smell so fuckin’ good baby,” he purrs, his now swollen lips making quick with the way they kiss along your thighs, “Ma always told me to blow on my food if it was too hot though…” he smirks up at you, “...and I don’t wanna burn my tongue.”

He stops just short of your heat, his hand reaching out tentatively. With two fingers, he collects your slick before spreading apart your lips, putting you on full display for him. He’s practically drooling now, blowing a stream of hot air directly on your throbbing cunt, chuckling at the way you squirm from his action.

You’re cooled down enough.

Eagerly, almost animalistically, he flattens his tongue against your slit. Careful to avoid the bundle of nerves that begs for his attention so desperately. He’ll get there. He laps every inch of your folds, relishing in the way his head burns from how tightly you’re gripping his dark brown locks. His hands hold your thighs firmly in place, fingernails digging in the supple fat while he continues to eat you like a starved man.

The noises he makes are absolutely sinful. Audible slurps fill the room, his own drool coating your cunt while you plead for him to at least ghost over your clit with his mouth. But he has other plans.

He catches the bundle of nerves between his lips, and he moans, fucking moans in sync with you from your taste alone. He sucks, laps, slurps, fucking devours you whole like you’re his last meal and he’s a man on death row.

His pace doesn’t relent, he’s moaning into your pussy, he’s not even focused on himself. He’s lost, you have him hooked. He feels your thighs clamp down against his head, his tongue moves quicker inside of your tight hole before he retracts it and licks another long strip the whole way to your clit, sending you over the edge.

He gives you a moment, only a moment for you to catch your breath before he dives back in again. Laughing hoarsely against your core as you whine and try to push his head away from the overstimulation, but he won’t budge.

“Now pretty, quit squirmin’,” he groans, “I’m tryin’ ta get seconds of my favorite food.”

[headdinthewall]

TWITCH STREAMS ──  g.clarke  ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

summary : where george calls you mid stream due to his chats request, and then you show up a/n : really on a roll with these posts recently! on school break rn so after this week it might slow down a bit due to exams etc content : established relationship && slight innuendos

─────── GEORGE WAS SAT in front of his monitor, eyes flicking back and forth from his monitor to the stream, making sure he thanked everyone for the subs and the gifts. He lifted the hat off of his head, ruffled his hair and put his cap back on, scanning the comments and what they were saying.

“Guys,” He sighed, “I cant call reader, she’s out right now on a . . . on a lady date with Liv and Sabina.”

user1 george it’s 10pm, you should call her on the way home user2 y/n is better than you we want her user3 love how the beds a mess as usual, but her pjs are neatly folded user4 get chris or arthur on

“You guys are always asking for guests on the stream, what is it? Am I— Am I not enough for you anymore?” George joked. “Also, her pyjamas are just my clothes! She wears my hoodies and shirts!” He exclaimed, “Let me try calling reader, I cannot guarantee that she will give a response, but . . .”

He held his phone up in between himself and the mic, the sound of a call ringing through.

It rang out until your voicemail came through, your sweet tone playing through his ears and those of his viewers.

“See, chat, I told you she’s busy.” George said matter-of-factly.

Just as he went back to reading his chats, your name and a photo of the two of you appeared on his phone screen.

Once he answered, your confused voice spoke, “Hello?”

George’s face instantly became brighter and a soft smile adorned it, “Hello, my lovely, you are in fact on a live stream so please refrain from swearing.”

“Okey dokey.” You hummed, the sound of rushing traffic and wind around you. “I’m on my way back, sorry for the noise.”

“No worries— Wait, you’re on your way back?” George frowned, checking time, “Do you want me to come and meet you? Where are you? I can send Arthur.”

You chuckled at his enthusiasm to keep you safe, “It’s okay, I’m like five minutes away.”

“Okay, well in that case you can talk to chat when you get in. Save your battery.” He hummed, fingers pressing into his upper lip.

“Okay, see you in a bit.” You said cheerily.

“In a bit, darling. Love you.”

“Love you too!”

─────── YOU WERE BACK home within the next ten minutes. You kicked your adidas off and left them in a heap in the entry way, a long with the other mountain of shoes that had collected. Your pink juicy couture jacket had proved useful and insulating as you were not bothered by the harsh, London weather, despite it being the back end of May now.

You shuffled down the hall, hearing music being blasted from George’s room.

Slowly, you opened the door and peaked your head around the corner, almost immediately guffawing at the sight of him doing a workout, being supposedly led by a much younger version of Italian Bach.

You stepped into the room and stood there, staring at him with a look of amusement and avid curiosity, “What are you doing?”

user1 LMFAOOO LOOK AT HER FACE user2 something tells me that she’s used to this user3 is he bothering you beautiful?

“I am performing an workout.” George panted, pausing the music and video to greet you. “Care to join? It’s coached by Bach.”

“Mmm, not on a full stomach, babe. Speaking of.” You held up the tupperware box that had your left overs in it. “Mac n cheese. Don’t know if it’s still warm. Could heat it up for you?”

George took it and then looked around, grabbing a lone fork that sat in a bowl of demolished pasta. You knew it was pasta that was previously in there because you made it for him before you left.

“George, that’s disgusting, I gave you that five hours ago.” You cringed at the bowl with dry tomato sauce in it.

He ignored your complaint, diving into the left over mac n cheese you’d saved for him, “It’s good. Don’t need to reheat it.”

You have him a thumbs up, taking the dirty bowl with one hand and your pyjamas in the other.

You left the room, closing the door behind you and proceeded to do the washing up, leaving the dishes to dry on the rack. Then, you shut all the curtains, knowing the boys would most definitely forget to, and got changed into your pyjamas — which were really just a pair of cotton shorts and one of George’s shirts.

You scrunched your clothes into a ball and dumped it into George’s laundry basket on the way back to his room.

When you returned, he was doing the workout again and you sighed, shaking your head at his antics.

“George, it’s 11pm, give it a rest.” You jokingly scolded him, kicking him lightly as you stepped over his planking body and slid into bed.

“Oh, you guys, she’s wearing the Inside hoodie, did you guess it right?!” George spoke to his stream.

“What are you on about?” You laughed, going into the bedside table and getting your ‘lazy night makeup removal kit’, which consisted of micellar water, cotton pads, makeup wipes and moisturiser. It was mainly used for when you had had a really, really drunk night out (usually a pub gold video) and had literally no energy to move or if you did move, ran the risk of vomiting all over the place.

Right now, you were none of those things, but your feet were killing you and you couldn’t be bothered to do your five minute face washing routine, so you’d just do it extra well in the morning.

“Reader, chat are asking how you dealt with my absence during Inside.” George grunted as he took a break from his stupid workout to read what his viewers were saying.

“It wasn’t that hard, he’s hard to miss, to be honest.” You joked, giving him a nice, over-the-top smile.

“Liar, chris literally told me you cried during night four and ended up having a sleepover in the living room with him and Arthur so you wouldn’t be lonely and sad.” George exposed, sitting on the edge of the bed and dragging your legs to be across his lap.

“That was a lovely sleepover.” You didn’t even bother denying his words, “So peaceful without George— No, I’m joking. Uh . . . It was difficult, definitely. A week doesn’t seem like long but when it’s a week without your partner without being able to contact them or know if they’re alright, it’s . . . it is hard. For me, it was, anyway. Because I thrive on George’s presence and knowing that he’s near, so it was weird to spend that long without him.”

George hummed in acknowledgement of your sincere words, hand placed on your shin as he drove his fingertips up and down the smooth expanses of your skin.

“But, I am glad that he did it. I think it was a good experience for him.” You smiled.

“Would’ve been better if you were there with me.” He said cheesily, and you giggled.

user1 parents user2 my fav unproblematic couple user3 he’s so soft for her :( user4 what’s the best memory you have of each other?

“Best memory?” You muttered, reading out the question and then smirked and wiggled your eyebrows, “My birthday, last year—“

“Reader!” George let out a breathy laugh, “Enough, now.”

You laughed and scrunched your nose up, shuffling further into bed.

“Guys, stop asking about reader being on the podcast, she’s already been on it.” George threw his hands up in exasperation.

“Yeah, last year.” You scoffed as you scrolled through Instagram.

“Is that you saying you want to be on it again?” He looked over his shoulder at you.

“Is this you saying that I’m not the dream guest on your podcast?” You smirked.

“Oh, har-har, you’re so funny.” He mumbled sarcastically, secretly amused.

user1 have you ever been scared that you left the stream running while you guys get 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂?

“One, woah, how did you get your text to look like that? And two, what the hell, bro?” George laughed at the question, “What an odd thing to ask.”

“George. I’m tired!” You whined, yawning for emphasis.

“Go to sleep then.” He quipped jokingly.

“Oh my God!” You dragged a hand down your face, “I would if you didn’t have a fucking ring light on and weren’t talking at 90 decibels to a microphone right in front of your face!”

“Guys, I apologise, but tonight I am going to have to cut the stream short because the Mrs is in a mood.” George finally started his ending, “Thank you for all the subs and gifts this stream, you guys are insane. It’s much appreciated!”

You audibly let out a sigh of relief when the twitch stream ended and he shut off all of his electronics.

You shuffled up in bed against the wall as he kicked his trainers off and pulled his hoodie over his chest, slipping into bed beside you.

You instinctively smiled at his familiar smell and warmth, snuggling up to him and curling into his chest, now able to sleep due to the darkness and grounding, eternally comforting presence of George.

[letorip]

casual [iii]

"i hate that i let this drag on so long, now i hate myself, hate that i let this drag on so long, you can go to hell"

===+++===

pairing: natalie scatorccio x reader

summary: you're not just going to let her go, this time. after long enough, you arrive at the very obvious conclusion that you're in love, and there's very little else to be done about that

warnings: mentions of sex, cuss words, a bit of angst but i promise a happy ending :)

word count: 7.2k

A/N: all good things must come to an end. trust, i'll write for nat again. also i stayed in that airport so fucking long it was like purgatory, and i'm so sorry it took longer than i thought, i've had an exhausting past two weeks and just needed to stop and breathe for a minute

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THAT ONE ANON I FEEL BAD I'M LATE

===+++===

===+++===

"Please tell me you didn't do it on my sheets," Lottie groaned, lip curled in disgust and eyes hidden by her sunglasses.

"Sorry," you said back from behind your own pair, without looking away from the crystal blue of her pool water. You both were splayed out on her sun-bleached deck chairs, with matching hangovers (and bathrobes) that made the bright, beaming sunlight a whole new level of awful.

Her house was in disarray around you both, with crushed beer cans and overturned chairs all across the pool deck. Some cigarette butts floated in the water and you were certain the sprinklers in her garden were misting a pile of vomit and washing it down the front of her lawn, but neither of you made a move to get up and deal with it yet.

At the far end of the Matthews' pool, there was a statue of a mermaid that doubled as a fountain, spitting water in a gentle stream. Someone had put a snapback that said 'I <3 BOOBIES' on her and a bit of lipstick around the area that water shot out, and though usually you would have laughed, you instead were a bit annoyed by how it was taking you out of what would've been a nice scene.

There was just something about waking up and seeing Nat had gone without any sort of indication, that sparked the sudden urge within you to reconnect with nature. So you were reconnecting— more like brooding— on Lottie's pool deck in a peaceful silence.

After what felt like thirty minutes but was probably more like five, she turned to you. "Do you wanna—”

“—Talk about it?” you finished, raising your eyebrows. You shook your head. “No.”

She pouted. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to make pancakes.”

“Oh… then yes.”

You both lazily trudged into her equally wrecked kitchen, with even more cans and spilled liquids thrown over her marble counters. There was a burnt bag of popcorn sitting in the sink and the garbage can underneath it was overflowing with paper towels, but Lottie's kitchen was big enough where you could ignore it entirely, jumping up to sit on the clean countertop near her massive range cooker.

When Lottie said 'make pancakes,' she really meant she would be the one cooking and you would be there for moral support, if anything. You were gifted in many things but cooking or anything of the sort had never been one of them. Instead you leaned your head against the massive stone hood, and watched her from the pair of sunglasses you still wore.

Nat had laughed at you, when you said you didn't know how to cook. Not an omelette, not mac and cheese, and barely a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Of course, you assumed the last one wouldn't be hard to figure out, but you hadn't ever made one before, and it made her laugh into your chest, where her head had been resting. It hurt a bit now, but you had the sunglasses to shield your eyes while you stared off into space.

"Chocolate chips?" Lottie asked, running a hand through her dark hair and combing out a few knots with her fingers. You nodded, and she turned back to the pan in front of her, grabbing a fancy looking bag from a stack of supplies nearby. "My dad brought fresh chocolate back with him from when he was in the Caribbean a few weeks ago," she said to you, sprinkling it into the pan and flipping it over.

"Is he going to be pissed you're using it for pancakes?" you mumbled, feeling your headache return.

"No more pissed than he'll be when he sees that Jeff and his friends cut off the leg on one of his horse-shaped hedges." You winced, hopping down from the counter and feeling your back still scraped raw from, well, Nat. Lottie shot you a look. "That heated, huh?"

You rolled your eyes, heading towards the kitchen island and grabbing some of the beer cans to toss in the rubbish. "She's made her decision clear. I'm honestly done with it. I don't care anymore."

Lottie didn't say anything, turning back to the pancakes and sliding them on a plate as you slid into the barstool at the other end of her island and rested your head on your elbows. "I mean, she called me selfish, Lottie, and then said she loved me multiple times, minutes later. Who the hell does that?"

"Mhm," she hummed, sticking her spatula and the pan in the sink and then moving to the walk in pantry to grab syrup and powdered sugar.

You watched her go, calling after her. "She disappears for days after she gets mad about me talking to people, and then I see her immediately with Bobby Farleigh of all people, and they're cuddling up! I'm done with it all."

"Okay," Lottie said, reappearing with her arms full and tossing them down on the kitchen island. She clambered up into the seat next to you and stole some of the plain ones for herself, before covering them in syrup.

"And," you continued, remembering something else as you began cutting up the pancakes and smothering them in powdered sugar, "she egged my fucking house! How could I even forget about that? I mean, what was I thinking? I don't want to talk about her."

"Oh yeah," Lottie snorted. "You really don't want to talk about her."

You shot her a glare, stuffing your mouth with an angry fork. "I'm serious, Lottie."

"You wish," she scoffed. "If you were serious— and I'm not trying to be mean— but if you were serious, you wouldn't be ranting all about her. I know you keep saying it's impossible and it can't happen with her, but you sure as hell seem like you want it to happen with her."

You frowned, taking a forkful and stuffing it into your mouth. Right as you did, a couple sheepishly walked down the hall and towards the front door, clothes obviously messed up. They sent you an awkward wave and Lottie gave a quick nod in their direction, turning back to her plate. "Then why'd she leave?" you asked, when the door was shut behind them.

She shrugged. "Why the hell would I know? If anyone here would be the Natalie-whisperer, it would be you."

"Yeah well, apparently not," you huffed, shoving more pancakes into your mouth.

"I mean, it's not like you guys were on glowing terms before you... y'know. Wasn't gonna magically all be fixed, after." You groaned, leaning your forehead down onto the cool marble countertops. It actually felt nice, against your raging headache, but you still felt like crap.

"Would've at least been nice for her to wait until I woke up to go. No 'goodbye,' no 'we should talk,' nothing. When we were just hooking up and stuff, I at least always waited to say goodbye."

"So it's not just hooking up, anymore?"

"I don’t know what it is, Lottie. You tell me, because apparently everyone knows but me." She shrugged, finishing her plate and pushing it away from herself.

"I have an answer, but you're not gonna like it."

"...No, I'm not in love with her."

"You absolutely are."

"I'm done with this!"

"You keep saying that."

"'Cause I am."

"Okay."

"I'm done," you frowned, attempting finality in your tone and coming far short.

"Right," she snorted, and then she stood to grab your now-finished plate too. "Can you help me?”

It took around three hours, to get the Matthews house back to its usual formality. You sprayed burnt and disturbed bushes with the hose, threw out bag upon bag of party rubbish, and vacuumed cigarette butts off the carpet of her living room, silently working while Lottie played some records on her grandfather's old gramophone.

Her dad usually put jazz records on it or snooty classical music, whenever you were over, but Lottie had Dancing Queen blasting throughout her house and was hopping around as she snatched stuff off the mantle and shoved it into bags, turning to you and yelling a lyric from time to time, along to the music.

This wasn't your idea of fun by a long shot, but you could appreciate Lottie trying to make it fun.

"So, how much convincing did you have to do, to get Laura Lee here at a party? I mean, with the alcohol," you asked with a snort, grabbing an almost empty bag of crisps and tossing yourself down in her father's leather armchair to finish them off.

Lottie flushed. "A really embarrassing amount," she admitted. "I kind of glazed over that part."

"I'll bet she was surprised?" you asked with an amused crunch.

"It wasn't even that— this guy from my third period started going at it with this girl right in front her. I had to literally stop her from going over there to talk to them about waiting until marriage."

You shrugged. "I mean, she seems to like you a whole lot."

"She does," Lottie nodded. "She's so sweet to me, and she has the best hand to hold, like, ever."

"Honestly, I'm surprised, but happy for you. You're in a big ol' throuple with Jesus Christ."

"Ha ha," Lottie rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at you. "At least whatever we have is holy. I don't even want to think about you and—"

But whatever dig she would've said was cut off by her doorbell ringing. You sighed, letting your feet down from where you had propped them up on the side table and wiping the crumbs on your bathrobe.

"I'll get it," you grumbled, leaving Lottie to clean. When you opened the door there was absolutely no way you could've prepared to see her so soon.

Nat stood awkwardly in the entryway, looking just as surprised to see you as you were to see her. She wore a pair of blue shorts she practiced and slept in, and staring right back at you was the shirt you thought had gone missing weeks ago, barely hidden behind the ratty zip up hoodie she had over it.

Her eyeliner was still smudged from the night before in places, and you stared at her blankly, waiting for her to say something— anything, really.

"I forgot my damn lighter," she said, casting her eyes to the floor after a moment.

"Oh," you replied, feeling a bit stupid suddenly, in your bathrobe and sunglasses, with your flip flops for shoes. You looked like you were mid-spa day, or like someone's drunk uncle on a cruise. Then, before you could stop yourself, you felt an annoyance twinge in your gut, and said "Is that all you've got to say?"

Her eyes shot up, looking challengingly at you, in what was a clear frustration. "What do you want me to say?" But the answer went unsaid, even as much as you didn't like it. That you came back for me.

"I don't know..."

"Great," Nat scoffed. She looked over your shoulder into Lottie's house, as if her lighter would appear behind you and jump right into her hand, and she would just be able to leave. "Can I just have my—"

"—Why did you egg my house?" you shot back, crossing your arms over your chest, trying to block the door a bit more. She raised her eyebrows at you, confused.

"What?"

"You egged my house, after our argument," you repeated, slower, feeling the tips of your ears burning.

"No the hell I didn't."

"Yes the hell you did," you argued back, leaning forward with your hands on your hips. "You're the only one with the gate code. I get it, you were mad, but—"

"—Fucking Christ, I didn't!"

"You wrote a giant 'fuck you' on my house. No one else would."

Nat glared. "I didn't invent it. Is it such an impossible thing for you to consider that maybe not everyone is Team (Y/n)? I don't mean to break your brain, but for once somebody might actually dislike you."

You rolled your eyes. "You're the only one with a history of breaking rules and doing shit."

"So, what, you think I would do that to you?"

"Maybe you would. Maybe you don't care about me at all. That's why you ran off, wasn't it?"

She narrowed her eyes at you. "I had to go, before my dad caught me out."

You shook your head. "Bullshit. You've stayed out, before."

"Oh, so now you're mad that I'm not cuddling up to you?"

"That's not cuddling, that's having me stick my fingers in you and then you run off. You were pissed at me a few days before, Nat, for literally the same thing."

"It's almost like it's confusing, (Y/n), when you get mixed signals. And no, I got pissed at you because you went shopping for girlfriends— which, I'm assuming because you're being an oblivious, self-righteous asshole, you're still doing."

"Yep, still looking," you glared at her. She glared right back, just as steely.

"Great."

"Great," you replied. It was annoying, how good she looked when she was frustrated. She was great at looking mad, and even better at looking good when she was mad. The furrowing of her eyebrows, wrinkling of her nose in anger; she had the face you wanted to kiss away. It was impossible not to wonder, if doing so would uncurl her fists and smooth out the lines on her forehead.

Then you stopped. Holy shit. Everything seemed awful, like a massive case of vertigo had just washed over you. You had had hangovers before, but this somehow seemed infinitely worse. See, a thought had finally self-realised itself within your little peanut brain.

I'm in love with Nat.

It made the ceiling feel like the floor, and Nat sent you a concerned glance and seemed about to question your change in expression, when Lottie came from behind you.

"Hey, Nat," she said with an awkward smile, brushing past you with a look and then handing her the lighter quickly. "Excited for nationals?”

"Yeah," Nat nodded, but her eyes were still glaring at you. She cleared her throat, finally looking off. "Thanks, Lot. Great party."

"Mhm," Lottie nodded, trying her best to seem at ease and not at all like she was walking in on a code-red situation. "Have a great weekend! Bye now! Get home safe! See you!" She rushed, tugging you from beyond the doorway and giving a wave, before shutting the door.

The moment the door was closed, she gave you an unappreciative stare, but your eyes were wide and your cheeks flushed.

"What?" asked Lottie, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"I...I think I'm in love with her."

===+++===

Your home was just as empty as it was when you had left the night before. Reginald wasn't even due to come in, since your mother and father weren't home and it was a Saturday. Even the groundskeeper and maid had the day off, and the groan you let out at finally returning home and falling onto the warm rug on your living room floor echoed against the walls of your empty house.

In your hand was the letter you found in your mailbox. A cool black and Princeton-orange colour. You already knew what it said, without even looking into it. Your father and mother went there. His father and mother, too. For years and years and years. And now, if you followed the rules set out in front of you, you too.

It was impossible not to wonder, when the fog of privilege would slowly cloud your brain. Would it be the law degree from a private school, or legacy admissions? The more frightening thing was that maybe Nat was right: it had already set in, and you unaware. You at least felt different than the rest of them. That made you different, right? You and Lottie?

The image of Nat seemed ever-prevalent. Glowering at you, like she had been in the doorway. In your shirt. With that frown. The frown that you wanted to kiss away, but would never be able to. A Scatorccio, of all people. Of all people, you had to be in love with the one person you couldn't have.

It felt simultaneously like life had resolved into something more clear and understandable, and something more depressing and doomed. You wanted to forget the realisation, and the acceptance as well. Maybe it was truly better when you were promising your friends that you felt nothing of the sort.

Your eyes flitted from where they stared at the ceiling over to the giant brown bookcase in the corner, stacked high with thick volumes of what your dad had once said were family records, but you had never grabbed one off yourself. The one that stuck out against the brown leather-bound books was a more sleek, grey memoir with your grandfather’s name printed onto the hard cover casing.

That one you had read— your father had made you read it, when you were fourteen, and your parents gave up on trying for another kid. It wasn’t as dreadfully boring as you thought it would be, but it was still a memoir about a stuffy stockbroker from the 80s, with all the parts involving cocaine conveniently edited out, but not your grandfather’s insane escapades with women.

Your father was in the process of writing his own edition, and had thereby implied that he expected you to write one for yourself. You didn't know what you could possibly write about, but then again there was the expectation you write about it anyway. You weren't a guy on Wall Street, you weren't an international businessperson. You didn't even know what you were going to school for, yet.

Next to the bookshelf in equal intimidation was a painting of your family that your father had commissioned years ago. It was back when you still had braces and acne, but thankfully the artist had removed both. You hadn't been allowed to smile for it, though that's what child-you thought you did for pictures. Instead, you and your parents' mouths were drawn into disapproving lines and hardened expressions, and the golden plaque at the bottom wore your surname in proud, powerful letters.

You sighed, sitting up onto the palms of your hands and then standing slowly, still a bit uncoordinated. You sent the painting a final glance before you wandered to the phone, grabbing the thing and checking your watch while you did it. You slumped down into the seat at the end of your dining room table, where your father usually sat, and pulled the antenna from the top, punching in the numbers absentmindedly as you stared out the window onto the garden and the pool.

The number was for your father's Monaco residence, and you waited with a jumping knee and wry expression while it rang. Eventually, though, your mother picked up. "Hello?"

"Hello, mother."

(Y/n), darling, is something wrong? You know to call Reginald first, in case of emer—"

"—No, nothing is wrong, mother. Look, I actually wanted to ask you a question."

"Well, go on then. We're about to go out to dinner."

"...Mother, do you have Julie Roosevelt's number?"

Silence on the end of the line. "Absolutely!" You didn't need to be there with her to hear the smile in her voice. "What for?"

You swallowed. "I think I'll try to take her out tonight."

"Well! Darling, that's just wonderful!" You nodded into the receiver, not like she could see it. "Make sure to wear your nice shirt, we don't want to upset the Roosevelts! I hope you know, I'm proud of you for this, really." You almost mentioned getting accepted into Princeton. Almost. But you decided not to mention it. It wasn't like you wanted to think about it anyways.

From the far wall, you could see the painting of the woman with the blue eyes staring at you.

===+++===

The local mini golf was always busy, but Saturdays were absolutely the busiest. There were couples upon couples who had the exact same idea, and were wandering around with their hands together and beaming at one another like they were living in a rom-com in the real life.

And yet you stood there with your hand in Julie Roosevelt's, and a massive frown on your face. It wasn't one that you'd let Julie see— every time she glanced in your direction, you'd quickly replace it with your best smile, showing her your teeth— but it was one that you knew you wore when she turned away.

"Sorry about the late notice," you said. You dropped her hand and went to grab a putter from the front, handing it to her and then grabbing one for yourself.

"It's okay, I was wondering if you were ever going to talk to me again," Julie laughed, a bit awkward. You winced. It's not like you could be honest, and say that you didn't intend to. The truth was, that while Julie was a bit shallow, she was also a bit too nice to deserve this one-sided thing.

Of course, there was the hope that you grew the love your mother spoke of. Maybe it would hit you, and alleviate you from Nat, who seemed to haunt your thoughts even more now, that you were aware she had captured your heart.

"I was just busy, this past week," you shrugged. "It's kind of a big deal for the Yellowjackets, and both of the teams are practicing and stuff...so."

"Wow. I guess you really like the Yellowjackets then, huh?"

"Uh...something like that, yeah. It's a big deal." She hummed, then took her things out onto the first green.

You let her go, standing behind her and watching with a grin and the scorecard in your pocket. Mini golf was something you took pride in being good at. But, then, of course, Julie let the ball drop, took a second, and gently hit the ball around the bend with a near perfect curve, and right into the hole.

"Yay!" she cheered, jumping up and down in celebration.

"Wha—"

Julie put her hands on her hips with a teasing grin. "Captain of the golf team, remember?" You hadn't.

"Right..."

You played a terrible game, for the most part. You stood at the end of the second-to-last hole with the scorecard in your hand and a whole bunch of big numbers on your side of the table. Julie was beaming from ear to ear, though you weren't exactly sure why.

It had been pretty much silent, with the two of you failing over and over again to find an interesting thing to talk about. It wasn't the calm, pleasant silence like it was with... well, it didn't matter now. You filled in a four, two shots over the par, and made your way over to where Julie was crouching down, to get a better view of the final hole.

"Actually wait, there's a special way you have to play this one," you called out to her, and she turned to you with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean?"

"It's kind of local tradition here," you shrugged. You weren't even sure if that was true, you just knew that it was what Nat had called it, when she taught you. "You have to swing really, really hard, and to win, you've gotta get it over the fence," you pointed, "and right into the back of that neighbourhood."

She blinked at you for a moment, and then Julie frowned, looking down to the ground. "That's mean, though. What if you hit someone's house? Or a window?"

"Bonus points," you shrugged. "I don't know, you can't really see where they go, once they're over the fence. It's fun."

Julie raised her eyebrows. "Don't you think it's a little immature? Why would I do that if I'm going to win for real?"

You opened your mouth to reply, then firmly closed it. "I guess you're right," you mumbled. It hadn't felt stupid when you suggested it, but Julie's disdain at the suggestion made you feel improper.

She did win, by a massive landslide, and you let her keep the scorecard with little protest. She was still beaming though, brightly at you like she had just had the best date of her life. Your stomach felt like it was tied up in a bunch of knots, but you smiled back at her nonetheless.

If love was something to be worked towards, you really hoped it would start working soon.

===+++===

You had only been home for about twenty minutes, when your phone started ringing. Off the hook. Over and over again. You knew who it was just from the ring, but that didn't mean you wanted to pick up.

After the disaster that was dropping Julie off at her house, you wanted to continue to staring at the ceiling. But after the sixth call back, it seemed Jackie wasn't giving up.

You picked the phone up with a frown, rolling over and smushing your chin into the bed. "Hello—"

"—OH MY GOD, YOU AND JULIE?!"

You groaned. "Jackie I dropped her off like thirty minutes ago, how do you already know about this?"

"So it's true?! You're dating?"

You sat up. "What? No, we just went on one date."

"Really? Cause Julie told Margie who told Randy who told Jeff, who told me that you kissed her and you're going out!"

You pinched the bridge of your nose. "I didn't kiss her, she kissed me. And it wasn't even like an actual kiss, she like, pecked me, and then scrambled out of my car and up her driveway."

"Well, she's saying you're going steady."

"'Going steady?' The 40s called, they wanted their slang back."

"Ha ha," Jackie said back, and you could hear the eye roll. She went silent. "...I bet your mom is happy."

"Probably..."

"Are you happy? You're probably a shoe-in for prom court, especially since I'll be out of town. Your mom won't let you go to nationals, will she?"

"No. She'll want me and Julie to go to prom together."

"Well, I mean, at least you'll win, right? That's gotta be exciting?"

You looked over to your nightstand, where you had a polaroid of you and Nat that sat taped to the side. "Thrilled."

"(Y/n)? You okay, hubby?"

You took a sharp swallow. "Yeah, I'm fine. Julie's great."

"Right...," she paused again, "does Nat...does she know?"

"I don't think so... It's only been like, thirty minutes."

"She will soon, though. Monday."

"Yeah...I guess she will soon."

===+++===

Monday was terrible. It seemed Julie had taken the awkward attempt at kissing you as the sign that you were together. She was there at your car when you first arrived, grinning again while you and Lottie got your things for school out of the second row. Then, the moment you had locked your car, you were tugged along by a hand grabbing yours.

You didn't exactly have a good reason to be grossed out. Julie was beautiful, and if you had felt the same way for her, you would have been thrilled with the enthusiasm. Hell, if it were... well. So, you mostly let her drag you wherever she wanted.

There was about a week, to run for prom court. Your mother had promptly called you that morning to insist on prom, and insist on shopping for prom, when she returned home on Wednesday, from Monaco. It was all Julie would talk about, and you were starting to wonder how much of this was a political move for her too, rather than one of genuine interest in you.

You first saw Nat coming down one of the halls, and you hesitated a bit the moment you saw that she noticed you. Or, that she noticed you and Julie together. It was the walk of shame, frankly. You didn't belong to her, in any formal sense. But your heart did, and that was enough for it to hurt. Badly.

It seemed to hurt her too. She immediately frowned, tugging on Kevyn's sleeve and walking in the opposite direction. You wanted to run after her, but Julie had an iron grip on your hand and a smile so bright.

It was awkward enough at lunch, with Julie insisting to sit next to you and to bring her golf friends. A few of them were nice, and Jackie managed to chat them up well enough to make even more friends than before, but Lottie had a frown the entire time, and Shauna looked less than happy.

Nat wasn't staring at you at lunch anymore. It was a startling realisation, that you wanted her to be looking at you. If anything, you were looking more at her. You kept turning around, trying to seem like you were just scanning the cafeteria, but Nat was firmly looking down at her food, at the same table as always.

You felt like a runaway dog that had temporarily shrugged off its collar, trying to find home with a tail between its legs. Julie was nice, and smart, and talented. But she wasn't the one. Your one.

===+++===

"Hey, you ready?" you asked Lottie, finding her out in the hallway in front of the locker rooms. it was Friday, and you both had your soccer bags slung over your shoulder, and were about to head out to practice, but Lottie seemed transfixed on a poster on the wall. "Hey now, you've got nationals tomorrow, no distractions," you tried.

"Is she seriously trying to make it seem like you two are soulmates?" Lottie said with a grimace. It was one of the ones Julie had made in two days, and was now putting all over the school to really earn you both the win. There was a drawing of you and her on it, with a heart in the middle, and 'VOTE JULIE & (Y/N) FOR PROM COURT 1996.' It was an objectively good design, but Lottie didn't like Julie very much— or at least had started to hate her, the longer you and her were together.

"I think it's because she has a crush on you," Julie said once with a pout, after Lottie had been less than welcoming to her on a ride home.

"No she doesn't," you shook your head.

"She definitely does. You shouldn't hang out with her as much, or people will think you and her are a thing. I mean, I did at first."

The whole conversation had only made Lottie more and more annoyed with her, and that was saying a lot, with how Lottie was usually nice to most people.

"Come on," you said, gesturing with your head out towards the pitch. "Last practice before nationals."

Lottie still had a frown on her face, but she followed you out there with her arms crossed. It was still relatively early, only a few people were out. Coach Martinez's son Travis was up in the bleachers, watching, while you could see Trevor and Misty talking next to the water cooler and Jeremy and Mari passing a ball back and forth to each other.

"Hey (Y/n)," a voice called from behind you, and you could feel a similar annoyance to Lottie's washing over you. You turned to see Carter Avery, back from his suspension, with a cheeky smirk on his face. "Miss me?"

"Not even close," you scowled. He brushed past you and Lottie, pausing for a moment when he was directly in front of you staring down in an attempt at intimidation. He kept walking though, until he paused, right at the edge of the pitch.

"Oh, and (Y/n)?"

"What."

"I think I need to borrow some eggs. You got any for me?" Your eyes widened. "What about toilet paper, then?"

It was intended to create anger in you. You knew he wanted you to charge at him or something, or to scowl, but all you did was stand there, in a stunned silence. You had thought that Nat would do that. That Nat could do that to you. Of course it wasn't Nat. You felt stupid and you felt guilty, and you felt even worse that you couldn't do much about either of those things. You could try, though. And maybe that would be enough.

Lottie sent you a knowing look, but all you wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die. Maybe you could try to talk to her, after practice? It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

The Yellowjackets' moods were infectious, and it was impossible to not have a great time, at that practice. Their emotions were high, along with their excitement, and you started to feel a little bit better, the more you ran and the more you felt the wind in your hair.

Of course, that's when everything decided to go wrong. A single slide tackle from Taissa, right into Allie's leg, and everyone was panicking and yelling. You could see the bone sticking out from it, and Misty was bolting in your direction, hovering over her and attempting to right it.

"Can I get two people to carry her?" She shouted at both teams, and you immediately raised your hand, stepping forwards while Allie began to cry. You didn't even see who was grabbing her other arm until you had made it into the locker room, and Allie was still crying with Misty following behind and a very clueless looking Coach Ben behind her.

You should've known, it was her. She was selfless like that, even though she'd rather die than admit it herself. And yet, there Nat was, on the other side of Allie, laying her down on one of the locker room benches and raising her leg up. Misty ushered you both out into the hall, and suddenly both you and Nat were regretting volunteering.

You had to wait until she came out, so you would be able to carry her to the front, where the ambulance could arrive to take her to hospital, but until then it just meant you and Nat were forced to stand there in awkward silence.

It stayed that way, until you tried to speak. "So...nationals, hu—"

"Don't even," Nat snapped, shutting you up. She was twitching a little bit, in discomfort, and you knew right now that if it were outside, or if she were to have her bag, she would be pulling out a cigarette.

"...I know it wasn't you who egged my house. It was Carter... I'm...sorry."

"Real genius, aren't you."

"Allegedly. Not in practice, apparently," you admitted, sliding to the tiled floor in wait. She eyed you cautiously, but did the same, sliding down.

"Man, if I had a nickel, for every time we've been in this hallway with a serious injury... I'd have, what, two nickels?" You hummed, leaning your head back against the wall.

"That's not a lot," Nat said, rolling her eyes.

"No," you nodded in agreement, "but it's weird that it happened twice."

She thought for a minute, then shrugged. "I guess." You both could hear the whistle being blown outside, to end the final scrimmage and indicate that it was time to circle up.

"Don't you want to go hear that? Y'know, for tomorrow?"

Nat shook her head. "I'd rather be here for Allie. Though she's kind of an asshole."

You snorted. "She's a total fucking bitch."

"...Just so you know, I really did have to leave, after Lottie's party... I, uh, kissed your forehead, before I left... I guess you couldn't feel it though. You were asleep."

You shook your head. "I didn't know that..."

"...Yeah... my dad was being an asshole... it was a whole thing." You knew it hurt more than she was saying, right now, and you so desperately wanted to scoot closer, like you would've before things had gotten so messed up. Back when you were on the cusp of happiness.

"I'm sorry, Nat."

She shrugged again, like it didn't hurt, but you knew all too well. "For what?"

You would've said for being scared. For being weak. For not realising sooner. Anything. But instead you were interrupted by the sound of shoes on the tile.

Of course, there Julie had to be. She took a single look at Nat who was covered in sweat and a bit red from practice, and grimaced, before coming up to you and standing right over you, expectantly.

"Is practice over?" she asked, checking her watch. "I finished my club meeting. We have to go dress shopping— I want you there to colour match— and I need you to drop Margie off at her house, cause I said you would yesterday."

You blinked. "I mean... It kind of is? I should probably stay a bit—" you looked to Nat to see what she would say, but she was already standing up and walking off, taking the not so secret hint that Julie was telling her to get lost.

Julie watched her go, scowling behind her back and then spinning to you the moment the door clicked shut behind her. "What did she want with you?" she asked.

"We were just talking, Allie needed help."

"Well she's no good. She's one of those kids, y'know." You narrowed your eyes, getting up to your feet and wiping your hands on your shorts.

"What are you talking about?"

Julie tilted her head to the side, like she was confused by your confusion. "You must not have a lot of them, around here, but we had them all OVER, in Massachusetts. The town bicycles. Everyone wants a ride, if you know what I mean."

It was your turn to cross your arms. "No the hell I do not, Julie."

"Oh come on," she said, throwing up her hands. "She's trailer trash, at best. The delusional kind who thinks we'd look at her, like, ever. I mean, what's her body count, like over a hundred?"

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about," you snapped at her, glowering.

"Okay, I know she's on the Yellowjackets, and she's clearly trying to get in your pants, but cmon. I'm your girlfriend, we can laugh about this kind of—"

"No, the hell you aren't. You're not my girlfriend, Julie, and you barely ever fucking were. That girl you just insulted is the best fucking person I know. She's selfless, she's kind, she makes me laugh—"

"Well then go sleep with her then!" Julie yelled, stomping her foot.

"Y'know what, I already have! And I fucking love her. So there!" And you turned right around and stomped back out onto the pitch.

===+++===

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” you rolled your eyes, trudging down the stairs and calling out into the foyer. It wasn’t like whoever it was would actually be able to hear you, through the thickness of your door, if anything it was more to air your grievance with having to get up so fucking late. Your mom was once more distraught, now that you had kept the "perfect" girl for a single week and then promptly dumped her. Another vacation was in order.

Rain was still pounding on the roof from above, and it filled the emptiness of your house with a faint white noise, that was immediately shattered by the person pressing the button again. You rolled your eyes, deciding to walk even slower to the door out of nothing but spite.

When you actually opened the door, though, you had to blink a couple times, seeing a figure retreating already, down your drive. However long you had took had made them rethink why they were here, and you would've been all too happy to let the door close. That was, until you narrowed your eyes into the rain, just barely making out the shape of a familiar leather jacket.

"Nat?" You called into the storm, loud enough that there was no way she couldn't have heard you. You crossed your arms, thinking about how she had been earlier that day. "I know it's you, Natalie. Why the fuck are you here? You have nationals tomorrow."

She stopped in her tracks, just standing in it. She gently turned, shoulders rising and falling and it was clear she was breathing heavily. Her mascara was running in massive streaks down her face and dripping in small, grey droplets, and her eyes were sensitive and red, as if she had been crying and rubbed them raw. You swallowed what felt like a lump in your throat.

"This— all of this, with you— I— I can't," she stumbled, looking like a sad, wet dog in the rain.

"What?" you furrowed your eyebrows at her, walking out further onto your large, covered doorstep.

"I can't see you with her, (Y/n), I— I just can't."

"With Julie?"

Natalie threw up her arms in frustration. "Yes, Julie. I know she's perfect, or whatever, but— I— you can't be with her—"

"—Nat," you tried, stepping forward again.

"—Because I love you," she continued. You stopped in your tracks. It felt as if the air had been sucked right out of your lungs, even in the freshness brought by the storm. "I know we argue," her voice shook, "and I know we fight, and I know I smoke, and I curse, and I get bad grades, and my dad's a shithead, and I'm kind of an asshole sometimes— but I fucking love you, (Y/n). You.... I—"

"—Shut up," you said, shaking your head and rushing forward, out into the pouring storm. You collided with her, cupping her face in your cheeks and kissing her like the world would end in ten minutes. It would have, if you hadn't done it, and you had no idea how you had survived so long without doing it.

You kissed her once, and then you kissed her again, and then, when she was crying harder, and you were crying too, and she was holding onto your arms like you would fall away, you kissed her forehead, and held her tight in a hug.

"I'm selfish, and I'm a mess, and I'm never good enough for my stupid fucking parents," you said, over the rain and just for Nat, "and I don't realise that I hurt people 'cause that's not what my family does, and for that, I'm really, really fucking sorry."

She nodded in her tears, looking up at you as you both got rained on together. "But, I agree," you said, voice shaking, "we're not casual. I'm really, really fucking sorry, but I also really, really fucking love you, Nat. And I'm sorry I was too scared and too stupid, and," you raised your voice, as if to the sky, "I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING GO TO PRINCETON—" this time it was Nat who shut you up.

It was another kiss, but it was far more gentle than the first. It was a gentle press, and it took your breath away. When you pulled apart, you let your forehead fall against Natalie's. Even though the droplets were cold, you felt so warm.

After what felt like forever, but still wasn't long enough, Nat murmured to you, "should we go inside?" She still smelled like cigarettes and her perfume, just as she had in her trailer, and you intended to let the scent linger.

You shook your head. "Just stay out here a little longer with me. Please? Just let time pass."

She nodded, then smirked as she looked past you at the car on your driveway. "Fuckin' rich people."

===+++===

AAAAAND THAT'S CASUAL BABYYYYY! Finished at like 2 am. anyways, i'm tired and a little bit sleepy