#ufc picks

[ufcinvestor]

Posted another video on the upcoming fights this Saturday :D

[tscnews]

UFC 293: Sean Strickland defeats Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to become the new UFC middleweight champion! TSC News host Fred Richani reacts to one of the biggest upsets in MMA history! ✅Subscribe for more MMA content: http://www.youtube.com/TheSportsCourier

[sportsandevents99]

Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree Jr., UFC Fight Night

Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree Jr., UFC Fight Night

The fight night will begin on Saturday, December 9 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Arena. The fight will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

[mmabymilikin]

Suspect Picks for UFC 295.

MMA fight picks party people

[trendingtrailblazer70]

UFC 291 Predictions: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje - Fight Card, Odds, Prelims, Preview, and Expert Picks

Welcome fight fans to the electrifying world of mixed martial arts as we gear up for an unforgettable night of action at UFC 291! Headlining the event is a highly anticipated clash between two lightweight titans, Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier and Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje. With the stakes at an all-time high, both fighters are hungry for victory and aiming to secure a future shot at the lightweight championship. In this blog, we will provide you with a comprehensive preview of the main event and a breakdown of the entire fight card, along with expert predictions for each bout.

Main Event - Lightweight Showdown: read more

[tentz]

Nate Diaz chokes out internet celebrity Rodney Peterson after Misfits boxing event

[theusviral]

Suspicious betting on UFC fight that ended in first round sparks probe

Suspicious betting on UFC fight that ended in first round sparks probe

Commercial Content 21+ An ugly scene for UFC bettors this past weekend that you might’ve missed. UFC fighter Darrick Minner, coached by James Krause at Glory MMA, lost in the first round due to an apparent pre-existing injury in the opening minutes. Minner was injured within moments of his fight with opponent Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, with a clear knee injury that led Minner unable to get up. UFC…

[k9iriz]

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬!𝘧𝘦𝘮/𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘹 𝘫𝘰𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸

𝙨𝙮𝙥𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝘫𝘰𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴.

[ warnings: fluff w/ a pinch of smut, newlyweds alert. new years update so im sorry if it’s short i just wanted to write sumn about joe:) ]

“joe! the fight is on!” i yelled as i ran downstairs, rushing to turn the tv on as joe followed behind as i was in a robe, and he was in his, open and out.

“alright, here i come, mrs. burrow.” joe jokingly chuckled as he grabbing a water before he sat next to me on the couch, grabbing a water before immediately tuning into the main event of the card.

me and joe normally bond on things, even special date nights reduce to ufc fights or any type of martial arts because it’s rare for a girl to like it.

especially since we were newlyweds and we had all the free time since the season was over. but not only do we do, we made up a tradition to do on these fights. it encites the fun within it all.

betting on it.

“usman has leon in the second around by knockout.” joe smiled as he took a sip of his water, making me blink out and stare at him.

“nope, leon has it, third round, knock out. bet on it.” i smirked that the last part as i looked over at him, smirking to say the least, before looking at me the same way.

“okay, winner…gets 500 dollars.” joe shrugged as i looked over at him, smirking as he did the same.

“okay, but let me raise the steaks. double it and the winner gets the cookie jar money.” i smiled as joe furrowed his eyebrows, looking at me as i sat up.

he was taken aback by that, but he wasn’t turning it down.

we had a cookie jar with money we randomly have left to save for any future things we planned on, but for right now it was just sitting there at that moment.

it was a total or near estimate of 3,800-4,000 dollars in there, but who really was counting?

“alright. you’re on beautiful.” joe confirmed as he kissed my lips, making me blush, he’s so cute.

I YELLED loudly as i jumped up and down, my prediction was right after all.

joe looked defeated in some way but smiling because this was the best ever bonding time we’ve ever had, especially date night kinda things. just proud of me but it kinda sucked he lost thousand dollars.

“i told you! didn’t i not?” i squealed as i jumped up and down on the couch, making joe laugh, his face turning red at his wife being hyper.

“alright, alright beautiful. you got me there. congrats.” joe chuckled as his face turned red making me slouch right back into his lap, facing him.

“mnm…thank you mr. burrow.” i smiled as he kissed me on my cheek, tapping my thigh as the ppv concluded.

“what do you plan on doing with the winnings anways? shopping?” joe asked curiously as he looked at me with his hooded blue-icey eyes. lord. if looks could kill.

i took it in as i giggled a bit, but i thought about it for a second before smiling, adverting my eyes back to him.

“im gonna use it…and the cookie jar money…go get your whole mancave redecorated like you asked, for your birthday baby.” i smiled widely as joe’s eyes lit up, making us share a passionate kiss, whi body language changed immediately.

he loved how i was never selfish and always thought about him, even though he’s great at taking care of me in return.

i love him so much.

“really?” joe asked again as i chuckled, confirming it as i yelped at him randomly picking me up out of nowhere.

“i love you so much y/n.” he whispered as i smiled, doing the same.

“i love you more…but where are we going? we have like two more fights to watch.”

“nope, but you know what i really wanna do? i wanna go some actual rounds, and make you tap-out…hm?” he bit his lip at me as i wrapped my arms around his neck, returning the same energy look.

the sexual tension. “mhm…that’s if you don’t tap out on me.” i playfully smirked.

“trust me. i got enough energy.” joe smirked as he took me into the back, making me squeal the night played out well.

and we did some unspeakable rounds that night…date night successful.

[ HELLO?? nobody asked for some joe newlywed fluff with a pinch of smut HUH? but happy new years! 😗 even though they lost so idk why im updating. ]

[tscnews]

UFC 293: Blood Diamond on Charlie Radtke, Israel Adesanya

UFC 293 Media Day Press Conference: Blood Diamond on fighting Charlie Radtke, training with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya!

[realfightjunkie]

If you want to check out our official Discord head over to https://discord.com/invite/eSSGxMawXV.

We have some boxing & MMA contests going on where you can win some free stuff! I look forward to seeing you over there. 

[shoot-the-oneshot]

What a joke

Travis Kelce x Reader

prompt 88 “you? beat me? What a joke” requested by @sorryidonttreatulikeagoddess hope you like it!

“Oh come on!” Travis shouted, throwing his hands in the air while you smiled in victory.

It was date night every week you would both turn off the phones and spend time together and this week it was pizza a chess, while it doesn’t happen often this is when you’re reminded how sore of a loser he is, and you loved it.

“It was one game don't get cocky.” He grumbled seeing your facial expression

“It was five games actually baby, but dont worry you’re still the checkers master.” You giggled picking up the plates to take them to the kitchen Travis following not far behind.

“Listen sweetie I’ll let you have this win but just remember I’ll win any other game.” You could feel his smug smile even before you turned around. Matching his position you leaned back against the counter and folded your arms.

“Any game you say?” You prodded, knowing it would draw him in, doing exactly that he stepped forward pinning you with his arms caging you against the counter, leaning in to whisper in your ear. “Any game.”

“Even football?” His laugh echoed through the kitchen. “You? Beat me, at football? What a joke”

You waited for him to sober up before continuing with the idea in your head. Travis straightened little laughs escaping his lips. “I’m serious put your team together and I’ll pick mine, we can make a whole thing of it and donate to a charity of the winning teams choosing.”

You had his full attention as you spoke of course you would turn a competition into a good thing and he loved you a little more for it. He thought it over but you knew by the smile on his face he was in.

“Better get your team together because it’s on.” He held his and out to shake but the second your palm touched his, he pulled you into his chest. “May the best team win.” He whispered against you lips before pulling away and immediately going for his phone no doubt calling Pat, good thing you had your own phone calls to make.

You waited until you heard the shower turn on before your struck. Running as quietly as possible into Travis’s office, grabbing his headphones Jasons face popped back up on screen.

“Heyyy Y/N hows it going.” He boasted you’re glad you were wearing headphones or Travis definitely would’ve heard.

“Hi it’s good soooo I’m assuming you’ve heard about the game between Travis and i?” You asked pleading tone seeing him shake his head “Sorry i already told Trav i would play for him.”

“Oh come on.” You begged before a lighbulb went off. “What do you like more, supporting your brother or beating him?”

You watched as it sunk in your fingers tapping anxiously on the desk as you waited.

“So I have some ideas for our jerseys.” And just like that you had a center.

After months of planing the day has come you were decked out in the shiny gold Jersey Jason wanted standing across from Travis and Patrick on the field.

“The time has come baby you can back out now” Travis sang, ever for the dramatic he announced every member of his team as if it was a UFC match. Which to no surprise to you included most of the chiefs players.

“I think you’ll change your tune after you meet my team.” You smiled, taking the microphone from the announcer.

Thank you for everyone coming out to support a good cause and to watch Travis lose against my team today,” you paused looking to the stands as people cheered.

For our center may i introduce… Jason Kelce!!” He ran out of the tunnel to stand next to you while Travis dropped his jaw. “You said you had an interview with ESPN today!” Travis yelled pointing.

Jason shrugged “I probably will after this.”

“My own brother that’s cold” you smirked at his words moving on to the next players

“And next up on defense we have all the way from Miami, Jaelan Phillips! And the cheetah!” (Go watch hard knocks episode 2 trust me)

“And the man who broke the internet with his skims campaign…NICK BOSA!!” Travis rolled his eyes knowing the small crush you had on Bosa before you got together.

“Now for the quarterback. I know we needed something big and might i say i think we delivered.” You paused for dramatic effect, you saw Travis glance at Pat to make sure he wasn’t pulling a switch like his brother.

“The only man to have beaten Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs..Joe Burrow!!” The Crowd erupted as he came running out coming to stand on your other side. you met eyes with Travis “You can back out now baby” pulling his words back on him handing the mic back to the announcer to do his thing while you left your team to run to the sidelines with Kylie. “Now this will be a good game.” She spoke actually wearing the golden jersey which surprised you since she only wears eagles gear but as she said it wasn’t a real team so it doesn’t count.

“Let’s just hope they win.”

(I do not know enough about football to write the game but I’m learning)

Later that night you and Travis found yourselves back on the couch large trophy sitting on the coffee table. “You, beat me at football what a joke.” You repeated in a comically deep voice while giggling.

“Yeah yeah next week we’re playing checkers.” He pouted with his arms crossed gearing at your trophy. “If you promise not to throw a chair this time sure” You joke ending with a yelp as he lunges at you.

Hey guys my first time writing NFL hope yall liked it check out my other works here

[overtake]

⁴⁹⁾ a doorbell sounding in the middle of the night 👀

49 for this prompt list

All things considered, Daniel has a very healthy sleep schedule for a guy that jets off to a new country almost every single week. Someone advised him years ago to implement the same wind-down ritual before bed no matter where he was in the world. Daniel hasn’t always been great about routine — he needs 3 reminders on his phone just to remember his vitamins every morning — but he has this shit down to a science.

He’s three steps in when his night gets thrown for a loop.

He’s carefully moisturized his chronically dry elbows. The corners of his eyes are shiny with wrinkle cream so expensive that even he winces at the price. He’s spritzed the pillow he brings on every trip with a lavender spray. He’s just getting ready to slip under the sheets, throw one leg over a hotel pillow, and drift off to a new episode of his favourite UFC podcast when the little hotel room doorbell rings.

He pauses for a second, then continues to pull back the sheets. Surely someone just has the wrong room.

The stupid doorbell rings again, and he’s pretty sure he audibly groans. He throws his phone on the spot where his body should already be lying and stuffs his feet into the little hotel-provided slippers. He has no one to blame but himself — he forgot to turn on the stupid privacy setting in the room to stop the doorbell from chiming.

He puts on a neutral face, lest it be some poor hotel or team employee forced to deliver him an urgent message, and opens the door.

“Hi, Daniel.”

Max barrels inside. In the 2.5 years they’ve been teammates, his shoulders have slightly widened. He’s still lean, but Daniel can see his body taking on a broader, more adult form, and he uses the slight size advantage to push past Daniel.

“Hello?” Daniel says, confused. Max is a man on a mission. He heads straight to the balcony door, pushes aside the thick blackout curtain and the gauzy ones underneath to unlock the handle and patter onto the small space.

“Can I help you with something?” Daniel asks. He wanders over and peeks his head out, but keeps his nice, clean slippers safely inside. There’s a slight breeze in the night air, and Daniel pulls back inside with a slight shiver.

Max is bent over, picking something up. He’s in a very wrinkled shirt and a pair of shorts that look far too small for him — not size wise, but length wise. Daniel doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much of Max’s pale, white thighs on display, matching the crescent moon in the sky above them.

Max stands up, an object wrapped securely in his hand, and shakes his head violently. If Daniel could see him better, he might hazard a guess that Max is blushing. It makes him want to poke and prod, but he knows Max and knows when he’s open for teasing. Right now, his plush lips are pressed tightly together, arms curled against his chest protectively. Nows not the time to be a dick, even if Max is disrupting his night.

Max walks past him again, not bothering to close the balcony door, when he finally seems to register that this whole interaction is incredibly whack, even for the two of them.

He pauses long enough to examine the room, Daniel’s little slippers, and the tantalizingly untucked sheets.

“Sorry,” he says. The words sound stilted from his mouth, usually reserved for awkward speeches to factory post-crashes. “I’m in the room above yours, and we — I dropped something off the balcony onto yours.”

Daniel drops his gaze to the object in Max’s hands. As fast as Max’s hands successfully move to cover it, Daniel’s seen enough bottles of lube in his time to know what he’s looking at.

“It’s alright.” He gets why Max is blushy and intense right now. He eats up Daniel’s sexapade stories, makes all kinds of lewd jokes, isn’t afraid to jokingly flirt with Daniel and put his hands places he shouldn’t. He’s certainly not a prude. Still, he’s pretty tight-lipped about his own sex life. Daniel doesn’t push where he’s not welcomed, so he leaves well enough alone, but his stomach does a funny little pang at remembering that Max does have a sex life of his own.

There’s some hot girl above them right now, who was probably joking with Max on the balcony and play-wrestling for some lube, letting the joke run so long that the lube went on a whole vacation to Daniel’s balcony. Daniel is usually the only one who lets a bit get so far and so immersive with Max that it causes actual consequences.

“Okay. Well. Goodnight,” Max says. The lube is now secured half under his shirt sleeve, half into the crook of his elbow now, with the label imprinting itself onto his skin.

He pauses again, this time by Daniel’s bedside table, and picks up the pillow spray. He reads the label, all focused and serious, and then spritzes a tiny bit onto his wrist. The droplets are still drying over his blue veins when he brings it to his nose and sniffs.

“That’s nice.” He holds his wrist there for a second, takes a second whiff.

“It’s lavender,” Daniel informs him, for lack of anything else to say in this incredibly bizarre interaction. “Night, Max.”

Max does an awkward little half-wave and closes the door behind him and the tiny shorts that surely can’t belong to him. Daniel would’ve noticed if he wore something like that before.

He lets the interaction sit for a second, then shakes his body loose and turns on the do not disturb button on the doorbell.

Night routine, 2.0, no distractions. He rubs lotion into his elbows. He dots wrinkle cream around his eyes. He puts his finger over the same little nozzle that Max pressed and coats his pillow again.

It’s only after a small breeze ruffles the curtains that he realizes the balcony door is still wide open. He pauses for a half-second by the door when he hears Max’s voice above him, talking to whoever his companion for the night is.

“Can I get you another drink?” Max asks. He sounds — suave, almost. Daniel can only see speckled concrete above him, but he can picture Max standing on it in. He probably has this girl leaned up against the railing, a hand on her hip.

This is definitely intrusive, but Daniel pauses with his hand wrapped around the skinny door handle just long enough to hear the response.

“No, I’m all good. Let’s go inside,” the other voice says. It’s deeper than Daniel expected, almost masculine.

Daniel shuts the door harder than he planned, and a bit of the thin white curtain gets caught in the frame. He leaves it be. He’s not interested in opening up that door again.

He settles into the sterile white sheets, puts his cancelling earbuds in, and squeezes his eyes tightly shut.

It takes him longer than usual to fall asleep that night. He’s surrounded by too much pillow spray and the pulsing thought that Max is above him right now, smelling traces of lavender while he fucks someone else.

[hotgirlgraps]

Thanksgiving

Synopsis: Your family gets a little wild on Thanksgiving and Tyler sneaks you away from the chaos

A/N: this turned out to be funnier than i intended lmaooo and i also couldn’t figure out a good name for this fic so thanksgiving is what we’re going with

Pulling into the driveway, you felt your stomach knot up. You looked at the time being four-thirty and hoped you’d be able to leave by at least six.

Tyler turned the car off and looked over at you. “You’ve been silent the whole ride. You okay?” He asks, and you feel the knots in your stomach get even tighter.

“Yeah, I’m just nervous.” You admitted, clutching the dish you brought sitting in your lap.

“Why?” He asks. “It’s your family. I should be the one that’s nervous.” He chuckles, trying to lighten your mood.

“They just don’t get along when they all get together like this.” You tell him, sighing as you reluctantly unbuckled your seatbelt. “Last Thanksgiving ended in my uncle taking the whole turkey and chucking it across the yard because my cousin said it was dry. All hell broke loose after that.”

“What?” He gaped, clearly trying to stifle his laugh. “That’s crazy.”

“My mom and my aunt ended up throwing their drinks on each other and getting in a whole screaming match about some shit that they’re still mad about from high school too. They’re all crazy. Welcome to my family.” You forced a smile.

You were mainly nervous that Tyler wouldn’t be able to deal with the chaos. It was your first big holiday together and as much as you should’ve been anticipating it, you were dreading it.

His family was nothing like yours. They were crazy, but not in a way that they ended up in fights at the end of every get together. You realized that when he invited you to a summer barbecue at his parents house. They all welcomed you with open arms and joked around with each other all night long.

You’d been terrified for him to come to any holiday with your family ever since.

“Hey” he grabs your hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “It’s gonna be okay. Okay? If things get crazy tonight, we can just leave.” He shrugs. “But try to enjoy this. I know you love your family and you don’t get to see them much anymore. You should enjoy this time with them.”

You nodded with a smile that was a little less forced and leaned over to place a kiss to his cheek before you both got out the car.

Walking up to the door, you could already hear the chatter coming from inside the house. You opened the door and saw your mom and your aunt first, preparing some dishes in the kitchen. They turned around when they heard the door open.

“Hello!” Your aunt singed, grabbing the dish from your hand and passing it to your mom. She gave you a hug and moved on to Tyler.

“So nice to see you got to come today!” She beamed, giving him a hug next. “We’ve only got to meet one other time.”

“Yes ma’am, i’m glad i was able to make it.” He smiles. You could tell he was a little nervous himself.

You gave your mom a hug next and she handed you a spoon right after. “Stir the mashed potatoes for us please.” She says before she gives Tyler a hug next.

“You look nice today, Tyler. We were just wondering if you were gonna wear that hoodie we always see you in.” She teases.

There was a slight blush that crept up on his cheeks but he tried to hide it.

Just then, you heard some loud footsteps coming from the stairs and your uncle rounded the corner right after.

“I thought I heard y/n” He grinned, about to give you a hug before he saw Tyler standing next to the counter.

“You must be the boyfriend.” He says, walking over to the fridge and pulling out two beers, passing one to him.

“We’ve heard a lot about you.” He adds, twisting the cap.

Your aunt shot him a look that he picked up on. “Be nice” she said.

“I’m always nice” He grinned. “Come on, man, let’s let the girls finish up in here. You like UFC? Got it on upstairs in the game room if you wanna watch with us.”

“Yeah, sounds cool.” Tyler said, looking back at you one more time before he headed upstairs.

“And Uncle Bryce just stole my boyfriend.” You chuckle. “You told him not to interrogate him, right?”

“Of course.” Your aunt said. “He’s not gonna do anything like that. He’s just curious who this new guy is that his niece is dating.”

“I like him” Your mom chimed in. “He seems like he’s good to you, and you look happy.”

“I am.” You beam.

“Oh no.” Your aunt says when she opens the oven. “You know who’s not gonna be happy? Bryce. This ham is burnt.”

“I told you the oven was too high, Emily.” Your mom scolded, rushing to pull the ham out the oven.

“I always make it on this temperature, it was not too high.”

“Then why the hell is it burnt?” your mom snapped. “You always do this every single year. Maybe you should be in charge of something else, cause ham isn’t your specialty.”

You rolled your eyes as you stirred the mashed potatoes, feeling like the chaos was already about to start.

“Look at this!” Your mom exclaimed as she cut into the ham. “It’s gonna be so dry”

“It’s fine.” Your aunt snapped back, swatting your mom’s hand away so she could doctor the ham herself. “Just go check on the green bean casserole or something. I got this.”

Your mom sighed as she opened the second oven, pulling the pan out and lifting the foil.

“I made this, so I know it’s fine.” She made a smart comment, and you felt the tensions arising quick.

Just then, your cousin came through the door.

“I’m here, and I brought alcohol!” She cheered, picking up on the tensions in the kitchen as soon as she stepped in.

“Fuck. Another thanksgiving fight? Why did I expect anything less?”

“No, we’re not fighting this year.” You said as you shot a look between both your mom and your aunt. You grabbed two of the bottles from your cousins bag and handed her one. You were thankful she showed up cause if anyone could understand, it was her.

“Where’s your man? I thought you were bringing him?”

“Upstairs with the guys.” You say before clicking your glasses together and taking a sip.

“Oh God, poor guy.” She joked before she put the drinks in the fridge.

“Emily, just throw that shit out. We’ll stick with turkey.” Your mom snapped again.

“It’s fine! If you don’t want it, don’t eat it. I’m not throwing the whole ham out.”

“Nobody’s gonna want that shit.” Your mom raised her voice. You rolled your eyes again and looked over at your cousin who was tipping back her drink.

“It’s fine!” Your aunt shouted back. “Who’s ready to eat? Girls, go set the table.” She directed you, passing you plates and silverware.

You both headed into the dining room. You could still hear them bickering in the kitchen.

“Every year. Never fails.” You sigh.

“That’s our family.” Your cousin shrugs. “Why do you think I get drunk when I’m here?”

“Tyler has never seen a holiday with us though. I don’t want him to think we’re insane.”

“But we are.” Your cousin chuckled. “Didn’t you warn him? Our mom’s are control freaks, my dad is a certified asshole, grandma loves to instigate and nobody knows how to communicate. Happy holidays, right?”

“His family is nothing like ours.” You tell her as you place the silverware down. “They’re so laid back and we’re so…”

“Not laid back. Yeah. But don’t worry so much about it. He was gonna end up seeing the crazy anyway. Better he sees it now than ten years down the road.”

You heard your mom calling for the guys to come downstairs and fix their plates. You took a deep breath and internally prepared yourself for whatever the hell was about to happen.

Tyler surprisingly came down with a smile on his face. He gave you a quick kiss before he grabbed the plate you were passing to him.

“Have fun up there?” You quirked a brow, and he nodded.

“Yeah, your uncle and brother are pretty cool.”

“Everyone just ignore the burnt ham! We still have turkey!” Your mom announced, smiling even though you knew she was throwing a shot at your aunt.

Your aunt was gritting her teeth as she cut into the ham. You were just thankful she didn’t say anything to fuel your mom’s petty fire.

Once you all got seated and started eating, the interrogation from your uncle started.

“So, since we don’t know much about you, Tyler, care to tell us about yourself?”

“You didn’t find out enough by googling him?” Your cousin piped up. “Pretty sure you know this guy’s whole life story by now.”

Your uncle cut his eyes but bit his tongue. You felt Tyler give your hand a squeeze under the table.

“Um, well I’m from long island. I’ve been an athlete my whole life, and I’m a pro wrestler for AEW right now.”

“You don’t have to listen to him.” Your cousin tells Tyler, glaring at your uncle. “He’s just trying to be aggravating.”

“No I’m not. I’m just curious about this kid. What’s it like being a wrestler?”

“It’s pretty cool. I mean, it’s not easy. A lot of physical strain on the body. It’s pretty demanding but I love it at the same time.”

“I have a question.” Your aunt chimes in. “How did you two meet? Long Island is a long ways away from here.”

“I went to a show and we ran into each other afterwards.” You tell her.

“So you were a fan?” Your uncle asks. “Is she the only fan you’ve dated?”

You peered your eyes at him from across the table, picking up on his tone immediately.

“She is.” Tyler says.

“Well that’s cute.” Your grandma adds from a little ways down the table.

“I imagine a lot of girls probably throw themselves at you.” Your uncle added.

“Not really, no.” Tyler denied, squeezing your hand under the table again.

“I don’t believe that.” He chuckled. “You’re a good looking kid and you probably meet a lot of girls whenever you’re traveling, right?”

“Well, yeah but-“

“I’m just making sure my niece is in good hands. You can understand that. We don’t know that much about you so-“

“Honey, can you leave Tyler alone and just eat your food. We’re all having a nice time. Let’s not ruin it with all these questions.” Your aunt chipped in, and for a second you were thankful for that, but you should’ve known your uncle wasn’t gonna bite his tongue that much.

“Oh, you mean this dry ass ham?” He stabbed his fork into a piece. “Emily, I told you to leave me in charge of the ham and turkey for a reason.”

“Fuck you, Bryce!” She spat, throwing her fork down on the plate.

The energy in the room shifted immediately. You felt your stomach twisting up in those tight knots all over again. The pure embarrassment was what was really overwhelming you.

“Here we go.” Your cousin rolled her eyes before she chugged her drink.

You glanced at Tyler who dropped his head down, clearly uncomfortable with the tensions that were quickly brewing in that dining room.

“Don’t start your shit.” Your uncle snapped back.

“Maybe just be thankful you have a wife who puts all of this together for the family then!” Your aunt retaliates.

“Guys, stop.” Your brother piped up. “Just eat so we can get this over with.”

“Get this over with? Is that all thanksgiving is to you all? Just something you have to drag your asses to my house for?!” Your aunt started up, and once she starts you already know there’s no stopping.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Your brother tries to alleviate the tensions.

“Yes he did.” Your uncle adds. “You don’t have to lie to her.”

“Stop while you’re ahead, Bryce.” Your aunt snapped.

“It’s the truth, Emily. Half of us at this table don’t even like each other!”

“Hey, that’s fucked up.” Your cousin piped up again.

“Am I lying?” Your uncle shrugged.

“I love all of y’all.” Your grandma added from the end of the table.

“You were just talking trash about everyone in this room.” Your mom put in her two cents, calling out your grandma.

You looked at Tyler again, and he looked over at you. He could read your mind in that moment in seemed like, cause as soon as everyone started going after each other, he took you by the hand and snuck you out the dining room.

Everyone was too caught up in the arguments to notice the two empty chairs left at that table, and you were just thankful to be out of that house.

You walked to the car and he opened your door for you before he got in the drivers seat.

“Please tell me we’re leaving.” You sighed. He stayed silent for a moment before he spoke, probably trying to figure out what the hell he just witnessed.

“You should still say goodbye to your family. I don’t think it would be right if we just left without telling anyone.”

“They won’t notice.” You tried to persuade him. “And I’m so sorry that you had to see all this tonight. This is what I was scared of.”

“It’s not your fault.” He says. “Don’t be sorry for anything, baby.”

“I was so worried you weren’t gonna be able to deal with all this. I mean, your family is nothing like mine. They’re so nice to each other and I just didn’t want you to think differently of me because mines kinda crazy.”

“First, nothing can make me think any different about you. I love you and that’s not gonna change. Second, you think my family isn’t crazy, but all families are. My parents argue sometimes. Sometimes it gets bad enough that my mom throws food at my dad and he has to sleep on the couch. You didn’t see that cause they were on their best behavior when you were there.” He chuckles.

“But they’re a little crazy too. You’ll see that eventually, unfortunately. Maybe Christmas.” He shrugs. “Christmas is usually the craziest holiday at my parents house.”

“You want me there for Christmas?” You couldn’t help the smile breaking out.

“Of course I do.” He nods. “You’re my girl, I want to spend every holiday with you.”

You felt your heart melt, leaning over to place a gentle kiss to his lips that lingered for a few sweet seconds.

“Plus, my mom said if I didn’t bring you she was gonna be mad at me. She wants to bake stuff with you, and I think you have more presents under the tree than I do.” He grins.

“Tell her I can’t wait.” You beam, placing another kiss to his lips.

[earthtoharlow]

Faux Love

Chapter 2

masterlist

“Should I wear this cream colored sweater with these pants or this pink one?” Jack asked, lifting up both sweaters in front of him. Jean let out a small giggle at her text and replied without looking at him. “The cream one, like I told you ten minutes ago!”

“Who are you texting?” He asked, tossing the pink sweater on the bed next to her before pulling the cream one over his head.

“No one”

“Yes, you are! Who is he? I wanna meet him.” Jack said, looking at her through the mirror as he tried to tame his curly hair.

“Absolutely not! You chase away every guy I introduce you to!” Jean said with a pout, she couldn’t remember the last time he actually liked one of the guys she was dating.

“I don’t chase away all of them, just none of them were good enough for you.”

Jean rolled her eyes and texted something witty back, trying to play hard to get. She threw her phone and stared up at the high ceilings of Jack’s apartment. She looked over and saw him still struggling with his hair. “Jack come over here and sit down, so I can help you.” Jean said before sitting up.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed as Jean got up to grab a comb. As she runs her fingers through his curly hair, she asks, “So, tell me about this lucky girl you’re going on a date with tonight. What’s she like?”

“She has dark hair.” He says with an eyebrow raise

“Oh, shocker!” She said sarcastically before hitting him lightly on the top of his head with the comb. “Ow!” Jack said in laughter.

“Where’d you meet her?”

“I met her during my music video shoot yesterday! She’s an extra, so you know she’s ridiculously hot.” He joked.

“You’re an idiot, but here you go I’m done.”

Jack looked up at the mirror, inspecting his hair. It looked perfect. “Thanks, Scout.”

As they made their way downstairs to the kitchen, Jean perched herself up on the bar stool and took a look around the dining area. Nothing looked ready.

“Um, are you sure you have a date tonight? Where’s the candles, wine and soft music? She should be here soon, right…you’ve lost your touch!”

“No no, this is part of the plan.” He says and then continues. “Once I let her in I apologize for running late. She’ll see how extravagant things are but not think that I was waiting around all day for her to show up! I’ll finish everything in front of her while we talk, I’ll pour her some wine, kiss her on the cheek dangerously close to her mouth and then the night begins!”

Jean couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous her best friend sounded. She picked up her phone when she heard it vibrating, signaling she had a new text.

“Oh c’mon, who is this guy!”

She laughed again. “Relax, I promise he’s just some guy. No big deal. Now, I should probably go before your date gets here.” Jean hopped down from the stool, and grabbed her purse.

Jack pulled her keys from his pants pocket as he always holds on to them because she tends to lose things.

“Thanks, bestie.” She said as she took her keys from him. “Have a good time tonight.”

“I will!” He said with a wink, and pulled Jean into a hug. “What are you going to do, it is Saturday after all.”

“There’s some UFC PPV coming on tonight, gonna go watch at Urban and Brielle’s house.”

“Oh.” Jack muttered. “Well, have fun.”

“Jack…just come with me. Cancel this silly date and come have fun with us! Brielle and I are going to make party snacks while Jasmine pretends to help!”

Jack shook his head with a pout. “Nah, I have plans.”

“Ugh, you suck! But okay, call me tomorrow.”

“Night, Scout!” He yelled behind Jean as she walked down the stairs. “Night, Jackman!” She yelled over her shoulder.

Jack and Jean had been friends for a few years now, it started when Jack flirted with her at a coffee shop and the rest was history. Except they decided they were better off as friends, as they were freakishly the same person. Jean knew that he would never be anything more than her best friend.

Over the years, Jean had become close friends with his younger brother Clay and his other best friend Urban. Since she’s known them, they had both been in long term relationships. Clay just got engaged to his high school sweetheart, Jasmine and Urban has been happily married to Brielle for two years now.

With everyone being so close, they constantly hung out together. Jean has been rumored to be “Jack Harlow’s hot girlfriend!” for years now. What was funny about that was that Jack hasn’t been in a serious relationship for a long time. He was enjoying the rest of his twenties and being a hot bachelor. Which wasn’t exactly a crime.

***

When Jean arrived at Urban’s home, she knocked on the door politely, waited a few seconds and proceeded to open the front door.

“You’ve gotta stop doing that.” Urban said as he walked towards her holding his arms out for a hug.

“Y’all should just make me a key at this point.” Jean replied with a shrug and walked into the hug. “Hi, Urb, Jack says hi by the way.”

All Urban could do was sigh. “He’s not coming?”

“Nope, sorry to disappoint you. But you’re just going to be dealing with me tonight.” Jean said with a smile.

Urban laughed. “Brielle and I just wanted everyone here but it’s okay. She's waiting for you in the kitchen, by the way.”

Jean nodded and skipped towards the kitchen. “Oh it smells good in here!” She sniffed the air and stood next to Brielle trying to see what she cooked. “Hey, B!”

“Hey! Is Jack with Urban?” She asked, trying to peek from the kitchen. “Actually, Jack’s not coming.” Urban answered as he walked in the room.

Brielle immediately put her mixing bowl down, visibly upset. “What? We were—“

“I know, but we should still tell—“

“Telling everyone without him here? It won’t feel the same. He’s basically your brother. We were going to ask him to be…” Brielle trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

Jean raised an eyebrow and looked towards Urban to see if he was going to finish her sentence like he usually did.

“Can you two just spit it out!” Jean exclaimed.

“Spit what out?” Clay asked as he walked into the kitchen holding Jasmine’s hand and a bottle of wine in the other hand.

Jean immediately walked to the cupboard to grab some glasses and placed one in front of everyone. When she got to Brielle, she began to shake her head. “No thanks, I’m not drinking tonight.”

“What?! I bought this just for you, it’s your favorite!” Jasmine said with a whine.

“I’m sorry!” But Brielle didn’t look sorry at all as she glanced over at Urban with a huge smile. “Doctor said I can’t drink for about 8 to 9 months!”

“You’re pregnant!” Jean squealed, lunging towards her. Brielle laughed as Jasmine joined in the hug. “Oh my gosh! This is amazing! Jasmine, we gotta start planning a shower immediately!”

“Already on it, I think I have a venue in mind!” Jasmine said, pulling out her phone to begin planning.

Urban walked over and wrapped his arms around Brielle’s waist, nudging his nose against her cheek. “We wanted to tell you all at once.” Urban admitted. “I’ll hit up, Jack tomorrow I guess.”

Jean noticed the sadness in his voice as Clay crossed in front of her to give Brielle a hug and congratulate her.

“Congratulations, daddy!” Jean said with a giggle. “You know, Jack would’ve loved to have been here!”

“And yet, he’s with some girl who he won't even talk to anymore by this time next week.”

Urban had a point. As Jack’s 30th birthday loomed closer, he caught himself in a whirlwind of dates with different women, not wanting to be alone. He wasn’t ready to settle down, like his brother and Urban were. Jack wanted to enjoy life while he could.

As Urban and Clay retreated to the living room to watch the fight pre show, Jasmine and Brielle cornered Jean. “So, Jean…” Jean sighed knowing what was about to happen. “When are you and Jack going to get together?”

“I was just talking to Jack before I got here and we decided the week after NEVER would be a good day!”

“Oh c’mon Jean! It’s like a match made in heaven!

“Think about it. You two already have such a strong bond. You understand each other so well…” Jasmine tried to stress.

“Look, I love Jack. He’s my best friend. Completely platonic.”

“That’s exactly it! Sometimes the best relationships start from friendships!” Brielle exclaimed

“Ok, you and Urban have been watching too many romcoms.” Jean said giggling, before continuing. “We wouldn’t work out, we tried, remember?”

“That hardly even counts, and the sooner the two of you figure that out the happier everyone will be! Especially those two.” Jasmine said, nodding towards the living room.

“Especially Urban. He’s really disappointed he’s not here tonight.”

“Clay too.” Jasmine added

Jean sighed, hating when they did this. “Ugh, I’m the best friend! Why don’t you go find some girl to hook him up with and maybe they’ll hit it off!”

“Hello?! That’s what we are doing!” Brielle exclaimed

“Just sleep with him already so he can realize he’s in love with you! I mean, you already think about him naked.”

“WHAT?! No! You guys are insane! We’re ending this conversation!”

“Fine but we’ll gang up on you with the guys during every commercial break!”

And they stayed true to their word. The four of them have been trying to get Jack and Jean together since the day they met her. It’s not that she wasn’t attracted to him because, c’mon the dude is hot.

Jean was very attracted to Jack but their personalities were too similar. They thought too much alike and Jean knew too much about him to ever have real genuine feelings about him.

***

As Jean walked into her apartment after leaving Urban’s house, she was met with an unexpected crash in her kitchen. She immediately grabbed her phone, ready to call Jack just in case she needed backup. Her heart was pounding as she crept closer to the kitchen, she grabbed the nearest weapon she could find—an umbrella.

Jean braced herself to confront the intruder, but as she rounded the corner, her grip on the umbrella loosened, and her eyes widened in disbelief. There, standing in her kitchen, was none other than Jack himself, stirring a pot on the stove.

“Jack?!” Jean exclaimed, relief flooding through her as she lowered the umbrella.

Jack turned around, startled by her sudden appearance, and his expression morphed from surprise to amusement. “Hey, Scout. You scared me for a second!”

“What the HELL!”

“What’s with the umbrella?” Jack asked, confused.

“I thought you were a burglar or something! You scared me half to death,” Jean replied, still trying to catch her breath.

She walked closer to him and saw he was making a double decker grilled cheese sandwich. His kitchen was ten times bigger than her own, she would never understand why he insisted on using her kitchen when he was hungry.

“How was your date?” Pulling two glasses from her cupboard and grabbing the milk from the fridge.

“She left, had to be up early in the morning for work. Thank god, she was boring. So I decided to come here. You want half?” Jack asked not waiting for an answer and slicing the sandwich in half.

All Jean could do was shake her head at him as he turned the stove off and followed her to the bedroom with the sandwiches while she held the glasses of milk.

Jean quickly changed into her pajamas and wiped the makeup off her face. She climbed into the bed with Jack, she thanked him as he held the cover up so she could slide in and handed her a slice.

“I hope you don’t mind but I used your shampoo.”

She took a bite of her sandwich before responding. “I had a feeling your curls looked better than usual. Also a quick question, are you capable of using any of the things in your own house?”

“Hell nah, now how many times did you get the talk?” Jack asked before grabbing the remote and turning on cartoons.

“Just a couple.” she said with a shrug. “It definitely would’ve been more if you were there. We missed you tonight, the guys were sad you weren’t there. Brielle is pregnant!”

“Seriously?! I’m gonna be an uncle?” The biggest smile formed on Jack’s face as he always loved kids. “That’s amazing! I’m really about to be an uncle.” He frowned a bit. “I saw Urban yesterday and he didn’t say anything.”

“They just wanted to tell us all together, but you know Brielle, she couldn’t hold it in! They’re so excited!”

“I’m excited too, wow” Jack said with a smile. “A whole baby!”

Jean smiled at him and offered him the last bite of her sandwich. Jack of course bit it off her fingertips and finished both glasses of milk.

Jack stayed for a couple more hours just making sure Jean fell asleep before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before leaving to go home.

For some reason, Jean was disappointed when she woke up and he was gone.

***

AN: thank you for reading!!