#the thought of all the players who might leave this summer is literally going to make me cry so i want to say a big fuck u to this team

[kitten4sannie]

15 - ꜱɪᴢᴇ ᴋɪɴᴋ - ᴍɪɴɢɪ

ʜᴏᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏʟᴅ

pairing: himbo bf! mingi x fem! reader feat. yunho, san, and seonghwa

genre: college/frat au, smut

summary: your boyfriend is really bad at taking hints.

w.c: 2.7k

warnings: alcohol use, weed mention, switch! mingi, switch! reader, mingi has a big dick, pet names, name calling, dirty talk, grinding, begging, unprotected sex (don’t be like them), bulge kink, exhibitionism, voyeurism, poor attempt at humor

a/n: love me a good himbo <3 this man is dumb in this just how i like themmm. also the song i imagine playing during the dance scene is “deep” by summer walker <3

FFF Masterlist

✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖

You never particularly enjoyed the drink options at frat house parties. They only ever had giant kegs full of cheap beer, along with an endless supply of Tito’s vodka, swearing they had a life supply stocked up in the basement. When you asked Mingi’s friend Yunho where the soda was, all he did was shake his head and say in a slurred voice, “Coach said we gotta cut out sugar.” You genuinely wondered if he was trying to make a joke or if he was 100% serious, but the serious lack of anything chaser-related was making you think he wasn’t lying to you. It seemed like football players were fueled by countless liters of alcohol and protein powder alone. No wonder they were so aggressive on the field.

“Here,” Yunho said, handing you a solo cup filled to the brim with beer, his reddened eyes still friendly and bright. “My brother makes it himself.” You gave him a smile and a thanks, before scanning the crowd for Mingi. 

Once you found him, you took a few sips of the watered-down beer Yunho gave you, zoning in and out of the heated conversation your boyfriend was having with his friends about whether professional sports were rigged or not.

“Baby, can you please back me up?” Mingi asked in a whiny voice, snaking an arm around your waist, fingers squeezing you, his plump lips forming a pout. “Tell Seonghwa how stupid he is for thinking sports are fake.”

God, he was so fucking cute. You needed him. Needed to see him pout when he begged you to bounce on his dick. 

Taking a long swig of the glorified water, you cleared your throat, leaning your body against Mingi’s. “Seonghwa, I think it’s really bold of you to assume they’re all fake, and honestly, I think you might just be in denial since your teams never win.” 

The rest of Mingi’s drunk companions erupted in low ‘ooh’s’ and ‘damns’, some of them nodding their heads in agreement. San, who was already fucked up, made a show out of his reaction, smacking Seonghwa’s shoulder with his hand and pointing a finger at him, grinning at his friends. “He literally never bets on the right team. It’s so fucking funny.” 

Irritated, Seonghwa scoffed and rolled his eyes, taking a drink of his beer with one hand shoved into his pocket. “Where’d you find this one, Mingi?” 

“Don’t start.” Mingi clutched you against his side defensively, taking a sip from his drink. “Or else I’ll put hot chili oil in your jockstrap, like I did during your hazing.” 

That shut Seonghwa up, leading him to hold his hands up in defeat. Mingi idly stroked your hair while continuing his conversation with his friends, this time talking about their favorite plays from last night’s game. You went back to being bored, but this time your mind was swimming with thoughts of Mingi stroking your hair while his cock was down your throat. 

That was it. You needed to jump into action. However, you didn’t want to be too forward, not wanting to ask for Mingi’s cock in front of at least a quarter of the football team — though a part of you wanted them to know that he was about to pound you into oblivion. 

“Baby, I’m so cold,” you whined softly, looking up at Mingi with the cutest expression you could conjure up, rubbing your bare arms up and down. “Can you warm me up?” 

“Of course, doll.” Mingi let go of you and pulled his letterman jacket off, leaving him in a plain white, rather tight-fitting t-shirt. He put it over your shoulders, smiling at you. “Better?” As soon as you nodded and gave you a small smile back, he went back to talking to his buddies.

Damn. Too subtle. You weren’t about to give up, though. After staring into the distance for a while, idly sipping on your beer and still wishing you had access to a coke, you hatched another plan. Feeling ecstatic when a R&B song finally came on, knowing it would be easier to get into instead of the rap that was blasting out of the speakers a minute ago, you rubbed your hand up Mingi’s waist, lifting yourself up on your heels to murmur into his ear, “Baby, I want to dance. I really like this song.” 

Ignoring San’s begs for him to duel him in a game of beer pong, Mingi pressed a kiss to your temple, slipping his hand underneath his oversized jacket to touch the small of your back. “Let’s go then.” 

Maybe he was being subtle, too. How hot of him. “Yay~” You pulled his jacket off and walked over to Yunho, who was talking to someone else. You gave him the jacket, and in turn, he gave you a quick smile and put it over his shoulder to look after. 

Once the two of you were on the dance floor, which was just the oversized living room filled with drunken, sweaty people, you turned away from Mingi and pressed yourself into him, running your hands down your snug dress along to the tempo of the music. Mingi placed his hands instinctively on your swaying hips, moving along with you, leaning himself down to press his lips onto your jaw. Completely immersed in your own world, the bass thumping inside your ears, you began grinding on him in a more deliberate way, his heavy cock growing hard against your ass, making your brain feel fuzzy.

“Baby, they can see us, you know,” he mumbled under his breath, trying to pretend he couldn’t see Yunho waving at him from the kitchen and giving him a thumbs up. He definitely wouldn’t look at San, who was grabbing his imaginary tits and moaning obnoxiously loud. And he didn’t even notice Seonghwa staring at the both of you with contempt, even though there was a faint blush on his cheeks. 

You, however, noticed and acted accordingly. “Let them watch.” Placing your hands over his and guiding them up your body, you arched your back, squeezing your tits using his hands instead. Curious, you glanced over at the kitchen, finding Mingi’s friend's dumbstruck expressions to be particularly entertaining. That would give them something to talk about, instead of rambling about football for another hour. 

“Mmm…” Mingi buried his face in your neck, inhaling your sweet scent, slowly brushing his fingers over your nipples through the thin material of your dress. 

Your plan finally worked, in the best way possible, more turned on knowing his friends were watching, but not being able to do more than that and having to live through Mingi when he explained all the different times you unraveled for him. He always made sure to leave out the countless times he did that, since he always ended up drooling and begging for you to make him cum with your tight cunt. 

It took one more roll of your boyfriend’s hips and a single tit squeeze for you to sigh, “Fuck, Mingi, you’re making me feel so hot…” 

Mingi suddenly ceased all movement as a loading screen appeared inside his mind. “You were cold just a second ago.” He tilted his head, idly rubbing your arms and feeling how warm they were, before bringing his lips to your ear, his voice laced with concern when he asked, “Yeah, you feel really hot. You’re not getting a fever, are you, doll?” His eyebrows rose with concern, his lips forming a pout once again. “You kissed me a bunch before practice earlier – and, oh my god, babe, you sucked my dick. That’s like, direct contact, right?” He gasped, clasping a hand to his face, his concern almost borderline comical, but the poor frat boy was completely serious. “Do you think I’ll get a fever too now? I can’t miss practice!”

“No, baby, that’s not…” You bit your lip, too desperate to have him inside you to get annoyed. Turning around, you ran your hands up his torso, from his abdomen to his pecs, suggesting gently, “You know, a good way to get rid of a fever is to sweat it out, Min. Come with me.” 

Once you led your boyfriend to the nearest empty bedroom, you shut the door and pushed him down onto the bed, licking your lips at the sight of him. Mingi was laying down on the mattress with his limbs spread out, his shirt just barely riding up past his hips, revealing his treasure trail. He observed his surroundings, taking note of the plushies sitting next to the pillows, before looking up at you with vague confusion. “This is San’s room. Why are we here?”

“Why do you think, baby?” you asked softly, kicking your heels off, prior to climbing onto the bed and crawling towards him, your body buzzing with anticipation. 

Mingi gave you a sweet smile, running his fingers through his soft brown hair, slowly leaning his head against the firm pillow behind his head. “You want to sleep?” 

“No, baby…” you started, straddling his lap and gazing down at him with love and lust in your hooded eyes, your hand settling on his broad chest. “I want to play…”

Mingi admired you, slowly running his hands from your thighs up to your waist, taking your words literally like he usually did. “Like Legos? I think Seonghwa has some in his room.” 

You couldn’t possibly get mad at Mingi, finding it adorable how incredibly dense he was. It was a good thing he had such a thick skull; it would definitely prevent him from getting any more head injuries whenever he collided with another player on the field. It was probably time to stop being coy and just tell him what you wanted point blank. No nuance. No hints. Just your raw desire. 

 “I want to ride your cock, Min. So bad. All night I’ve been thinking about you stretching me out,” you admitted, biting the tip of one of your fingers. Your thighs pressed into his hips, your core throbbing at the thought of impaling yourself on his oversized dick for the sake of being filled by your favorite football player. “Please, Min. I’ve been such a good girl.” 

The cogs moved inside Mingi’s head for a moment, then his eyes lit up, his lips forming a wide grin. “Is that why you were rubbing all over me back there? Why didn’t you just say that, baby? You know I’m bad at taking hints.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” you started, lifting your dress off of yourself and tossing it onto the comforter, revealing you only had a small, lacy pair of panties on. “I should’ve just bent myself over the kitchen counter and asked you to fuck me dumb in front of your friends, huh? They’d like a little post game show, don’t you think?” 

Mingi groaned at the thought of railing you while his friends gave him pointers from the sidelines, growing hard underneath you. “You’re so hot, baby. So hot and so slutty for me.” He reached down to unbuckle his belt, popping it open, just for your greedy hands to do the rest of the work, eventually pulling his long, veiny cock out. 

Since you’ve been dripping pretty much the entire night, you were confident that you could take your boyfriend’s dick for a ride without needing lube. “You want me to bounce on your big cock, Min?” you asked sweetly, rubbing your soaked cunt back and forth across his dick, hearing him let out a small moan instead of a groaning sound. “Hm? Or do you want to fuck me senseless and make me cum all over your friend’s sheets?” 

“Please, ride my dick, baby…” he murmured, starting to whine from your change of pace, feeling your pussy slipping and sliding all over his sensitive spots, the tip beginning to leak pre-cum. “Pleaseeee, I need it so bad. I need it so fucking bad.” 

"Mmm, I suppose you've had enough, Min." You slid yourself to the tip and lifted it up just enough to begin pushing it inside, whimpering from being stretched out so intensely. Lowering yourself inch by inch, you ran your hands up underneath Mingi's shirt, lifting it up to see the defined softness of his pecs, grabbing and squeezing them.

Mingi arched his back slightly, biting and tugging at his lower lip when you finally bottomed out, the both of you moaning in unison. "Ride me, baby. Come on," he whined impatiently, running his hands over yours, guiding them down along his abs, enjoying the way your warm hands felt on his skin.

"Give me a minute," you replied in a strained voice, taking in a few deep breaths, waiting for the low burning sensation to subside.

Mingi lifted his hand up to press against your lower stomach, feeling the hard outline of his cock. "Baby's so full of me. You're such a good girl for taking my cock like this."

Something inside you switched, encouraging you to begin fucking yourself on his length, moaning, "Yeah, I'm a good girl...such a good girl for you, Min..."

"Yeah, you are," he exhaled, grabbing you by your hips and waiting for each moment you dropped yourself down to thrust himself into your tight hole, your breathy, high-pitched moans like music to his ears. "Fuck, I can feel you throbbing. It's so good, isn't it, doll?"

"So fucking good," you agreed, your lower half already starting to feel heavier, the feeling of getting pounded into by something so large and thick sending you into a state of bliss. "You're gonna make me cum soon..."

Suddenly, the door behind you swung open, and three distinct voices could be heard talking amongst themselves. "So, you're telling me your bong is in that mess on the floor?" Yunho questioned, pointing to the floor, trying to ignore what was going on in the middle of the room, the tips of his ears red and burning.

"Yeah, hold on." San walked into his room like it was just another day and stood near the two of you, giving Mingi a high five when he put his hand out. It must've been a regular occurrence with your boyfriend's previous partners. Personally, you were so dick-drunk, you didn't even care that San was studying the way your tits bounced along with your movements.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt, sweetheart," San said, giving you a suggestive smile, before bending over to pick up a few articles of clothing and throwing them to the side, searching for his bong underneath the chaos.

Mingi continued to drill himself into you, his cock throbbing heavily inside you due to being watched by his friends, opting to grab both of your wrists and hold you down, not letting you escape, forcing you to take everything he was giving you. "Baby likes being watched, huh? Is Baby gonna cum from being a little attention whore?"

"Uh-huhhh..." You kept your eyes locked on his, making small whimpers each time he pounded into you, tears forming inside your eyes from having an audience.

"Goddamn..." San mumbled underneath his breath, already holding his bong inside his hand, but staying still, mesmerized by the way your ass routinely bounced when Mingi’s cock slammed inside of you. Seonghwa and Yunho were in similar situations, leaning on each other and watching the both of you with dilated eyes, wondering how the hell Mingi’s giant cock somehow fit inside your small frame without splitting you open.

"I'm...about to cum, doll." He caressed your cheek, wiping a few escaping tears, before glaring at San. "Get out of here, okay? I didn't mind you watching, but you're not about to see me nut."

Disappointed, San let out a long sigh, making eye contact with you when you glanced over at him with barely open eyes, your orgasm building up inside you at a rapid rate. "Maybe next time I can watch you two cum," he mused, only leaving the room with his friends when Mingi grabbed one of the plushies on the bed and tossed it at San's head.

Mingi, still holding your cheeks, pulled you down on top of him, slotting his lips onto yours, his hips still moving at a feverish, somewhat sloppy pace. "Cumming," he mumbled into your mouth, listening to your many muffled cries, slowly pumping his cum into your abused hole.

You melted against him, your body going completely lax, your cunt pulsing heavily, as your arousal poured out of you and dripped past Mingi's inner thighs, seeping into the comforter beneath. "So good...that was so good..." you slurred, even though you weren't drunk from the alcohol.

"I'm glad Baby likes getting dicked down so much," Mingi mused, his voice low and gravelly, reveling in the post-orgasm bliss, rubbing your back in circles. His hand suddenly went stiff, giving you a concerned look.

You pushed a few wet strands of hair behind your ear, tilting your head to the side. "What's wrong, Min?"

He gave you a small pout, his eyebrows drawn together. "My nose feels kind of stuffy.” 

✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖

FFF: @hwalysm @scuzmunkie @creativechaoticloner @dilucpegg3r @yeosxxx @gemjimin @wonwowzers @sanjoongie @manipulatedstars @k-drizzle 

Apply for the taglist here ⇢ ♡

© toxicccred, 2023.

[samkerrworshipper]

Would you please be able to write something about you getting the call up for the WC and calling Sam afterwards crying. Just lots of fluff xx

Thank you

the phone call | sam kerr x lionesses reader

sorry my lovelies… i’m still yet to leave bed because of this pain flare up

sorry if i’m not interacting with your messages and kind words.. trying to limit my screen time but i promise im seeing them all and it means the world to me

for now you all get some little drabbles that are sitting in my drafts xo

It’s 6pm.

The calls were supposed to start going out at 4 and it’s 6.

You’re paralysed, stuck to your spot on the couch, your feet anxiously tied up in the blanket draped over you as you stare down at your phone, patiently awaiting a call.

It hasn’t been an easy ride to get to this point, almost a year ago you were lying in a hospital bed, unmoving and unsure whether you’d ever walk again, let alone be in contention to play football for your country.

You’ve worked your ass off, tens of hundreds of hours in the gym, rehabbing, working on your strength, all for this call.

You know realistically that the longer you’re left waiting, the longer that your chances are depleting.

Coaches make the easiest calls first, the starting eleven, then their moving bench, players who will still get plenty of time on the pitch, then they move onto the maybe players, players whose skill sets might be needed depending on the team, then it’s onto the emergency players, then it’s the fillers, players that are just kind of on the squad because of courtesy, even though the chances that they will play is next to nothing.

In your mind, you fall into some place between the last two, Sarina doesn’t owe you anything though, the last time you played for her was the Euro’s semi final, when everything went to shit for you and sure, you’ve worked hard since then, but sometimes hard work isn’t always enough, especially in the world of soccer politics.

You sent Sam out of the house to run some errands half an hour ago, insisting you would be fine, but right now you wished you hadn’t, because there is nothing you need more than to be cuddled up in your fiancé’s arms.

She’s been there for you every single step of the way, quite literally being the person who helped you walk your first steps after surgery.

The road has been tough for the both of you, and you know there is nothing Sam wants more than for you to be with her in Australia over the Summer.

If it isn’t meant to be, then it isn’t, you’ll be there anyways on the sidelines supporting her but there is something so much more satisfying about knowing that you might get to be on the pitch beside her.

You don’t know what you’ll do if you are back in the squad, sure you’ve been to the last two camps, but being named in the actual squad is something else, especially for the world cup, it would mean the whole world to you.

Your thoughts are enough to drain out the ping from messages, but the desperate vibration in your hands isn’t.

Your eyes dart down to the screen, bursting open like you’d just consumed a energy drink when Sarina’s name pops up on your screen.

‘If you have a spare minute would love to chat whenever your free.’

You’ve been free since 12pm last night, sleep didn’t come for you, instead you’d sat by the phone, waiting for any kind of notification.

Sam had tried her hardest to pry you away, forcing you to come on a morning run with her, which was extremely abnormal, neither you or Sam where runners, but you assumed it was just your girlfriend trying to make you feel a little bit better.

You typed at your phone like a mad man, unwilling to miss this precious window that seemed to have opened for you, you didn’t even had the chance to actually think about Sarina actually calling you, too busy furiously tapping at the keyboard on your phone.

‘Free to chat whenever suits you’

You didn’t have much time to look at your text, mere seconds after the bubble went blue Sarina’s contact was popping up on your screen.

You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do much more than aggressively tap the green button and watch as the call connected and Sarina’s face popped up on your screen.

“Y/n, good to see you, how’s your day been? I’ve been told there is quite a storm in London today?”

You don’t want to talk about weather, or this as trivial as how your day is going, but you put a smile on for Sarina anyways, a cute little smile that you normally save for press conferences after a particularly bad match or rough game.

“Sarina, it’s an honour as always, I’m doing well thanks, the weather is definitely shocking but we’re used to it, how’s it doing in the Netherlands?”

Sarina smiles at you, and it makes you feel a little bit uneasy, why can’t she just rip the bandaid off.

“It’s nice today, blue skies. How’s Sam? I don’t know if I had the chance to congratulate you on your engagement yet.”

You put on another little smile, trying to act like the nerves growing in your stomach aren’t bubbling up so badly that you feel as if you’re about to vomit.

“Sam’s good, we’re very happy, I’ve sent her out to get groceries which I’m regretting because she hasn’t got a clue what we need.”

Sarina laughs heartily, and it’s almost enough to make you feel a little bit better about the whole situation.

“Well I hope she’ll be happy to know that you’ll be in Australia over the Summer playing for England, if you’d like?”

All thoughts in your brain are cut off when you catch onto what Sarina is saying and then all of a sudden you can feel the tears building up in the back of your eyes.

“You’re serious? You want me in Australia?”

Sarina just laughs once again.

“You were part of our winning Euro’s team y/n, there is nothing I would love more than to welcome you back. You are a crucial part of our defence, especially with Leah missing and there is nothing we need more than your leadership. You’ve been fantastic on the pitch recently, both club and at camp, if you keep performing as you are, I think you’ll be very deserving of taking your place back in the starting eleven, how does that sound?”

You have to put your hand over your mouth to stop yourself from sobbing.

“Thank you so much Sarina, you genuinely don’t know how much this means to me, I’ll prove to you everyday that I deserve to be there and I’ll do whatever I can on and off the pitch to help the team.”

Sarina just smiles to herself.

“I don’t doubt that at all, all I ask is that you try your hardest, I’ll let you go now y/n, have a good couple of weeks, I’ll see you at the airport.”

Before you can embarrass yourself any further, you're wishing Sarina farewell and pressing the red button at the bottom of your screen.

It takes a few seconds for it all to set in for you, the happenings of your phone call slowly sinming into your brain.

It’s when it all sinks in that you realise tears are still dripping down your face, and before you can think about it too hard your searching for Sam’s contact and clicking the call button.

To Sam’s credit, it takes about three seconds before your girlfriends face pops up on your screen.

“I think I might need a shopping list- baby why are you crying?”

Just looking at Sam makes you perk up a little bit, she’s all flustered which you don’t see very often.

“Sarina called, I’m in the squad, she wants me in the squad.”

Just saying it creates a whole other wave of emotions of flowing, and this time you don’t even try to stop the sobs leaving your mouth.

Sam lights up immediately.

“Baby, that is awesome, I’m not surprised at all, I’m leaving the shops now, I’ll be home in five minutes we can talk about it then, hmm?”

You nod eagerly, a big smile breaking out across its face.

“I’m so proud of you babe, you’ve worked so hard for this, I’ll be home in a couple of minutes, okay?”

You just nod at Sam, far to giddy to do much besides jerk your head up and down like a energised puppy.

You weren’t quite sure what the future held for your Summer in Australia, but you that no matter what, no matter the injuries, setbacks, bad games, Sam would be there for you through it all, she’d be there for you, no matter what side of the dug out you were sitting on.

[medusa12346]

Choose a frozen character-YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE-EVERYTHING

I hope you enjoy!

Pile 1-

Pile 1, your future spouse is a very private person per se. They might be your opposite too. They’re very successful and abundant in their career, however, their personal life may be a bit wonky. They’re a very giving and materialistic person, however, they may not be the most caring or affectionate. They probably have an iPhone 11? That was specific lol… They may like dancing and may be into sports of some kind, I’m also seeing balanced energy between themselves, masculine and feminine both, with the masculine coming out stronger than feminine but the feminine leaving a harder impact than the masculine. I’m hearing that they have had an unhealthy cycle in their relationship, and the end of that cycle will be you. They will be holding onto you very tightly. This is a very valuable relationship, seems like they’ll never let you go and are quite possessive of you. Damn this person has a lot to say and to show, literally all of my thoughts are overlapping each other-They’ve broken down a million times and put themselves back together again…okay one thing they may not be big fan of animals though, especially rodents of some kind. They’re very mature, stable and practical, and grounded, which can make them a bit boring or dull sometimes but they’re usually really fun and nice to hang out with even if it’s not too extreme. Your person’s love language is giving time, gifts, effort, and money. I’m getting a lot of Virgo, Taurus, and Capricorn plus a bunch of mutable energy. OKAY OKAY extreme message, their house might have been destroyed in a fire once? Your person is a summer person and loves seeing you in flowy and comfortable dresses.OOH okay, they might be a POC, if you’re black then they might be the same but this applies to anyone who’s a POC! OKAY, so your person may have had a backward ascendance, like they might have been spiritual once but then lost faith? I’m also hearing that its no point in convincing them again tbh, let them be, it’s their journey and the universe is honestly okay with it. Your fs might be really close with your mom in the future or their mom too, but I’m hearing they’ll be close to yours, I don’t think they had a typical family environment. HOWEVER, they have definitely healed from this though, I get so much positive energy from them. They’re pretty confident about themselves and may be working on a major project currently? Most probably financial and material stability. If they’re a girl, they like to wear off-shoulder tops and if a boy then shirtless- if gender-neutral then according to their birth gender I’m hearing. They might like seeing you in boots, high heels, and drunk for some reason? (if you’re a girl) OOh, you will make them the happiest person in the world after agreeing to marry them/being a long-term partner. You two may have kids together if u want. They have a very fair mindset, sometimes a bit too much. Maybe they’re in law as well, and they value truth a lot. Even white lies would hurt more than the cold truth. They have a lot of compassion for the world, and charity seems to be important for them.

Pile 2-

OOOOHHHH yall are soulmates no cap. However, you may ignore your future spouse for the first time. They may be a player, and you might think they’re playing you the first time they ask you out or something. GURL, I UNDERSTAND NO WORRIES. There’s gonna be a whole lotta passion here, I also see new beginnings so you may be leaving something, a relationship may be, (friendship too) and going into this relationship. They CAN be a bit emotionally mature and sometimes a bit less understanding with a heavy demeanor, but in the end, they pepper you with kisses and cuddles, and hugs. I’m seeing in their previous relationships, they used to act tough with their sp when their friends were present, but with you, they are cuddly and baby even with their friends, oh and btw they probably got new friends LMAO-I get that they think you’re very smart, logical, practical, emotionally detached and commanding, and they absolutely love it, they go crazy for you HSDHSHSJSJSJ. HOLY JESUS SO MANY HIGHLIGHTS OF YOU TWO BEING TWINFLAMES/SOULMATES-ERNFJRJERF. UM basically, they’re also financially stable and love kids and pets. I don’t think they were born with a silver spoon, they worked hard for it and got it in the end. I’m getting major ‘daddy’ vibes from them SJSJSJ so maybe they’re a lot older than you? You’ll also be ending some sort of cycle with his person, like maybe negative thinking, anxiety and all of that will go to trash. You’ll also let go of some de@d family members, that you couldn’t ever let go of? BOIIII THEY HAVE CONQUERED all the challenges life has to throw at them, theyre one tough cookie.They will be majorly in business or in managing, i dont see a very ‘artistic’ person ig? But theyre very romantic, so they’ll probably try to be romantic. I’m seeing different people a lot, so maybe they change their appearance quite a bit, like dying their hair and putting on fake nose rings? I’m seeing you’ll gain a lot of confidence in this relationship, and also get more connected to nature and to earth. ALSO, YOU’LL START GETTING OUT OF BED SOON some of them could wear a turban or tie their hair up in that kind of way after showering? Specific NDNDJD.I’m seeing you two will majorly be the cool aunt and uncle, i don’t see you have kids if you don’t want to, but there are more chances of you two having nieces rather than your own kids. Your person could be Saturn dominant, and they always have instant karma either out to get them or to protect them.

PILE 3-

Your person is trapped in a difficult situation for now, and they have to be careful with what they do, and speak. They have a bucketload of work that’s been stressing them out, plus people are annoying the f out of them LMAO- they might be going through their first spiritual awakening? And they’ve become a bit immature during the process, but will come out better than ever after it. Oooh yeah, they've been going through it right now. Maybe they just swerved their way out of something (relationship maybe), and they recently might have lost a friend.For their personality, they’re definitely very sweet and creative and artistic, they love to experiment with colors and can be childish when they want to, but after this awakening, they’ll be a lot more mature and elegant in the way that they express themselves. Also, the crown chakra may or may not be important to them, maybe they’re focusing on rebalancing it after their work. They have messed up quite a few times this year, and they are working on moving past that shame and regret and guilt. I’m also seeing that blue may be important to them? As well as cars. They’re romantic too, and they set up the mood before asking you out on a date, possibly a Leo venus. They might also have been physically hurt once or more than that? There’s a need of going to the hospital a lot..mAYBE THEY’RE A DOCTOR? Oh, of they are, they work with infectious diseases and have to be really careful. I also see a toxic workplace, maybe their boss is really annoying and coworkers are not willing to compromise so everything is just wrong right now. They probably like traveling tho. They may have mars in 3rd and love debates. This person is really secretive I’m not getting anything here-AS for appearance, they could wear glasses, dye their hair grey, and have tanned skin. They also probably were impulsive once and that made them have a lot of anxiety but in the end, they got through it all. You could meet them through friends and online, but I’m also seeing a very dramatic meeting where y'all are MOVIE STARS OR SOMETHING. Sorry for it being shorter than the other piles, but i took half of the deck out and the majority of it gets vibes of renewal, toxicity, and hurt.

This is an old post. It is mine.

All coprights reserved to @amoretarot

[aetherhollowarchive]

Related to this: "For the ending, I am honestly not entire sure how much I want the MC to even realize the consequences of going home before the fact. The way I initially pictured it was for them to not know until they are already home or "on their way" there"

While I'm all for the "going back to their homeworld" being a "bad ending", I think it would be good to give players either a warning that'd be a bit clearer than just some foreboding signs, or maybe the opportunity for the MC to realize something is very wrong literally on the way there and the ability to turn back at the last second when they realize something is wrong (possibly hanging on some choices or stat checks or what not).

Players who hang out on this blog obviously know about this being a bad ending, but we should never forget a lot of players simply play games on Steam or itch without interacting with the authors at all, and I feel like having the very real possibility of a "go back home" ending presented during the entire story only for it to be inevitably disastrous could leave a very bad taste of the entire story for the players who actually chose that path unknowingly.

Of course, you can decide to go through with it for shock value, but I'm trying to imagine the other way around - if staying in the new world was the disastrous ending. And I'd be literally crushed if I had the certainty the game would allow me to chose so during it's entire course, only for it to be a bad ending in the end and me being stuck in it. It'd be way worse than simply not being able to stay in that world for me. So I think it's sort of true for the players who prefer it the other way around. So some clear in-game warnings (as in, clearly presented in the story) or the ability for a last second change of heart even when the process started, as soon as MC realizes something is wrong, would really be nice I think?

PS: ultimately it's your choice, and it won't even affect my playthrough! I'm just sharing my thoughts from a narrative pov here!

Hmm I can see your point🤔 I'm a bit torn by it though, at least for now 😂

I am a fan of consequences and assuming your choices till the end in fiction and I think I was going a bit for the shock value and the whole 'you've made your bed, now lie in it'. And I think part of me also can't see why people would read a romance story with an expiration date. Because it will be clear that the ROs can't follow MC. I suppose it could be just a "summer fling" in a steampunk world on the brink of societal collapse 🤣 The option that makes the most sense, in game, would be for a last minute change of heart, but even then, I don't think I want to clearly show what would have happened if MC went through with it. I can make it clear it's not a... particularly great option. But it can also not be a bad option, depending on the MC... I'll also have to go back to check what exactly I've said in the intro post, because MC will have no certainty it's possible to go home until the very last minute 😅It's all a hypothetical 'if you get as much aether as OG Sov, you might be able to', but never an 100% possibility as the only person who knew the how's and if's is dead. But yeah, I will give it a bit more thought and add more clarity to it in game. Fist part of the story doesn't touch much on the going home part, as in there will not be a clear lead to it, so it's still a bit until then.

Thank for the feedback! I really appreciate it 💕

[caterpillarinacave]

I love Charlotte and Henry and they're super underrated. And I would VERY MUCH like to hear the headcanons whirring about in your brain.

Oh well buckle up cause literally all I think about is head cannons. Like, you know how cells replace themselves every few years? Mine have replaced themselves with head cannons. *Sorry it took me a hot moment to answer this ask, I was busy howling into my pillow whenever I tried to articulate thoughts.*

First of all, they’re very cuddly. They basically sleep on top of each other (Charlotte hasn’t needed a pillow in decades). Henry cant sleep well without Charlotte in his arms and Charlotte can’t sleep well anywhere other than Henry’s arms so it works out. Plus, they both do that thing where they jerk awake like the world is ending and scare the shit out of each other, so sleeping in a hug that basically pins them both down saves some energy at 2am. Henry’s perpetually cold and sleeps under like, four blankets, so Charlotte just wears summer nightgowns all year and wraps herself around Henry like a koala.

Naturally there’s an angsty side to the incessant cuddling because that’s just the way I role.

Charlotte sleeps with her head on Henry’s chest so she can always feel him breathing because, by the angel, she remembers when he wasn’t. She sleeps with a hand on his pulse point because she wakes up in the middle of the night and she’s still half asleep they might as well be on the floor in that mountain and she might as well still be desperately swearing she didn’t imagine his heartbeat.

While on the topic of soul crushing feelings of guilt, y’all remember from Clockwork Angel that Henry was the one who told Mortmain what a Pyxis was? And he wanted Charlotte to tell the clave that and she wouldn’t because “they already treat him so badly”? Because I do. And so does Henry.

(I’ve got a whole WIP that I love very dearly about this head cannon and this chess game hehe) There’s one random old tutor who goes to the London institute once a month-ish, basically to hand out a few weeks of homework to any shadow hunters who don’t have their own tutors. Most shadow hunters who live in a more rural area show up a few times a year so the clave knows they’re alive and at least somewhat literate. Charlotte attends them every month since, you know, she lives there, but Henry lives somewhere around Yorkshire so he shows up every few months. The professor is kind of a dick ngl. He doesn’t help Charlotte with any school why would a woman need to be so well educated? “Go on find a husband and stop worrying you’re pretty little head” sort of shit. Henry drives him insane because he’s a) some random kid who’s smarter than him and b) didn’t use any of the professors materials to get that smart. Professor Douche is constantly trying to get him to be wrong about something, or at least flustered about something and he doesnt ever do either of those things, and even more aggravating he refuses to get upset. (He honestly just assumed the professor wasn’t that smart.)

Charlotte’s a really good student of course, but she’s having a shit time with some mathematics and the professor absolutely refuses to help her with it. Eventually she asks Henry if he wouldn’t mind helping her with it, which he’s happy to do (once he figures out that’s what shes actually asking lol.)

Charlotte is incredibly distracted the entire time by Henry’s freckles (and eyes. And hands. And the way his hair curls on the nape of his neck. And the spots of gold and green in his hazel eyes that flashed as bright as the sun when the light catches them. And-), but they get through it in an hour or two which leaves them alone in a deserted wing of the institute. They end up playing a game chess. Charlottes a decent player and thought since Henry had never showed any interest in chess it would be a probably be an evenly matched game. She didn’t know what hit her. He beat her in like, eight minutes, eighty percent of which were spent on the last two moves by Charlotte who, upon realizing she was fucked, spent five minutes staring at the board trying to figure out when he even started beating her. She was sitting there having a whole crisis, (she’d been distracted by a man who probably doesn’t like her, and certainly doesn’t think much of her now after a pathetic loss like that and now she’ll have to sit hear and wallow in failure-) just preparing for him to start that whole smug gloating thing men do when they win and Henry you know. Didn’t. He just put the pieces away and thanked her for the game, in that very genuine way, with the gloomy London evening light casting a depressing shadow across the room, a shadow that he stood out against all gentle, kind, bright and brimming with a sort of barely contained passion. If Charlotte had ever doubted that shadow hunters had come from straight angels then sitting there, looking at a boy stained in soot, who she loved more than anything else to walk the earth, she would never doubt it again.

(It wasn’t until after Henry won and noticed Charlotte hadn’t said anything in a while that he remember people don’t like losing. Honestly he was playing just to be around her and he would have thrown the game if he could conceptualize how to do that on the fly. They spent like five minutes in autistic silence waiting for the other to stand up and declare newfound hatred.)

In true British fashion the a modern tea bag would kill them both.

When they were both 13 or 14 Charlotte mentioned she was dreading winter because it’s so bleak and dark (and her mom had died a few winters before, though she didn’t drop that in casual conversation). Anyways, come winter Henry brought her a marigold preserved in something like resin. She kept it in her jewelry box for years and after they got married she found out he had literally dozens of them. Whenever he came across a particularly bright flower he preserved it and set it aside. He was never quite brave enough to give them to her pre-TID, but he now leaves them for her when she’s particularly sad or stressed. She keeps them all in a drawer- they fit together like little tiles, and still look as fresh as they would had they just been plucked from the ground.

Somewhat surprisingly Henry doesn’t really lose stuff, with the singular exception being his own medical equipment. He’s lost the leg braces he wears every single day of his life before. Charlotte’s not usually speechless but she wasn’t sure what to say to that one.

Henry gave Charlotte a watch with a hands and numbers that can glow the same way a modern day one would. It’s absolutely beautiful, durable and accurate, even if Henry set himself on fire at least four times making it. (They can say with confidence that that watch is fireproof)

—-

Honestly, I could go on and on, then on some more, but technically I’m supposed to be writing a paper on gut micro biomes that’s due tomorrow, so I figured I’d cut myself of. In conclusion, I love them dearly, they love each-other dearly, they deserve the world, all I can think about is them, and the world can pry them out of my cold dead hands.

[charlotte-of-wales]

to change the topic… do u think Christian and Mason should transfer to new teams this summer? I feel like they’re both in need of change ASAP. but then u get articles saying the new coaches see them both as important players for chelsea and it’s like… well I don’t *want* to see them leave so?? very conflicted lol! would love your thoughts

okayyyyyy that's a tough one lol

Chelsea is obviously in a really weird place right now (like.....literally went from winning the Champion's League to facing relegation) with all the managers coming and going and Boehly's bs and all the money they're dropping on transfers that frankly don't even seem to fit the team well. So if they don't get it together it might be for the best for them to leave. A lot of people talk about loyalty in football but these players only get so much playing time before getting old and having to retire so might as well make the best out of it in a club that isn't facing so many issues.

Mason's case is tricky since he's been with the club since he was a child but I do see him staying at Chelsea. I do wish their fanbase treated him better because the amount of online abuse he receives is horrible. I feel like he's bound to get playing time as long as he's healthy no matter the manager because he's the poster boy for Chelsea right now so he'll be fine. Playing for a club going through a horrible patch and getting blamed for all the crap that happens at Chelsea every week and hated for getting x amount of money when transfers are getting a lot more, but he'll be fine lol

I wish Christian would stay at Chelsea for purely selfish reasons but if he's not getting playing time with their new manager (whoever it may be) then might as well go somewhere where he'll be appreciated. I'll be the first one to admit that my hubby #2 has bad days but when he has good days he has GOOD days.

In conclusion to this essay that I'm sorry you're having to read but honestly I could rant about this for days, I think Mason is staying but Chris is leaving. I think it would be good if they both left but also Chelsea has been so unpredictable so who knows what they'll look like next year. so maybe it would be bad if they left? LOL Idk, all I know is that I'm SCARED for the summer transfer window. (and I hope Chris stays in the prem)

[swaggypsyduck]

Yall I’m new to stanning football. I came here straight from the world cup and I’m not gonna lie this shit is beating my ass. Is it always in the mud like this? I chose psg because that seems like the best option because they got messi, neymar, and mbappe who are literally the three players that caught my attention during the tournament! Yall I really thought this was going to be fun. 😭 What’s going on? Why does everything feel so confused and chaotic (not in a good energetic way, more like headless chicken running kind of way) but also weirdly sluggish and slow? Yall I don’t understandddddddd. It’s like the team has four different personalities all at once? It’s so… unpleasing to watch yall it was not like this during the world cup. 😭

I hope they get better. But I’ve been reading the psg girlies on tumble and … it seems like nobody has hope it’s going to get better? I mean surely it will? Right? I feel like everybody has given up on the season and I’m scared. 😭 I hope Kylian feels better soon. I was thinking maybe we can do trades with other teams but apparently business hours is already closed and will next open in the summer? The fuck? But we dont got anyone? And almost everyone is dropping like flies? What happens if the big guy on the fishnet gets a flue or just gets sick in general? We just dont get anyone?

Also the coach looks like he should be in a martin scorsese film with robert de niro and joe pesci. The fuck is he doing on the pitch tho?

We need to bounce back QUICK! We need positive vibes! Energy! We need God to be honest but I feel like I’ve spent all my credit with him praying for Messi to win the world cup. My account with God is all maxed out. Yall. I cant sleep until I figure this shit out. Somebody do something!

Do we have a secret weapon? Like what is the plan here? What is plan b? Oh my goddddd. This parasocial relationship is with these players really do beating my ass. I’m out here worried for them!

hi anon! wow this is a doozy. ill try to break down my response but idk if it'll do ur rant justice LOL

1) Welcome newcomer! as u may have seen in the world cup, if there's one thing someone should tell u before u enter the football world is that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is guaranteed. you could have the strongest defense, the best goalie, gamemaster midfielders, and strikers w amazing finishes and you'll still lose to an underdog team who has better teamwork and chemistry. or just one player decides "uk what? imma earn my paycheck today" and demolishes the other team.

2) psg is a joke. ill tell u right now. lose any and all expectations. we clown on them bc even if they played shit before but at least they were winning. now they're playing shit and LOSING! and thats the problem we have. the 4 personalities at once thing is absolutely correct. you have 3 well seasoned forwards who are used to being the "it" strikers of their team. on top of that we have NO MIDFIELD AND A SHIT MANAGER WHO CANT GET A TACTIC OUT OF HIS ASS EVEN IF I SHOVED IT IN THERE MYSELF!!!... sorry i lost it a bit there lol.

3) as yes transfer window closing. see that's also Galtier and that fuckin toad incharge of players who DIDN'T MAKE A TRANSFER UNTIL LAST MINUTE AND LET CHELSEA FUCK THEM OVER. and sorry to burst ur bubble but there's a chance key players might leave/retire by that summer so lets hope they promise them to bring in an actual proper midfield by then.

4) So another thing to consider if one of the reasons u chose psg was for messi... i wouldnt. This isn't his club. this is his retirement club. ramos too actually. they've finished their careers. they actually have absolutely nothing to lose LOL. messi's heart will always be in barcelona. as in he literally knows nothing else except barça

5) injuries suck. but they are a part of the game. if u play any contact sport u know the feeling. even non-contcact sports there r still big injuries. everyone is hoping kylian gets better soon. he needs all the rest he can get 🤲🏼.

6) Our secret weapon? BHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! prayers i guess. nah im kidding. but there really isn't any secret weapon unless u count galtier deciding to pick up a tactic book? or leaving and getting replaced by pep or zidane. to use ur weapon analogy we have a dented shield that still works (defense) and a bunch of bullets (forwards) but no gun (midfield) to load them.

7) ik u were joking about that last part but the parasocial relationship?? do ur absolute best to minimize it. like as someone who's been watching the beautiful game since i was a kid its okay and fun to joke about it and worry/send love to ur faves but u have to remember: those are grown ass men getting payed hundreds of millions to kick a ball around while those in their cities that pay to watch them are in heating/housing crisis. so when we eat the rich ill be cutting them up w tears uk?

hope this helped LOL.

[ihave0hearts4me]

You Cannot Possibly Believe I Can Live in These Conditions

You cannot possibly believe i can live in these conditions 

its hot and humid 

global warming is melting ice caps and releasing deadly mosquito viruses 

or some shit like that 

right now im feeling hot and bothered, 

and not in the good way 

i just wanna rip my shirt off and walk around in a bra 

well, everyone did just walk around in leaves back a few centuries ago, 

hell, women didn’t even cover their tits, 

they just hung freely 

This weather, 

Its suffocate 

I can barely even feel myself walking 

My head hurts, 

I literally feel like im gonna throw up 

I have to get out of this heat, 

Its too much 

I miss winter 

You cannot possibly believe i can live in these conditions 

The winters here are getting worse by the years 

I can practically smell the snow coming towards my “coastal” Heart Of Dixie town 

Im half asleep when my father burst in my room 

Wait what did i hear him say? 

The powers gone out? 

That literally never happens during winter 

It only happens during hurricane season 

This is so bullshit

My mother is always yelling for me to put on all those jackets 

She doesn’t understand that my outfit’ll look chunky if i put all if them on 

We make a fair deal, 

An undershirt, a long sleeve, a cardigan, 

some black pants with shorts underneath, 

and a winter chaleco for good measure 

That seems to satisfy her and myself 

I cant wait for summer, 

Shorts and tees everyday 

No chunky layers 

You cannot possibly believe i can live in these conditions 

Its settled, 

Im dying 

The impending doom that is summer 

Its here back again to kill us all  

It might as well 

Am i going to sound crazy if i say that the literal fucking heat is pissing me off? 

Because just being in it makes me hate everyone im with in the moment 

This human emotion called greed is never satisfied, it always wants something 

Midas doesn’t even compare to us here in 2023,

We want this we need that 

It’s getting so boring in my room 

I feel as tho this isolation is not fixing my problems 

God i cannot wait for school to start and i get to see all my friends and “be myself” 

You cannot possibly believe i can live in these conditions 

Ah yes, another thing ruined by humanity itself again 

Cant even go to fuck school without a bitch worrying she might die, 

And i thought my crushes knowing they’re codename was bad 

Its fine, 

I have a perfectly planned escape route for every classroom, 

But honestly, 

Who the hell thinks to do that kind of shit 

I mean i guess if it was just they’re bullies but, 

Innocent people, 

thats where the fuck i draw the line

And the violence in general in this world 

A man running over people of his own race, 

His own blood basically, 

Those dudes literally looked just like him

I mean, I get a humans thirst for blood, 

For fun, 

For gore, 

For crime, 

For rebelling, 

For attention, 

For vengeance, 

Im human after all, 

And really thats all violence is, 

Its a human quality  

Sometimes i think, 

I think this is all a play 

And we’re just players in a game, 

Just entertainment for a hierarchy to enjoy 

This is just a sick,sick game 

And when our life gets boring or they just want a show with a cliffhanger, 

Thats when it all ends, 

And that when we get reincarnated, 

Its just us getting a cameo in someone elses life 

Life, 

Aha, thats a funny word 

Life, 

Life, 

Life,

Life, 

You cannot possibly believe i can live in these conditions 

These horrible, horrible conditions 

Why i plead, 

Why? 

[taiblogcomics]

Fever Pitch

Hey there, empty threats. We're past the halfway point, but not done yet. The perspective has shifted in this werewolf story, and it's getting really interesting now~

Here's the cover:

Oh, if you thought last issue had a cutie wolf on it, take a look at this one. The wolfs have lost their glowy white eyes, which definitely makes them look more sympathetic. Blake, you're a goddamn hero here, and we love your energy, but I think the wolves have a better chance of protecting you than you do them. Like, look at the claws on the one clinging to your arm there! Meanwhile, great symbolism by having the antagonists be literally faceless goons. Excellent cover all around~

Well, the cover pretty much catches you up, doesn't it? Blake, in Fever Swamp for the summer, learned about werewolves, which her new friend Cara is one. Her other friend and rival MMO leaderboard placer, Lily, meanwhile, is part of a family of monster hunters. Blake opts to side with the wolves, which is good for her, as a bunch of hunter assholes have tracked them to the Burrow where they live. They don't have a plan for this, which seems a little shortsighted. This is their home, you plan how to defend that first, am I right?

Anyways, they're here, and Cara is fretting a bit. The whole plan has been to scare folks away so they don't go deeper. Now she worries they might've overdone it, since it's only emboldened the hunters that there is something in the swamps to hunt. Blake wonders how Lily fits into this. Was Cara just using her for hunter info? Cara admits that's how it started, but she thinks Lily isn't like her folks. She genuinely considers Lily a friend, and when the chips are down, she hopes Lily will reciprocate. For her sake, I hope she's right~

Cara's cousin, Toby, tells Cara to take Blake home while she can, since Cara's still injured and the hunters aren't after Blake. Neither wants to leave, however, and resolve to stick around and help however they can. And while Blake might just be a human, she's also one of the best Lore Hunter players on the 'net. So, if they make a plan and actually try a bit of stealth instead of charging in, they should be able to win. Blake says this advice comes from her friend Eden, since Blake is much more of a "charge in and attack" player in games. Once more, really relatable protagonist~

Blake takes one of the wolf pelts off the wall to wrap herself in as a disguise. Seems a bit odd the wolves would have these, since they can change forms at will, they're not running on Werewolf Skin rules. That's a completely different Goosebumps book! She also dials up a wolf howl as a sound effect on her smartphone, which is really lucky she just has that ready to go. Is that one of the default alert sounds? Why doesn't mine have that one~? Maybe she records it from outside, but it's a bit unclear (and not as funny).

As they run outside under the cover of wolf pelt, they pass by some of the hunters herding the wolves into standalone cages. Like, how did they get these out here? Are they light enough to carry? They don't seem to have any trucks or anything, and you'd think a cage big enough to hold a person would be kind of heavy. Or, if light enough, would be too flimsy to hold a werewolf. Cara also posits a "maybe humans are the real monsters" aesop, which I at least am a little more accepting than in a zombie narrative. At least the werewolves are actually victims here~

Blake's plan is pretty simple, though. By layering the sound on her phone, she can sound like more than one at once. She also won't be affected by the silver spray (unless it gets her in the face, I guess), so she can act as a lure to pull a big group away. This wil let Cara open the cages discretely and save her family. Basic draw-aggro tactics, she is an MMO player. And the tactic does work. The hunters have no plan for someone as maneuverable and immune to silver as Blake. At least, until Blake runs face-first into someone who recognises her: Lily.

I really like this issue. Blake’s a great character. She learns werewolves are both A) real, and 2) just people too, and she’s willing to throw herself in danger to help them mere minutes after learning these things. Too often, you get the vicious side of werewolves, with maybe a bit of “they’re innocent 28 days of the month, but now they’re monsters”. Werewolves are complicated monsters who spend most of their time as human, and I appreciate the more nuanced look at them here. It’s why I don’t mind the “humans are the real monsters” concept here. Because yeah, they actually are here. Cara specifically mentions the wolves only hunt wildlife and avoid attacking humans. And even on the villain side, I appreciate that they’re using more clever weapons like silver spray and nets rather than guns. It’s probably because it’s a comic for kids, but it also portrays them as at least thinking more clearly about their targets.

Next week: the finale! Will Lily be friend or foe? You’ll just have to tune in to find out~

[dollypartonswig]

every book i’ve read in 2022

Fiction

House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland - 3 sisters disappeared when they were children and reappeared a month later ~changed~

⭐️⭐️ - I think the idea of it was really good but not executed as well as it could of been

——————

This Time Next Year - Sophie Cousens - Quinn and Minnie are born on New Year's Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart. Their lives may begin together, but their worlds could not be more different. Thirty years later they find themselves together again.

⭐️⭐️- The main character is literally called Minnie Cooper. Nothing about this book stood out to me

——————

Great Circle - Maggie Shipstead - 2 parallel narratives, one about the disappeared 20th century aviator, Marian Graves, and the other about a 21st century actress who is starring in a film about Marian

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I loved this book so much. I 100% recommend it

——————

Icebreaker - Hannah Grace - Anastasia, a figure skater, and Nate, an ice hockey player end up needing to share an ice rink after an accident

⭐️ - do not even look at this book if you’re under 18. The antagonist in this was just so comically bad and all the other characters are just *too* nice and try hard likeable

——————

Final Girls - Riley Sager - Quincy, Sam and Lisa all survived massacres and became what the media dubbed final girls. Lisa is found dead in her house and Sam ends up on Quincy’s doorstep, what really happened to Quincy 10 years ago and what is Sam hiding?

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - i didn’t like the ending of this

———————

What Might Have Been - Holly Miller - This shows the two different paths Lucy could take, in one she decides to move to London and revive her career and in the other she stays in her home town to become an author

⭐️⭐️ - this just didn’t stand out to me and I thought the London love interest was the absolute worst

———————-

The Reading List - Sara Nisha Adams - Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley after losing his wife. Aleisha is working in the local library for the summer when she discovers a note with a list of books on it impulsively she decides to read every book on the list. When Mukesh arrives at the library trying to find a connection with his bookish granddaughter Aleisha passes the list onto him

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I LOVED this book so much, my favourite read of the year

——————

The Cuckoo’s Calling - Robert Galbraith - Struggling private detective Comoran Strike is asked to look over a models death after her brother reveals he doesn’t think it was a suicide

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Points off because Strike is described as ugly and having pube like hair but three (3) beautiful women all want to sleep with him? Unrealistic

———————

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood - Olive hatches a scheme with grumpy professor Adam to pretend to date so her friend Anh will date Olives ex Jeremy and so that the school won’t think Adam is leaving and they’ll release his frozen funds

⭐️ - I paid 99p for this, it is literally published reylo fanfic

———————

The Whistling - Rebecca Netley - Elspeth arrives on a remote Scottish island to become a nanny to a young girl who hasn’t spoken in months. The girls silence is not the only mystery on the island. What happened to the girls twin brother and the last nanny? Is the whistling heard at night just the sea or is there something out there?

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - average book average score

———————-

Book Lovers - Emily Henry - Cut throat literary agent Nora agrees to go to Sunshine Falls with her sister Libby to complete a check list of small town tasks but while there she meets a familiar face from the city.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I really liked this book, a good twist on the small town romance genre.

————————

The Pact - Sharon Bolton - six friends are looking forward to their futures, until a daredevil game goes horribly wrong, and a woman and two children are killed. 18-year-old Megan takes the blame, leaving the others free to get on with their lives.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - kind of slow paced. Megan deserved to be more evil

—————————

The Flatshare - Beth O’Leary - Tiffy needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they're crazy, but it's the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy's at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

⭐️⭐️ - Kind of cliche and predictable. Does not live up to the hype in my opinion

—————————

Six Stories - Matt Wesolowski - Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the murder of a teenager at an outward bound centre

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - This is like a true crime podcast but a book, very interesting. I felt the twist at the end was a bit silly

—————————

The Jackman and Evans series - Joy Ellis

⭐️⭐️ - I think these books are really bad but I am obsessed with them because of how stupid they are

————————

Non fiction and short stories

The mystery of the exploding teeth - Thomas Morris

⭐️⭐️⭐️

————

The vanishing triangle: the murdered women Ireland forgot - Claire McGowan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

————

Post mortems - Carla Valentine

⭐️⭐️⭐️

————

A sincere warning about the entity in your home - Jason Arnopp

⭐️

————

Taken over by something evil from the TV set: a history of Britain’s video nasties controversy and other scary journalism - Jason Arnopp

⭐️⭐️

————

Down among the dead men - Michelle Williams

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

————

[vcnatorr]

Sunday, November 13th ~~ Crackship AU

You’re just too good to be true

Pairing: Cheralynne “Hera” Alexander/William C. Clayton Tags: 5k, unbeta’d, enemies to lovers, college au, 10 things I hate about you reference, what’s the opposite of a slowburn?, Tristan Is A Dick, Clayton is also a dick but he has a redemption arc, idiots in love, drinking/alcohol, also mentions of vomit you have been warned

Authors note: I was gonna wait til the 13th to post this but it has eaten away at my brain all day so here it is. Know that I hate the crackship with a passion that burns so intensely it could perfectly toast a marshmallow. Also I haven’t read this back so any spelling/grammar/continuity errors are between you and this post bc I haven’t look for them :)

"There's absolutely no way."

"I could. I could do it - 100 pounds sterling says I could do it."

Clayton arched his eyebrows, smiling wide. Cocky, as he had a tendency to be. This time, though, he really did think he could do it.

"I heard she bit the last guy who asked her out." Tristan pointed out, looking at Clayton as though his idea was sheer lunacy. "He has a scar! I've seen it!"

"Well, more fool him for putting his arm where her teeth could find it." Clayton shrugged. He would not be so stupid. If anyone could take Hera Alexander to the Summer Ball, it was him, and he was going to do it.

"£100." He reiterated.

"You're on." Tristan nodded. "Gives me a little spending money for summer break."

Clayton chuckled, pushing up from his seat at the edge of the campus café. Hera had been sitting at a table on the opposite side of the courtyard for some time now, typing away at her laptop and periodically chewing on her lip. She was alone, but that was nothing new. She was always alone.

From what Clayton could glean, Hera had no friends, and no desire to make any either. She had been pretty popular in first and second year, to his recollection. She'd had some rugby player boyfriend, and had gone around with the rest of the rugby WAGs, but then she'd come back for third year and everything had changed. She was aloof, and standoffish, and apparently prone to violence.

They were almost at the end of the year now and things had yet to change. But whoever she'd been in first year had to still be in there somewhere, and Clayton was going to get it out of her. Though an extra hundred quid in his pocket would be nice, the satisfaction of being right would be even sweeter.

Sitting down at the seat opposite hers, Clayton smiled. "Hera - sorry, are you working on the British History essay?"

She looked up, holding his gaze for a solid five seconds before she looked down at her laptop again. "I'm not doing yours for you, before you ask."

"Oh, I wasn't gonna ask that - I'm a firm believer in hard work." He lied, giving her a crooked smile. "Actually I was just going to ask for your help - three years in and I still have the essay skills of a toddler--"

"So go and speak to one of the professors." Hera said, without looking up. "It's quite literally their job."

Clayton nodded slowly. This was going to be more difficult than he thought, perhaps. But he wasn't put off - he liked a challenge. "Right, of course - I'll do that." He wouldn't, but for an immediate change of topic-- "Are you going to Simba's house party this weekend?"

Silence; Hera's fingers hovered over the keyboard of her laptop for a beat, two, three, before they resumed again. "Why do you care?"

"When did I ever give you reason to think I didn't care?"

The typing stopped again. Hera gave him a look that might have sent lesser men running for the hills. "Nobody cares whether or not I'm at a party, Clayton." She looked down at her laptop again, shaking her head. "Are you done?"

"I'll leave you too it." He told her, like she hadn't basically told him to leave. "Hope to see you there on saturday."

Hera didn't look up at him again, nor did her typing stop, but Clayton was sure he could feel her eyes on his back as he went back to his table, the weight of her gaze heavy on him as he grabbed his bag.

"That looked like it went well." Tristan commented. Clayton thought about wiping the shit-eating grin right off his face, but he wouldn't. He would let him think whatever he wanted to think for now; it would make his victory at summer ball so much sweeter.

"Just you wait," Clayton told him, beginning to move away from the table to his afternoon class. "And be prepared to pay up."

~*~

Clayton had no idea what kind of sound system Simba had but it was enough to vibrate the walls, the floor, even his ribs as he pushed his way through the house. The house was packed with bodies, people hugging the walls and shouting into each other's ears to be heard over the pulsing music, others making impromptu dancefloors, barely able to move for how many people were there. Now technically Clayton was here on a mission: find Hera, if she was here, and convince her that human companionship wasn't as dreadful as she seemed to think it was. Alternatively, if she wasn't there, find someone who had Hera's number and get it from them, so he could text her telling her how missed she was.

But this was a party. Which meant he didn't want to rush himself. He might as well take the time to enjoy himself first, right? He thought that was only fair. He wasn't going to drink - he wanted to be clear-headed for talking to Hera so he didn't put his foot in it - but he at least allowed himself a few hours of time with his friends, a little careful flirting, a bit of a dance, before he started looking for Hera. He saw a flash of crimson hair pushing bodily through the crowd, before disappearing off into the kitchen.

Clayton gave a mock-salute to his friends and followed the path Hera had taken.

She had her back to him, and he was not even remotely surprised to find that she hadn't made any kind of effort to get dressed up. Non-descript jeans and a plain, long-sleeved purple shirt, which she was presumably sweating in, because with all the bodies inside the house it was practically sub-tropical. Clayton set his cup down on the countertop loud enough to alert her to his presence, but Hera didn't turn around. Instead, he watched her pour herself a drink that might as well have been all spirit and no mixer, before tipping her head back to take a gulp.

"You know, I think if you served that to someone else it would be attempted murder." Clayton commented, wondering if Hera would turn around to look at him.

She did, head jerking to the side, her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a party." Clayton shrugged. "Anyone's invited. At least, as far as I'm aware."

"No," Hera shook her head, and Clayton saw the grip on her cup tightening, her fingertips turning white with it. "What are you doing in here?"

Clayton looked at her, the picture of innocence. Or at least, that was what he hoped he looked like. "Like I said - it's a party. I came to get a drink." That seemed to irritate her even more, so Clayton cleared his throat. He could see the red rim around her eyes, the flush in her face that could just be the alcohol but could realistically be anger, or upset. There was definitely something wrong. Had her voice seemed shakey, or was he just imagining it? "And I... saw you come in here. You seemed-- I don't know. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine." She grit out, taking another drink from the cup in her hand, causing her face to twist. "Why wouldn't I be fine? My ex-boyfriend and my ex-best friend are making out next to Simba's pool. That's fine."

This was a turn up for the books: Hera Alexander had feelings. She had done her best over the last nine months or so to make it seem like the opposite was true, but there she was, a shine in her eyes as she finished her drink and reached for another one. Clayton stood from where he had been leaning against the counter, coming to stand behind her, taking a gentle hold of her wrist to stop her from reaching for the bottle again. This close he could smell her perfume, feel the warmth radiating off her body.

"You're better than the both of them - you know that, don't you?" He asked, his head tilting to the side so that he could see her face.

Her lower lip wobbled. She swayed for a moment on her feet before she yanked her hand away, turning on her feet and storming out of the kitchen. Clayton could've gone after, but he thought he'd better let her go, at least for now. If he pushed too hard he could quite easily push her the wrong way, and he was never going to win the bet that way.

He didn't exactly forget about Hera, but time did get away from him a little bit. It was until an hour later, midnight coming and going, when he heard shouts from a very concerned partygoer-- "Get her outside, oh fuck-- she's gonna barf, one hundred percent, move it!"

Clayton looked over towards the sound of the noise; he didn't recognise the kid with his arm around Hera's waist, but she certainly didn't look good. Her face was flushed, and she stumbled over her feet as she was herded towards the front door. Clayton didn't  bother bidding goodbye to his friends; he just hurried towards the front door, stepping out into the cool night air.

"Yup, that's it," The kid was saying, patting Hera's back as she puked into the flowerbeds by Siba's front porch. "Get it all out."

"I've got it from here," Clayton said, smiling at the kid as he rested a hand on Hera's arm, keeping her from falling over into a rose bush. "You go back in, enjoy the party."

The kid didn't need too much persuading - he scurried back into the house, leaving Clayton to try and hold Hera's hair back from her face. He grimaced; it wasn't the nicest job in the world, admittedly. Hera wiped her mouth with her sleeve, looking up at him - she tired to push him away, but Clayton held fast.

"Leave m'alone," Hera grumbled.

Clayton helped her straighten up, putting an arm around her waist. "Why don't we get you home? I brought my car, I can drive."

"I might throw up in it."

"I'll take that risk."

Hera eyed him sceptically, before eventually jerking her chin at him, which he assumed was supposed to be a nod. He led her a little ways down the street, digging around in his jacket pocket for his car keys. He helped Hera in first, reaching across her to buckle her seatbelt in. She pushed at his shoulder as he retreat, and he shot her a charming smile. "Safety first." He reminded her, before moving around to the driver's side.

Hera managed to mumble out an address, so at least Clayton had an idea of where he was going. He turned the radio down until it was a gentle hum in the background, glancing over at Hera every now and again, mostly to make sure she hadn't fallen unconscious.

"You never answered me, you know." He glanced over at her; she had the window cracked open, her head turned towards the cool night air that drifted in. "In the kitchen."

She didn't answer him for long enough that he wondered if she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. Maybe the fresh air was sobering her up a little, because when she did speak her voice was startlingly clear. "Why are you doing this?"

"What?"

"Leaving a party to take me home." She looked at him only briefly; she couldn't take her nose away from the window for very long, apparently. "'s not very you."

So she thought she knew him? Clayton grinned. If Hera thought she knew him it meant she'd thought about him, and that would make this win even easier, in his opinion. "Is that so?"

Hera rolled her eyes; he caught it in the wing mirror, her face still turned out the window. She didn't say anything else, so Clayton continued, "Maybe I just thought..." He took a deep breath, deliberating on which lie to tell. "That it was about time someone looked out for you."

Hera scoffed. Clayton glanced at her again, but she still wasn't looking at him.

"I... have always quite admired you." He said slowly, keeping his gaze ahead. For some reason the words were hard to force out. Easier when his focus was on the road rather than her. "And it seems like you haven't had anyone to do that for you in a while. So why not me?"

Silence. Clayton didn't really know what else to say, and for some reason he still really didn't want to look at Hera, so he just waited. After a good ten seconds, though, he thought she might have said something.

She shifted in her seat. "'m gonna throw up."

"Oh, god."

Clayton pulled over, giving Hera the chance to half-climb out the window to throw up over the side of the car. Clayton held her hair back as best he could from the driver's seat, grimacing the entire time.

Hera got out of the car without any help once they arrived, barely waiting for Clayton to put the handbrake on before she slipped out. He ducked a little to look out of the passenger side window, calling out to her, "Need me to help you in?"

She shot him a withering look over his shoulder before staggering up the garden path to her front door. There was some fumbling with the keys, but she got herself inside; Clayton waited until the door closed again and the light in the front room went on before he left, half debating whether or not to double back to the party.

~*~

"Do you still need help with your essay?"

Clayton almost jumped out of his skin. Hera had appeared out of nowhere at his elbow as he waited in line at the campus café. There was no way in hell he could handle British Politics in the 19th Century without coffee.

From the place in front, Tristan glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows shoot upwards. Clayton smiled, looking away from Tristan and down at Hera; he hadn't seen her since the party on Saturday night, and he hadn't managed to get her number, so he'd gone a whole day without knowing how she was doing. Hungover, presumably.

But she looked fresh as a daisy this morning - in fact, she looked better than she usually did. Almost like she'd made an effort.

"Oh, shoot-- I never did get round to talking to the prof--"

"I can help you." Hera interrupted him before he could finish. "As a thank you, for the other night. But after that we're even. Got it?"

Clayton's smile only inched wider. "Sure. How about tonight, your house--"

"Your house," She said. "And tomorrow, after class. Okay?"

"You're the boss." Clayton smiled, watching her as she walked away. Only once she'd completely disappeared from view did he look over at Tristan, sporting a similar shit-eating grin to Tristan's own just a few days ago. "I hope you're ready to pay out."

Tristan grimaced, saying something that Clayton wasn't listening to. He was thinking about Hera, about the way she seemed a little brighter than she usually did. Tomorrow after class - he could wait until then. Just about.

~*~

Clayton directed Hera up to his bedroom, grateful at least that all of his housemates were out. They were the type to make jokes that Hera presumably wouldn't appreciate, and the last thing he needed right now was for her to be put off. He closed the bedroom door behind them, and gestured to his bed.

"No desk?" Hera asked. She was right - his room didn't have a desk. He wasn't exactly the studious type.

She was looking at him with one eyebrow raised in question. Clayton cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, unsure as to why he felt rather sheepish. "I prefer to work in comfort." He said simply, nodding again to the bed.

Hera pursed her lips for a moment, but she didn't say anything.  She pulled a pencil case and a notepad from her bag before plopping it down at the foot of the bed. "Come on, then."

Clayton didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his own notepad, with his very poorly scribbled essay in it, and sat down next to her.

They were close enough that their shoulders brushed, as Hera took a highlighter and a purple pen to his work. She wasn't silent, though - she pointed things out to him as she went, scrawling comments into the margins and tapping them with the tip of her pen as she explained them aloud. Not that Clayton was focusing, of course; he could smell the scent of her shampoo, cherry and almond, mingling with the florals of her perfume. Her hair fell between them like a curtain, so he reached across, using one finger to tuck it gently behind her ear.

Hera blinked, looking up at him as he pulled his hand away. Her lips parted ever so slightly, as if she was going to say something, but she looked back down at the task at hand before any words formed.

They went through the rest of the essay, Hera writing a few key points underneath in her quick, looping handwriting.

"So it's awful?" He asked, turning his head to look at her.

"No," She said quickly, turning her head, too. There wasn't much space between them; he had drifted closer, her shoulder pressing into his chest as he looked down at the book. He was so close now that he could feel her breath fanning his face as she spoke. "Well. It is right now." She gave him a barely-there smile, just a gentle curve of her lips. "But we can make it better."

He nodded, but he wasn't thinking about the essay anymore. He was looking at her, eyes travelling down to her lips. He reached his hand across the space between them, the same one that had so delicately tucked her hair behind her ear, and used it to cup her face, the barest, feather-light touch of his fingers along her jawline as he leaned in to press his lips to hers.

And for a moment she responded, her lips parting beneath his, the notebook falling to the floor. But just as soon as it had started it was over - Hera shoved him away so hard he almost fell over as she stood, throwing her things haphazardly into her bag.

"I fucking knew it," She ground out, laughing mirthlessly. "I knew it, you only ever want one fucking thing--"

He jumped up, grabbing her hand as she made for the door. "Hera--"

"Just leave me alone." She whirled on him, snatching her hand back. "You've got your essay help, I did the work for you, well done. Now leave me alone, okay?"

He didn't know what else to say. He let her go, hearing her footsteps thud down the stairs, the front door slamming shut so hard that it shook the floor beneath his feet. He ran a hand through his hair - idiot. What had he done? He crossed the room again, picking up his notebook from the floor. His eyes caught a small smiley face, doodled in purple ink next to part of his work.

He was going to have to make this right.

~*~

"You're just too good to be true--"

This was incredibly dumb.

"--can't take my eyes off you--"

It was a gamble. A huge one.

"--you'd be like heaven to touch--"

He had a feeling it was going to pay off, though.

"--I wanna hold you so much. You're just to good to be true--"

Oh, good. She was looking. As well as everyone else on the courtyard, but that was rather the idea.

"--can't take my eyes off you."

The backing track kicked in at that exact moment thanks to someone Clayton had paid at the student radio actually doing their job, and maybe he should've used the school band but how was he supposed to know where they met up and when? He was organising this on a tight schedule, there wasn't time for rehearsals.

Hera was looking at him, watching from the bench she was perched on at the far end of the courtyard as he hit the chorus - he wasn't a bad singer, necessarily, but he wasn't in the glee club or anything either. Still, it had the desired effect: it made him look like an idiot in public, even more so when someone snatched the microphone off of him and asked him to please shut up.

He made his way over to Hera, the backing track cutting off abruptly. Apparently the student radio had gotten the message to shut things down as well.

"Alright, so they didn't like it." He shrugged, grinning at her. "What did you think?"

"You stole that from 10 Things I Hate About You."

"Maybe," Clayton nodded. "But apparently the ladies love Heath Ledger, so I thought I'd give it a shot."

Hera looked at him sceptically. Clayton took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. About last night. I didn't mean to--" He shook his head. "What are you doing now? Can I offer you apology ice cream?"

He held a hand out to her in invitation. Hera pursed her lips, looking at that outstretched hand, and before Clayton could retract it feeling like even more of an idiot than he did before, she took it.

"Okay. But you're driving."

~*~

Whether it was the ice cream or the grand gesture that softened Hera up Clayton didn't really know, but he was glad that she wasn't mad at him anymore. It had made him feel strangely torn up inside, twisted and knotted and just not right. Knowing that she wasn't upset with him evened everything out again, and for once, he let her talk, and he listened.

They didn't particularly have much in common, but he found that he didn't mind. She was easy to listen to; she was funnier than anyone probably imagined, and quite philosophical, once she got going. When they eventually got kicked out of the ice cream place Clayton offered to drive her home - and to pick her up again in the morning, if she liked.

May quickly turned to June, the rush of final exams finding him sat at lunch with Hera, occasionally studying (her more than him, but he at least pretended), mostly just chatting. In the middle of exam season the posters went up: Summer Ball, tickets on sale now.

"I assume you're beating off the men with a stick?" Clayton asked her, looking down at the flyer in his hand. The theme was Summer in Paris, which was pretty lame, but Summer Ball was usually a good time regardless.

Hera snorted, shifting her books to her other arm. Clayton took them from her, swapping them for the flyer. "Yeah, right. I only have one friend and that's you. Make of that what you will."

"I think it must mean you're an incredible person, to land me as a friend." Friend. He felt like he had to force the word out, struggling to get it past his teeth. "Go with me."

Hera snorted again. "Sure."

"I'm serious." He pulled her to a stop, so that they were face to face in the middle of the corridor. Like a stone in a river, the current of people moved around them, barely registering them at all. "Go to Summer Ball with me."

"As a friend?"

"As a date."

Hera considered him for a moment. Clayton had gotten used to these little interludes, where Hera would go quiet, the cogs inside her head turning. Her face broke into a smile, so bright he felt like sunbathing in the light from it, but she quickly fought it, offering him a smaller, almost timid smile instead.

"Alright, then." She nodded, glancing away like a school girl. "It's a date."

"I'll pick you up."

"You always do."

Final exams came and went; Clayton drove to Hera's house in his best suit, waiting outside as he had been isntructed to do. He leaned against the car, only standing up when he heard the front door open.

Hera appeared on the driveway, and when she turned Clayton felt his breath catch in his throat. Her dress was deep violet silk, tight around the bodice and her hips before it splayed outwards, the skirt falling just above her knees. It occurred to him that he'd never seen her in a dress before, nevermind heels; she looked amazing. But, then again, she looked amazing in her regular clothes, too.

"Am I late?" She asked, hurrying down the driveway. "I'm sorry if I--"

"You're fine." Clayton told her, his voice sounding more incredulous than he meant it to. "You look--"

"Ridiculous, I know."

"--incredible."

Hera blushed, pink staining her cheeks. She looked down, a lock of hair falling loose. Clayton reached out to tuck it back into place, doing his best to hide his amusement when her head jerked up.

"Come on," He said, opening the car door for her. "Don't want to miss the party, do we?"

The theme was just as cheesy as he had expected, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. Already a decent sized crowd on the dancefloor, but Clayton led Hera towards the refreshment tablet first, picking up the free champagne flute of off-brand fizz that the university had allowed them - one per person, of course.

"We should get our photos taken," Hera said, looking over towards the booth. "I don't think it's even that expensive--"

"You know, I never thought I'd be proven wrong."

Tristan's voice cut her off, and the two of them turned. He held out a few neatly folded bills, held between two fingers. "Well done, mate. Truly, I thought it was impossible."

Clayton's stomach dropped. The bet - he had forgotten all about it. Time had passed since then, things had changed. He had gotten to know Hera, had gotten to see her, properly see her, know her for how wonderful she was. Smart and fierce and tender, underneath the walls she had put up. He had asked her to Summer Ball because he wanted to be here with her, not because--

"Well?" Tristan laughed. "Aren't you going to take it?"

"I'll take it if you don't." Hera said with a laugh of her own, nudging Clayton gently. "What's it for?"

Tristan smiled, and it looked sickly. "Just a little gentleman's agreement. A bit of a bet."

"Tristan--"

"See, Clayton here bet me £100 that he could take you to the Ball, but I just. Honestly, I thought he'd never do it. More fool me."

Hera had gone still beside him. She was staring at Tristan, her breathing slow and deliberate.

"Will you please fuck off?" Clayton snapped at Tristan, only briefly looking at his way. "Keep your bloody money."

"If that's how you feel." He tucked the money back into his breat pocket, raising his palms in surrender. "I'll leave you lovebirds to it, eh?"

"Hera--" Clayton began.

She lowered her chin, her bottom lip wobbling again. He could see the frown etched so deep into her face, the hurt-- he wished he could wipe it all away, smooth out the lines with his thumb and take the pain with it. Before he could manage anything else she stormed off, pushing through the crowds still trying to get into the hall. Their outraged cries echoed behind him as Clayton pushed through them as well, back outside into the car park.

"Hera, please!" He called after her, breaking into a jog. How she could move that fast in those heels he had no idea. "Let me explain!"

"Explain what?" She yelled, turning on him. "Explain how you used me? How you humiliated me? How you tricked me into feeling-- into--"

"I didn't mean to-- it started out like that." He took a step towards her and she held her ground, but the look in her eyes told him not to try anything else. "It started out like that, yes. At the party, inviting you over, I was-- I was trying to get close to you."

Her chest heaved, but she held her chin high. Clayton took another deep breath.

"But after that, when I kissed you, I felt awful. I didn't want you to think of me like that, I didn't want you to think I was that guy. And I was. Before I met you, properly met you, I was that guy."

He took a slow, careful step forward.

"But since I got to know you better, all I want to be... the only person I want to be is a person deserving of you. I want to be your friend. More than your friend. I want to be whoever you need me to be, and that bet--" His own voice wavered, a lump forming in his throat. He shook his head, running a hand careleslly through the hair he'd spent an hour on earlier. "I had forgotten all about that bloody, stupid bet because you were the only thing I was thinking about. You're the only thing I ever think about, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making the bet in the first place, I'm sorry for everything since--"

He blinked away the tears in his eyes, and when his vision cleared Hera had come closer, looking up at him. She placed her hands on the lapels of his jacket, either side of his chest. His heart hammered beneath her palm.

"Do you mean it?"

"I'll spend the rest of my life apologising to you if I have to, Hera." He whispered. Tears tracked down her cheeks; he lifted his hand to wipe them away and she pressed her face into his palm. "I'll apologise as many times as you need me to because I love you. I love you."

Hera's hands curled in the fabric of his jacket, pulling him down until their lips crashed together. It was clumsy, desperate - not the best kiss in the world but the best kiss he had ever had.

When she pulled them apart she didn't go far; Clayton searched her face, his breath stuttering in his chest.

"I'm going to be mad at you for a little while," She said with a sniffle, looking up to meet his gaze. "But I love you too. So much."

He smiled, relief flooding his chest, making him feel light. He pressed his forehead to hers, savouring the touch for just a moment.

"Shall we get out of here?" He asked after a moment, pulling back just a little so he could look at her.

She was nodding. She smiled a little, glancing over his shoulder. "Yeah. The theme's shit anyways."

Clayton laughed, and Hera joined in after a moment or two, allowing him to tuck her into his side as they walked back to the car. Maybe the bet with Tristan had been stupid, but at least it had got him here. Holding the hand of the woman he loved as he pulled out of the parking lot, away from the whole sorry mess, and towards something better.

[nabilfekir]

below is a long ass paris saint-germain post-ucl thoughts essay

to start.....im not even mad that we’re out....im mad that they didn’t even fucking try. after the first leg (in which the same old story of “we crumbled” plays on), they all came out on social media asking for supporters to be there on march 6th and the supporters were there, the supporters showed up.....but where the fuck were they? where the fuck was the team??? they asked for our support, we gave it and what did they give us in return? the same old bullshit we get every year. i didn’t see “warriors” on that pitch. i saw a bunch of pussyholes and cowards (excuse my language). 

the only players i give credit to are areola and thiago silva, the rest were shocking. i’m so fucking disappointed to be honest. they all cried out on instagram for supporters not to give up and then they go and visibly give up on the pitch, give up on the biggest stage in club football for everyone to watch. fucking shameful. even if we don’t go through at least WIN the game at home, or even at least give it your fucking all to the 90th minute plus stoppage time. that’s the least we ask of them.

now key parts of our team will be looking for the exit door in the summer and they’ll think they weren’t the problem but this was a loss they all participated in as a team...everyone on that pitch but areola n o monstro. the rest of the team all has to eat a big ass piece of that L pie. they don’t get to think they’re better than this team bc absolutely none of them proved that on the pitch. the exit door is open for those who want to leave - marco i love u but every summer its the same shit with rumors and this past summer u crossed a line so if you want to leave bye see ya bc i’ve had enough. draxler can go too, him and his fans like to think he’s better than the team but i can count on one hand the amount of good games he’s had this season when we give him the chance to prove himself. if neymar wants to go m*drid please do, i’d love to have the spotlight off of us but know they’ll have to pay 444m aka double we paid for him lmao fuck yall if you think you’re gonna get his ass at any price less than wtf we paid for him bet on that. idc to keep him against his will but we’re sure as hell not gonna record a 222m loss so if they want him, pay up. rabiot can go too, if he wants to go to the prem then let him, he’s also been hinting at thinking he’s too good for us and he’s free to go and prove that somewhere else. cavani looks like his foot is out the door and his service to this club was greatly appreciated but since he broke ibra’s record he’s looked distracted and disinterested and he’s been in the media saying he wants to win the copa lib so let him go back to argentina if thats what he wants. let timothy weah work his way into this team and see if he can be a good striker for us.

on that topic......i am desperate for us to use our academy better. as most big european clubs, the path from academy to first team has gotten harder to follow but i don’t want that for us. i don’t want us to be ch*lsea loaning out or our youth like cattle to make us money or whatever and never giving them a shot at the first team but then they go somewhere else become a star and we sit there looking like idiots. if they’re good, give them a shot, especially if we wrap up the league soon, why not give some of them a TRY at the very least? 20-15 minutes at the end of a game at least? we only used tim weah bc we were trying to rest for real m*drid, otherwise it never would’ve happened. how long has nkunku been in the squad but he still mostly comes on as a sub in the 80th minute, and kimpembe needs to start being utilized more before he decides to leave because thiago at this point must be eyeing retirement. presnel is an amazing player and has psg in his blood and would fight for the shirt and this team more than any player on that pitch. we need to start making better use of our academy period point blank. our youth team captain yacine adli is being eyed up by clubs like m*n city b*yern b*rcelona ars*nal but hasn’t gotten a single look in with us and tbh i think he’ll probably leave and that will be another talented prospect leaving our academy without having played for us. and watch he becomes a great midfielder meanwhile we pay out our ass to buy one from some club.

anyone who wants to leave the team, let them. anyone who thinks they’re better than the team, sell them. let’s give our titis parisiens a shot in this team and keep a low profile, i’m tired of making a public entertainment show of ourselves for everyone to keep an eye on, we bring too much attention to ourselves and that heightens everyone’s expectations for us in the ucl, which we’re destined to fall short of.

the coach........lord have mercy we need this man gone in the summer. we have to bring in a coach with champions league experience if we’re really trying to build a project to win it. it was stupid to keep him on after last year anyway with having been embarrassed in the ucl and on top of that come second in the league. i’m still baffled how nasser let that happen. and even more stupid was to think a coach who won the europa league a couple of times could give us glory in a competition at a much higher level than that. he’s a europa league manager and that’s his level and will always be his level, it’s time to let him go. he’s fallen below expectations way too many times. get a manager with ucl experience either winning it or at least having been to a final, a manager with a personality and tenacity and fight to give this team a better mentality.

our biggest problem is that our mentality is weak as shit. we have a team capable of getting far in the ucl - strong players, technical players, talented players! - but our mentality when the going gets rough or when there’s a little bit of pressure???? disgraceful and disgusting and embarrassing. i’d back a ligue 2 team to beat us if they really fought for it, the same way rc strasbourg beat us earlier in the season, the same way ly*n beat us earlier this year, the same way m*rseille was a free kick in the last second away from beating us for the first time in 6 years back in october. when a team fights with actual passion and fight....we crumble....and badly, they don’t even have to play well but play with strength and the will the win. its so sad to watch honestly. it’s literally our weakness.

we’re a good team. we went out to a better team. i knew we were out as soon as the draw happened. i knew we weren’t getting past them, despite all the m*drid fans being fucking dramatic about it. the back to back ucl winners? it doesn’t matter what kind of form they’re in, they were going to beat us. there was no question of it, as if it their team wasn’t going to show up on the biggest stage? when they have nothing else but the ucl to fight for? it was never going to be easy and we got knocked out by the literal title holders. we didn’t get an easy draw, or even a moderate one, in fact we got probably the hardest draw, i dont care what m*drid fans or anyone else has to say about that.

but again....it’s not about the fact that we got knocked out - we got knocked out by the current uefa champions league champions! that’s nothing to be embarrassed of - but it’s HOW we got knocked out, thats the embarrassing part. no fight no passion no goddamn BALLS. when it was time to stand up and be counted and show we’re more than a “money team”.....we didn’t. any criticism that comes our way now, we invited upon ourselves. we didn’t need to buy neymar to win the champions league lmao, that wasn’t the solution whatsoever.

our team last year but with a fighting spirit would be better than our current team this year (with neymar) but with our weak mentality.

if we had fighting spirit and passion and the willingness to get dirty and play hard and fight for our lives on THIS VERY DAY last year against uefalona, we might have made it through then, we wouldn’t have won it, but at least gotten through to the next round despite the ref’s utter bullshit.

anyway i’m not even hurt about the game anymore. i’m more worried about how this will affect our season, but even more so i’m worried about what will happen to us in the summer when verratti, rabiot, cavani and more will be wanting to leave.

at this point this team HAS AND I MEAN HAS to do a domestic treble (EDIT: it would be a quadruple i guess cuz we won the trophée de champions at the beginning of the season against m*naco).....like anything less is a big fat fucking failure of a season. the cup final against m*naco.....i mean now i’m worried that if m*naco turn up and really fight for it, we’re probably still going to be licking our wounds from this match and lose. and i really need us to beat them for mbappé’s sake lmao.

anyway this team truly disrespected the fans that night (again! second year in a row!) and i’m hurt and fuck the champions league fuck both teams from that night and fuck emery.

[sunflowerdarlingx]

Fred Weasley - “Fred doesnt date” 2

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all okay <3

Here is part two to “Fred doesn’t date”, please let me know what you think, I do have a part three idea ready but wont post it unless some of you want it. 

PART ONE

Female Reader 

Warnings: none 

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

Some might say Fred Weasley was scared to commit, some would say he enjoyed the player lifestyle and others would say he was some sort of sex addict who just enjoyed multiple partners but not all at once.

The truth was, Fred was indeed scared. He felt that the people close to him were he only ones he could trust, the only ones he could truly open up to. He was very happy with his life and his relationships, those he chose to build were stronger than most. He never expected to be drawn to Y/N, he also never expected to develop the feeling he did.  

He was utterly shocked at the way their relationship progressed, he had never felt this before, the butterflies he would get when he saw her or the way his heart fluttered when their skin made the slightest contact or the undeniable feeling of love he had when she fell asleep in the common room all cuddled up into Fred’s chest after a night of her homework and him planning pranks.

This is why Fred Weasley didn’t date. It always got complicated. Feelings of anger, hatred, sadness filled him up and he couldn’t take his eyes away from the scene in front of him. Cedric placed a kiss on Y/N’s jawline before placing one on the corner of her lips. Soon enough his lips were on hers as his hand moved down to her waist whilst the other supported the back of her neck so he could pull her closer.

Fred knew he should look away, he knew he was torturing himself watching the scene in front of him unfold.  

He wanted to scream, he wanted to go over there and pull Cedric as far away from Y/N as he could. An overwhelming need to break his hands for even touching Y/N in such away creeped inside his body and his fists clenched at his side.

How dare he.  

How dare he stand there and touch her, kiss her, do all the things that Fred should be doing with her.  

Surely he had heard the rumours. He knows how close they had been getting. How dare he interrupt that and take her away from him.  

Tears pricked at the corner of Freds eyes, threatening to spill at any moment. He knew he couldn’t stay there, so he didn’t. He forced himself to look away form the two and turned to head back to his dorm.  

He thought Y/N liked him, he thought she felt the same way he did. Why did she kiss Cedric if she knew?

He was angry with himself, he was so stupid to let himself get attached to her in the first place, he knew it was a bad idea but she was so bloody addictive. Every little thing about her drove him mad but in the best way possible.  

As Fred walked down the corridor the tears started to fall freely from his eyes, scared someone would see him he ran as fast as he could up to his dorm. A few girls saw him and tried to stop and speak to him but his feet carried him straight past them. His top teeth were embedded in his bottom lip to stop the sound of heartbreak escaping his mouth.

Even after what he just saw, no other girl could take his attention away from Y/N. He made it to his dorm, he was greeted by a smiling George who soon had a look of fear paint his face.  

“What’s wrong Freddie?” his voice was laced with concern as he walked over to his brother. He had never seen Fred in such a state. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks were wet with tears and his lip was bleeding slightly. It was obvious this wasn’t from a fight so what had gotten Fred so worked up?

Fred stood still in front of his brother, he looked around the room before a broken sob left his mouth, George’s heart broke at the sound. George wrapped his arms around Fred and pulled him close. “Mate what is it? You know you can tell me anything”  

Loud broken cry’s left Freds mouth as all his emotions bubbled over, chocked sobs and snotty sniffles filled the room as he collapsed against George. Though Fred and George loved each other dearly, they never really hugged, it wasn’t uncommon but it wasn’t something they did regularly. They usually hugged when something good happened, like when they got the money for the shop that they planned on opening over the summer or when it was their birthday. George couldn’t believe that the reason they were hugging was because Fred was, well heart broken.

“Digger kissed her, he actually fucking kissed her” Fred shouted as he pulled away from George. “How fucking dare he, who does he think he is” he pulled his shirt over his head and wiped his face with it before putting it in the wash basket.  

“Fuck...Fred I’m so sorry” George had never seen Fred so angry, even loosing quidditch to Slytherin never had him this mad. His hands were in fists by his sides whilst his chest heaved with anger, jaw clenched.  

“I should have asked her sooner Georgie, why the fuck didn’t I ask her sooner” soon the anger was replaced by sadness, which consumed Freds body as he lay in his bed. He’s never been so emotional before, his heart literally felt like it had been broken in two, he felt weak… hopeless  

“Cmon mate, why don’t we go down to dinner, food will help and I’m sure we could see if the elf’s could get you ice cream, like what mum does when you’re upset”  

Fred buried himself in his duvet, “nah I think I’m gonna stay here, don’t really want to have to sit and watch her and perfect Diggory be all over each other again”

“I’ll take you something back then, just please come and find me if you need me, even send one of the first years down and I’ll be here as soon as I can okay?”  

Fred nodded “turn off the lights please on your way out”, George left the room and anger flooded his body. He hated seeing any of his family sad but the fact it was Fred, it was prankster Fred who was always laughing but now broken, angered him even more. He wanted Fred to be happy but after seeing the state he was in, it felt like it would be a while before laughing Fred returned.  

-

“Ced, I really think we should go and find Fred, what if he’s looking for us” Y/N pulled Cedric by the hand towards the staircase leading to the Gryffindor common rooms.  

Cedric pulled her back toward him, wrapping his arm around her waist “cmon you agreed to a snack first” he looked down at Y/N with his best pleading eyes. She rolled her eyes before grinning at the boy beside her “fine, only because I’m hungry”  

They made their way down the corridor, “he’s probably off shagging some girl in our year, doubt he’s looking for you”. Y/N felt angry hearing that, she knew Fred had a reputation but they had been getting closer and going on dates and stuff, surely he wouldn’t be off seeing other girls when he was suppose to be spending the day with her George and Lee.  

“I don’t think so Ced, he was suppose to be spending the day with us” her voice was quiet as she looked ahead of her.  

“Oh cmon Y/N you can’t be serious, Fred doesn’t care about that, as long as he’s getting a shag then he’s happy” Cedric laughed. “What’s going on with you two anyway?”  

“Fred and Me? Nothing...we are just friends” Y/N looked down at the ground, the thought of Fred with another girl upset her, Y/N had always hoped that the rumours going around school just now were secretly true. That Fred was finally settling down with someone. With her.  

Cedric turned them so Y/N rested against the wall, “are we friends Y/N” he asked as he rested his elbow above her.  

“Of course Cedric, why would you ask that?” she looked up at him, forcing a smile.

“Well if I’m honest, I’ve always liked you Y/N, obviously I figured it’s better to tell you now before it’s too late. Especially since I’m leaving at the end of the year.”  

“Oh Cedric...I’m not sure what to say, I’m flattered really” suddenly her shoes looked very interesting.  

“Cmon Y/N, I’m so much better for you than Weasley, he can’t give you the things I can, plus you know his reputation just as well as I do. Remember that time Lucy is my year came into the common room crying her eyes out because Fred said he didn’t want her? What makes you think you’d be different?”

Y/N couldn’t help but frown. Cedric was right, Fred did have a reputation for hurting girls, she never thought he would really mean to hurt them but what if he did? He’d led her on and now he was no where to be seen.  

Why would Fred change for her? She was nothing special. Plenty girls at school were prettier than she was, smarter than she was. She was a fool for thinking Fred would want something more.

“We would be good together Y/N and you know it. Summers in Italy or at yours, your brother loves me already so we know he’d be on board with it us. Plus, look” he gestured down to his body “who could say no to all this”.  

Y/N couldn’t help but giggle at Cedric, she had always found him quite attractive, though they really only started speaking last year, Y/N had lost all her puppy fat over the summer, her boobs had gotten a bit bigger and her arse and curves were more defined.  

“Hmm summers in Italy do sound good” she teased  

“I’d hope I’d get your attention more than just through the summer” he leaned down placing a kiss on her cheek.  

“I’m sure we could arrange that if it’s your deepest desire” he smirked against her before placing another kiss on her cheek.  

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted” he teased, placing another kiss on her jaw, “can I kiss you?” His voice was a low whisper in her ear. Y/N wasn’t sure what to say, on one hand she would like to kiss Cedric, she did use to have a crush on him, but the other part of her wanted to say no, hopeful that Fred would maybe want her.  

Her body reacted before she could, nodding at Cedric. He grinned down at her, he ran his hand across her cheek pushing her baby hairs back form her face, she giggled at the contact.  Cedric placed a soft delicate kiss on her jaw and then her lips, soon enough their lips where moving in sync but something felt off.  

She pulled away before smiling up at Cedric “cmon we better go and get ready for supper” she places her hand in his and pulled him towards the common room.

-

When she got to dinner she sat with Cedric, laughing with him and his friends, her attention was drown to the flash of ginger hair walking into the hall. It was George, she looked over and smiled at him, shock consumed her when he glared at her. If looks could kill she’d have been dead.  

His eyes trailed down to the table where Cedric has his hand rested on top of hers. George looked angry, his face turned slightly red and his nostrils flared. He walked over to the Gryffindor table, immediately meeting with lots of “you okay George?” “Where’s Fred?” “What’s got you so angry?”.

He was sat with Lee, Angie, Alicia and Katie, once he told them all what happened they were fuming. None of them really liked Diggory in all honesty, from the way he acted during quidditch to his show off personality, they all thought he was a bit of a tool.  

To say there were all shocked was an understatement, they had all seen Y/N and Fred together and even they knew they were more than friends.  

“Well I won’t be saying hi to her again any time soon” Alicia said in a bitchy tone, “how could she do that to Fred?”.

-

Fred eventually got hungry, and honestly he hoped food would comfort him. He pulled on a hoodie with his grey joggers and made his way down to the great hall. As he entered he avoided looking over at the Hufflepuff table, usually he would look for Y/N and send her a wave or a wink or a goofy grin but not today. Not ever again, he thought to himself when he reached his friends. He was sat in between Lee and George, both of them giving him a pat on the back as he sat down.  

They tried to distract Fred by talking about new pranks and quidditch plays but he wasn’t really paying attention. He was desperate to turn around and look at her, to go over and pull her away from perfect Diggory and convince her that she should be with him instead but he knew he had to be strong. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against Diggory, after all, he he was the better option, he would give her the things Fred couldn’t, like luxury holidays to Italy.  

Ginny came over to them and sat in-between Fred and Lee, giving her brother a comforting hug once he explained what happened. A few little sobs leaving his mouth which he covered with a cough. Fred had spoken to Ginny loads about Y/N, she was the only one who wouldn’t slag him off for being all lovey dovey about her.  

“Fred, don’t look now but Y/N is coming over” Alicia said as she kept looking over to where Y/N walked over towards the table. Fred groaned and felt his eyes start to water.  

Ginny turned around and glared at the girl coming towards her, “bitch” she mumbled before turning to Fred. “Want me to tell her you don’t wanna talk?”

“Fuck” he rubbed his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb, “it’s okay gin, I can’t exactly avoid her”. Y/N came over and wrapped her arms around Fred’s neck, pulling down his hood “what’s up with you Freddie?” her voice whispered in his ear. Fred tensed at the contact, before relaxing at her voice.  

Y/N was worried about Fred, he was never usually late to dinner and she didn’t even get her usual goofy smile off him.

Her voice was one of his favourite sounds, he often fell asleep to her voice in the common room late at night when he’d sneak her in. His head would rest on her lap as she read muggle tales to him, the way her voice soothes him sent him into deep slumbers. He couldn’t help but melt in her arms and at her words, she’s always so caring.

He looked at his friends who were all sending glares her way. He sucked in a breath before pulling her hands away from his neck, he turned around and looked at her. She frowned at his current state, his hair was a mess, eyes bloodshot and face red.  

“Nothing I’m good” Fred stood up and, made his way out of the hall.  

“What’s up with him Georgie?” She turned to look at Fred make his way out the hall.  

Ginny scoffed and rolled his eyes at her, “hmm I wonder” sarcasm laced her voice as she tapped her chin. Ginny learned at a young age to look after herself and then she very quickly realised she had to look after her family. They always came first and no one said anything bad about them.  

She’d had her fair share of arguments with boys and girls over the years, boys trying to slag off her brothers out of jealousy and girls complaining about rejection. Knowing how much Fred liked and cared for Y/N only made Ginny angrier, Fred actually allowed himself to get close to someone and she broke him. She stood up to face Y/N, eyes staring her down, “why don’t you go ask your new boyfriend Diggory? Maybe you two can recreate some of the dates my brother took you on”, her voice was cold as ice as she spoke. She shoved past Y/N and went to look for Fred.  

Y/N’s eyes widened as she looked down at George, he just looked at her before a “she’s right” left his mouth and him and the rest of the people he was sitting with left the hall.  

-

Y/N was shocked, she was an idiot for underestimating what she and Fred had. She stood for a moment trying to think about everything that had happened. She majorly regretted kissing Cedric now, she should have spoken to Fred, asked how he felt but she was an idiot. She let her insecurities get the better of her.

She decided to go to her dorm and call it a night, at about 2 am she woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, her mind in overdrive. She decided to go for a wander out to the gardens to look at the stars.  

-

Fred was in and out of sleep, if he wasn’t having dreams about him and Y/N, he was dreaming about her and Cedric.  

He woke up after dreaming about walking in on Y/N and Cedric, Cedric was above her, hands running down her body, they were laughing at Fred as he stood at the door watching.

“Oh Freddie, you didn’t actually think you had a chance with me, did you?” Y/N’s giggle flooded the room but it wasn’t her normal laugh, it was laced with mockery and hate. “Why would I settle for you, poor little Fred Weasley, can’t even commit to a girl. You honestly think I’d settle for that? Cedric treats me so much better”. Cedric leaned down kissing her roughly..

Fred shot up from his bed, chest heaving as he tried to calm down. He was an idiot for thinking he stood a chance, why would she be his when he’d been with so many other girls? When Cedric could offer her the world and he could offer her a summer at the burrow?  

He got up and chucked on shorts and a hoodie, making his way out his dorm and out the portrait. He made his way around the castle avoiding the prefects and Filtch. He reached the gardens and was sat on the grass looking up at the stars above him.  

He was staring up at the moon, all he could think about was Y/N, the way she laughed, the way she listened to everything Fred had to say, the way she could brighten up even the darkest days and the way she made everything better.  

He thought about Christmas, he’d asked her to stay with them over the festive period. He was looking forward to spending all his free time with her, playing in the snow and showing her all his favourite places around the burrow. He knew she’d love their garden, the stars were even clearer there. He was to engrossed in thought that he hadn’t heard Y/N walk up behind him,  

He was even looking forward to having her meet his mum and dad. Molly was shocked when she saw the letter from Fred asking for his new friend-girl to stay over at Christmas. Molly had a feeling another sweater may be needed.  

“Freddie….” Her voice was a whisper but still managed to make him jump “can I join you?”……..

Part Three

Tagged

@manuosorioh @itsbebeyyy @britishspidey @supermassiveblackhope @impossibelle @jenniweaslee

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: April 13th, 2021

And we’re back again with more replies so soon, haha. Thank you for the asks!

Your game literally saved me this hell ass year. Thank you so much for the most perfect piece of art I've ever laid eyes on 😫 ... Do you guys have a rough idea when step 3 DLC will be released? I hope I'm not coming off as rude. I just really really love your game.

I’m sorry for the late reply on this! You might’ve already seen the answer by now, but the Step 3 DLC is coming out on the 16th. We’re almost there :D

This may be a silly question but did Jeremy's parents ever find out that Pran had lied about his age and if so, when/how? :3

Pran came clean to them after a couple of years, when he felt secure enough that it wouldn’t ruin the relationship. The Kings were a little embarrassed, the dad more than the mom, but they’re quite good at brushing past those kind of mistakes so it was all water under the bridge pretty fast.

hi! i know you’ve answered a question about alterations in the our life moments by playing them in different orders, but i was wondering if there was a canon order that the moments for each step happen in? i figure with such a customizable game the “canon” timeline for the moments is whatever order the player completes them in, for example in step 1, i like playing the runaway moment pretty early, since cove trying to run away early in summer makes more sense to me personally. thanks!

Yeah, there’s no canon order we’d insist on. Whatever you like can be the official route for you! And that’s a neat way to look at that event.

What if your character isn’t that into physical contact but still wants to be in a relationship with Cove? Would he be offended if you shy away or something along those lines?

He wouldn’t be. Cove knows how hard that can be and is very understanding. If you set his initiative to low, the game always checks to make sure if you want to be touched or not rather than assuming that you do. And if you do choose that you don’t want to, there’s no stress or drama about it. Cove will just say that’s okay!

Hellu! First off, I want to thank you all for such a wonderful game, it's been the best feel-good game I've ever stumbled upon and I can't express enough how much it has meant to me. Second, I've seen lots of people having trouble with making Cove confess before MC which makes me wonder if people will have the same problem in the dlc when you can propose to him. Is it possible to post a guide for that as well when it no longer could count as a spoiler? Again, thanks for such a beautiful game <3

I’m really happy you had such a nice time with it c:. We’ll answer questions about it on tumblr/in the discord if they come up and, if need be, we’ll find somewhere to upload a guide.

Do we get steam key from buying dlc on itch io?

I’m afraid not. That’d be unfair to those who get it on Steam. Plus, Steam isn’t super cool with giving out thousands of keys to be handed out for free on other sites anymore. They can refuse to give us the keys if they feel we’re trying to take advantage of their system.

hi! so if we reject cove's confession in step 3, can we still have MC and cove get together in step 4?

You can confess to him, yeah. But Cove won’t ever try confessing again if the MC turns him down in Step 3.

What if MC acts like someone Cove doesn't like, like Lizzie or Baxter lol

You can’t do what Lizzie or Baxter does to make Cove dislike them. You can play the game and try, but it doesn’t work out. The MC is just too compatible with Cove if you’re fond/crush/love, haha.

Hi! I absolutely love your game, I love the characters they’re all so amazing, thank you for the game haha

I was wondering if you would get the NSFW DLC no matter what Patreon level you were at, or if you would could get it at any level? :)

&

What pateron tier do we need to get the 18+ content for Our Life? It's my new favourite game, keep up the good work!

It will eventually be available at the $5 tier and anything above that! Glad you both like OL ^^

On a scale from 1 (being the worst) to 10, how well do the XOXO jerk squad including JB handle horror?

JB: 8

Everett: 5

Nate: 4

Shiloh: 10

Bae: 10

Jeremy: 8 for non-gore horror, 2 for gory horror

Pran: 9

hello!! i was wondering if any of the boys from the Jerksquad would ever wear a skirt/dress?

None of them wear skirts/dresses out of personal preference. But if there was some kind of reason where they had to do it, none would be that bothered.

How does the jerk squad feel about Christmas? 

Everett: He fucking loves it. That’s the best time of year.

Nate: Commercialized nonsense.

Shiloh: It’s wonderful! So he claims.

Bae: He likes it quite a bit, but only for the joy it brings children/family. He thinks that’s sweet but is too mature to be whipped up into a festive fervor himself.

Jeremy: It’s awful.

Pran: He hates it.

does cove have any pet allergies? yes I know this is a little weirdly specific

He doesn’t! The lucky boy isn’t allergic to any animal.

Very important question: Would Lee and a musical-theatre loving MC run around belting Into The Unknown from Frozen 2? Because I feel that they would 

Probably, haha.

This might seem like a dumb question, so I’m sorry, but with the Derek DLC are we gonna get to hang out with him in person instead of just calling him in step 3? 

The Derek DLC adds events in Step 2 and Step 4. It’s part of his story that you don’t really get to be around him in Step 3. But you don’t need to apologize for wondering!

hello! i'd like to ask if it's possible to play the android version of the game with the dlcs after buying the dlcs from steam. i wasn't expecting my android version to have my dlcs since i bought them from steam, but it had my step 2 dlc for some reason. is this a glitch or does the apk actually detect what dlcs you already have on your pc? if so, how come i don't have the step 1 dlc appearing on android? thanks!

That is some kind of glitch. It isn’t possible for the Android DLCs to be unlocked by having them on PC. Maybe in one of the old builds we accidentally didn’t lock the Step 2 DLC properly. Sorry for the confusion!

Does Derek and Baxter have canon sexualities? Will Derek still flirts with the MC regardless of their gender?

They’re both pansexual and can like the MC regardless of what gender they have.

I was wondering if Miranda had a crush on Cove in Step 3? I'm not sure why, but I got those vibes from her?

She thinks of him only as a friend. Cove isn’t her type, haha.

This is probably a dumb hope, but I hope Cliff find someone he loves after Cove is grown up and everything. Or at the very least he has someone he's very close with after Cove leaves. 

That’s a really sweet thought to have. Cliff stays single, but he’s graysexual and not-particularly romantically inclined. He only dated when he was really young ‘cause that’s what everyone did. Family and friend relationships are more important to him, and he has plenty of that in his life ^^.

Heya! I was curious if there might be a nickname system in N&F? I kind of pull an Elizabeth when I play and choose a different variation of a name like having Rosie in step one and changing it to Rose in step two, then maybe Rosetta in step three for example, but it also feels a little bit odd being scolded using my nickname hehe. That's all I was wondering about, thank you for your time and the wonderful games!

We are hoping to include the option to go by a nickname in Our Life: Now & Forever. But nothing has been programmed yet, so we can’t 100% guarantee it, haha.

Just curious, what would Liz's and Cove's relationship be if MC wasn't around? I feel like they wouldn't get along as well as they do now, especially during the first and second step 

They’d definitely have a lot of friction growing up and they’d likely avoid each other as much as possible. Once they were both older, I imagine they’d be decent neighbor acquaintances. But they still wouldn’t be nearly as close as they are with the MC bringing Cove into things.

What do the customizable eyes look like in the game? Do they look as they are in the creating avatar section? Or do they look different when actually playing the game?

That’s up to you! The doll is just meant to be a general idea. You can apply it to your imagined MC as much or as little as you prefer.

Did Cove go through a "phase" during his adolescence? I don't really wanna headcanon it so I wonder if there's anything (cringy) canon since we missed out on the ages of 14-17 hahaha

Not really, aha. 14-17 Cove is pretty recognizable to his 13 and 18 year old self.

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, especially with all the messages you get. I was just wondering if the religious wedding venue was exclusive to a church or if there will be different religions of weddings? Also, I love this VN so much, it's so well written and every character is so amazing, thank you for making such a beautiful game.

The church is treated as a historic building rather than anything actively religious, but it’s not the only option like that. There’s a historic synagogue and stuff too! And that’s really nice of you to say <3.

How differently would it play out If MC told their moms about the 20$ deal back when it happened? 

They wouldn’t have been happy and would’ve been far more skeptical of Cliff, aha. But they wouldn’t want to keep Cove away from the MC, so it wouldn’t have been too different in the long run.  

Hello may I ask what Cove's favorite fudge/ice cream flavor would be? Its alright if its not answered 

He appreciates them all, but his top favorites would be the fruit flavored ones and the ones with nuts.

Hi! I really wanted to make mc's house in a game and tried really hard to figure out the floor plan, but I wondered if you have the floor plan of the mc's house so that i can try again with more accuracy?

Thank you a lot for this game, i loved it a lot! (my first play took me 8 hours lol)

I’m really sorry, we don’t have anything like that. But at least you can headcanon that what you did is correct and nothing can prove it wrong, haha.

Hello,I recently started playing lake of voices (I put it off for a long while since I’m usually not very good with horror) and I’m really happy I did!I’m a big fan of your games in general and lake of voices was absolutely great as well.I loved the characters and the dark setting of it,I adored the beautiful art and music and the story was great too,sometimes unsettling and sometimes very sweet.My favorite Route in the game was definitely Lu,I liked his character and was really shocked and distraught by his Route at least two times.I didn’t see the plot twist(s) coming at all!

Besides these ramblings I’ve also wanted to ask if you still remember how to get the lower two CGs on page 5?I seem to always miss them and would appreciate any help.Anyways I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother and I wish the devs a great day!:)

Thank you for all the kind words <3. You get those DLCs by going through the end of the Guide’s character path. You can use the guides on Steam to help you find it/reach the end!

—– —– —– —–

Thank you again for all of these questions :D

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[aereres]

Stuck On You - Cale Makar

Summary: What started as a friendship between you and Cale takes a turn during one of the best summer vacations of your life - a week in a campsite with your new friends from Colorado.

A/N: A self-indulgent Cale fic, who would have thought lmao. Definitely not my best work but I hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: a couple swear words, mentions of break-up

Summer. Summer held something you couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was the road trips with music blasting from your car’s speakers, or the endless nights spent drinking cheap beers with strangers while sitting on docks. Maybe it was the seasonal loves, the ones you’d talk about with your friends after coming home, or maybe it was the memories.

Summer had always been something you had never missed, no matter how hard school got, or how good your job paid people to stay during the hottest months of the year; and, in Colorado, it wasn’t any different.

You were gasping for breath when you finally reached the perfect spot for camping, your backpack heavy on your shoulders as your friends walked past you. The excited giggles that left their lips joined the sound of birds chirping as they pushed their own belongings on the ground.

“Oh my God,” Johanna laughed, Andre’s arm wrapped around her shoulders as she looked around the empty side of the forest your getaway was going to take place in. “This place is beautiful,”

“It is,” Sydney said from beside her, eyes cast on her bag as she started to take some stuff out.

You were still taking the beautiful view in, a smile on your lips as you realized that summer was finally starting. A new summer, you thought, with new friends and a new spot.

“Y/N, just come here already!” Andre yelled from the distance, pushing you out of your trance. “Your tent is not gonna build itself,”

“I’m coming,” you giggled, jokingly rolling your eyes your friend’s way as you pushed your backpack down your shoulders, looking around for an empty space for yourself.

“I’m here-”

The breathless words were mumbled behind you, making you turn around quickly to find a flushed face. Cale’s cheeks were their usual dark shade of red, sweat lining his forehead as he tried to gain back his breathing.

“Oh- hi, Cale,” you smiled, heart fluttering when your eyes met his face. “You doing okay?”

“I was a little late,” he mumbled, waving JT’s way before his eyes gently settled on you. It seemed like he had realized you were there in front of him just then, his body tensing as a small smile formed on his lips. “Hi, Y/N,”

“Oh my God,” Nate huffed. “I’ll literally let the two of you sleep with the bears if you don’t start with the tents,”

“Fine, fine. You guys are annoying as hell,” you mumbled, brushing past him to reach one of the last two empty spots, throwing the bag that held your tent on the ground. The paper that slipped out of the opened zipper was filled with instructions, the words so small you almost struggled to read through them. If it wasn’t already difficult enough, the drawings explaining how to set up the tent weren’t helping, either.

You were just starting to understand something when your friends’ loud laughter filled your ears, along with the sound of bottles of beer being opened. You laughed to yourself, taking one of the many thin poles in your hands as you tried to figure out where it was supposed to go, one of your palms burying itself in your hair.

You had never been the greatest at building things, and you weren’t surprised when you grew close to calling one of the guys and ask for their help. Their tents had been built in less than half an hour, helping you prop up yours wasn’t going to be too difficult. Right?

“Here, give it to me. I’ll help you,” the familiar voice snapped you out of your thoughts, as deep as you remembered it to be. Cale was standing beside you, arms folded over his chest as he gave your work a quick look, a teasing smirk on his lips. “Never been camping?”

“Not really,” you giggled awkwardly, handing him the item in your hand as he figured the mess out. His feet carried him to the left side of the tent, sliding the first part of the tube in its place.

“Alright, go on the other side,”

With Cale’s help, building a tent had never been easier. He knew what to do and where to start, he honestly made it look easy. Your shelter was ready after just a couple of minutes, and you found yourself smiling Cale’s way as soon as he mumbled a quick ‘we’re done’.

“Really?!”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, taking his place by your side again as the two of you gave the results one last look. “Looks better than mine down there,”

You giggled, turning around to wrap an arm around him, pulling him in a quick hug. “Thank you so much,” you said, pushing a stray hair out of your eyesight. “Wouldn’t have made it, without you,”

“You’re welcome,” Cale said rather rushedly, his cheeks blushing slightly. You weren’t able to see the way he flushed, though, turning around way too quickly to unpack your bag and getting the last few things for your shelter out.

As you pushed your phone out of your pocket, you realized just then how messily the butterflies in your stomach were dancing. And it was all because of Cale.

-

The sounds of the fireplace were comforting you as everyone enjoyed the first night of the summer together with a beer in hand. Loud laughter was coming from the Avalanche players, and you could hear a few laughs and giggles coming from your own friends, too.

“I can’t believe they gave you a penalty, man,” Tyson admitted, referring to Nathan’s last call on the ice that cost the team a power-play goal. “It was a clean hit and we all saw that,”

“Yeah, man,” EJ agreed, tipping his head back as he finished his beer.

“Call was ridiculous,” Nate agreed, shrugging slightly to signal the end of the conversation before letting an arm wrap around his girlfriend. “What have you been up to, Y/N? You’re the only one we don’t see too often,”

You chuckled at his words, shaking your head as you swallowed the last piece of s’more in your mouth. “Just been working, trying to get a promotion,”

“You go, girl,” Johanna cheered, making you laugh. “And Christian?”

The laughter left your body as soon as your ex was mentioned, the last words of your final argument repeating themselves in your mind. “Christian?” Was all you were able to mumble, eyes cast on the fire as you buried your hands in the pockets of your hoodie.

“Your boyfriend,” Susanna stated, making you chuckle out bitterly.

“Well, ex-boyfriend,” you sighed, shrugging when you looked up to see a few shocked faces. “Broke up a few months ago, now,”

“And you didn’t tell us?!” Mikko yelled, his voice loud over the mixed words of shock from your friends.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, casting your eyes to your lap as everyone kept talking, slowly starting to express the way they all almost despised your ex. Nathan - and his girlfriend agreed with him - said something about Christian hitting on his girl, Tyson complained about the fact that he had never seemed to treat you good, and all the girls agreed with him.

Thinking about your break-up on the first day of your summer vacation wasn’t something you had planned, so you silently kept to yourself, hoping the conversation would drop quickly. Your eyes lifted up from the orange flames of the fire, finding the stars illuminating the dark sky, so subtle yet so beautiful. All the voices of your friends were silenced as you admired the beauty of the night, a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in finally leaving your lips.

A gentle hand nudged your elbow, your attention snapping towards the person to your right in a quick second. Staring back at you was Cale, a soft smile on his lips as he held a stick with a roasted marshmallow between the two of you. “For you,”

“For me?”

“I know you love roasted marshmallows,” he mumbled, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “Just thought of making one for you, I guess,”

A small smile formed on your lips at his kindness, cheeks burning as you accepted the stick. “You’re too sweet, Cale,” you mumbled, your shoulder leaning against his as you grabbed the candy from the top of the branch, pushing it in your mouth.

He grabbed his own marshmallow and slid it in his mouth, your eyes meeting as you silently looked at each other. His cheeks grew bigger from the size of the candy, a small piece of it coloring the side of his mouth.

You giggled, his own laughter following yours as you swallowed. “Hang on, Cale,” you mumbled, coming closer to him as you tried to ignore your heartbeat picking up its pace. “You’ve got something-”

Your palm cupped his scarlet cheek, warm against your skin as your thumb smoothed the sticky substance away, your eyes barely leaving his as the two of you sat back in place. Both of your heartbeats were loud, cheeks burning as you acted as if the closeness hadn’t affected you in any kind of way.

You silently hoped nobody had paid attention to the two of you, knowing the guys wouldn’t hold down the chirping; but when you looked back at the team and wags, they all seemed to be too focused on their conversation to even notice Cale’s burning cheeks, or your fingers slightly touching.

You were the first one to wish everyone a good night, that day, to retrieve in your tent and listen to your heart beat loudly. You felt like a teenager again, feeling just so jittery after the interaction with the man you had always spent too much time looking at, and had always looked for whenever you’d join the group at any kind of event.

You had always repressed whatever you had been feeling for Cale, pushed it to the side to avoid any kind of rejection. But the way Cale smiled your way, the way he helped you out whenever he could, the way he tried to find subtle ways to gently touch you.

Something in you, that night, was guessing that your feelings might have been mutual.

-----

“Does this happen every time you guys go camping?” You asked Sydney breathlessly as you took a look at the hiking path in front of you. You were already two hours into the hike, the guys all walking ahead of you as if the uphill path wasn’t tiring them, at all. “Like, do you ever get a break when hiking with the boys?”

“Nope,” Sydney giggled from beside you, stopping in her tracks to take a sip of her water. “You’re a newbie to our camping trips, you’ll get used to it,”

You laughed along with her, looping your arm around hers as you followed the rest of the group through the sunrays-lit forest, sweat threatening to line your forehead. Walking in front of everyone was Cale, laughing along with Nate as you watched him, a smile of your own forming on your lips.

The moments of the previous night kept repeating in your mind as you silently walked, hoping the man living in your mind wouldn’t notice the fondness in your eyes whenever he looked your way.

“So, you and Cale?”

The words leaving Sydney’s mouth had your cheeks burning, the smile on your face quickly turning sheepish as you kept walking. “What about me and Cale?”

“C’mon,” she laughed, looking at you with an eyebrow raised. “Last night?”

You rolled your eyes with a chuckle, shaking your head slowly as you looked at the path in front of you. “That was nothing,”

“Nothing?!” She cried exasperatedly, pushing your shoulder as she kept walking. “You looked like you were going to make-out on the spot,”

“That’s not true,”

“That’s more than true, Y/N,” she laughed, silence settling between the two of you after her teasing words. Maybe you and Cale hadn’t been that smooth, you thought. Her elbow was quick to hit your ribcage after a few minutes, her eyes finding yours again as a small smirk formed on her lips. “He’s single, you’re finally single. You should give it a thought,”

“It’s just a stupid, small crush,” you admitted. “Nothing more,”

“Then why not try and see where things would lead?” She stated, knowing she was right. “I’ve never seen Cale act like that,”

“Like what?”

“Like a smitten teenager,” her honesty had you laughing, your head shaking as you were the one to push her shoulder, that time. When your laughter died down, her voice made its way inside your ears. “But really, you should try,”

She didn’t give you time to give her a response, slipping away from you to reach her boyfriend’s side, who had called her name. You were left on your own once again, staring ahead of you, your eyes focused on the back of Cale’s head as you struggled to keep up with the group.

Was it so easy to notice? The way your cheeks would heat up, or the way your smile would turn giddy as soon as he’d be close enough to have your fingers brushing against his. Was it that easy?

“C’mon, Y/N! We’re almost there!” EJ yelled from the front, his toothless smile shining from the distance as he walked backward. You laughed, throwing your head back for a quick second before meeting eyes with a smiley Cale standing by his side.

His cheeks were their usual scarlet color, hair slightly tousled from being pushed back too many times, but he still looked like the kind of person who would steal your heart in no time.

-

“Good night, Y/N,” Tyson was the last person to leave the fireplace, a smile on his face as he walked towards his tent, the silence of the night engulfing you in a warm embrace.

Your eyes drifted up towards the sky - as they always did - and found the patterns of stars painting it. The moon was shining brightly that night, its rays illuminating your face as you silently thought about your day. And Cale.

The hike had gone surprisingly well: the various hours under the hot sun had been worth it, the view from the top of the mountains so beautiful you could never forget it. But you couldn’t just forget Cale, his lingering touches, and the way his eyes would be staring deeply at you whenever they could.

When he had helped you down a particularly high, rocky step, your breath had hitched, the feeling of his rough yet gentle hands on your waist pushing the butterflies in your stomach back to life. You were sure you had never felt so deeply connected to someone, the way Cale was making you feel just so unknown to you. You didn’t want things to end.

“You sure you’ll be okay out here on your own?”

Your head snapped towards the source of sound, the nest of tousled blond hair you knew too well finding your eyes in less than a second. “Yeah, don’t worry, Cale,”

Your gaze fell back on the stars, ignoring the sound of his footsteps until the shuffling of his body next to yours snapped you out of your thoughts again. “The stars are beautiful, tonight,” was all Cale mumbled as your shoulders touched.

“City pollution doesn’t do them much justice,” you chuckled, wrapping your arms around your folded legs as you sent him a quick glance. “I should probably come here more often,”

“It’s such a nice place,” Cale stated, a layer of comfortable silence settling between the two of you. Your body leaned against his on its own command, your head almost resting on his shoulder as the sounds of the crickets surrounding you pushed you into a state of calmness.

His body seemed to tense for a second, but his arm wrapped around your middle when he realized there was nothing you wanted more than to feel him close to you. He was silent for a few minutes - just enjoying your closeness and the warmth your body held - before letting his eyes close.

You didn’t recall walking back to your tent, the next morning when you woke up, but his hoodie still covering your body was a tell-tale sign Cale had brought you back after a while. You buried your flushed face in your pillow, that morning, the sun warming up your tent as you still felt Cale close to you.

Did he feel the same way?

-----

“Oh. My. God. Y/N!” Johanna yelled, trembling as the chilly water of the lake hit her back, all thanks to your splashing. You giggled at her exaggerated reaction, dipping underwater to escape any of her splashes as she tried to look for revenge.

The sun was setting after another long hike, its reflection painting the lake an orange shade as you cooled down, enjoying the last day of the vacation with the team. It was a summer you were going to remember, but you felt stressed, in some kind of way.

Your heart was beating for someone, and that someone was Cale. You had never felt as close to him as you did on the trip, and you felt like something was going to happen. Eventually.

But the trip was coming to its end: you’d have to go home and get back to your schedule, the guys would go back in full swing to their own jobs, and you weren’t ready to give up on the progress you and Cale had made, not yet. It felt as if the universe wanted you to be happy, giving you Cale and feelings you just couldn’t hold back, and just a small time to find your happiness.

The water had stopped moving around you, and you realized just then that Johanna had left, and you were - yet again - on your own. The water had started to cool down even more due to the dark clouds already painting the sky, pushing you to sit on the dock with a towel wrapped around your shoulders to warm up.

The world seemed to grow quiet as you watched the clouds move, reminding you of the sleepless night you were going to spend in your lonely tent due to the upcoming rainstorm. You smiled, though, taking a deep breath as the sound of laughter from the distance slowly put your world back into motion.

“You’re going to get a cold,”

“Would be worth it,” you giggled, watching Cale move until he was sitting next to you on the dock. “What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you, dinner’s almost ready,” he mumbled, his own eyes falling on the sky. You hummed, wrapping the towel tighter around your shoulders as you scooted closer to him.

“I’m going to miss this,” you whispered truthfully, your cold fingers busy on the strings of your bikini. “Camping, nights in front of the fireplace, you guys,”

“Same,” Cale admitted. “I don’t want it to end, you know? I’m going to miss you,”

Your heart fluttered at his words, sending the butterflies in your stomach in a spiral for a quick second as he kept talking. “And it’s stupid to say, because I see you just so often,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “But I’m going to miss you, and what happened between us here,”

You took a second to let his words sink in, just how quickly they made your body feel warm and how they made you feel like a teenager in love all over again. “It doesn’t have to end, Cale,” was all you whispered, your eyes meeting his as you let your heart beat loudly, not caring if anyone heard it.

“I didn’t think you’d feel the same way,” he said, honesty slipping from his lips as he let a hand cup your cheek tenderly.

“And I didn’t think you’d feel the same way, either,” you giggled, your chest warming up unexpectedly when his lips brushed up in a smile. You admired him, letting your eyes rake across his eyes, then his nose, his rosy cheeks, and - soon after - his lips. “Promise me we won’t let this go to waste,”

“We won’t,” he whispered back, his free hand lacing with yours as your lips finally met. Your world felt complete, at least, it seemed like it. With his hands on you and his gentle kisses, you felt alive, you felt like you were finally home.

One of his kisses turned into two, and two turned into three. As warm as he made you feel, your body heat was lowering and you had to pull away with clattering teeth before you bit his lip a little too hard. Your foreheads met for a moment, your eyes closing as you spent one last moment with him, the closeness having you weak.

“You’re freezing,” he stated, eyes carefully taking notice of your purple lips and shaking limbs. “Let’s go, you need to get changed before you die on me,”

“I’m fine, Cale,” you giggled, taking his hand to stand up with him before you started to head towards your camping spot, where the rest of the team was making dinner. His hand stayed in yours as he led you towards your tent, not caring - or worrying - if your friends saw.

Dinner was quite uneventful after that. You ate in silence as you missed Cale’s touch, a smile on your lips as you caught him staring your way from the distance. You didn’t set up the fireplace, that night. Rain started to hit your skin by ten, and everyone pretty much understood your last night had come to an end.

You had wished Cale goodnight with a subtle squeeze of his hand before heading towards your tent, sliding under your covers as you thought about the events of the day. Your mind went back to the man that stole your heart, thinking about the way your heart would stutter every time he’d look your way, or just how quickly your mood could change when his skin touched yours.

Saying you were stuck on him was an understatement.

The tiredness from the activities started to kick in - your eyes feeling quite heavy as you pushed your phone away from you - but the sounds the rain made, the fear of a storm and just what it could cause, they were keeping you up.

The raindrops were hitting the fabric of the tent harshly, and as much as you tried to relax, you just couldn’t. It was well past midnight when an idea popped in your mind, but you just couldn’t. It was too much, and too early.

You rolled to your side, your air mattress making a squeaking noise as you did so. It was too early. Your phone vibrated, pushing you out of your thoughts as the screen lit up, a new message waiting to be read.

I’m outside your tent.

Your brows furrowed at Cale’s text, looking up to see that, in fact, someone was standing outside your tent. You crawled towards the entrance, pushing the zipper down until the cold hair of the night hit your face, and your eyes met Cale’s frame.

“What the hell are you doing here? You’re going to catch a cold!”

“Would be worth it,” he repeated the words you had used earlier that day. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” you whisper-yelled, almost dragging him inside before you closed the tent back up. “What are you doing here, Cale?”

“I noticed you couldn’t sleep,” he mumbled, sitting on the edge of your mattress as his eyes stayed on your features even in the darkness of the night. “And I couldn’t sleep either,”

You giggled, shaking your head when you had realized you had had the same idea at the same time. You had been so close to joining Cale in his tent to relax and let all your worries leave your body, but he had beaten you at your own game.

With your last ounce of courage, you pressed a quick kiss to his blushing cheek, pulling him along with you to lay on the mattress. “Just come here,”

You were facing each other after you slipped under the covers again, his eyes staring into yours as you felt your body snuggle closer to his at its own command. One of his arms wrapped itself around your body, pulling you even closer as you felt a tender kiss being pressed to the crown of your head.

“Get some rest,” he whispered in your hair, your face buried in the crook of his neck as he talked. “I’ll be here in the morning,”

“Good night, Cale,”

“Good night, Y/N,”

-

Morning came quickly, too quickly for your liking. The sun was weakly lighting up your tent, its rays shining against Cale’s skin just right. He was still with you - as he had promised - and you were sure there was no better way to wake up than to open your eyes and see Cale, before anyone else.

He was breathing shallowly, eyes still closed as his arms kept tight around your waist, no sign of him waking up just yet. Your heart was a fluttering mess: you’d gone from complete strangers, to friends, to what seemed like lovers. And, God- you didn’t want it to end.

One single digit of yours ghosted over his soft cheek, starting to trace his features as lightly as it could as you admired him with all you had, hoping he wouldn’t wake up from your motions. A long sigh left his lips at your touch, eyelids squeezing for a quick second before he let them open.

“Good morning,” he grumbled, voice gravelly as he closed his eyes for another moment.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” you whispered, retrieving your hand as he pulled you closer. “Slept well?”

“Yes,” he dragged the last letter, the smile on his lips making you giggle. “You?”

“Like a baby,”

“That’s good,”

Silence settled between you as you enjoyed his warmth, brain running way too quickly at just eight in the morning while you traced shapes on his clothed chest. “They’re gonna chirp the hell out of us,” you giggled.

“Oh, God,” Cale chuckled, his palm landing on his face as he remembered about his restless teammates. “Might as well just die in here,”

You giggled, tugging the tent’s zipper open and grabbing his hand to get him out of your bed. “Just let them talk,” you whispered in his ear before stepping outside, stretching your limbs. His quite taller frame struggled to exit the tent, but when he did, a chorus of gasps surrounded you.

“I knew it!” Johanna yelled, receiving a slap from a sleepy Sydney when her loud voice scared her. “I fucking knew it!”

“Cale is getting it, guys!” Tyson said loudly, making Cale’s cheeks heat up.

“Shut the fuck up, Josty,” you spat out jokingly, pushing his shoulder as you found an empty spot to sit on. “Don’t chirp my boyfriend,”

The weight of Cale’s body sitting next to you was enough to distract you for a second, but his thick voice in your ear really took your breath away. “Boyfriend?”

You bit your lip, looking up at him innocently before sending him a quick smile. “Only if you want to,”

He hummed, jokingly leaning down to press a kiss on your cheek, your heart beating loudly against your ribcage. “I’ll think about it,”

Breakfast was over in a rush, and you found yourself packing your belongings with sad sighs leaving your lips every now and then. Even though summer had barely just reached its peak, you weren’t ready to leave the memories of the camping trip behind just yet.

On the hike back to the parking lot, your hand stayed in Cale’s. It fit in his palm so easily you couldn’t help but think you were never going to stop holding his hand, as pathetic as it sounded. The air was chilly, and it held sadness as you two and the rest of the group walked back to your cars.

“I don’t want this to end,” Susanna said, hugging you tightly as you all said goodbye. “I’m going to miss you girls,”

“We’ll find a way to see each other, babe,” Sydney reassured her as they embraced each other.

“Y/N,” Nate greeted you with a smile, a smirk on his lips as he hugged you. “I’m hoping to see you at our next game with an eight on your back,”

You punched his shoulder jokingly when you parted ways, laughing along with him. “I’ll miss you too, Nate,”

Your last goodbyes were sad, numerous people piling in cars as you waved their way, your back resting against your car as you sighed softly.

“So,” Cale mumbled from behind you, stepping closer to your frame as he looked down at you. “Would be interested in our next game’s ticket and my personal jersey, as Nate suggested?”

You giggled, shaking your head as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “I mean, maybe,” you joked, biting on your lip as you let your eyes meet.

“As my girlfriend, you should probably say yes,” he said, looking down at you with a smirk as he gave you no time to respond, his lips meeting yours in a kiss.

“Girlfriend?”

He matched the smile on your face, leaning down to press another kiss before mocking your words from that morning. His voice was smooth, making your heart beat faster than usual, the butterflies in your stomach so crazy you were worried he could feel them.

“Only if you want to,”

Taglist: @thirstyybitch @bellaguarneri @boqvistsbabe @trashforbarzal @captaindaddies @keithseabrook27 @heatherawoowoo @sidscrosbyy @laurenairay @nathan-baelieu​

[chilly-me-softly]

fluff alphabet for jordan (henderson)

This is my first alphabet so hope I did it right and that you like it! x

A - APRON

Jordan wasn't the best cook in the world, he kept it simple and always made the same recipes sure that the result was more than acceptable. And you loved to see him in action, from the moment he put on his apron until he got to the cooker, his expression always focused as if he were in the middle of a surgical operation. And then his eagerness to know if it was good, the smile on his face when you complimented him, him enormously pleased with himself.

B - BALL

Of course he always has a ball between his feet, many times urging you to play with him. And you're not a professional player at his level, but you certainly manage to distract him in other ways...

C - CUDDLE

After a day of practice what better thing than holding you in his arms while you tell him what happened while he was gone or anything else that comes to mind. Your voice is better than any relaxing drink, so much so that many times he has closed his eyes without even noticing.

But it's the little circles you draw on his arm, the light kisses you leave on his chin from time to time that make his night. Because no matter how much he likes being around the boys, no one pampers him like you do.

D - DINOSAUR

The little dinosaur is supposed to be for your son, but ever since it was given to you, it keeps you company when you're alone. Or even to annoy Jordan as he often complains that you spend more time hugging that soft toy than he does.

"I swear, as soon as he's born, I'll let him have it"

"If you say so" Jordan strokes your eight month old baby bump with a smile on his face, "did you hear mommy? She'll leave you her toys" he leaves a light kiss on your belly as you gasp hitting him with the dinosaur head.

"You're really mean Jordan, go away I never want to see you again" you put on a fake pout as he looks at you softly getting up to be at your height.

"How about you keep this dinosaur, and our son gets another one? You can match"

"I don't need a stuffed animal, I'm a big girl now" but you don't believe it either, him raising an eyebrow clearly amused and you hitting him with the dinosaur again.

E - EXERCISE

Even on his days off Jordan had to work out, the home gym built for the occasion. And he loves showing off for you, when you go to sit on a bench and your gaze settles on his toned, sweaty body.

"Like what you see?" he sneers, gently passing the towel over his face and then laying it on your shoulders, you rolling your eyes faking nonchalance.

"Please my lover is in better shape"

"Oh yeah?" Jordan walks over trapping your legs against the bench and starting to lie on top of you.

"No Jordan you're sticky" you try to desist but he's already on your lips. So you draw him to you by the neck, the thin layer of clothing separating you starting to get annoying.

F - FAMILY PHOTO

Jordan literally loves family photos, a big one of you just on the fireplace. He claims that every year you have to redo it because you all change so much, especially the little ones. Plus that year there is a new member of the family so it has to be redone.

You smile, arranging the ribbon around the baby's head in your arms as a three-year-old runs past your side almost tripping.

"Careful" you sigh, "Come on come over here next to us so we can take the picture and then you can go play" you don't know how he hasn't gotten dirty in some way yet. Jordan and the light shirt obsession. It's cute but totally not appropriate for a vulcano like your kid.

Finally Jordan arrives after talking to the photographer about the shots, wrapping an arm around you briefly. He places a kiss on your temple and the forehead of the little one in your arms before stopping the baby who was about to run away again.

"Just two minutes okay?" he smiles, crouching down and resting his hands on the kid's shoulders, smoothing down his jacket and adjusting his little bow tie before guiding him back to his seat.

And at the end of the week all you have to do is choose the best photo.

G - GETAWAY

Especially in summer you used to disappear to spend some time alone away from schedules, appointments, dinners to attend, families. Nothing was better than disconnecting, just you and Jordan relaxing in a secluded place or being tourists in some unknown location. You did everything you could to keep your mind off your troubles for even a couple of nights and it was always worth it.

H - HUG

All you had to do was say that word and Jordan would drop what he was doing, his arms gently around your body. Sometimes you did it just for the sake of it, but most of the time you just felt the need to be held and he was almost always there to satisfy you.

I - ILL

Sick Jordan was absolutely something. His unkempt state, his bright eyes and his drawling smile made him so cute in your eyes even though he felt like crap.

"Stop looking at me like that" he complains as he always does trying to hide his head somewhere while you smile.

"I'm not doing anything"

"You're looking at me" his voice comes muffled from under the pillow as you try to take it off, stroking his slightly damp hair. You liked taking care of him for once, even if it meant he wasn't at his best. He always seemed so strong, always available for you and that was one of the few times you could somehow return the favour.

He got annoying but you couldn't really take it out on him, could you?!

J - JORDAN

You didn't use nicknames, his name was good like that and you didn't need to change it or not use it at all. And he loved to hear his name coming from you. With hilarity when you were having fun; with sweetness in intimate moments; and yet angry, joking, alarmed, every possible nuance brought a smile to his face.

K - KEY

You were having breakfast one morning, you were enjoying your bowl of cereal while his had become un-eatable by now as he kept throwing you glances not caring about it.

He continues to twist something between the fingers of the hand he has hidden from your view when suddenly Jordan reaches across the table, sliding something towards you. A key.

"This is the house key. I wanted to... well give it to you but don't feel pressured in any way" he doesn't know exactly what he's nervous about, many times he's left you his keys to get in or when he was out of town for emergencies. But you looking at him motionless certainly doesn't help him. Has he made a mistake?

"You're giving me the key to your house?" your gaze on that object, incredulous, not touching it as if it might shock you. "Really?" you always had his keys on loan, having your own meant he trusted you enough to let you into his space even unannounced, or that you wouldn't lose it and risk someone else finding it. It was a really great gesture.

"Yeah I mean I thought you could have your own copy, and use it even when I'm here" a huge smile breaks across your face as you stand up going to sit on Jordan's lap, him scooting his chair further back to allow you to be more comfortable.

"That's...I have no words. Just thank you"

"I like the idea of coming home to find you already comfortable"

"Oh I surely will" you chuckle as you finally take that key in your hands, snapping to your feet causing a confused expression to appear on Jordan's face as you leave for the door.

"I forgot something" you walk back inside using the key and going straight to leave a kiss on his lips as he stands up immediately wrapping his arms around your body. "Are you crazy? It's so cold out there"

"I have a key now" you state with satisfaction as you cling to him.

L - LAUGH

Definitely his trademark, you can recognise it even with your eyes closed. You couldn't be more different than that, you always trying to be as quiet as possible while he was always so loud. But you couldn't help but be mesmerised by his face when he laughed, from his squinted eyes to his head thrown back.

"If I were to lose my memory, I'm sure your laugh would make me remember you" a soft smile on your face as you looked up at him slightly from below lying on his chest as he raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Why would you lose your memory?"

"I said if, it's a scenario" you roll your eyes pouting, him quickly running his thumb over your lips to remove it.

"Why do you always have to be so tragic?"

"Ugh Jordan it was a compliment, it's not my fault you don't get it" and that laugh is always there to fill your heart.

M - MATCHDAY

Every home game Jordan is sure to have you at the stadium cheering for him. Over the years that has never changed, only skipping games when you weren't feeling well or when you were really pregnant and Jordan would be more concerned about you and your safety than the outcome of the game.

A little unspoken routine between you, him always leaving home early no matter the kick off time to review tactics and you sending him a text to wish him luck with a picture of you - and later a picture of you and the kids - wearing his jersey.

After the match regardless of the result and after he has done any interviews, here you are together sharing a short but sweet moment. You remind him how proud you are of him, the children want to go and play on the pitch.

N - NOSE

His nose brushes your neck as he snuggles up against you to rest; his nose brushes yours gently in an Eskimo kiss before he makes your lips connect; his nose brushes your skin after you have just stepped out of the shower. You often teased him by saying he looked like a tracker but you liked that little attention, the build up to what came next.

O - OLD

You always tease him by claiming he's getting old, sprawled out on the couch after spending half an hour chasing his son completely out of energy while the kid would happily take another ten thousand steps in the backyard.

"If I'm old then so are you, you know that don't you?"

"Yeah" you shrug, "but I'm still younger than you"

P - PIXEL

It's no secret that Jordan travels a lot during the year, your pixilated face seen more times than he'd like. But you don't hold it against him, besides being work it's his dream and moving around so much means he's living it to the fullest; that he's required and indispensable to the team besides being its captain of course.

You have learned to live the moments when you are together, to cheer and not waste it. And every time he stops to look at you while you're sleeping by his side or even just at any other time, he can't stop remembering how much those pixels don't really do you justice.

R - RING

It was a normal day in your life when you realised as a teenager that you had a thing for guys' hands, and if they had rings for some reason it was a bonus.

And many times you'd literally froze as you stared at Jordan's hands moving as he talked or wrote or cooked, the addition of that ring after your wedding didn't help the cause. You were brought back down to earth by his laughter because it was always surprising how one minute you were actively participating in the conversation and the next you were like in trance.

S - SAFE

You don't think you've ever told him verbally but you were lucky enough to have met him. Jordan makes you feel safe and you don't talk about the need to be defended from the bad. You know that with Jordan you can talk about whatever is on your mind without fear of being judged, you know he will always be there for you no matter what. You're immediately heartened by the reminder that he's by your side because any moment is less hard if the right person is by your side.

T - TOMORROW

It is something you often talk about, tomorrow. Everything is unpredictable, you never wanted to make long-term plans because you never know what might happen but only one thing you know for sure that you want Jordan by your side. And your idea matches his.

"You are my tomorrow and as long as I wake up with you by my side I will have a reason to smile"

U - UNIVERSE

"You are my universe"

"Stop it"

"But you are, why wouldn't I tell you" he chuckles as you hit him trying to hide your face.

You are one who is always on the move, always available for others but at the same time doesn't know how to react to compliments. You do what you do not to be praised or anything else but just because you feel like it and every time after a compliment of any kind any word would seem unnecessary, making you stand in front of that person smiling embarrassed making you feel uncomfortable. There, if you had to find a word to describe it you could say that compliments make you uncomfortable.

And Jordan knows this very well, but every now and then when you're alone he starts showering you with compliments and sweet phrases for the sake of it. But the truth is that he likes it when you blush, your cheeks turning red as you do your best not to look him in the eye or hide your face in your hands.

V - VOWS

It seemed years away, but your wedding day had arrived overwhelmingly. You couldn't wait to experience that day and those emotions to the fullest. The thing that had been most challenging for you was the vows, so many things to say without finding the right words. Everything seemed already said, obvious, not perfect and several times you had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown for that small detail.

But on your wedding day, no one around you exists anymore. There's just you and Jordan and your hearts full of love for each other, his thumb caressing the back of your hand for support. You almost forget what you've been struggling to write over those last few months, the words that come easily from your lips just by looking into his eyes.

W - WINNER

Winner takes it all. Jordan watches from afar as you joke with some of his teammates and the only thing he can think about is how that year just ended was one of the most amazing of his life so far, both professionally and in his personal life. He had achieved extraordinary goals with the team, broken records and set new ones. And then he had you who had given him a child a few months earlier and he felt like a winner.

Y - YUMMY

"Yeah that's yummy" Jordan watches his baby close his mouth around the spoon and then bring his thumb to his mouth getting messy with his own food.

"Why do you do that hm? Why?" his tone of voice only makes the child laugh as he waits for another bite clapping his hands on the high chair. Jordan quickly satisfies him seeing the same scene repeat itself, the little hands that have now become sticky and are getting everything they touch dirty like they always do at feeding time.

Z - ZOOM

His professionalism never fails to amaze you as you watch him from afar managing to handle questions in front of a computer. It will be the third interview in which he's asked the same things over and over again and you have never seen him make any gesture of tiredness or annoyance. And you are waiting for him to finally get up from that chair to wrap him in your arm and give him the right amount of pampering he needs to clear his head of everything.