#this email finds me full of love for my goofy friends

[needle-noggins]

beautiful women named Archive of Our Own keep emailing me

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Forty Four

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends!

First off, thank you SO much for the response to Surrender. Seeing all the comments and little emails from Ao3 made my heart so freaking happy <3 I am so so pleased you enjoyed it.

I hope you like this chapter of SGW <3

Please do let me know what you think!

-x-

Words: 3.8k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily yawns as she paces the living room, her hand rhythmically patting Lily’s back through the baby wrap she was snuggled up in. 

Lily loved being held. It was something that became clear the day she born, fussing and squawking as only a newborn could whenever she woke up to find she was in the bassinet. It was something that had continued throughout the first two weeks of her life, and even though it meant Emily was very sleep-deprived since she was always their daughter’s first choice, still crying sometimes when Aaron was the one to get up with her, she couldn’t deny that she loved it. Something about holding her little girl close, of hours melting into days as she did so, that felt incredibly special. 

She knew this phase wouldn’t last forever, no matter how much it felt like it might in the moment sometimes. That, before she knew it, she’d be back at work. Her initial plan had only been to take the three months of maternity leave that she’d organised with Aaron and Strauss, but now she would be spending at least half of that time recovering from surgery, her ability to do just about anything other than carry her baby restricted, she was considering asking for a little more time. The practicalities were at the forefront of her mind, and certainly would be the official reason she’d use in her request, even though she knew it was more to do with the fact she was already unable to bear the thought of being away from her baby for hours at a time. 

She hears her phone ring from where she’d left it on the coffee table, the vibration of it echoing almost too loudly in the living room. She curses under her breath, fearing the sound will wake up Lily, and picks it up quickly, smiling when she sees her husband’s name on the screen. She answers quickly, making sure she keeps her voice low when she speaks, not wanting to disturb the baby pressed up against her chest. 

“Hi honey,” she says, continuing her pacing of the living room, “Are you on the way home?” 

“Not yet sweetheart,” he replies, an edge to his voice she’s sure she’d be able to place if she’d more sleep in the last couple of days, “How are my girls doing?” 

“I’m okay, tired but what’s new?” She says, chuckling as she runs her hand up and down the culprit of her sleep deprivation’s back, “Lil is fast asleep after eating. She loves that wrap Pen got us,” Emily says, looking down at Lily, smiling at the sight of her daughter fast asleep, her cheek squished against her chest, “Seems that as long as she’s got her face pressed into my boobs she’s happy,” she kisses the top of the baby’s head, “Like father, like daughter I guess.” 

She laughs at her own joke, and she hears Aaron’s laugh come down the phone, but it isn’t his usual one. It’s not the almost goofy sound she’d fallen in love with, it’s tight. Forced. And it sets her on edge. She runs her hand up and down Lily’s back and she blows out a steady breath. 

“Aaron, honey, what’s wrong?” 

She hears him sigh, and she can picture him pinching the bridge of his nose, deep lines carved into his forehead, appearing like they always did when he was stressed. 

“I…,” he pauses, swallowing thickly, “I don’t know how to tell you this. And I really wish I wasn’t having to tell you over the phone.” 

She tops pacing, frozen in place on the floor as worst-case scenarios overwhelm her, forcing her breath to catch in her chest, “Is…is someone hurt? I thought the team hadn’t been sent anywhere today-”

“Em, no it’s nothing like that,” he says, cutting her off, stopping her from spiralling any further, “It’s…it’s about your mother.” 

Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, it hadn’t been that. For a moment, everything stops around her, everything slowing down in the quiet house, even the sound of the white noise machine that was always seemingly on these days disappearing. The only thing that keeps her grounded is the slight weight of Lily against her chest, the feeling of her breathing. Emily swallows thickly and places her hand on her daughter's back before she carefully lowers them down onto the couch.

“Sweetheart?” 

She clears her throat, the edge of concern in her husband’s voice enough to bring her back to herself. “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry.” 

“You have nothing to apologise for, baby,” he assures her, pausing for a moment that feels like an eternity, “Do you want me to tell you what’s happened?” 

She loves him for giving her the choice, as if she had any other option than to know what was happening. She knows if he hadn’t had to call he wouldn’t have. That a part of him would have considered not telling her at all, but one of the very foundations of their relationship was honesty and it always had been, long before they got together. 

“Yeah,” she answers, looking down at Lily, relieved she’s still fast asleep, finding comfort in her sweet face, “Is she hurt?” 

“No,” he says quickly, “No she’s okay. But…I got a call from a cop based downtown. She was pulled over and had clearly been drinking when they spoke to her.” 

Emily blows out a steady breath and closes her eyes, and tears immediately flood them. When she reopens them tears spill past her lashline. She wipes them away quickly, not wanting them to fall onto Lily’s head, for any of this to touch her. 

“She was driving?” Emily asks, unsure why that is the first thought to come to her. Elizabeth rarely, if ever, drove herself anywhere, so this seemed even more needless. Even more reckless. And it makes Emily’s heart seize in her chest, disappointment and hurt she’d told herself she wouldn’t allow herself to feel over her mother’s actions spreading through her like fire. Burning her from the inside out. 

“She was,” Aaron confirms, “She gave my name as a contact. I’m assuming it’s because I’m law enforcement and she knows I outrank them.” 

Emily scoffs, the sound bitter as it escapes, leaving a foul taste in her mouth, “Well, even when she’s been drinking she’s still always been good at what she does,” she blows out a shaky breath and wipes more tears from her cheeks, “Has she been charged with anything?” 

“No,” Aaron answers, and Emily isn’t sure what to make of the disappointment she feels, filing the feeling away for later, “I spoke to the cop and because it’s a first offence, and because of who she is, they are letting it slide.”

“That’s so…very DC,” she says, leaning down to kiss her daughter’s head, breathing in the scent of her, letting the comfort it always brought, the sense of home try to settle her. “You’re going to go pick her up, right?” She asks, his silence the only answer she needs, the reason she knows he’s called instead of coming home to tell her this, “I’ll meet you there.”

Aaron sighs again, as if he’d been expecting that response, “Em…you can’t drive yet. And I know you don’t want one of Lily’s first outings to be to a police station, no matter how much we joke about the family business.”

She chokes out a laugh, nodding even though he couldn’t see her, “I know. You’re right. You’ll be home as soon as you can be, right?” 

“You know I will,” he says, his voice laced with guilt he shouldn’t feel, “I’m so sorry about this, sweetheart.” 

“It’s not your fault,” she replies, her voice shaking slightly, “It’s just hers.” She feels Lily start to shift against her, and she looks down to see dark eyes looking up at her, “Can you…can you not tell her about Lily?” She asks, finding her usual desire to show her daughter off nowhere to be found, “You can tell her she’s here but please don’t say anything else. I…”

She isn’t sure how to say it, how to explain that her mother even being aware of her daughter’s name felt like something she didn’t want to share. An insight into her life she didn’t want to give her, a breaking of her own rules that she’d set so many months ago. 

“I get it,” he says, his voice soft, soothing her even though he wasn’t with her, “I won’t tell her anything I don’t think you’ll be comfortable with.”

She sighs, feeling slight relief this time, “Thank you. I love you.” 

“I love you too,” he replies, and she hears shuffling on the other end as if he was moving, determined to do what he had to as quickly as he could so he could get back to her, “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

She strokes a finger down Lily’s cheek, smiling at the softness of her skin, more determined than ever that she was doing the right thing. “Okay.” 

___

Calling Emily had been the first thing he did, but the very last thing he’d wanted to do. 

For a moment, a very brief one, he’d considered not telling her. Thoughts he couldn’t quite shake off telling him that he should go get Elizabeth, drop her home and then never tell his wife, not wanting to cause the upset this undoubtedly would, but he knows he can’t do that. Honesty was important to them both, and even though the very last thing he wanted to do was hurt Emily, he knew this was best coming from him. 

When he gets to the police station it doesn’t take long for the police officers there to hand Elizabeth over to him. Familiar looks of dismay on their faces that she always managed to draw out of everyone she wished to, something that in other circumstances he’s sure would make him laugh. 

He doesn’t miss how she stares at his left hand as he shakes the hand of the cop who’d called him, her eyes fixed on the wedding ring he hadn’t been wearing the last time they saw each other. 

It felt like a different lifetime now. Emily’s pregnancy still early on enough that she was only showing a little, Lily safely tucked up inside of her, her hormones all over the place as she made the decision to cut her mother off. Putting her baby, the one she was still months away from meeting at the time, ahead of everything else. A feat Elizabeth had seemingly never been able to manage. 

They walk in silence to the car, Aaron’s fists clenched at his sides as he watches Elizabeth’s eyes linger on the car seat in the back before she climbs into the passenger side. Once he’s driving, the police station disappearing in the rearview mirror, she finally speaks to him, acknowledging him for the first time.

“Thank you for picking me up.” 

He grunts, clutching the steering wheel tight enough for a moment that his knuckles go white, “I didn’t do it for you.” 

She clears her throat, the silence in the car awkward, cloying. Thick in his throat in a way that makes him swallow thickly. 

“So…you really did get married.” 

He looks down at his hand, the band that matched Emily’s shining up at him, before he looks back at the road, “We did,” he replies, curiosity that had lingered in his belly since he’d been called finally winning out, “How did you know that?” He looks at her firefly and their eyes meet, and he sees the curiosity winning out, “The cop said you called me your son-in-law.” 

“My ex-husband told me,” she replies, “Apparently Emily has a habit of kicking her parents out of her life,” she adds wryly. 

The anger he feels flashes through him, hot and sharp as he clenches his teeth, his words forced out through them, “You don’t get to speak about her like that,” he says, holding the steering wheel so tightly he’s surprised he doesn’t snap it, “You never get to speak about her like that.” 

If Elizabeth has an issue with that she doesn’t say anything, instead, she casts a glance into the back of the car at the car seat, the movement enough to make the smell of wine on her breath wash over him. It unlocks a memory from his childhood, the scent immediately replaced with scotch for a moment, and he wants nothing more than for this to be done with so he can go home and hug his wife and daughter. 

“She had the baby then?” 

He’s good enough at his job to know that the way she tries to sound like she doesn’t care is fake, that beneath it all is someone who wants to know about her grandchild, about how her daughter is doing, and he wants to shake her.

“Yes. She did.” 

They fall into silence again and Elizabeth laughs wryly, “That’s all I’m going to get? Not a name or a hint of if I have a grandson or granddaughter.” 

“That’s all you are going to get,” he says sternly, making sure she knows he’s serious, “Emily asked me not to tell you anything else.” 

Elizabeth scoffs and shakes her head, “She’s always been one for the dramatics.” 

“She’s been a mother for 14 days and she’s already better at it than you have ever been in almost 40 years.” 

Elizabeth glares at him, her gaze burning into the side of his head. He turns to look at her for a moment before focusing back on the road. Her anger was clear, her jaw tight in a way Emily’s always was when she was angry. 

“You can’t speak to me like that.”

“Yes. I can. She’s my wife. She…” Aaron trails off, clutching the steering wheel even tighter, knowing he was edging on breaking his promise to his wife that he’d made when they first started dating that he wouldn’t get involved, “She deserves better,” it’s his turn to scoff, “She deserves better than a mother who puts everything ahead of her again and again.”

“She’s an adult.” 

“She gave you part of her liver,” he says, bringing up the one thing he knows Emily and Elizabeth had only spoken about once since it happened, part of the wrought final conversation they’d had with her months ago, “She saved your life and you don’t even have the decency to admit you have a problem.” 

“I had a glass of wine with lunch.” 

“You can keep telling yourself that,” he says looking at her again, “You can keep saying Emily is being dramatic for cutting you off. But today you were lucky. You could have lost your career if you were charged,” he shakes his head at her, a humourless laugh escaping, “And I think that would have been the wake up call you needed. Not your daughter, your only child, the person who saved your life last time, begging you to stop. Not the fact you won’t ever meet your grandchild if this carries on. But the fact you could have lost the job that you’ve always put ahead of everything.” 

He knows he’s edging on breaking his longstanding promise to his wife, that he’s risking saying too much, but he also knows he can’t walk away from this without saying something. 

“Are you really saying you believe a woman can’t do it all?” She asks, an edge of sarcasm to her voice, “I doubt my daughter would have ever married someone who believed that, let alone have a baby with him.” 

He has to take a deep breath, his anger licking at his insides again, and he’s grateful they are almost back at hers, the hard-earned control of his emotions reaching its end. 

“Women can. You didn’t.” He says firmly, purposely not looking at her as he feels her gaze burning into the side of his head again as he turns onto her street, “You didn’t raise her. She never came first to you,” he adds, pulling the car up onto her driveway, putting it into park but not switching off the engine, making it clear he wasn’t planning on staying, “But she does come first to me. Her and the kids. And she always will.” 

For a moment, he wonders if she’s going to say something, but she doesn’t. The click of her seatbelt loud in the car quickly followed by the door opening. He hears her heeled shoes hit the gravel, and then there’s another pause. 

“Thank you, Aaron.” 

He looks at her, his gaze stern, “I already told you, this wasn’t for you-”

“Not for that,” she says, cutting him off, hooking her purse over her shoulder, “For loving my daughter.” 

He clenches his teeth to stop himself from saying that he didn’t do that for her either. Instead, he nods, and she smiles tightly at him before she closes the car door, disappearing into the house that had never quite been home for the woman he loves. 

___

The relief Emily feels when she hears the front door open is palpable. Tension seeping out of her body as she relaxes further into the bed. 

She’d brought Lily up to put her down to sleep, but hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave her until Aaron got home, desperately needing her little girl nearby to calm her down. A familiar mix of anger, disappointment and sadness churning deep in her gut, a feeling she had once hoped she’d left behind. 

It takes Aaron less than a minute to make his way upstairs. She stands up just as he walks into the bedroom, and he’s barely through the door before she’s in his arms, his arms tighter around her than they had been in weeks, any lingering concern about hurting her gone. 

She buries her face in his chest and she shudders, desperately trying to ignore the slight smell of her mother’s perfume that seemed to cling to him. A visceral reaction as everything she’d held in since he’d called escapes, her body sagging against his. She’s grateful she’s no longer pregnant, that she can be this close to him, something she’d missed more than she’d admit in the later stages of her pregnancy. 

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he says, kissing the top of her head whilst he runs his hand up and down her back, “I’ve got you.” 

He isn’t sure how long they stand there. When he pulls back to look at her she smiles shakily at him and he wipes tears from her cheeks before he guides her to the bed, both of them sitting on the edge of it, their thighs pressed together. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer and he looks behind them at the basinet, smiling softly at the sight of their daughter fast asleep. 

“Is she okay?” He asks, and Emily nods against him, sniffing as she wipes at her cheeks again, the tears seemingly never stopping now he is home. 

“She’s okay,” she says, tilting her head to smile up at him, “She missed you today,” her smile becomes shaky, “Hell of a first day back at work.” 

“Yeah,” he agrees, thinking of how he’d had to drag himself from their side this morning, determined to have an easy day at work so he could make it back home as soon as possible, “Do you…want to talk about it?”

She blows out a breath and shrugs, “No. Yes,” she shakes her head at herself as she lets out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob, “I don’t know,” she rests her head on his shoulder, tilting it so she’s looking up at him, “Did she seem…apologetic?” 

He sighs and shakes his head, “No, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” 

He doesn’t tell her about the things Elizabeth had said, well aware they were all things she would have heard before. He didn’t want to pick at wounds that had already been torn open this evening, didn’t want to be the salt that made them sting. 

She feels a sob catch in her chest, reaching to wipe another tear from her cheek,  “ I kind of wish she’d been charged.” Emily asks, wiping a tear from her cheek, “If it had hit the press her job would have been at risk and…I think that’s the only thing that would make her stop,” she shakes her head and sighs, “Not having any contact with her only kid doesn’t seem to have made any difference. Is that bad?” 

“Of course not, Em,” he says, cupping her cheek and running his thumb over her skin, “I’d feel the same way.” 

She closes her eyes and shakes her head at herself, cursing under her breath, “Shit, Aaron. I’m sorry. I know it can’t have been easy for you to go.”

On some level, she hates that they have this in common. That one of their intertwined threads came from understanding how it felt to be raised by someone who chose alcohol above everything else, the desire to be better parents than the ones they had. But a selfish part of her likes it. She likes that they don’t have to explain this in any way, that they understand the darkest parts of each other. 

“Sweetheart, you have nothing to apologise for,” he assures her, leaning in to press a kiss against her lips, “I’d do anything for you, you know that.” 

She nods, the guilt not fully stamped out, and she reaches up to push his hair from his forehead, “I’d do anything for you too.” 

He kisses her again before he pulls her in for a hug, trying and failing to hide a smile when he hears her stomach gurgle. “Want me to go sort dinner? I’m going to assume you haven’t eaten.” 

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny it, “In a minute, okay? Let’s just say like this for a bit.” 

Aaron nods and kisses the top of her head, content to hold her as long as she needs, wanting nothing more than to make her feel better. 

“We can stay here as long as you want, sweetheart.” 

Any response is cut off by Lily crying, a sound followed by both of her parents laughing, and Emily smiles at him, stamping a kiss to his lips before she stands up. 

“She certainly has impressive timing.” 

He watches as she picks up Lily, talking in the hushed tones she seemed to reserve for their daughter and Jack, and it only confirms what he’d said to Elizabeth earlier. 

Emily was a better mother than she’d ever been. 

-x-

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[propalitetz]

what is going on in your PtH game?

hi sorry for taking a fucking century to get back to you, first i made my friends post some art and then i forgor

it's not my game its my friends game! im just obsessed with it.

also [HEY] everyone [LOOK] at [THE COOL ART] my friends have [DRAWN] for [THIS] game!! <- links to cool art

it takes place in this really prestigious university that's dubbed the 'crucible academy', and its about a band of students coming together as a team and having to like, learn to work together while horrible shit keeps happening around them

essentially, they have to seek out the shackles binding the grim majesties, to imbue them with light once again so that those queens remained sealed away! gotta delve deep in dens of darkness to find them. so far uhh no luck yet - so far it's still in it's 'setting up the main plot' stage, so interpersonal drama has taken the lead

mostly about how one of the player characters, kiandra, has a destiny intertvwined with a much more volatile and dangerous older magi-girl - the destiny says that they're gonna kill each other no matter what, and that theyve done this in their previous reincarnations. which is i mean enough to freak anyone out tbh kiandras goin thru it she tried to reach out to the other girl and its exploded

so far we got hana who is a weeb failgirl thats mostly unstable and not managing her social awkwardness at all, she's got a piece of her past life stuck in her brain and the much more ruthless, experienced magi-girl can take over when transformed so theres tension there

so my love plays kasimir , a polish exchange student severely into HEMA and music (in that universe hema is a big deal and he's on a sword scholarship) and he's like got this whole thing where he sees himself as a knight and a sacrifice and there to take any blows we love that (it's unhealthy) (an endless line of dead bodies in an endless line of wars!!). (he's got his shit together the most its tragic) hes my lil blorboman i love him soooooo much he'll charge at a bunch of scary monsters without blinking but play his music in front of other people??? NOT POSSIBLE

gwen is a babydoll who im also obsessed with shes like a super-rich girlie with HER OWN BUTLER who isn't light touched but they are like, sworn in on all that light shit, theyre a levelheaded person to contrast with gwen's bubbly girliepoppery. she has hidden depths though its kind of terrifying how she can switch from hiiiiiii omg hiiii into like raised-as-a-business mode. she EMAILS her PARENTS to schedule CONVERSATIONS????

speaking of emailing their parents to schedule conversations we have constantine who is another exchange student (greek, and old money loaded) who loves to plan his schedule weeks in advance in a terrifying efficiency that neglects to actually give him like, time to chill or relax. he's an introverted SNIPER MAN and hes a relatively new addition so im excited to see more of his particular brand of insane

and then we have mark who is also a late addition and hes full of secrets. i know the secrets bc im friends with his player but i forget how much is knowledge to the rest of the party (who follow me on tumblr) rn! so lets just say hes a silly goofy boy and fate will NOT let him be silly or goofy :')

[angellesword]

YOUR EYES TELL | JJK (10)

Summary: You live in a world where people see in black and white. The solution to finally see the colors? It's simple. You need to meet your soulmate and look at him in the eyes, but what if the person bound to you is already contented with the monochromatic world? What if...Jeongguk, your soulmate, is already in love with someone else?

Alternatively:

"A future without you is a world without color."

Genre: soulmate au, e2l, slow burn, angst, fluff, roommate au

Pairing: Artist!Jungkook x Lawyer!Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

SERIES: CHAPTER 9  | CHAPTER 11

Note: I just wanna dedicate this chapter to @jooniebugg coz your feedback in Your Eyes Tell (09) is <333 and it inspired me to write chapter 10! some lines in this update is my response to your comment heheh :*

You were not in trouble, but Jeongguk was.

"Guk," Jimin let out a breath as he closed his eyes. "Slow down, okay? I can't understand what you're saying."

But Jeongguk couldn't do it. He was sobbing uncontrollably that Jimin literally had to tell him to breathe.

Jeongguk tried to follow the instruction of his best friend's boyfriend. Breathe. It should be easy, right? He only needed to stop thinking about you in able to breathe properly.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to get you out of his mind.

"You good?"

Your soulmate nodded even though Jimin couldn't see his face. They're currently talking over the phone. Jimin called him after finding out what happened during the trial.

It was all over the news. Countless of articles were published online. Most of them were unreliable and full of speculations.

Jimin gave up after reading one sentence. He knew he had to call you to know the truth—or at least the fragments of truth. Jimin wasn't really interested in the case; he was only interested to know what was up with you.

Were you alright?

Jimin found some of your decisions in life questionable, yet he didn't say anything. He remained tight-lipped when you told him about your entangled fate not only with Jeongguk, but also with your assistant and client.

Just like your soulmate, Jimin could not understand why you were trying to defend Kim Seokjin. Their reason was different though. Jeongguk's thoughts were selfish. Jimin, on the contrary, was plain curious.

Why were you so invested in this case?

Was it because of your stubborn nature? Jimin knew that once you set your mind into something, you wouldn't stop until you won.

Jimin only learned to accept your competitive side when he realized that you were raised this way.

You didn't choose to be like this. You were actually forced to be like this. This being the case, Jimin was only able to release an exhausted breath after Jeongguk told him what happened in the courtroom.

Some might say that you pushed too hard, but this didn't give Mrs. Kim the right to hurt you.

"It's my fault, hyung. I wasn't there to protect her." Jeongguk bit the inside of his cheek.

It had been an hour since you locked yourself in your room and Jeongguk wasn't sure whether to comfort you or to just leave you alone.

It felt like you preferred the latter option. Jimin told your soulmate that you weren't answering your phone, an obvious indication that you didn't want to talk to anyone. This was also the reason why Jimin decided to just call Jeongguk to know if you were okay.

You weren't.

It was weird, but Jeongguk was positive he could feel your heart breaking. If this was any other day, he was sure that he would simply ignore this, but something definitely changed. Jeongguk didn't know why, but he had this intense urge to embrace you—to make you feel better.

"But you can protect her now, Guk. It will be hard, but please..." Jimin begged your soulmate. He didn't want to burden Jeongguk; however, the latter was the only person who could comfort you right now.

As much as Jimin wanted to embrace you, he couldn't. He was in Busan, his hometown, at the moment. Jimin was processing some important documents because he's planning to ask Taehyung to marry him.

"W-What can I do to make her feel better?" Jeongguk stammered. He's nervous, but he's decided. He couldn't let you go through this alone. It hadn't even been a day, yet he already missed your goofy side.

"You're a smart boy, Jeon. You'll figure out what she wants."

What do you want?

Jeongguk's heart was recoiling once again. He realized that he never knew what you wanted since you were always catering what others wanted.

You were a people pleaser.

"But if nothing works, just call her parents." This was Jimin's last reminder before ending the call.

Your soulmate didn't understand why Jimin thought it would be a good idea to call your parents. Jeongguk was pretty sure he could bring the smile back on your face without the help of anyone. He just needed to make sure you were not in some kind trouble first.

Jeongguk opened your laptop to send an email to your boss and other clients, telling them that you were taking a break from work.

Jeongguk was tired by the end of the week. Jimin was right. It was difficult to help you get back on your feet, mainly because you weren't trying.

You stayed in bed most of the time, you barely touched your food, and he felt like you didn't even want to live.

You looked so unmotivated that in the end, Jeongguk decided to just message your parents and invite them to your apartment—this was the reason why he was in trouble.

"You can't just do this without consulting me, Jeongguk."

His scowl deepened when you called him using his given name. You only did this when you were serious or mad. In this case, he figured out that you were mad—or at least he thought you were mad. Your voice was rough, similar to the tone you used when you were inside the courtroom.

Jeongguk was scared.

He was scared to upset you again.

"But Jimin-hyung told me to call your parents!" He reasoned out. Blaming your best friend was the only way Jeongguk could think of so that he could finally escape your piercing glare.

It worked.

Your expression softened a bit, though this didn't mean that he wasn't in trouble anymore.

"Jeongguk," this time your voice sounded tired.

"Y-Yes?" He pretended like he was busy sweeping the floor. Everything needed to be perfect because your parents would be here shortly.

You already accepted your tragic fate. It was decided. You were going to meet your mother and father today.

Damn it.

"Why did you block Hoseok's number?"

You saw how Jeongguk froze after hearing your question. No doubt, he was guilty.

"I-I didn't do it!" He lied.

You narrowed your eyes at him.

"You're not a good liar..." Amusement was now dancing in your voice.

Jeongguk had been using your phone to respond to your prospective clients. These people just didn't know how to stop. They kept texting your personal number even though Jeongguk told them that you were on a leave.

Your phone didn't have a passcode that's why he was able to freely access it.

You didn't mind. In fact, you were grateful. He saved your career. If he didn't send a notice of leave to your boss, you were sure you're gonna get fired.

"I'm not lying!" His lips protruded into a sulky pout. "I didn't send those messages!"

"Huh." You arched your brow. "But I only asked why you blocked Hoseok. I didn't say you texted him using my number."

Jeongguk's eyes went wide.

He was instantly busted.

"H-He was spamming you with useless messages!"

"I don't think so," you shook your head as you read the conversation. His excuse just kept on getting worse.

 "Wow. You're cold," you could imagine Hoseok's disbelief upon seeing the thumbs up emoji. It was actually apparent by your friend's response.

 "Jeongguk..." You called his name again.

"What!?" Why was he getting annoyed?

"You don't want Hoseok to kiss me?"

Jeongguk looked like the emoji he sent to Hoseok.

"And why would I want that!?" His chest was heaving up and down. You couldn't see, but his face was as red as tomatoes.

You suddenly laughed, causing Jeongguk's heart to swell in joy. This was the first time he heard you laugh after weeks of getting used to your impassive face.

Were you finally moving on?

Jeongguk guessed you were. Your expression literally changed the moment your parents arrived.

You looked happy to see them—too happy that Jeongguk felt like he was only imagining your annoyed expression a short while ago.

Didn't you say you hated the fact that he invited your parents to your place?

You did say that. Unfortunately Jeongguk had no idea how much you hated talking to your mom.

You swore you loved her with all of your heart, though her principles were different from what you believed in. It was draining to pretend like you agree with her.

"So how's the case you've been handling, sweetheart?" Your mother's sweet smile made you cringe.

It hadn't been long since she pulled you inside your room to 'talk.'

Your parents had already met Jeongguk. As expected, they loved him. Your soulmate made it very easy to like him. Perhaps it was because of his eyes. Damn those big, doe eyes. It never failed to make your heart melt.

"Good." You walked towards your bedroom door. "Let's go back to the kitchen. I think Jeongguk prepared some desserts."

"Dessert could wait, dear." Your mom offered you another sickening smile. It was the kind of smile that told you to give up. She always had her way of making you follow what she wanted you to do.

"Come on, eomma." You laughed nervously as you told her that your soulmate was excited to let her try his yaksik, a popular dessert that your mom truly loved.

You didn't know how Jeongguk found out your mother's favorite dessert. You just knew that you were willing to eat dozens of yaksik just to get away from your mom. You didn't even care if your stomach was still full after eating the lunch your soulmate had cooked.

Your mom only shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't hear what you said.

"Tell me about the Kim's case." She demanded as she meticulously inspected your wardrobe.

Your heartbeat doubled.

It was easy to simply give into what she desired because you were certain that she wouldn't stop anyway.

Sadly you couldn't speak—not anymore. Not when you knew how all of this would go.

You wanted to move on from this nightmare on your own. All your life, you relied upon what your mother would say.

"You can't be sad over this. It's nothing compared to what I've been through!"

"Stop crying. You just think you're hurt. You're not."

"No. You can't. That shows weakness."

These were some of the things your mother would say whenever you encountered problems in life. She honed you to be this strong person who wasn't allowed to mope.

You remembered her telling you that it was insensitive of you to cry over little things when it was clear that so many people had it worse than you.

This was exactly why you didn't want to meet your mother today. She would force you to stop feeling bad about Seokjin's case since it was petty.

It was funny actually. People admired you for always ignoring the pain you felt.

You found this toxic. It felt like you were expected to be strong—making you feel like you should heal right away and not with your own pace. This was also the reason why you found it hard to open up to people, even if you were really close to that someone.

Your mother made you feel like there would always be some kind of adversary when it came to handling inconveniences in life. Sometimes you wished people would shut up and just listen. You didn't always need advice. What you wanted was for them to stop quantifying pain because people had different tolerance when it came to feeling what's painful and what's not.

"I think I lost," it took everything not to cry in front of her. At the end of the day, you were still afraid to be perceived as weak.

She had that much control over you.

"Why did you lose?" Her voice was stone cold.

Your response was automatic. You told her what happened during the trial in spite of telling yourself that you would never get swayed by her authoritarian nature anymore.

"You don’t have to answer. I know now why you lost." She crossed her arms as she shook her head at you.

"Didn't I tell you? You lost because you didn't acquire enough knowledge." She proceeded to tell you what you already knew.

Your mom always said that knowledge is power, but the word "knowledge" that was delicately tattooed on your Achilles heel said otherwise.

For you, knowledge is downfall. This was why you chose to have that word tattooed on your Achilles heel—a part of your body that symbolized fatal weakness.

You were working as an auditor before you decided to go to law school. You knew this field inside out and it came with a price. You helped a firm conceal fraudulent acts using your knowledge.

It was a dangerous thing. Your mom tolerated your unprofessionalism since she was a major stockholder in the said company. She actually pushed you to continue the misrepresentation; however, you were guilty.

You couldn't do it anymore. You couldn't use the power you acquired to fool people. Law school taught you to uphold justice, but you were blinded once again.

You failed to see the impact of your actions to Soobin, an innocent soul. Maybe your mother was right. You were bound to fail your law career. Maybe you should just go back to the corporate world and help billionaires to achieve their disgusting scheme.

"Sorry," you swallowed hard, looking straight into your mother's eyes. "I'll do better."

"You should be." She gritted her teeth as she continued to invalidate your emotions.

You wondered when the torture would stop. You just wanna lie in bed and sleep the pain away. Luckily Jeongguk came knocking on your door, saving you from your mother's poisonous words.

"Wait," Jeongguk stopped you from following your mom to the living room.

"What's wrong?" He cupped your face; worry was evident in his eyes. You looked like you were in pain.

Did your mother say something to you? Jeongguk wondered.

"Nothing." But you brushed him off before he could ask.

Jeongguk pursed his lips into a thin line. He swore something was wrong, but he didn't want to push it since it was clear that you were not in the mood to talk about it.

But he couldn't stay still knowing that you were bothered. This being the case, he went out of his way just to make you smile.

Jeongguk was being such a good boy. He kept on praising you in front your parents. He was also respectful towards them. His jokes were appropriate and he smiled so kindly at them.

His lingering touch on your wrist, waist, and shoulders didn't go unnoticed by you. It was like he was guarding you from any possible danger.

"What do you think about this, my sweet daughter?" Your father showed you his artwork with a proud smile.

You chuckled.

Jeongguk was teaching your father how to draw.

"You did great, Appa!" You weren't lying. He had done a good job sketching The Hulk.

"Really? What about the color? Do you like it?"

You nodded eagerly. It wouldn't hurt to lie, right?

"I like the shade of green that you used."

You were expecting your father to smile back because of your compliment. Sadly, he only stared at you blankly.

"What?"  A nervous giggle escaped your lips.

Your parents and even Jeongguk were making you feel awkward. Why were they looking at you like you were a poor, poor soul?

"This Hulk is color pink." Your father said softly, making your breathing hitch.

He was trying to show contrast. The Hulk was the personification of rage. He colored him pink because in your world, the mentioned color symbolized gentleness. He wanted you to see in his drawing that people should be gentle even though they're angry.

You ruined it.

They probably know by now that you were lying when you said earlier that you could see colors.

Why did you even lie?

Why couldn't you just tell them that Jeongguk wasn't in love with you?

"Ah," you scratched the back of your head. "Is it pink? Sorry, Appa. I'm still trying to learn colors."

Your lie was understandable. You told your parents that you met Jeongguk a few months ago. It was impossible to know all colors in a short period of time.

You knew you weren't a great liar, but damn. When you looked at Jeongguk, he was smiling as he mouthed, "it is okay," to you.

He was saying that you were doing well, that you didn't ruin what your father had been wishing for: he wanted you to be loved by your soulmate.

You felt like Jeongguk loved you.

You couldn't stop staring at your soulmate as he continued to smile brightly at you.

In this moment, you swore you could see the brown in his eyes.

Or so you thought.

You just couldn't have one peaceful day, could you?

"N-No..." Your voice broke, tears falling down on the sheet of paper you were holding.

Your parents already left. Jeongguk was kind enough to drive them back to their hotel.

You were alone in the house.

The paper in your hand was mocking you, telling you that you would forever be alone in this house.

TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP IN A CONTRACT TO SELL Vendee Jeon Jeongguk of  Room 13, Apartment X, Seoul, South Korea—you stopped reading the next words.

You couldn't believe it.

Jeon Jeongguk was going to leave you.

[another-stark-sub]

Til Next Semester - Tony Stark Imagine

Summary: You struggle to come up with a gift idea for your engineering professor.

Warnings: no smut, sorry this is pure fluff, age gap mentions, some banter

Word Count: 1338

Notes: No, this is not the Professor Stark fic that I promised ages ago. That one is still under editing. However, I love the Professor Stark idea, so forgive me if those characters keep coming up. I hope you enjoy it!

It wasn’t customary to give teachers gifts. However, in college, you were thankful to find professors that you genuinely cared about. You had extra money, and you wanted to show how much you valued their time and work. Some were easy. Professor Odinson, who taught your Art History class, got a goofy tie and cartoon of fruits. To your Theoretical Physics professor, Professor Van Dyne, a basket full of cookies and candied nuts. It was easy to give your professors gifts. Well, all except one. 

Professor Stark was the professor you knew best, actually. He was confident, snarky, and loved donuts. He was the most intelligent man on campus, and you loved learning from him. Not only was it fun being his student, but it was enjoyable.

You knew he’d be happy to get anything. You could get him a box of his favorite donuts or some cufflinks. Those could easily bring a smile to his face. However, what made it difficult to be satisfied with a gift was that you really liked Professor Stark. You really liked him. 

You didn’t at first! You weren’t like the girls who fawned over Professor Barnes or Professor Laufeyson. While Professor Stark was attractive, you were there to get a degree first. You just thought of him as easy on the eyes. Then, he just had to be funny. He lured you in with quips and clever nicknames, and it didn’t take long for a physical attraction to turn into infatuation. Then, he hooked you with his kindness. 

“Hey, I noticed how frazzled you were the other day. Remember my cheesy speech from the beginning of the semester? If you need anything, I’m here. Extension, extra credit, if it’ll help you succeed, I will do it.”

Not only for you, but for all his students.

“Was that a sneeze? Go home. Write your name down -right here- I’ll email you with details, but I will give you an extension, just make sure you get some medicine and rest before you come back here, ok? Ok. Don’t get me sick, guys. It’ll ruin my reputation.”

How could you not fall for him?

“Just write him a note,” Shuri said. “Like in a yearbook. I like you, this is my number, let’s go on a date.”

You laughed. “I am not in high school. And that isn’t a great Christmas gift.”

“Exactly,” you other roommate, MJ, agreed. “Now, a hookup,that  could be a great Christmas gift.” She winked at you, and you hid your smile behind your hands. “You two are horrible.”

They weren’t aware your crush was a professor. It felt nice, though, when they talked about it as if he weren’t. As if you didn’t have a crush on a man over a decade older than you. 

“This isn’t just sex, MJ.” Shuri laid down on your bed and put her head in your lap. “No, we need romance here.”

“He doesn’t like me back.” You patted the top of her head. “I told you both, he’s out of my league. Very out of my league, ok? This is just me wanting to, I don’t know, express affection or something.”

The girl on your lap gasped, offended. “Who’s out of your league?”

MJ, however, said, “Any guy would take a hookup in their league or not.”

Shuri responded by sitting, grabbing your pillow, and throwing it at MJ’s face. The target only smirked. 

You needed time. You wanted to give Professor Stark his gift on the last day before Winter Break, after your final. You had a week left. You had finished your other finals, so you could strike a conversation after class or during office hours. Then, you could get an idea. Something that would blow your previous ones out of the water. 

Scheduling some one-on-one office hours wasn’t hard. A short informal email about finals. 

“I look forward to it. As always.”

Usually one line in an email meant bad news, but that only brought joy. As always. 

Your days leading up to the office hours weren’t centered around looking pretty but rather with working. While you did enjoy Professor Stark’s class, it was still a challenge. It was full thermodynamics and diagrams and critical thinking. No problem was the same, and to do well on the final and get the mark you wanted, you needed practice. 

By the time you were in his office, you had questions of your own. Hopefully, the session would end with you having all the answers. 

“Ah, my star pupil.”

You laughed. “You shouldn’t flatter me too much.” You set down your backpack by your usual chair. “If you do, I’ll become you.” You sat down and pulled out your binders and pencils. “And I do not want that.”

“Ouch.” Professor Stark leaned against the side of his desk and instead of looking over the problems you’ve started laying out, his attention was on you. “You don’t wanna become like your favorite professor?”

“Who said you’re my favorite?”

“I should be.” He cleared his throat. “Two masters, four Ph.D.’s, well-known, handsome, revered-”

“Egotistical, old, teaching a bunch of young adults who are definitely high during class.” You clicked your tongue. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”

Instead of scoffing, he just tilted his head. “Did you just admit to being high during my class?”

“Even if I did, you wouldn’t do anything.”

“And why’s that?”

You smiled. “You like me too much.”

His eyes left yours to smile. You won. Not only in wit, but in seeing his smile when he looked back at you. “Unfortunately, you are right.”

“Unfortunately?”

“Alright, let’s take a look.” He flipped through your work, perused your questions, and just like that the banter was over, and it was time for work. Twenty minutes in, he started using the whiteboard. Twenty-four minutes in, you took the marker from him. Some time later, you had all your questions answered. Two minutes after that, Professor Stark gave you new problems to work on. 

Three problems solved later, and you started talking about Winter Break and finals and the education system. It turned into a conversation between friends, and you were grateful. He would never look at you the same way you looked at him, but laughing with him and talking with him was enough. 

You left, already forming a gift idea. 

After being sure you aced your final, you asked Professor Stark if you could ask him questions. 

“You do realize you can ask me next semester, right?”

“Are you saying you can’t answer my questions?” You smiled. “Have I finally stumped you?”

He smiled. “Not at all. Mind if we step outside?”

You nodded. When you were outside, you grabbed your gift and card and handed it to him. He stared at the gift, then at you. “For me?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “Now I feel like I should’ve gotten you something.”

“An A in your class would be nice.”

“You already earned that. I’ll get you a letter of rec, ok? Just remind me.” He took the mug out of the bag, and he read the inscription out loud. “Favorite Professor.” He pointed the mug at you. “I knew it.”

“Keep going.”

He laughed and looked inside the mug. A gift card for Krispy Kreme. 

“There’s something else.”

He dug inside the bag. A small card. I look forward to our next semester. As always. Your favorite student. He stared at the card for a while, a soft smile you had seen only a few times before never wavering. Even when he said, “Who told you you were my favorite?” the smile didn’t leave. 

You shrugged. “You didn’t have to.” With a soft smile of your own, you said goodbye. “Til next semester, Professor.”

You fought the urge to look back and succeeded. It was a shame you did. While you thought he would go back inside to proctor the rest of the students, he didn’t. Tony, instead, wistfully gazed upon you as you left. Til next semester, indeed.

[matbarzyy]

Wasted Love (part 1) [T.S.]

A/N: Hi I’m back!! Starting the year right with a new series (probably about five parts) with Tyler since I haven’t posted a full length fic for him yet. This isn’t fully written so bear with me and my slow updates, I’ve had this outlined for a long time and I’m very excited to start sharing it with you all! Please let me know what you think of it, feedback really means the world. <3

Word count: 2863

Warnings: alludes to smut, an abusive boyfriend

.

“It’s too early for this,” Alessia muttered to herself and stifled a yawn as she walked into the room the meeting was to be held in.

A few people were already in the room, some with disposable coffee cups set on the table and others standing around and talking to their colleagues. The green light of the stars logo on the screen reflected on the faces of those standing closest to it.

Alessia headed straight for the table, finding an empty spot that wasn’t next to anyone. Everyone in the room was older than her, at least in their thirties, and she didn’t know a single person. At twenty two, Alessia had been more than lucky to score a position in team services for the Dallas Stars.

She was dressed simply but professionally with navy suit trousers and a white blouse. She was well aware of how pointless spending hours picking an outfit had been this morning, but she couldn’t help but want to try her hardest to look a little bit older in the middle of all those people. It was hard enough to be a woman in the middle of a male dominated company, she didn’t need to hear anyone be condescending to her because of her age too.

It was still Alessia’s first week in this facility, so she wasn’t used to how things worked just yet. Giving clear instructions didn’t seem to be in anyone’s habits around here, she was shown to an office on her first day and everything else came by email. It was the reason she was fifteen minutes early to this meeting rather than on time, she had been worried she wouldn’t be able to find the room.

A familiar face eventually came into view, but Alessia didn’t feel any comfort. Her boss was more scary than reassuring. Surely enough, everyone else followed quickly after the man and took their seats. A lot remained empty, including the one to Alessia’s right, and she only understood why when a group of men dressed in gym clothes walked in.

The guys on the team were rarely dressed professionally if they didn’t need to be, and Alessia knew they’d practice as soon as the meeting was over.

“Morning,” One of them grinned as he took a seat next to her.

“Hello,” Alessia smiled politely before returning her attention to the front page of the presentation that was being projected on the screen.

A giddy feeling filled her as the reality of her life sunk in. She made it. She got a job for the NHL that she had dreamed of for so many years, and she was now sitting in a meeting with her favorite team of players. The nerves of being new weren’t going away anytime soon, but Alessia still took a moment to remind herself she deserved to be proud of what she had achieved.

You don’t get to sit next to Tyler freaking Seguin for the first time every day.

The fangirling in her mind lasted very few seconds as she drifted into work mode to focus on the meeting. She knew all too well that nothing of importance would be said for her, but she also hoped it’d give her a better sense of what everyone else did.

.

It was only hours later in her office that someone finally came to talk to her. Alessia almost jumped in excitement when she heard the knock on her open door. She was already sick of emails and she was ready for some human interactions.

“Oh, hi,” Alessia straightened up in her seat at the sight of Tyler. “What can I do for you?”

“I just came to say hello, I’m Tyler,” he smiled and introduced himself. “I figured it was your first meeting this morning?”

“You figured right,” She got up and shook his hand. “I’m Alessia, I just started on Monday,”

“That’s cool, you even made old Abby’s office look kinda nice,” Tyler looked at the plant on her desk and the one framed picture of a golden retriever hanging on the wall. It wasn’t much decoration, but if there was a picture of a dog it was good enough for him to like it.

“Old Abby?” She frowned at the words and he cringed.

“I take it you didn’t meet the woman who worked here before you took the job?”

“No I didn’t have a chance to meet anyone around here, really,” Alessia admitted, it was a relief that someone was here for a little bit of small talk with her.

“Well, let’s just say she was old and cranky. It’s nice to see someone that actually knows how to smile,” Tyler explained and chuckled at the look of shock on her face. “I’m not joking, everyone on the team avoided asking her for anything because of it, she was that bad.”

“Ah, so did you lose a bet or something to be the one to check out who replaced her?” She grinned and he had the decency of looking a little embarrassed.

“It was a rocks paper scissors game,” Tyler admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m glad I’ve met you though. I’ll let you get work done, see you around?”

“Yeah, sure, I promise I’ll be smiling if you ever need to ask me for anything,” Alessia teased and he beamed in response.

“Careful there, I might start needing a lot of things.” He winked before walking out.

.

In the following weeks Alessia got to know everyone on the team. As it turned out, the guys always needed help with something and she was the one they constantly went to. She was part of a small team of people, she wasn’t their only option, but she was still the one who received the most visits and emails.

Tyler liked to joke and say it was because of her undeniable charm, to which Alessia shook her head and laughed. He of all people had heard the most about her personal life, so he was well aware of her relationship status and knew she wasn’t flirting with anyone. He had asked about Jordan one day when he noticed all the pictures she had put up on the wall behind her desk to join the one of the golden retriever.

Jordan was Alessia’s boyfriend when she was still at university, he worked in finances for a pharmaceutical company and they shared an apartment. Tyler never asked her much about that once he got the basic info, he was too focused on her dog to care about anything else.

Alessia got him when she was fourteen for Christmas, it was her uncle’s idea and her parents had no choice but to roll with it once the puppy was in her arms. The only issue was that this specific uncle also had a five years old daughter who had decided Peanut was a great name for a goldie. No one had the heart to argue with her on such a happy day and the name stuck.

“You’re making me want to take a trip to London just to pet him,” He admitted when Alessia showed him a video of the ball of fluff running into a pile of autumn leaves.

“If you go, take me with you. All I want is Peanut and cuddles on the couch,” She sighed, leaning back into her desk chair to relax. Tyler was the closest thing she had to a friend here, and he spent more time than he should in her office with the door closed so that they could both catch a break while pretending to work.

“I’m not sure your parents would be too happy to hear that,” Tyler thought of what her family would say at the words, but she only laughed.

“Oh they know, don’t worry, my dog is my life, as soon as I get a big enough place I’m bringing him here to live with me.” She explained her plan, she simply couldn’t have a dog this big in her apartment, especially since she wasn’t home at all during the day.

“Alright, until then if I go to London I’ll drag you along. You’ll have to make me visit all the best places in exchange,” he told her, which she figured wasn’t much in exchange for a trip on another continent.

“I can agree to that,” Alessia hummed and he grinned.

“Then it’s a deal, Allie,”

“Allie?” Her eyebrow raised at the use of the nickname, and Tyler suddenly felt a lot less confident.

“Can I call you that? I didn’t know what to shorten your name to,” he asked with some hesitancy in case there was something she didn’t like about it.

“Yeah, yeah Allie is fine,” she nodded while a shy smile grew on her face.

No one apart from her family and childhood best friend called her that, but she didn’t feel like explaining it. She could only hope it wouldn’t spread to the rest of the team and ruin how special the nickname was to her. She got along with most of the guys well, the younger ones needed her help a lot and they weren’t formal so it made for easy friendships. Tyler was the right in between, he was a few years older than her but still goofy, so she got along with him best, and for some reason she felt like giving him the special privilege of using that nickname.

.

“Hey J,” Alessia pushed the door to their shared apartment open and relaxed in the warmth of the air she was met with.

“Hey, how was your day?” Jordan got up from the couch, walking over to kiss her.

“Normal work day,” She replied after they parted. “I had lunch with the team, Tyler spilled coffee on my blouse, but other than that nothing interesting,” She relayed the only event that was special about the day and Jordan noticed the stain. 

“He sounds like a prick, why are you friends with him?” He asked, still standing in her way to get in. Alessia bit the inside of her cheek as she thought of her answer. It was something she had to do often, Jordan was always pointing out things her friends did that he didn’t like.

“It was just an accident,” She bent down to take her shoes off before placing them on the rack. She noticed his were in the way and put them in the right place too. He must have simply kicked them off when he walked in.

“He’s just another one of those guys,” Jordan shrugged, and she frowned at that.

“What do you mean?” She didn’t want to start an argument with him, but Tyler was one of the people she got along with best on the team. He was her closest work friend, so she didn’t want Jordan to think he was a bad guy.

“You know, one of those guys that wouldn’t even look your way if they didn’t have to,” He explained himself. “I’m here with you though,” He tilted her chin up and she nodded.

“I’m glad I have you,” Alessia whispered softly, letting him kiss her.

Jordan did a lot for her. He helped her be more confident when he paid attention to her. She knew he was right with his statement, other guys rarely ever looked her way. He was the most important person in her life, she wouldn’t have many people around her if it weren’t for him.

When he stepped away, Alessia took her jacket off and hung it by the door before finally walking into the apartment. It felt good to be home. Jordan returned to the couch and grabbed his phone, going back to staring at the screen. An occasional chuckle left him when he stumbled onto something that made him laugh.

“Can you make dinner?” He asked her with a glance, not even adding a please at the end of his sentence.

“Sure,” Alessia took a deep breath and pushed the sleeves of her blouse up to her elbows. There was no point in changing now that it was stained.

She didn’t say anything when he didn’t thank her and headed to the kitchen silently. He didn’t usually help her when she cooked, so she knew she at least wouldn’t have to hear him complain while she prepared dinner.

A hint of guilt filled her when she realised she was thinking of him so badly. Jordan treated her well, he was just having a rough day. He wasn’t very good at cooking, it only made sense that she’d make dinner.

Alessia sighed as she placed a pot full of water on the stove to boil and began chopping an onion on the cutting board to make a decent sauce to go with the pasta.

Her day at work had been long too, not so bad that she had to spend the rest of the night on the couch, but tiring enough that she didn’t feel like cooking at all. Still, she put her energy into it and convinced herself that she’d be doing this if she were alone anyway. She had to eat dinner no matter who she lived with, and making dinner for one was the same as making dinner for two.

Jordan had been her boyfriend for the past two years. They met each other while Alessia was still studying, and he was just a year older. It was exciting for her to finally meet someone that wasn’t a student, and she was flattered by all the attention he gave her. No one had ever been interested in her that way, so whenever he took her out on a date her heart fluttered and she found herself falling for him.

Moving in together a few months ago had been an easy decision. Jordan always texted her to come over, sometimes very late at night. Alessia was tired of running around between both of their places, so she thought it’d be great for them to see each other more.

Now, as the tomato sauce simmered in the pan while the pasta cooked, she found herself missing her old studio and how peaceful it was. Putting two plates together only took her a few more minutes, and she set the rest of the table before calling Jordan over.

“Thanks babe,” He gave her lips a quick kiss before sitting down across from her, and Alessia let her smile grow back on her face.

“You’re welcome,” She got filled with a sense of pride for getting a thank you from him. Jordan wasn’t always very talkative, so anything he told her that was positive made her happy.

He always enjoyed the things she cooked, and it was satisfying to know she made something good. He was smiling and telling her about his day, talking about everything he did at work but also how draining it was. Alessia listened to it all, chiming in with a few words here and there when she knew they were needed. This was their routine, she prided herself in being a good listener, and Jordan often told her he felt better after talking to her.

“I’ve got a call to make, be right back,” He excused himself from the table once their plates were empty, disappearing on the small balcony their apartment had.

Alessia knew it might last a while, so she used that time to clean up. She tidied the kitchen and quickly hoovered the whole place to keep it spotless. The apartment was always organised, mostly because she didn’t like it when things were out of place and spent most of her time home keeping things clean.

When she was done, Jordan was still outside talking. She could hear him laugh from time to time, so she assumed he was talking to one of his friends. Alessia stretched her hands over her head and took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles with a satisfied little noise.

The bed was still perfectly made when she walked into the bedroom, and she took her pajamas folded under her pillow before heading to the bathroom. She was ready for a nice, relaxing shower. Some time to exfoliate her skin and bask in the soothing scent of her lavender shower gel was sure to help her relax before going to bed.

“Cute,” Jordan startled her by walking into the bathroom and grinning at the sight of her in her underwear.

He chuckled at her little jump and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against his chest.

“Thanks,” She whispered, glancing at her exfoliant on the side of the bathtub. She knew her plans of a relaxing shower would have to wait another day at least.

“Need you to help me relax,” Jordan kissed the side of her neck and nibbled at her skin, making her wince and squirm in his arms.

Alessia nodded silently and allowed him to push her forward to bend over the bathroom sink. She hid her face into her arm, and just like every night, she let him have his way with her even if she got nothing out of it.

[honeybeezx]

Hi, well done on your follower milestone...can I request a drabble with frankie where you are a dog walker with little interest in anyone with fewer than four feet. Your new client, the handsome owner of a goofy, energetic, greedy (any food left unattended gets ate)border collie changes all of that when you begin to bond over your loveable new charge.

🤗 thank you x

A/N: Ok so I might cryyyyyy this idea is so cute! Frankie would be such a good dog dad (and a good normal dad, but that's for another fic :) Thanks for sending this in!

Words: 1.6k

TW: none

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

Wingman

Ever since you were little you loved dogs. They provided you with more comfort than anything or anyone else. Which meant it was only natural for you to become a dog walker for your neighborhood. Everyone in the neighborhood knew you and knew how much you loved your four-legged friends…well, almost everyone.

You got an email from one of the local mechanics about his less-than-calm border collie, Maya. He sent a picture of his pooch in his email, and despite his warnings about her rambunctious behavior, you were already in love with her.

When the day arrived to meet her, you had an extra pep in your step, so excited to have another dog to walk.

You didn’t think much about the owner of the dog. That was until he answered the door.

He was handsome, far more handsome than you expected. His brown hair tufted out from under his cap and his soft brown eyes met yours. If you hadn’t found him so attractive you might have hated that, but with a smile and the offering of his hand, you felt your anxieties slip away.

“I’m Frankie, glad you could take this fuzzball for a few minutes.” He laughed, shaking your hand before giving his dog some loving scratches as she licked his face. Clearly, they were close, you could tell he was a great owner.

“I’m glad to help. She’s a beautiful dog, I can tell she’ll be fun to walk every week.” You laughed, petting the dog’s soft head. “How long have you had her?”

“I’ve had her since she was a puppy. My friend’s border collie had puppies and when I saw her, couldn’t say no. She’s the runt of the litter, and she’s….energetic to say the least. But she’s the best dog a guy could ask for.”

Your heart melted at his sweet words. You knew they were true just by the way his dog acted around him. She acted like she was just happy to be around him. You only hoped she would like you half as much.

“Well, thank you for trusting me with her. I’ll take good care of her, I promise.” You smiled, taking the leash Frankie offered.

The dog looked back to Frankie like she didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“Don’t worry girl, she’s gonna bring you right back. She’s good with dogs, I would never lead you astray.” He complimented while reassuring his loyal companion.

“I’ll bring her back before you have time to miss her.”

————-

Months passed and you looked forward to every Wednesday afternoon. Wednesdays meant Maya, and you even found yourself excited to see Frankie. He was kind to you. He always asked how you were like he genuinely wanted to know, and you found yourself opening up to him more than anyone else. He was sweet, and you found he was an exceptional listener.

And you started to bring treats for both him and Maya. All it took was Frankie joking about how he was jealous of his dog because she got so many treats and the next visit you brought your “leftover cookies” that you definitely didn’t make just for him.

But then every Wednesday turned into every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Frankie claimed he just had to pick up more hours at the shop so he didn’t have much time, but he still seemed like he had all the time in the world when you both wanted to talk to each other. Still, you weren’t going to ask him about it. You weren’t much of a social butterfly, but you loved talking to him. He didn’t make you feel ridiculous about living dogs so much, and you liked listening to him talk about how he used to fly helicopters in the army or stuff about cars.

And it was just supposed to be another Sunday walk with Maya, but Frankie had other plans.

You showed up at his house, Maya greeting you you her usual jumps and licks to your hand. “Ready sweetie?” You asked, the dog wagging her tail.

“I was actually wondering if I could come with?” Frankie asked, somewhat nervously. “I actually have the day off and I don’t really have anything else to do. It might be good to stretch my legs.”

“Of course you can come with me to walk your own dog.” You teased, your smile growing wider when you noticed his rosy cheeks. “It’ll be nice to have someone other than this goofball to talk to.”

Maya whined and pouted like she was genuinely offended. After all, she was the only one you could talk to about how attracted you were to her owner.

“Don’t go hurting her feelings now. She likes you. I think she gets excited when you come over.”

The very idea warmed your heart. “Good, because I like coming over.”

Frankie looked up in surprise at your admittance. Because you didn't say you just liked seeing Maya, you said you liked seeing both of them, in a way. Admitting you liked someone that wasn't a dog was quite the revelation. You didn't dislike people, but you certainly weren't close to a lot of them.

But the more time you spent with Frankie, the more you just wanted to be around him.

Frankie gave a flustered laugh and looked towards his dog to hide his embarrassment. “We should get going before she decides to mark her territory on the carpet.”

It was so natural walking around too. You weren't anxious, overwhelmed, or having the desire to go home. You were content, and it was so nice just to have someone.

“Oh! Here, Maya loves this place. I take her here when I'm free to walk her.” Frankie led you to, perhaps, the prettiest park you’ve ever seen. Pretty flowers bloomed everywhere you looked, and tall, strong oaks were scattered about, but not enough to hide the sun completely, just enough to provide shade if needed.

“Frankie, this is beautiful! How did you find this place?” You asked curiously, as the little park was a bit off the path.

“Maya just led me here one time. I think she likes the smell of the flowers. That, or she wants to chase all the birds.” He laughed.

“Good girl. Just don’t make poor Frankie chase after you. He has enough back problems as it is.” You teased.

“You’re telling me.”

You broke into a laugh, Frankie joining you, but his eyes never left your face. For a second you wondered if there was something on it, but no. His eyes were soft, and they weren’t just on your face.

They were on your lips.

But before you could even turn your head to hide your blush, you felt a tight sensation around your ankles.

“What the-“

Maya was running around both of you in circles, her leash trapping you both.

“Maya! Hey cut it-“

Before Frankie could get out his demands, you felt your balance give way. You tried in desperation to hold on to something, anything, only to accidentally grab a fist full of Frankie’s shirt before falling on top of him.

“Oh my god! Frankie are you okay?!” You asked, looking to him for any signs of pain.

Instead, you found him laughing. You laughed along, just glad that he was okay. You let your head flop on his chest in relief. It was warm, and you could hear his heart beating loudly inside it.

Once Frankie composed himself a bit, he looked back to his dog. “I think she meant to do that.”

You furrowed your brow at him. “What do you mean?”

Frankie smiled. “Because I’ve been telling her for the past month how much I like you.”

After getting over your initial shock, you smiled down at him. “Hmm…sounds familiar. Because she’s also probably tired of her walker babbling about some hot mechanic she’s been crushing on for the past few months.”

“Oh great, I have competition.” He joked.

You rolled your eyes before placing a soft, chaste kiss to his soft lips. You smiled into the kiss, loving how his patchy beard scratched along your cheeks. You placed a hand there, his finding your waist as his arms wrapped around you.

You pulled away, just barely, letting your noses brush past one another. “I don’t know, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

He smirked and sat up just a bit to reconnected your lips. “This better mean you’re taking me out on a date.”

“I don’t know. You’re kinda out of my league. Think you’d be okay with being seen with me?”

You playfully swatted his chest. “Stop that. You’re very handsome, you know. Noticed that the day I met you.”

“Really?” He asked, suddenly bashful as one of his hands came to take off his hat and run a hand through his hair.

How could he not know when he does something like that?

“Mmmhhhm.” You smiled, kissing his nose.

“I didn’t say anything, just thought you were too pretty. Thought you liked my dog more than me.”

The dog laying off in the distance groaned. Hey, she does like me more than you.

You chuckled. “In most cases that would be true. Good thing her owner is sweet to me. And I’ve already told you how handsome he is.”

You went to kiss him again when you heard Maya groan once more. She looked completely over the romantic activities taking place.

“Oh hush you big baby, you got us into this mess.” You huffed, but scratched her ears lovingly, which seemed to brighten her mood.

“So,” Frankie began, sitting both of you up so you were straddling his lap, “Dinner? Tomorrow? We can eat at my place, make something together if you want.” He offered, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“Sounds perfect.” You smiled, then back to Maya.

Man's best friend.

More like man’s best wingman.

[unabashegirl]

Could you do one where reader and David grew up together and are now together and there doing a mukbang with Josh and he asks them questions??

MUKBANG

Author’s note: I can! Sorry, it took so long! I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think! 

masterlist 

--- 

“Holy shit. This is a shit ton of food” David chuckles as he moves toward the table where Josh has begun setting out the different dishes that he had picked up. Josh had arrived only ten minutes ago. David was just ending a conference call about an upcoming show when he strolled in with the numerous, brown paper bags from Chick-Fil-A. 

“I just couldn’t hold myself back. This video will be legendary” People have been begging for this particular video since Josh’s first upload and the time was just right. Everything had fallen into place with the announcement of the couple’s engagement. 

“It smells ready good,” He glances at the different boxes as he settles on one of the stools. “Did you get any drinks?”. 

“I did. I got us milkshakes and a soda. You know — just in case” Josh shrugs as he throws the bag on the floor beside the table. “Now— where is your queen?” David chuckles as he looks down at his phone. 

“She should be about to —” Her sudden appearance interrupts his words. They watch Y/N make an entrance from the viewfinder. She takes her sunglasses off her head, tosses them in the purse, and plops her purse on the bench by the entrance of the house. 

“Hi, guys! I am sorry I am late” She bends down to slip out of her high heels. 

“There she is! Please look at her! How do you manage to look so majestic every day?” Josh compliments her, turning his head to get a full view of her attire. She wears a white suit, with an oversized jacket and a grey spaghetti strap crop top under. At a simple glance, she doesn’t look like the fiance of famous Youtuber star — David Dobrik. She looks sharp, professional, elegant. The type of woman that only dates billionaires and travels to Paris on the weekends just to shop. 

As David gawks at Y/N through the viewfinder, he thanks the universe for putting her on his path. After three years, she still manages to knock the air out of him with a simple look. He even gets butterflies in his stomach to this day and he hopes it never changes. 

“It’s my job” Y/N works in the high fashion industry, rubbing elbows with fashion icons like Olivier Rousteing, Virgil Abloh, Donatella, and many more. “Do I have time to change?” She wraps her arms around Josh and gives him a warm squeeze. 

“Why? You look great!” Josh argues as he hugs her back while facing the camera.  

“White suits and greasy food don’t mix”  Y/N explains as she bends over and kisses David’s cheek. “Hi, babe” David clasps her hands as they slip down his shoulders and onto his upper chest. He turns around on his chair to face her, wanting to get a good look of her. 

“How was your day?” He asks after he has pulled her down to a quick kiss. His thumbs gently stroke the front of her hands. His fingers run across the oval diamond-cut engagement ring that he has given her recently. A smile grows on his face as memories from that night swamp his mind. 

“Busy. Let me go change. I won’t take long” She reassures the boys before ripping herself away from David and running back to change into a comfier outfit. 

“How does it feel to be engaged?” David and Y/N had announced it to the public only a few days ago. Their social media platforms had exploded with speculation, opinions, and excitement. People had already started making assumptions about the date and the location of the wedding. 

“It’s nice. It’s exciting. Well, you know” Josh nods as he remembers when he had just popped the question to Paige. Before Josh can add anything else to the conversation, Y/N quietly walks back into the living room, wearing a sweater that David can recognize as his and some biker shorts. 

“The future Mrs. Dobrik, guys” Y/N’s cheeks flush as she jokingly bows and Josh claps loudly. She takes the vacant seat between the two men. 

“Chick- Fil- A” She gasps at the sight of the mouth-watering food. “Great choice, Josh” Y/N says so, gently patting his shoulder.

“A little birdy told me it is your favorite” Josh winks at David as he starts opening the little boxes. “Now—I have a bunch of questions for you two while we eat this meal” 

“Okay,” David nods as he doesn’t waste any time in digging in. 

“You guys met back in high school right? Tell us about that” Y/N is in the middle of dipping her first nugget into a sauce whilst David has already taken three bites out his sandwich. “Y/N, I got you a vanilla milkshake”

“Thank you” She beams, reaching out for the cup. 

“Y/N hated me in high school” David blurts seconds later. 

“Babe!” She gasps, playfully slapping his chest. “That is not true and you know that!” David laughs lightly, his hand casually slipping under the table, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze. 

“We met during our junior year of high school. Natalie introduced her to us” Y/N spent her days studying and taking part in extracurricular activities that mattered. Meanwhile, David spent his time fooling around with his friends. 

“Oh, so Natalie was sort of your matchmaker?” 

“Yeah. She wouldn’t have spoken to me otherwise” Y/N pouts at David, “and I don’t mean it in a bad way” He rectifies, “She was just really focused on her school work. She was way more mature than I was. Although I had a huge crush on her” 

“That’s sweet” Y/N pecks his cheek making his face flareup. “We grew close, up until senior year when I went off to college”

“I moved here and we sadly drifted apart”  David even asked Y/N to move to California with him, and for a second she had considered it. That was until her parents found out about her plans and threaten to stop talking to her if she didn’t attend college. 

“At least everything worked out at the end. David, when did you know that Y/N was the one?” David wipes the corners of his mouth, finishing to chew down his food, taking the time to answer. 

“This is going to sound corny, but for me, it was when we ran into reach other after so long” David had traveled to New York for work and had run into Y/N. She had just started working and was fresh out of college.

“That makes sense. It was kind of a meant to be sorta thing” David nods along as he steals Y/N’s milkshake. “How about you Y/N?” Josh settles down his phone on the table after scrolling through his last Youtube video where people had asked questions for them. 

“We had started calling and texting each other almost every day.  I got sick while I was in New York. I just felt like there was something seriously wrong with my health and I had no one around. I called him that night and told him I was considering going to the hospital. He took the next flight out and took care of me” She would never forget the feeling of relief and instant comfort he brought her the moment he turned up on her doorstep. She ended up having pneumonia and was confined to her apartment for almost three weeks. Having David around made it much more bearable. 

“Why haven’t we heard this story before?” Josh questions, he had known about them casually running into one another in New York, but never about this. “it’s so romantic” he giggles. 

“I don’t know” Y/N smiles. She can only guess why David hasn’t told the boys. It made him seem like a big softy. “I am so full” Y/N pats her tummy as her shorts had started feeling tighter. 

“Amateur,” Josh says to the camera with a smile. 

“ She is tiny. What do you expect?” David jokes earning a playful shove from Y/N. “She can barely reach the top cabinets with her heels on”  He always finds it incredibly cute when he catches her standing on her tiptoes with her arms fully extended over her head. 

“You are very short Y/N” Josh laughs along with David. 

“I know! You don’t have to point it out!” She pouts, reaching out for a water bottle. David drapes his arm around her waist from behind, kissing her shoulder to hide the goofy smile that she has managed to put on his face. 

“What is something that David does that bothers you, Y/N?” David smirks at her as he waits for her response. 

“I hate he won’t let me buy him clothes or style him” He throws his head back as he laughs heavily. ”he is already so handsome think about how good he would look?”

“I knew you were going to say that!” Y/N giggles, shaking her head at her fiance and his stubbornness. 

“Why don’t you? Don’t you think our beautiful queen knows enough about fashion?” Josh frowns, teasing his close friend. 

“It’s not that! I just don’t know if I can pull it off!” David loves how she always looks impeccable and out of a runway, but he isn’t confident enough to dress any differently. Comfort is also another thing he values in his wardrobe and most of the attires don’t look like you can nap with them on. 

“David, what about you?” 

“The AC” The couple exhales loudly, rolling their eyes at others causing Josh to laugh. “She is always turning the temperature lower. It feels like the north pole in here” 

“That’s what is for, babe! To COOL the house” Y/N turns to look at Josh, “Sometimes is hotter in here than outside. I am not kidding” 

“I believe you” Josh nods knowing from experience that David hates feeling slightly cold. 

“Why are you always taking her side?” David points out as the three of them laugh at the way the conversation is going. 

The teasing continues until both men are stuffed with food and Josh finishes asking all essential questions. Josh says his goodbyes, hugs each, and congratulates them one more time before departing. 

-- 

It’s late at night when David strides into their bedroom after finishing some work with Natalie. The lights of their bedroom are off, she is tucked in bed with the comforter up to her chin. Y/N wears her glasses as she holds her iPhone close while typing an outgoing email to her assistant— reminding her to pick up a birthday gift for a photographer friend. 

“I’ll never get tired of seeing that ring on your finger,” He remarks cheekily, closing the door behind him. She smiles, looking up from her screen to get a good glimpse of him. 

“Good because I am never taking it off” His indecisive ass had taken five months to pick the ring. He had taken Natalie, Erin, Corina, Suzy, Carly, his mom, and sisters, on multiple occasions to look for rings. They were starting to grow tired when he finally found the perfect one. 

“Good because you are mine” He jumps in bed, in search of a good cuddle. His arms wrap around her pulling her towards his side of the bed. 

“I can’t wait” She mumbles as she nuzzles her face into his chest. 

“Me neither” They had decided to wait for a little while before tying the knot. They want to take their time and properly plan their wedding. Y/N already has so many ideas including the design of her wedding dress. “Are you excited to start planning it?” David tugs his other arm behind his head. 

“I am. We have to plan what you will wear too” 

“Black suit. No doubt” He immediately answers without any hesitation. 

“Thought so” She rolls her eyes, imagining how handsome he would look in an all-black suit. 

[the-lincyclopedia]

* adapted from @librajiminn on twitter

A fun game to celebrate 2020 ending! The rules are simple: recommend your favorite OMGCP fics so everyone can enjoy them, while trying to fill in enough slots to get a bingo!

This is going to get long, so I’ll put it under a cut. Also, I’m too orderly to try to shoehorn my favorite fics into these particular prompts, so I’m just going to go right to left, top to bottom, taking the prompts literally, until it’s bedtime. 

1. first fic you bookmarked: “Here Comes the Sun” by @doggernaut, 19k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

For the past month, the man with the baby and the sad blue eyes has been stopping in for a cup of coffee an hour before closing. He always sits in an overstuffed chair in the corner and drinks his coffee while his baby sleeps next to him in the stroller. Sometimes he pulls a book out from the diaper bag he carries with him; other times he just stares straight ahead as if in a daze. He never asks for a refill, always respectfully gathers his things and leaves ten minutes before the shop officially closes. Eric desperately wants to ask him what his story is. 

My notes: I read Check Please over the course of two days in June of 2019. On the second day, right after catching up, I looked at @peppermintfeminist‘s AO3 bookmarks and found a fic by @doggernaut. Then I read just about everything @doggernaut had ever posted. It was glorious. This fic in particular is so cute. 

2. most recent fic you bookmarked: “Flight Check” by @edgarallanrose, 15k, E, no warnings (though there is a creepy/handsy guy at a club to watch out for), primarily Zimbits with most of the other popular pairings in the background

Flight attendant Eric “Bitty” Bittle has been working his way up at Samwell Airlines for the past four years, and his new promotion has provided him the opportunity to work with a brand-new crew. Unfortunately for Bitty, that crew includes an incredibly handsome but equally grumpy pilot, Captain Jack Zimmermann, who seems to want nothing to do with Bitty. Even worse, Jack refuses to eat any of Bitty's baked goods. Will Bitty be able to win the captain over? Or is there another reason Jack has been avoiding Bitty?

My notes: There are a lot of great things about this fic--Jack’s character arc, Lardo’s dialogue, that scene in Seattle--but the reason I bookmarked it is the scene where Bitty’s basically slut-shaming himself and Jack gently but firmly tells Bitty not to do that and that it was the creep’s fault. 

3. a fic that made you cry actual tears: “a little bit more” by @ivecarvedawoodenheart, 14k, T, no warnings, Holsom

“I just wanted,” he says, “a perfect day. With you. Because it’s our last day together and our last day being here as undergrads and we’re kissing the ice tonight, and the weather’s supposed to be beautiful, and you’re moving tomorrow and Holtzy I just — I don’t want to be missing you already.” Holster wipes his eyes before he even realizes he’s crying. Behind him, Ransom sighs. “One more day where everything’s the same,” he says, feeling around blindly for Rans’ fingers. He feels Rans nod as he laces their fingers together. “Yeah. Yeah, Rans. I’d like that a lot.” __________________________

Holsom after graduation and throughout the subsequent six months after Holster signs to an expansion team in Oregon, and realizes his feelings for Ransom too late. Holster's POV :) kinda angsty, but there's a happy ending :)

Inspired by shitty-check-please-aus: "Holster moves to Oregon while Ransom stays on the east coast. The time difference makes it difficult to talk and one day they wake up and realize they aren’t best bros anymore."

My notes: I almost never cry at fics. I searched “tears” in my fandom email account and only a handful of my fic comments came up, but Syd is a literal master of Holsom angst, always. 

4. longest fic you’ve read: “Like Real People Do” by @xiaq, 153k, M, No Warnings, Kent Parson x OC

Parson gestures with his spoon toward Hawke. “So am I allowed to ask about the service dog or is that not PC?”

“My medical history is more of a 3rd date conversation," Eli says.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because. No one sticks around afterward and I like to live in glorious denial for a short period beforehand.”

It comes out more self-deprecating than he intended.

Parson looks…thoughtful. “Well, does this count as one or two?

“Pardon?”

“This. Ice cream. I mean, technically it’s a second location, but still the same night. So is this one date or two?”

“One,” Eli says firmly. “If it’s happening within the same three-hour period.”

“You’re the expert,” Parson says, which, he’s really, really, not, but ok.

“So still two dates to go then?” Parson continues.

“I—what?”

“We’ve got a roadie coming up but then we’re home for almost two weeks. When does your semester start?”

“You want to do this again?” Eli asks.

Parson stops idly twirling his spoon.

“You don’t?”

He does, Eli realizes. He really does. Because apparently he actually likes Kent fucking Parson.

My notes: Okay, this fic has my whole entire heart. I’ve read it multiple times in its entirety, and it’s almost twice as long as the full-length novel I’m querying. Eli is one of my favorite OCs I’ve ever seen in a fic (probably tied with Damian Navarro and Ari Paxton, both brainchildren of @fozmeadows). Anyway, this is probably going to be the next thing @themeaningoflifeischeese and I read out loud to each other. 

5. a fic you almost didn’t read: “when all else fails (i’ll still be right here)” by @whoacanada, 6k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (and I don’t remember if I think there’s stuff to warn for, sorry), Zimbits

The National Hockey League is resurrecting the Quebec City Nordiques, and the expansion draft hits the Falconers much harder than expected.

My notes: Given that this was for @omgcpheartbreakfest, I was worried this would be all angst--all hurt and no comfort. Which made me sad, because I love @whoacanada‘s writing but I wasn’t up for reading unresolved angst. But @doggernaut reblogged the fic, so I asked if the ending was sad, and it’s NOT! There is quite a bit of angst but the ending isn’t sad. 

6. a fic that convinced you on a ship you didn’t ship before: “it drops with the gravity of rain” by @geniusorinsanity, 16k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (attempted sexual assault by an OC), Nurseydex

It happens like this:

“I don’t--this is a bad idea,” Dex says, his lips still tingling, his hands shaking on Nursey’s hips where he’s shoved him away. “This is a really bad idea, Nurse. I can’t--We can’t do this.”

And there’s hurt in Nursey’s eyes and his bottom lip is swollen from Dex’s teeth, but he says, “Okay.” And then, “It’s chill, Dex. Just friends, then.”

It happens like this:

“Actually,” Nursey says, talking more to his granola than to them, “I kind of have a date.”

It happens like this:

When Nursey calls, Dex almost doesn’t pick up the phone.

My notes: So I was really confused and a little disturbed when I first found out people shipped Nursey and Dex. Like, Dex just wasn’t someone I trusted. But then I was moving out of the house I’d been living in, and I needed stuff to listen to as I packed and cleaned, and @khashanakalashtar‘s podfics came in clutch. I gave this one a try even though I didn’t like Dex, and @geniusorinsanity blew. My. Mind.

7. a fic from an unusual POV: “Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy” by @porcupine-girl, 8k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

Jesse Snowden knows all the best restaurants and gourmet food shops in Providence, so when Jack Zimmermann starts bringing in incredible baked goods, he's eager to find out where the new bakery is. When he meets the man behind the pies, he decides that there's no way Jack could really appreciate this guy's talent the way he does, even if they are friends. He starts hiring Jack's chef on the side, in the hopes that maybe once Bitty's done with college he'll come work for Jesse.

Good thing there is absolutely no way whatsoever that Jesse could possibly be misinterpreting this situation.

My notes: Oh my gosh this is so funny. The secondhand embarrassment factor is huge, but like, the hilarity. 

8. a comfort fic: “Don’t Need to Compromise” by @khashanakalashtar, 11k, E, no warnings, PB&J

“Hey,” said Kent, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that would change his entire life, “you said that like you know from experience. Have you done this before?”

Jack and Bitty have not done polyamory before, but they do know Ransom and Holster’s polycule, which contains March.

And March?

March is trans.

My notes: I’m in love with @khashanakalashtar‘s entire Directionverse series (and honestly a lot of their other writing), but “Don’t Need to Compromise,” which is the second fic in the series, just makes my heart swell especially much. The gender feels are so good, and all the characters are so good to each other, and when I listen to this on walks I have to actively try not to arm-flap. 

9. a fic you wish could be a movie: “Ice Crew Please!” by @petals42, 61k, T, no warnings, Zimbits

Jack Zimmermann was drafted first by the Providence Falconers when he was eighteen years old. He is good at hockey. Very good. His team won the Cup his second year and now, in his third year, they are looking good. Jack should be on top of the world. And some days, he manages to convince himself he is.

He’s not, of course.

Enter the Ice Crew.

AKA: The Ice Crew AU

My notes: This fic has its tender moments, but what I love most about it is the sheer goofiness. Ransom and Holster and Shitty are HILARIOUS in this one. I’d love to see their shenanigans in movie form. 

10. a WIP you read as it was updated: “Something Borrowed” by @fozmeadows, 48k, M, no warnings, Kent x OC

All things considered, Ari did his best to prepare himself for the advent of Kent Parson, Potentially Difficult Housemate and New Star Liney. The problem was that his best was an idiot.

My notes: So technically I didn’t start reading this until the first 19 chapters were posted. But there was still plenty of anticipation for the final few chapters. And like, @fozmeadows (as mentioned above) makes EXCELLENT OCs. And I love how their fics consistently convey that having bad things happen to you does not mark the end of your story. 

Okay, it’s bedtime, so have 10 excellent fics. I got bingo twice, because I went straight across on the top two rows.

[vanillann]

new girl (sirius black x f.reader)

based off the show “new girl”

warning: swearing, mention of cheating

word count: 1.2k

“Lily I can’t believe I’m looking on Craigslist for a place to stay!”

Lily sat on the bar stool beside me, rubbing her perfectly painted nails up and down my back.

“I know baby, Severus was a dick anyways.”

“Please don’t say his name.”

I looked back to the computer screen, scrolling through the endless pages of old men looking for a “young female roommate”.

“Wait!”

Lily moved my hand from the laptop mouse pad, scrolling up slightly and clicking on an offer.

“Exquisite interior design, open-floor plan, looking for extra roommate”

I looked through the pictures that were posted, the brick interior gave a rustic vibe I enjoyed and the view was nice enough.

“Three girls are looking for an apartment,” Lily smiled as she looked at contact information.

“It doesn’t say they’re girls?”

“Look at the verbiage.”

I looked through the ad, the description of the apartment felt to details for most men in California.

“You have a point.”

I found the email address that sat at the bottom of the ad.

lupuslupin@yahoo.com

“Yahoo!”

“Yahoo!”

I quickly enter the email into my bar, typing out an appropriate email to the ad.

To:lupuslupin@yahoo.com

From:(y/n)fromportland@gmail.com

Hello, my name is (Y/N) (L/N) and I saw the ad about your extra room. I would love to be considered for the place! I hope you are having a good day!

“How does that sound!”

“You sound like a second grade school teacher,” Lily reached for the keypad but I pulled it away from her.

“I am a second grade school teacher!”

Lily just shrugged, reaching over my head and hitting the send button.

I placed the laptop back in front of me, my eyes wide as I watched the laptop send the email.

“Lily! I didn’t proofread it!”

Lily didn’t say anything, moving over to fall back on her couch, grabbing one of the magazines and flipping through.

The door swung open, Marlene came in with a smile and held her bed close to her body.

“Oh (Y/N)!”

I waved at Marlene, giving her a quick smile and looking back over at Lily.

“How was the gig?”

“It was okay, but they put so much body glitter on me it’s going to be stuck in our shower for weeks.”

Lily laughed and echoed in the room, followed by a loud ding. I turned back to the laptop, an email just arrived in my inbox.

“Did she already get back to you?”

I nodded, quickly opening the message.

To:(y/n)fromportland@gmail.com

From:lupuslupin@yahoo.com

Can you come in today?”

I watched my fingers fly over the keys, typing a quick of course and jumping from the car.

“I gotta go!”

“Call me with details!”

I ran out the door of Lily's apartment, trying to forget the image of Sev with that girl.

*

I step out of the taxi, giving a small tip and looking up at the large building.

I walked confidently up to the glass front door, grabbing the bar and pulling. When nothing moved I was worried I would pull a push door.

The man at the front desk made no more to help, chewing on his gum while he read.

“Hello.”

He didn’t move an inch, maybe moving in this apartment would be a bad idea.

“Need help?”

I felt chills run up my spine, my hand flying to the pepper spray that sat on my keychain.

I looked over my shoulder at the man who spoke. He had a charming smile and was holding up looking to be a keycard.

“Um, yes?”

The man just laughed to himself and swiped the card, pushing the door and holding it for me.

“Ladies first.”

I smiled at the man, running into the air-conditioned room with nothing but please.

The man that sat at the desk nodded his head at me, jerk.

I looked around the plain room, finding the elevator and briskly walking to it.

The man that held the door for me stood in the middle, watching the ceiling with his deep grey eyes.

“What floor?”

“4.”

I looked at the button and realized 4 had been lit up.

“Oh we might be neighbors soon.”

The man looked down at me, confusion written on his face.

“4C is looking for a roommate?”

“Oh no, I believe the email said 4D.”

The man stopped looking at me, rolling his eyes and muttering a quick “James” under his breath before he looked back at the door.

A loud ding echoed the area and I quickly slipped off, looking to my right to find a door with 4D in metal letters.

“See you later,” I waved to the man and skipped to the door. I knocked on the door twice, until an arm came around me and unlocked himself.

I looked over my shoulder to see the man from the elevator holding the key, a sarcastic smile sat on his lips.

“Oh-“

“Yeah.”

*

“If you want the truth I thought you were three girls.”

Three men sat across from me on their couch.

One was the man from earlier, laid back with a beer held tightly in his hand. I didn’t know why he was drinking, it was 3 in the afternoon.

Another sat in between the two, glasses perched on his noses and a goofy smile on the entire time.

The last was a tall guy who wore a sweater vest, apparently he was lupuslupin@yahoo.com.

“Why would you think we were girls?”

“Probably because Rem wrote it, Mr. ‘I’m in touch with my feminine side’.”

Rem, I guess was his name, glared at beer man. Damn I need to ask their names.

“Look, I just need a place to stay,” I interrupted the weirdly intense staring contest that broke out.

“No.”

Beer boy was pissing me off now.

“Look Sirius-“

“I don’t want a girl living in my apartment.”

“Woman, I’m a woman.”

Sirius, aka beer boy, looked at me with a deadpan look.

“You seem nice, truly, but I don’t want your bras laying everywhere and your makeup all over the bathroom,” Sirius tilted his beer to me.

“I don’t do that, I’m very organized. Ask Lily!”

“Lily?”

The glasses boy finally spoke up.

“She’s my best friend.”

“Live with her,” Sirius spoke up from his place on the couch again.

“I would but she lives with all her model friends and it-“

“Did you say model friends!”

Glass grabbed his friend's shoulder, the goofy smile was bigger than before.

“Yeah, Lily has been a model since we were 18.”

Glasses bought his friends in a group huddle, trying to whisper but I could hear every word.

“She has model friends.”

“I don’t need naked women walking around all the time, I wouldn’t hate it but I don’t want it.”

“Sirius I think your being to harsh.”

“Yeah I think I’m going to shove this beer-“

I stood from the chair, all eyes quickly turning to me.

“Just, do I need to keep looking for a place to stay or not?”

The third looked between each other, all their eyes full of questions.

“Loft vote, 1, 2-“

“Stay.”

“Stay.”

“Go.”

Remus and glasses high fived, Sirius falling deeper into the leather couch.

Remus turned to me, a wicked smile playing at his lips.

“You’re in.”



hp tag list:

@siriusmaraudeers @marauder-exe @haphazardhufflepuff

sirius black tag list:

@coldlilheart​  @inkhearthes

[morningfears]

Television Romance [Chapter Two]

Rating: PG-13 (a little suggestive, a little swearing)

Summary: Luke and Natalia go on their first date and they’re surprised at how well they get along. Natalia is also surprised at how well she’s able to ruin a moment.

Word Count: 6.7k

Chapter One

The conference room was empty as Natalia settled into one of the oversized office chairs situated around the long wooden table. She still had twenty minutes until colloquium, a meeting that took place every other Friday and served as a way for students to get to know their professors’ and colleagues’ research interests, began but she had just gotten out of a meeting with her advisor and didn’t feel like walking the extra few steps to the grad office. She knew that it would be full of students, each of them expressing how pointless they found colloquium or how annoyed they were to be on campus on a Friday, and though she usually felt compelled to agree (colloquium was, for the most part, pointless and her Fridays suffered greatly for it), she was in too good a mood to complain.

Although her workload had felt overwhelming, she’d managed to finish it all in far less time than she anticipated. She’d worked harder than she had in months and her sleep schedule suffered dearly for it but her advisor had the first draft of her thesis proposal, her conference paper had been submitted with nearly twelve hours to spare, and her co-author had the revisions necessary to resubmit their journal article. Her students had their first grades of the semester and every unread email in her inbox was answered.

She was exhausted, mentally and physically, but she’d managed to free her schedule completely so that she would have nothing to worry about when she went to dinner with Luke.

As if he could sense her thinking about him, Natalia’s phone vibrated in her hand and a message from Luke appeared on the screen. “Is it too cheesy to tell you that I’ve been looking forward to this all week?”

Natalia grinned at the message, a goofy smile that made her cheeks hurt, and bit back an uncharacteristic giggle as she replied, “Only if it’s cheesy to tell you that I’ve been looking forward to it, too.”

Though she had been somewhat excited when she met him - he was gorgeous - her excitement only grew the more they interacted. Throughout the week, she and Luke had exchanged dozens of messages. Most of them were superficial, wishes for good days and texts meant to plan their evening, but a few had been more fun and inquisitive. They’d wanted to save the traditional questions for the date itself - what do you do, where are you from, what brings you to LA? - so they’d had to get creative in getting to know one another.

Luke had taken to sending her cheesy jokes, stupid puns and ridiculous questions - her favorite of which was whether she would fight one horse sized duck or a dozen duck sized horses - in an effort to get to know her and it made her giddy with anticipation. She thought he was cute and he seemed charming. He was fun, silly, and sweet and she found herself starting to like him more than she thought she would. She wasn’t attached, not yet, but she could feel herself growing more comfortable with the idea of him becoming a part of her life and she only hoped that that would extend to their in-person meeting.

As she grinned at Luke’s latest joke, a cheese pun that made her groan in delight, she failed to notice the door of the conference room open or the bag drop onto the table beside her. She was too engrossed in typing out her reply, a string of emojis and a half-hearted plea for him to find a new hobby, to notice Nicole take a seat. Only when she spoke did Natalia look away from her phone.

“Okay, so, I was thinking about ordering pizza for tonight. We have some money in the grad association account and free food is the only thing I can think of that will convince people to spend their Friday night locked in the grad office. We can’t buy their alcohol but I promised everyone we would go out for drinks once the last person hit submit.”

Natalia blinked, confused as to what Nicole was talking about, before her eyes widened and her heart dropped in realization. “The writing party, fuck,” she groaned, her head falling back as she huffed a sigh of annoyance at her mistake. She wasn’t normally one to forget things - she was the first person anyone turned to when they needed to know a deadline - but it had completely slipped her mind. She’d been so caught up in wanting to see Luke that anything nonessential had completely fallen off her radar. “I’m so sorry, Ni. I totally forgot all about it.”

“It’s no big deal,” Nicole assured her as she watched Natalia spin in her chair to face her. “It really didn’t need any planning. I just sent out an email. I was hoping you could bring some of those method books of yours, though. I don’t have anything to submit so I wanted to work on my proposal. I’m having trouble wording the coding section.”

Natalia grimaced and shook her head. “No, Ni, I forgot and, uh, sort of made other plans?” 

She tried her hardest not to look guilty - it was an informal writing group that likely wouldn’t get much writing done, anyway - but Natalia felt bad. She knew that Nicole was struggling to get her proposal done and there weren’t many other people she could turn to for help. Their program was small, one of the smallest on campus, and of the current cohort, only she, Nicole, and one doctoral student had chosen the same methodology. They hadn’t had a formal class on the method yet - they’d been thrown to the wolves, not unlike the rest of their graduate career - and relied on one another to make the best of their situation.

This would have been an opportunity for them to sit down, uninterrupted by life, and work out the roadblocks she’d been hitting. However, Natalia had forgotten and committed to dinner with Luke.

“I can reschedule,” she offered, before Nicole could speak, “I feel like he wouldn’t mind.”

At the mention of a ‘he’, Nicole raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “No, seriously, it’s not a big deal. We can meet during office hours next week or something. But, that’s beside the point.” She dropped her cellphone onto the table and turned her full attention to Natalia as she asked, “He? Who is he?”

Natalia knew that Nicole was expecting her to say that the aforementioned he was her father, who she had dinner with once a week, or the new TA that followed her around like a lost puppy. But she wasn’t expecting her to say, “The guy from the coffee shop, Luke.”

“The one that destroyed your dress?” Nicole did look surprised, her eyebrows remained raised and her mouth dropped open, but she looked almost amused at the sheepish grin that graced Natalia’s face. “Let me guess, he asked you out as a way to make up for it?”

“…yes. He’s so cute, Ni, I couldn’t say no,” Natalia gushed with a grin as she shifted in her chair and reached for her phone. Nicole rolled her eyes good-naturedly and rolled her chair a little closer to lean over and take a look at the text thread Natalia pulled up. “Look, he’s been sending me stupid jokes all week and he’s excited about the date and so am I.”

“Wait, date? Holy shit, Nat, get laid!”

Natalia and Nicole glanced up from her phone and watched as Ali, the third member of their cohort - the only other master’s student that started the program at the same time as them - stepped into the conference room and took a seat across from them. “D’you finally agree to meet a Tinder match in person?” she asked as she grabbed a notebook and pen from her backpack.

“No, they met the old fashioned way; he destroyed her dress by spilling coffee on her,” Nicole answered for her as she grabbed her own notebook out of her backpack.

“Oh, retro vibes, cute. Is he hot?” Natalia rolled her eyes fondly as Ali leaned forward, her eyebrows raised as she waited for a response.

Although the three of them had grown as close as sisters and looked quite similar to one another, they couldn’t be more different. Nicole was the oldest - she’d taken two years off between undergrad and grad school - and acted like it. She was the voice of reason, the calming presence that kept Natalia from overreacting and Ali from under-reacting. She was the heart of the group, the one who provided a shoulder to cry on and a kind word of advice when things got tough, and neither Natalia nor Ali could imagine getting through grad school without her. Nicole was also married and had been for three years. She and her husband had been together since their freshman year of college - they met in a class - and she was very happy to be in a committed, long term relationship.

Ali was the wildcard of their group. She was a free spirit, only acting according to her own desires, and was unapologetic in how she lived her life. She was the group’s sense of courage, pushing Natalia out of her comfort zone by taking her out to bars and helping her fill her closet with clothes she never would’ve imagined herself wearing as well as helping Nicole get through the semester without bowing to the pressures of the administration. Like Natalia, Ali was technically single. Unlike Natalia, however, Ali dated around and kept her options open. She had a string of ‘boyfriends’ and decided that she would wait until after she received her doctorate to settle down.

Their biggest similarities were their looks. Each of them had long dark hair, though Ali’s was a shade lighter than Nicole and Natalia’s, and stood at a little over five feet. Nicole and Natalia stayed out of the sun, both of them burned quite easily and went red instead of tanning, while Ali remained a beautiful olive all year round. Nicole and Ali were both curvier, each with natural assets that Natalia longed for, while Natalia fell somewhere in an annoying gap between petite and average. 

Natalia loved the differences in her friends, she appreciated seeing the way they all complemented one another, but she couldn’t help but laugh at the almost predictable reactions she’d gotten from both of them upon learning that she had a date.

“He’s gorgeous,” she finally answered, grinning at Ali when she nodded in appreciation and gave her a thumbs up.

“That’s my girl! Have you got condoms? You can stop by my place and grab some after colloquium if you want. Oh, do you need help getting ready? I can do your makeup!” Ali looked to be almost more excited than Natalia was about the date. She was giddy, grinning at the possibilities, and Natalia hated to rain on her parade but she didn’t plan on sleeping with Luke on their first date.

“I appreciate the offer, Al, but I don’t think I’ll need the condoms just yet. I would love for you to do my makeup, though. We’re going to Oak and I know it’s kind of dark in there but it’s also a little nicer than the dives we go to so I should make an effort,” she reasoned as she watched the door swing open and a few of their classmates enter the room. She waved at them, as did Nicole and Ali, before she added, “We can talk about it after colloquium.”

Throughout the hour long meeting, Natalia’s phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Luke texted her, a photo of himself and his dog that made her heart melt, and joked that he had the best help in getting ready for their night. Nicole and Ali filled their group chat - appropriately titled ‘why are we here?’ - with suggestions for conversation topics (although Natalia sincerely hoped ‘do you have any hot, single friends?’ was a joke) as well as gentle teasing about how their baby was growing up.

Natalia took it all in stride, shaking her head at Nicole and Ali’s teasing and gushing over Luke’s dog, but she felt just as excited as they all seemed to. It was nice, having plans and feeling something she hadn’t felt in a long while, and she only grew more excited as colloquium ended and they all began to file out of the conference room.

“Send me a text when you guys choose where you’re going for drinks,” she told Nicole as the three of them stepped out of the building, her and Ali heading toward her car while Nicole was off to her own, “I might stop by and get a drink after my date.”

“If you do, let me know. I want all the details. If not, we can all get breakfast or something and you can tell us everything.” Ali wasn’t the type to turn down a drink or gossip so it came as no surprise that she wanted to be included in the conversation.

“Have fun, Nat,” Nicole bid, a genuinely happy smile on her face as she began walking down the sidewalk. “See you later!”

Natalia and Ali waved off Nicole before they began the trek to Natalia’s car. She and Luke planned to meet at eight and it was already four. She knew that she had time - she would likely only show up a few minutes early - but she was anxious to get ready. She had no idea what she wanted to wear, how she wanted her makeup done, or how to wear her hair. She hadn’t been on a date in years - she’d been too busy worrying about school to worry about much else - so this was new territory for her.

Natalia was glad that Ali was there to help her get ready. She was glad that she had a friend who was willing to pick through her closet and help her find something that was cute enough to make a good impression but comfortable enough to wear for a few hours. She was nervous, a good kind of anxious that filled her stomach with butterflies and had her pacing her bedroom as Ali pulled the final piece of clothing from her closet.

“It’s going to be fine,” Ali laughed as she watched Natalia glance in the mirror at her makeup once more. She’d gone simple, opted for a natural look that only enhanced Natalia’s looks, and reached out to slap her shoulder to keep her from touching her eyebrow. “You’re going to wipe off my hard work. Here, get dressed. Would you mind dropping me off at my place on your way?”

“No, of course not,” Natalia assured her as she grabbed the garments from Ali’s hand and stepped into her bathroom to change. “It’s on my way. That’ll keep me from being too early, too.”

“I was at least a little strategic in getting you ready,” Ali pointed out as she waited for Natalia to exit the bathroom. “Have you warned him that you’re a chronic overachiever who can’t be late and has, like, forty calendars to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines yet?”

“I only have three,” Natalia defended as she emerged from the bathroom, smoothing the top she wore. “I keep them in different places so I always know what I need to be doing. How does this look?”

Ali brought her hand to her chest and faked a sniffle as she caught sight of Natalia. She had gone for simple here, too, and pulled a high-waisted black, button down mini-skirt, a white short sleeve top, and a distressed denim jacket. She handed her a necklace, one of the few pieces of jewelry Natalia owned, as well as a bracelet before she glanced at the two options for shoes she’d pulled out of the closet.

“How tall is he?” Ali asked as she looked between the pair of ankle boots and flats on the floor in front of her.

“Uh, very.” Natalia tried not to sound too excited at that - she’d always been fond of taller men - and Ali nodded in appreciation.

“Boots it is, then. Okay, I think you’re ready. Do you have any pictures of this guy? I’m curious as fuck now,” Ali hummed as she watched Natalia slip her feet into the boots.

“Mm, yeah, he sent me a picture of him and his dog earlier.” She reached for her cellphone, unplugging it from the charger, and opened her text thread with Luke to show Ali the photo he’d sent her. He had the same unique smile he’d shown her the day they met and his clear blue eyes were on display as he’d pulled his hair away from his face. He was cute, far cuter than anyone she’d ever dated, and she felt a small amount of pride at the impressed look on Ali’s face.

“He looks familiar,” she mumbled, after agreeing that he was gorgeous, “I don’t know where I’d know him from, though.”

“Maybe you saw him on Tinder or something,” Natalia offered with a shrug as she locked her phone and dropped it into her bag. “Or maybe he’s friends with one of your boyfriends.”

“Maybe,” Ali shrugged as she grabbed her bag and led the way out of Natalia’s apartment. “I don’t even keep track anymore. Did I tell you about Jason? I would drop out and become a trophy wife for that man any day.”

Natalia listened to Ali share a story about her latest boyfriend - one she agreed was gorgeous and seemed sweeter and a little more put together than the guys Ali usually went for - as she drove her back to her apartment. She realized, as they waited at a red light, that she would get to join the conversation about dates the next time they interacted and felt a small thrill at the idea. She usually had very little to contribute when Ali and Nicole spoke about their partners - other than the occasional, “I’m glad I’m single,” when they discussed the follies of man - and couldn’t wait to tell them all about her date.

As Natalia pulled into the parking lot of Ali’s apartment complex, Ali reached into her bag and pulled a few foil squares from one of the pockets. She took Natalia’s hand off the steering wheel as soon as she’d put the car in park and placed the condoms in her hand before she patted it and grinned. “You never know what you’ll need, so, just in case.”

With that and a grin that made Natalia roll her eyes, Ali climbed out of the car and sent a wave in her direction before bounding up the stairs. Natalia remained in the parking spot for a second, pausing to collect her thoughts and take a deep breath, before she shoved the condoms into her bag, pulled out of the parking lot and made her way to Oak.

When Luke asked if she had any preferences for their date, her first thought was of Oak. It was a bar that couldn’t be considered a dive but was also a far cry from the swanky clubs in other parts of the city. It was nice but not too nice. Like Molly’s, the bar was Instagrammable - a key factor in its popularity with college students as the drinks were a little pricier than two dollar beer but not unreasonable for an every now and again sort of thing - and encouraged patrons to dress a little nicer than the go-to athleisure look. Everything about it read 1920s speakeasy, except the patio. Natalia loved the patio, hidden off to the side with little wooden benches and cool metal tables surrounded by walls covered in ivy, and she was glad the weather was nice enough that she could request they sit out there.

The interior was always a little dark but Natalia thought it was kind of romantic as the lighting was supplemented by tea candles on the tables. However, the music - an array of jazz - was usually a little too loud for conversation. Because of that, she hoped that Luke wouldn’t mind if they ordered their drinks and took them outside so they could talk.

When Natalia arrived (only five minutes early, a rare feat for her as she usually arrived with twenty minutes to spare), she was pleasantly surprised to see Luke waiting for her near the front steps. Although she’d found him attractive upon first meeting him, dressed in basketball shorts and looking like he’d just woken up, he looked even better dressed up.

He had also opted for simple and wore plain black jeans and a wine red button down. He left the first few buttons undone and Natalia imagined that if she were a cartoon character, her eyes would be hearts by now. She wanted to stare at him for a moment longer but she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She took another moment, another deep breath, before she climbed out of the car and crossed the parking lot to join him.

“Hi.”

Luke lifted his head, turning his attention away from his cellphone, and grinned at the sight of Natalia. He quickly locked the device and shoved it into his pocket as he returned her greeting. “Hi.” He paused, his eyes raking over her body and taking in the sight of her, before he added, “You look beautiful.”

Without thinking, with only a giddy nervousness filling her mind, Natalia grinned and returned, “So do you.”

She and Luke stood there, taking one another in with pink cheeks and silly smiles, for far too long. It wasn’t awkward, the silence was appreciative and punctuated by shy grins and quiet giggles, and Natalia would have been content to spend the evening sharing heart-eyed looks with Luke had another couple not walked by, breaking the spell.

“Do you want to head in?” Luke asked, glancing at the door a few feet to his left before returning his gaze to Natalia. “I’ve never been here before.”

Natalia glanced up at him - the height difference was still noticeable, even with her heeled boots - and smiled as they entered the main room. “It’s nice. I’ve been here a few times but, I’ll be honest, I usually go to this place called The Door.”

“The Door? Why here, then, and not there?” Luke asked as they approached the bar and and each reached for a drink menu.

“I didn’t want to run into every professor in my department.” When Luke raised an eyebrow at that, Natalia shook her head and quickly added, “Everyone in the department goes there for drinks and I didn’t think it would fun to have my advisor a few tables over as we tried to talk. I chose this place because I don’t really venture too far from campus. LA is… overwhelming.”

“That’s fair,” Luke acknowledged as they waited for the bartender to make his way to them. He turned to look at Natalia, an easy smile on his lips and blue eyes alight with intrigue, as he asked, “You’re not from here?”

“Is anyone?” Luke laughed at Natalia’s quip and she offered him a smile in return. “No, I grew up in Oakland. It was a different vibe. What about you? You’re not from LA.”

“I’m not,” he confirmed with a shake of his head as he moved to stand a little closer to her to let another couple access the bar, “I’m from Australia. I’ve been here for a really long time, though.”

Natalia could smell Luke’s cologne and bit back a sigh as he met her eyes once again. It was hard to keep her train of thought with him looking directly at her, the longer she stared at him, the more beautiful she found him, but she managed to ask, “Yeah? What brought you to LA?”

As Luke opened his mouth to answer, the bartender approached the pair of them to take their drink orders. Luke gestured for her to order first and she chose the only thing on the menu with vodka - the only liquor she didn’t really hate - while Luke opted for the drink with rum. They started a tab - on Luke’s card, despite Natalia’s resistance - before she gestured for him to follow her to the patio with their drinks.

“Okay, so, what brought you to LA?” Natalia repeated as they each took a seat at one of the small metal tables The lighting was better outside, a little brighter than the candlelit interior, and she had to remind herself not to stare as she waited for Luke’s answer.

“I’m in a band. We came out here to follow our dreams.” Natalia wasn’t exactly surprised to hear that Luke was a musician. He looked the part, with shaggy blonde curls and chipped nail polish on a few fingers as well as a sort of confidence about him that she’d only seen in the wannabe rockstars she knew from home, so she nodded.

“Would I know your music?”

Luke smiled at her, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes, and shrugged. The look on his face suggested there was a joke that Natalia wasn’t in on and she scrunched her eyebrows in mild confusion as he asked, “I don’t know. What kind of music do you listen to?”

“A little punk - I’m from Oakland, we have a killer punk scene,” she defended when Luke blinked in surprise. He held his hands up in surrender,  a laugh falling from his lips, and gestured for her to continue. “Um, a lot of stuff that was released before I was born? My dad was in a punk band in high school and a grunge band in college and my mom was a riot grrrl. I grew up listening to whatever they were listening to and whatever their bands played and it’s still pretty prominent in my playlists. So, punk and grunge and a lot of classic rock.”

Luke looked mildly impressed by Natalia’s taste and nodded appreciatively. “Yeah, you probably wouldn’t know any of our stuff.” Luke laughed, again looking like he knew something she didn’t, before he took a sip of his drink. She shrugged, a playful smile of her own on her lips, and he shook his head. “I wouldn’t have expected that but that’s way cooler than me. I listen to a lot of pop punk, a little more alternative. And classic rock.”

“Nothing wrong with pop punk. I love blink. And I was super into All Time Low in high school.”

The conversation hit a short lull, both Luke and Natalia glancing at one another over the tops of their drinks, but it wasn’t truly awkward. They had yet to figure out how to interact with one another, which was to be expected, so Natalia offered a suggestion to break the ice. “Want to play twenty questions?”

Luke perked up, the full toothed grin returning, and nodded as he leaned on his elbows and met her gaze across the table. “That sounds like the perfect idea. You want to start?”

Natalia nodded and scrutinized Luke as she thought up her first question.  She knew that he was from Australia and that he was in a band she probably hadn’t heard of. She knew that he had a dog and that he liked pop punk. “Do you have any siblings?”

“Two brothers, Ben and Jack. You’re in school, what are you studying?” Luke had an adorable habit of tilting his head to show his engagement in the conversation and Natalia bit back a dreamy sigh as she watched him tap his glass to the beat of the song - the patio had a stream of top 40 hits playing and she didn’t recognize any of them but, judging by the way his eyes lit up when this one came on, he did.

“Health communication. Basically, my line of research is that everyone defines health differently and you can’t expect all people to react the same way to the same messages. There is no universal definition of health.” Again, Luke looked surprised and impressed. He nodded, thankful that she’d given a bit of clarification on what she meant by health communication, and waited for her to ask her question. “What’s the best thing about being in a band?”

Luke lit up at her question, his smile growing into the tongue-pressed-to-teeth grin she was growing to adore. “Is it a cop out if I say everything?” When she nodded, Luke made a show of groaning and pouted for a moment before laughing and shaking his head. “This is going to sound really cheesy but being able to spend my time with my best friends. I love the guys, they’re my brothers at this point, and getting to work with them is all I ever could’ve asked for.”

Natalia felt her heart melt at Luke’s answer. She cooed and when Luke’s cheeks went pink, she reassured him, “That’s the sweetest answer you could’ve given. That’s really awesome. I barely know you but I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.” Luke laughed, cheeks still flushed and eyes crinkling as he watched Natalia take another sip of her drink. “What are your friends like?” He was curious, as they were on the subject, and he wanted to know if the people Natalia surrounded herself with were as interesting as she was.

“Strange. I have my cohort, the two girls I started my master’s program with, and then I have a few friends from home but it’s a pretty small group of very different people and I don’t know where I would be without them.” It was Luke’s turn to coo, his smile soft and his cheeks still pink from a combination of the heat, the alcohol, and his affection, and Natalia dipped her head to get away from his gaze. “In your band, what’s your job? Guitarist, vocalist…?”

“Both of those, actually. I play guitar and sing. Ash, the guy that was with me in the coffee shop, is our drummer.”

“You know, I could’ve guessed that. You’ve got the lead singer look,” Natalia teased. She grinned at Luke’s raised eyebrows and shrugged. “I think it’s the hair, rockstar. But it looks good on you.”

Luke rolled his eyes, a playful gesture accompanied by laughter, and stuck his chin out indignantly. “Looks can be deceiving,” he reminded her, a playful glare on his face as he added, “You keep surprising me at every turn.” When she titled her head, curious as to what he meant, Luke smiled and gestured to Natalia’s empty glass. “That’s a good thing, I promise. And this isn’t my question,” he clarified, a playfully pointed look accompanying his statement, "but would you like another drink?”

“I’d love one. Using that time to think up another question?” Her accusation was playful, her grin gave her away, but Luke played along but giving her a pout.

“How can you think so little of me? I’m not,” Luke denied, his grin bright as he stood to grab another round of drinks. “But I’ll give you that time to think about your answer. Thoughts on social media? I’ll be back.”

Natalia watched Luke disappear through the side door, a bright grin on her lips. Luke was cute, sweet, and fun. The conversation was flowing better than she imagined it would.  She was glad that the hope she’d gleaned from her text conversations with him wasn’t misplaced and found herself itching to continue the conversation as she listened to a song she vaguely recognized as one of Dua Lipa’s filter through the patio area.

True to his word, Luke returned in a matter of minutes with fresh drinks in hand and an expectant look on his face. “So, thoughts?”

“I think it’s a useful tool in some cases and utterly useless and damaging in others. It’s helpful in emergencies, getting the word out quickly, but it’s creating a weird culture and I don’t like it. I don’t have any social media profiles aside from Facebook - my mom likes to video chat and doesn’t have an iPhone so, no FaceTime, I just use it for Messenger - and LinkedIn.” Natalia was used to the looks she got from others when she divulged her lack of social media and Luke was no different. He looked shocked but almost impressed.

“That’s really awesome. I don’t use mine much but I think it’d feel weird if I didn’t have them.”

“I mean, you’re a musician. It probably helps get the word out there, build a fanbase, all the marketing stuff. I’m an academic. The only thing I could post on Instagram is a bad selfie taken under florescent library lighting,” Natalia joked as she reached for her drink.

“No faking your life for the ‘Gram?” Luke asked, genuinely curious and interested in hearing her take on social media. It wasn’t often that he ran into people like her, not in his life, so he felt compelled to hear more.

“No, it doesn’t seem worth it. It seems like too much work and, honestly, I don’t want the attention. You have these kids that are, like, twelve blowing up online and that just seems so stressful. I don’t want the world watching my every move. I’m fine in the shadows.”

An odd look crossed Luke’s face at Natalia’s reluctance to be seen and she almost asked him about it. She didn’t understand what the issue was with her not wanting notoriety or her face to be plastered all over Instagram but the look was gone so quickly that she felt like she must have imagined it. So, instead of dwelling, she turned to her next question. “If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring with you?”

The conversation continued well past twenty questions. Luke was genuinely interested in her research, asking questions about her reasons for choosing such an emotionally taxing topic and what she planned to do with her research when she finished, and it was nice to just explain rather than defend her choices. She was interested in his music, curious about the songwriting process and the way he dealt with writer’s block from a creative standpoint, and it was nice to talk to someone who had no idea what his life was really like.

They found themselves talking until one of the staff members stuck their head out the door and informed them that it was last call. They’d each only had two drinks, the last was sipped over a matter of hours as they’d been talking too much to really pay attention to anything other than one another, and Natalia was slightly disappointed that it was time to say goodnight as they headed in to close out the tab.

Luke, like Natalia, dragged his feet as they left the bar and lingered near the front steps. He looked just as crestfallen as she did, not ready for their night to be over but not wanting to give her the wrong impression by asking her to come home with him. They liked one another, really and truly, and neither wanted to rush into things. It felt nice, just getting to know one another without the pressure of their lives closing in on them, and they wanted to keep it that way for as long as they could.

“I know this might be too soon,” Luke began, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he met Natalia’s gaze with a shy smile, “but would you want to go out again tomorrow? Maybe for dinner? I have rehearsal tomorrow afternoon but we could do something after that.”

Natalia grinned, a giddy smile that was contagious as Luke matched her grin with one of his own, and nodded. “Definitely. I need to spend the day writing but I’m totally free tomorrow night,” she agreed readily, not caring if she looked eager as Luke looked just as giddy as she did.

“Good, awesome. I, uh, I’ll let you know what time we’re supposed to finish tomorrow.” Luke paused, his grin softening as he realized that Natalia looked gorgeous even in the harsh glow of unflattering streetlights, before he added, “I had a really good time tonight. I’m still sorry for spilling coffee on you but I don’t regret it. Not if it gets me a date like this.”

“I really liked that dress,” Natalia teased, her cheeks flaring pink beneath the foundation she wore as she tried not to coo at Luke’s compliment, “but I’m kind of glad you spilled coffee on me. I think this date more than made up for it.”

Luke and Natalia stared at one another, grinning like lovesick fools and happy that the date had gone better than either of them hoped, before Luke stepped a little closer and asked, “Do you mind if I… can I…?”

Natalia didn’t have a rule against kissing on the first date, she didn’t have any first date rules as she decided she would just see where life took her, but if she did, she would’ve broken it for Luke. As his hand brushed her cheek, she melted into his embrace and breathed a quiet sigh as she nodded just enough for him to feel.

Luke placed a barely there peck to her lips, a soft kiss that felt more like something being taken from her than given, and she wanted to reach out and pull him back into her as he straightened up and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Natalia.”

“See you tomorrow.”

They both lingered for a second, staring at one another, before Natalia gave him a final shy smile and turned to head to her car. Her head was so far in the clouds that she didn’t notice the small dip in the ground and felt her knees hit pavement before she realized what had happened.

She wasn’t sure if she was glad that Luke was there or embarrassed he’d seen her fall as he rushed over and kneeled beside her. The contents of her bag had spilled across the parking lot and she dropped her head in embarrassment as she groaned. “Fun fact about me, I’m great at destroying the mood.”

“I tripped and dumped coffee on you during our first meeting, a little clumsiness isn’t going to destroy anything. Here, let me help you,” he assured her as he began reaching for the little things that had fallen out of her bag. Chapstick, hand sanitizer, gum, a pencil bag; all things she didn’t mind Luke seeing. However, when he grabbed the few condoms Ali left her with, Natalia groaned again.

“I wasn’t… I didn’t intend for anything to happen. My friend Ali just… threw them at me,” she explained as she shoved the items back into her bag and took Luke’s hand for him to help her back onto her feet. “Not that there’s anything wrong with sex on a first date, do whatever you want, I just… Don’t want?”

Luke bit back a laugh at Natalia’s defeated expression and shook his head. “It’s okay, you don’t have to explain. Better to be safe than sorry. And, I get it. Tonight was nice. I enjoyed it as it was. And I’m still really looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow night.”

“I’m glad. And I am looking forward to seeing you again, too. Hopefully neither of us will trip and we’ll be leaving injury and coffee stain free,” she joked as she brushed some stray gravel from her knees. “I’ll see you then. Have fun at rehearsal.”

“I would say have fun writing but, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t know if that’s appropriate to wish you?”

“Probably not, no one enjoys writing for academia, but I appreciate the thought. Bye, Luke.”

Luke waved Natalia off and waited until she’d gotten safely into her car before heading for his own. She still felt a little embarrassed - she knew that her cheeks were neon red beneath her foundation - but his handling of the situation made her feel that much better about him. He was a good guy, solid and sweet, and Natalia couldn’t wait to see him again.

___________________________________________________________

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[sstrongstyle]

𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Adam Cole x OC, mentions of Seth Rollins x OC 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: After nearly a decade of being the golden girl of WWE, Adaline Marin wants out. Their ring was no longer home, haunted by her first love and upon reaching her thirties, the face behind "Aspen Glory" wonders if the passion she once had was still ablaze. Instead, she gets sent down to NXT to join the Undisputed Era. The next three hundred and sixty-five days, all captured by cameras for the history books, become a year of revival, reinvention, and realization with her legacy at stake and a new flame from the past emerging. 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: All characters are referred to by their real life names (for the most part)

CHAPTER TWO.

June 7th, 2019

There was always something about Florida that Adaline hated. It reminded her of her days stuck down in developmental, rotting away in that ugly FCW warehouse with a princess gimmick that got her nowhere. Realizing that this was her new home, as one of the currently most decorated talent in WWE's women's division, was like a punch to the gut. It wasn't supposed to be a downgrade, considering the heights that NXT had reached in recent times, but it sure as hell felt like that. Passing by new, unknown faces in the Performance Centre, who gawked at her veteran presence, made it feel like that. Young female talent coming up to her and telling her how much of an inspiration she was to them starting their careers felt like that.

"Yeah, it hurts a bit, but you have to look at the bigger picture." Mattias was the first one to welcome Adaline to NXT with open arms. "It's a fresh start and in all honesty, I trust the suits down here more than the suits up on top." Earlier in the day, he decided to play tour guide and show her around the main backstage area of the Full Sail taping location.

Adaline rolled her eyes. "They all suck." She tried her best to hide her disdain from day one, but being around Matt allowed her to let her guard down. He, of course, went through the same thing when Tyler Breeze was sent packing back to Winter Park after years on the main roster. However, she didn't expect such a twinkling look in his eyes, a hint of happiness in them, considering he was fresh off Takeover XXV on a title match.

Every NXT alumni spoke so fondly of their time down in the black and gold brand. Maybe a part of her always wondered what it would have been like to stay in Florida a little longer in 2012, instead of taking a cannonball into the formation of The Shield. It seemed like Adaline no longer had to wonder on what could've been.

Nothing felt right. She was wearing a stuffy formal outfit, or as close to formal as Adaline Marin could get. Wide legged dress pants and a strappy crop top, if Adaline wasn't going to pay her respects to Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself, there was no way she was going to force herself into anything "professional." In a way, it was almost her method of showing Hunter just how pissed off she was.

She was three months removed from main eventing Wrestlemania and out of nowhere, she's down at the PC with kids who don't know how to perform a suplex.

"Listen, you may be a little pissed off—" was the first thing that left his mouth and Adaline couldn't help but snort.

The last stop on Matt's tour was Hunter's office, where Adaline was schedule for an early morning meeting with him. It was about nine o'clock and she had barely escaped running into any of the other talent. Her debut was supposed to be kept under wraps and while it didn't hurt for a few people on the roster to learn about it, Adaline herself didn't want it to be spread around so soon.

Hunter gave her a pointed look. "We have big plans for you here."

"I sure hope so, because so did a certain other company." The shit eating grin on Adaline's face was more than a little disrespectful, but he wasn't even fazed. Her statement was nothing less than the truth. It was inevitable that other promotions came knocking on her door and had been planning to do so, as the expiry date of her time with WWE had been on the mind of many for months leading up to it.

"You won't regret re-signing, Adaline," he said, choosing to ignore her statement.

Adaline wanted to believe that she wasn't making a mistake, but after months off television and headaches surrounding her contract negotiations, a part of her thinks that she simply re-signed out of annoyance. They saw how well she did when she left for two years and they were afraid that Adaline was going to go and do the same with the three letter A named company looming over their nightmares. WWE was persistent and they promised her everything she wanted and more—only, she wasn't told that it was going to be at Full Sail University.

She forced herself to smile a bit. "Why so?" Adaline was hoping that she would find out what the meeting was for, sooner rather than later. After all, she'd yet to receive word of anything from the creative team and it felt like she was completely in the dark.

A soft whine indicated that Hunter's door was being creaked open. His eyes brightened at the new presence and the corner of his lips twitched upwards. Hunter then turned back to Adaline.

"This is why."

Slowly rotating her body, she raised an eyebrow at the sight. The four members of The Undisputed Era. Austin, Kyle, Bobby, and Christopher. None of them seemed to expect her either, as they stared back in confusion. It took Adaline a moment to put two and two together and when she did, the wind was knocked right out of her.

Nobody could argue with the facts: The Undisputed Era was one of the best things to come out of NXT in recent times. That was definitely saying something, considering the immense talent rumbling at the core of the brand and the stars that have shone after walking away from the shadows of Full Sail. But, that was the thing. Adaline wanted nothing to do with it or NXT. Her own words echoed in her head, what she had relayed to Trinity following her contract negotiations and hearing of the plans they had for her.

"I'm not some young upstart. My career isn't hanging on by a thread, scraping by for a second chance. I didn't just claw out of the indies, looking to prove myself under the bright lights. I've been here, Trin, and I don't need NXT. They surely don't need me."

This was also what she had sent Hunter over email, which he promptly ignored and instead sent her schedule for the week. He intentionally left out anything from the creative team and the upcoming plans for the taping. Looking at the mischievous glint in the King of King's eyes, Adaline realized why.

The first person to greet her was Kyle, whose lips immediately stretched out into a wide grin. "Addie!" He stepped forward and scooped her up from her seat into a bear hug.

For a moment, all of the irritation in Adaline's body washed away and she even let the giggle bubbling at the base of her throat escape. It'd been so long since she'd seen Kyle's goofy smile and his ginger hair. An old friend that she hadn't seen in a long time, even if they both technically worked under the same company. He was like unexpected sunshine after a week of clouds and her heart was wide open for it.

A second body joined Kyle's embrace and she didn't have to look up to know that it was Christopher.

Christopher had been in Adaline's life from very beginning. He was the one that yelled at her the loudest when she was a rookie at the ROH Dojo. When Colby couldn't join her on the west coast, Chris was her road buddy to every PWG show. He hosted her goodbye party when she signed with FCW in 2011 and kept in touch with her up until he finally joined WWE years later.

"No. Way." Christopher started, eyes wide.

She pulled away from the hug and proceeded to walk over to the other two members of Undisputed. Adaline politely greeted Bobby, pulling him into a quick hug. The two weren't as well acquainted, as their paths only briefly crossed in between Adaline leaving WWE and Bobby entering it. He was always nice to her, though, and she only ever heard good things about him through their many mutual friends. The world of wrestling was small and the same social circle ran throughout, no matter the promotion or country.

Then, there was Austin.

She always thought that his smile lit up an entire room, the way his eyes turned up to project nothing but pure angelic energy. He was dressed casually, in basketball shorts and a zip up—as the rest of the group was, it seemed like they had just arrived to the Full Sail arena—but, he made it look too good. Long hair pulled into a bun, so that his clear blue eyes were on full display. Austin was another man that Adaline shared many mutual friends with and their careers had surely intertwined countless of times on different wrestling promotion cards.

That was all Austin was supposed to be, until Japan happened. Very few words were exchanged between the two ever since, even after Austin's explosive Brooklyn debut in 2017 and Adaline's return six months later at the Rumble. They didn't talk unless they needed to, like when they awkwardly exchanged pleasantries at the last company Christmas party.

She nearly forgot about Hunter, who was pleased with what he was seeing. He leaned back into his leather chair, hands clasped together.

He said, "I'm guessing that we're all acquainted with Adaline?"

"Who isn't?" Kyle answered, with a small smirk playing on his face and a side eye towards Austin. The statement held more weight than what was at the surface and Adaline caught on to it, sending him a glare. Someone knew about their history.

Austin cleared his throat. "Hey," he finally greeted her, though his eyes shifted elsewhere, as if he wanted to be anywhere in the world except for that office.

She felt the exact same, but she managed to force a soft small. Keep it professional, realize where they were and why they were there. Her focus shifted to that and her anger towards NXT settled, even just for the slightest amount.

Interrupting them, Hunter grinned. "Good. Because she will be your fifth member of the Undisputed Era."

Adaline had obviously seen that one coming, but hearing it out loud, letting the actual words hit her, felt like she was being drowned. The boys, however, didn't seem to have a clue as to why they were being called in to the big boss man's office. Excitement flashed upon their faces, with the exception of Austin's shocked expression. Eyebrows raised, he contrasted greatly with Kyle's whooping and fist pumping in the air.

"No way," Bobby said, laughing in disbelief.

"Starting this week, Aspen Glory is a member of the NXT roster," Hunter began to explain. "We have very big plans for you five, a definite future in the title picture. We want the WWE Universe to take UE seriously and that starts with gold hanging off of all of your shoulders. What's a bigger statement than all of you dominating each of the title scenes?"

For the first time since the ink dried on her brand new contract, Adaline wanted to feel excited. However, she could feel Austin's looming presence behind her and it equipped her with an uneasy anchor in her stomach, along with the restlessness already settled down there. "You're putting titles on all of us?" Adaline managed to distract herself, sputtering out what she thought she had heard from Hunter.

"That's the plan—" The way all of the four men before Adaline crumbled into complete happiness made her heart wrench. "—for now. Nothing is certain here, but everyone has high hopes."

"Nothing is certain, huh?" Adaline mumbled under her breath, but no one heard her.

Hunter looked at her. "Hey, Marin?" he said. "We didn't fight for you for no reason. You weren't on the main event at Mania for no reason. That also means that you're not here for no reason."

Eventually, the five were excused from Hunter's office, leaving them to face each other outside in the hallway. Kyle was basically bouncing off the walls, Chris grinning from ear to ear, a fired up energy radiating off of Bobby, and Austin. . .well, he didn't look as upset as Adaline would have expected from him. She on the other hand, didn't know how to feel. She was with some of her closest friends in the world and she was just essentially promised a title run. But, being apart of a stable again? Being with Austin?

"Lunch on me, tomorrow. There's no other way to welcome Addie to Undisputed," Christopher announced.

Austin cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, we have to go film some stuff for the Network now." He checked the time on his phone.

If this was how the next months, year, whatever it was going to be, were going to go with Austin, Adaline was sure she was going to end up smashing a steel chair against her head.

"Right. I have another meeting to get to, so. . ." she bit her lip, looking at her shoes.

Bobby grinned. "You're getting added to the official Undisputed group chat."

"She's gonna get sick of your dad memes, man," Kyle remarked, causing the entire group to chuckle.

They began walking together, out into another corridor. The atmosphere wasn't awkward and the tension was slightly alleviated.

"You settled down in the city, yet? I can't believe you didn't say anything," Christopher said, arms crossed.

"Not really, I was planning to do the rest of my packing today," she replied. "I was told to stay quiet about it. And, honestly, it hasn't really sunk in yet." This was said, as she passed by an enormous NXT banner hanging from the top of a doorframe and her eyes remained fixated on it.

Bobby said, "Then, tomorrow's a good day to catch up, since today's so busy. We'll probably get the scripts for the taping by then, too, so we can work stuff out and bounce around some ideas."

They all stopped at the end of the hallway, with Adaline and the men about to go their separate ways.

Adaline opened her mouth, unsure of what to say for a moment, before she pressed her lips together in a smile. "I know a lot of stuff has been going around about me and what I want." There was no way she was going to let the boys think that she didn't want to be with them, but it was inevitable with how high-profiled her negotiations had been and the heat she'd gotten backstage for complaining about being taken off TV. "But, in all honesty, I'm excited for this. I didn't expect it, but I know that it's only going to go uphill from here." She let it slowly spill out, unsure of how to word her thoughts. Her qualms with NXT were still present, but she didn't want it to bring down her new group.

"Hey, I'd be pissed if I were you, too, Ms. Main Event," Austin piped up and she was taken aback by it, not expecting him to talk any more than he had to. "But, you'll like this place. Trust me."

"We'll make sure of it," Christopher nudged her.

The five exchanged their goodbyes for the day, promising to stay in contact and that lunch details would be forwarded to Adaline. She felt a little bad, wondering if her addition to the group threw off any creative plans they had in mind, but they seemed open enough to having her join. She watched them begin to walk away and she, too, turned around.

The day had only begun and it already felt like a whirlwind. There were still dozens of boxes waiting for her to be unpacked in her new Orlando home and she groaned at the thought. Adaline just had to get through one more meeting and she could escape Full Sail, where there were already roster members beginning to arrive to film content for tomorrow's tapings. She wanted to flop onto her bed, the only thing she had set up, because tomorrow was a full day with a trip to the back to the PC and getting settled with the guys. She wished she had someone to help her, but even Trinity in Pensacola was hours away.

That's when it begun to sink in. Adaline was completely alone. Sure, she had friends living in the area, but they were constantly scattered all over the country for RAW and Smackdown loops. The only familiar faces were Matt and Curtis, along with some other friends that she had yet to see, but they weren't family in the sense that some of her other friends were. That's who they became when Adaline exhausted herself, immersed in road life for the past decade.

"Uh, Adaline?"

She spun around, surprised once again by Austin, as he jogged towards her. The rest of the group was gone and he returned on his own. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Listen, I know we didn't really leave on the best foot in Japan and it's messed things up ever since I got here." Austin scratched the back of his neck. "But, since you're kind of stuck with me for who knows how long, it's probably best that we bury everything. For everything that happened, I'm sorry. Are we good?"

Adaline's eyes were wide. "Really?" She couldn't believe that stubborn Austin, the guy who never really was mature enough to own his mistakes out loud, went out of his way to clear the air. He would be the type of guy to beat around the bush or make up for things through his actions, but to apologize out loud?

"Really." He smiled, eyes turning up in the way that Adaline once fell for. That thought got stuck in her throat and she almost wanted to cry, but she blinked the emotions away hard enough. "You got us, Marin. It's been tough for you the past while, but the boys and I got your back."

Then, she began to realize that, maybe, she wasn't all alone. She didn't have to be unless she let herself. Adaline froze for a moment, before sticking out her hand. Austin, with a pleased expression on his face, took it and shook it gently, warmth radiating off of him.

"We're good."

[kpurereactions]

Love Shot

CHAPTER 4

Pairing: Exo x Reader

Rating: Drama, Angst, Smut, Fluff

WARNINGS: Language, Eventual Violence, Lots of Smut Later on

Chapters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

The light shining through the dark curtains made my nose scrunch as I became very self aware as to how thirsty I had become. Without a second thought, I reached my arm out, trying to find my bedside table only to be trapped by arms around my waist. Just then everything came back. The ball, the drinking, Jongin… My body seemed to react to the thought of Jongin breathing heavily against me as I turned my head to see if it was really him lying attached to my body. It was. 

My cheeks flushed at the sight of him lying there bare chested. I'm bare chested. The motion of me pulling the covers up over my chest and moving my head to look back around the room to see my dress entangled with his pants must have woken him up. His arms tightened around me making me realize both of our entire bodies were naked. And now once again pressed together. 

The motion of him pulling me closer into his chest made me realize how sore I had become. The muscles on the insides of my thighs ached, probably from the orgasms. My face got hot, I couldn't believe I orgasmed like that. It's never happened before so for it to happen twice in one night… I had to stop thinking about it. 

I tried not to relax as Jongin snuggled up behind me, his nose buried in my hair and his arms wrapped tightly around me. It was too much. I worked for these people. Last night was supposed to be business and instead… Instead I ended up fucking the one person who scared me the most. But it was so good. 

I cleared my throat, I needed to get out of there and thankfully Jongin had taken the hint. He loosened his grip on me before propping himself on one elbow allowing me to sit straight up. I could feel him smirking at me, and when he pressed his lips against my back I couldn't move off the bed fast enough, taking the blanket with me. 

The sight of his naked body made me blush and look away. I didn't think that through. He laid there waiting for me to say something, a child-like grin plastered across his face as he found entertainment in me trying to avoid all eye contact with his… you know. 

“I really,” I stopped to clear my throat again. “I really should get going.” I said, hugging the blanket tighter to my chest. 

I watched him with wide eyes as he nodded and stood from the bed, his naked body walking awfully close to mine. I watched him disappear into his closet. I stared at the dress on the floor waiting for him to return. It would look so bad if I put that dress on in the middle of the morning. Jongin returned, calling my name softly before tossing me a large shirt to dress in. I gave him a small smile. He seemed to be thinking the same thing. Although coming home at 10am in a mans shirt might as well say the same thing. 

I didn't fight it though. In fact I slipped into his shirt faster than I should have. The sound of him chuckling as he slipped his own joggers on made me blush. I couldn't believe how weird this was. 

“Want me to call you a cab?” He asked, walking back over to me, only stopping to lift my dress from the floor. I nodded. “I'll have this dry cleaned and sent back to you so you don't have to carry it.” He added. 

I took a deep breath. That was nice. He was a lot more considerate than I thought he would be. I mean, he made sure I came first. Stop. I can't think about that anymore, and I sure as hell can't do it again. I began to walk out of his bedroom door, my smaller items clenched tightly in my hand. I was surprised when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back, and even more surprised when his lips pressed to mine. 

I melted. His kiss was so electric and exciting I couldn't help the way my body relaxed as he held me tightly. But i couldn't. I can't do this to myself. 

“Thanks.” I whispered, awkwardly clearing my throat and looking at the floor after stopping him. “Um, that cab?”

He nodded again, that same goofy smile plastered on his face as he walked around me to lead the way down the stairs. As we walked I quickly stepped into my underwear. I tried to follow him as quietly as possible, but there was going to be no way to get around the voices that laughed in the living room. I stopped, half thinking about just going back upstairs and hiding until I die, but I needed to leave. 

I tried to get out of there without being noticed. The last thing I wanted to do was be seen by Junmyeon and Baekhyun. I could see the front door. It was a straight shot from the bottom of the stairs and if I ran I could probably make it out without anyone seeing me. Jongin had another idea though. 

Three stairs left and he let out a loud ‘Hey Guys!’ Before turning and hooking his hands behind my knees, causing me to fall over his shoulder. I gasped loudly, not expecting the sudden noise and contact. 

“Look what I caught.” Jongin said in a sing-song voice as he walked further from the front door and into the living room where everyone sat. 

He put me down as soon as he had everyone's attention, but the blood that had rushed to my face due to the embarrassment of knowing that they had been looking at my bare ass was too much for me to handle. Before they could even say anything I bowed my head slightly before turning on my heel and walked quickly out the door. 

I was pissed. So angry. I couldn't believe that he would put me on the spot like that, it didn't matter if he felt he was being funny. I stewed the entire ride home and when the large black car finally rolled to a stop I jumped out before the driver could open my door. 

I couldn't stop thinking about the occurrences of the night before. I couldn't help but be mad at Jongin and embarrassed at the fact that I let myself get too far. But even though my thoughts were full of embarrassment and self hatred I couldn't get myself to agree that I regretted sleeping with Jongin. I stood there against my railing that night, my throw blanket once again wrapped around my shoulders and a warm cup of tea in my hands thinking about Jongin’s lips and the way he looked as he held my legs open. 

I woke up the next morning feeling better than I did the previous day. I decided before I had fallen asleep that I needed to take responsibility and push out these paintings as fast as I could while still doing them well. Just in case they decided to fire me. I wouldn't blame them if they did though. I would fire me too. I was surprised at how easily my inspiration came to me. The cool tones and soft floral patterns I created engulfed me. So much so I didn't even stop to eat.

The sun had already started to go down when my stomach gave its first loud grumble. I could feel how hungry I was but I really wanted to ignore it. There was just too much to do. But the time the third and fourth gumble happened though I couldn't put it off much longer. 

I wiped my paint covered hands down my front and sighed, walking over to where my phone was charging. Deciding what it was I wanted I punched in my pass code, ignoring all the emails and text messages from Mino that had been sent to me during the day when the sound of my door opening rang. 

“I'm sorry but I'm closed!” I called, locking my phone before turning. The sound of someone chuckling making my eyebrows furrow. 

I turned to see three of them. Junmyeon, Baekhyun, and Jongin, who was holding a brown sack that filled the room with the smell of something spicy. 

“I passed by earlier and on my way back I noticed you hadn't moved so I figured you were getting hungry.” Jongin said, his voice nicer than it had been the past few times we had spoken.

My cheeks flushed at the nice gesture. I never expected he would do something so nice. I tried to say no though. Seeing the three of them made my stomach turn in embarrassment but they weren't having any of my protests. Baekhyun and Jongin made themselves comfortable on the floor as Junmyeon helped himself to four water bottles that were in the mini fridge still. I had no choice but to sit with them.

To say it was awkward was an understatement. As I sat there watching Junmyeon now pass out plastic containers full of food he and the other boys kept making eye contact, obviously trying to hide the smirks that were plastered all over their faces. I thanked him quietly as he passed me mine and settled back to eat it in silence.

“So, Y/n, did you have fun last night?” Baekhyun asked, mischief filling his eyes. I nodded slowly. 

“You know If you continued to dance with me I think you would have had a lot more fun.” Junmyeon said in between bites. My eyes went wide. I didn't know what to say. 

“Oh yeah, you two looked like you were having fun dancing. Not as much fun as when you were dancing with Chanyeol though.” Baekhyun added. 

“Chanyeol is funny.” I said softly, pushing the pieces of beef around my plate.

“Did you not have fun dancing with me?” Jongin added, causing wide smiles to hit Baekhyun and Junmyeon’s face. 

“I had fun.” I said again, trying to be as vague as I possibly could.

“Well I know for a fact I’m more fun in bed so you should have danced with me.” Baekhyun said. 

The feeling of water coming out of my nose as I choked made my head spin, but the boys didn't seem to notice. 

“I don't know, she really seemed to be enjoying herself last night, isn't that right?” Jongin teased, bumping my arm with his elbow. I looked at him with wide eyes. 

“We know. We heard.” Junmyeon said in a teasing voice.

“What I would give to hear those moans in person.” Baekhyun teased, his eyes playful. 

I had no idea how to react to them. I couldn't tell if they were serious or just messing around because I hooked up with one of their friends. All of my fears from the day before came flooding back. I was frozen. I didn't bother to say anything else for the rest of the time they were there. I deserved their teasing and I would endure it if it meant they didn't fire me.

To say I was relieved when they all stood to throw their trash away was an understatement. I couldn't wait for them to leave and end the torture. As soon as both Junmyeon and Baekhyun’s backs were turned towards us Jongin leaned in, his lips once again so close to my skin.

“I can sneak away if you want to have another sleepover?” He said softly. I couldn't read him. It seemed like he was serious. Like wasn't just saying that to poke fun at me again. I advertend my eyes and shook my head. There's no way I could do this again.

I bit my lip and looked back to him. I was confused. He was beautiful and it did feel nice to lay with him yesterday morning despite my mild panic. I shook my head again. No. There was no way I would ever let this happen again. The fact he embarrassed me as much as he had alone was a good enough reason to say no. 

And with that they left. They all waved sweetly before exiting the building, Jongin's eyes lingering with mine longer than I would have liked. 

I was done for the night. I couldn't focus at all after they had left, so I took my time cleaning my space and slowly made my way up to my shower. It felt good to be under the hot water, it helped clear my mind and relax my muscles that were still sore from the night before. I decided to pamper myself, lathering my skin with lotion and putting products that smelled like jasmine in my hair. But while I was doing all of these things to make my skin extra soft I couldn't help but catch my reflection in the mirror. Why were they all so flirty with me? My mind then moved to Jongin. I think I wanted him to stay? I let my hand trace down my arm the way he had and chills erupted through my body. Just the thought of him touching me was too much to think about. 

I dressed, letting my wet hair hit my back, not bothering to dry it as I planned to allow myself to sleep in the next day. Another cup of warm tea left me leaning over the railing of my room again to overlook the studio. I was lost in thought, I really was lucky to have such an amazing space and such an amazing job. 

A dark figure knocking softly at the front door pulled me out of my thoughts. Mino? I hadn't talked to him since two days before so he would be the only person I could see coming over so close to midnight. I slipped a thin robe on, pulling it tight around my waist as I walked down the stairs and over to the door. But it wasn't Mino. 

“I needed to come back over.” 

He stepped forward and paced one hand on my cheek while the other wrapped around my waist, and kissed me softer than before. There was a different type of desperation in his actions than there was the night before. I allowed him to hold me tightly, my hands holding tightly to one another against my chest. His lips were cold from being outside and the tips of his fingers that touched my cheek sent shivers down my spine. There was nothing threatening, teasing, or embarrassing about his kiss. There was something deeper, and I could feel it. 

He pulled away first, his thumbs gently stroking around . His eyes seemed sorry and I could tell he was hesitating to say something. 

“I'm sorry I made a big deal about sleeping with you the other day.” He started, his fingers leaving my cheek to fix a stray piece of hair. “We all had our eyes on you from the moment we saw you. I was being immature and wanted to show off that I got you first.” He said. 

I could tell he meant his apology, even if the way he said it wasn't the best. I wanted to respond but I couldn't tell him it was okay. Because even though I knew what he did was mean and wrong, I still put myself in that situation. Instead I let him lean in again, his kiss still holding the same amount of need to kiss me, just this time mixed with a little bit of sorry.

[uniformbravo]

having a full on existential crisis over an episode of anime i watched tonight

it all started with big time rush

in 2009 a sitcom called big time rush aired for the first time on nickelodeon; it was about a group of four teenaged boys from minnesota who move to hollywood under a famous producer to become his next big boy band sensation. a simple premise, launched into unprecedented success, resulting in four seasons of musical shenanigans, three full music albums, and three big concert tours, including international shows. the band, both fictional and real life, featured four attractive young men by the names of kendall, james, carlos, and logan. they quickly gained a fan base of mostly teenage girls, which resulted in online spaces created for the purpose of sharing their passion, and as is common in such online communities, this certainly involved fanfiction- lots of it.

enter me, a teen in high school who loved to write fanfiction. my big time journey began the day my younger sister decided to put on the show big time rush in the living room, where i sat at the family computer typing away. the noise caught my attention, and i got sucked into the episode. there was a boy wearing a dress on the screen. i became interested.

i watched more of the show. i typed its name into the search bar on the website fanfiction dot net. i had a friend at school who shared my interest in fanfiction, particularly of the slash variety. i introduced her to this new show i had been watching. she shared a fanfic she had enjoyed immensely with me. we dragged each other into the world of big time rush fanfiction reading and writing.

it took over my life; i lived and breathed big time rush. i began posting my own stories to fanfiction dot net. i received positive feedback; i met people. i made friends- two people in particular who became very close friends. we communicated through ffn’s private messaging system, then through email. we talked every day, we wrote stories for and with each other, we exchanged phone numbers. it was one of these friends who introduced me to the website called tumblr, where fellow fans of our beloved big time rush gathered and talked about it- a community.

it was a slow start- this website was new and unfamiliar to me- but eventually i got the hang of things and settled into my niche. i had fun, gained followers, met even more people. tumblr was a place not only for sharing one singular interest, but for accumulating all of your various interests and celebrating them in one place. it was through this aspect that i first learned of the up and coming band known as one direction.

they had released their first smash hit single and everyone was talking about it. i was wary, far too loyal to my beloved big time rush- but eventually i started to feel left out and in an effort to feel included, i decided to take the plunge and see what this “1d” was all about. it was intimidating, though- there was so much information, and no apparent beginner’s guide to tell me where to start. this drove me to making a post calling for a “one direction buddy” to take this role, to introduce me to all the most important aspects of this band. and my call was answered.

enter my wonderful friend cam, a follower of mine at the time. they were into both big time rush and one direction and were eager to provide me with all the information needed to get into 1d. while ultimately this venture didn’t amount to anything, as i lost interest in becoming a fan, my friendship with cam persisted and we grew very close. even as time went on and big time rush faded into the background to be replaced with newer, fresher interests, and our paths as fellow fandom members split, we kept in contact and remained friends. years and years of fandoms, years and years of friendship.

in the midst of the tenth year, cam developed a new interest, in a sport called ice hockey. as is tradition, they shared their passion with me, showing me their favorite team, highlighting their favorite members. we watched a game together. personally, i’ve never been one for sports, but i am quite into anime, which consists of many genres, including the “sports” genre. one in particular that i’ve enjoyed immensely in the past is the volleyball anime, haikyuu!!. this anime devotes a lot of time to explaining and depicting the sport in a way that makes it easy for any viewer to understand the rules and inner workings of volleyball. it’s exciting. it’s the first time i’ve ever even adjacently been invested in a sport. one could even call it a gateway into the world of sports.

all this to say, when i watched that game of ice hockey with cam, the same parts of my brain that loved haikyuu!! lit up and in a classic display of my specific brand of interest, i found myself yearning for the epic highs and lows of ice hockey, but in an animated format. an animated format originating in japan. a japanese animation. an anime. my curiosity burned a hole in my brain that resulted in a combination of the google search bar and the words, “hockey anime”.

to my disappointment, i found nothing- at least, not to the degree i was hoping. there is an upcoming anime, slated to air in the fall 2021 anime season, about a group of girls who form an ice hockey team together- as it is an original project rather than an adaptation, it remains to be seen whether the anime will fall into the category of “sports anime,” or if indeed it will lean much more closely to the “moe” genre. the latter is not what i had in mind during that particular search.

adding the anime called “pride of orange” to my “plan to watch” list on myanimelist dot com, i moved onto the next result: an article about an early 2010’s anime i had never heard of before. while not about the sport i was looking for, it featured a character whose signature weapon was a field hockey stick. it wasn’t even the right sport. it was a weak, insignificant link, but all was not lost.

i happen to have an affinity for watching anime i happen upon completely by random and know little to nothing about; i found the movie “anthem of the heart” purely coincidentally, when i searched the name “jun” as part of some research for one of my original characters and discovered that it was the main character of said movie, which i then watched and ended up enjoying quite a lot. another time, when i was at best buy one day i happened upon a dvd on their dedicated anime shelf for a movie called “hana and alice”, which i had never heard of before. i liked the box art, so i took a picture of it to remember the title and watched it on my own later that week; it became one of my favorite movies.

with these and other similar experiences in mind, i saved the anime in my “plan to watch” list, and, later that same week, began my watch of “sket dance.”

it’s a school comedy anime, one of my favorite genres, so it’s no surprise that after overcoming the initial skepticism i carry into every new show i watch it quickly became my new fixation. not an obsession, but something i was pleasantly surprised to find consistently enjoyable. the characters are fun, the humor is tight and fresh, and the stories are unexpectedly touching at the right moments. everything i like to see.

which brings us to tonight. the culmination of this ten plus year string of events and occurrences. getting into big time rush. joining tumblr. meeting cam. watching anime. searching for hockey anime.

i put down my apple(TM) pencil. i set my ipad aside. i downsized the ebook window i’d been referencing. i stretched; i was hungry and tired. i’d been rereading passages of various animorphs books all day. i needed a break. i needed to sit back with some food and an episode of my latest comfort watch, sket dance. it’d be nice to set the dramatic, tragic world of animorphs aside for something lighthearted and fun in its place.

well.

i sat down with my bowl of strawberries and played the episode. it finished. i watched another. this one broke the formula a bit, played with the art style. i was into it. the preview for the next episode was mysteriously blank, and short, stating only the title. it was intriguing. i’m down for the show to get a bit more serious for an episode, i thought. i’m down for some potential backstory for one of the main three. i’m ready.

i was not ready.

bruh.

b r u h .

next two episodes proceeded to take me out back and beat me to within an inch of my life, slowly at first and then all at once. barely made it out alive. questioning everything. how can a show, so silly and goofy, do that, to me. how could i let my guard down like that. how could i be so tricked, and deceived, and blindsided like this. i don’t know who to trust. i don’t know if i can trust again. whiplash so damaging, permanent. i thought i wanted answers. i thought i wanted to know backstory. i didn’t want this. i never wanted this. emptiness

how did it come to this, these twelve years of my life. had i known back then, would i have posted that fanfiction? would i have joined tumblr? would i have sook out a “one direction buddy”? a hollow husk of a person, i am left with only my thoughts to ponder this small history of mine. the things i could have done differently. the things others could have done differently. all these butterfly effect moments, adding up to what? culminating in what? it’s 2:26 am and i’m writing an essay on how shook i am over that episode instead of going to sleep. but i can’t just say nothing, you know? i need to put something out there, reach deep enough within myself to find the thing that’s still there, broken and huddled and tiny as it is. i need to feel some semblance of the self again. the me from before i watched this episode. the innocent version of myself, blissful in ignorance. it’s too late now.

that episode…………..was fucked up. that was seriously fucked up. im not okay bro they really just came in left field and slapped that in my face expecting me to get up and walk away just fine afterwards like No that isn’t how this Works y’all need to bundle some therapy sessions with ur episodes pullin that shit come ON

exhaustion is taking over the shock, i am simply tired now. i will fall asleep and when i wake up sket dance will be a happy fun show again with NO fucked up backstories ever Or Else. i’m fucking serious right now i’m gonna count to 3 and that shit better be retconned when i turn around,

screams

thank you

[enigmatist17]

Longing (Rhys Strongfork x Vaughn)

I really really love Rhys and Vaughn.

I was really really happy to see them in Borderlands 3.

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

Vaughn had been having a nice day. The Calypso Twins had been killed a few weeks ago, and the universe seemed to finally be lulling back to its old self. Pandora was only full of Crimson Raiders and the slowly dwindling COV, the lack of bandits almost startling to the planet. He couldn’t remember the last time random packs of bandits were just running around, shouting about blood and skulls. No, Pandora seemed to finally have tipped the change from bloodthirsty bandits, to a potential planet ready to build an actual society. 

The change almost was saddening to see.

Yet again, a life Vaughn had tried to make for himself was slipping from his fingers. He was a lonely bandit in the wastes again, and this time he wasn’t sure if he could change again. Hyperion and that oppressive corporate atmosphere had nearly smothered him, Vaughn wasn’t going to go through that again. No, he was confident in himself and able to tear a person apart for trying to ever imply as such. Paperwork, meetings, and selecting who to tear down just for a step up just made the bandit chief feel ill. He had gone for a walk and now regretted it as an Atlas ship landed nearby. Vaughn could have sworn that Atlas had been some third-rate corporation, not able to afford the armor and spectacular guns those unloading from the transport seemed to have. Then again, his news was seven years out of date, so anything could have happened during his tenure on Pandora he supposed. 

The man stepping out, dressed in a suit and sporting a blood-red cybernetic arm, brought any train of thought Vaughn had at the moment to a rather spectacular crash.

There was no way that was Rhys Strongfork, there is no fucking way. Still crouched behind some rocks, Vaughn watches as Rhys puts his hands on his hips, saying something to a soldier with a grin. The last seven years had been very kind to Rhys, Vaughn feeling suddenly very aware he was only in his underwear and cape. It usually didn’t bother him, but seeing the tailored suit and blood-free face of his former friend just made Vaughn feel subpar. Once again his thoughts were scattered when some skags, previously going about their business, seemed to find the Atlas troops worthy of dinner. At first, he just watched as they easily dispatched the animals with ease, but quickly moved when one snuck up and made an advance at Rhys. The businessman only had a gun partially withdrawn before the skag seemed to just explode, raining misty blood down over him. Glancing over, Rhys forgot about the bodily fluids all over his suit as he took in the man who was reloading his gun. Despite the blood, grime, and bushy beard that could use decent grooming, the man standing feet away was all too familiar to Rhys.

“Vaughn?!” The bandit looks up, locking eyes with Rhys before a huge grin stretches across his face. The CEO is taken up into strong arms a moment later, pressed against a toned body that he only dreamed of late at night. 

“Rhys! You’re alive bro!” Vaughn laughed, squeezing his friend tight before releasing him. Rhys looks as he always has, a bit bewildered and adorably confused, steadying himself by using Vaughn as support. 

“I-I can’t believe it!” Rhys looks absolutely delighted, taking in his oldest and dearest friend. Seven years had seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and for Vaughn, it had changed him so much. He had seemingly thrived as a bandit chief, no hint of nervousness nor social awkwardness that Vaughn had had their entire friendship. The bandit just grinned away, shifting into a fighting stance when the Atlas soldiers raised their guns.

“No no! No, he’s a friend.” It was strange seeing someone stepping in front of Vaughn, Rhys clearly not thinking much of the protective stance as much as Vaughn did. The guns were lowered without hesitation, and Rhys turned with a cheeky expression. “Say, know any good coffee shops?” Vaughn can’t help but laugh, Rhys letting out a distressed cry to learn that coffee was rare to come by on Pandora. Thankfully, Sanctuary III was able to supply some through Rhys' stay, and Vaughn finds himself hooked back on the liquid by day 2. The two are usually in a booth laughing about something, looking so strange a pair, yet these days hardly anyone batted an eye. Atlas had promised to help rebuild sections of Pandora that had been destroyed by the CoV, and the task that had once been almost monumental to Rhys suddenly felt so easy. Vaughn was able to get people to work at ease, Rhys sometimes watching with a slightly envious look. Despite leading Atlas, he still suffered from his own lack of self-worth and envied how confident Vaughn was. Soon the few months Rhys had come to stay were coming to an end, and both men felt some tension in the air.

Rhys, bless his heart, is the one to ask Vaughn to come with him.

The bandit gives him a disbelieving look, wondering if it was some sort of strange joke. The company life had been left far behind, but it was back and asking him to come into the fold. Rhys waves away concerns when Vaughn asks about investors, pacing back and forth. They were both currently in the remains of his old Sun Smashers camp, Rhys having asked to see it before finally spitting out his question. He sat on the dirty bed, watching as Vaughn switched between disbelief and uncertainty. Seeing Vaughn so unsettled reminded him of their days in college and Hyperion, and for once Rhys decides that maybe he should finally do something. Standing up unnoticed, Rhys waits until he can slip in front of Vaughn, words dying on the bandit's lips when a cool metal hand caresses his face.

“I want you to come with me, I don’t want to leave you again.” He usually isn’t good at this sort of thing, but at this moment he couldn’t have been any more sure of anything in his life. Vaughn doesn’t say anything, just looking into Rhys’ eyes as if searching for deception. He seems to find what he was looking for, and before Rhys can blink, cracked and dry lips are on his own. His brain just seems to short circuit, and as fast as his bravado had swelled, Rhys just felt so lost as Vaughn kissed him soundly. He’s got the sappiest grin on his face when Vaughn takes pity, looking very amused.

“Sure you don’t mind a bandit coming back with you?” He isn’t sure what potential investors would think, but Rhys is nodding before his thought is even out of the gate.

“Of course! You’re my closest and dearest bro, and I know that you can pull your weight if need be.” Rhys flashes a dazzling smile, and Vaughn finds himself accepting the offer. He leaves Pandora with a bandit’s goodbye, pouring some blood from a skull before joining an intrigued Rhys on his private ship. It felt like a lifetime ago since he had been off-planet sans Sanctuary III, and he’s quiet as the planet fades from view. He would feel sad, but hearing an excited Rhys pouring over some sort of blueprint behind him only makes the bandit smile. He spends most of the journey to Promethea sleeping, feeling the nervous energy he used to ooze back in his Hyperion days coiling in his gut. Would he be good enough? He hadn’t done any sort of “work” in over seven years, would he even remember how to?

The building they land on is huge, the dazzling city almost too much for Vaughn. The neon glow and varying robots carrying out repairs stretch into the distance, and he is shaken from his observation by an arm slipping around his waist. Rhys is smiling down at him, that sweet and goofy smile that just makes any of Vaughn’s worries fade away. The gigantic building they enter doesn’t feel cold and stifling, instead, it’s inviting, workers waving to Rhys all with smiles. Of course, there are strange looks at the man wearing nothing but boots, underwear, and a tattered cape, but they never linger for long. Rhys’ office makes Vaughn laugh, seeing the aquarium reaching up to the ceiling like they had discussed over last night studying long ago.

“What?” Rhys tilts his head slightly, and Vaughn just gives him a grin.

“You remembered the aquarium, of course, you did.” Rhys just grins, and Vaughn flops down onto the couch. It was so strange to be inside an intact building that was well maintained, unable to smell anything less than what appeared to be coffee and whatever Rhys liked in the air. Was it vanilla? Vaughn couldn’t remember what vanilla even smelled like, watching from the corner of his eye as Rhys caught up with some emails. The way the CEO sticks his tongue out slightly while scanning through dozens upon dozens of threads just reminds Vaughn of their happier days at Hyperion. There weren’t many of them, but the late nights crafting their plan back then, usually spent in their cramped office laughing over takeout never failed to make Vaughn smile. Zer0 comes in to find the bandit passed out on the couch an hour later, Rhys having moved to be by the other. The man is sitting on the floor, legs crossed as he leans back against the couch. His cybernetic arm is displaying some sort of hologram, and his normal hand is enclosed in Vaughn’s closest hand. Rhys has a content smile on his face, the assassin noting this was the first time he had ever seen Rhys so at ease. Zer0 takes the hint and slips out of the room as silently as he had arrived, and locks the door behind him just in case.

[apharine]

👀 Hey saw that Rose headcanons/drabbles are open...(could be headcanons or drabble that's up for you) Rose being a dad loving on his kid when they're a baby :3

Thank you so much for the request Fizzy!!  I had so many thoughts about this and it just melted my heart, so I ended up turning it into a drabble haha.  I hope you enjoy <3

---

Rose is a powerful man.  As the top businessman and philanthropist in all of Galar - not to mention, one of its best Trainers - Rose is well-renowned for having a sharp, appraising mind, capable of enormous insight and rapid-fire decision-making.  He’s talented in front of a camera and a crowd, silver-tongued with speeches, and capable of putting on a trustworthy, inspiring, affable public persona in virtually all circumstances.

And yet, for all his capability and genius, he still turns into an absolute pile of mush and goofy, whole-hearted love every time he comes home from work and sees his daughter.

“Oh, yes, tummy time with Daddy,” he’s saying, smoothing out a blanket on the floor and laying your daughter on her belly on it.  She’s just become strong enough to prop herself up and look around in the past couple weeks, and Rose is enamored with this new ability.  You sit on the couch, watching the two loves of your life and eating a glorious meal without any needs or demands of your little one impinging on you.  Parenthood has been tiring, but Rose has always made sure to give you time to yourself; ever since your daughter’s birth, he’s swept her into his arms as soon as he gets home from work, as if spending any longer amount of time away from her would be overwhelming.  “Look - here comes Mr. Skwovet,” Rose hums, laying down on the floor beside your daughter and wiggling a little plushie past her.  For some reason, she consistently finds this toy absolutely hilarious.  Today is no excuse, and she dissolves into giggles, struggling to reach for it.  She hasn’t quite mastered the skill of balancing propped on one arm instead of two, though, so Rose has to humor her and bring Mr. Skwovet closer to her.  “Hello, how are you today?”  He says, putting on a high-pitched, goofy voice and wiggling Mr. Skwovet’s head.  Your daughter laughs all the harder, hiccuping with the force of it, and Rose lets out a deep belly laugh just watching her.

You don’t know if you’ll ever get tired of seeing him with her.  Seeing how much he loves her is so amazing.  He’d been so worried he would be an absent father, with his work demands eclipsing any ability he would have to establish a relationship with his firstborn - but from what you can see so far, there’s very little concern of that happening.

“Oh, look!”  Rose continues.  “It’s our good friend, the Pokeball!  Here it comes to catch Mr. Skwovet!”  Rose raises a little fabric Pokeball, stuffed full with a crackly material that seems to always catch your daughter’s attention.  He squeezes it and makes the material crinkle as the Pokeball slowly descends above Mr. Skwovet.  Then, he hides Mr. Skwovet behind his back and leaves only the Pokeball.  The laughter bubbling forth from your daughter stops for a moment - this maneuver never fails to elicit a moment of surprise and anticipation - and then resumes immediately as Mr. Skwovet reappears, as if popping out of his Pokeball.  “Ta-da!”  Rose says, and when your daughter collapses in giggles, her arms literally giving out under her, Rose mimics her, letting his head rest on the floor.  She turns to look at him, and his green eyes regard her so kindly, so lovingly, as she keeps on giggling away.  The giggles are infectious, and soon Rose is laughing along with her.  This, in turn, triggers her to only laugh harder.  Even with a mouthful of delicious food, you can’t help but also laugh a little at the scene unfolding before you.  Their laughter together is irresistable, and there’s something so precious about seeing Rose - your Rose, your brilliant man, possibly the greatest genius of his entire generation - in this absolutely vulnerable state with a tiny human he loves so dearly.

Rose’s phone rings abruptly, and he frowns at it, pulling it out of his pocket.  Your daughter reaches for the phone with interest, but doesn’t get far, her arms much too short.  Rose gives her Mr. Skwovet instead and turns onto his back, scooping her up with one arm and pulling her, still on her belly, onto his chest.  She promptly stuffs part of Mr. Skwovet into her mouth, gumming at the toy.  “Oh, a video chat from Aunt Ollie!”  He chirps to your daughter as he answers the call.  “Hello, Oleana.  Darling, say hi to Oleana,” he calls, turning the chat to you.  You smile and wave.

“Hi, Oleana,” you chime happily.  On the screen, Oleana waves back at you, her expression stoic as ever.

“Sweetheart, let’s say hi to Aunt Ollie,” he coos, turning the phone to face your daughter.  She looks at the screen with big brown eyes, unwilling to let go of her fierce hold on Mr. Skwovet to bother reaching for the device.

“We’re really going with Aunt Ollie?”  Oleana asks.

“Ollie is a couple syllables less than Oleana,” Rose observes.  “But if you object -”

“It’s fine,” Oleana huffs, though you note she doesn’t really sound put out.

“Now, Oleana, I know that you know that I have about 25 minutes of uninterrupted family time left, and you can call me anytime after that,” Rose says gently, but with an underlying tone of sternness to his voice.

“Yes, but -” she begins.

“Twenty five minutes,” Rose reiterates.  A long pause stretches between the two of them.

”I’ll call you then, sir,” she finally agrees, and Rose waves goodbye and hangs up the call, putting the phone away.  You can’t help but feel pride and relief at Rose’s decision - he had handled himself kindly but firmly, making sure his boundaries were respected.  You can only imagine how easy it would be for work to slowly impinge on family life - just one call here, a quick email there - but he’s been certain to keep things consistent for all people, even his second in command.

“I’m proud of you,” you offer, finishing your dinner and setting it aside.  “It’s not easy to keep boundaries that clear-cut.”  Rose turns to you, giving you a grateful smile, his green eyes sparkling.

“It’s easy when I have the two most wonderful people I could ever have imagined in my life,” he answers, and you feel your heart flutter.  You’re not sure how, but Rose somehow has never lost the ability to give you butterflies.  “Care to join us?”  He asks, opening one arm to you.  You smile and cross the floor to your husband and your daughter, laying down by Rose’s side.  He sits up a little and shifts your daughter to make room for your head on his chest.  As he moves, the long strand of hair shifts a little, and your daughter reaches for it, giving it a little tug before returning to Mr. Skwovet.  “Do you think she’ll have my hair?"  Rose asks, curling one arm around you.

”I’d like it if she did,” you admit.  Rose hums, the sound echoing deep in his broad, soft chest.

“Do you think I could bring her to work someday?  Not just to show her off to coworkers, or anything.  I’d…just like to spend more time with her,” he explains.

“Maybe for a couple hours,” you agree.  “She has to nap a few times a day still, though.”

“She loves falling asleep in that baby-wearing thing you bought,” Rose notes, stroking one big hand over her head.  She looks so small compared to him.  “She fell asleep when I was wearing her a couple days ago, remember?  She might fall asleep if I put her in that at Macro Cosmos.”

“True,” you nod.  Rose’s other hand comes up your head, mimicking the hand on his daughter as he strokes your hair lovingly.  “But don’t forget, she’ll also have to eat, and be changed, and she might cry.  You have an awful lot of meetings most days, and that might make things difficult for you,” you note hesitantly.

“Oleana can always run them if something comes up,” Rose says brightly.  You snort in laughter.  You’re not convinced this is his most brilliant idea, but you’re also beginning to suspect you won’t be able to dissuade him, either.  Rose leans in to blow a raspberry on your daughter’s forehead, which breaks her down into laughter once again, her adoring eyes staring up at her daddy.

No, there will be no dissuading him from this idea, you think.  He’s far too much in love with this baby of his.  And, you admit to yourself, you wouldn’t have it any other way.