#monse writes

[steveseddie]

since day one

@steddiemicrofic prompt: fool, 454 words rated: g | cw: none | tags: pre-relationship, steve has a crush, even gareth knows, soft boys

***

“You’re not fooling anyone.”

Gareth’s voice makes Steve look up, finding him leaning against the kitchen doorway.

Then he looks down at the cookies he’s moving from the box they came in to a plate, frowning. “I wasn’t trying to. Just thought it’d be easier to grab the cookies this way.”

Gareth rolls his eyes. “No, about why you’re playing DnD with us.”

“I just wanted to-”

“Spend quality time with the children, uh huh,” Gareth finishes, using Steve’s words. “That’s not it. You wanted to spend time with Eddie.”

Steve flushes but tries to act nonchalant. “Yeah, with all of you-”

“No, specifically with Eddie. You even asked Byers to help you study the handbook to impress him!”

Steve bites his lip, thinking. “Did I?”

“What?”

“Did I impress him?” Steve asks. Gareth clearly saw through his lie and probably knows what Steve is doing. He might as well figure out if it’s working. “Because I’ve been trying to since I realized I have a crush on him-”

Gareth waves his hands in front of him. “Woah, woah, you can’t say that.”

Steve frowns. “Oh, but you know that Eddie likes guys, are you not okay with-”

“Of course I’m cool with that, Harrington, but Eddie is my best friend. I’m like, obligated to tell him now.”

Steve’s eyes widen. “You can’t. You can’t tell Eddie!”

“Can’t tell Eddie what?” Eddie asks, strolling into the kitchen.

Gareth glances between the two before jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go,” he says then hurries out.

Eddie skips over to Steve, grinning at him. “What secrets are you keeping from me, Stevie?”

Steve focuses on rearranging the cookies on the plate. “None, no secrets, nothing, nope.”

“See, I know that’s a lie. You didn’t tell me mini Byers was helping you learn DnD.”

“I was trying to surprise them-”

“I could’ve helped you.”

“I guess-” Steve says quietly, “I was also trying to surprise you.”

“Steve, you haven’t stopped surprising me since the day I met you,” Eddie says with a chuckle. Steve looks up and finds Eddie staring at him with a soft look, eyes sparkling with something.

Something that makes Steve a little bold.

“I was also trying to impress you,” Steve says shyly.

Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up, pointing at himself. “Me?”

“Yeah, you,” Steve says, poking Eddie’s chest in the same spot.

Before he can back his hand, Eddie wraps his fingers around Steve’s wrist, keeping his hand against his chest. “Guess what, Stevie?” Eddie gives him a slow grin, his dimple popping. “You haven’t stopped doing that since day one either.”

And oh, Steve thinks, maybe he didn’t need to try so hard to get Eddie’s attention after all.

[buckleyseddie]

ohhh maybe "pull over. let me drive for a while"?? i love you <3

hi baby thank you i love you <3 @lesbiandiaz also asked for this one so i hope you both enjoy this little thing

***

When Eddie wakes up, it’s to the rumbling of the Jeep beneath him and the sound of Buck’s astronomy podcast coming from the radio, the volume turned low so as to not disturb Eddie’s sleep. Buck must’ve switched to it after he dozed off because Eddie vividly remembers falling asleep to the sound of Buck’s soft humming instead. He remembers thinking how there’s nothing he’d want more than to fall asleep to that, with his kid sleeping soundly in the backseat, for as long as they drive places together.

One look to the rearview mirror confirms that Christopher’s still sleeping, head lolled to the side and his glasses sitting crooked on his nose. He’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they left the campsite; as much as Chris likes to complain about having a bedtime at thirteen, staying up way past it last night to stargaze really took a toll on him. Out of the three of them, Eddie’s the only one who shouldn’t be tired, not when he’d fallen asleep when only a few stars could be seen in the sky. Buck and Christopher had stayed up until two, whispering about stars and constellations and planets; quietly, trying not to disturb Eddie, who’d been called in for an extra shift right before they left for their camping trip.

He’d woken up hours later with his son’s head on his shoulder, snoring softly and Buck, still awake, sitting on Christopher’s other side, leaning back on his palms and looking up at the sky. For a moment, Eddie had stared at Buck, at how beautiful he looked bathed in moonlight, his face so peaceful and relaxed.

He’d thought that by staying very still, Buck would think that he was still asleep, but something must’ve given him away because, without taking his eyes from the sky, Buck had said, “oh good, you’re awake. I can carry Chris inside his tent, but I was ready to leave you out here.”

Eddie had snorted, careful not to wake up his son. “Well, it’s not so bad out here.” He’d fallen asleep under the stars one time, he could probably do it again.

Buck had grinned at Eddie over his shoulder. “Tell that to the mountain lions.”

“I know you didn’t bring me and my son to a place where there are mountain lions roaming around.”

“Of course not,” Buck winked at Eddie, pushing himself up to his feet. “Coyotes on the other hand-” He’d trailed off with a goofy grin that Eddie had wanted to kiss off his face even though he was being an idiot (especially since he was being an idiot).

“Shut up,” Eddie had said, but when Buck had picked Christopher up, careful not to jostle him, and taken him to his tent, Eddie had made his way to the one he would be sharing with Buck, away from any coyotes that might be lurking in the trees.

“Hey,” Buck says now, pausing the podcast and turning to Eddie. “Did I wake you? Sorry, after you fell asleep too I needed something to keep me awake and music wasn’t enough.”

“No, you're good,” Eddie says with a shake of his head. “I should be sorry, I’ve been falling asleep on you all weekend.”

Buck pouts a little. “And I was the one who dragged you camping on your day off after a forty-eight.”

“Yeah, because my son’s been obsessing over constellations and planets since his school took him to the observatory and you thought he’d like to go stargazing,” Eddie says, reaching over and grabbing Buck’s hand, giving him a soft smile. Buck takes his eyes off the road for a second to return the smile, it’s genuine if only a little tired. “And he did. And so did I, even if I didn’t do much of it.”

Eddie still got to listen to Buck and Christopher geek out about planetary lineups and satellites and moon phases on the drive up, he got to tease Buck for failing to start a fire so they could make s’mores several times before he got it right (“my job is to stop fires, Eddie, not start them!”). He got to watch Buck stuff his face with as many marshmallows as he could (five marshmallows!) while trying to keep them all awake until the sky was dark enough to see anything. Christopher dared Buck to fit a sixth marshmallow and it ended with him spitting out the rest, and Eddie had laughed and told Buck it was okay, that he knew just how much he could fit into his mouth, and then he got to watch Buck blush to the tip of his ears. He also got to kiss Buck goodnight in their shared tent, and having only started doing that recently, the novelty of it still hadn’t worn off (though to be honest, Eddie doesn’t think it ever will).

Eddie’s thoughts get interrupted by Buck freeing his hand from his so he can cover his mouth when he yawns. It makes sense that Buck is the most tired. He stayed up later than Christopher last night, and even much later than Eddie, and he was the first one up this morning. He hasn’t been able to take a nap because he’s been driving. He even had to switch from music to his podcast to stay awake because both Eddie and Christopher fell asleep, and he had no one to talk to him.

“Hey,” Eddie says and Buck hums tiredly. “How long until we make it back?”

“Hm, maybe an hour until we’re home.”

Home. Eddie’s house. Where Buck will linger after dropping them off until it’s too late to head to the loft so he’ll end up staying the night. It’s something that has been happening since before they got together, only now Buck gets to sleep on Eddie’s bed with him instead of his couch.

Which is good for many reasons. One of them being the fact that Buck clearly needs some proper rest.

Right now, he’s blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to stay alert. Eddie puts his hand on Buck’s leg. “Buck, you’re tired.”

“I’m fine,” he says, grabbing Eddie’s hand in his and bringing it to his lips, kissing it.

“You’re falling asleep, baby,” Eddie says and watches with a thrill as Buck melts a little at the pet name. “Pull over. Let me drive for a while.”

“You hate driving,” Buck says with the same little smile he gets when he teases Eddie about his permanent passenger princess status.

“I do, but you know what I’d hate more? You crashing us and our kid into a pole because you fell asleep behind the wheel,” Eddie says, kindly ignoring the way Buck’s breath hitches when Eddie says our kid. “It’s only for an hour, come on.”

It shows just how tired Buck feels that he doesn’t put up much resistance. “Hm, okay.”

He pulls the car over and they both climb out. Eddie takes a moment to stretch his legs and Buck takes the opportunity to walk over to his side and crowd him against the door.

“Hey,” Buck says, hands on Eddie’s hips, his nose brushing against his. “Thank you.”

Eddie smiles, pushing up and kissing Buck’s lips. “I got you.”

“I know.” Buck can’t help himself and leans down to kiss him again and Eddie can’t help but let him, let Buck kiss him on the side of the road, on their way back to their home with their kid still sleeping soundly in the backseat. Eddie might just stay here forever, powerless to pull away from Buck’s lips-

That is, until their kissing gets cut short by Buck yawning again.

“Okay,” Eddie says, manhandling Buck until he’s the one leaning against the door. “Let’s go before you fall asleep on your feet and I have to leave you out here with the coyotes.”

“You wouldn’t dare, you love me,” Buck says, grinning from ear to ear, looking far too happy despite Eddie’s teasing.

Eddie can’t help but grin right back when he says, “yeah, I do.” Still not used to being able to say it so freely. “Come on, let’s go home.”

If possible, Buck’s grin gets even bigger.

[thestarsaroundyourscars]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Summary:

Eddie opens his mouth to enthusiastically say yes to Steve’s invitation when he remembers that he does have plans this Saturday.

“I can’t,” he says with a pout. Steve’s face twists with disappointment, and it only makes Eddie pout harder. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to, Stevie, but I- uh- I have plans.”

Steve frowns. “With your band? The kids?”

Eddie shakes his head. “My uncle. Wayne and I are grabbing dinner at Enzo’s.”

“You’re eating at Enzo’s?” Steve asks with a surprised tone.

“What? Can’t trailer trash like us have a decent meal on a special occasion?” Eddie jokes.

“Hey, don’t call yourself that,” Steve says with a serious expression, squeezing Eddie’s arm where it rests on the couch next to Steve. His hand lingers there, thumb brushing over Eddie’s arm, making goosebumps raise on his skin. Then his finger jerks to a stop as he realizes something. “Wait, special occasion? What special occasion?”

or Eddie doesn’t tell anyone that his birthday is coming up. When Steve finds out, he ends up giving Eddie the best gift that he could possibly ask for.

[lukemichaelcalumashton]

Off-stage

pairing: ot4

rating: t

word count: 6,856

summary:

“So we’re kissing each other on stage now?” Ashton asks while they sit around eating their dinner after the show.

Luke chokes audibly on his California Spring roll, forcing Michael to give him a few thumps on his back. With watery eyes, he glances at Calum, sitting across from him and finds him grinning back smugly. Neither of them says anything. It’s Michael who says, “yeah, what was that about?” looking directly at Calum who shrugs nonchalantly.

“Dunno, I just felt like doing it,” he says, leaning back on his palms, still looking at Luke. “Luke doesn’t mind, do you, Luke?”

The truth is Luke does mind. He minds a lot. Not because he doesn’t like it, but because it messes with his head— leaves him feeling a little floaty and distracted.

***

Or 3 times the boys kiss Luke on stage + 1 time Luke kisses them all off stage

a/n: hey hey! It's @5sos-fic-exchange time and this is my fic for the lovely Alison @bandsanitizer, I really hope you and anyone else who reads this enjoys the fic! Also thank you Hazel @allsassnoclass for organizing this once again!

[page150]

When you're sick 💊- César Díaz x Reader (Headcanon)

Request: None

Pronouns: They/Them

Word Count: 866

Warnings: None

Summary: How I think César would act if you got sick, enjoy!

César hates being sick 

Like really hates being sick

Like goes to school with a fever and pretends he isn’t sick, hates being sick 

Because then he has to rely on people and there’s issues that come with that 

But, the only thing he hates more than being sick is you being sick 

Because that means you’re not your energetic, happy self 

That jumps on him randomly and dances with him 

You’re not eager to study with him (or tutor him, because that’s usually what ends up happening) 

You’re still, and tired, and in pain

And even though he really enjoys taking care of you, it worries him 

So, to keep himself from freaking out too much he’ll put you on bed rest

“Shut up and lay down.” César gently pushes you back down on your bed.

“But, I have to study!” You argue, trying to sit back up. 

“Study? You’re so pale you look like a ghost, you can’t study! I’ll take care of it. Just rest, babe.” 

He’ll stay home from school just to take care of you. Even if it’s just to watch you sleep he feels better being near you. Knowing that you’re safe and not on the ground somewhere because you fainted.

You stir from your sleep feeling a warm hand on top of yours. Opening your eyes you see César sitting on the chair next to your bed, rubbing your hand.

“Baby go to school, I’ll be okay” You whisper. 

“I can’t focus if you’re not there with me.” He replies, kissing your sweaty forehead. “I rather be here with you. Do you need anything?” 

When you get hungry he’ll run around looking for food. Cursing at himself for being unprepared. 

You peek through the crack of your bedroom door at your boyfriend pacing through your hallway, waiting for someone to pick up the phone. Then you hear pieces of his conversation. 

“Ruby, hey, what do you eat when you’re sick? No, I’m not sick. Y/N is. I don’t know, like 3 days. They have a fever, sore throat, runny nose, that kind of stuff. I don’t know what to do! No, I’m not freaking out, just answer the question. What do they need to eat? Soup and popsicles? Yeah, I can get that. Okay, thank you. I’ll tell them.”

Coming back into your room to kiss you on the cheek he says, "I'm going to get you some food and Ruby says to get well soon. He needs you to babysit the twins.”  

Usually you’ll only have a small cold, so you’ll get better quickly, but sometimes it’s worse

He’ll clean and disinfect everything when you throw up. He'll also keep reassuring that he loves you and you'll be okay you no matter how messy you get.

When you cry because of the pain, he’ll hold you and try to keep you as comfortable as possible 

You sniffle and turn away from César in the bed, “I don’t want to get you sick.” 

“I don’t care, how many times do I have to say that. I hate when you cry.” He turns you so you face him and kisses you, while wiping away your tears.

“Sorry, my throat hurts so much.” You say softly. 

“I know, in awhile we can try eating another popsicle. I’ll stay here until you’re not in pain. Just keep hugging me.” 

He’ll make sure you take your medicine when you’re supposed to. Even if he has to threaten you. 

“Sweetheart, wake up.” César whispers, slowly rubbing your back.

“Go away,” You yawn, snuggling into the teddy bear César bought you. 

“Nope,” He pulls away the sheets, revealing you in heart pajamas, clutching the brown teddy bear. “It’s time for medicine.” 

You groan, “It’s gross, I’ll take it later, I’m feeling better.” 

“No, you have to take it down. Your fever is going down, but it hasn’t broken. Take the medicine.” 

“Babe, it’s so gross. Don’t make me take it.” 

“Take it or…” He pauses. “I’ll call Oscar.”

Your eyes widen and you open your mouth so César could pour the green syrup into your mouth. You put your hand over your mouth so you don’t spit it out as you swallow it. 

Putting the sheets back onto you he whispers, “I know it sucks, but it will make you feel better.” 

“I know, just get in bed with me, I’m cold.” 

Once you feel better, he’ll pride himself in his caring boyfriend abilities. 

You sit hand in hand with César at the lunch table, listening to him ramble on how he took care of you. 

“I almost called Oscar, I really didn’t know what to do, but I figured it out. A man has to take care of his partner.”

“I think we all know who’s the man in the relationship, but we’re glad you’re feeling better Y/N” Monse adds.

You laugh, “Thanks Monse, but César did great.” 

He kisses you and pulls you closer, “Anything for you, being without you makes me sick.”

You hug him, then get up to get something to drink. 

At the table César watches you walk away with a smile, before sneezing. 

Monse, Ruby, Jamal, and Jasmine look surprised at him shrug, before saying, “Definitely worth it. 

When you say you’ll take a break, but leave for almost a whole year.🥲So much has happened that I can’t really explain, but I hope you all enjoyed this post. I’m still trying to get back into the swing of writing so I hope this is okay. Just know a lot more is coming! Please like and follow for more. Have a wonderful day ~c'k

[calumsash]

🌊🌴🌅🐚☀ cayman islands ash ☀🐚🌅🌴🌊

[daydadahlias]

What do you think you'll write once MiM is over? Do you have any specific plans or ideas?

who knows!! we’ll see what moves me

[allsassnoclass]

hiii hazel it's been a while i hope you're good! for the asks i'm picking these emojis 💜💚💙 and i'm also asking for your top 5 narnia characters and also top 5 songs at the moment -monse <3

@lukemichaelcalumashton hi monse <3 hope all is well with you!!!

💜 - What Label(s) Have You Identified With for the Longest? asexual! that's my longest label and my main one. the one that feels like home. if i ever shift and realize that i don't fit the technical definition for whatever reason it'd make me incredibly sad to leave behind so i probably won't leave it anyway and i'll just still call myself ace lol

💚 - How many queer people do you know irl? well! my entire high school friend group is queer. i have a picture from my 9th grade birthday party and literally everyone except for 1 person in it later came out as queer in some form. however, i don't talk to most of them anymore because we naturally drifted away, and a lot of my college friends were cishet. however, i do work in theater, so i know a lot of queer people! many many!

💙 - When you first learned about the Queer community, did you immediately realize ‘That’s me!’ Or did you consider yourself a ‘really good ally’ for some time? nope! i didn't realize, and i didn't really consider myself an ally for a long time either (raised catholic, and catholics as a whole have not been as nice towards queer people as we are called to be). it wasn't until i found the label of asexual that i had a lightbulb moment, and it took a while after that before i realized i like girls

Top 5 Narnia Characters

Prince Caspian-is this just because I loved the movie as a kid and he's so so so so cool and also i now associate him with a very close family friend who i love dearly? quite possibly! but that doesn't mean i'm wrong!

Lucy Pevensie-my projection character <3 as the youngest sibling in a group of 4 who looked a lot like georgie henley when lion witch and wardrobe movie first came out, she's always been my character

Reepicheep-he's so cool. he's a mouse with a sword! what more could you want in a character

Jill Pole-yeah this is because silver chair is really the only book that i've technically read (we listened to the focus on the family radio program versions when i was little, but i don't have clear memories of it). i liked her!!! shout out to her!!!

Edmund-character development <3

Top 5 Songs at the Moment

"Curses" by the Crane Wives-bro there's a clarinet. there's harmonies. "ashes to ashes, dust to dust/the devil's after both of us" and the way that it switches to "ashes to ashes, dust to dust/tell me i am good enough" for the last verse???? yes! there's so much character to this song and i love it

"Grudges" by Caroline Kole-I like songs about women getting revenge and this song is perfect for my current blorbo nie huaisang like the lyrics are extremely accurate plus he would definitely exclusively listen to girl pop if he was a modern character

"Sinner" by Andy Grammer-should this song actually be on the list? idk i'm just vibing right now but i like when songs sound slightly western. this song sounds like one that the band train would make

"The Weather" by Lawrence-i remembered recently that this song exists. i love it. it makes me feel things, it's beautiful in it's simplicity, and i just really like lawrence as a band in general

"Sugar Cloud" from Ride the Cyclone-my favorite song from this musical <3 in a show about teenagers who violently died competing to be brought back to life, to have a song so unashamedly joyful and celebrating a completely ordinary life is wonderful, especially taken in context following Constance's monologue

[steveseddie]

up against the wall (with me) @steddiemicrofic prompt: pin, 388 words | rated: t | cw: none apply

Eddie can admit he’s thought about Steve pinning him against a wall at least once.

More like twice. Maybe three times. Four if you count that daydream where Steve pinned him against his car.

He always thought reality would be better than fantasy, and while he can appreciate feeling Steve’s hands on his waist and the length of his body against him instead of just imagining it, reality lacks an important detail from Eddie’s fantasies.

Steve isn’t kissing him.

Sure, it would’ve been confusing if Steve randomly pushed Eddie into an alley and started making out with him, but he isn’t any less confused by Steve dragging him here and then not kissing him.

“Steve?”

One of his hands covers Eddie’s mouth. “Shhh.”

Eddie gets momentarily distracted by the weight of it against his mouth. Before he embarrasses himself by moaning or something, he licks Steve’s hand.

“Ew!” Steve wipes it clean. He should’ve known Eddie would pull that move.

“Why are we here?”

“Kelly Donald was coming our way,” he says, which doesn’t explain anything. “She’s been to the store a few times to ask me out. I turned her down again yesterday, said I’d be busy all day.”

And he had been- hanging out with Eddie.

“Why not take her up on the offer?”

Steve shrugs. “I don’t feel like going on dates with random girls anymore, kinda have my eye on someone.”

Eddie’s face falls. “W-who?”

“Well-”

“Steve! I thought that was you!” Kelly says. “What are you doing here, silly?”

Her eyes widen when Steve shifts and she sees Eddie. He expects her to yell, and maybe so does Steve, who moves to block Eddie from view, shielding him.

“Sorry!” She says, surprising them. “Didn’t see you there. Eddie, right? Sorry to interrupt, I’ll go!” She hesitates, then faces them again. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. Sorry I kept asking you out, Steve, whoops!”

When she leaves, Eddie says, “You should go after her, explain this isn’t what she thinks. This is how rumors start, Steve, you don’t want the girl you got your eye on hearing about-”

“Eddie?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the person I have my eye on, you idiot,” Steve says, and then he’s kissing Eddie! Against a wall!

Eddie takes back what he said- reality is so much better than fantasy.

[buckleyseddie]

you saw me (i got nowhere to hide)

maddie’s pov | post 6x10 | 5.6k

Maddie turns around, ready to leave, reaches for the doorknob and–

And then she freezes again because she hears it, the sound that made her realize she wasn’t alone in the first place. Only this time she can place it.

Crying.

She drops her hand, turns on her heels, and steps further into the loft. There’s no one in the kitchen or the dining table, which is as much as she can see from there. Then she takes a few more steps, her head whipping around, looking for the source of the sound.

When she finds it, Maddie’s heart all but plummets to the floor.

On the steps of the loft sits Eddie, hunched over, hiding his face in the soft fabric of what looks like one of her brother’s sweaters. And he’s crying.

No. He’s sobbing. An onslaught of gut-wrenching sobs tearing through his chest with so much force that his whole body shakes with it.

Oh, Eddie.

***

Or while Buck’s in a coma, Maddie finds herself at the loft one afternoon. There, she finds a heartbroken Eddie and they have a moment.

read on ao3

[hoodharlow]

2019

AN: so this isn’t technically dad!jack it’s how he became a dad lmao

requested? no

warnings: creepy gas station guy, mentions of smut, and talks about birth control

Word Count: 3.1k words

June 2019

Monse looked down at her phone and rolled her eyes. She hung up without answering and focused on all of the poems she had to use in the comparative paper she was going to write. She turned up the volume of her laptop in hopes that the classical music would drown out her phone’s constant ringing. It didn’t.

“No!” She said when she answered. 

“C’mon, I haven’t seen you in weeks.” the voice whined on the other side. “I missed you.”

“I have finals to prepare for and several research papers to write. Also, you didn’t miss me, you missed that I kept your dick warm.” Monse said before hanging up.

Not even thirty seconds later her phone started ringing once more. She sighed dramatically and answered. “What do you want Jack?” 

“Have you eaten?” he asked her.

Monse looked over to the half eaten Uncrustable on her desk that she got for breakfast. “No.”

“Come out with me for a bit, I’m buying.” he offered. 

She stayed quiet, considering her options. She could make a Maruchan with Valentina and stress about her school work until it was three in the morning OR she could take a well deserved study break and get some free food and sex out of it. 

“Fine,” she sighed, giving in.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

She hung up and tossed her phone on the bed. She quickly changed out of her bleach stained UCLA sweatpants that dye changed into when she showered in the morning to a pair of clean panties and high waisted denim booty shorts. She shrugged off the baggy hoodie and put on a cropped long sleeve top. She tossed everything in her closet and rushed to the shared bathroom across the hall. She cursed hearing the shower run. She knocked urgently. 

“Serena, let me in. I need to brush my teeth.” Monse yelled through the door.

“No, you’re gonna make the water cold.” Serena, her roommate and best friend, responded. 

“Serena, please, he’s already outside.” she begged.

“Who, Macklemore?” her best friend asked with an amused tone.

Serena calling Jack, by every other white male rapper to ever exist, was a running joke between them dating back to their high school days when he actually started to take his rap career seriously. Serena was from Louisville but moved to LA for school. Jack and Serena have been friends since he was switched to her preschool class after he bit a kid in his former class for hogging the handball during recess. She was the only kid that wasn't scared of him, she has three older brothers that taught her how to fight and could easily take Jack if necessary. They were inseparable until Jack started focusing more on his music career while Serena was more concentrated on getting into college.

She and Monse were assigned to be roommates their freshman year at UCLA. They've been inseparable since then. Which was how Monse met Jack. He was in LA working on music and decided to stop by to see Serena, who he hadn't seen since before she left for summer bridge. 

Monse's first impression of Jack was that he was very confident and flirty but at the same time he was a bit dorky in a way that was cute. He didn't have the best style but the way he carried himself was enough for her to notice him. For almost three years, every time he'd go and visit Serena, he would always try to make a move on Monse, but she'd kindly rejected him. 

It wasn’t that she wasn’t attracted to him; she had a thing for tall dorky funny guys. In the back of her head her parents' voices, specifically her mom's, constantly nagged her about how she needed to concentrate on school and not let boys distract her because they could affect her grades and her life in general. She was already on thin ice for not pursuing bioengineering like them and her sisters. That was until a few months ago when Serena was spending the weekend with her boyfriend and forgot to tell Jack that she wasn't in town, leaving Monse to entertain him. They found a bottle of Centenario tequila in the fridge. A few shots later, they both got more flirty and went for it. 

That night was the beginning of their long distance friends with benefits. It became a routine whenever he was in LA he’d hit her up. The first few times they tried hiding it from Serena, but she found out soon after hearing Monse moan Jack's name. She said she found it weird because she saw the both of them as siblings, but at the end of the day it wasn’t her place to say anything because both were good people and she trusted them to know what they were getting themselves into. Though she did warn Jack not to fuck it up because Monse was her only friend that was a girl. 

Monse knew her place in Jack’s life. She was aware of his reputation and how he wasn’t looking for anything serious. Neither was she. Which was why she didn't mind that he had other girls to hook up with just as long as they were on the same page. Considering that she was the most permanent girl on Jack's roster and she was on the pill, they agreed to have sex with without a condom, as long as they used protection with the other people they hooked up with. And if there was ever a slip up and they had unprotected sex with someone else, they were to let the other know and get tested. Fortunately for them, there hasn't been one.

After five seconds, Serena unlocked the door and let Monse in. She rushed in and hastily brushed her teeth as her best friend dried her hair with her diffuser. While she was at it, Monse put on deodorant and did a simple makeup look consisting of concealer to hide her dark under eyes, mascara to make her look awake and lipgloss because she liked lipgloss. She undid her braid and let her hair loose. 

"Are you and Miles coming back here?" Monse asked. 

"No, he's taking me to Santa Barbara for the weekend, so I won't be back until Sunday afternoon." Serena said, gently separating her curls.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Here," her best friend said, placing a handful of condoms on the sink. "I know your procrastinating ass hasn't picked your birth control refill." 

"Jack always has some." Monse pushed them back to her.

"What if he doesn't have any?"

"Babe, he's paranoid and always carries condoms like you carry mints. We'll be fine." Monse's phone buzzed in her back pocket. It was Jack. "Okay I have to go. I'll see you Sunday and have fun with your man."

"Have fun with G-Eazy." Serena called out.

Monse rolled her eyes. She grabbed her bag and keys. She jogged down the flight of stairs that led to the outdoor parking spaces. Jack leaned against his rental car that was parked perpendicular to Serena's Honda Civic. He wore black basketball shorts with a grey zip up hoodie and a white tank top under. 

"Hi." She said walking up to him.

She wrapped her arms around his stomach and stood on her tippy-toes. Jack met her halfway and cupped her face with his hands, bringing their lips together. He deepened their kiss, moaning into her mouth. 

"Tattoo-less Post Malone don't do that shit to Monse in public." Serena yelled at them from her apartment window. 

Jack pulled away from Monse and looked up at the window. He raised his left hand and flipped Serena off. 

“I’m calling your mother.” she said.

“Does your mother know where you’re going this weekend? I’m sure Dr. Wilson would like to know what you're up to this weekend.” 

Serena looked over to Monse. “Again, what do you see in him?”

“Go finish getting ready, you haven’t finished packing. I’ll deal with his dumbass.” Monse said. She turned to Jack and nodded her head towards her car. “We’re taking my car, so you can park there and I’ll take Serena’s spot when we get back.”

“Why? My car is right here.” Jack asked, pointing at his rental. 

“I need to get gas.”

He nodded and went to his car to wait for her to pull out of her parking spot, so he could take it. Then he got in her Honda accord. He pushed the seat back so his legs could fit in the passenger seat. He pulled out his phone and connected it to get AUX. 

“Wanna hear what I’ve been working on at the studio?” he asked her.

“I guess, since you already connected your phone.” Monse shrugged as she looked over her shoulder to switch lanes. 

Jack gave her a pointed look then looked down at his phone. He scrolled down to his new song and pressed play. He shifted in his seat to watch Monse’s reaction. She kept a neutral face while the song played. Her lip twitched at the ‘Shego’ line; it was a nod to her when she sent Jack pictures of herself as a sluty Shego before she headed out to a Halloween frat party with Serena, who was dressed as Kim Possible. She scrunched up her face, trying not to smile which was her way of saying that the song was good. 

“So?” he asked, switching to Spotify to play some Mac Miller. 

“I asked you one time if I hurt you while going down on you and you use it in a song?” she shook her head. 

"You know I'm sensitive." He 

"You're so annoying." 

“Can I be real?” Jack asked her. She nodded, letting him know to continue. “I was kinda nervous to work with the producer who worked on this.”

“Why’s that?” 

“She was a girl–”

“Ay que hueva, women can produce–”

“Let me fucking finish, damn.” Jack cut her off.

“Okay pues, finish.”

“I was nervous to work with her because she only worked with this work band under Ryan Tedder.”

“Are you talking about Aaliyah Douglas?” Monse asked.

“How do you know her?”

“She’s Alexis Ximena’s best friend.”

“I have no idea who that is.”

“Remember when you came over a while back and we binged that one show about the kids that are trapped in a dome and get superpowers.”

“Deadass, I don't pay attention to what you have playing on your Mac, I'm just tryna smash.” he smirked.

“I can’t stand you.” she rolled her eyes. 

Monse pulled up to an empty pump and grabbed her wallet. She read the paper in front of the card reader and frowned. It said that the card reader wasn't working, so she had to go inside to put money in the pump. 

“I have to go inside the store to pay, do you want something?” she asked Jack.

“I’m good,” he said. “Want me to go in with you?”

“Nah,” she said, getting out.

Jack kept an eye out on her while she was in the store. She was in and out in less than five minutes with some Turbo Flamas. A stereotypical white gas station guy in a wife beater began to walk behind her, rambling off about her ass. Jack quickly got out and went up to her, putting his arm over her shoulders.  

“Fuck off, man.” he said to the guy when he noticed he was still following them. He nodded to Monse to get in the car. 

“Whatever, she's not even that hot, man.” The guy yelled before he walked away. 

Jack leaned in the car window and asked her softly, “you okay? He didn’t try anything?”

She nodded, “I’m okay.” 

He nodded and filled up her car. Once he finished he climbed back in and drove them to Monse’s taco shop in LA. She was from San Diego and nothing could compare to the tacos from down there. The shop was a small hole in the wall restaurant. The inside was just the kitchen and the small stand where people go to make their orders. By the entrance was a large window that was converted into a long bar with stools for people to sit and eat. There were also some tables outside of the restaurant for people to dine there as well. 

Jack parked across from the taco shop and put in a few quarters. He opened Monse’s door and guided her to the cross walk. Hand in hand they crossed the street and went to the shop. 

When they got there, there were only two people in line. Monse ordered for them, Jack tended to get flustered when he ordered and got the wrong thing. She got a plate of carne asada fries with a tamarindo flavored Jarrito and for Jack a California burrito with a Mexican coke. She made sure that their foods were without guacamole or any sort of avocado because she was allergic to avocado. They learned their lesson on her birthday a few weeks ago because she felt itchy when Jack went down on her, and had to take her to the ER. They learnt that even the smallest trace can cause her an allergic reaction, so Jack never ate avocado when he was with her. 

Jack tapped his card and signed the receipt.

"That's a new one." Monse nodded at his signature. 

"I'm testing out new ones for when I make it big and people ask for autographs." He said taking the other receipt. 

"Maybe wait because who knows when that will be." She said sweetly before sipping on her drink. 

"This is how you treat me after I buy you food?" He said with a solemn face, touching his heart. "You wound me, Mon-say." 

"You know damn well that I'm only out here because you promised me food."

*

After they ate, they went back to her apartment. Monse had a poem analysis due at midnight, so she was finishing that up. Jack laid on her bed, scrolling through movies on his phone to see which movie they should play as background noise for when they had sex.

"I didn't know Ray J's sister was in this?" Jack said out loud. "Hell, I didn't even know there was a sequel to this."

"What?" She asked, as she formatted her work to MLA. 

"They have 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer' on Netflix." He passed her his phone. 

"Did you just call thee Brandy Norwood, Ray J's sister? Put some respect on Cinderella." Monse shook her head. 

"Is she not his sister?" He asked. 

"How do you know him but not Brandy?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "She's way more famous than him. I didn't even know they were siblings until I watched a rerun of Punked." 

Jack simply shrugged. 

"One of these days, not knowing who Brandy is, if gonna bite you in the ass." She warned him. 

"I take it that we're watching this." 

"Yes." She nodded, ticking off all the bullet points she had to put in the submission box. 

After that she pulled up Netflix on her tv and searched for the movie on the search tab. Once she found it, she pressed play. Monse switched to a pair of baggy sweats that she was positive were Jack's and climbed in bed with him. Her bed was big enough for her to lay her head on Jack's stomach while he laid lengthwise in the middle of the bed. 

Monse lost interest when the actor who played Fred Jones in the Scooby-Doo movies almost got killed. She looked up at Jack to see if he was bored since he usually got bored five minutes into a movie and tried to make a move on her but he was actually watching. She rolled her eyes and looked in front of her. 

That was when she noticed that Jack's tank top rode up, revealing a happy trail. Monse smiled mischievously and slid her hand down to the sliver of bare skin. Her fingertips lightly danced on the drawstrings of Jack’s shorts. 

“Don’t even think about it.” Jack said, pushing himself to sit up.

“You say that as if you weren't the one blowing up my phone not even two hours ago.” Monse said, straddling his lap.

“Now I got you how I wanted you.” he smirked before pulling to close the gap between them. 

It didn’t take long for them to get naked. Jack used his other hand to pull one of her legs over his waist as he deepened their kiss. Monse loosened the grip around his waist and used her thighs to grind into him. Jack groaned in pleasure. What felt like an eternity later, he pulled away and kissed down her body. He pulled away from her lips and kissed down to her chest. He tweaked one of her nipples while he nipped and sucked her other breast. Satisfied with the love bites on her chest, he captured her lips once more. Monse desperately needed him inside of her. She yearned to have him inside of her. 

As reading her mind, Jack pushed himself up to give himself some room. He held his cock in his hand ready to slip it in Monse, but she stopped him.

“What’s up?” he asked her.

“Do you have condoms? I ran out of the pill like two weeks ago and I haven’t gone to get more because I was busy with finals and stuff–”

“You don’t have to explain.” Jack reassured her. He reached down for his shorts and checked his wallet. He cursed when he came out empty. “I don’t have any.”

“Wait! Serena left a bunch in the bathroom.” Monse said, remembering.

“I’ll get them.” 

Jack put on his boxers. He went down the hallway to the bathroom. There was nothing. He checked the medicine cabinet and there was nothing but skin care products and feminine products. He looked under the sink and came up empty. 

“Are you sure she left them in the bathroom?” Jack asked her when he returned to her room.

“Yeah, she put them on top of the sink. Are they not there?” Monse panicked. He shook his head. “Fuck, and all the stores near are always out.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’m sure this one time won’t kill us. I’ll get you a Plan B in the morning if that makes you feel better.” 

“Yeah that’s fine.” she agreed.

Jack kicked off his boxers and climbed in bed. “So where were we?”

Taglist: @cherryxcreme ​​ @heavyhitterheaux ​​ @carma-fanficaddict ​​ @youngharleezy ​​ @youngharleezyxo @babyharleezy ​​ @that-90s-girllll ​​ @alinaharlow ​​ @whywontyoulovemecami ​​​​ @meyocoko ​​ @harlowcomehome ​​ @nattinatalia ​​  ​​ @jackharloww @awhore4moree @noescapricho-essentimiento ​ ​

[lukemichaelcalumashton]

there’s a shimmer in your eyes

pairing: luke hemmings/ashton irwin

rating: t

word count: 3,470

summary:

Ashton wonders why Luke has never asked to do it before. Probably because he’s never shown any interest in wearing make-up for a show. He knows that, by the end of the set, he’s gonna have sweated it all off, and what little is left, he’s gonna have to wipe off after the show, on top of stretching and showering. And it’s not like people will actually be able to see it, with his drums being in the back. It’s just more trouble than it’s worth.

If Luke asked him though, Ashton wouldn’t say no. He rarely ever does.

a/n: I wrote this after a conversation I had with Amanda @lifewasradical​ after seeing Ash wearing eyeshadow (which, wow!) We both thought Luke might be a lil jealous that he didn’t get to put the make-up on Ashton himself and, thus, this happened! Writing lashton after a long time was fun, I hope everyone enjoys xx 

[journalforamerica]

On My Block

On My Block is a coming-of-age story that works through the battles that come from living in the hood. Jamal, Monse, Reuben, and Cesar are a crew, best friends from before the show began. They’re each from different backgrounds, Monse having grown up without a mom, Jamal who has been living a lie to make his parents proud, Reuben (Ruby) who is too smart for his own good, and Cesar whose family is part of the local gang and in turn, force him into that lifestyle. This story relates to the screenings and readings by establishing a unique perspective with diversity at its core. 

From top to bottom: Ruby Martinez, Cesar Diaz, Jamal Turner, and Monse Finnie.

The characters throughout the show focus on their ability to be friends against hardships. The first season focuses on Cesar and his life inside the gang. The crew knows that this life isn't for Cesar and they do everything to help him. This type of life they live all relates to a cultural identity: a shared home, language, and even cultural barriers. Cesar, Jamal, Ruby, and Monse would do everything to protect one another, even if it meant danger for themselves. I think that speaks to their ability to adapt to their rough environment which can be attributed to the stereotypes that come with being Hispanic and Black.

Although this show focuses on four main characters, one character, Monse stands out among the rest. Monse identifies as multiracial: she’s Black, Latinx, and White. This weekly reading is about multiracial and mixed-persons. Being mixed in this country has many connotations and the article addresses how many students struggle with their cultural identity because they are multiracial. For example, in the NYTimes article written by Susan Saulny she writes, “..But, he continued, “I don’t even like to identify myself as a race anymore. My family has been pulling me in two directions about what I am. I just want to be a person.”.” (Saulny, 2011) It can be hard not knowing as well, Monse didn’t grow up knowing her mom or her heritage, but learning about that side also gave her a new perspective. She got to appreciate both sides, which is very similar to the reactions the students got when they realized they could celebrate themselves, not based on what they identify as, but just because they are there. UWM’s own Professor Gregory Jay once stated, ““Race,” then, can be socially constructed by marginalized groups as a vehicle for self-understanding, political resistance, and cultural affirmation.” (Jay, NA) Professor Jay means that groups like Monse’s can view race as a common ground rather than a diverging point.

GIF: Cesar (the one with the gun) was threatened (by the guy in the jacket) in a drive-by. The one in the jacket pulled a gun on him. Cesar's brother determined Cesar's best bet at living would be killing the other guy first. This isn't what Cesar wants. This scene depicts what I think can be seen in real life. I've never experienced it, but drive-bys and gang violence are real. They happen, and this scene shows what can occur if someone doesn't really want to participate but is at risk if they don't.

This next scene (shortened on YouTube), is an honorable mention for me. When it comes to racial identity or ethnic identity, this show doesn't explicitly touch on those topics. It's a given when the show features an entirely diverse main cast. However, this scene specifically plays into the intersectionality that was explored in this course. Socioeconomic status is always a topic that arises when dealing with racial disparity and identity. The Halloween scene is the first time the audience sees the characters outside the hood. They go to Brentwood, the preppy, rich neighborhood. The people in this neighborhood are almost entirely white and of a higher socioeconomic status than the main characters. As the scene will show, there's hostility between the poor and the rich kids based mainly on where they grew up and how they lived. I mentally noted this scene specifically as being one that screams importance regarding racial identity and status.

Citations:

Saulny, S. (2013, February 5). More young Americans identify as mixed race. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/us/30mixed.html

"Terms for Multicultural Studies: Defining "Race", "Ethnicity", and "Nationality" - Prof. Gregory Jay

[zalrb]

You/we talk a lot about how Delena fails at a consuming love and use examples of couples that do it well.

What are other examples of couples that try to show a consuming love but fail? Or couples that are right on the brink of it but just missing one thing.

Daisy and Billy

Show! Lestat and Louis

Cesar and Monse

I wanted to like them so much

[timingmatters]

Watching freeridge and the acting is good, the characters have their own personalities like they are interesting and so are their relationships BUT the writing feels very rushed no? Like anyone else?? I understand is a spin-off but these characters and dynamics are new. It just feels like they weren’t really introduced before the plot move forward very fast. Like Cam and Demi’s relationship and love triangle with Andre. We don’t know them before there’s high drama already idk. The scenes also feel short or rather it abruptly moves to the other. Like something about the pace that feels way too fast and doesn’t let me digest the story. Almost feels like the scenes are there to add and not to move along the story, which isn’t necessarily the case but it almost feels like that bc of the constant switch of the pace. Like one thing after the other and short scenes. I do hope it gets a season 2 and that they better that. The actors deserve that they did a good job. It kinda feels like the writers were expecting to be canceled and wanted to throw as much as they could in 8 episodes to say they did it rather than take their time writing out the story and growth of each character and dynamic. I also hope Andre becomes a main character. Like Jazmin became one. Especially because is just weird all the “main” characters are so lightskin brown (I wouldn’t call them white latinos bc they don’t pass as white at all) but they are all the same race like there’s not as much diversity as the original show, which is not great bc the diverse characters and all coming together was a selling point from on my block. Like Cesar being from a latino gang, Ruby from a “typical” well latino family, Monse struggling with her mix identity and white mom, and Jamal being the normal but quirky one. All from different backgrounds and struggling with diff things regarding their race, origins, and families but also having a lot in common and growing together. Thats something heavily missing from this spin-off. We mostly see Gloria’s family, and everyone seems to have like the same culture and struggles at home. The most different is Cam struggling with his sexuality, which was great to see but it was not touched upon as much. Like his struggle breaking up with Andre and liking Demi took more screen time than him figuring out himself on his own. The most we got was his fight with Demi in ep 4, and then his conversations with Andre in eps 6 and 7. But again, never a solo scene figuring himself out. Overall the main factor amongst my critiques is that it felt rushed. Hope they get a s2 and improve that and explore more characters too.