#thank goodness for jesse and the rest of the good teammates!!

[monthofsick]

High Tide

Nov(emeto)ber 2022, Day 27: Beach/pool setting

OCs: Corey, Jesse

I was so determined not to be late with any submission, but here we go. This was inspired by a similar video and I couldn't get it out of my head. Vomit + water is just such a nice combination.

TW: Vomit, alcohol

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He shouldn't have touched the alcohol. Corey had known from the very beginning that it was a grave mistake. He never drank. Being as obsessed with sports and an overall healthy lifestyle as he was, it just didn't fit into his strict diet and exercise regime. Problem was – how was Corey supposed to be the only abstinent one in the entire team without losing face? Especially in front of Dexton and his minions.

Needless to say, Dexton chugged the stuff like it was water. His wannabe gang was mainly responsible for smuggling in the alcohol. The track and field club had been allowed to throw a beachside party to celebrate their successful season. It was still warm enough to go for a swim and hang out until late at night. Of course, the high school students had promised to behave and stay sober – they adhered to that rule until the trainer left, then the hidden bottles came out.

With everyone carelessly downing pre-mixed cocktails, beer and hard liquor, Corey couldn't possibly refuse. Even Jesse was sipping on a vivid blue drink, and he was a year younger than him. Trying to act all casual like he was used to it, Corey picked a creamy looking cocktail that smelled sweet enough to stomach. The bitter taste still came through, it burned in his mouth and caused a disgusting warm feeling in his belly. Corey hated it, but he pulled through.

Things were looking up when Corey had the chance to hang out with Jesse. They sat on the edge of the wooden dock, let their naked feet dangle into the water and talked. After Corey had taken care of Jesse when the younger boy had been sick during their trip to a meet, there was a new sense of closeness between them. Corey had held up a bag for Jesse when he had thrown up at least five times on their bus ride back home and he had snapped at anyone who dared to make fun of him. It must have been a nightmarish experience for Jesse, but Corey had tried anything to make it a little more tolerable.

"I'm so jealous of you", Jesse sighed, looking out on the ocean. The low-lying sun cast a warm glow on his big blue eyes. "Wish I could leave this shitshow behind."

"Okay, wanna deal with exit exams for me?", Corey grinned and took a swig of his drink. As bad as it tasted, at least it helped to calm his nerves. Being this close to Jesse, watching his radiant smile and the adorable dimples on his cheeks, never failed to make Corey's heart beat faster.

"No way!" Jesse pulled a face and let out a deep sigh. "School sucks so bad. I wish every day could be like this."

"If you find someone who pays you for staring at the ocean, go ahead." Corey didn't mention that he would probably pay Jesse to watch him while he gazed at the waves dreamily. He had never liked someone the way he liked Jesse, and it kind of turned him into a creep. Good thing no one could read his mind. "But then again, it wouldn't be special if you had it every day."

"Guess you have a point." Jesse turned towards Corey with that one of a kind look of his that could easily melt ice. "It's weird when you think about, right? Why does flattening your butt on some rock hard wood and getting your feet wet feel so nice?"

"That's what he said." The words escaped Corey before he thought twice about it, but they made Jesse laugh, so he didn't regret it. Caught up in the conversation and Jesse's eyes and the occasional touch of their arms, Corey didn't keep track of how much he drank. Jesse got them new cocktails after they had finished their first round. Of course Corey thanked him and kept on going. He already had the reputation of being a killjoy in his own grade, it was not how he wanted to be seen by a cheerful person like Jesse.

After a while, Jesse headed off to take a leak. Corey leaned back and suddenly noticed how dizzy he was. The dock felt unsteady, like it was moving with the waves that softly lapped against the wooden pillars. Was he already drunk? Corey was pretty sure he hadn't consumed that much alcohol, but the burning sensation in his stomach, paired with the vertigo, flooded his body with nausea. It lingered in the back of his throat with a nagging pulse.

Corey wasn't well, and it kept on getting worse by the second. His insides were clearly upset at the attempt to poison them with a toxic chemical. The pungent, yet overly sweet taste of the cocktails returned to Corey's mouth with a throaty burp. He broke into a sweat, and it wasn't just a side effect of the unfamiliar substance he had downed so recklessly. Being ridiculed for shying away from alcohol was one thing. Proving everyone that he was a first-time drinker that also happened to be a lightweight was a whole different beast.

And still, Corey's stomach was churning like an out-of-control washing machine that was about to overflow. He cursed himself for giving in to the peer pressure, but it was too late. Corey pushed himself up and staggered towards the end of the dock like a landlubber on his first boat trip. If he had to lose his drinks, at least he wanted to grant himself the tiniest bit of privacy.

With his whole world spinning around him, water and sky switching places as they pleased, Corey needed all of his usually excellent body control to prevent falling into the sea. Stopping at the very last moment before the wooden planks ended, Corey bent at the waist and puked up an opaque, slightly viscous liquid. It came up just like that without any retches, shooting out of his mouth like water from a garden hose.

Just as Corey's stomach muscles were about to clench again to defy the rules of regular peristalsis, he was suddenly pushed from behind. Being already hunched over and anything but steady on his legs, Corey had no chance to prevent a fall. Face first, he plunged into the milky cloud of vomit he had expelled into the ocean.

Paddling with arms and legs, Corey struggled back to the surface. Under normal circumstances, he was a good swimmer. Right now, his head spun out of control and he felt miserably sick. His body had been interrupted mid-heave, but it wasn't done purging the harmful substance. A harsh contraction in Corey's belly propelled his stomach contents up his esophagus and out of his mouth. Light brown puke poured straight into the water in front of his face. The next gush followed immediately, spreading out and diffusing into a blurry haze at the edges.

Wincing in disgust, Corey kicked and moved his arms to get away from the buoyant barf. He didn't come far before another wave of regurgitated cocktails spilled from his lips. It brought up chunks of the chicken strips and salad he had eaten for lunch. The sight of his upchucked meal, combined with the sour, alcoholic stench, was enough to make Corey gag up even more of the rich and creamy drink, speckled with shreds of green and scraps of white meat. The bigger lumps sank into the warm water.

When the violent bout finally gave him a break, Corey looked up to see Dexton, Birch and Chuck towering over him on the dock. Birch was in swimming trunks, still dripping wet. He had probably been splashing around nearby as Corey spewed his cocktails into the sea. Dexton and Chuck had been hanging out at the campfire, too far away to get to the end of the walkway in time to give Corey a push right after the first eruption.

"Look who's swimming in his own puke", Chuck cackled. His red nose and cheeks gave away that he wasn't quite sober himself.

"That's what the asshole deserves for hurling all over me", Dexton growled. "How long I've waited to take revenge on barf boy."

"The fucking pussy couldn't even handle two drinks." Birch's smug expression gave another clue that he was the prime suspect.

Corey wanted to reply. He wanted to scream that he had only thrown up on Dexton because the idiot had been right in front of him, shoving a phone in Corey's face. Right after Corey had already been sick twice, which should have been a decent enough warning. But as soon as Corey opened his mouth, thick vomit gurgled out of him, creating bubbles on top of the ocean surface. Unsurprisingly, the reaction was hysterical laughter.

Coughing and gagging, Corey fought to stay afloat. Even the soft waves were enough to leave him disoriented and dizzy. He felt weak and nauseous and drained. Climbing out at the dock wasn't an option with his self-declared arch nemesis and his guard dogs waiting for him. They would most likely push him back, and Corey wasn't even sure if he had the strength and coordination to get up there in the first place. The brainless idiots seemed to find this hilarious, but Corey was gripped by panic.

Just when he tried to scream for help without instantly starting to puke again, his classmates from hell were hit by a huge flood of orange liquid, ice cubes and lemon slices.

"Are you fucking insane?" It was Jesse's voice. Corey could barely see him behind Dexton, Birch and Chuck and he didn't sound like himself at all. Each of his words was spat out in anger, trembling and menacing at the same time. Not to mention that he had just drenched his three seniors in an entire bowl of sticky, sugary fruit punch. As they spun around, Jesse dove into the water, fully clothed. He swam towards Corey, hugged him from behind and tilted back his head, making sure it was resting on his shoulder above the water surface.

The smaller boy struggled towing Corey along, but he fought through. The shift in position and the unusual motion were enough to force a spatter of vomit out of Corey. It ran down his cheeks and made him choke. Jesse turned Corey's face to the side to let the liquid flow out of his mouth.

"We need help!" Corey flinched as Jesse screamed right next to his ear. "Someone, please, we need to get him out of the water!"

A dark haired figure approached – it was Andrew, another one of Corey's classmates. Corey's eyesight was so blurry that he only recognized his fellow student when the sturdy boy was right in front of him. Andrew put his arm around Corey from the other side and with joint forces, they swam to the shore. When they were close enough to reach the ground with their feet, Andrew took over and embraced Corey's upper body. He dragged him onto the beach and laid him in the sand, carefully rolling him to the side.

Helplessly surrendered to his wasted body, Corey expelled a thin beige fluid. He felt a gentle hand stroking back the wet strands of his hair and caressing his cheek.

"It's okay, you're safe now", Jesse soothed him. He lifted up Corey's head and placed it on his lap, not caring about the runny vomit that spilled over Corey's lips in a series of small dashes. "There you go, get it out of your system."

"So-sorry", Corey panted, breathless and completely exhausted. The thought of his own puke soiling Jesse's leg was horrifying, even in his worn out state.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" There was subtle change in Jesse's tone. He still tried to remain calm, but he failed to hide a slight shudder. "I'm the one who's sorry. I… I didn't notice you were drunk, I should have never left you alone. Then I searched for you at the beach like a moron until someone told me what these bastards did."

"You saved me." A weary smile lit up Corey's face until he remembered what he had just tried to apologize for. "I'm sorry for… you know… I didn't mean to throw up on you."

"I don't care." Jesse began to stroke Corey's head. It felt good. Comforting. "You didn't drown, fuck the rest. I can easily wash it off. Don't try to hold it in if you need to be sick again."

Overwhelmed by fatigue and a wave of emotions he couldn't grasp, Corey closed his eyes. Someone was yelling, not far away from him, but still sounding distant.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed him!"

"Is this funny to you?" Another voice, equally outraged. "Would you still laugh if he had drowned?"

"You crossed a line here, dumbasses. Stay away from him, you've done enough damage already."

Corey was confused. No one was laughing about him – quite the contrary, there were several of his teammates jumping to his defence. He didn't have to worry about Dexton and his goons anymore, he could finally get some rest. Corey knew he should take off his wet clothes first, but the evening was warm and it felt so nice to rest on Jesse's lap. Before he knew it, Corey had fallen asleep.

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Archive of our own: Up all night to get Bucky

tumblr: birdnamedenza

[flemingsfreckles]

Koala

Synopsis: you surprise your girlfriend at her game after not seeing each other for almost 3 months

Warnings: none this is soft and fluffy

WC: 1.2k

A/N: okay this is inspired off the fact that this woman loves jumping into her teammates arms as celebration, so I wanted to write a little blurb about it.

It wasn’t easy sneaking around Jessie. The girl was too smart, she knew you too well. You also hated lying to her, but sometimes you had to. It was less lying, and more withholding information about your plans and your whereabouts.

She didn’t know you were in Montréal, she didn’t even know you were in Canada. But you were, you had managed to take the flight from London to New York, scheduling it for when you knew your girlfriend would be asleep and unsuspecting of your lack of cell service. You had then sent her a casual good morning text, she suspected nothing.

You hadn’t seen Jessie in ten weeks. You had visited her in Portland shortly after her move but only stayed for a few days before you had to return to London for work. Leaving her was the hardest thing you’d ever done. Walking through the airport doors and looking back to see her bawling in the front seat of her car was the most gut wrenching sight. You had almost quit your job at that moment.

But you couldn’t quit your job, that wasn’t realistic. You know you would move in with Jessie eventually, the two of you had already lived together shortly in London, but with her career, the potential of her moving in the future, you weren’t sure where the two of you would end up so you stayed in London at your stable job for now. Except you weren’t in London anymore, you had taken a week off from work to come watch Jessie play two friendlies before getting to spend the rest of the week with her at her childhood home. Jessie didn’t know that of course, she knew she was playing two games and then getting to have a break at home.

It was easier to avoid Jessie on a game day. It was typical that you wouldn’t hear from Jessie until after the game with the exception of maybe a good morning text, she was busy, captains meetings, team meetings, warm ups, practice, pregame, team meals, it took up a lot of her time, and you knew that. It just so happened that while you usually miss her more on game days, having less communication, it was the perfect excuse to avoid texting her.

When you left your hotel that morning you had thrown on your Canada jersey, an old one of Jessie’s, a pair of jeans, a hat, and sunglasses. You planned to stay hidden, undercover, until the game was over, you didn’t want to distract Jessie with the surprise, so it seemed like the best option.

Ashley was the only person at the game who knew you were there. The two of you had met through Jessie and had become quick friends, you had simply sent her a photo of your boarding pass with the text ‘Don’t tell Jess.”. She promised she wouldn’t and expressed her excitement for you.

You started to feel nerves as you made your way to your seat, a bubble of excitement in your stomach. You didn’t know how you were going to be able to sit through 90 minutes with your girlfriend just feet away from you, but you figured it out. You watched the game, mainly your eyes following Jessie around the field, paying less attention to any of the other players. It was weird not seeing her in weeks and then being so close to her without her even knowing.

The game ended Canada up 1-0, you watched as your girlfriend made her way toward Janine and the two of them started to make their lap around, thanking the fans. That’s when Ashley took the chance to come over to you, waving you down and helping you over the railing onto the field.

She gives you a quick hug before putting you behind her. “Just follow me.” She says before walking off in the direction you assumed your girlfriend was. You removed your sunglasses and the hat you put on, not needing a disguise anymore. You followed Ashley as she brought you to the middle of the pitch.

“Stay there.” She said before taking a few steps away from you. She pointed in the direction of Jessie who was gathering her things from the bench. “Jessie!” She shouted.

You watched as your girlfriend picked up her head quickly turning to face where her name had been shouted. She threw her hands up questioning what Ashley wanted, clearly not paying attention to you standing next to her. It made you laugh, your girlfriend was usually so observant, but leave it to her to not notice you standing there. Helping the poor girl, Ashley turned, her arms stuck out in your direction as if she was presenting you to Jessie.

You watched Jessie’s jaw drops, along with everything in her hands, her phone, water bottle, shoes, coat all thrown to the ground. Janine turns at the sudden crash of all her belongings, looking and seeing you. Suddenly Jessie was sprinting at you, full speed, her arms out in your direction. As she got closer you could see the giant grin on her face and suddenly she was lunging at you, jumping and clinging to you. You stumbled back a few steps before regaining your balance. Jessie grabbed you tightly, her legs wrapping around your midsection as her arms looped around your neck, she held herself up for a moment before your arms wrapped around supporting her back and butt.

The two of you just stayed there for a moment, taking in the feeling of being back in each other's arms, her tight hold on you and the way you squeezed her impossibly closer into your chest. She had her face tucked into your neck, your chin rested on her shoulder.

“You’ve got yourself a koala.” Vanessa says from behind you, referring to how Jessie is clinging to you. “Good to see you by the way.” She says before patting your back and walking away.

“Oh my god.” You heard Jessie murmur into your neck. She had been silent since jumping onto you. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just in town, figured I’d say hi.” You jokingly say back to her. She releases the hold her legs have around your waist and puts them back on the ground, leaving her arms around your neck, pulling you slightly over as she stands looking up at you.

“You’re here.” She’s got tears in her eyes as she blinks up at you.

“I’m here.” You nod, knowing your eyes looked similar to hers, overwhelmed with the emotions that were rushing through your body. Feeling Jessie’s body under your hands, hearing her voice, the smell of her sweaty kit, it all held so much meaning behind it, so much worth to you, you loved this woman more than anything.

You bend down, placing a quick kiss to Jessie’s cheek, knowing she wasn’t a big fan of PDA you withhold your desire to have your lips on hers. Hearing an ‘awwww’ from the side you turn to see a handful of Jessie’s teammates looking at the two of you.

“Shut up.” Jessie says as she tucks her head into your side, hiding the obvious blush she had.

“Oh please Jess, you two are cute.” Ashley says. The two of you pull apart and you tell Jessie you’ll wait for her at her car before heading out so she can finish her postgame routine. You can’t help but smile to yourself when you hear Vanessa teasing Jessie as you walk away.

“You’re just like a little koala.”

She probably wasn’t going to live that nickname down anytime soon and you knew you’d be to blame but you really didn’t care, letting her jump into your arms was the best feeling on earth.

[whydoyoucare866]

hai :3 can i request an enemies to lover miguel o hara fic where they get stuck in a closet together and reader kinda has to sit on his lap because there isnt any space and so after a few minutes of being in there, reader pisses off miguel and miguel kisses them to shut them up and then the rest is history ig 🙇‍♀️

PLS AND THANK YOU! 🙇‍♀️

also pls make the reader speak spanish im BEGGINGGG.

CLOSET

hi! ofc you can! I did my best! I’m sorry that it sucks and is cringy😀😭

Miguel O’ Hara x Hispanic Reader

Masterlist

Warnings: Suggestive Language, Maybe a glimpse of smut, and Miguel being an asshole

You were one of Miguel’s first recruits, you had been working in the spider society for as long as it had existed, you and Miguel were close (or you would like to consider that) since you both shared the same culture and language and it was easier for you to communicate with him when your English wasn’t as good as it is (since in your universe Spanish was the predominant language) and he would be one of the few people who could understand your accent or you speaking Spanish when you forgot a word.

He took it as his personal job to teach you English until you perfected it and people who didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to guess that it wasn’t your first language( though sometimes you still would forget words in English or express yourself better in Spanish) you would both mutually bring food for each other or bond over music, so yeah you considered yourself close to him.

That was until he started becoming way more stressed about everything, yeah he has been a sour asshole ever since his canon event, but people were at least able to get small responses and have conversations that weren’t all about work with him, but as the spider society grew, he felt a lot of pressure on him and started drowning himself in work to the point that he would isolate himself for days until he got everything he needed done, he could spend weeks without sleeping and eating, and obviously as he became more stressed his memories started to impulse even worse emotions on him than they did before.

Of course this made you and your other teammates worried about him, so you started to bring him lunch, make sure he slept, and just went to see if he was okay, but you checking up on him started to annoy him as he got more irritating because of the lack of sleep and the accumulation of stress, so one day he just decided you annoyed him and soon that annoyance turned into hatred, or that’s what he thought it was.

This made him become snappy at you and we all know he can be the greatest asshole, at first you’re patient with him, thinking it will pass, but as it gets worse you reach your ending point and lose all patience starting to respond to him the same way he talked to you.

The sudden change weirded everyone out, but they also noticed that ever since you started hating Miguel back, his mood became even worse, well everyone noticed except for you, which surprised everyone since you were one of the smartest people in the spider society.

So thats why everyone refused to go to a mission with Miguel when he asked them to, arguing that they already had a mission, or that they had something really important to do, until Miguel had no other option but to take you and you had no other option but to go with him.

“Do i reaally have to go with him? I mean can’t he just ask Ben instead?” You said to Jess

“Nope honey, Ben has a really important therapy session”

“Okay? so then ask Gwen? Pavitr? Hobie? anyone else?”

“He already did, they’re all busy”

“Then why can’t you go”

“As important as the spider society is, I have an ultrasound appointment today, so I can’t go even if I wanted to”

“Well the world just hates me then doesn’t it”

“Maybe it does, or maybe it’s doing you a favor”

“Trust me, being alone with him is not a favor, i don’t want to be screamed at about how i’m annoying and a fucking- what was the word? uhm una carga? how did you say that?”

“A burden?”

“Yeah that! I don’t want to be called a burden and shit like that”

“You’re no burden, but I’ll tell you what you sound like, a teenage girl, come on, you’re an adult, you can take things in a professional way”

“Well the one that’s childish is him not me”

“Uh huh, well i’ve gotta go, good luck!”

“Yeah whatever”

You were now approaching Miguel’s office while wishing you were dead ‘Puta madre neta me lleva la verga, ahora si ya no tengo de otra más que ir’ (Fuck this shit, now I really don’t have any option but to go), you were starting to grow nervous as you approached his door, you hadn’t been alone with him since your last fight where he directly called you annoying and a burden, but now you had no other option.

After finishing the mission without actually talking to each other unless necessary, you both came back to the HQ, when you arrived it was weirdly quiet and no one seemed to be there doing their duties even if it was not that late, which was really weird, that was until you saw Peter B. approaching you with a worried look

“Hey y/n, have you seen MayDay? I can’t find her, usually it takes me an hour, but it’s been four hours and I haven’t been able to find her and I’m starting to get worried” Peter said to you while still running up to you and then catching his breath

“Oh, um I’m sorry but we just got back from a mission so we haven’t seen anything, but we can help you look!”

“No we can’t” Miguel said

“Yes we can, anyways where was the last place that you saw her Peter?” You said after glaring at Miguel as if looks could kill

“Well, I think it was in that one room that has a closet.. I always forget what it’s called”

“Okay yeah, I know which one you’re talking about, let’s go take a look”

Miguel followed them even if he said he wouldn’t be helping, Mayday being on the loose could press a lot of buttons and break a lot of things and cause a lot of problems, so there he was, inside of the closet with you, while Peter “looked” around the room, until they heard a loud noise of the door closing and now he was trapped inside with you, the worst thing is that because of the lack of space you ended up in his lap.

“Great, just what I needed”

“You know I’m not happy about being here with you either okay?”

“Oh is that so? or was this your little plan to get me trapped with you and to get all up on my personal space”

“WHAT? I would NOT do that, and I do NOT want to be in the same room as you you fucking asshole!”

“Oh yeah am I an asshole? sorry I couldn’t understand you with that accent”

“WHAT? okay now you’re being unreasonable, you want me to say it in Spanish? I will, Yo no planee esto wey, yo no quiero estar en el mismo lugar que tu, yo no quiero que me hables, yo no te quiero hablar y mucho menos molestar tu pinche espacio personal, así que neta hazme un favor y cállate un rato que ya no te aguanto cabrón, neta deja de cagar el palo y de ser un pendejo de la nada y ni me trates de culpar porque yo ni se que chingados te hice para que me odies tanto-“. (I didn’t plan this, I don’t want to be in the same place as you, I don’t want you to talk to me or to talk to you or even less to be all on your fucking personal space, so please do me a favor and shut up a little because I can’t deal with you anymore, please stop being such an asshole out of nowhere and don’t blame me because i don’t even know what the fuck I did for you to hate me so much-) That’s when you felt something on your lips, and it took you some time to realize he was kissing you, Miguel O’Hara was kissing you, you sure as hell felt as a teenage girl, butterflies in your stomach and everything.

On the other side Miguel was starting to get nervous as you didn’t return the kiss, he was starting to pull away and about to say he was sorry and he didn’t mean it when he felt you pulling him close and kissing him again, at first it was just a sweet kiss, but then it started to get heated, he couldn’t help but moan when he started feeling you grinding against him, with each second passing making him harder, he started kissing your neck and sucking “Fuck Miguel- you’re gonna leave marks” but he didn’t care, he continued, hearing your moans was paradise to him, he wanted to take you there so bad, until, they heard a knock “Um guys? are you okay?” Peter B said as he unlocked the door and opened it making Miguel groan in annoyance “This isn’t over.” he said before the door completely opened and revealed a Peter with a smiling Mayday in his arms.

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Imagines: One of These Nights

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Summary: You as Joe’s girlfriend are by his side for every event, you helped him feel more comfortable since he wasn't the most social guy and he needed you there. You departed from him to go the bathroom and Joe isn't at all pleased with what happened on your way back.

Warnings: Angst, fluff, mad Joe

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagine universe: None! (Misc.)

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*No specific date for this fic!*

(y/n’s pov)

Joe and I had just sat down at the table of Bengals players and their girls in our usual VIP section. One look at Joe and I could tell he already didn't want to be here.

I looped my arm with his and he flashed me a small smile, his icy blue eyes barely visible behind his black Cartier’s.

“I love you.” - Joe mouthed

“I love you too.” - you mouthed back

He had already thanked me so many times tonight for coming with him since it wasn't his scene at all, and I made it more bearable.

Sam Hubbard, a longtime teammate of Joe, knew all about his antisocial ways, so he tried to include Joe in the conversations to keep his mind away from the surroundings.

I gave Sam a thankful nod because if he wasn't keeping Joe occupied, I'd end up on babysitting duty for the whole night.

Even in a secluded area away from the rest of the club, I was constantly looking around for possible cameras.

Joe hated PDA, and for him to even have his arm looped with mine was a big step, but he needed close to me right now. That's why I checked around for cameras, knowing Joe would be mad if pictures of us close together were posted.

I found myself zoning out since the conversion had switched to football, and I could barely make out the sound of a female voice saying my name.

“Hey y/n, I have to go to the bathroom… can you come with me?” - Jess

It was Jess, Sam’s girlfriend.

I turned to Joe to see him already looking at me. He was waiting for an answer.

“Will you be okay if I go to the bathroom?” - you

My face faltered when he immediately started biting the inside of his cheeks like he does when he's nervous, but he nodded yes.

“Okay. Be right back.” - you

Before I stood up, Joe caught me off guard when he placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

Even Jess took notice, and as we walked away from the table, she commented on it.

“Your boy seems a little touchy today.” - Jess giggled

“I have no idea what's gotten into him, but you will not catch me complaining.” - you

“I hear that.” - Jess laughed

——

Minutes later, Jess finished washing her hands, I finished fixing my mascara, and we left the bathroom.

We laughed as we walked back to the table, just talking about our boyfriends and having a good time.

Walking up to the roped-off area, the same security guard that had let us in and out five minutes ago wasn’t even acknowledging us.

“Uhm, sir? Can you let us back in?” - you

The burly man looked at me, then to Jess, and silently shook his head no.

“Why not?” - Jess

“Don't see any passes… and the last time I checked the Cincinnati Bengals don't draft women.” - security guard

Jess reached into her purse mumbling a “Don't worry” and took her pass out to show the guy.

He studied it intently and eyed Jess once again.

“Okay.” - security guard

Relief washed over me when he moved the rope and Jess stepped through. I followed behind her but he closed it back before I could get to the other side.

I went to yell after Jess, but she was already around the corner, and the club was so loud that if I yelled at the top of my lungs she wouldn't be able to hear me.

“Not you.” - security guard

“Excuse me?” - you

“Listen, girl. I get it, you wanna try to make your move on one of the players because you want their money. I've dealt with girls like you before, and it’s not going to happen.” - security guard

I stood there completely baffled.

“What did you just say to me? You just let me walk out like ten minutes ago.” - you

“Now you're trying to gaslight me. Oh and let me guess, you're dating a player?” - security guard

“For your information, I am dating one of the players. I have been for six fucking years. You watched me walk in with him!” - you

“Of course you are and I have no recollection of letting you in the VIP lounge. You don't look like the… NFL player’s type.” - security guard

“This is unbelievable. I don't want to sound like a braggy bitch, but my boyfriend is Joe Burrow. I suggest you let me in before he finds out about this altercation.” - you

“Ma’am, with all due respect Joe Burrow could have any woman in the world… and I don't foresee him picking you. You don't have any proof of him being your boyfriend either.” - security guard

I grabbed my phone out of my purse and attempted to call Joe, but it went straight to voicemail.

“Shit. Voicemail.” - you mumbled

“Look my background is me and him. He's in uniform. This is after the AFC Championship in 2021.” - you

“That could be edited. Look lady, you're very persistent but I'm going to have to remove you from the club.” - security guard

Before I knew it the guy was grabbing my arms at full force and started shoving me around.

“Let go of me!” - you yelled

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but as always before anything could happen, I heard that voice.

“What is going on here?!” - Joe

The look on the security guard’s face when he turned around to see Joe, looking like a bull ready to face a matador, was priceless.

“Sir I was just…” - security guard

“Manhandling my girlfriend? Because that's sure what it fucking looked like.” - Joe

“I thought…” - security guard

“Let go of her before I break your arms!” - Joe

He immediately dropped my arms and Joe gently whisked me behind his back.

“What is it that you thought?” - Joe

“She told me you were her boyfriend, but I thought she was lying.” - security guard

“Why’d you think that?” - Joe

“She just doesn't look like a girl that an NFL star like you would get with. That simple.” - security guard

“What the fuck did you just say to me. You better get out of my face before I bash yours in.” - Joe

“Can you blame me, dude? She’s not really… you know…” - security guard

“She's not really what?!” - Joe yelled

“The smallest girl on the planet.” - security guard

Joe's entire face turned red as he bubbles with furiousness.

“That’s it.” - Joe lunged forward

I immediately grabbed his wrist and pulled him back with as much strength as I could. Once he was beside me I put my hand on his chest, knowing it helped him calm down.

“Don’t. It's not worth it, Joey.” - you

Joe looked down at me to find my face completely flushed and my tear-filled eyes pleading.

“Congratulations, you've just worked your last shift.” - Joe

He moved away and took my hand, moving the rope himself and slamming it on the ground before he walked back over to the booth.

I sat back down in our spot, but Joe stayed standing with his phone in hand, seemingly dialing a number.

Joe just radiated anger right now as he held his phone up to his ear and started raddling a million miles a minute.

A few minutes later, he sat back down next to me with a deep sigh.

“Had to call the owner. That guy’s never working here again. I swear one of these nights I'm going to beat the shit out of someone.” - Joe

“I’m so sorry.” - you blinked back tears

“You have nothing to be sorry for, absolutely nothing. I should've walked you to the bathroom. Oh and forget every word that fucking dick said. You're the only woman I could ever picture myself with. You're the most beautiful girl in this entire world, and you are perfect for me. I love you more than anything.” - Joe

I buried my face in his neck without even thinking about where we were right now, but Joe didn't care. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back.

“Thank you for being the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. I love you more than anything, too.” - you

“Wanna go home?” - Joe

“Please?” - you

Joe stood up immediately and took my hand. We said goodbye to everyone and made our way back down the hallway. When we found ourselves in the main room, I figured Joe would drop my hand, but he didn't.

——

We approached Joe’s car, and he opened my door like always, showing off the gentleman he was.

As soon as he shut his door, Joe crashed his lips against mine.

“When we get home I'm going to show you how damn desirable you are. I don't care what other people say you're perfectly made for me.” - Joe

And that's exactly what he did, both verbally and physically. Joe made me feel like the most craved woman in the world.

————————————————————————-

Authors note: ending the night (and the 5th day of Christmas) with some angst.

Request for this fic;

hope you enjoyed! ❤️

[wosowrites]

All Tatted Up Part 2 (Jessie Fleming x Reader) 

Warnings: ⚠️talk of trauma and su!c!de⚠️

A/N: Part 2 :)) Also, by the way this fic ends i know some people will want a part 3 but i don’t write smut for jessie. it’s also a v short fic sorry :(

Prompt: In which you and Jessie talk about your tattoos, and you confess your feelings for her.

You walk back to the locker room, leaving a probably very confused, but happy Jessie in the medical examination room.

You made your way back into the Chelsea’s changing room where the rest of the team was. Emma was very happy with the teams performance and had seemingly finished her speech as she walked out as you walked in. "Great game. Clean sheet really helped us today." Emma said, tapping you on the back. "And don’t worry about Fleming, I’ll make sure the medics take great care of you." She said to you gently. "Thank you. A lot." You told her. You had always liked Emma, she never judged you for your cold personality or stern exterior. I guess she knew that there was more under the surface.

You walked into the changing room where the girls were putting on their regular clothes. "Hey! Is Jessie good?" Magda asked, standing up. "Uhm. Head. I mean head injury. But like it’s just a cut. She’ll be okay." You said, quickly rushing to your cubby. "Okay weirdo." Erin joked. You shot her a glare and she quickly looked away. You took your clothes and walked into the shower room. You let the water wash away the dirt over your body, you never know how it managed to get under your layers, but it did. You then walked back into the changing rooms where most girls were putting on their post match outfit. You were quick to take off your shirt and replace it with a plain white tee shirt. You then put on beige cargos and a higher cut beige hoodie. You rolled up the sleeves and put on your jewelry and brown dunks. As you laced them up, you saw Jessie coming out of the shower room, her cut was clean and stitched up and her hair was wet. She was drying it with a towel and had put on jeans and a yellow tee shirt. You looked down, hiding your furious blush and knowing she had caught it. You concentrated on lacing up your shoes and then stood up and grabbed your bag. Your teammates watched you walk out of the room in confusion. "What’s up with her?" Sam said in confusion. "Seems like she’s still pretty shook from that hit you took, Jess." Niahm teased. "She is not. She’s okay." Jessie answered, hurrying to put on her shoes and rush out after you.

You were signing things in the parking lot, taking pictures and talking briefly with fans. One mother smiled at you and you walked over to her and her little girl. "Hi!" You said, smiling at the mother and then the little girl. "I like your jersey." You said, looking at the chelsea jersey. "Thank you." She basically whispered. "Do you have a name on the back?" You asked her. "Come on sweetie. Show her." The mother said. Her daughter turned around, showing a number 17 Fleming jersey. "Ahhh, you’re a Jessie fan." You said, smiling at her as she nodded. "Let me tell you a secret. I am too." You said to her. "Do you want a picture, Abby?" Her mother asked. Abby nodded and her mother picked her up and handed her to you. You smiled at her as you put the 6 year old on your hip and smiled at the camera. She was watching you though, mesmerized. Her mother took a few pictures and then she turned to you. You looked at her back. "Do you play football?" You asked her gently. "Yeah. I’m a… i play goalie." she said. "No way! Really? Well i cannot wait to play against you one day." You smiled at her, other people were now photographing you both, taking angles to show off the back of the young girls jersey. You gave Abby back to her mother who thanked you. You then waved goodbye to the girl and walked into the bus that would return the group back to Cobham.

Later that night, you were scrolling on your phone when you got a notification saying Chelsea had tagged you in a post. You clicked on it and saw a series of pictures with the little girl. One of her watching you as you smiled at a camera, the other one of her talking to you and another of you smiling widely at her showing you her jersey. The caption read.

Our keeper- a clean sheet, a pk save and inspiring the next generation all while being the biggest @_jessflem fan there is.

You smirked at the post and shared it to your story but you were soon interrupted by the doorbell.

You put down the meal you had been eating in front of the TV on your coffee table and walked towards the door. You opened it to find the last person you were expecting to be standing there. Jessie Fleming. She had her phone open to the post chelsea had just published, and was smirking at it. "You’re my biggest fan, are you?" She said, looking up at you. "I- they’re just kidding. The girl had your jersey." You said. "I noticed. I signed it. She was sweet." Jessie answered, still standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry. Uhm, come in." You said, moving to the side. She smiled gently and walked in. "Sorry, I didn’t know you were eating." She said, eyeing the food on the coffee table. "Oh it’s all good. I was done anyways." You said, closing the door and rushing to the table to put your dish on the counter. "Can I get you anything?" You asked her, leaning against the counter awkwardly. "You know, for someone who’s so strong and confident and loud on the pitch, you’re pretty awkward and quiet off of it." She said, ignoring your question. "Yeah. Yeah I guess so. I don’t have a lot to say." You said. "I don’t believe that. I think you have a lot to say, but you’re not used to being… aloud to say it?" Jessie said. You eyed her for a second, propping yourself up to sit on the counter. "Where’s this all coming from?" You asked.

She made her way towards you, pushing your legs open to stand between them. "I want to be the person you can talk too. I know it’s hard, not having Mapi or Alexia, not seeing Ona or Aitana often. And I know you love Chelsea, and the girls all love you, but I don’t think you have anyone to talk too." Jessie said. You looked down at her. The fact that you were on the counter and she was shorter than you made the height difference significant. You watched her, using your index to lift her chin up so she looked into your eyes. "I want to be with you. I like you a lot. But I don’t know how to be with you. I’ve never been with anyone… romantically." You told her. "Me neither." She said gently.

You smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her as she slipped her hands under your tee shirt, feeling yours abs. "Tell me about your tattoos." She said, pulling away and grabbing your hand to pull you off the counter. "Okay. I have a lot though." You said. "And I have a lot of time."

You dragged her over to your L shaped couch where your plopped down beside each other. Jessie scooched down, leaning her head on your chest. "Arms first?" You asked. "Yeah."

"Okay so I got this sleeve when I was 20, Mapi and I actually got ours done at the same time. Emotional support you know. Anyways. The mountains are for hiking, I’ve always loved hiking. But this one here, that’s mount olympus from greek mythology. I’ve always been fascinated with mythology. It was like the only good thing I got out of my dad. He was a drunk. But when he wasn’t under the influence, we would read mythology together. The flowers here are for my sister, her name was Rose, she… she died when I was 14. She was really unhappy and she overdosed." You started saying. "I’m sorry. I can’t imagine loosing Elysse. She’s going to love you." She told you, brushing her fingers up and down your stomach. "Thank you. Anyways, the lion here is for protection. From others but also to signify that I’m a protector. Which sounds stupid as hell but it’s true." You said, looking down at her and twirling your fingers through her hair. "I know. I saw it on the pitch today." She joked.

You blushed and Jessie smiled up at you. "Other arm?" She said. "Hmm. This one has less. It’s more little tattoos here and there. And they’re mostly meaningless. A fairy, a rainbow, a sun, i have a little car here."

You guys spent the next fifteen minutes talking about your tattoos. You showed her the writing on your upper thigh, the one behind your ear. And eventually you wanted to show her the ones on your back. "Obviously you’ve seen all of these before but you don’t know what they mean." You said. You stood up and slipped off your shirt, making Jessie stand up herself and walk behind you. She traced her fingers on your lower back and on the back of your shoulder. Her touch was intoxicating. "They’re really beautiful." She said. "But tell me later. Don’t tell me what they mean now. I want to figure you out bit by bit." She said, turning you around. "Okay then, Fleming. Figure me out."

[bropunzeling]

hello jess bropunzeling i am pulling an all nighter for my 15 hour flight and i was wondering if you could send some rat baby girl leon girl dad matthew vibes my way. thank u or sorry in advance

15 hour flight?!?!?!?!?! jfc. im so sorry. some important, not especially coherent and perhaps inconsistent with previously posted vibes for u:

i think in my drama-loving heart of hearts leon absolutely goes into labor while matthew is on a road trip with the team. he has to catch an early flight back and spends the whole time texting his mother-in-law for updates and then is on the phone in the cab to the hospital and fully the stereotype of frantic messy dad-to-be. just like can we please go faster my WIFE is having a BABY i need to BE THERE so she can BREAK MY FINGERS AND SWEAR AT ME

(in the meantime the team is like uh yeah personal emergency and the twitter speculation is wild. lots of examining matthew's twitter and insta for Clues)

they decide not to learn the baby's sex until it's born bc fun! a surprise! and it takes matthew 1 microsecond of looking at baby girl's big blue cranky eyes to fall deeply irreversibly in love

(somewhere in here is a big emotional moment about leon being kind of scared to have a girl bc she has a complicated relationship to/navigation of femininity and is scared she's gonna mess something up and they have hard yet loving conversations while sleep deprived out of their little gourds. also they are so enamored with the baby.)

matthew shows up when the team comes back home all exhausted and euphoric like no yeah all good thumbs up bags under eyes looking like he’s optimistically gotten four minutes of sleep

you know the guy at your work who has to show you baby pictures or talk about their kid's milestones every time you stop by their office to ask about something else. that's matthew.

as leon starts gearing up to make Her Comeback she brings baby girl with her to the rink so matthew can watch her while she's working out. their teammates, who by this point are like chucky please give it a REST re: baby pictures, have to admit that is one cute baby.

everyone gets a chance to hold the baby while leon is skating. the rookies are terrified of dropping her, less bc of matthew and more bc of leon, despite the fact that leon won't be the one getting to them first

there are several very cute moments of matthew hanging around near the glass, baby girl in baby bjorn and enormous pom-pom hat, as leon skates up and waves to them. there are pictures

these are the pictures the team gets to post the summer after they win the cup/the draisaitl-tkachuk family goes public

somehow the fact that they are so cute makes the obnoxious girl dad behavior so much harder to bear. the team suffers.

[aliypop]

Return To Sender : Chapter 5

Word Count: 1,957

Writers Note: Alright, here's part 5! @sissylittlefeather, you'll love this! and @elvispresley1956 so will you

Warning: Language / SMUT

Pairing: POC OC x Elvis / OC x Jerry

Plot: It's 1968 and Natalya Dyer a divorcee and single mother is tasked to interview Elvis and Cecelia Presley at their humble mansion Graceland about their spicy relationship only to learn more about them as people.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 6

Taglist

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@sissylittlefeather

@richardslady121

@thegettingbyp2

@presleyenterprise

@dkayfixates

@rjmartin11

@thetaoofzoe

@your-nanas-house

@zayurir

@60svintage

@sillybookmarks

@leapresley

@everythingelvispresley

@dreamondina94

@elvismylove04

@pocketfulofpresley

@elvispresley1956

@poeandmoonknightgirl

August Memphis 1968

It had been a few weeks, and Natalya and Jerry were growing closer, especially with Jericho in his peewee league football. Sitting by the field were Cecelia, Natalya, Denise, and Vernon. Elvis and Jerry were on the sidelines, coaching the game. "That's not supposed to be flagged!" Elvis shouted as Jerry chimed in. Jesse and Jericho were playing together on the same team, and they were losing to the league from Alabama, Elaine, who was in junior cheer, tried her best to cheer the team on, but even she knew they sucked,

 "It's Alright, son, you got this!" Vernon cheered as Denise turned to look at him, "No, they don't..." She looked at her nails, "Cece..." 

"Mother, they're seven..." Cecelia sighed, "It's not the NFL." She said as Natalya laughed, puffing on her cigarette, "But it could be!" Denise responded, "They could get scholarships!"

"Eh, Jericho can't even fathom why you shouldn't eat cereal off the floor." Natalya playfully sighed, 

"Okay, boys... and Elaine..." Jerry mentioned as they huddled up, 

"We are down to our last quarter..." He smiled,

"So we should flee?" 

"No, Billy, we should run..." He sighed, rubbing his temples, 

"Into what?" Jericho asked,

"Run to the other with the ball, don't fumble it, just get to the other side, and then make a touchdown!"Elaine commanded as Elvis smirked, 

"That's my little biscuit." He grinned,

"Thank you!" She winked,

"Did anyone understand what she said?" Denise whispered. 

"She watches the football with Elvis. It's their daddy-daughter bonding time." Cecelia giggled, "He got her a helmet signed by one of the Cleveland Brown players." 

"That's so cute," Natalya chuckled, "Does she sleep with it?"

"Yes..." Cecelia laughed. 

Jesse threw the ball to Jericho as the other moms cheered. His little legs ran as fast as they could until he got to the line. Jerry and Elvis were nervous. But they had faith they'd win, as did the rest of the parents. Jericho slid to the line, getting all dirty and grassy, but he didn't fumble it. "Did I -" His teammates ran to his side as Jerry picked him up, "That's my son!" Jerry said as Natalya heard him, 

"I can't believe I'm going to sleep with that man..." 

"Nat, you don't have to..."

"No, no, I'm going to..." Natalya blushed, although she and Jerry weren't dating, so she'd say. They had been seeing more of each other between publishing her magazine and him stepping in as Jericho's father figure, "Mama! Can the team come over for burgers 'cause we won!" 

"Well..." 

"I could throw something on the grill?" Vernon shrugged as Cecelia nodded. She and Vernon hadn't been on good terms lately, but he had his moments,

"Pssst Cece..." Elvis whispered, calling her over,

"Hmm?" She responded, "Look at Jerry and Nat, they're cute." He smiled as Cecelia chuckled, "Mhmm, now stop spyin and help me with these milkshakes," She said, carrying a tray, 

"Right, sorry, babe."

"So I got bad news," Natalya mentioned, 

"What's the bad news..." Jerry asked, getting closer to her. "Sent the article, so I officially am fired from Moon and Sun," She laughed. Jerry took her by the hand, "Don't know how I'll keep the house or pay for Jericho's endeavors."

"Well, you got any more ideas for Dyers Music Inquirers?" Jerry asked, 

"Jer, that was a fluke..." 

"Is it cause your first issue comes out in October." 

"What?"

"Welcome To EPE publishing." He kissed her cheek as Jericho ran over, 

"Uncle Jerry!!"

"Hmm?"

"C-can you come play catch with us?"

"I guess I could." He shrugged,

October Memphis 1968

Graceland was getting decorated for the Halloween season, which Cecelia loved fondly. However, Cecelia and Natalya were out buying candy for their kids, and the trick-or-treaters, as the kids and the Memphis Mob, were planning pranks. "So, how are things, Nat?" Cecelia asked, pushing the cart as herds of fans were peeping down the aisles, 

"My magazine is doing great, but my ex-husband is..." 

"Being an ass,"

 "had an ex-boyfriend like that." Cecelia sighed, "Abusive and cold," 

"How'd you escape it?"

"Elvis... I met him, and my life made sense," 

"That's how I feel about Jerry," Natalya blushed, "When I'm with him hanging at his place or he's at mine. it feels..."

"Right," Cecelia said, reaching for the Hershey bars and grabbing three extra for Elvis, "Yeah, and Jericho loves him. They hang out all the time," Natalya smiled, 

"Jerry's a Godsent. All kids love him 'cause he's a bit of a goof." Cecelia chuckled as Natalya laughed, 

"I'm just scared..."

"She's scared, E..." Jerry said, helping Elvis, who was in a scarecrow costume, "Ease her into it," Elvis smiled, "You think this'll scare her, Red?" Red nodded as Joe agreed, "Guys, I like Nat. Her son likes me,"

"Then what's the issue? Date her!" Charlie smirked, "Here they come!"

"I mean, the parties at 7 pm, so it gives you enough time to get a costume." Cecelia winked, walking towards the door,

 "Mmhmm. Say, did that scarecrow move?"

"No... It's a scarecrow they don't..."

"WAH!!" 

Cecelia screamed as she dropped the candy she bought. "Honey, are you okay,!" Elvis took the mask off as Cecelia glared at him, "I think you pissed her off," Natalya chuckled as Cecelia was silent, 

"Mama, these shorts are itchy!." Jericho sighed. Natalya was applying the last of her makeup as she looked at her son, "But you're such a cute Munster!" She smiled, pinching her son's cheeks, "Thanks, mama..." He smiled as he heard the doorbell ring, "I'll get it!" Jericho shouted. Running down the stairs. Jerry was waiting patiently. As he waited for an answer, 

"I like your cowboy outfit! Jericho smiled as Jerry tipped his hat, "Thanks, Bud." 

"Alright. Jericho, I'm..." Natalya smirked as she saw Jerry, who was dressed as Joe Lightcloud, her pulse quicking as she took a deep breath, 

"You like it?"

"You look great..." She smiled, taking his hand, 

"Gomez, darlin, there's another trick-or-treater at the door." Cecelia smiled, walking as if she were floating, "Coming, Tish," Elvis laughed. His hair was slicked back, and he had a drawn-on mustache. The two then handed out candy as Elaine and Jesse came up dressed as Wednesday and Pugsley.

 "Mama, can we go trick-or treatin'?" Elaine asked,

"Not until Jericho gets here." Jesse pouted, 

"I wanna go now, Jesse!"Elaine shouted as Elvis glanced at them both. "Here's a candy bar. You two wait on your friends." He winked as they scurried off. 

"Morticia and Gomez, that suits you two." Natalya smiled walking up to the door, 

"I love the Lily Munster costume!" Cecelia grinned, 

"Nice Cowboy Jerry," Elvis smirked, as he rolled his eyes, "I'm Joe Lightcloud." Elvis erupted with laughter. 

"Good one Jer!"

"Oh Jericho you look adorable!" Cecelia grinned handing him candy, "Thank you, Mrs. Presley! I'm Eddie Munster!" He smiled as he then saw his friends,

"Jericho!!" Jesse grinned,

 "Daddy, can we go trick-or-treating now!" Elaine asked,

"Yes, go ask your grandpa to take you." Elvis smiled,

 "Let the party begin." Cecelia winked,

The house was crowded with a few family members and stars. As Natalya made her way around the room, she talked about her magazine and her next issue and a few interviews, 

"Rosa, how are things..." Jerry smiled,

"Great, actually..." She said back. Natalya watched them. "I missed you, you know..." Rosa said, clutching onto his shoulder. Her eyes looked deep into Natalya's, a smirk on her face, 

"I bet..." 

"Cece..." Natalya growled,

"Kiss him or miss him." She said. Natalya sighed as she kept watching the scene before her.

"I could have you right now..." Rosa blushed as Jerry laughed a little, "I guess, but-" He felt warm lips on his as he wrapped his arms around her. Natalya licked his bottom lip as his mouth opened, 

"Hey baby," Natalya winked, "Oh, hi Rosa..." 

"Excuse us..." Jerry smirked. Taking her by the hand, Jerry took her to the Billiards room downstairs. He sat her on the table as she looked at him,

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That kiss, you never kissed me like that!" Jerry smirked,

"I was claiming what's mine..." 

"Yours?"

"Mhmm..." Natalya smirked, "Mine." Leaning back as her lilac dress slid down her shoulders, "Unless you don't want to be mine then..." 

"You said we were friends and that's it!" Jerry sighed, 

"Fuck, Jerry, friends don't do what we do!" She sighed, "They don't kiss or, service each other!" Natalya smirked, "Or get each other off!" Her voice clouded with aggravation,

 "They do if it's friends with benefits," Jerry joked,

"JERRY SCHILLING I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU" Natalya shouted as he got quiet, 

"What..."

"I'm in love with-"

"I heard you," He smirked, taking her by the waist as he pushed her, face forward against the pool table, bending her over, 

"What if someone sees..." 

"Doubt it," He kissed her neck as her breath hitched. This was different than their usual affair. It was real, and it was raw. Jerry lifted her dress as he traced his fingers against her lace panties, rubbing right where she wanted him, 

"Jerry~" Natalya moaned as he snatched them off her, his fingers buried deep between her lips. Curling his fingers he felt her writhe into pleasure, loving the control he had over her, the lights were dim, but she didn't care, she was losing herself in Jerry, and that's what she wanted, 

"Ready..." He asked as she heard his zipper, 

"Mhmm..." She nodded as he kissed her, "Words honey..."

"Yes..."

"Yes, what."

"Sir."

"Good Girl." He laughed as Natalya gasped, she could feel the added pressure between her hips, getting used to his size, which in comparison was bigger than her ex-husband, and way more girthy than the guys she had back in college, "Jerry..." She looked up at him,

 "Hmm?"

"Whatever you do, don't be gentle." She winked as she felt his hips slam into her, "Ah! Fuck like that!" She let out a guttural moan, this was the moment Jerry knew he found his match, Natalya could feel his hands holding onto her breast as his lips were leaving sloppy kisses on her skin, "More." She said, breathy as he gripped onto her hips, bending her down further as she laughed, his thrusts were faster, which was pleasurable, but not as amusing as she wanted it to be, 

"Harder~" 

"Like this?" His nails dug into her hips and she could feel his cock buried deep into her stomach. "Fuck~" She growled out as Jerry kissed her ear, he kept his thrust sharp and jolting as he could feel himself catching onto the verge of his end,

 "Nat... Fuck... Baby I need to..." Natalya's walls clenched around him as she arched into him, pulling her raven hair his hips sped into her as her breast bounced, and his balls slapped against her ass as she was draining him dry, "Right there! Yes!! Yes! Fuck!!" Natalya shuddered as her legs shook, 

"Needed that, huh..."

"You have no idea."

"Nat you okay?" Cecelia asked. She'd noticed the way Natalya was walking, "Mhmm, yeah..." she blushed sitting down, "Just uh went to talk to my boyfriend..." Natalya turned to face Cecelia, a bitemark on her neck as Cecelia laughed, 

"I know that look..."

"What look?"

"I just had amazing Sex in the Billiard room look." Cecelia smirked, "It was a quickie first off..." Natalya shifted as she felt something dripping down her thigh, "That's how it starts, quickies, then there's a ring on your finger." Cecelia laughed handing her a napkin, "Especially with the panty trick."

"How'd you..."

"They're best friends Nat." 

"Hey, Jerry?"

"Yeah, E?"

"Those Nats?"

"Yeah..." 

"So you two together yet?"

"I'd like to think so,"

CHAPTER 6 OR NAH?

[lifeofadivisioniiiathlete]

Small Fish in a Big Pond

Before becoming a college athlete myself, I wish I knew how big of a jump it was going to be from high school. What most people do not understand is that college sports, regardless of the division, is a different type of competition compared to high school sports, in most cases. As a first-year player on Endicott’s football team that went undefeated, and made the NCAA division III playoffs, I am thankful enough to have a good grasp on the competitiveness of this division. Because of this, I decided to interview my teammates to get more of an in-depth perspective on how different this level of play really is, in comparison to high school.

The first teammate I interviewed to find another viewpoint was Nick Stinson, a freshman on the Endicott Gulls Football Team. Stinson is from South Portland, Maine, and attended Thornton Academy before coming to Endicott. Stinson is 6’6, which gave him an advantage, as he was the tallest player on the field at all times while playing for Thornton. However, the height of other players in college shrunk this advantage gap.

            “The first practice of training camp at Endicott was a reality check for me,” said Stinson. “My size always stood out, and as a wide receiver, it always gave me the upper hand over shorter defenders. But college is a different story. Defenders are bigger, faster, and stronger.”

            Luckily for Stinson, his height still allowed him to reach up and block a field goal in a game against Curry College, which was returned by a Gull’s defensive lineman, Hector Johnson, for a touchdown. What a way to contribute as a freshman.

The drastic change in Stinson’s career from high school to college is much relatable to another freshman on the Gulls’s football team, by the name of Jesse Maggs.

            After playing quarterback previously at Lynn English High School, in Massachusetts, Maggs was determined to become a starter his first year at Endicott. However, it was going to take a lot more time to get used to things than he would have thought.

            “Playing quarterback in College was a lot for me at first, and it still is,” said Maggs. “You have to know everyone’s responsibility on the offense, while also making sure you do your own job right. Then, you have to juggle all of that with your schoolwork. So, it was stressful at first, by I found way to manage it all.”

            Maggs definitely proved that he could handle all the pressure recently, as he threw a touchdown pass in the Gulls’s Spring Game.

            After hearing from both of my teammates, I drew upon my own conclusions that the change between levels of play is a lot to handle for players at first, and takes time just like anything else, but eventually we adapt to this change. I can prove this with my own experiences because I remember after the first few days of training camp, asking myself if this was really something I wanted to do. But what kept me going is my love for the game.

In order to be a college athlete, you have to truly love the sport you play. There are some things you have to sacrifice. I found this out right away when I arrived at Endicott for training camp on August 10th, while all of my friends at home were still hanging out, and had weeks left until the end of their own summer. Also, making it past the first round of NCAA playoffs for us meant no going home for Thanksgiving, and we were only one game away from doing so. Even with all that, what I soon realized, and also what my coaches told me, was that I would have the rest of my life to hang out with my friends, or hang out with my family on Thanksgiving. Although, unfortunately, I do not have the rest of my life to play football.

[mountswhore]

𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 — mason mount

summary: after your breakup, mason realises just how much you need him. and how much he needs you too.

warnings: mentions of drinking, slight mentions of drugs, swearing, angst

requests are open!

It had been a month since your breakup, and you were at an all time low. But you couldn’t let Mason or anyone else know that. Luckily, you lived alone. So you had your own flat to mope about in, before painting on your fake smile and leaving for whatever errands you had that day. Your breakup was… unfair. Mason treated you like a toy, thinking he could just drop you and then pick you up just as quick. But you weren’t having it anymore.

“I can’t fucking believe you,” you laughed in disbelief at the words your boyfriend was spewing, “you’re really doing this to me, again?” Mason just stood with a stone cold face in front of you, in the comfort of his own living room.

“Y/N, believe me when I say I didn’t want to do this.” Mason consoled, taking a step forward. “You’re a distraction to my career, I barely see you. What would be the point of this anymore?” His words were like bullets, your chest full of holes and you were bleeding on the floor. But Mason was just staring back at you.

“I’m a distraction to your career. Lovely.” You mentioned, pushing past him and grabbing your bag from the stairs. Mason tried to stop you, he wanted to talk this out. “For the love of God, stop trying to hold me back. What is there to say? Or do you just want to ease your conscience? If you’re going to break up with me, be a man and own it. Leave me alone.”

With that you left, and you hadn’t spoken since.

You were going to meet a good friend for lunch, a WAG, but your breakup with Mason didn’t affect your friendship. She was adamant on it, saying, “just because Mason dumped your fine ass, doesn’t mean I can’t be friends with you. He’ll just have to deal with it.” You’d gone to your usual place, waiting in the foyer for her before booking a table together.

“How’ve you been, doll?” Abigail asked, putting her bag down beside her. “You know, considering.” You nodded, putting your fake smile to good use.

You let out a small giggle. “Good, yeah. I’ve been focusing on my work, which I should’ve been doing from the jump. I think I’m really making progress.” Abigail just nodded and smiled.

She didn’t seem the least bit frightened to say what she said, as she’d heard how you felt. “Good, because you’re coming to a party this weekend.”

“What?”

“A party.”

“Yeah I heard you,” you groaned, “are we sixteen- years old? Or am I just growing quicker than the rest of you?”

“Oh shh,” Abigail sighed, digging into her food that had now arrived with yours. Every time you came here, she got the carbonara. “Look, you said you’re making progress, and I want to have fun with my best friend again. And if I’m honest, all the other girls just aren’t as good of a laugh as you.”

“Thanks for the ego boost.” You added, smiling a genuine smile at her. You were still thinking heavily about this party, where was it? When was it? Who was going?

“Clear your weekend. It’s this Saturday, at some private lounge in London.” Abigail stated, twirling her fork once again. “It’s the England squad celebrating something or another, I don’t know. Dec told me about it.” The reason the pair of you were so close, was mainly because of your boyfriends being so close. Declan knew that his girlfriend was still friends with you and planned on keeping that, he’d always ask about you.

“Right. I’ll see if I can work overtime on Thursday to make up for my weekend off.” You mentioned.

So it was settled. You’d be going to a party with Abigail and the England squad. You weren’t the least bit excited, the only fraction you were was purely because you’d be seeing Abigail. You had your dress, you’d worked your overtime, and you were on your way to this private lounge in London. No matter how nice looking this lounge was, you’d always feel out of place. You were wearing your nicest dress, tallest heels, and Abigail had even done your hair and makeup.

“How are you, Y/N? You doing okay?” Declan asked, in the seat beside Abigail. You were sharing a taxi, Abi in the middle. Both you and Dec on either end. It was quite awkward, to see Declan. To know that he still speaks to Mason.

“Yeah, I’m doing good. How’s football going for you?” You asked. You despised small talk, it make you want to throw up. But it was only being polite to Dec. Declan mumbled a similar answer and paid attention to his phone. A text from Abigail appeared.

I don’t think she’s okay.

Declan wrote back to his girlfriend: I was thinking the same thing.

The three had gotten to the private lounge, Abi promising to not leave your side. You spent the first hour with her, constantly drinking to increase your confidence. Abi had finally left you, like you knew she would, but you weren’t mad. She’s here for her boyfriend, it’s only right she spends it with him. So now you were the loner at the bar, downing shot after shot.

Mason was sulking around like a shadow, holding tightly onto his mixer and speaking to some of his teammates. He’s not even sure why he came, all he knew was Declan forced him. And yet Declan had barely spoke to to him all evening. His mixer was empty, so he made his third beeline for the bar this evening. And saw you.

His heart had began beating irregularly, clammy hands almost dropping the cup he had. Why was he so nervous to see the ex he dumped? Luckily, you were occupied with talking to Jesse, so he could quickly grab his drink and leave. He found himself staring at you during his wait, how you laughed so genuinely with Jesse. You always did. He was one of your closest friends and now talking to him felt awkward because of your breakup. You looked at Jesse so happily, he wished it was him. It was a stupid thing to wish, considering he dumped you.

What had dumping you even done for him?

“Mount. Whatever the hell has happened to you outside of training, undo it. You’re off today.”

“Mase, why haven’t you been as on par as you usually are?”

“You keep playing like this and you’re being benched next game.”

Nothing. The answer was nothing. He was told he wasn’t playing well, saw you as an issue and dumped you. And now he plays worse. He’d been benched on his second game, overlooked by his manager due to his lack of focus in training. It was horrible. But you told him to leave you alone, he could never forget the look on your face. The look of exhaustion, of being dumped and picked back up again.

Mason had zoned back in, seeing you looking at him rather lazily. You looked drunk, high, or both. Jesse had gone, and you were throwing the shots back. You made it a game. Every time you had a good Mason thought, you’d have a shot. If it was bad, or any thought at all, you’d be having your stomach pumped by the end of the night.

Mason watched the bartender pour straight vodka into your cup, and then watched you stagger away to the stairs. The stairs led up to toilets, and were empty and quiet. Perfect. You collapsed onto the stairs, still sipping on your vodka before laying your head onto a step. You didn’t know Mason had followed you until you felt his hands on your arms.

“Come on, we’re going home.” He declared, holding you around your waist. You frowned at him, trying your best to use your half-working limbs to push him away from you.

“We’re? No, you are going home. I’m staying here.” You slurred, downing the rest of your drink and throwing the cup at his head. You laughed at the face he made, finally freeing you and you returned to your seat on the stairs. “You aren’t my dad, or my boss, or my friend. So leave me alone.”

“You’re off your face. So you’re going home.” He reaffirmed with you, folding his arms. You just shook your head again, looking up at him. You were having good Mason thoughts again, seeing just his face stare down at you. It made you want to cry and throw up.

“Get me a drink.” Mason left after your instructions, returning with a cup. You had downed it, waiting for the warm throat and slight burn. But nothing. “Not water, you asshole.” Mason kept a stone cold face with you, resting against the wall beside the door. Nobody had come into the toilet and you wished they had now. You needed someone to save you from happy Mason thoughts.

“So how is football? You must be scoring goals left and right.” You jested, tipping your head back and laughing. “Right?” Mason sat down beside you in defeat, knowing this wouldn’t be an easy conversation with you. It would end in you crying, or leaving, or both.

“No, actually.” Mason admitted. “I’m doing rubbish. My friends know I’m off my game, the gaffer knows I’m off my game. It’s atrocious.” You stared at him, kind of feeling bad but then remembering what he did to you. All those times he’d break up with you, just to say he missed you a few days later. If you were being honest with yourself, you thought it would happen again. But a month had passed, and nothing.

“Oh.” It was all you could say. Knowing what he did was for no reason, it had no benefits whatsoever. Your life had been completely thrown out of balance for nothing. It made you mad all over again. “So you’re telling me you broke up with me, and nothing good came of it?”

Mason hated to admit it. “Yes.” He spoke quietly, ashamed of the answer he was putting out there. “I was actually told to fix whatever happened outside of training, in an effort to make me better again.” You should be laughing in his face, glad he’s been royally fucked over after he royally fucked you over. But instead, you held your hands to your face to hide your tears.

“Hey,” Mason hushed, pulling you into his side. He knew you’d had a lot to drink, so maybe your emotions were all over the place, “don’t cry about it, you don’t need to be upset.” Why was he being like this? He broke up with you, why did he care how you were now?

“What’s happened to us?” You cried, pulling away from him. Just because you were at a low, doesn’t mean he can swoop in. “Ever since we broke up, it seems our lives have been shit.”

Mason laughed through the pain, resting his elbows on the step behind him. He’d tried to avoid his feelings instead of confront them, but it proved difficult when you had showed up. “I might be benched for the next game, or better yet, be taken from the squad.”

You shook your head. No matter how much you hated him at this very point, you couldn’t deny the man’s talent. “You deserve that spot on the team. There’s a reason you start for England every time. Don’t doubt yourself because something bad happened to you.”

Mason took your words and remembered them, keeping them in his head for the rest of the night. “Come here.” He put an arm around you and held you tight, sighing as your heads rested together. “I’m sorry I did this to you. I shouldn’t have left you, I had issues with myself and saw you as the problem instead. I’m really sorry.”

“I just don’t think I can take it again.” You confessed, laying your head in his lap and keeping your eyes closed. “I can’t take being broken up with again, only for you to end up in my bed a few days later. It hurts me everytime, Mase.” Mason was rubbing your back, hating himself for the way he made you feel before. And he hadn’t seen an issue with it, he treated you like it was okay to use you as an emotional rag doll.

“You don’t have to jump straight into it,” he whispered, hands now smoothing your hair out of your face, “you can take as long as you need to trust me again. But I’m telling you it’ll never happen again, I’ll never throw you about like I did before. It was reckless of me and I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Mase.” You sighed, the weight finally freeing your chest. You could finally move forward with your life, and choose whether or not to take Mason with you. It wasn’t an answer you needed to know now, it could take it’s time. And Mason was willing to wait.

[cc-tinslebee]

Okay, so, about a month ago, my brain just conjured up probably the most random au possible: Legally Blonde Adam Banks/banksway au.

Believe me, it's as chaotic as it sounds, but lowkey, I'm kind of in love with it.

Adam never joins the Ducks because there aren't any Ducks to join. Bombay never had to do community service with District Five so there was no one to realise that Adam was on the wrong team all along. He continues to play for the Hawks and, eventually, the Eden Hall Warriors, never getting the chance to become the well-rounded individual we know him as because he's never known anything other than his rich privilege and the "win at all costs" mentality. He ends up going to college on a hockey scholarship and not straight to the NHL or the AHL (shocking, I know). While he's unsure of his major and where his life is heading, he finds solace in the fraternity he joins, which, by some sheer twist of fate, Jesse and Guy have also miraculously joined.

And his life is perfect for a while. He's the star player on yet another school's hockey team, all of his fraternity brothers adore him (though, it took a bit for Jesse to warm up to him), and his secret, not-really-official thing with his former teammate is going swimmingly. (Not to slander my boy, but I was picturing Larson for the role of Warner, purely because the alternative seems to be Rick Riley and that's kind of an unsettling image-- though, maybe that's the point?)

But then his secret boyfriend breaks up with him because, with his high aspirations in life, he needs to be "more serious." And dating Adam Banks, a guy in a stereotypical fraternity who only really knows hockey, in 2001 isn't exactly the white-picket-fence life he's looking for if he's going to be a politician.

And since this non-Duck Adam clearly doesn't have the braincells that canon Adam does, in his devastation, he decides it's a brilliant idea to prove that he is serious by applying to Harvard Law. His parents try to talk him out of it, since they want him to pursue his dreams of hockey, but being a lawyer is a respectable career so they can't exactly argue with him.

He gets accepted thanks to Jesse, Guy, and the rest of his fraternity helping him study for the LSAT and keeping him on track. He's trying his darndest when he gets to Harvard, but (despite his struggle not being as significant as Elle Woods'), not a lot of people take him seriously as an aspiring lawyer, considering him a meathead jock who only got in because of daddy's money.

And that's about the time he meets Linda, who he vaguely remembers from his time at Eden Hall. What he doesn't remember is her being so competitive, because she's deliberately beating him at every turn, just trying (and kind of succeeding) at making him look like a fool. To make matters worse, all of the sudden, she's engaged to his ex-boyfriend, who is very adamant about never telling anyone that he and Adam were more than friends (because, you know, early 2000s homophobia and such).

But things get a little brighter for Adam when he meets Charlie, an undergrad teacher's assistant who gives him all sorts of advice about surviving the school. He introduces him to Professor Bombay, who Charlie claims is the only reason he survived his first year and quickly becomes Adam's favourite teacher, and Charlie's childhood friend Connie, who aspires to be a state senator one day. Charlie's charismatic and even if he's not the most well-liked person at Harvard, Adam feels a weight lifted off his shoulders once he becomes friends with him and Connie. Things become a little easier.

Just before he and Charlie start getting really close, Adam meets Casey at a local diner on a day he's feeling particularly upset and alone, and the two start bonding almost immediately. (He bullshits his way into scaring an ex-husband of hers with legal repercussions he has no idea about and she basically adopts him in return.) It takes him an embarrassing amount of time to realise that it's not just a coincidence that Casey and Charlie share the same last name, which results in poor Adam feeling extremely embarrassed for not connecting the dots sooner while Charlie's having the time of his life teasing him for it. Eventually, when the dust of that settles, Charlie and Adam join forces to set Casey and Bombay up, their schemes borderline ridiculous at times, but they'rere not exactly failing.

And after realising he isn't the Warriors moron she thought he was for going on five years, Linda starts warming up to Adam, which is surprisingly nice? She figures out on her own that there used to be something between him and her fiancé, and is more understanding of Adam than she is mad. Linda actually spills to him the lengths Adam's ex had to go through to actually get into Harvard, aligning more with the rumours about Adam's acceptance being bought than having the aptitude for the law that Linda and Adam share. (This may be me saying Linda and Adam friendship rights, what of it-- /lh)

To make things all the better, Bombay chooses Adam, Linda, Connie, Charlie, and Adam's ex to be on his legal team for a murder case he's responsible for (and while he knows about Adam and Charlie's ploys to hook him up with Charlie's mom, they're his favourites, so he doesn't say anything).

And this is just so much better than anything he had before. After all the initial unpleasantness, Linda and Connie become some of the most genuine friends he's ever had. He misses Guy and Jesse, of course, and he'd never take them for granted, but back when he was with them at the fraternity, a part of him was still being as superficial as he had been in middle and high school. Being authentic for once in his life is liberating.

And Charlie's just about the most considerate person Adam's ever met. Adam doesn't even mind when Charlie teases him over his absurd and juvenile insults because he's just this source of light for Adam, supporting him and always pushing him to be the best version of himself. His ex hardly even exists when Charlie's around because his energy is just so contagious that Adam starts falling for him long before he even realises it. (And when Jesse and Guy come to visit, there's a moment where it all clicks and the four of them realise their history together, however brief. I strongly maintain that they'd be that Starkid meme: "Fucking Hawks? We hated you guys!" "We hated ourselves!" But it does make Adam realise how much better off he would've been if he had Charlie and his team when he was little instead of the Hawks, and it just further makes him understand that people like Larson and Rick Riley just aren't worth it.)

But there's also another revelation Adam goes through. Between helping Casey, his rigorous studies, and his position working with/for Bombay, something just clicks for Adam. He likes being able to help people, fighting for the good guys who may not have the resources they need to be properly defended. Practicing law calls to him in the same way hockey did; it's the feeling of knowing this is what he's meant to do. He still loves hockey, he always will, but it helps him finally grasp that there's a world for him outside of it; when hockey ends for him, there's something equally as rewarding that he can pursue, which was something he never thought he would have.

I haven't a single coherent thought about this au past that point except for these little inklings of an ending--

There's absolutely no SA scene like the movie had; Bombay's just Adam and Charlie's favourite teacher and those are his boys, so he's going to make sure they succeed as if his life depends on it.

With that said, Bombay believes in them both enough to let them finish the case because with their joined determination/stubbornness (and Adam's in with the defendant), Adam and Charlie are a force to be reckoned with and he knows it.

After a handful of comedic failures, they do end up succeeding at their attempts to set Casey and Bombay up, and they start living together sometime during the kids' Junior year :) (All I'm asking is for one (1) story with a Casey/Gordon endgame-- I just think they're neat--)

Linda dumps her fiancé (as she should) and goes on to live her best wlw life as a successful lawyer. (If I'm not mistaken, Linda's actress actually is a lawyer, which is a pretty cool fun fact!!)

Adam and Linda's ex gets the Warner ending because, man, screw that guy /lh (rip to Larson if this is him, I'm sure you'll get a nice endgame in some other universe, king)

Honorary mention for Connie, who was going long distance with Guy this entire time to everyone but Jesse's shock, and they get their Game Changers endgame of State Senator Connie Moreau and stay-at-home dad Guy Germaine with their seven -- sorry, three -- children :)

Adam's an absolute bundle of nerves after graduation, which definitely concerns Charlie. So, when he asks if he's okay, Adam starts nervously monologuing about their time together until he runs out of breath. He ends it by proposing to him, and Charlie smiles so surely at him when he says yes. They both become damn good public defenders and stay engaged until the point they can legally get married, but they're practically husbands long before that happens.

Also, if I did my math right (which I should’ve, it’s my entire basis for my Share Your Address series), the Ducks’ would have the same graduating class year as Elle Woods anyway (2004), which is pretty neat!

Thank you once again for listening to me ramble :)

[corner-stories]

everybody sing and dance (lose yourself in wild romance)

Jesse Chambers. Grant Emerson.

Karaoke Nights. Dance Circles. Drunk Tom Bronson.

1463 words.

(ao3.)

After a rather vexing mission involving robot pirate ninja zombies and sharks with freakin’ laser beams on their heads, the elders of the Justice Society told the younger members to take a night for themselves and “just have fun.” 

Little did they know that the younglings would follow those words in the best way possible. 

Suffice to say, the first annual Justice Society Karaoke Night was going well. 

The main meeting room had been temporarily converted to suit the occasion —  hanging on the wall was a large white screen and projected onto it were the scrolling lyrics of every song to grace the english-speaking world. Positioned nearby was a microphone, which was hooked up to the speakers that Karen and Michael so graciously set up for the younglings.

The room was loud as the speakers pumped music into the atmosphere. Nate Heywood was singing his heart out while trying not to crush the microphone into dust. The world was surprised to find that Citizen Steel was a major Avril Lavigne fan, but it was certainly not the strangest thing to ever be revealed within the walls of the brownstone. 

As he sang, a chaotic trinity consisting of Courtney, Jen, and Maxine had instigated a flashmob/dance battle/mosh pit in the midst of the floor to the rambunctious beat of an early-2000s pop punk song. 

And it was glorious. 

There was a rule stating that no adult beverages were to be placed in the hands of minors, but Courtney, Jen, and Maxine clearly didn’t need it to have a good time. Their collective fervor was so infectious that nearly every other JSA member had gotten out of their seats to move to the beat. 

Despite the human urge to dance being pungent in the night’s atmosphere, Grant felt himself getting overwhelmed.

As fun as the circle looked (even Pieter was awkwardly swaying from side to side) he couldn’t find it in himself to join. It wasn’t that he couldn’t dance, but that all of his attempts to ‘feel the groove’ resembled a dolphin flopping on dry land. It was probably for the best that he spared the world the sight of his sick moves. 

After maneuvering his way out of the chaos and avoiding spilling his beer, Grant found himself in the farthest corner of the room. While the music could still be heard, it wasn’t as absurdly deafening as it was in the eye of the storm, something his ears would surely thank him for in the morning.

Standing near the window was another fellow Justice Society member who wasn’t fond of crowds and impromptu dance battles. 

Like the rest of her teammates, Jesse was clad in casual clothing, apparently seeing an old Mets jersey as a perfect Karaoke Night outfit. She leaned against the wall and sipped white wine from a styrofoam cup like it was a gold chalice. All in all, a fairly average sight for the one Jessica Belle Chambers. 

Grant approached her little corner of the room and leaned against the windowsill. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, lifting his mask up just enough to take a sip of his beer. 

“I’d say the same to you,” Jesse replied. She gave him a playful smirk, which in Chambers-language meant that she considered him a friend. 

“What can I say?” Grant shrugged. “Sonia likes to sing.” 

“And dance, apparently.” 

The two looked ahead to the first ever JSA-sanctioned rave. Sonia stood near Rick, seemingly having the time of her life as she took the phrase ‘put your hands in the air like you just don’t care’ to heart.

Rick himself was no slouch either. It seemed that the Man of the Hour had endless bouts of energy even without the power of Miraclo. His signature move appeared to be some variation of hip swiveling — if the superhero business didn’t work out for him, then Rick could definitely pursue a prosperous career as a male entertainer. 

Before Grant could witness Rick’s moves for too long and forever change the way he saw Hourman, he turned to Jesse and asked: “You talk to any of the Titans lately?” 

“Donna and I had coffee last week,” Jesse answered. “We met up in the Village, it was nice.” From the way she smiled and sipped her wine, it was clear that the small meeting had resonated with her even now. “What about you? Still talk to Roy?”

Grant shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes,” he replied. “League duty keeps his hands pretty full.”

Jesse nodded. “Well, if he ever wants a change of pace he could always join the Society,” she suggested jokingly. “We could use a few more Titans around here.” 

Grant rolled his eyes, even though they were mostly hidden by his mask and the dark. For a moment, the pair simply sat back and watched their teammates have the time of their lives. With Nate’s turn having ended, the next singer was just stepping up to the mic in front of the projector screen, that person being Tom. 

Tom Bronson was more than a fan of music, as anyone who overheard him shower singing could. Grant knew that his friend had taken it up as half a hobby and half a career. Even though the standard rate for NYC bar gigs was laughably low, he played piano whenever he could and prided himself on introducing his friends to bands they probably never heard of. 

Sober Tom loved music that was fast, complicated, required two drummers, and had sections filled with jarring modulations and unusual time signatures. 

Drunk Tom, however, had an unexpected fondness for ABBA. 

Jesse and Grant remained in their corner of the room while the music revved up and Tom rocked the stage like it was Eurovision 1974. It was beautiful. 

Slyly, Grant pulled out his phone and began recording the historical event in front of them. The JSA archives would definitely benefit from the documentation. 

When Jesse noticed Grant playing the role of cameraman, she let out a chuckle. “Not singing?” she asked idly. 

“I don’t sing,” Grant affirmed in a stern tone. “And you can’t make me.” 

“Wasn’t planning to, Grant.” 

After getting enough footage of Tom’s incredible audition for Mamma Mia on Broadway, Grant stopped recording and quickly uploaded the clip to the official JSA group chat. Since most of the logs depicted Maxine and Courtney’s very surreal 3AM musings, he was sure that someone would appreciate the change of pace.

After slipping his phone back into his pocket, Grant eyed Jesse. “I take it you don’t either?”

“I’m just here for Rick,” Jesse explained, nodding her head towards the center of the main floor. 

The fact that she could stand at ease while her husband danced like an ensemble member of Magic Mike: The Musical meant that the two had a tremendously strong marriage. Grant — on the other hand — wondered if hydrochloric acid was enough to cleanse his eyes from the sight of Rick’s sweet moves. 

Was it too late to run to Titans Compound and beg them to take him back?  

“I’m not one for singing in public,” Jesse soon spoke, thankfully breaking her colleague out of his train of thought. “Except for like… birthdays and stuff.”

Grant nodded and lightly punched her on the shoulder. “Right there with ya, Jess.” 

Then in a flash, the pair of former Titans who definitely didn’t sing were approached by one of the willing participants of the first ever JSA-endorsed rave. Sonia rushed up to Grant with a sudden burst of speed he didn’t know she had in her. 

Linking her arm around his, Sonia pulled her beau onto the dance floor with all her might. “Come on!” 

Due to being caught off guard (and Sonia being freakishly strong despite her size), Grant stumbled a bit as he followed his significant other, dropping his drink as she guided him to the eye of the storm. 

Jesse let out a laugh as Grant awkwardly joined the flow of the floor. It was as clear he had no idea what he was doing, but flailing his arms like a confused octopus seemed to replicate dancing just enough to let him become one with the rhythm. At least Sonia didn’t seem to mind. 

Looking down to her cup, Jesse swirled what remained of her wine and drank the rest up. The second she emptied the vessel she felt a hand gently grasping her wrist. Looking up Jesse met the eyes of Rick, who immediately began guiding her to the main space with a grin.

“The night’s young, Hon!” he cheered on. 

Like Grant before her, Jesse dropped her cup, yet went with the flow with a smile on her face and joined her significant other onto the dance floor. 

[avenirdelight]

Captains | PART 3

Tyrone Mings & Eric Dier

Part 1 | Part 2

She kept her eyes on all England's socials. She had the notifications on for England's Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube so she wouldn't miss any updates. Being away from your boyfriend when he needed to do international duty was never easy. Back when she was dating Eric, she always did that too, regularly checking social media to see if her boyfriend was caught by the cameras, and now it was the same case with Tyrone. What made it different this time was how she wanted to see if there were any interactions at all between Tyrone and Eric.

She and Tyrone had settled everything down, and even though she had decided not to talk about it again, she was still curious if there was any progress in the two men's relationship. She wasn't hoping for much, she just wanted to see them working well together.

She didn't get anything even after the first match in Hungary. The cameras didn't catch them together. Tyrone was always with Conor, Eric was seen with almost everyone but Tyrone, and it seemed like they were never in the same group in training. But Tyrone gave her a call every day and he always seemed happy, saying that everything was going great in camp. He was having a good time and it was the most important thing, the matter with Eric could come second.

England played at home against Andorra today. She had gone to sleep last night praying that Tyrone would get a chance to play. She missed him playing in an England shirt and she was ecstatic when she read the starting line-up tweet that she got the notification of. Tyrone was going to start. That was great, her prayers were being answered. But she was nervous, because Eric was going to play alongside him.

It felt like she was reliving Premier League's second matchday again where Villa played Spurs, with all the nervousness that was resting uncomfortably at the bottom of her heart. At least this time Tyrone and Eric weren't playing against each other. She saw them doing a little handshake and nodding to each other before the match started, she considered it normal since they were playing for the same team. Her heart was more at ease seeing Tyrone looked focused and relaxed. Going into the match, everything looked just perfect.

Tyrone and the other defenders weren't being pressured much in the first half, as England kept pushing forward to Andorra's side. They had scored two goals so far, which Tyrone was involved with in the second one as they did a beautiful counter-attack where Tyrone feeded the ball to Jude who ran and passed to Bukayo, who in the perfect time passed the ball to Jesse who effortlessly put the ball into the back of the net. They all celebrated together, Tyrone and Eric were huddled together with the other boys, and it was quite strange for her to see her boyfriend and her ex-boyfriend smiling at each other. She was thankful that they weren't on each other's neck again this time.

But it wasn't until the second half, where she felt like nothing in this match could ever top the moment that happened on the seventy sixth mark that she witnessed with her own eyes.

Andorra had been in possession of the ball for a couple of minutes and no one had been able to take the ball from them. They finally attacked, and if it was not for Eric's block, the ball might have gone in. And the thing that happened after that really made her heart jump.

Tyrone patted Eric's shoulder, and it seemed like he was praising Eric for the good job. Maybe it was just her, but Tyrone actually looked proud of his teammate. In return, Eric patted Tyrone's back and based on the lip-reading she attempted, it seemed like Eric said, "Thanks, mate. Let's keep it tight, let's go."

She grinned watching that happen, feeling extremely relieved and proud. For the past week, she had been worried if something bad would happen. But now they were looking great and doing great. Things seemed to be going in the right way and she really couldn't ask more than that.

—

As usual, the England players' family have their own room in Wembley for them to hang around before and after matches. Now they were waiting for the players to come and she used the opportunity to have a chat with Kalvin's girlfriend who she happened to be friends with. But her attention was diverted when she realised that a very familiar group of people had come and claimed their table across the room.

She knew them. For a good five minutes, she contemplated whether to go and say hi to those people or not. A part of her mind said that maybe she shouldn't, but the other bigger part said that it would be very rude of her if she casually walked around the room, pretending that she didn't even know them. So she made her decision to pay a visit to their table.

"Hello, Mrs. Dier," she said as she put her hand on the woman's shoulder. The woman looked surprised, but immediately smiled when she realised that it was her who did the greeting.

"Oh, my dear! I didn't know you were here! Oh, sweetheart! How are you?" the woman exclaimed enthusiastically as she got up from her seat to hug her. The other Dier family members also greeted her; his sister gave her a hug and one of his brothers gave her a nod from his seat.

"It's been a long time, isn't it?" she asked. "Do you still work here in London?"

"No, Mrs. Dier. I live in Birmingham now. My friend offered me a job at his company, so I moved."

"Well, good for you, darling. Oh, dear, I've really missed you." Mrs. Dier was always lovely, always treating her like her own daughter. She even said sorry when she and Eric broke up, which made her a little upset thinking that cutting her relationship with Eric also meant creating distance with his family too, whom she really loved. But at least she and Eric ended their four years relationship in mutual agreement so they were all still on good terms.

Mrs. Dier kept their conversation going, asking her about her family and about what she had been up to. His sister joined in, asking about life in Birmingham. They didn't realise that the players had arrived, until a tall figure interrupted their conversation by saying, "Okay, mum, I think you're gonna have to let her go now."

They all looked up to Eric, then she immediately turned her head around to check on Mings' family table. Her heart dropped when she saw that Tyrone was already sitting there, fixing his gaze on her.

"How are you?" Eric politely asked, catching her attention.

"Good, I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm good," he answered.

"Glad to hear it. Congratulations, Eric. Well done today," she said, flashing Eric a smile.

"Thank you," Eric nodded.

"I think if you're in London again, we all need to have lunch together. What do you think?" Mrs. Dier asked her.

"Yeah, I think she would need her boyfriend's permission first, mum," Eric commented, as he looked away somewhere. Her mum's gaze followed where Eric was looking and she did the same too. And for a second she felt like she couldn't breathe. It was easy to find who Eric was looking at; there was a clear view of Tyrone from the Diers' table, but thank God Tyrone wasn't looking in their way now. This was a very awkward topic to talk about with your ex-boyfriend's family, and she completely blamed it on Eric.

"Or... I could also bring my boyfriend so he can hang out with you. Discuss some football, maybe, to be more solid at the back?" She thought that maybe a little joke could break the awkwardness, but Eric's brother almost choked on his drink hearing that. Eric's eyes widened upon her response.

"Oh, how silly of me! I should have known why you're here!" Mrs. Dier exclaimed. "There must be someone waiting for you at another table, mustn't it?" she asked, looking at her with the utmost understanding. "I shouldn't be keeping you here, then." Mrs. Dier to the rescue, she was truly an angel.

She then quickly excused herself, saying goodbye to the Dier family, hugging Mrs. Dier and nodding Eric goodbye one last time. Her heart was pounding a little bit faster when she walked to where Tyrone was sitting, giving him a smile when their eyes met. Tyrone must have wondered why she wasn't there to welcome him at his family table, he must have seen everything. She didn't know if he'd be pleased about that.

"Congratulations, babe. You did a terrific job," she said as she sat down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder before giving his cheek a soft peck.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Sorry, I was just saying hi to Eric's mum. I thought that it'd be rude if I didn't say hi. I'm sorry, I—"

"Whoa, why are you saying sorry?" Tyrone cut her off. "There's no need to apologise." There was a smile on his face that she couldn't quite decipher.

"Okay," she said, quite surprised that he seemed casual with the little situation that just happened. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"We just won four-nil, another clean sheet, I should be smiling, shouldn't I?" he asked. His eyes were bright. "And, I don't know, maybe because I thought I would be upset seeing you talking with your ex-boyfriend and his family. I was surprised, but apparently I'm fine with it. Well, not that it's fine fine, but I'm not mad."

Tyrone turned his head to Eric's family table across the room and she did the same. Eric was looking at both of them. He raised a glass and she was really confused about what was going on but Tyrone raised his glass too, and the two men nodded, sharing knowing glances.

Her heart jumped again as a small smile formed on her face. "Did something happen?" she guessed.

He shrugged. "I might have sorted everything out like you told me to do." Her eyes went wide and it only made Tyrone smile bigger. "I said sorry to him for what happened the other day, told him I don't want to make everything more awkward because I'm dating you, so maybe we could put everything behind us and start over."

She was trying so hard to suppress her giggle, because for some reason, the information he just gave her really made her genuinely happy. "And what did he say?"

"He just agreed. He apologised too for pushing me that caused a scene at the Spurs match," Tyrone answered. "Everything's good now. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

She gave Tyrone a hug and he let out a little chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her waist. She mumbled, "Thank you, you're the best," which he replied with, "Thank you, baby."

She could completely let it go now.

She was terrified the first time she knew that her and Tyrone's relationship had developed into something more, thinking that would it be okay if she dated another footballer? She knew that at some point, things could possibly get messy. But she liked Tyrone more than she cared about her fears. And it did get messy, but she never regretted saying yes when Tyrone asked her for the first date. It did get scary, but she never regretted sharing about her past to Tyrone.

And she couldn't possibly explain how proud she was of Tyrone. She knew he would do his best in everything, he would always try. She needed to give him credit for this one, for understanding her and for doing something she knew not everyone could do. Because it would never be easy to be friends with your girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, right?

—

i wrote this the day before england played andorra. kind of manifested the 4-0 win and tyrone's involvement in a goal😆

this is the last part of captains. thank you so much for reading. i hope you enjoyed it<3 i'll write something for tyrone x eric again next time!

My Masterlist🤍

[le-amewzing]

A visit

A poignant moment, framed by the tenderness of Parknight. :')

Fic: "A visit" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: Alden Parker/Jess Knight

Rating: K

Words: ~1,130

Additional info: angst, hurt/comfort, romance, 3rd person POV

Summary: Knight asks Parker to go somewhere with her. He doesn't need three guesses where.

      The car rolled to a stop, and Parker cut the engine. He leaned on the steering wheel with his left arm as he and Knight both stared out the windshield just slightly to the right at the swath of warm green and cold gray ahead of them. Somehow, saying the words "We're here" seemed more than redundant, more like…impatient, or. He wasn't sure. But he did know they served as a heavy reminder of Knight's midmorning request on their day off. So he quieted the urge to say anything and let his eyes drift to Knight.

      Her expression had been stony the entire ride over, but something rippled beneath the surface, the same something that made her brown eyes glassy. If she knew of Parker's scrutiny, she didn't mind or didn't feel like commenting. Knight summoned the energy to take a deep breath, though, and draw herself out of her thoughts, pulling herself back to the present with him. "Okay," she said in the too-loud quiet of their car. "Okay. I can do this. Let's go."

      Parker nodded, but he cleared his throat before she closed her door behind her. "Ah—"

      Knight had been in a hurry to get out and smooth her jacket and dress in one swipe. Her eyes widened to where Parker pointed to the passenger footwell, and she ducked back in to grab the bouquets. She nodded her thanks to him. Then she remained stock-still beside the car.

      Parker frowned and hustled to lock up and get to her side. It wasn't just the ride over. She'd been extra tender this week—not so much softer towards him or the rest of the team, but too soft herself, and too soft was dangerous with their work. May had crept up almost silently on the team after the year they'd had, but even he could read a calendar. So he hadn't been completely surprised by Knight's call this morning.

      He replayed the day so far in his mind as he nudged her forward with a comforting hand at the small of her back. He'd woken to the dueling choruses of a robin and an oriole outside his window, then settled in with a fresh pot of coffee and the newspaper over leftover pastries from the day before. Parker had debated the hour and whether Knight might answer a text or call when she rang him instead, asking him to pick her up by noon and go with her somewhere necessary.

      He'd almost asked if she would've preferred sooner, but that question had been answered when he'd collected her outside her apartment complex. Knight was the most put-together he'd ever seen her today, in a black dress and heels and with her hair smoothly swept half back. She'd needed the time and, he inferred, the energy to make herself presentable for them. She even had the bouquets ready, so she and Parker could come straight here without stops.

      Knight took her steps slowly as they headed towards the markers. The closer they got, the heavier her footsteps became, and she leaned back into Parker's steadying hand. But, once she found the three graves, she took another breath, ready to stand on her own.

      Parker studied her profile, figuring she had thoughts to voice.

      Stunningly, her eyes widened. "…I didn't think they'd still look so—fresh."

      He turned and read the three headstones: Edward Madden, Diane Ono, Benji Vargas. The ground wasn't disturbed; the grass was equal parts lively and dying. But the headstones shone as if they had been delivered recently. "Even when family can't come tend, caretakers are good at their job, Knight."

      She nodded, but it was a mechanical motion. She shook herself free of her stunned stiffness the next second, crouching to place a bouquet each on her old teammates' graves. Knight had bought white flowers of different breeds for each of her old friends: carnations for Madden, camellias for Ono, and daisies for Vargas. When she stood, she commented, "Last year…when it happened…I couldn't think. The agency put together a nice service. Director Vance's words were—were lovely. And they handed me flowers to place with them, but." Knight's smile was tight. "This time, I wanted to choose something for them, to do something for them myself."

      Parker nodded encouragingly and tucked his hands in his pockets as they remained there, visiting a little while longer.

      Knight wrung her hands in front of her. Her eyes were trained on the graves, but she turned her head Parker's way as she spoke. "You know, Jimmy and Fornell have been prepping me for a while, about the first year. After their passing." She paused. "And I knew it was coming. Like a birthday I absolutely didn't want. I didn't even need to have the anniversary marked down, I just… I knew the first anniversary would come and come soon, but I didn't think—" Knight's voice caught. "Knowing they're gone and going to grief counseling and doing good work and keeping their memories alive—none of that makes it any easier." She looked back to Parker.

      He nodded again, and his shoulders sank a fraction. He hated seeing her so brittle and knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

      But it were as though Knight picked up on that in his body language. She reached out, taking half a step back to take his hand and lean against him. "I've come to my own conclusion, though. Finding people again makes things easier."

      Her sentiment wasn't lost on him. But Parker didn't comment on what "people" meant in this context; he didn't want to be crude or rude—and, really, what was the point if she had her answer?

      That didn't mean, though, that he left her hanging, and Parker squeezed her hand in his and squeezed her against his side as the stark light from this morning proved true and a light drizzle picked up.

      Knight lifted her head from his shoulder. She locked eyes with him, ignoring the rain starting to collect on her brow.

      But…he was nothing if not a gentlemen, and Parker knew cemeteries weren't the right place for the kind of moment she wanted right then. So he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before brushing an escaped lock of hair behind her ear and wiping droplets from her face. He rested his forehead against hers. "Let me take you home."

      "I'm not ready to go home yet, Alden." She curled her fingers in his jacket's lapels.

      "Then at least lemme get you out of the rain, Jess."

      Knight didn't budge for another second, but then she nodded, content at last with his hand back in hers as they walked back to the car.

TT-TT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, OKAY. *ahem* So, as I write this, it is early April still, and I know this won't be posted until later in the season, but I didn't want to wait to write this and be influenced too much by what may or may not else happen in s19. Honest, my premise for this was straightforward: Knight wanted Parker to accompany her to her old teammates' graves for her first visit in a long while, on the first anniversary. But I liked how this implied a deeper relationship btwn Parknight already, too—perhaps not fully established, but smthg far more serious than what I've written up to this point. :') I just. I'mma avoid dithering here since I've done that loads in my A/Ns for previous Parknights. X'D But I will remark that I enjoyed revisiting s18e15 to check some notes on her backstory…and oh, my, did I find some more interesting things Parknight have in common. :3c But that's a story for another day. So go read my other Parknights if you haven't already and await new ones from me soon~ Especially when they're so bloody sweet like this. *clutches heart*

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

[chilly-me-softly]

Can you do a one-shot where we're in a world where girls and guys play football together in the same clubs and all cos why the hell not and you're like an incredible trio with Marcus and Jesse. Marcus has feelings for you while Jesse adores you as his little sister. You're always falling asleep on one of their shoulders during your flights and today is nothing different as you lean your head onto Marcus' shoulder before take off and close your eyes to fall asleep. You don't notice while he admires you but Jesse does as he approaches to take the spare seat beside you and teases Marcus about how he's always giving you heart eyes. Then he turns all serious and gives him advice about how he really needs to grow a pair and open up to you about his feelings. You hear the conversation but pretend that you don't even though you're dying inside because you have feelings for Marcus too.

Maybe a part 2 feelings being confessed and asking out and all but plzz I don't want it to be short and rushedddd.

All fluffffyyyy and cuteee thxx!

Oh I dreamed to write something with mix players for a while now! So thank you, hope you like it x

It had been three years since you signed your contract with United, a slightly shy but very talented young girl who the club had decided to invest in. Jesse's cheerfulness had overwhelmed you from the start, the boy had taken you under his wing and slowly brought out your less serious side both in training and off the pitch.

And with Jesse you inevitably got to know Marcus too, a sort of male version of you, the boy had called him. You clicked immediately, you found yourself having very important conversations with him or hearing him talk about his childhood; when Jesse's exuberance got to you, he was the one who kept him at bay or was the one who mediated between the two of you when you argued.

The three of you formed a trio both on and off the pitch, and the results achieved since you signed with the team confirmed that. You had phenomenal chemistry and when you were able to play all three of you at your best, without injuries or anything else, the opponents had work to do.

You were almost inseparable, so much so that for a while there were rumours of a possible house where you lived together.

Flying allowed you to sit together in the triple seats, compared to buses which were more uncomfortable for your trio, depending on the model. You always sat in the middle so as not to displease everyone, even though you weren't very good company as you always ended up falling asleep on one of the boys, no matter how short or long the journey was.

Marcus rests a hand on your leg going up and down unconsciously, making you look up at him. You were heading to Spain for a Champions game and you were a little nervous, you knew the club very well having spent a year there on loan before signing for your current club.

"What if I score against them? They'll end up hating me" you sigh as he chuckles moving his thumb absentmindedly over your thigh.

"They'll end up cursing themselves for not doing everything they could to keep you when they had the chance" you downplay his compliment with a hand gesture shifting your gaze for a moment down the corridor where some of the guys are still taking their seats.

"I just have a lot of respect for them, they helped me a lot"

"I know. And that's all that matters"

You watch as he smiles at you trying to convince your brain that you don't owe anyone anything, respect for the club is one thing but the success of your team is more important right now. And you sigh, "Maybe I'd better sleep" you rest your head on his shoulder as he chuckles allowing you to settle in whatever way you think is best to be able to disconnect your brain for a while.

Jesse had stopped to talk to a teammate, the take off phase performed in a place that wasn't his or rather not his usual place. And as he approaches the two of you he chuckles noting your position and more.

"Asleep already?!" Marcus hints a smile that doesn't go unnoticed in his friend's eyes, before nodding. He then rolls his eyes at the other's expression.

"What?"

"Nothing," Jesse shrugs, that annoying grin plastered across his face, and Marcus is thankful that you're practically sleeping on him otherwise he would have already reached out to wipe it off his face. So he rolls his eyes again before lowering his gaze back to your face.

"Man you are so smitten, look at those heart eyes!" Jesse on the other hand is of a completely different mind as he reaches out to his friend to ruffle his hair, he tries to dodge it making you sigh but you don't open your eyes.

"Shh watch out" Marcus scolds him throwing him a look as Jesse laughs under his breath when he turns back to look at you.

"Marcus" he calls back more seriously after a moment and the other boy looks away from your face sensing one of the rare moments of seriousness his friend allows himself. "Why don't you tell her man, how you feel about her?"

"Are you crazy?!" murmurs Marcus through gritted teeth looking around nervously.

"Grow some balls and be honest, or you'll lose her. Do you really wanna just sit back and be friends with her forever?"

"Shut up"

"Ooh I see, you haven't admitted it to yourself yet"

"Shut up" he repeats to him more harshly as you stretch out sighing. "Are we there yet?" you mutter disconnectedly as for a moment Marcus looks alarmed, only to move a strand of hair out of your face and act normal.

"Not yet, you can rest a little more"

"No it's fine" you sigh getting up from his shoulder and stretching, "I better start waking up"

"Heya" Jesse makes his presence known causing you to nearly startle but you try to be subtle by acting normal.

And when you can finally get off the plane, you let the two go first while you calmly gather your things. You glance up at the taller of the two as something mixed with excitement and guilt wells up inside you. Because you had woken up much earlier than you had given yourself credit for and perhaps you had heard more than you should.

Part 2

[winterscaptain]

waldosia.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader

a/n: this is intended to be part of the ajf universe (berry hill section), but also stands alone! berry hill is probably good to read before this one, just for a little context. this takes place a couple of weeks after berry hill, during the last few minutes of lauren, and continues through the end of season six. there will be two more parts of this section!

summary: the team reels from emily’s loss and finds footing as best they can in the new normal, until, of course, the rug is pulled out from under them again.

words: ~3k warnings: canon death, language, more slow burning

berry hill (part 1) | absence (part 3) | mean it (part 4)

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | requests closed!

There��s nothing worse than the silence of the waiting room. JJ paces back and forth, waiting and watching for movement down the hall. Hotch has been restless as well, sitting and standing and wandering in equal measure. Seaver perches on her chair, her bare toes digging into the rough fabric of the seat. She’s quiet, staring into nothing. 

Dave sits beside her, his elbows on his knees, his hands laced together. His lips never stop moving, and you’re sure he’s praying. It’s odd to see him there without Emily. Much like Derek and Penelope, they usually stick together in tragedy or stress. It’s more than strange to see him without her - almost like missing a limb you didn’t know he had.

 You find your eyes tracking Aaron more often than not. There’s tension in his forehead, and his mouth is tight. Your first instinct is, of course, to soothe his hurt, but there’s so much of your own. He meets your eyes, and you pat the seat next to you. 

With a heavy sigh, he sits down beside you. 

Your voice is quiet, as to not disturb the stillness of the room. “When’s the last time you ate?”

He shakes his head. You reach out and slip your hand into his elbow. He covers it with his own and you lean against each other. Derek and Penelope are in a similar position across from you. She’s tucked under his arm, her hand rubbing back and forth over his chest, still spattered with Emily’s blood. 

You can’t imagine what he’s feeling. If it had been Aaron…

The thought is too unbearable to consider. Aaron’s arm flexes around your hand, and you realized the thought brought your shoulders to your ears. 

“Are you alright?” His voice is the barest whisper.

You nod. “Just thinking of Derek.”

He takes a deep breath. You know he understands. 

‘“I was just...if it had been -”

“Don’t.” His whisper breaks over the word, and his fingers slip between yours around his arm. Your breath catches in the smallest of sobs, and you turn your head into him. 

Hours and hours and hours pass. You think you fall asleep once or twice, but it’s fitful and not at all restful. Hotch is back to pacing - traveling a path from the door to the back room and back to you. 

Eventually, he sits again, leaning against you once more. You can feel the exhaustion radiating from him. At a certain point, you take him under your arm. He leans his head into your shoulder and closes his eyes. You’re certain he doesn’t get any sleep, but you appreciate the effort. It’s all for you. 

JJ returns, and you all straighten, waiting for her to say something. She can’t speak. 

Penelope says something, but you can’t hear her. You can’t hear JJ, though you know her mouth is moving. You sag forward, nearly falling out of your chair. Aaron catches you as he stands, his arms locked around you. 

Spencer rushes past JJ, but she stops him. They speak, but you still can’t hear over the rushing in your ears. You find your feet and turn into Aaron, whose hand presses your head to his chest. Your whole body buzzes with something cold and unpleasant, like a shot straight to your nervous system. You’d take a bullet again, rather than feel this. 

Slowly, he guides you to the chair on the other side of Penelope. You cling to her, Aaron’s jacket still around you. She’s sobbing, and you can’t feel a thing. When you look up again, JJ has her arms around Spencer, who looks much like you. Broken. Soggy. Weak.

Tired eyes track Aaron as he rounds the corner to the back hallway. JJ finds him a minute later, and you still can’t hear them. 

You can’t hear anything. 

+++

The funeral is wretched. When the hearse arrives, you help Aaron with his white pallbearer gloves, buttoning them around his wrists and straightening his tie. Your hands linger on his lapel. His shaky breath shudders through him under your hands, and when you look up at him, his eyes are closed. 

One of his hands covers yours and you grasp his fingers. 

It’s too soon. 

We can’t do this again. 

It’s too soon. 

“There’s never enough time,” he says, almost inaudible. 

You squeeze his hand and release him, smoothing out his coat and collar and the hair at his temples before letting him pass. Derek and Spencer take the first pair of handles, Dave and Anderson the second. Will and Hotch share a look before taking the final pair. 

You offer your arm to JJ, who takes it, and you follow the men across the cemetery. Penelope and Ashley trail behind you, also arm-in-arm. 

Ashley’s been a gift - quiet and warm and observant - through this whole ordeal. You’ve done your best to welcome her into the fold. She doesn’t need to feel like a replacement or a burden. She’s a member of your team. Maybe not a member of your family, but your teammate nevertheless. 

The whole affair is far too quiet, far too solemn, to really be a celebration of Emily’s life. Hotch returns to your side once she’s laid over her grave. He gives you a rose and an arm. You take both, the wool of his coat soft against your fingers. Both he and JJ decided to leave the boys at home, but wouldn’t tell you why. 

Privately, you figure it’s too much for Jack, and it would be best to keep him and Henry together. Two funerals in as many years is too much for anyone, let alone someone just six. Jess is with the boys at JJ’s house. There’s nothing that woman can’t do, and you love her for it. 

Looking around, you realize everyone in attendance is a familiar face. Emily’s mother is the only one you don’t know well, but you’d know a Prentiss anywhere. She dabs at her face with a handkerchief, and a well of spite rises within you. There’s no reason for her to be here.

You’re her family. You will survive her. 

+++

Derek is in shambles. You spend as much time with him as you can, but he’s more withdrawn than you’ve ever seen him. JJ and Spencer have clung together, as have you and Aaron. Dave and Derek aren’t as close, and they’re both wildly independent, so they’ve sort of drifted in Emily’s absence. 

It’s your mission to keep them in one piece - sharing meals and filling empty evenings with movies and poker and company. You find yourself at Dave’s often, with Jack in your lap and Hotch and Derek on either side of you. 

You have rapidly become the team’s backbone - a role you take on with energy and a certain degree of joy. Taking care of them helps you forget your own grief, and never leaves you without company. 

+++

Seaver’s graduation is a spot of joy in an otherwise dreary few months. You shout and whistle at all the appropriate times, remembering all too well what it felt like on the other side. There’s a moment where you share a smile with Hotch, and it almost feels normal. 

“Remember that?” You ask, tipping your chin toward Seaver. She’s beaming, holding her new credentials in her hand as she greets her family. 

He nods. “Do you?”

You snort. “Oh, please. How could I forget?” The day lives rent-free in your mind. Hotch passing you your credentials, badge, and ID tag is a memory that will stay with you forever. 

“Glad I made an impression.” His smirk is well-concealed, but you elbow him in the ribs for good measure. 

“Shut up.” 

He quirks a brow at you, and you grin. 

Almost normal. Almost. 

+++

Your phone wakes you, and you pick it up right away, recognizing your ringtone for Hotch. “Yeah?”

“Hey, it’s me.” 

You flip your bedside lamp on and rub your eyes. You’d be lying if you said you were getting any sleep yourself, and you’re almost relieved you have some kind of company. “Hey, Aaron. What’s up?”

“I’m sorry to wake you -”

“You didn’t.”

He pauses. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I could hazard a guess it’s the same reason as you.” You play with the comforter, the fabric a necessary distraction. “Is Jack still with Jessica?”

“Yeah, for the rest of the week. He’s got a school trip thing, and I didn’t want to leave him if a case came up. They’ll be back from the mountains on Sunday afternoon.” 

Your lower lip disappears between your teeth. “Do you want any company? Sometimes it’s -”

“Please.” He cuts you off, and you snap your mouth shut, already throwing the covers back. 

“I’ll be there soon.” 

The drive is quiet, the Virginia highways barren at nearly two in the morning. You pull into the garage in your usual guest spot and climb the stairs. 

Though you have a key, you knock twice before using it. 

Always good form to warn an armed federal agent when you’re about to enter his home in the goddamn middle of the night. 

He invited you. 

Yeah, still. Would hate to get shot on a night off.

The kitchen light is on when you enter, and you lock the door behind you before checking it out. You leave your shoes at the door and drop your keys in the dish. 

He's standing at the counter, fixing two cups of tea. Wordlessly, he passes one to you. 

You follow him to the bedroom, turning lights off as you go. He slips under the covers, and pats the covers. 

“Thanks for the tea,” you say, settling in beside him. 

It’s become sort of routine. Since Berry Hill, sharing a bed has become far less taboo and far more common. Even when Jack’s home, you’ve set up the couch for yourself before spending the night next to Aaron. That way, you can wake up early and settle in the living room before he wakes up, or make it look like you slept on the couch even if he wakes to find you in his father’s room. 

The element of surprise is always a gift - Jack is more than thrilled to find you whenever you spend the night. He doesn’t know to ask questions, and really you aren’t sure what you’d say even if he did. 

Aaron would probably have the words. He’s good at that kind of stuff. 

You sit together in silence, sipping out of your mugs and enjoying the quiet darkness. When you’re done, you leave it on the coaster on your bedside - well, on the bedside table. 

“Can’t sleep?” You ask. 

Aaron’s been finished for a while, his empty mug on his table. He’s already settled in, laying on his side toward you with his hand tucked under his cheek. “Not tonight.” 

“Is it Emily?” 

He nods. “Yeah, something like that.” There’s more, but he’s never been too good at articulating his feelings. You’ve learned it’s best to just keep him company and not push too hard. 

You slide down, bringing the covers up to your chin. “Come here.” 

He smiles in the dark and wraps you in his arms. It’s already easier to close your eyes, and you know you won’t be half as scared to confront what you find behind them. His breath fans across the top of your head, much more steady than when you arrived. “Thank you.” 

“Of course. Sleep tight, Aaron.” 

He tucks his face into your hair, and after a few moments, you hear his breath slow and even out. You lean back, finding his face completely relaxed. 

That’s better. 

With him asleep, you’re able to tune out your thoughts in favor of his heartbeat against your cheek. 

+++

Jack is long asleep when it’s your turn to need company. You’re on the couch, wrapped in Aaron’s arms, sobbing into his chest. Earlier, you found a bank of recorded shows in your cable box that you were waiting to watch with Emily. The realization that you’d never be able to watch them with her knocked you out at the knees, and there was nothing you could do but sit on the floor and cry. 

When you caught your breath, you called Aaron and took a cab over to the apartment. Your tears didn’t let up for a single moment on the way there, and started anew when you saw him. 

You couldn’t speak, but he just led you to the couch and let you curl up against him. With his cheek against your hair, he rubs your back until you can finally breath without hiccuping. 

“What was it?”

“The shows.” You sniff, and wipe your nose on your sleeve. “I was saving shows to watch with her. They didn’t stop recording. I didn’t think to -” A fresh wave starts, and you tuck your head back into his shoulder. You do your best not to wail, keeping quiet for Jack’s sake, “I didn’t think to stop recording them. I don’t even really like them, but we always watched together.” 

His next words are familiar to you. “It’s all about the routine.” 

Those are the same words you used after Haley died. One of his first breakdowns after her death came when he was packing Jack’s bag for the week, getting ready to drop him off at her place. When he realized there was nowhere to go, nowhere to take him, it knocked the life out of him just like your shows did tonight. 

“Once you find something to fill the space,” you’d told him, “things get a lot easier to manage.” 

And it was true. That was the first weekend he called you to come spend the day with Jack, and your time together patched some of the holes. 

He squeezes you to him. “Do you want to find something to watch together? We can start a new show or maybe movie nights with Jack? Maybe with Will, JJ, and Henry? What do you think?”

You give him a watery smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.” 

+++

Andy Swan is a trip and a half, and you find yourself liking her a little more than you thought you would. She and Aaron have a great deal of history, and you enjoy the way they give each other a hard time - pushing and pulling for control of a stressful investigation. They’re different, but highly complementary in their leadership. 

It almost reminds you of your relationship with Derek - mutual respect in droves, but a supreme lack of patience, and a little more good humor than is actually necessary. 

It’s only when the case is over that shit hits the fan. 

You’re all in the conference room following the successful completion of the case. Doyle, of course, has been on your minds since Emily’s death, and you spend at least fifteen hours a week maintaining the not-so-sanctioned investigation into his whereabouts. 

But this wasn’t about Doyle. 

“I’ve been assigned to a joint task force in Pakistan for an indefinite amount of time.” 

The news knocks the breath out of you, and your eyes flicker around the table. Everyone is just as shocked as you are, though you’d like to imagine the short-circuit you’re experiencing is all your own. 

“What do you mean?” The question leaves your lips before you can stop it, and Hotch’s brown eyes meet yours. There’s an apology in them. 

“Tomorrow, I leave for Pakistan. I’m not sure how long I will be gone. Derek will take over as Acting Unit Chief in the meantime.” 

Derek’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline. “You’re kidding.” 

“You carried off the job very well last year, and I have no doubt you will have the same amount of success in my absence.” 

Derek looks like he wants to speak again, but refrains. 

“I understand this is less than convenient. You’ll all have the declassified brief in your inboxes by the end of the day today with more information about the transition. You’re all dismissed for the day.” With a final nod, he walks out of the conference room, leaving you all slack-jawed and more than a little confused. 

JJ’s eyes meet yours, and you shrug. You ask, “Has he said anything about this to you?”

“I’ve heard approximately nothing about it,” she replies, peering down the hall. 

Goddamn you, Hotchner. 

He’s packing up his briefcase when you pass his office. You don’t stop, sitting down at your desk. You’re surprised frost doesn’t rise from the ground at your feet.

There’s a moment where he stops at your desk on the way out of the bullpen, but you just stare at him. He opens his mouth as if to speak, then closes it. After a moment, he finally says, “Jack is with Jessica tonight.” 

You have no idea what your face looks like, but it’s enough to drop his shoulders and send him on his way, defeated. 

+++

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[13uswntimagines]

Girlfriend. Singular (Lindsey Horan x Reader)

Request: I would love to see something with r and Lindsey being together and then coming out to several of their friends/teammates little by little. Like maybe someone catches them, some guess, and they just tell some?

You weren’t hiding your relationship. You only hid the things that you were ashamed of, and you were 100% not ashamed that you were dating Lindsey Horan. Hell, you were beyond proud that you had wooed the woman they called the Great Horan. She was a fucking catch and you were shocked that she was as into you as you were to her. It was like she was supergirl while you were just Lena’s receptionist Jess, though she would argue that you were her Lena. 

In the beginning, you hadn’t told the rest of your team about your relationship because it was new and you wanted to bask in the honeymoon phase as they called it. You didn’t want to get teased by your teammates all the time. You just wanted to enjoy each other. 

Then you just never got around to spilling the secret. You supposed it was like Kara finally telling Lena that she was Supergirl. They would be hurt that you kept it from them, and each day you waited it got harder. 

Funnily enough, you and Lindsey hadn’t been hiding at all. Your friends were just horrible at taking a hint. You were the dark horse of the team. Known for being more reserved than Alyssa, possessing a glare that could rival Hopes and goal-scoring abilities that shocked even Carlie (especially when you connected with your girlfriend on the field). You weren’t touchy and you rarely ever smiled, unless you were around a certain Blond midfielder, or your older sister (The Christen Press). You also had a bit of a reputation for being the player of the team. In all honesty, serious relationships terrified you, so you had just avoided them. That was until Lindsey had come into your life. 

Ironically, Christin wasn’t the first person you told about your relationship. Instead, it was her girlfriend Tobin who weaseled it out of you. 

You sighed from your place on the bench, watching as Lindsey and Emily fucked around on the field after practice. You licked your lips, your eyes tracing Lindsey’s form. The AC/DC tanktop she had stolen from you this morning perfectly displaying her arms which were shiny with sweat from practice, accentuating just how muscular they were. 

“Dude, if you don’t close your mouth, you’re going to start catching flies” Tobin laughed, sitting down on the bench next to you, using her finger to nudge your chin. Pink dusted your cheeks, as you used the back of your hand to wipe the drool that had gathered at the corner of your mouth. 

“Hm, can’t help it. She just looks so good in that tank top,” You mumbled, your eyes still transfixed on the woman who stole your heart. 

“Isn’t that your tank top?” Tobin asked, bumping your shoulder with her own, finally drawing your attention away from Lindsey. The blush on your cheeks deepened and you grinned sheepishly at the woman who was essentially your sister-in-law at this point. 

“She forgot her’s last night, and we didn’t have time to stop by her apartment this morning,” You shrugged nonchalantly, not thinking anything of the admission that the two of you had spent the night together. You made a mental note to talk to her about restocking the drawer she had at your apartment, or maybe you should just suggest that the two of you move in together because it was rare that you spent the night apart. Was a year in too early to ask for something like that? You weren’t sure, as you had never let a relationship get this far before. 

You were so lost in thoughts that you missed Tobin’s eyes nearly jumping out of her head. Lindsey was essentially her team baby, and not that she didn’t love you, but you didn’t have the greatest track record with women. She didn’t want either of you to get hurt. 

“Does Chris know?” She questioned quietly, worry leaking into her tone. She placed a gentle hand on your knee, pulling you out of your thoughts. 

“What?” You shook your head, glancing at the hand on your leg in confusion. 

“That you and Lindsey are doing it?” Tobin mumbled hesitantly, and your eyebrows furrowed. “Doing it? What are we, in middle school Tobs?” You snorted at her verbiage, and it was Tobin’s turn to blush. 

“Fine, does Chris know that you’re screwing your teammates? Is that better?” She snapped at you and you openly laughed at her, scrunching up your nose. It was weird to hear such crude language coming out of her mouth, and you didn’t like to think about the things you were doing with Lindsey like that. 

“First it’s a teammate. Singular and we’re doing a lot more than screwing,” You murmured, suddenly finding your hands very interesting. No, you didn’t have a great track record with women, but you were trying to change that. 

“Gross dude, I don’t need to hear about your sex life. Just… don’t hurt her. She won’t ever tell you this, but she gets emotionally invested, and just...” Tobin began to ramble, and your wide eyes snapped to her’s. You knew that Lindsey was emotionally invested, if she wasn’t you guys would have a very big problem. 

“Tobin, I don’t think you’ve got the situation right,” You tried to interrupt, running a hand through your hair in frustration. She shook her head. No this wasn’t a pleasant conversation but it needed to be had. 

“I know friends with benefits relationships are your thing, but Lindsey deserves more than that,” She stated firmly, the hand that was on your leg clenching. An awkward silence settled between the two of you, your mouth opening and closing several times in an attempt to get the right words to come out of your mouth. 

“Lindsey and I are dating Tobin,” You said quietly, shifting uncomfortably in your seat, insecurity racing through you when Tobin gasped. 

“What?” Tobin’s confusion was clear. She didn’t know what she was expecting to come out of your mouth, but that wasn’t it.

“Lindsey’s not a friend with benefits, she’s my girlfriend,” You said again, a little bit louder, puffing out your chest slightly. 

“Oh,” She said quietly, relief filling her and her shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to have to choose between you and Lindsey, and she didn’t want either of you to get hurt. 

“Yeah, for like the last year,” You responded, inspecting your fingers. You were ashamed that you hadn’t told her or your sister yet, but you hadn’t been sure how to. 

“So it’s serious,” Tobin inquired casually, sending you a sideways look. She wasn’t used to having deep conversations with you. You usually saved that stuff for your sister. 

“Yep,” You nodded, popping the p. 

“Nice,” She smiled, holding her hand up for a high five. Your smile brightened and you slapped her hand, your shoulders relaxing. Maybe telling Tobin first was for the best. Her chillness put you at ease. 

*****

The worst part about camps was that you and your girlfriend were never able to alone time. Vlatko had insisted that rooming the two of you together would just be a distraction, and it had been nearly impossible to shake your respective roommates. So after nearly a week of being unable to so much as hug your girlfriend, you jumped at the chance to finally be able to touch her. 

“How long are Rose and Emily going to be gone?” You asked huskily into her neck, running your hands up and down her strong thighs that were straddling your body. God, you loved how muscular and tan they were. 

“Not sure,” She breathed back, leaning in to kiss your lips before returning her attention to the spot on your neck she knew made you weak. You let out a light moan, completely missing her smirk. 

“We’ll have to be quick,” You mumbled, tilting your head to the side to give her more access, letting your hands drift underneath her shirt, enjoying the warm skin that you found there. 

“It’s funny that you think you’re the one controlling the pace here,” She smirked against your neck, trailing her lips up the curve of your jaw up to your ear. She took the shell carefully between her teeth, sending a shiver down your spine. Nope, you were not in charge right now, but that was fine with you as long as she kept doing her thing.

“Hmm,” You hummed, pulling her hips more firmly against you, she sighed into your mouth. Her hands drifted under your shirt, running circles on your abs. You worked incredibly hard to keep them just because you knew how much Lindsey loved them. 

“Off,” She demanded, tugging at the fabric of your shirt. You complied, leaning back to pull your shirt off. Her eyes traced down your chest, landing on the muscles that lined your stomach. You cupped her face, wiping the drool from her lip, sending her a crooked smile. 

She leaned up to press her lips to yours, tangling her finger in the baby hairs at the back of your neck, pulling you closer and directing your movements. You slid your hands up her thighs, to grab her but, pulling her impossibly closer and thanking God that she was wearing short shorts. You two were so caught up in each other that you didn’t hear the door open, or your two very shocked teammates. 

“Holy shit, Y/n has got some abs,” Emily exclaimed, causing you to jump and Lindsey to almost fall off your lap, had you not been cupping her ass. Your cheeks tinted bright red. 

“Holy shit, Lindsey is the top,” Rose added. Lindsey cackled loudly and your blush got deeper. 

“Fuck,” you muttered, burying your face in your girlfriend’s chest, hiding from your friend’s laughter. 

“There will be no fucking anywhere near any furniture that I’ll be on,” Emily smirked at the two of you. 

“Then don't go to Lindsey’s apartment,” You mumbled, only pulling your face out of your girlfriend's cleavage long enough to stick your tongue out at your friends. Emily scrunched her face up in disgust. 

“So is that what you guys are doing, fucking?” Rose asked, quirking her eyebrows up at Lindsey. She didn’t think Lindsey was into that kinda thing. 

“Right now we’re talking to you guys,” You huffed, running your hands through your very messed up hair, ignoring the pinch Lindsey gave to your side before handing you your shirt. Your abs were for her eyes only. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Rose whined, and you laughed. 

“We’re dating, have been for almost a year and a half,” Lindsey said after a few seconds. 

“Thought baby press didn’t do relationships,” Emily grumbled, her eyebrows furrowing, staring at you in disbelief. 

“Relationship, singular,” You said indignantly. Why couldn’t everyone understand that there was only one girl that you wanted? 

“Aw, she’s blushing!” Rose sent you a wide smile, pinching your very red cheeks. You pulled your head away

“Go Lanessie” Emily laughed, giving Lindsey a high five (which Lindsey returned with a roll of her eyes) very much as the one Tobin had given you. 

*****

After their rude interruption, Rose and Emily demanded that you have a movie night. You didn’t mind, it meant that you got to cuddle with your girlfriend. You just wished that they picked a better movie, not that you didn’t love Disney, but Treasure Planet was never one of your favorites. Between early morning practice and how freaking comfortable you were, you couldn’t help but fall asleep on your girlfriend.

“She’s so cute when she sleeps,” Emily’s whisper broke into your stream of consciousness, as did several clicking sounds. 

“Oh shit,” Emily winced after a few minutes. 

“What?” You felt Lindsey shift beneath you. 

“What time is it?” You groaned, still half asleep. 

“Don’t get mad,” Emily said far too quickly. 

“Tell me what you did first,” Your girlfriend ruby bled, running a hand up and down your back in an attempt to lug you back to sleep. She knew that sleep was already a problem for you, but it combined with you being roomed separately meant that you got far too little of it. 

“I just couldn’t help myself, I didn’t mean to snap it,” Emily mumbled out ashamedly. 

“Snap it to who,” Lindsey asked, trying to keep her voice level, to prevent you from waking up. 

“The whole team,” Emily said quietly. Your sleeping face pressed into her best friend had been too cute to resist. She was going to send it to Tobin and Press, because how could you let that go to waste. 

“What’s going on?” You questioned, your eyes blinking open and meeting Lindsey’s blue ones. Her eyes softened. 

“Shh baby, go back to sleep, Emily’s an idiot,” She whispered, running her fingers through your hair and massaging your scalp. 

“Already knew that,” You cracked a smile. 

“I take offense to that,” Emily huffed indignantly. 

“Everyone’s going to know soon,” Lindsey placed a kiss into your hair. The two of you had been meaning to tell the team for months now. No, this is ant the way the two of you wanted to do it, but at least you didn’t have to hide anymore. 

It was only a few minutes before the knocks began on the door, pulling you again from your sleep. Your nosey freaking teammates. You felt more like a zoo exhibit than a person sometimes.

It was only going to get worse now that they found out that the team's player had been convinced that a relationship was doable.