#with the way this game has taken over my life since the summer this is a big deal ok

[cleric4vampire]

about to play bg3 for the first time in over a month o mg

(new kisses will elude me for a while longer unforch. ALMOST there)

[gavisfanta]

Heyyy bestie, can you make one from fermin?

Something where the reader and he haven't seen each other for months, if you want you can smut (if you feel comfortable, of course)

Reunited - Fermin

summary: Fermin comes home after a long time and you two are happy to see eachother again.

warnings: smut 18+

Life in Barcelona was hard when basically the heart of Barcelona was away.

Atleast for you, Fc Barcelona has always been an important part of your life.

The club has won over your heart when Messi played his first game. Your dad always went with you to watch the games when you were only 6 years old, ever since then you went to most of the games. Your father sometimes went with you but not as often as he did before.

The one night when you were out clubbing with some of your friends you met Barcelona's La Masia players.

Gavi and Fermin who hadn't made it to the first team yet. That between you and Fermin was predicted by Gavi.

Gavi saw the way Fermin looked at you dancing. Gavi still remembers exactly how it went.

"Talk to her." gavi mumbled towards his friend as he was staring at the girl in the tight black dress for over an hour now. Fermin turned his head ti look at the 16 year old Gavi who was annoyed with him.

"What?" Fermin asked a bit taken aback about Gavi's words.

"Oh come on, you're a creep, staring at her for over an hour without making a move. She'll love you, she looks fun. Ask her about her number of something, I don't know." gavi rolled his eyes while he suggested his Bestfriend to do something.

"What if she won't like me?" Fermin asked worried that he'll get rejected by the yet nameless girl who was talking to one of her friends.

"Ugh" gavi groaned while rolling his eyes. He gave Fermin a look before standing up.

"No Gavi- what are you doing-" Fermin stood up running behind his friend. Gavi walked over to you and tapped your shoulder.

"Yeah?" You asked while turning around after feeling the tap on your shoulder. You came face to face with a brown haired boy with fluffy hair.

"Hey, my friend here doesn't know where the backstage is, I heard you know and could show him?" Fermins eyes lit up with fear as he watched Gavi talk to you.

a small smile made its way to your face and you nodded your head. Gavi stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Of course." You stood up from the booth you were sitting at with your friends and looked at the shy blonde haired boy.

"Thank you so much." gavi gave you a wide smile and then you started walking while Fermin followed you.

"My name is Y/n, what's yours?" You asked while walking through the crowd of people with him by your side.

"Fermin, I'm sorry about my friend. It's just-" Fermin tried to say but you shook your head.

"No worries." You flashed him a smile again and Fermins breath paused. Suddenly everything around him was going in slowmotion as he lookrd at your sweet smile, your perfect black dress and your hair sitting perfectly. The blue and purple lights on your skin and reflecting in your eyes.

Thats when he knew that he fell in love with you.

Now barely one year of talking and two years of dating later here you were, sitting on your bed.

You were excited, sitting on the bed wearing your red lingerie, which was sitting just perfectly around your curves.

You felt your core getting hotter as you were imagining what kind of things Fermin will do to you.

He wasn't home for way too long because of the summer USA tour.

After like 4 weeks of sending nudes and texting and calling all night you finally could see him again, or even feel him again.

You put down your phone as you heard the door unlock, you sat up and leaned back a bit as the door swung open.

"Mi amor..." Fermins eyes immediately scanned your body and then he looked up to your eyes.

"Come here, let me hug you." he opened his arms and you couldn't help but smile too. You stood up and walked over to him, wrapping your arms around his body and finally inhaling his scent again.

"God I missed you." Fermin kissed the top of your head before pulling you into a long and passionate kiss.

His hand slowly roaming down to your ass and he spanked it which made you moan into his mouth.

"Now let's get to my favorite part." He whispered into your ear after pulling away.

He immediately pushed you back onto the bed and crawled over you, looking down at your breasts.

"I missed you, so so much." He mumbled while diving into your neck, sucking at your sweet spot while you threw your head back.

"So, so, so bad." He mumbled and took off his shirt in a second. You traced your fingers down his abs and squeezed them slightly. He whimpered softly against your mouth and then you wrapped your legs around his torso.

Fermin then put down his full body weight on you and you used that to turn things around.

A shocked expression was seen on Fermins face as you were now sitting on top of him. Your face covered by a huge smile as you were looking down at him.

You then got off of him and sat down next to his body, he was stretched out on the bed so you took things into your own hand.

Bending forward, you pulled down his trousers with his boxershorts.

You leaned down and kissed the tip of his hard dick. Pre cum leaking and running down his whole lenght.

As you kept placing sweet kisses along his tip Fermin was being a bit inpatient.

He groaned as he took his dick into his hand.

"Suck me off princesa." Fermin smiled as he buckled his hips even more forward. Burying his cock inside of your throat.

The sudden contact of his tip with the back of your throat made you gag but ypu took him deeper inside of your mouth.

"Yeah, just like that." Fermin moaned as you began to swirl your tongue around his tip.

Then you took him out of your mouth and you swirled your hands around the part that wasn't in your mouth. Your tongue still licking around his tip.

"Yeah, just like that." He groaned again. He grabbed your hair and made it into a make shift ponytail.

After repeating the same process you felt his dick twitching inside of your mouth. Fermin who was barely able to keep his eyes open moaned loudly.

Just a few seconds later you felt his dick shoot 4 or five times inside of your mouth.

Fermin laid down on his elbows, looking as you swallowed his cum. However, after you swallowed you didn't stop. You kept massaging his dick with your hand while looking up at him.

That sent him into over sensitivity.

You smiled as you let go of his dick after he moaned again.

"Why did you stop." Fermin asked you, drops of sweat sitting on his forehead and his hair messed up.

"I want you inside of me." You climbed over him and pulled down your lingerie. You slid it down your body which left you fully exposed to Fermin now.

"I missed you." fermin mumbled as he kissed you, you gave him a small smile and then alined yourself with his dick.

"Fuck." you whimpered as you slid down fully on his dick.

Fermin threw his head back as he felt you again, your walls clenching around him, you holding him tight. He kept gripping your hips tighter until he was sure that hes gonna leave marks.

You started moving your body up and down, riding his dick in a slower pace than you usually did.

"Yeah, fuck." Fermin groaned and then you started to ride him faster, putting your hands flat on his chest for support.

He then started to buckle his hips up as he felt the warm knot form in his lower abdominal.

"Fermin-" You moaned as you felt yourself get slowly to your high.

"I know love." He mumbled and then lifted you up, he started to push himself up and kept thrusting into you from below.

You moan loudly at a point where you couldn't hold yourself up anymore.

"Come for me, come around my dick. You're doing so good." Fermin praised you to push you over the edge as he felt that you were close.

"Joder Fermin." You moaned and just a few seconds later you collapsed on top of him as you were riding out your high.

"Wait a second princesa." He whispered against your skin and as soon as you felt like your orgasm had calmed down a bit you sat up again.

Then you started circling your hips while he was still inside of you, Fermin gripped you with his fingers.

"I'm close, just one second." Fermin said and buckled his hips forward again.

You then changed your pace and you started going uo and down while gripping him, it made it more difficult to move up and down but you managed it.

Fermin groaned as he grabbed your breasts and pushed them together.

The next thing you felt was Fermins dick shooting strands of cum inside of you. You leaned forward and rested your forehead against his chest.

Fermin moaned at you leaning forward and that made you even tighter.

"Gosh you never disappoint." Fermin smile as he kissdd your forehead as you looked uo at him.

"I missed you amor." You kissed Fermin. softly, still affected by your orgasm.

"I missed you more."

[sitp-recs]

hi, can you by any chance recommend any drarry fics where they're both professors?

Absolutely, anon! I hope you enjoy:

Professor Potter and his Magical Menagerie by @dracogotgame (T, 7.5k)

Harry Potter descends on Hogwarts with a horde of magical beasts. Professor Malfoy is not amused.

More Than That by joosetta (E, 11k)

This is a story about two 52 year old men who refuse to age gracefully.

Homecoming by November Snowflake (E, 27k)

Harry thinks spending two weeks as a guest lecturer at Hogwarts will offer the perfect chance to get away from his troubles. Then he meets his assigned faculty guide: Potions Master Draco Malfoy.

Phoenix in the Fire by @lqtraintracks (E, 28k)

Harry never expected to have a hot summer fling with Draco Malfoy when he agreed to mind the castle with him. He also never expected that it would all have to end on August thirty-first. What happens when casual sex with Harry’s ex-enemy turns not casual after all? And how the hell is he going to stop Draco from making one of the biggest mistakes of his life?

Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by Femme and noeon (E, 39k)

Post-war Hogwarts has been energized by its new teaching fellows program. Where once bitter enmity divided the wizarding community, Malfoy and Potter chummily patrol hallways together whilst Granger and Zabini seek lost parts of the castle at McGonagall’s behest and Chang supervises Quidditch when not lecturing in Charms.

Of Roses and Dragonfire by xErised (E, 53k)

Years after That Kiss, Potter (and his new pet snake) appears again, this time as Hogwarts's Quidditch and Muggle Games instructor (what are Muggle Games anyway? Is this why Potter is swimming in the Great Lake wearing such a tiny pair of pants?), disrupting Draco's peaceful life as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

A Lick and a Promise by @tackytigerfic (E, 55k)

Something sinister stirs in Hogwarts! When magical creatures and students at the school are hit with a debilitating blood curse, Minerva McGonagall approaches the Ministry for help. Star Auror Harry Potter seems to be the obvious choice to go undercover—as DADA Professor, naturally. He’s going to need the help of the Ministry’s foremost expert in blood magic to get to the bottom of the mystery, though, and he’s not entirely convinced that going back to Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy is a good idea.

Finely Drawn Lines by @the-sinking-ship (E, 61k)

Draco doesn’t consider himself an artist (though the dozens of sketchbooks lining his shelves might suggest differently). Yet ever since Potter returned to Hogwarts, accepting a teaching position alongside Draco, his drawings have taken on a rather singular focus.

Transfigurations by Resonant (E, 71k)

Five years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry returns to England to help re-open Hogwarts.

Lessons in Humility by playout (E, 86k)

After the dissolution of his marriage and a good bit of soul-searching, Harry returns to Hogwarts as the new Defense teacher. Go figure, it happens to be the same year Draco takes over the role of Potions Master. Neither man is happy about this turn of events. Will they be able to set aside their differences and learn a thing or two about trust and humility on the way?

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (M, 114k)

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587 (E, 234k)

Fleeing the aftermath of his recent divorce, Draco Malfoy takes up a post as the new Potions Master at Hogwarts. At first he believes his hopes for a fresh start are dashed when he sees that a certain boyhood rival is on staff there as well. But Harry Potter is being weirdly nice to him, leaving Draco no choice but to play along.

[evanbuckleyrecs]

Buddie AUs over 20k

To catch up on recommending fics in my bookmarks, I'll also try to make some lists instead of posting one fic per post. Though some fics might also still get their own posts even while added in a list.

To start, here are some finished Buddie AUs with more than 20k words

(I made this list in March so it doesn't have any newer fics. Soon I want to spend a day dedicated to catching up to new fics and adding posts to my queue here)

what if you're someone I just want around by ReallySmartLadyMarieCurie

20k, Rated T

"Eddie pauses in his typing, glancing at Buck and trying to figure him out. He seems so eager to help and to please, so willing to take some of the burden in order to make others happy. It’s the sort of presence that Eddie’s been craving in his life. One that he’s missed since Shannon’s fatal accident. And he’s incredibly handsome. He’s got conventional good looks and a beautiful smile, but that pink little splotch above his eye, which Eddie guesses is a birthmark, is really what brings it home."

Or, Eddie Diaz is a successful boxer who's been making a big name for himself in recent years. Buck is a fan, but he certainly never expected to end up at Eddie's house after the man calls 9-1-1 when his son gets sick.

I love the way you spoil me, baby by rosebuddiekin

33,8K, rated E

“I, uh, I was actually at that coffee shop to meet with someone else. You see, for the past few years, I’ve been a sugar daddy on a site that connects people looking for similar things. I was supposed to meet with a prospective baby that day, but then I saw you. And I felt drawn to you, so I messaged the guy I was supposed to be seeing and told him I had to cancel. I just, I thought you should know. That I should be upfront about it from the start.”

Eddie’s fork drops to his plate, making a small clatter. He can feel that his mouth is agape. He’s very glad he hadn’t taken another bite or sip of anything while Buck spoke. Because what the actual fuck? Buck… is a sugar daddy.

OR: Buck is a sugar daddy who wants to spoil Eddie rotten and take care of everything for him. Eddie has never had that sort of relationship but is willing to give it a try. There is plenty of adventure along the way.

Sunny skies & summer high by prettyboybuckley

Sequel to a one shot, 43,8K, rated E


"Well, I kind of want to kiss you right now but that's usually something that happens at the end of a first date, right?" Buck asks, doing a weird movement with his eyebrows in an attempt to be funny.

Eddie chuckles, wrinkling his nose a little.

"I guess, yeah," he mutters. "Think we're doing this a little backward already anyway, so are there any rules to follow?"

He's got a point there, and even then Buck has never really been the kind of guy who follows rules, so he ends up leaning over the center console as he uses one hand to pull Eddie's face towards him. It's a short kiss, a simple peck hello that Eddie chases after when Buck pulls away again.

OR: Buck and Eddie sneak around behind Eddie’s family’s back, spend the summer together, smoke a lot of weed, and fall in love along the way

Kiss me before It's over (if only for a minute) by Bob_loblaws_lawblog

54,2K, Rated E

Evan Buckley is living out his childhood dream as the star hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies. He’s climbing the ranks, improving his stats with every single game – he’s unstoppable.

That is, until the Los Angeles Angels get a new pitcher seemingly out of nowhere. Known for his strong arm and tricky curve balls, Eddie Diaz is one of the few pitchers in the nation who consistently makes Buck strike out, and its infuriating. Even from the sixty feet that separate them between the batter’s box and the pitcher’s mound, the weight of Diaz’s gaze is enough to make Buck’s blood boil.

Because Buck doesn’t get nervous on game day, he never feels calmer than when he steps up to the plate with the bat in his hand – it’s where he belongs. But when he sees Eddie Diaz standing on that mound, his stomach flips and nerves spark across his skin.

Because if there is one thing Buck knows for sure, it is that he hates Eddie Diaz.

… Until he doesn’t.

Traded by princessfbi

23,7K, rated M

Really, it was Lena’s fault. She’d been the one to demand a video when Eddie had finally caved and sent an SOS to the group chat asking if anyone was willing to trade.

“Is anyone interested in trading jerseys with me? Preferably for a smaller size,” Eddie had said because knowing his coworkers, one of them would’ve been a smart ass and gave him an even bigger size. “I ordered an XL because I’m usually a XL but… the way it fits makes me look like I’m fucking one of the players.”

Eddie wasn't trying to go viral. He just wanted to trade his jersey. But then something called Booktok got involved.

Bartender!Eddie Diaz x Hockey Player!Evan Buckley

Snowed Inn by brewrosemilk

31,1K, rated M

Rivaling for a promotion, journalists Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz get sent to a small town where they are each to write a piece on a once illustrious inn and its rich history. For two talented and overconfident authors, it sounds like an easy assignment - but in between a violent snowstorm, blocked roads, heated stares, and a struggling inn, Buck and Eddie may just have to abandon their rivalry and accept each other as partners.

Don't play games (come my way) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

43,1K, Rated E

Buck hates Eddie Diaz.

Ever since his publishing company and Eddie's merged, the man has been nothing but a pain in Buck's ass. The way he nitpicks all of Buck's company emails, the way he spends half his day bickering with Buck, the way he makes Buck's stomach flip and the way he's started haunting Buck's dreams... yeah, it's one hundred percent hate. Definitely. Buck's sure of it.

Because what the hell else could it be?

Falling slowly; sing your melody (I'll sing it loud) by princessfbi

55,3K, Rated E

Buck didn’t like him at first.

Eddie Diaz was all hard lines and strict rules with a bone structure that could cut through glass and scared away his fans. Which... if you asked Bobby, was the point but still!

He also yelled at Buck which was fine. It’s not like it hurt his feelings.

It didn’t.

It didn’t, Maddie!

It also definitely didn’t turn Buck on either. Nope.

Stop it, Maddie!

After a traumatizing home invasion, Bobby Nash decides to hire a bodyguard for his lead singer.

Musician!Buck Bodyguard!Eddie

More fics to be recommended soon!

[proxima-writes]

title: miss me in your bones | chapter one

pairing: dad’s best friend!joel miller/female reader

chapter rating: PG13

chapters: 1/?

read on AO3 | masterlist

summary:

When Joel Miller started his own contracting business, he didn’t expect all the administrative tasks that came with it. As a result, his budding business is in desperate need of help.

Good thing his best friend’s daughter is home for the summer from college. And sure, he’s always been attracted to you, but he can keep that under control.

It’s just one summer, right?

author’s note: oh look, another multi-chapter joel miller au. this one will be a slower(er) burn than “cruel summer”, with more angst. i’m in my folklore era, sorry y’all. please consider leaving a comment if you liked the chapter! 💕

content warnings/additional tags: au - no outbreak, age difference (21f and 36m), mutual pining, dad’s best friend!joel, college student!reader, no sarah, brief mention of joel’s attraction to the reader when she’s 17.

“You still need help with your bookkeeping?” Joel’s best friend asks as they sip their beers, basketball game playing on the TV.

Joel has recently branched out and started his own contracting business, a dream he’s had since he started working fresh out of high school. He’s taken a few night classes and earned himself an associates degree in business administration from the community college, in the hopes that it might help him not drive his budding business venture straight into the dirt.

What he wasn’t prepared for was the volume of administrative tasks he’d have to take on. Invoicing, pricing, scheduling, negotiating, and the list keeps growing. Joel just wants to bring a vision to life with his hands. He doesn’t want to have to sit at a computer for hours a day before getting to the fun stuff.

He sighs. “Yeah, I’m drownin’ in all that stuff. Seems like there’s not enough hours in the day to be doin’ the dirty work and get all that shit done, too.”

“Well, my daughter’s comin’ home for the summer. She said she was lookin’ for a job so that she can save up some money before goin’ back to school in the fall. She could help you out. She’s good with computers,” his friend says. Joel swallows.

Joel’s lived next door to you and your dad for four years now. When he first moved in next to the single dad, you were seventeen, getting ready to finish up high school and head off to college. You were your dad’s pride and joy, a sweet girl with brains and beauty that he bragged about constantly. You’d gotten a full academic scholarship to UCLA, no small feat, but you’d been required to spend your first two summers on campus fulfilling a certain number of credits, which meant you hadn't visited home in some time due to the cost.

This also meant Joel got a reprieve from the inappropriate thoughts he’s had about you since the first time he met you. When you’d stood by the door with your dad, welcoming him to the neighborhood, but all he could think about was the curve of your lips as you smiled at him or the way you looked up at him through your lashes when he spoke, hanging on his every word like he was spilling the secrets of the universe.

For his first year in his new house, you were there when he came over on the weekends, watching football with your dad or doing homework at the kitchen table. Joel was there for your graduation party, and sang Happy Birthday as you blew out the candles for your eighteenth year. He helped your dad pack up his truck with your boxes of stuff and waved goodbye from the driveway as you set off to college.

And the whole time he had to beat the thoughts of pressing a hand to your thigh beneath the dining table or pulling you to the side to kiss you senseless. He was equal parts relieved and disappointed when your dad drove you over a thousand miles away.

Your dad is still waiting for an answer, and Joel can’t come up with a good enough reason to say no to his offer of your help. He needs it.

He can keep himself under control for one summer.

“Sure, that would be great,” Joel replies with a strained smile unnoticed by your dad.

“Great! I’ll let her know.”

________

You’re so excited to be home for a whole summer. Between your rigorous course load over the last two years and the cost of housing and travel, you haven’t been able to visit home. Your dad pays for half your housing on top of his own expenses, so you didn’t want to burden him more with travel costs.

“How was your flight, kiddo,” your dad asks as he wraps you in a tight hug.

“Went well enough. Definitely better than driving for two days with some stinky old man,” you tease. He pushes at your shoulder.

Your relationship with your dad is a close one, the result of being the only child to a single parent and all his efforts over the years to make sure he does the best job he can. And while he often had to work overtime, he was always there for you when it mattered and never made you feel like you weren’t loved.

“I’m happy you’re back, squirt. House is too quiet without you,” he says as he pulls away from the pick-up area and rejoins Austin traffic. His words make your heart clench.

“Just another year and I’ll hopefully be able to get a job closer to home,” you tell him.

“With that fancy degree, I’m sure you’ll be able to get any job you want.”

The fancy degree in question is in aerospace engineering. Ever since your dad took you to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a rare vacation out of the state, you’d been hooked on the idea of helping get rockets to space.

“Hopefully. With all the private space exploration initiatives, should be plenty of jobs to go around. California is fun, but Texas is home.”

He smiles at you, a big wide grin that you’d missed in your time away.

“Listen, you know how you said you wanted to find a job for the summer while you’re home?” He asks. You nod. “Well, Joel started up his own contracting business and is hopin’ to get some help with the administrative work. Schedulin’, contracts, bookkeepin’. I know it’s not what you’re studyin’ or anythin’ but it might be nice to give your brain a break from all that fancy math you do.”

Your stomach erupts in butterflies at just the mention of your dad’s best friend and neighbor, Joel Miller. Ever since you first met when he moved in next door, you’ve been smitten. He’s a bit younger than your dad, somewhere in his mid-thirties while your dad has crossed the threshold to his forties. He’s tall and broad with muscles defined from hard labor, dark curly hair that’s almost always unruly, and kind brown eyes that have started to crinkle in the corners with a life well lived.

He’s so gorgeous it actually hurts.

You’ve spent a fair share of your nights away from home thinking about Joel Miller as you slid a hand into your pajama pants. Did he ever think about you? You doubt it, but a girl could dream.

In your daydreaming, you almost forget to answer your dad. “Oh, uh, sure. I can help out Mr. Miller,” you reply, clearing your throat.

“Thanks, sweetie. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help.”

________

Joel is cursing up a storm as he tries to clean up the spare room he uses as an office and storage area these days. There’s papers everywhere, supply quotes and contracts and instruction manuals across every surface to the point where the old laptop he uses for work sits buried, battery dead from neglect. He tries to sort everything into a neat pile, but the pile is too big and scatters everywhere once more.

You’re supposed to start working with him at nine this morning. He’s got a consultation scheduled after lunch, giving him plenty of time to show you the nightmare you’re walking into.

There’s a knock at the door and Joel rushes from the back of the house to answer.

You’re standing on his porch, as you have hundreds of times, but after two and a half years away at school, the girl he’d waved goodbye to one August morning has disappeared. Your hair is drastically different and your face has lost the roundness of your teen years, but the smile that stretches your lips is all too familiar.

“Hi, Mr. Miller.”

________

You shift your weight from foot to foot as Joel’s gaze drifts over you, the feel of it hot over your skin. His forehead and neck are dappled with sweat, shirt sticking to his chest in a way that’s so inviting you have to clench your hands into fists at your side to keep from reaching out.

How is it possible he’s gotten more attractive?

“Hey! Welcome home!” Joel finally says, stepping aside and allowing you to cross the threshold.

His house has changed, yet feels overwhelmingly familiar all the same. He’s updated the flooring since you’d left, and you see the gleam of shiny stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.

“You renovated the kitchen?” You ask, stepping down the hall and into the living area to have a closer look. “The counters are pretty.”

He’s replaced the old dark cabinets with natural wood and the laminate counters are now a sparkling white quartz. He stands in the doorway, arms crossed over his broad chest.

“Yep. First project for my portfolio,” he says proudly. “Did the whole thing myself.”

“Impressive.”

You stare at each other for a beat before Joel clears his throat.

“You, uh, you wanna see the office?” He asks.

“Sure.”

He leads you to the back bedroom and pushes the door open. “It’s…kinda a mess.”

“Kinda?” You step inside, eyeing the haphazard piles of paper dubiously. “Mr. Miller, this is a war zone.”

He cringes. “Yeah. S’why I need help,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “Got so caught up with the networkin’ and job bids that I just let all this suffer for it.”

You huff a laugh, dropping your bag to the ground. There’s a desk in the middle of the room, covered in stacks of paper. A laptop sits open, screen dark, amongst the files. A bookshelf along one wall holds a printer and a number of large hardback books pertaining to business administration and general contracting guidelines. Along another wall are stacked boxes. You peek into one and find an array of tile samples.

“Think you can manage?” Joel asks.

You smile at him. “You know me, Mr. Miller. I’ve never backed down from a challenge.”

“Joel. Just…call me Joel.”

“Okay…Joel.”

He smiles, and the way it reaches his eyes makes your heart flutter. You swallow nervously.

This will be fine.

It’s just one summer.

Joel Miller tag list:

@huffle-punk punk @johnwatsn @hopelessromantic727 @whereasport @pedr0swh0r3 @yellingloudly @dragon-of-winterfell @thedeadsingwithdirtintheirmouths @mydailyhyperfixations @liati2000 @ghostofjoharvelle @cutesyscreenname @morgaussy @letsgroovetonighttt @endlessthxxghts @fake-bleach @brilliantopposite187 @mattmurdock1021 @str84pedro @justsomeoneovertherainbow @loquaciousferret @milly-louise @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @kirsteng42 @caatheeriinee07 @eternallyvenus @midnightswithdearkatytspb

Join a tag list

[dancingtotuyo]

Ivy (Joel Miller X Reader One shot)

Preface: @morning-star-joy made this mood board for me (on main) from a fun pintrest game and I just had to write something (Not sure I got the Cowboy- August & Getaway Car theme or not lol). I wrote this very quickly, not proofread lol.

Summary: Joel helps you escape

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Illusions to abuse (physical & sexual) & grooming, over all references to trauma and cannon typical violence & themes.

words: 1558

Author Master List

Songs I listened to while writing

-

The first time Joel Miller comes across your farm, he has to talk your husband out of shooting him on sight. You know about the Jackson settlement about 10 miles south of you. You’ve begged him to move you there within the safe confines of the towering walls. You’ve seen the lights on one of the more extended hunting expeditions. Elliot refuses to leave you at the cabin alone for more than a couple of hours. You’ve tried to run before. You weren’t able to move for days after he caught you. He’d been on horseback, catching you quickly. 

Joel trades his rifle and ammo for his life, eyes never leaving yours. Can he read the sadness in them? The horrors this world has inflicted on you over and over? 

You wear a dress. It’s tattered around the hem. Not something very practical. You look more like a captive than a wife. Joel thinks you must be in your late 40’s, but you’re actually 39. Elliot looks to be about 20 years your senior. Joel tells himself he’ll get you out because it’s the right thing to do. He ignores the tug of desire he feels when he looks into your eyes. 

He invites the two of you to Jackson. 

Elliot refuses. He doesn’t trust the Jackson settlement. 

Joel warns of a colony of infected trickling in. He watches the fear flash in your eyes, survival instincts kicking in as you look at your husband. 

Elliot says he can handle them. 

Joel speaks of electricity, heat in the winter, fans in the summer, and running water. A hot shower sounds delicious. You were 19 when the world ended. You can’t remember the last time you felt the hot water trail down your back. 

Only after Elliot chases Joel off does he realize you never uttered a word. 

The second time Joel comes bearing fresh vegetables and more ammo. Your mouth waters at the sight of red tomatoes. He ignores Elliot’s threats and hands the produce straight to you with a glowing smile. 

You thank him. You take a bite from one of the tomatoes like it’s an apple. It’s warm in your mouth. The acidic tang is like a summer’s night on your taste buds. The insides dribble down your chin, making you laugh. 

It takes Joel’s breath away. There’s a childlike joy to it, a spring bubbling up from the depths of the mountain in the springtime. He catches a flash of life return to your eyes if only for a moment. He knows it’s been a long time since any semblance of happiness graced your features. 

Joel fights the urge to wipe the juice from your chin. 

“You’ll stay for dinner.” It’s an order, not a request, and the first words he’s heard you utter.

Elliot protests, but you cut him off. “He’s staying for dinner.”

You know you’ll probably pay for it later, but you don’t care. You haven’t seen another face in years. It’ll be worth the conversation at the very least. 

Elliot is out hunting a week later. You’re hanging the laundry on the line when Joel emerges from the woods. He’s on foot this time, different from his previous visits on horseback. It must’ve taken him hours to get here on foot. 

“Howdy,” He smiles. 

You raise an eyebrow. “My husband isn’t here.”

“Didn’t come to see him.”

You stop. He rests a hand on his hip looking across the small clearing that houses the barn and small farmhouse. “You’re too exposed out here.”

“Joel-.”

“I like the way you say my name.”

Your heart stops. Your palms sweat. You’re not blind. You’ve seen the way he looks at you, smiles at you. You remember the soft brush of his hand on your back in the kitchen during his last visit. You remember it too often for a single moment in time with a man you hardly know. 

You square your shoulders. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Neither should you.” 

He cups your cheek. You flinch away out of habit. Anger flares in his eyes. You’re used to seeing it in Elliots, but somehow you know that for once, it’s not directed at you. 

Somehow you know what he’s going to say before he says it. “I’m going to kill him.”

“You can’t.” The words leave your mouth before he’s finished. 

He looks surprised. “He hurts you. Tell me I’m wrong.”

You can’t. You both know that, but how do you explain to Joel that he can’t kill your abuser- your captor- your one last connection to life before Cordyceps?

“You’re not wrong.” You swallow the lump forming in your throat. “But you can’t kill him.”

Joel knows better than to ask, but if he did, you would tell him. You would tell him that Elliot had been around your entire life. He’s your father’s best friend from college. He saved you on outbreak night. He wasn’t always like this. You loved him once, or at least you thought you did. You wonder how much of it was manipulation now. He was nice and kind in the beginning. He didn’t touch you until well after your 22nd birthday. The two of you settled on this farm years ago with a horse, a few cows, and a couple of chickens. Elliot loved the seclusion. He wanted a family. The longer you went without one, the meaner he got, but you think regardless, he’d have turned into the person he is now. You could see the signs in hindsight. 

One day, you would tell Joel about it all, but not today. 

“I’m taking you to Jackson. This place isn’t safe. He isn’t safe.”

You want to go. You wanted to go long before his demand. “Not on foot. He’ll catch up. He’s got the horse.”

When Joel grabs your hand, you hold onto it tighter. He pulls you down the soft slope of the hill to the old barn. His hand is rough and calloused, but you can’t help but feel like it’s the softest thing you’ve ever felt. The breeze plays in your long hair. Joel’s free hand glides along the warped barn until he finds a deep notch. 

“Check here every night after dark. I’ll leave a note for you when I come for you with directions on where to meet me.”

He cups both of your cheeks. “Every night, you understand?”

You nod.

For a minute you think he might kiss you. You’ve thought about that too as you lay in bed awake and listless for hours on end.

He drops his hands. “Show me where.”

You quickly find the notch. It’s deeper than you thought. Your fingers brush up against a piece of paper. You furrow your brow looking up at Joel as you fish it out between two fingers. 

“Good girl.” He smiles. 

It’s only four words, but it’s all you need. Every night. I promise.

“I promise.” He repeats to you. You don’t doubt him for a minute. 

You wish you could let him kill Elliot. It would make things easier. You could go with him now and not worry about anything else. Would he kiss you now? Or wait until you’re safely within the confines of the Jackson walls.

“Every night.” You tell him. 

He kisses your forehead before he leaves. It gets you through the next two weeks. 

You make sure Elliot is asleep just as you have every night since Joel’s last visit, but something feels different tonight. You can feel it in your bones. You take a small bag with you, lantern lighting your way to the back of the barn. An owl hoots in the woods, and the crickets sing with the dying heat of summer. The nip of autumn is already in the air. 

You ease your hand into the notch. You panic when you don’t feel the note immediately. You got it wrong. You’ll have to live through this another night- and then you feel it. Your heart leaps. You can hardly comprehend the note. It takes you three times through before you finally do. You know exactly where he is.

You abandon all caution and run for it. You can be there in under 10 minutes. Your hair flies behind you. The underbrush of the woods crunches under your boots. You catch your dress on a couple of brambles, one scratches your cheek, but you don’t feel it. You don’t feel anything but freedom surging through you. 

You catch sight of Joel in the small clearing. The full moon illuminates his figure. You recognize it, already committing to your memory. Joel spins around, rifle ready until realizes it’s you running toward him. He barely sets it down before you’re in his arms. 

You’re strong around you. They feel like safety and promise. He chuckles. “Glad you made it, Sweetheart.”

You laugh. You can’t help it. It’s not funny, and you should be more cautious, but you simply do not care. You’re free. You’re so close to a hot shower and fresh tomatoes and you’re in Joel Miller’s strong arms. 

Before he can say anything more, you press your lips to his. They’re warm, slightly chapped, and eager against yours. You never want to stop, but Joel eventually pulls back, panting. He tucks your hair behind your ear. 

“Let’s go home, Sweetheart.”

[loosingmoreletters]

For the ask game and because I’m soooo curious about what you’ll do with this: best friends sibling au for wangxian

The way I needed a second to parse this prompt. It’s best friend’s sibling, right?

Wei Wuxian is smart, the kind of smart that meant you either went down in the history books for revolutionizing cultivation or died trying. He knows that most people assume he’s going to die trying in the attempt. He’s fairly sure his mother has had his eulogy written since he was ten and his father started picking out coffins when he hit thirteen.

It’s whatever, Wei Wuxian’s got a goal in life, and he won’t stop accelerating until he reaches it.

Everyone knows it, and he supposes that’s the reason he got introduced to Lan Xichen at the itty-bitty age of five. Well, introduced, is a rather generous way to say his mom grabbed Lan Xichen and plopped him in front of Wei Wuxian in a sort of “behold, a fellow child” movement, mortifying everyone else in attendance, particularly Uncle Lan.

Wei Wuxian struggled to get along with his agemates, outpacing them easily, and Lan Xichen apparently needed someone to poke fun at him before he turned into a total rock. They had an odd give and take relationship, and not just because Wei Wuxian’s parents were independent cultivators and homeschooled him all over the world.

At sixteen, Wei Wuxian knew that Lan Xichen latched on to him because of the end result of a messy divorce. Sects, even in this day and age, didn’t particularly condone divorce. Separation tended to be the end all, which was the reason why they never got to see Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli on the weekends.

But Lan Xichen’s parents had gone through a divorce and Gusu Lan got to keep their sect heir and Lan Xichen’s mom her youngest. She’d wanted custody of both children, but the sects wouldn’t ever allow that.

And all of this culminated in Wei Wuxian accompanying Lan Xichen to the airport to pick said younger brother up. Well, that and the broken arm. Cultivation didn’t revolutionize itself and Wei Wuxian suspected that if he’d spent another hour in the library, Uncle Lan would’ve thrown him out himself.

Lan Wangji, the brother to be picked up and taken to Gusu for the first time in ten years, was sixteen, like Wei Wuxian himself, but that didn’t mean much given how much better Wei Wuxian did around older peers.

And apparently he looked a lot like Lan Xichen—

Oh.

“Well, that was a fucking lie,” Wei Wuxian told Lan Xichen the moment he spotted what could only be Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian supposed that at first glance, Lan Wangji looked a lot like Lan Xichen to someone who’d seen Lan Xichen out of sect robes, but a simple comparison didn’t measure up.

“You never told me your brother was hot,” Wei Wuxian hissed. “How have I known you for two thirds of my life and never known your brother was hot?”

“I’ve shown you photos,” Lan Xichen pointed out.

Well, yeah, but Wei Wuxian hadn’t wanted to see them because he’d been dragged to the Cloud Recesses by his mother only to be told that Lan Xichen would be gone for the summer, visiting his brother and mother. And the Lan Wangji in those pictures had been inherently ugly by virtue of stealing Wei Wuxian’s best friend.

This Lan Wangji was not.

“Does Uncle Lan know your brother has an undercut?”

Holy shit, Wei Wuxian needed to touch Lan Wangji’s head so badly. Squish his face between his hands and bite his lips.

“No,” Lan Xichen said and waved at the Hottest Man Alive, trademark pending. “Would you do me the favor and tell him?”

Wei Wuxian turned to his best friend and snorted. “I love you, but if I piss of Uncle Lan one more time, he’s banning me from the Cloud Reccesses too.”

“Thought so.”

[miss-celestial-being]

Tutor

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request | masterlist

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𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: eddie munson x gn!reader

𝑠𝑦𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑠: my life atm + my dreams :')

𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: self-indulgent, probably really bad, not edited, honestly didnt know how to end it, talks about self-worth, fluff

𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 2.5k

𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠:

this is fully, 100% self-indulgent i was gonna stop writing this hallway through but decided to finish it enjoy my emotional baggage <3

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The sun is far too hot for spring. The clouds are few and sparse. You look up at the sky and huff at the light shining brightly inhy6jm7u your eyes. You look down at your book again, cursing the giant star for turning your pages a bright white, and silently suffer as you wish you had remembered your sunglasses. You sigh and close your book defeatedly, the corner of the page snagging and folding slightly. Just as you feel this day couldn't get any worse, you look up to find your friend and her boyfriend walking toward you from the cafeteria.

"Hey," Your friend says as she sits across from you. You remember a time when she'd sit beside you as you laughed at something your shared English teacher did, but now your seat is taken by the person forced into your circle. You smile back, squinting through the blinding rays. You pick up your headphones from their spot resting on your shoulders and place them over your ears, pressing play on your walkman as your friend's boyfriend begins droning on about his awesome life and awesome spots game and whatnot, holding your friend far too close to be appropriate for school.

You shield your book with your body, hoping to block the words enough to read them. Every day has been like this since the school year started; like an insufferable cycle that started with your lack of contact with your only friend over the summer. Whilst you were wasting away in your room, barely holding yourself together, your friend started dating the boy she hated the year prior. And on top of that, she only told you when you all went to the campus before school started to pick up your schedules; they had been dating for over a month already.

You look at the ground, your book still open to the same page it had been on thirty minutes ago and your mind wanders. You know this is your fault; if you had made more friends, if you were more likable, if you had kept in touch, if, if, if. The bell rings and you stand robotically. It's become a habit, leaving the moment that deafening sound echoes throughout the school. The sweet relief of leaving the bleachers, of leaving the space that makes you feel like you're worthless or unimportant.

When you pass people you know from class, they wave politely and you put on that same fake smile you've mastered. You stop at your locker and that smile falls, the vandalized metal acting as a shield for your pain. You open your backpack and switch out your textbooks as you do every day before heading to your next and final class. Head down, feet moving rhythmically; left, right, left, right. You stop at your math classroom and close your eyes as you fall into your seat at the back of the class.

The bell rings again a few minutes later and your eyes snap open as your teacher begins class. The seats around you are mostly empty with half the class deciding they'd rather fail than come to this mental health death sentence. You don't blame them, really, but your grades are already bad as it is, and your mom has been riding your ass on fixing them, and if you fail this semester, you won't get the credits you need to leave this heaping pile of shit that is high school, that is your life, that is everything you are in this place.

Your mind goes numb as you put your pencil to your paper and begin copying the equations the teacher wrote. "Shit, sorry," You head from the front of the class and your eyes flick up to find a mess of curls flying through the doorway, "Sorry I'm late. I was all the way across the school when the bell rang." The teacher looks down his nose at the person and sighs as he takes the late slip from their hand, "Go to your seat, Mr. Munson. And watch your language in my class, or that'll be another detention." The boy nods with an apologetic crooked grin and you watch as he walks to the back of the class. He glances at you and you quickly look back to the board, ignoring the shuffling sounds beside you as he sits in the empty seat next to you.

"I'm Eddie," The boy whispers loudly as he leans closer, his eyes trained on you. You look away from the board and turn your head, eyes nearly crossing as you find his face inches from yours. He pulls back with that intoxicating smile and he looks to the front of the class, twirling his pen absentmindedly. You mumble your name and he hums as he looks back at you, "Didn't catch that," He says and you clear your throat as you spot the teacher eyeing you. You look down at your notes and wait a few seconds before repeating, a little louder this time. He--Eddie--repeats it, as though testing it out on his lips, and you watch as his mouth moves to shape each letter, your stomach doing flips with every syllable.

He leans over to glance at your notes, copying them down messily as he attempts to catch up with whatever he missed in the minutes he was late. "Mr. Munson, I suggest you keep your eyes on the board. You've already failed this class once, would you like a repeat of last year?" You frown and will yourself to speak up, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath before saying, "I was just lending him my notes since he was late." The teacher hums, "Well, then, I would prefer if you'd do so on your own time." He continues with the lesson and you continue writing your notes, now adding as much detail and instruction as you can possibly manage, trying your best to ignore the looks you receive from the class, as well as the boy beside you.

The bell rings again an hour later and you jump slightly as your papers fall out of your folder; the cardstock has nearly disintegrated after years of putting it through the works. "Shit," You mumble as you bend down to pick them up, praying to whatever deity will listen that you don't start crying in front of everybody. You find yourself accompanied on the floor and you look up through your unshed tears. "Here," Eddie says as he hands you a stack of crumpled papers. You thank him quietly and take the worksheets from his calloused hands, your fingers brushing his, sending a chill down your spine.

"If you need those notes," You say after shoving your things into your backpack, "I would lend them to you." He smiles, "I don't think notes are gonna help me much at this point, but thanks for the offer." Silence falls over you as you walk through the halls toward the exit of the school until you finally break it, "I could help you," You mumble, "If you're struggling. I don't have the best grades to prove it, but I understand the concepts." "That'd be great," His grin reaches his eyes and it lights up the room, and, deep down, you wonder what it feels like to smile for real, despite having felt it at some point. He continues, "I have my club on Tuesday nights, but I'm free every other day after school. Or if you want, we could work in the library at lunch?" You nod almost too quickly at the opportunity to spend lunches anywhere but the bleachers. "I can do lunch," You reply and his grin widens, "Great, do you wanna start tomorrow?" You nod in response as you look down at the ground, watching as your feet move left, right, left, right, left, right.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Eddie waves as he walks in the direction of his van; the brown vehicle sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the slew of Mustangs and BMWs. You wave back just as he turns and your hand drops in time with your faint smile as you begin your walk home.

-

"Hey," Eddie calls out, gaining a dirty look from the librarian. You're cheeks grow hot as you wave and sit beside him. You look down at the stacked textbooks and notebooks and you frown, "I'm sorry," You say, "I didn't mean to keep you waiting." He shakes his head, "No, no, no, I got here early. Figured I could catch up on some work for other classes while I waited. So far I've finished half of one assignment in the last hour, but progress is progress." You exhale through your nose amusedly as you take a seat beside him. "Did you skip class?" "Nah," He replies, "I have a free period. They only make you retake Gym so many times," He leans in close, "I'm not exactly the most athletic person if you hadn't noticed." "I hadn't," You say under your breath, gaze glued to his lips before you turn your head away just as his lips twitch with a small smile.

You talk him through a few formulas and help him work through some problems before the bell cuts you off with a deafening shriek. "Whelp," Eddie sighs, "That's time. This was fun-- which is something I never thought I'd say about math," He snickers at his own words and you smile fondly at his expression. "I had fun too," You smile at your shoes as you walk side-by-side to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow? We have a test, right? Maybe you could tutor me again during lunch so I'm prepared." You agree before you part ways, your smile finally reaching your eyes in a way that feels foreign yet so, so right.

-

"Hey," Eddie calls out just like yesterday, and, just like yesterday, the librarian sends him a dirty look, although it has softened just a smidge. "How was your day?" The boy asks and you reply with a simple 'good'. He groans, "That's not an answer, sweetheart." "It was, though," You reply, shrugging. "Tell me about it," He prompts, "Did you do anything fun? Did everyone absolutely suck like they always do in this prison?" You laugh, "It was just kinda boring." "'Was', So it's not anymore?" Your eyes lock with his and your smile remains as you shake your head, "Not in the slightest." "You flatter me, really."

With your chairs scooted just barely closer than yesterday, you try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach at the feeling of his arm brushing yours.

"That's just about as much as I know," You finally say with another thirty minutes before the bell, "If you fail, we both fail." "Maybe it'll be more fun with you." You smile bashfully as you close your textbook. "You should hang out at my table at lunch. It's usually just for club members, but we could make an exception." You freeze. Your body immediately goes to decline, your head shaking involuntarily. "I don't want to intrude," You sputter as you watch his face fall in disappointment.

You do this to every good thing; ruin it. You wash away any good, wipe away the smiles of those around you with your presence. You're a hazard, a threat to any joy in a person. You don't deserve this happiness if all you do is ruin it for others, if all you do is ruin everything.

Eddie shakes his head in protest, "You wouldn't be intruding. I want you there. I'm sure the others would like you." His breathtaking smile graces your soul once again and your thoughts fade into nothing but giddiness as your gaze locks onto his lips. "Okay," You hear yourself whisper before you can register what that means for you, for Eddie and his friends, for your friend--if she could still be called that. Eddie's smile grows again and your worries disappear as a twin smile forms on your own face.

The bell cuts off the force that seemed to be pulling you closer to the boy before you and you clear your throat as you pack up your things. Your hand brushes his as you walk to Math class, the two of you are both immensely unprepared for the test, but none of that matters.

After you turn in the test to the front, you sit down next to Eddie and he quickly scribbles something down on a torn piece of paper.

'want to go a ride home after school?'

You look up at his anxious smile and nod as you hand the paper back, the word 'yes' written beneath his own sloppy writing. He takes it back before the teacher yells at the class, "There will be no passing of notes during a test." You and Eddie share a look, hiding your laugh behind your hand as you await the bell.

-

"I know it's a little unconventional, but she gets the job done," Eddie says as he taps on the dented metal on the side of his van after helping you into the passenger seat. "Thanks for driving me," You say as you pull the seatbelt across your body. "No problem, sweetheart," You want to kiss him senseless whenever he calls you that. Your heart races and your palms go sweaty, and if you weren't in high school, you'd fear it were a heart attack with the way your heart skips a beat.

You tell him your address and lean against your hand with your arm resting on the center console. "Do you wanna make a small detour?" Eddie asks after a quiet moment. You shrug, "Sure, where to?" "I thought we could stop at this one place near Lover's Lake." Your eyebrows furrow, "You mean the town hookup spot?" You ask and he nearly chokes as he finds his words, "No, I--" He clears his throat, "It's a small beach just outside the trailer park." You hum, "Never been." "I found it when I was younger. Never seen anyone there when I go, so I don't think many people know about it."

He stops at the next stop sign and turns to you, awaiting your answer before he continues. You look into his eyes, nodding as you smile softly, and he skips the turn to your neighborhood as he keeps straight. He drives for a few minutes more before turning into a narrow path that was definitely not made for cars. You now understand the scratches in the paint.

"We're here," He says as he stops the car and you look at the water run over the pebble-filled sand through the windshield. You smile at the peaceful view and look to your left to speak when you're cut off with lips pressing to yours, a hand resting on your cheek. You close your eyes and lean into the kiss, smiling softly and you silently reassure yourself that you won't ruin this; not when you have him to distract you from your faults with one lopsided smile.

[blue--ingenue]

"Evasive Maneuvers" - Part 6

Read the next part

Summary: You've been in love with Sebastian since the moment you knocked him on his arse on your first day. Entering your sixth year, you finally begin working up the courage to confess your feelings when he suddenly becomes the best Beater Hogwarts has seen in decades - and subsequently becomes the school's most eligible bachelor.

Author's Notes: *shakes this chapter like a jar of dog biscuits* besties, i'm so sorry for the little hiatus, but as usually summer college classes were kicking my ass 🫠 my last finals are tomorrow, and then i need to speedrun packing for my dorm etc.... i also really wanted to do this chapter justice, so it was written and rewritten at least five times before i decided on the final draft. anyway, back to our (ir)regularly scheduled Slytherin himbo

The second he loses sight of her in the swarm of students he really starts to panic. He starts pushing his way through the crowd toward the last spot he saw her, but it’s by far easier said than done. Imelda calls out for him to come back for the usual post-game debrief, but he shouts an excuse over his shoulder about going to the hospital wing. She could be anywhere, and he’s wasting precious time. Sebastian doesn’t think he was nearly this panicked when he plummeted toward the ground mere minutes ago. He stops, exasperated, and surveys the crowd. 

Fuck it. 

He hastily mounts his broom and yanks the handle upward. Hard. It’s possibly the fastest he’s ever taken off and the crowd beneath him cheers as he shoots upward and forward. As soon as he clears the quidditch pitch he’s scanning the grounds for a trace of her homemade quidditch jersey. The thought of her putting so much time and effort into the garment, all in support of him, forces a fresh stab of guilt between his ribs. His broom seems to sense his urgency and accelerates on its own. God, he’s such an ass. She’s never been anything short of kind to him, far kinder than he probably deserves, and he’s spent the last few days thinking nothing but the worst of her. No, he realizes with a jolt, not even the worst. 

He’s been seething over the thought of her enjoying Weasley’s company. Merely being happy in his presence. Nothing malicious or untoward or even anything to do with him. Every new realization pricks him with equal measures of mortification and hope. How was he going to explain his recent actions without revealing his true feelings to her? He had no idea. At this point his one-track mind was focussed purely on finding her. He’d figure out the rest once he was sure no more tears adorned her face. Is this the type of bloke he was? So jealous that he’d rather cause pain than face it? He considers asking Anne for advice on the whole situation, but he already knows what his better half would say: “Just tell her how you feel.”

He shakes the thought from his head. Impossible. He couldn’t face the possibility of losing her if she felt the same way. And if she did? What if he wasn’t good enough for her? After all the pain he’d caused her in fifth year, and now this, what if she was better off with someone like Weasley? She deserves someone who will treat her heart with care. Someone who won’t coerce her into risking her life for dark magic. Although Sebastian had been true to his word about relinquishing dark magic, the guilt of his actions remained. Sometimes, on particularly dark nights, he’d wake to the sound of her wails and pleas as her body convulsed next to the remains of Noctua Gaunt, his hand would shake as he channeled the pain directly into her veins. Other nights he’d grip the sheets in a cold sweat, his body safe in bed, but his mind bound to the darkest parts of him he’d worked to repress. He could still feel the phantom rush of power as he held the relic. His blood sang with power as the resurrected dead moved to his every whim. And there, at the center of it all, her. 

Terrified, resolute, courageous. Even as inferi clawed at her arms and Solomon appeared at the mouth of the cave, red with rage, she was still trying to save him. In his darkest of moments he wonders if he’d ever deserved saving at all. If she hadn’t knocked him unconscious, and if Anne’s curse hadn’t lifted as soon as Rookwood was destroyed, Sebastian knew he could’ve done a lot more damage. He knew he didn’t deserve her, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her. And oh, did he want her. She was radiant, inside and out. Even if she wasn’t the most beautiful witch he’d ever beheld, her heart and mind would enchant him all the same. She was always so quick to help others, so fearless in her every endeavor, it was a wonder she had any love left to give. She never failed to surprise him. She made him want to be a better man. She saw every flaw in his character, ran a gentle hand along every faultline in his heart and mended it with a selflessness rarer than the ancient magic gracing her person. 

Sometimes he wanted to grab hold of her, tender yet so very sincere, and remind her that she needed to save herself, too. He wouldn’t insult her intelligence by suggesting that she was ignorant of her own needs. But one time, just one time, he wished she would put her well being above others’. 

There was one question still nagging at the bag of his mind, a thread he had neither the time nor heart to unravel at the time. Why had she been so upset by his kissing Amelia? Was she perhaps still angry at him for ignoring her this morning? Why else would she - 

Oh, hell. 

It was impossible, no more than a pipe dream, but did she share his feelings? Why else would she have run away? He wanted more than anything to believe it, but what if he was wrong? He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he confessed his feelings and she didn’t feel the same, he could lose her. But if she did, she could lose herself. He knew from experience that she’d go to hell and back just to fetch him, but she shouldn’t have to. Despite his best efforts he’d found numerous ways to hurt her in the past year. She didn’t deserve him. She deserved better. And if she wouldn’t make that choice herself, well, he’d just have to make it for her. 

Sebastian was so lost in his thoughts he nearly missed the flash of green beneath him. Cursing himself, he circled back to her and flew lower. It was unmistakably her. His last name billowed as she walked quickly toward the castle. He descended rapidly, calling out her name and begging her to wait. She turned and their gazes connected. Even if she was angry with him he felt a glimmer of hope that at least he had a chance to fix things. He was so focussed on her, he didn’t realize he was about to fly right into a tree until she shouted a warning, but it was too late to stop. Branches whipped at his face, stinging as he plowed through the tree before his broom lodged between two trunks and he was thrown forward. He managed to latch onto the branch, narrowly avoiding a swift trip to the ground twenty feet below. For the second time that day the air was forced from his bruised lungs and he fought the urge to vomit. Despite the pain and mortification, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel that this was at least partially deserved. He heard creaking as the branches to his left shifted and he watched his broom plummet to the ground. Well, the handle landed first, and the brush followed a moment later. Great, he thought. Imelda was sure to give him an earful about this. 

A brighter spot of green obscured the remains of his broom, and she looked up at him. He could almost hear a crack shooting through his heart as he took in her appearance. Her tears had smeared the green and silver paint almost completely off her cheeks. Her eyes were red-rimmed and every sniffle sent her shoulders trembling. At this moment he would have let go and fallen to the ground immediately if it meant he could wipe the tears from her face. Did he even deserve to? What right did he have to cause her grief and then swoop in like some undeserving savior?

She wordlessly raised her hands and reached out as though to pluck him from the branches. Blue light arced from her hands as she channeled her ancient magic. Sebastian felt himself being gently extricated from the twigs and leaves before those same gentle blue tendrils lowered him to the grass before her. 

The pair stood still. The intensity of her gaze rivaled his, but neither took a step forward. The air felt heavy with implications, things still left unsaid. Say something! A voice screamed in his head. You made this whole bloody mess, so say something!

He took two steps toward her, and said, “I’m sorry.”

She made no move toward him, and if not for the near-imperceptible softening of her brow he might’ve thought she hadn’t heard him. “For what?”

The determined search of her gaze told him everything. They both knew what she was really asking. She was waiting for him to voice his feelings. To lay claim to every bit of stolen affection threaded through the moments they shared. He had to tell her. He needed to tell her, she deserved that much. He opened his mouth to speak and - 

“I like you!” he shouted. She startled at his panicked outburst and he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. She looked at him, calculating and wary, before taking a step back. “Sebastian, you don’t have to say that simply because you feel guilty about-” he gave a frustrated groan and closed the distance between them in two determined strides. He frantically took her hands in his, held them gently, and whispered the truth he’d been so desperate to hide from. 

“That isn’t why. Please, you must know that isn’t why,” he pleaded. A stray tear remained on the apple of her cheek and he brushed it away with a tender swipe of his hand. He let his touch linger for a moment before drifting back to clasp her hands. “You occupy my every waking moment. Even in sleep I cannot escape the thought of you. Nor would I ever want to,” he declared. Her eyes searched for any hint of insincerity, but she didn’t pull away from him. Sebastian took that as a sign of encouragement and continued.  

“You are unlike any witch or wizard I have ever met. Kinder and braver than any soul I’ll ever meet, and my heart is irrevocably yours. You needn’t say anything, but know that it belongs to you. I’ve been a prick to you. I was selfish and scared and jealous, and I’m sorry for kissing Amelia. I won’t insult you by asking for forgiveness I know I don’t deserve, but you must know that I am yours, even if you want nothing to do with me.“

He finishes, breathless, and watches her. His brain is on fire and he’s pretty sure he’s run through the entire spectrum of human emotion in the last thirty seconds, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t give her time to process everything he’s just thrown at her. He waits, and waits, and his palms begin to sweat. Shit. Was this the wrong time? Had he just royally fucked up whatever remained of their friendship? His gaze flicked up to her face, which had remained stoic beneath her runny makeup and the volley of emotion he had just flung at her. An agonizingly slow moment later she looked at him, really looked, as though for the first time, and she was livid.

There was fire in her eyes and blue magic arced from her fingertips. He took an instinctive step back as she leveled him with a stare rivaling the intensity of his own jackrabbiting heart. She swallowed thickly, and spoke.

“And how long,” she started, cocking her head. “How long have you felt this way?” He gulped. Was she going to hex him? Sebastian was sure he deserved it six ways to Sunday, but he would’ve at least liked more of a reaction to his confession before she blasted him to hell. 

“Since fifth year?” he squeaked. He actually squeaked. Good gods, this was mortifying. He thanked whoever was listening that at the very least Ominis wasn’t here to witness the whole ordeal. He answered like it was a question, when really this one of the only truths he knew in the core of his being to be true.

She took a step toward him, her mouth agape and eyes narrowed in confusion. Hysterically, he thought it was the same look she adopted when Professor Binns roused her from her nap to answer a question during lecture. He gulped. 

“Why on earth haven’t you said anything?!” she shrieked. He furrowed his brows and took a step closer to her. If she was going to immolate him, fine. For her he’d burn a thousand times. 

“Because I know you don’t feel the same!” He shouted frantically. “You don’t! You can’t, and you shouldn’t! I’ve been awful to you, and you deserve better!”

She held her face in her hands, exasperated and inhaling deeply, before throwing her hands up and shouting to the heavens, “Of course I feel the same!” She cried. “Merlin’s bloody balls, how thick can you get?!”

He stilled. He’s pretty sure his heart had stopped beating around the same time the air in his lungs froze over. “What?”

At his single syllable all the anger seemed to seep from her figure. She crossed her arms, the blue lightning dissipating as her chest heaved. When she spoke she was gentle, careful.

“Sebastian, did you truly not know?” Her eyes were pleading, searching his for answers he wasn’t sure he could provide.

He spluttered. She couldn’t feel the same. She didn’t…”You’ve never given any inclination. And I didn’t want to do anything untoward or unwanted…” he trailed off.

She laughed. Not a cruel, mocking sound like he probably deserved, but chiding. It wasn’t unlike the chuckles he heard from her when one of her puffskeins tried licking her when she wasn’t looking. 

“Sebastian bloody Sallow, I’ve been in love with you from the start. I don’t know how you could possibly think I don’t care for you, but please, banish the thought.” She declared softly. He suddenly realized how close they’d drifted. The red thread connecting his heart to hers always had a way of drawing them together. He looked down and she was nearly flush against his chest. Instinctively he drew his arms around her. Something sharp poked his chest and he brushed it aside. It was the necklace he’d given her. Within the gilded confines the stone glowed a deep, confident blue. A memory sparked somewhere in the back of his mind as he recalled the parchment the vendor had given him. Blue - truth.

He dropped the pendant as though it had burned him. She was telling the truth. She loved him, truly and completely, and he loved her the same. Everything he wanted was within his grasp, if only…If only he were someone more deserving. If only he were someone who could keep her safe and care for her in the ways she deserved. He looked down and her eyes were drifting closed. Just before they fluttered shut her gaze flickered to his lips. That’s funny, when had he started dipping his head toward her? His composure faltered - and good gods, no man could be strong enough for such temptation-

But he needed to be. Sebastian Sallow might not be the man she deserves, but he would be a man strong enough to keep her from making the mistake of choosing him. His eyes shot open and he pressed a gently finger to her lips. “Wait,” he whispered. She stilled and stopped. Gods, her lips were soft beneath his touch. And the way she was looking at him, with such open vulnerability, twisted the dagger he held to his own heart. She was confused, waiting for him to say something.

He released her and took a step back. And then another, and another. “We can’t. You can’t feel this way for me. I’ll only hurt you again, and you deserve better.” He broke her gaze hung his head. “So much better…”

When he looked up at her again, he almost wished he hadn’t. The tears were back, and this time her lip was trembling. He strode toward her, holding out his arms in comfort, but she held up a hand. It was trembling, and blue lightning crackled across her palm, but her voice was steady as she spoke. 

“Nobody makes my decisions for me. Nobody. You can tell me that you love me, or hate me, or anything in between. But you don’t get to stand there and tell me how I am meant to feel. If you don’t want me, then just say so. I deserve that much.”

Sebastian was truly and utterly speechless. He did want her, more than anything, but he couldn’t trust himself to keep her from harm on his behalf. He couldn’t draw her back into his arms knowing that he didn’t deserve her, but telling her that he didn’t want her? That would surely kill him. So he stood, silent, and said nothing at all.

As the seconds drew on, she seemed to take his lack of response as an answer all the same. She nodded her head once before stalking past him back to the castle, and he got one good look at the pendant as her shoulders shook with sobs. Black - anguish.

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Bonus Author's Note: besties, no matter how much you love someone, never let anyone make your decisions for you or tell you how you feel. you are irreplacable and nobody has the right to save you for later <3

Taglist: @snickette, @findingtruenorth23, @plooloo, @paganicher, @smilesworldsposts, @snoozebun, @crazyllamasurfer, @pixie-dustss, @margottheviking, @lollife1617, @milk-barrs-blog, @somethingiswrongwithme, @bleh-stupid, @stay-gray, @mrsbrookesallow, @lostgirl-28, @kateisnotheree, @doigettokeepyou, @dreamqueenkala, @uwuitzerimpact, @neoqueen306

[theweirdgoodbyes]

“C’mon, lemme help you. You’re breakin’ my heart.”

It’s a Thursday night, the Eagles are playing against the Patriots, and Babe Heffron is one miserable son of a bitch. He had called Bill for an emergency meeting after a particularly gruesome day at work, which including him chasing a student eloping out of the building and down the streets of Philadelphia in 15 degree weather. Why administration hadn’t listened to him about needing locks on his doors, he’ll never understand. Babe ended the day freezing, frustrated, and with a pile of paperwork. He loved his job as a special education teacher, and loved making a difference in young lives. But days like today always brought him back to their familiar spot, The Currahee, much needed beer in hand. One beer had turned into two, and then three, and then Babe lamenting his lonely existence as a perpetually single gay man.

“Pussy hound Bill Guarnere wants to help me pick up a guy? Has hell frozen over?” Babe asks sarcastically, pressing two fingers to the pulse in his neck, “Am I dead?”

“Shaddup. Don’t act like the guys wouldn’t go crazy over me.”

Babe leans forward, reaching out to pat Bill’s arm, “Oh, baby, you drive me crazy alright.”

Babe would do anything for Bill Guarnere. When they were sixteen, and Babe finally understood why he didn’t look at girls the way other guys did, he was terrified to tell Bill that he was gay. Bill, all rough edges and macho energy, had been his best friend since the first day of kindergarten. “You tryna play?” Bill had barked at him the moment Babe stepped into the classroom, still clinging to his mother’s legs. From that moment on the two of them were inseparable. The idea of losing Bill was scarier than anything he could think of, and it took Babe months and several pep talks in the mirror to muster up the courage. So one fateful night, as they drank some stolen beers on Babe’s childhood trampoline, Babe just blurted it out.

“Bill, I like guys.”

Bill was silent for a moment, before tossing his beer over the netting and rolling on top of Babe to envelop him in a giant hug. Babe hugged him back and fought back tears against his shoulder, comforted by Bill’s gruff assurances that best friends forever meant forever. Ten years later, here they are, still thick as thieves, and Bill is adamant that all of Babe’s problems will be solved by getting laid.

“Alright, ‘nough of the funny business,” Bill puts his hands up, as serious as he could ever be. “You want my help or not? I’m tired of listenin’ to you piss and moan over what’s his face.”

“Henry,” Babe sighs, thinking of his ex boyfriend. They had only dated for the summer while Henry was doing an internship in the area. He had gone back to Buffalo in August, and Babe’s love life has been bleak since.

“Yeah, Fuckface McGee, him. You were too good for him, Babe, didn’t I always tell you that?” Bill raises a furry eyebrow, forgetting that according to him Babe was too good for every boyfriend he’s had. He had also taken up the obnoxious but well-meaning habit of running every guy Babe had ever spoken to through the database at the police station, with something as small as a speeding ticket enough to make him concerned. “How long have you known me?”

“Too damn long.”

“And have I ever steered you wrong?”

Before Babe can open his mouth, Bill points at him with a shake of his head, “Don’t answer that. Take a good look around this bar and take your pick. Daddy’s gonna help you.”

Babe looks around the bar. It’s a freezing night in January, so it’s only regulars like him and Bill who have no better place to be. He scans past familiar faces until he sees someone he doesn’t recognize.

“Him.”

Bill turns to look. This stranger is sitting at the bar, eyes laser-focused on the game playing above him. Babe can’t make out the color, but can feel the intensity in them from across the room. He’s got a short crop of black hair to match his furrowed brows, a bit of stubble, and lips that Babe is very interested in seeing up close.

“That guy? The little one with the face?”

“He’s not little.”

“You think he’s on your team?”

Babe keeps looking at this handsome stranger, taking more of him in. His gaydar has always been horrible, highlighted by the confident kiss he had once given his buddy Welsh only to gently be told that friends is all they would ever be. Babe runs on the assumption because it’s 2024, and the world is a much more accepting place than it was ten years ago, that trying to hit on a straight guy isn’t the worst thing that could happen. The stranger is still wearing his coat, despite the stuffy bar air, arms crossed and hands tucked under his armpits like he’s cold. He’s found a lonely corner of the bar, and the drink in front of him is empty. He’s got an air about him that’s says “leave me the fuck alone”, and Babe sees him shake his head when the bartender goes over. Maybe he’s getting ready to leave, he thinks. Babe starts to second guess himself, and begins looking around to see his other options. Handsome Stranger’s mysterious vibe is intriguing, but the possibility of rejection would put Babe in the ground after his rough day.

“I’m goin’ in,” Bill stands up before Babe can protest and struts over to the bar, misplaced confidence oozing out of him.

Babe can only watch in horror as Bill plops himself down next to Handsome Stranger, sticks out a meaty hand, and begins to jabber away. He decides that’s all he needs to see and sets his sight on the nearest TV just in time to watch the Eagles make a touchdown. At least it’s a good day for the Bird Gang.

A moment passes and Babe finds the courage to look back at the bar. He sees Bill stomping back over to him, face contorted in a scowl that Babe is all too familiar with. The conversation cannot have gone in his favor. The guy is definitely straight, potentially homophobic based on Bill’s visible anger.

“What did he say?” Babe dares to ask. He puts his glass to his lips, praying for a miracle.

“First of all, kid must be fuckin’ blind because he took one look at me and says ‘Absolutely not’.”

Babe chokes on his beer, sputtering foam all over the table. He pounds his chest with his fist, willing himself to breathe through his laughter. It’s not often that Bill faces rejection, and the obvious wound to his ego is something Babe will savor for years to come.

“So I says, ‘Listen, toots’-“

Babe’s laughter is cut short and he groans, because of course Bill would make an ass of himself, and by extension, Babe. “Bill, no, you did not call him ‘toots’-“

“I says, ‘first of all, you ain’t my type, with the lack of tits and that pissy pout-“

“BILL!”

“-and you ain’t for me, you’re for the poor fucker sittin’ over here’”, Bill plops back down in his chair, shaking his head. He finishes his beer and sighs, like the interaction has exhausted him, “And then I walked away before I punched him in the mouth.”

Babe just drops his head down on the table. This isn’t the first time Bill has been an absolute beast in public, and it certainly won’t be the last. Babe’s minuscule dream of a night not spent alone has been dashed.

“You need a muzzle,” he mumbles to the wood, “I’m gonna have to tie you to the pole outside. Put up a sign that says, ‘please don’t pet me, I bite’.”

“Don’t be a prick. Can’t say I didn’t tr-“

“Hey.”

Babe looks up and Jesus Christ, Handsome Stranger is standing right in front of him. Although the bar is quieter than usual, the man had appeared with such silence that Babe wonders if he appeared out of thin air. He can barely believe this is real, certain that the guy was either straight or so repulsed by Bill that all hope was lost.

“Hey,” he squeaks out. Oh, Christ. He clears his throat and repeats himself, “Hey.”

The guy stares at him with those dark eyebrows still furrowed, like he’s looking at something under a microscope. Suddenly self-conscious under his unrelenting gaze, Babe runs his hand over his forehead, trying to rub away any red mark that might be left from slamming his head down.

God, up close he really is hot. His eyes are somewhere between blue and grey, complimented by the blue scrubs he’s wearing under his coat. Babe feels his cheeks turning as red as his hair, but unable to look away from those unblinking eyes. Over the hum of distant conversations and game commentary, Babe wonders if Handsome Stranger can hear his heart thumping out of his chest.

“You his friend?” He sticks a thumb at Bill, who immediately straightens up.

“His best friend, actu-“

“Give me your phone.”

Babe could fall out of his chair. There’s no way.

“My what?”

“Your phone. It’s right there.” Handsome Stranger points to where it rests on the table next to Babe’s glass.

“Oh, yeah, sure, here.” Babe scrambles to grab his phone and unlock it, handing it over quicker than he would like to admit.

The stranger taps at it and then quickly types something in and hands it back to Babe. He looks to see his contacts open, with a new addition: Eugene Roe. He doesn’t recognize the area code, explaining why he’s never seen this Eugene before tonight.

“Cool beans,” is all Babe can think to say because holy shit, he did not expect Bill to actually pull through with this. When he looks up again, Eugene Roe is gone. He looks to the door just in time to see it swing shut, catching a quick glimpse of white sneakers walking away.

Bill gives him a shit eat grinning and grabs his shoulders to give him a rough shake.

“Cool beans? What are you, fuckin’ twelve?”

“I panicked,” Babe defends himself. He can’t help but smile and looks back at his phone. He wonders if it would make him seem desperate to text him right now. Yeah, it would, he decides, maybe he’ll wait an hour-

Bill cackles, a sound that shocks Babe back into reality. “Never say I never did nothin’ for you, even though that guy is already on thin fuckin’ ice with me. Now go buy me a beer. The king is thirsty.”

Babe happily obliges, making his way over to the bar in a half-daze. While the bartender pours Bill’s beer, Babe looks back over to where his handsome no-longer a stranger was sitting. Eugene Roe, he thinks, who are you?

(Now posted on my ao3 with some edits! https://archiveofourown.org/works/53977666#work_endnotes)

[mamirhodessxox]

Hey There Delilah pt 12

Cody Rhodes x Fem Reader!OC (Delilah Jones)

Storyline: Delilah was born and raised by the beach in L.A and grew up in a home where her parents expected her to go to Harvard & become a well known woman who marry’s a man who is a lawyer after high school. But that’s not what she wanted, She always wanted to own a boutique/flower shop & she did, once her parents discovered she wouldn’t attend college they left her to fend for herself but allowed her little sister Kinsley to visit or sleep over whenever, Her little sister always had an eye for WWE but Delilah never understood why but little did either of them know one of Delilah’s customers would become well acquainted. (Creds to @alyyaanna for helping me w the storyline)

Contents: Toxic parents, Angst, Fluff, Smut in later chapters, Based in May 2024, Alcohol, Violence, Corruption Kink, Size Kink, Daddy Kink, Crying Kink, Hand Kink, Praise Kink, Fingering, Smutty smut, Mentions of a Custody Battle.

🏷️ list: @alyyaanna @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @adollonyourshelf @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41 @harmshake @femdisa @kabloswrld @claymoresofinfamy23

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

For most of April things went amazingly smooth, Cody won his first ever Wrestle Mania Championship, Kinsley had a girls soccer game and won with the graces of Mira, It was finally May, it was Kinsley’s last week of school and then the summer would start off with Cody & Delilah’s wedding.

Delilah sat in the principals office with Cody at her old girls only k-12 school she attended for the early years of elementary and middle school, This is where Kinsley was also attending, why are they at the principals office you may ask? “Mrs Jon-“ “Rhodes.” Cody coughed out and snickered when Lilah nudged his knee “Mrs Rhodes…I haven’t seen you since your graduation, I’m pleased to see you, as I know your little sister is attending this school I had high expectations of her given the fact she is related to you, but I suppose not..” Delilah raised a brow and turned to look at Cody but he placed a hand on her stomach “Lilah n-“ Delilah shook her head patting his shoulder as a way of telling him to let her say her peace “Who are you addressing right now? I’ll have you know Kinsley is a goddamn genius compared to half of the kids in this school. She has all A’s and a damn good soccer player so what the hell could she have done to be spoken about like this?” The principal sighed removing his glasses “Kinsley fought another student, she claims this girl has been bullying her and hit her first so she fought back but you know we don’t tolerate violence.”

“So why is she being punished and not the other girl bullying her?” Cody questioned with a confused expression “Well Sir, She uhm..Before she began fighting the little girl it was confirmed that she told her and I quote ‘I’m gonna RKO your pasty ass’ and you know we just can’t tolerate tha-“ Lilah snorted and covered her mouth followed by Cody as he cleared his throat “She’s a um..a big wrestling fan.” The room went silent & eventually Kinsley was requested to come into the office “That teaches her violence Mr Rhodes we suggest you control what she wat-“She’s doing perfectly fine thank you. She hasn’t ever been violent unless it comes to self defense & second off, You do realize the man you are addressing right now IS in wwe correct? She looks up to him & watches him 24/7 just to be his biggest supporter”Delilah chirped back in trying to keep herself calm for her & the baby’s health & decided to take the suspension papers that laid on the desk & sign away “Well maybe his career choice in life has taken an impact and influence on he-“

“Okay so she got in a fight with a bully..did you win?” Kinsley nodded while the principal glared “Mr Rhodes that is a very inappropriate question.” The blonde shrugged and looked over at his Fiancé who was busy signing off suspension papers “So what? She got bullied, whoever the little asshole was hit her first so she fought back. It’s called self defense, back in my day we handled conflict with beating the hell out of each other.” The principle let out a sigh while Delilah pushed the papers aside “Look we know Kinsley may have gotten viol-“ Cody interrupted “Kinsley is justified. And I know this is the same school Delilah went too which means I know someone who went here as well and boy does she have a large track record of being a pain in your guy’s ass”

The principle raised an eyebrow as he had a puzzled face expression before the doors opened making him quickly realize Cody & Delilah came with backup “I knew I’d see your old wrinkly ass again one day.” Mira spoke as she walked in with Randy before making Cody get up out of a seat so she could sit down while Kinsley just stood awkwardly “Look I can just take the suspen-“ Mira shot her a look “Let me handle it.” The elderly man stared at the 4 sitting in his office and shook his head “Ms Mirabella, This does not concern y-“ “It absolutely does. I don’t understand how you let a bully freely go back to class but your screwing over Kinsleys education by suspending her for SELF DEFENSE.”

“That is because she should have reported it to a tea-“ “Bullshit.” Delilah, Randy, Cody & Mira spoke in unison before Randy took the lead “Your going to suspend the one who has been bullying Kinsley & your going to do it immediately.” Delilah got involved again and spoke with a serious tone, Mira nodded in agreement and spoke up once mode “I would suggest this happens after we leave this nasty ass office otherwise I will key your car again like before & smash your windows in? Got it? Awesome, cool, Let’s go.”

Delilah smiled politely & gently scooted a sticky note to the older principle which showed to be a doodle of a middle finger that she made with all of the time she had while Mira and Randy come to Kinsley’s defense.

“I think we did really good in there what about you!” Cody held up a high-five in Mira’s direction making her glare “Get your hand away from my face before I end the chances of you having anymore children.” She spoke blandly before turning to Kinsley “Did you win?” The little girl stood in silence before nodding “Good girl. Maybe when we get you home you can beat Cody’s ass.” Delilah placed her hands against her stomach “Mira..n-” “Oh my god what he could teach her self defense or something and she can beat him up” Cody scratched his neck “I’d rather not get my ass beat by a child.” Mira grabbed a clump of dirt once they made it outside of the school “Nobody asked you.” She spoke before throwing the dirt at his head.

Cody signed and turned to Delilah & smiled at her as he admired her beauty until she walked closer towards him and swiped the dirt off of him & smiled “You’re gonna have to take a shower when we get back home.” He hummed in agreement “Are you gonna help me get washed up?” She smiled and kissed his cheek “Nope. I have bridal duties to take care of” he chuckled “Do these bridal duties include you going to target when I’m not paying attention so you could buy 10000 more baby clothes?” Mira turned around after speaking with Randy & watched the couple and smiled to herself as she saw the glimmer in Delilahs eyes everytime Cody brought up the word “baby”

Two days later they all agreed on having a bachelor & bachelorette party together instead of separately since they both wouldn’t function without each other. It was a small party at the flower & boutique shop, miraculously made her famous fruit crepes, Randy grilled some steak since the shop was still in front of the beach. Kinsley was running around with Seth playing tag, but Cody & Delilah snuck off walking around in the sand hand in hand “What’s on your mind love?” Cody blurted out after noticing her calm silence “just reminiscing” she smiled and stopped walking just to wrap herself around his embrace “Your just the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen” Cody grinned ear to ear before pulling her in for a kiss & mumbling against her lips “I have a surprise for you after our wedding” Delilah tilted her head and smiled “I don’t need any surprises marrying you is already enough”

May 10th 2018

Delilah and Mira were at an after party for their recent high-school graduation, Lilah had a few drinks along with Mira and the two partied for hours.

Throughout the night they would go up and dance or drink but now all they wanted to do was relax, so they did, they found a guest bedroom and sat talking about life and their parents

“What do you want your wedding to be like lils?”

Delilah smiled at the thought “Well, I always wanted my wedding held in a floral garden with a gazebo to get married in during the reception, I want a white dress with a corset top and the ends of the dress shades with a light pink with fake pink roses sewn into it and the veil that covers my face..the groom will choose whatever cake he wants, I want the wedding song for when I walk down the isle as Paris, Texas by Lana Del Rey, a-and I walk kinsley to be the flower girl and if they are well bonded I want my husband to have a dance with her..the colors need to be white and light shades of floral colors when it comes to decorations”

Mira smiled and knew Delilah was set and stone for this whenever she gets married

“I believe that whoever my husband is, God brought him to me, because I pray that when I find that man he & Kinsley will be two peas in a pod. What do you want for your wedding?”

Mira sat & thought before smiling to herself “I don’t know, I guess I never really thought about it, maybe something like a beach wedding, like tropical-ish, I would want the kiss to fall at a sunset type of thing after the vows, I want a white thin mermaid wedding dress with a slit on the side of my thigh, I’d want my cake to be vanilla but with some sort of fruity icing in the middles y’know?”

Delilah smiled and held her best-friend’s hand “I’ll make it happen Mira.”

3 Weeks Later, May 25th, Present time

Delilah stood in the dressing room staring at herself in the mirror as Mira helped tie the white floral print corset that was attached to the wedding dress that had the pink ombre at the bottom with pink roses sewn into it, Mira decided not to make it too tight, she smiled as she pulled her hair back a bit before placing the veil with pink roses that were also sewn in, Mira felt a tear drop onto her cheek as she saw her bestfriend in the full look

“Cody is a lucky man Delilah.” Mira spoke Lilah smiled and turned around to face her bestfriend that would be officiating the wedding between Cody & Delilah

“Thank You, Mira, for making my dreams come true and just being here for me, You’ve been my best-friend for so many years, because you’ve done so much for me I have a surprise for you later tonight, It’s my turn to make your dreams come true.” Delilah smiled along with Mira before pulling her in for a hug “You’re like my sister Delilah. Y’know I’d do anything for you.”

An hour later 30 minutes before the reception started Delilah pulled Randy in a private area to discuss his relationship with Mira.

“How long have you two been dating?” Randy sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets “since the cabin vacation, I-I really love Mira I just don’t know how to show i-“ “then learn Randy, she would drop everything to do anything for or with you and you know it”

Randy nodded and fiddled with something in his pocket “I want to uhm..Marry her lilah, I have the ring with me everyday but I’m just- I’m scared shitless.” Delilah smiled “I’m aware, I won’t tell you how I know but I will tell you how you’ll propose..”

Meanwhile Randy & Delilah plotted, Mira stood in Cody’s dressing room and helped him adjust the tie on his suit and do any double takes “Aside of me fuckin’ with you I just want to say you’re actually pretty cool, thank you for coming into Delilah & Kinsey’s life” Cody grinned and gave her a hug “Of course, Thank you for helping me with the proposal, the wedding, everything. You’re amazing Mira, I wouldn’t be getting married if it weren’t for your help.” The two smiled and hugged.

Once it was time Randy walked Delilah down the isle as the soft harmony of Paris, Texas by lana del ray surrounded everyone’s ears, kinsley followed behind her gently tossing flower petals as many butterflies flew through until Delilah & Cody were face to face as Mira spoke up

“Welcome family, friends and loved ones. We are gathered today to celebrate the union of Cody and Delilah, We are all here to support this commitment of love and to share the joy of one another and the love as they choose to spend their lives together. Cody and Delilah your marriage will be a lifelong promise to love, respect, trust and honor each other through the good, the bad and the unexpected. This union represents your commitment to support one another as individual beings but share your joys, sorrows, and dreams as one. Today, you gain an equal partner that will be your confidant, your defender and your motivator through all of your aspirations and goals. You will celebrate each accomplishment, provide peace through every setback and most importantly, give love in life’s both big and little moments. If you two have any vows to say please share them now.”

Cody cleared his throat as he gently held Delilah’s hand while he stared at her through the veil that covered her face, “Delilah, When i first met you in the flower shop something told me that I needed to keep visiting that shop, and after I got to know you more I then realized I needed you in my life, I knew immediately we would have a story to build together along with a future, I’m more than grateful that you & Kinsley were brought into my life. I love you to the moon and saturn.”

Delilah smiled ear to ear at his loving words before taking a deep breath “Cody when you met me I was in the most difficult place of my life, and so soon you were already willing to help me and guide me through every curve and bump on the road but You have been so impactful for Kinsley & I, you showed me that love is the most magical thing in the world, You treat Kinsley as if she was yours & you give her a safe place to express herself, after weeks of talking I just knew you would be my husband one day, And I am so grateful to say that my dream came true & I get to call myself your wife today.”

Mira smiled as she wiped the tears off her face “Cody I now ask that you repeat after me, I Cody take you Delilah as you are, I promise from this day forward to love and treasure you for the rest of my life, to be your rock when things get tough, to be your number one fan in all of your accomplishments, to be grateful for all that you are and for choosing to spend the rest of your journey with me, to be patient and kind, to build a safe and loving home with you, to fill your days with laughter, to inspire you to pursue your dreams, to be faithful, to grow old with you and live a fulfilled life. This I promise you.

Cody grinned and tightened his Grip on her hands “I Cody take you Delilah as you are, I promise from this day forward to love and treasure you for the rest of my life, to be your rock when things get tough, to be your number one fan in all of your accomplishments, to be grateful for all that you are and for choosing to spend the rest of your journey with me, to be patient and kind, to build a safe and loving home with you, to fill your days with laughter, to inspire you to pursue your dreams, to be faithful, to grow old with you and live a fulfilled life. This I promise you.”

“Delilah, please repeat after me.”

Mira repeated the speech as she turned towards her head towards Delilah “I Delilah take you Cody as you are, I promise from this day forward to love and treasure you for the rest of my life, to be your rock when things get tough, to be your number one fan in all of your accomplishments, to be grateful for all that you are and for choosing to spend the rest of your journey with me, to be patient and kind, to build a safe and loving home with you, to fill your days with laughter, to inspire you to pursue your dreams, to be faithful, to grow old with you and live a fulfilled life. This I promise you.”

Delilah smiled widely as soft tears drifted down her cheeks while Cody caressed her hand with his thumb

“I Delilah take you Cody as you are, I promise from this day forward to love and treasure you for the rest of my life, to be your rock when things get tough, to be your number one fan in all of your accomplishments, to be grateful for all that you are and for choosing to spend the rest of your journey with me, to be patient and kind, to build a safe and loving home with you, to fill your days with laughter, to inspire you to pursue your dreams, to be faithful, to grow old with you and live a fulfilled life. This I promise you.”

Mira sighed out in relief and nodded her head as Seth pulled out the wedding rings and handed them too her

Cosy take this ring and place it on Delilah’s finger. Repeat after me:

Delilah I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise I made to you today.”

Cody repeated Mira’s words to delilah and as he placed the ring on her finger he pressed a soft kiss against the ring as Delilah repeated after Mira and placed the ring on his finger.

“Having pledged your love and promise to one another today in front of all of your friends and family and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Cody immediately pushed the vail over Delilah’s face and pulled her in by the waist as he pressed his lips against hers and stroked her lower back before she pulled away to hold the side of his face as the two let out a cry of happiness

“Congratulations! Friends and family, it is my honor to introduce to you: Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes”

Later that night everyone attended the after party, Delilah gathered everyone around as she spun around to throw the bouquet, the ladies stepped aside as Mira quickly caught it while Cody tosses a small black box towards Randy

Everyone cheered for Mira as she laughed a hit and held the flowers and while she spun around she stopped immediately as she noticed Randy infront of her on his knees holding a small black box revealing a beautiful saphire blue ring “Mira I know that at times I can be a total dick & I know that we tend to bicker a lot but, I love you more than one could imagine babygirl & I want to thank you for showing me your love, your care & your loyalty, Your a drop dead gorgeous woman & you are so charismatic and funny and I love you so fucking much for being the person you are” Mira covered her mouth as she let out a small cry followed with a smile on her face “After months of being with You I slowly realized you were the one I’ll he marrying one day so I ask you now..Will you give me the privilege of making me your husband?” She let out a rushed out “Yes!” Before putting the ring on and hugging him tightly as she pressed kisses all over His face, Cody & Delilah smiled together as they watched the couple infront of them celebrate each other.

Moments later He & Delilah cut the cake & revealed the pregnancy & shared a slow dance together, Delilah eventually pulled Kinsley on the floor as she shared a dance with him & just had fun bouncing around.

Seth approached Delilah from the side lines of the dance floor “Congratulations Delilah, I’m happy for the both of you.” She smiled and pulled him in for a hug “Thank you seth, That means a lot to me.”

For last 30 minutes Delilah & Mira danced with each other, Jey shared his excitement on being an uncle to the baby. Cody admired his wife

Many hours into the party Delilah stood on a balcony as she admired the flowers and sunset before realizing Cody was approaching her with a smile “Hi gorgeous.” She hummed softly and wrapped her arms around him as the wind caused her dress to start flowing “Hi handsome” Cody smiled as his fingers dragged through her subtle curls before pressing a kiss against her lips and holding her close.

“I love you to the moon and beyond Delilah.”

Manirhodessxox’s Masterlist

[outsideratheart]

A Future With You (Ashley Sanchez x reader)

A/N: Where did this fic come from you ask? I have no idea and I’m not a huge fan of it but i like to think of it as a spring clean fic. I had to write this so that I can clear my head and make room for another one. Also,this GIF is adorable.

The Washington Spirit had just played their final game of the NWSL season and it didn’t end the way the team wanted. 

You had missed 6 weeks of the season due to international duties which you didn’t mind because in that time you and the Lionesses had been crowned Champions of Europe. A title which you achieved in front of a sold out Wembley stadium. 

Now just over 2 months later the Lionesses are making their return against none other than the World Champions, the United States of America. The fact that an International friendly will be played in front of 70,000 fans is amazing and something you didn’t think possible before the summer tournament. 

“It’s 5 days Ash” you tell your girlfriend as the two of you stand in the departures at Ronald Reagan airport.

Ashley is currently stood with her head buried in the crook of your neck and her arms wrapped tightly around your torso.  

She refuses to move so her reply is inaudible. 

“I feel like I have just got you back. Why do you have to leave?” Ashley pouts as she looks up at you.

You can tell that she is upset that you are leaving. This time, when she drops you off at the airport you would be reunited in just under a week but still the feeling is bitter sweet. You wanted nothing more than to stay with her but you also loved playing for England.

“I have to leave because I’m British remember?” You tease her.

“Oh yes, the accent, how could I forget” 

A small chuckle escapes your lips at her answer. According to Ashley she heard you before she saw you, your accent drew her in all those years ago at UCLA and she has been yours ever since.

You stay entangled in each other arms until the last minute.

“I really do have to go now”  you say whilst checking your watch.

“You know when I next see you, you will be my enemy” she pokes your chest and gives you her best mean face.

“Adorable” you gently kiss her nose.

“Hey! I’m trying to be intimidating” her determination is admirable.

“I know, I’m shaking in my boots, I really am” 

Once again you check the time knowing that you will risk missing your flight if you don’t leave soon.

“I love you Ash, see you at Wembley” 

“I love you too Y/N” 

She watches you walk away, already counting down the days until she sees you again and little did she know you are doing the same thing.

************

Thankfully, days pass by quickly and before you know it, game day arrives.

Although there was nothing at stake in this game nothing about it seemed friendly. Wembley was full with both US and England fans, although the latter seemed to take up more of the stadium. Everyone knew that the winner of this game would have bragging rights going into the World Cup next summer.

As always you are at the back of the line up, eyes forward and focused on keeping your unbeaten streak alive. Since Ellen retired you had taken up the #10 mantle and you were now the number 1 choice for starting centre forward. You feel a little nervous but after the impact you had in the Euros you knew that Sarina made the correct choice and you would reassure her of that tonight.

Ashley grabs your hand as she passes, giving it a gently squeeze before letting go. The action is so fluid nobody picked up on it.

The United States line up and much to your surprise you see Trinity lined up opposite you. 

“Take it in Trin, you will remember this moment for the rest of your life” you tell your Spirit team mate.

You see her close her eyes as she relishes in the moment, the calm before storm if you will.

“Good luck Y/N” 

“You too” 

You quickly hug her before getting back into game mode.

The game is tough but you expected nothing less. England lead 2-1 with ten minutes remaining.

In the 83rd minute you see the subs board but more importantly you see Ashley standing next to it. 

You make eye contact with her as she runs into position. 

“Welcome to Wembley” you hold you arms out as if you own the place but then again if you ask the fans they dubbed the stadium Y/N’s house after you scored the winning goal in the final. 

She shakes her head at your antics before focusing on the game. 

Luckily for you the final whistle is blown and the crowd erupts. England had retained their unbeaten record whilst simultaneously ending the United States’. 

Both teams go into a quick huddle before dispersing with the majority of them staying out to met the fans. You however get dragged off to do media as you had won Player of the match.

You are given a pair of headphones and a few seconds later you can hear Alex Scott’s voice. 

“Here with us now is tonight’s player of the match Y/N Y/L/N” 

Someone off camera gives you the award.

“Thank you. Not a bad way to spend your Friday night right?” You joke.

“No at all. How was it down there?”

You give her a quick recap of the game along with your opinion of your team’s performance but you lose your trail of thought when you see Ashley standing behind the camera.

“Y/N, can you hear us?” 

Still your focus remains on your girlfriend, a smile tugging at your lips. It is only when the camera assistant waves at you do you remember you are on live TV.

“Sorry Alex, I saw a beautiful fan and I got distracted” 

Alex rolls her eyes at your charm whilst Ashley blushes behind the camera.

“I’ll bet. Well I know how much you love your fans so we’ll let you go”

You quickly give your headphones to the technician before walking behind the camera to Ashley.

“You think I’m beautiful” even after the years you have been together you find it adorable how she still gets flustered.

“Just a smidge” you measure the margin with you fingers which earns you a shove.

You grab Ashley’s hand as you pull her over to where some of your family are sitting. You point to a few rows up to where your dad, brother and nephew are sitting.

“I can’t see them” Ashley says whilst scanning the crowd.

You wrap you arms around her waist pulling her close as you try your best to point directly in her eye line.

“I see them” 

You watch as she waves enthusiastically, your nephew reciprocating her energy. 

When Ashley turns back to you she realises just how close you are. She leans forward puckering her lips but you back away causing her brows to furrow in disappointment.

“Too many people?” She asks. 

Everyone knew about your relationship and it wouldn’t be the first time you kissed on the pitch. You often would when the spirit had won but it was different this team as your were opponents.

“No. I can’t kiss you when your wearing this” you tug her her US shirt.  

Your childishness and clear alterer motive make Ashley laugh. 

“Want to swap?” Ashley asks and you nod eagerly. 

Both of you now stand there wearing the opposing teams jersey. You hold your hand and Ashley twirls around. 

“What do you think?” The question seems simple but the way it has your mind thinking is anything but. 

“Y/L/N suits you Ash” Trinity says. 

Turning you see the forward with Hatch and Andi. 

“You ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost”

“Just a glimpse into the future” you reply.

Andi eyes you wearily, she is about to ask you more when a member of the England media team comes over asks for a photo of the Spirit team. 

Around an hour later you find yourself standing outside the US changing room waiting for Ashley, Trin and Andi. Your patience runs out so you knock before hearing a ‘come in’. 

It seems they are waiting on Ashley as you see her packing up the last of her things. 

“The offside call was bullshit” Pinoe says and whilst you know she is trying to get a rise out you, you are tired, sore and ready to take your girl home so you weren’t in the mood.

“It’s only a friendly P, imagine if something like this were to happen at, let’s say the World Cup, oh wait a minute it did but it was in your favour”

Your reply catches the pink haired veteran and the rest of the Locker room off guard. 

“You ready Ladies?” You ask not missing a beat.

“Where are you taking them? You do know we fly to Spain tomorrow?” Becky asks you.

“It is family night at the Y/L/N household and don’t worry I have talked to Vlatko, I will drop them back at the hotel tomorrow morning”

Just over an hour later you pull up to your family home in Richmond. Your life may have changed drastically but this is one thing that remains the same.

“Auntie Y/N” 

You are barely through the door when your nephew comes running over to you.

“Harry, did you have fun?” You say as you throw him over your shoulder.

“Mm-hmm. Did you bring your friends with you?” He asks referring to your team mates.

As if on que your friends walk in.

“I did. I brought Andi, Trin and—“

“Auntie Ash” the 3 years old practically jumps out of your arms and into your girlfriends.

You and Andi greet your parents as Harry is in deep conversation with Ashley and Trinity,

or as deep of a conversation a three year old can have.

Your mum and sister in law are finishing up tea whilst you’re sat in the garden with your dad, brother and Andi as you watch your other team mates entertain your nephew by chasing him around the garden and playing hide and seek.

This is now the second time that day that you are shown a glimpse of your future with Ashley. You let your mind wonder as you think about how Ashley would be as a mum, you begin picturing her with you children running around. It won’t happen for a while but she would make a good mum, that you are certain of.

“Y/N” your dad pull you out of your head.

“Huh—yeah—sorry—what—“ you want to reply to whatever he must have said but you didn’t have a clue.

“Where’d you go?” You brother asks.

“Let me guess, the future?”

The spirit captain knew you well.

“Can I ask you a question?” You look towards your dad and his face changes when he hears the seriousness in your tone.

“Of course” 

“How did you know mum was the one?”

You can tell by the look of their faces that you have caught the three of them off guard.

Your dad has his thinking face on so you leave him to it.

Ashley had been in your live for 7 years and you had been dating for just as long. Is it so wrong for you to think of what your future held, especially with the blonde?

“You’ve been thinking about this for a while haven’t you?” Andi whispers.

You nod your head “How did you know?”

“Something changed over Christmas. When we met up for new years something was different, I couldn’t put my finger on it, you just looked at her differently”

This was true. Over Christmas you and Ashley had a rom com day which turned into a wedding movie day and naturally your future nuptials got brought up and it scared you but in a good way. What followed was dream after dream about Ashley, the two of you getting married, you having children, buying a big house in DC and getting a dog. The latter actually happened when you got home after the Euros. 

“I can talk about you mother until the cows come home but our story doesn’t matter” your dad tells you. 

“It does matter” 

“No Y/N it doesn’t” he voice is stern “That is our story. You cannot compare that to the love that you and Ashley have” 

“I wasn’t—“

“I know how your brain works kid. Let me tell you this, if you are thinking about it then you already have your answer” 

“So if you have learnt anything here tonight Andi, it is that if you look up the word vague in the dictionary you will see a photo of our father” your brother’s smart mouth comment earns him a slap around the back of the head. 

“Great advice dad, I feel so much now” he knows you are being sarcastic but he say your welcome anyways. 

Needing a distraction from adult life you begin watching Ash but you see she is already making her way towards you. 

“What’s wrong?” Ash plants herself on your lap despite there being several seats available. 

“Just thinking” you see your dad and brother staring at you with knowing looks in their and it is only then that you realise you sound exactly like your dad. 

“About?” Ashley tucks a stray hair behind your ear whilst keeping her eyes locked onto yours. 

“You. Us”

It wasn’t the answer she was expecting, her face lets you know that much. 

Before you can reassure Ashley that everything is ok, your mum calls everyone in for tea. 

Despite your hardest efforts you cannot get out of your own head. Ashley absentmindedly plays with the ring on your index finger whilst you give her hand a light squeeze every so often when you catch her staring at you. After one of those times you see her glance at Trin who shrugs her shoulders, both of them then look at Andi who looks at you and you shake your head which doesn’t go unnoticed by your girlfriend.

“Are you sure you’re ok? Something is—off” by now Ashley knew you like the back of her hand so you try your best to distract her, one one thing comes to mind.

You kiss her, really kiss her. For a few seconds your surroundings are forgotten. It is only when you hear your mum clear her throat as she stands behind you ready to clear the table do you pull away.

Straight away Ashley buries her face in your neck with embarrassment.

“I have been thinking about doing that all night. You know how I get, sometimes I just need you” 

Thankfully Ashley accepts your lie and returns to her conversation with your sister in law.

Time at home with your family always passes quicker than you would like and soon enough you are laid in the living room on one of the blow up mattresses whilst Andi and Trin are on the other.

Ashley is on the verge of slummer and you can see her visibly fighting sleep, unlike your other team mates who crashed as as soon as they hit the mattress.

“Thank you for tonight” Ashley mumbles “I love it here, you are happier when you are home” 

Although it was true, your parents would agree that you are much happier when Ashley comes with you.

“You’re my home Ash” your reply is simple but it speaks volumes.

“I know”

You kiss Ashley’s temple before telling her to go to sleep, which she does in a matter on seconds. You on the other lay there like you have had multiple espressos. When you realise that sleep isn’t on the cards you do what you mum always told you to do when something is on your mind, have a cup of tea. The English know that there is nothing a good brew can’t fix.

Waiting for the kettle to boil you raid the fridge for a sweet treat, you had just beaten the World Champions, scoring in the process, surely you deserved it.

“Jackpot” you whisper shout when you see leftovers of the cheesecake your mum made.

You rest against the kitchen counter, going back and forth between cake and cuppa.

“You know it’s almost 3am?” The voice makes you jump but you soon relax when you see a barely awake Ashley walking towards you. Immediately she grabs your arms, putting them around her neck so she can cuddle into you.

“I couldn’t sleep. Cake?” You hold the fork up to Ash who nods before opening her mouth.

“Now it’s just us, will you tell me what’s wrong, please?” Ashley’s voice is soft but you can still hear a little sadness.

“Today has been weird. First I saw you with my jersey on, then you played with Harry and you fit into my crazy family with ease” 

“These are bad things?”

“God no, they are— would you marry me?” The words come out before you can stop yourself.

Ashley could have given 100 guesses of what would come out of your mouth and that was not one of them.

“Are you asking me to marry you?” A small smile forms on her face.

You have to think for a minute. Is this what you are doing? It had been on your mind for the past couple of months, today more than ever.

“I don’t think I am” you stare into the garden. You are confused and overwhelmed.

“Baby look at me” Ashley turns your head with her index finger “Talk to me”

“After the game, you had my shirt on”

“You have already said that”

“Hear me out, please” it was a beg more so than a question “you had my last name on your back earlier then when I saw you with Harry I started picturing how you would be with our children. I cannot stop thinking about our future”

“I think about it all the time. Want to know what I see?” 

You nod your head eagerly.

“I see us, our yet to be named dog” this makes you laugh “Then in a few years I see you with our children, teaching them how to play football and telling them off for not saying water right”

“It is spelt water” you say, your English accent stronger than normal “there is no D in it” 

“I see those things and I get excited, don’t you?” Ashley ignores you comment in favour of staying on topic.

“I do but it’s scary, what if you get sick of me?” 

“Y/N, we have been dating for 7 years. We went from teenage college students to professional adult soccer players. We are going change over the years but I will always love you, that won’t change”

Even half asleep Ashley knew how to calm you down. 

“Mmm, I guess you’re right. I will love you until my last day Ashley, I promise”

Ashley mumbles good.

“Now come back to bed” you quickly put your empty plate and cup in the sink before following her back into the living room.

Feeling a little more like yourself, you decide to have a little fun with your girlfriend.

When Ashley feels you stop she turns to see you down on one knee.

“Ashley Nicole Sanchez, will you marry me?” Her eyes widen “Not now, in the not so distant future”

“Yes Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, I will, at some point in my life, marry you. Now lets go to sleep” Ashley rolls her eyes at your playfullness then she leans down giving you a sweet kiss before pulling you to bed.

[dannythedog]

Collage by @stardust-chords-enthusiast

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x fem!reader

Word Count: 11.1k

Summary: You've grown up with Sam Kiszka as a best friend. As the two of you get older, you realize your feelings may be morphing into something more. What will happen when Sam finally invites you to the annual Kiszka lake trip where a string of crimes have taken place?

Warnings: mentions of marijuana, alcohol consumption, swearing, body image issues, talk of death

A/N: I just want to thank @gretavanfran for encouraging me to run with this idea and offering to help me write. We've never written something like this before so we're a little nervous to post this lol but feedback is appreciated and let us know if you want a part two!! We have so many more ideas for where this can go and would love to share with you guys

_

“Let’s go!” Sam calls from the front door of your house. The patience in his voice is wearing thin and it makes you zip your bag faster, accidentally pinching the skin of your forefinger. It’s time for the annual lake trip the Kiszka family takes at the beginning of summer. Sam usually opted to take his other best friend Danny, leaving no room for you, but this year there was an extra space. You’ve known Sam since seventh grade, the both of you meeting on the junior debate team. He was the only student who actually challenged you and he liked your passion, so you two quickly became inseparable.  

Heaving your duffle up, you rush to the door. “Sorry,” you breathe. “Just had to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”.

 “Yeah, yeah, just give me the bag so we can get going.” Reaching for the bag on your shoulder, Sam lets out a breathy chuckle.

“Wait, Sam, I ha-,” you were quickly interrupted by the long haired man.

“I already checked the back door, walked through the house and unplugged everything. Bug, everything’s going to be okay. Learn how to relax a little, alright?” 

“I’m always relaxed,” you mumble in a grumpy tone. 

“Oh really? When’s the last time you genuinely had fun without having to worry about anything?” He got you there, you were always anxious - anxiety was practically your name and overthinking was your game. You couldn’t help but think about if everything was going to plan, constantly worrying about safety. Except for when you're with a certain golden retriever boy. Sammy. He was fearless and lived life without a care in the world, that’s why you believed that you two quickly became friends. Opposites attract after all - he made the overthinking disappear in you and you made him pay more attention to the things that surrounded him.

After tossing the bag into the back seat of his beat up Jeep Cherokee where his own luggage rests, he clambers into the driver’s spot. “My mom’s gonna be so mad if we’re super late. She only agreed to let me drive as long as I was semi on time.”

“Well, maybe you should’ve let me drive,” you tease. The entire Kiszka family had a bad habit of being late, something that irked you to your core. Turning your head to look at the man in the driver seat, you watch in amusement as he lets out a scoff, throwing the car in reverse. He places an arm on your seat and checks for traffic both ways before entering the road.

“What, so we could be there four hours early? Leave at six am? No thanks, I’d rather sleep.”

“You know, backing into a main street is illegal right?” Now turning to face you, Sam dramatically rolls his eyes and flashes you that beaming smile of his.

“Bug, I want you to relax on this vacation. Mommy and Daddy won't be there to make sure you dot your I’s and cross your T’s.” 

As much as you hated to admit it- Sam was right. It’s been forever since you’ve actually relaxed. On top of your chronic over thinking - your parents watched you like a hawk. They always told you the strictness was because they wanted you to get into a top of the line college. Ever since you got the acceptance letter from the University of Michigan, you were expecting them to ease up. Wrong - if anything they tightened the reins more. Even though you were eighteen and freshly graduated high school, you had to practically get on your hands and knees begging them to allow you to accompany Sam all while reassuring them a million times that Sam’s parents were going to be there. 

“I am relaxed. Let’s get going. You know we'll never hear the end of us being late from Jake,” you breathe out, crossing your arms across your chest. As if his smile couldn’t get any bigger, it was practically ear to ear as he watched you slowly come to the realization he was right. 

“Aye aye, Captain. No more funny business. Wouldn’t want to keep Jacob waiting,” he replies to you in a teasing tone, while throwing the car into drive.

A warm breeze pours through the windows as the journey starts. It rustles the haphazardly placed locks on Sam’s head, a messy bun being his go to for the summer, and it somehow manages to make him look softer. Your eyes trail down to his plump lips, only landing there briefly before moving onto his outfit. He dons a denim button up that only has the bottom few buttons done, a pretty tiger’s eye pendant resting on the exposed skin of his chest, a pair of the tiniest khaki shorts you’ve ever seen, and of course his trusty Birkenstocks. While his outfit was casual, it still made you feel a little frumpy. You just wore a pair of black biker shorts and a tie-dye shirt, two sizes too big, with some black Tevas. 

“So why couldn’t Danny go this year? Not that I’m complaining, I’m really happy to be invited.”

His brown eyes glance over to you for a moment, lips forming into a small frown. “His family planned their own vacation. It’s kind of ass that I’ve never invited you before, huh? I’m sorry that I’m an idiot.”

You wave him off, trying to play it like you never felt an ache in your chest when you watched the family drive off every year. “I get it, it’s a boys thing. No biggie.”

He still looks guilty despite your casual reassurance, but doesn’t press any further. Sam really did feel bad that he never invited you before. He wasn’t sure if you would like hanging out with him and his family for a week straight, emphasis on his brothers. His older twin siblings could be a lot sometimes. Josh was a little over-friendly and Jake could be too cold. Inviting anyone on vacation was asking for trouble - especially a girl and most definitely if that girl was you. The twins have known you for just as long as their little brother had. But Sam knew that they wouldn’t let up on the teasing - it would be relentless.

 Unbeknownst to you, they would wait until you left the room or have your back turned and would always make kissy faces at the younger boy - mocking him about how in love he was with you and how you were his ‘little secret girlfriend’.  Sam could take the teasing one day at a time, but he felt like a whole week’s worth of teasing would be too much for him to handle. So, he always opted to bring Danny. Plus, he wanted you all to himself, but no one had to know that.

“Hey, you know what I brought?” He grins a little too widely. “Check my backpack. The small pocket in the front.”  

You reach into the back, very obvious suspicion settling across your face. Pulling his beat up tie-dye bag into the front with care was not an easy feat. It was stuffed full and piled under a bunch of other luggage. With just a bit of grumbling, you dig into that small pocket and pull out a baggie filled with joints.

 “Sam!” you hiss. “Did you forget your parents are going to be with us?”

He reaches over and gives your arm a gentle shove. “See? This is what I was talking about earlier. You never have fun without worrying about everything.”

 “I’m sorry,” you sigh and put the baggie back. “You’re totally right. I don’t know why I got weird about it.”

Your face flushes and you feel embarrassed. He was right. Why couldn’t you let loose and just enjoy this time being close with Sam? Don’t ruin this for yourself. 

“Hey,” he says softly, that same frown from earlier returning.

“No, it’s okay. You are right. It’s not often I’ll admit that, so take it while you can,” you grin.

The few hour drive is peaceful, filled with laughter and good music. Sam never fails to keep you entertained. That was another checkmark on the long list of things you adore about him. You weren’t sure how Sam didn’t realize you were falling for him. You didn’t try to make it obvious, but you figured he would at least see the little things - the way you’d always make sure to have his favorite snacks around, wake up at absurd hours to make Walmart trips, how you’d do just about anything he asked. Honestly, you’d probably follow this man to the depths of hell if he asked you to.   

“Where are we?” you garble, not noticing that you drifted off at some point, finally waking when Sam turns onto a rather bumpy back road.

“About five minutes from the house. Our place is in a pretty secluded spot, not many neighbors.”

The road is covered with rocks and potholes, making it impossible for your bodies to stay still, rocking side to side with each bump and sway of the vehicle. Lush trees fill the spaces on either side of the road and overtake your senses. It’s hard to see through the thick greenness of the vegetation, but it’s beautiful and makes everything feel so serene. Like you weren’t still in your home state of Michigan. The trees began to thin the closer you got to the house, opening to a small clearing with a great view of the sparkling lake. You could see an expanse of sandy beaches spread out at the back of the property with a hole dug out near the house as a makeshift fire pit.  There’s a small dock a bit further down with an old rowboat attached to it, gently bobbing in the mild waves. 

Sam parks his Cherokee next to the family’s Suburban and shoots you an excited smile. “Ready for the chaos?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you scrunch your nose at him. 

The both of you pull yourselves from the car to collect your bags. The thick summer air soothes the goosebumps that formed from the air conditioning that Sam insisted on blasting. He claimed the AC barely worked at the lake house. 

“OI!” a voice rings from above you, disrupting the gentle call of some sparrows. Your eyes flick up to see the long haired twin  leaning dangerously over the railing of a balcony. 

“It’s about time you made it!” Jake spins around and heads back inside before either of you can answer. Your eyes trail from the balcony to take in the rest of the house. It’s a moderately sized cabin-esque looking building with sloping green roofs that match the color of the doors and window frames. The rustic vibe is a little cheesy and slightly outdated, but it’s welcoming. 

“Hi, Bug,” Jake grins when he emerges from the front door. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

 You think you can hear Sam grumbling about how that’s his nickname for you, but you ignore it. 

“C’mon inside. We saved a room for you two.” Jake takes the bag off your arm and offers a side hug, giving you a gentle squeeze. 

You flush at the thought of sharing a room and possibly a bed with Sam - you hadn’t considered that when you agreed to come along. His parents were pretty lenient but you figured you’d be sleeping on one of the couches. 

The house offers reprieve from the unforgiving sun. Despite being quite cold only minutes ago, you can feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of your neck. The inside isn’t as cheesy as you thought it would be. There were picture frames hung up along the walls, displaying memories from previous trips. One of young Sam catches your eye and brings a small smile to your face. He’s submerged in the lake with a bright orange life jacket on that looks like it could strangle him at any moment, smiling widely with little gaps in his teeth. 

“We’re here!” Sam calls out and ventures towards the bedrooms. 

Just like clockwork, the shorter twin pops his head into the hallway. “This one is your room.” 

The three of you meander to the room Josh was currently in, only half wondering why he was in your room anyways. 

“Shut up!” Sam gasps and almost drops his bag, trying to think of something else to say but his mouth just hangs open. Out of the corner of your eyes you could see the twins beaming - not wanting to be left out, you poke your head into the room and see a lanky, curly haired man lounging across the queen sized mattress. 

“Hey, guys,” Danny says with a shit eating grin. “Heard you might have extra room.”

Finally over the shock of seeing his best friend, Sam turns to his brothers with confusion written all over his face.

“Mom and Dad didn’t come this year. They figured since we’re ‘all grown up’ that we’d want a week here alone. We coordinated the Danny part just because it was fun,” Jake speaks nonchalantly. 

Sam simply can’t contain his excitement any longer and bounces on his best friend, rambling on about how much fun they’re going to have.

“That was sweet of you guys,” you murmur to Jake, watching as his face twinges pink. He simply shrugs and sets your bags near the dresser. Once the enthusiasm calms a bit, the other three clear out of the room to let you and Sam unpack. Your eyes travel over to the queen sized bed over and over, worry settling deep into your chest.

You clear your throat. “I can take the couch if you want. Or I could see if maybe Danny wanted to switch rooms.”

Sam doesn’t even look up from putting his shirts into a drawer as he chuckles a bit. “Why would you do that?”

Your face scrunches in embarrassment. You’re not sure why you’re embarrassed about this discussion. It’s just Sam. Just your best friend who you are hopelessly falling for and now have to share a bed with. Not a big deal at all.

“Just wanted to give you options, that’s all,” you say a little too defensively, praying that he couldn’t see the pink blush starting to cover your face. 

“I think you’re trying to get away from me. I can’t stop you from taking the couch, but I promise I really don’t mind if you sleep with me. In fact, I think I’d like it if you joined me.” Sam flashes you a smile as he finishes unpacking. With that he walks out of the room, leaving you to internally panic about what his words could possibly imply. Was he just flirting with you? Or perhaps it was just your feelings muddying his statement.

Fingers tug on the hem of your shirt, startling you out of your panicked daze. It’s Jake inquiring if you’ll come out to swim with everyone since it’s ‘hot as balls outside.’ Not giving you an option to say no - or to even give him an answer, he makes his way over to the door and slams it shut. Rolling your eyes at the loud noise, you head over to your bags, silently thankful you brought your good bikini.  Lifting up your shirt in hopes of changing into the swimwear sooner than later, you found yourself being interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Startled by the intruder, you whip around at a lightning speed to find Sam and Danny casually standing in the doorway. 

“Don’t you guys know how to knock?” you huff out at the boys. 

“Sorry, we didn’t expect you to be changing already. Sammy boy just needs to grab his trunks,” Danny speaks softly, shooting you an apologetic smile as he makes his way into the room sitting down on the bed. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to be frozen in his spot. Geez, what is up with him today. 

“You going to come in or are you going to keep standing there like a creep?” Danny chuckles out at Sam. It worked. You watch Sam as he keeps his eyes on the floor, heading over to the dresser, reaching in one of the drawers and pulling out his favorite pair of red bottoms. 

“I…Sorry. C’mon Danny. Let’s go downstairs.” Sam ignores your eye contact and walks over to the long haired curly man sitting on the bed, pulling him by his shirt sleeve over to the door and making sure to close it. 

Deciding not to think about the way Sam was acting, you quickly change into the baby blue and white floral print bikini. Standing in front of the mirror, you take a second to study your reflection. This swimsuit was new and if you were being honest with yourself, you were absolutely terrified to bring it at first. After all, this was supposed to be a ‘family trip’ and you didn’t want to have Sam’s parents look at you in an ill mannered light. Why would they? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact your boobs were practically spilling out of the cups and the bottoms are leaving little to the imagination. 

You couldn’t help but to have some insecurities cross your mind when you thought about if Sam would like this specific suit on you. Sure, you’ve been around him countless times in the water, but you always wore a one piece. After graduating high school, you felt yourself trying to be a little more bold in your outfit choices. Not to mention that Sam always likes his girls to be on the skinnier side and you just so happened to be a little bit more curvy.  Fuck it, what do you have to lose. You trot down the stairs, slowly building up more and more courage to walk out to the lake where you could see the four boys splashing around through the window.  

“Ooh mama! Looking good!” Josh yells as you approach the lake, making the other  three boys turn around to take a glance at your form.  

Their watchful eyes make you feel bashful, especially after Sam’s weird reaction in the bedroom. You try to fight the urge to cover your body up but it’s slowly winning. Every dip, bump, and stretch mark suddenly feels like a neon sign that reads, ‘Look at me! I’m insecure!’. Feeling defeated, you grab your towel and begin to wrap it around your torso as walk slowly to the beach.

The sun’s rays are vicious. Sweat is already beading at your brow and the tops of your shoulders feel hot. A small breeze ripples through the trees and gently caresses over your heating skin, giving slight relief. 

“Put your towel down! Get in!” Danny calls out as he splashes water at an unsuspecting Jake. This earns him a punch to the shoulder and a small grumble.

You hesitate, insecurities still running wildly through your mind. What if they laughed at you? What if Sam was disgusted by your flaws? You knew you wouldn’t be able to handle that. 

“Hey, let me see you,” Josh encourages. “I’ve never seen that bathing suit on you before. Is it new? Do a little twirl for me!”

“It’s just a bathing suit,” Sam bites at his older brother. This makes you clutch your towel tighter to your body and cast your eyes to the sand. You knew it. Sam thinks you look hideous. 

Watching the boys in front of you - you couldn’t possibly think of actually going into the water and exposing yourself to them. You know that Sam takes after his older brothers when it comes to finding his type in women. 

Plopping down into the grass and giggling to yourself, you watch as Josh rolls his eyes and smacks the back of his younger brother’s head.

Trudging through the shallow water in your direction, he lifts his chin as a beckoning gesture. “C’mon, Bug. Get in the water.” Your knuckles were practically white from how hard you were gripping the towel now that Josh was stalking through the sand.

“Josh, I don’t feel like it.” 

“I will carry you in there if I have to.” 

“You and I both know that’s not a possibility,” you spit out at him, trying not to let your insecurities show. Instead of replying, Josh moves even closer to you and starts looking like he was trying to figure out where to place his hands to hoist you up. 

“No. No. No. Stop right there,” you protest. 

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Just come into the water.” Josh looks to you with pleading eyes. Fuck those, baby cow eyes get you everytime. Reluctantly nodding your head, you get up - but not without making sure the only thing keeping your sanity was wrapped around you securely. 

“You won’t need that in the water,” Josh hums at you as he takes your hand in his, leading you over to the dock. 

“I know. I just want to leave it on the dock.” He looks like he doesn’t want to believe you at first, eyeing you suspiciously, but ultimately choosing to drop the issue at hand. 

While you’re distracted with Josh, Sam’s eyes are glued to the two of you. What the hell is he doing? Why are his hands on her like that? Sam didn’t care that you were friendly with his brothers. He actually loves that you get along with them, but his fear was steadily coming to fruition. You were his person and his brothers seemed to have no problem robbing you from him just as they did with Daniel. 

As he watches you sit on the edge of the dock he hopes and prays you’ll look at him, but only sees your eyes follow Josh’s form into the water. His chest tightens when Josh grabs your legs. “What are you doing?” you panic slightly. The older twin simply gives you his widest smile before pulling you into the depths. 

The lake is colder than you expect it to be and it shocks the air from your lungs. It’s a good few seconds before you can let out a screech at Josh. He clutches you tightly to him, not caring that you’re desperately grabbing at the sopping fabric of your security blanket as it drifts away with each of his movements. “See? Not that bad, huh?”

He was right. Being submerged covered you in a way and it felt nice to cool off. “Okay,” you break. “It’s not horrible, but you’re a real dick for pulling me in.”

Sam can’t stand seeing his older brother’s hands on you. They way they hold you so delicately. It feels far too intimate to Sam. There’s this horrible clawing in his stomach that pulls him to the shore and up to a grassy area, listening to your giggles as you splash around. Having fun without him.

Your eyes finally drift over to Sam when you notice him get out. Water droplets cascade over his tan skin like rivulets and his thin frame is stretched out to soak up the sun. He’s completely in his element. You think he looks most beautiful like this. Sam has always loved nature - he begs you to come on mini hikes that turn into impromptu picnics of trail mix and granola bars, long trips to the beach where you spend your day swimming and kayaking, hell, he even loves it if you just come lay in his hammock with him.

“Alright! Me and Danny will be partners, so that leaves you and Josh,” Jake declares. You tear your eyes from your best friend and look to his older brother - that honestly could be his twin - to give him a questioning look. Jake rolls his eyes. “I just said we’re playing chicken.” 

The insecurities begin to creep back into your mind and you quickly glance to the sunbather only feet away. 

“Stop that,” Josh murmurs. “Climb on my shoulders. I’ll swim under water.” You don’t know how he knows what you’re thinking, but you don’t have too much time to question it before he’s swimming between your legs and hoisting you into the air. The curly one lets out a warm chuckle as he hears the shriek leaving your lips. You think you see Sam start to sit up as he sees his older brother securing his hands around your thighs even more- claiming it had something to do with ‘safety’. 

“She’ll need all the safety she can get,” Danny teases. “Jake and I are gonna kick your asses!” “Are you sure about that? What if we have a plan?” You grip onto Josh’s hair, knowing you don’t have a plan. You just hope it’s something easy to go with. “Like a sneak attack! Get them!”

Josh lurches forward and your hands fly up to push at Jake’s taut shoulders. Surprisingly, his spontaneous plan does work and you manage to knock the opposing team over. Unsurprisingly, this lights a fire inside of Jake. The next half hour is constant games of chicken, switching teams, hitting the water a little too hard, but still no Sam. One final stinging slap against the small waves does you in. You put up your white flag and head to the beach, fingers and toes beyond pruny anyways.

“Decided to come join me?” The brunet sunbather mumbles as he senses your presence - eyes still closed.  

“How’d you know it was me?” 

“I always know when you're around.” 

“Uh-huh. Sure,” you mock him. 

“Peter Parker has spidey senses and me? I have y/n senses.” Your best friend sits up, grabbing your hand and giving you a little tug. It seems like he was trying to get you to lay down with him, but you weren’t budging, the insecurities creeping back in. Sure, you’ve laid down next to Sam before, but that was then and this is now. Something about the air in between you two feels different. The only problem was that you weren’t sure if it was good or bad. 

You try to pull your hand from his soft grip. “I’m gonna go grab another towel.” 

“There’s room on mine,” he replies, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“No there’s not.”

Sam wasn’t going to waste another moment. He needed to stake his claim in front of his older brothers, you’re his. Suddenly you feel the air leaving your lungs as you’re pulled downwards. Expecting to hit the ground, instead you are met with a soft groan and the feeling of hot skin. 

“See? There’s room.” Opening your eyes from the sudden impact, you’re face to face with a tan chest. Slowly lifting your gaze, you see Sam with his eyes shut, smiling sheepishly at you. 

“Sam, I’m on top of you.” 

“I know, I like you like this.” Peeking an eye open, Sam was met with the visual of your mouth parted in shock, trying to find the right words to say. He could see the gears turning in your head. You felt the boy beneath you taking a deep sigh before parting his lips. 

“Bug…don’t act so shocked.”

“Sam, just let me go please,” you try pleading with the man.

“No, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about this….and now seems like the perfect moment.” 

Trying to move yourself into a sitting position, you’re met with failure as sunkissed arms wrap around your back tighter, holding your body close to his. You could feel your chest getting tighter as the nerves course through you. He has no idea what kind of effect this is having on you and you really don’t want him to find out.

“Awww look at the love birds.” Of course Jake would have to ruin a moment like this.

“Yeah right,” Danny snorts. You hated to admit it, but that single laugh alone had you ready to cry. 

“Shut up guys. You know it’s not like that,” you mumble, pulling yourself out of Sam's embrace. You swear that you see Sam’s eyes glaze over with hurt, but that quickly disappears with him chuckling and smiling. 

“I’m hungry,” Jake whines, rubbing his stomach - looking over at his twin slowly making his way over to the group.  

“That sounds like a you problem,” Sam grumbles as he sits up. What is up with his attitude today? 

“No, it's Bug’s problem.” Jake makes a move towards you to grab your hand and hoist you up, but is stopped by his younger brother swatting his hands away. Josh and Danny let out eerie chuckles trying to ease the awkward tension that was forming. 

“How is it my problem?” 

“Cause I want one of your grilled cheeses.” 

“I told you the re-“

“Zip it.” Jake grabs your arm, pulling you to your feet. “We can’t have Sammy knowing that I’m the only person you trust with the recipe. Think about how jealous he’ll get.” 

The two of you start towards the house. “You know he heard that right?” You whisper to Jake as he loops his arm into yours.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing, Bug. Trust me,” Jake winks at you. 

You grip his arm tighter and don’t speak until you’re in the safety of the kitchen. You find that Sam was right, the AC doesn’t work very well in this cabin. 

“Alright, spit it out,” Jake says, not bothering to look at you while he grabs the ingredients. “I can see it all over your face.”

Other than Sam, you were the closest with Jake. When he was younger he was very quiet and wasn’t in your face like Josh was and you found comfort in that. He made you feel comfortable. That meant you could tell him the things you couldn’t tell Sam. As your feelings for Sam grew, Jake could see past your little unbothered facade. He’s been there through every up and down.

“I don’t know,” you groan and plop into a chair. “He’s just being so weird. One minute he’s normal and happy, then the next he’s moody and avoiding everyone. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you purposefully put Sam and I in the room with one bed. You’re setting me up.”

He laughs and flits about the kitchen preparing the meal for everyone. “I thought you’d appreciate that. You could always share with me.”

Flipping him the bird didn’t feel like it would be enough, so you throw a random pair of socks that you see balled up on the floor at his head. He ducks and lets a belly laugh fill the room. “Come on, y/n. It won’t be that bad. I really was just trying to help you out. How about this,” he sets an old, worn spatula on the counter and approaches you. “I’ll help you this week. We’ll get Sam to notice you the way you want him to.”

You eye his outstretched hand. This could potentially end your friendship with Sam if it goes badly, but you decide you couldn’t pretend much longer. So you grasp Jake’s calloused hand, putting all of your trust into this shake. “Deal.”

———————-

After some much needed food and a couple of beers, the boys decide that it would be a good time for them to go down to the pier and do some fishing. You opt to read the book that’s been sitting in your bag forever, figuring you could sit on the front porch so you have a perfect view of the boys on the dock. ‘Life can’t get better than this,’ you think and let out a big sigh. The buttery beams of the sun wash over you, bringing the feeling of sleepiness that you knew oh so well. Hours must’ve passed, you found yourself waking up to the feeling of someone trying to pry the book out of your hands. 

“A Court of Roses and Thorns? I didn’t know you read fantasy,” Sam smiles in small victory when he peels the book away from you, closing it and moving it to the table beside the chair. 

“I know, I usually read nonfiction but I’m trying something new. Don’t hate,” you mumble to him as you slowly stand up from the chair, stretching out your back in the process. 

“Hate on you? I could never,” Sam whispers. It was almost as if he was terrified of you hearing the little confession that left his parted lips. 

“How long have I been out?” 

“Well, considering it’s dark now, I’m gonna say about a few hours.” You look the boy over and see that he put his hair back into a low bun. You were always a sucker for that hairstyle. You take advantage of Sam being quiet and study his face some more. He looks good. It was only day one of this vacation and the sun gave him a kissable tan. You weren’t sure how you’d be able to survive the rest of the six. 

“So...what do you think about a movie night?” Sam suggests, throwing you a side smirk when he notices that you were checking him out. You silently thank god that it’s dark out, you didn’t want Sam to see how flushed your cheeks are. 

“With your brothers?” 

“No. Just you and me. Jake said he wants to have a bonfire,” he points towards the direction of the small pit that sits in the middle of some thoughtfully placed chairs. 

“I mean, sure. Yeah, we can do that.” 

A loud voice nearly has you jumping out of your skin. “Nope. Nada. Not happening. You have to be joking with us. I don’t want to be an uncle yet,” Jake bursts through the door of the cabin, protesting the movie night idea. Casting a glance over to Sam you see him rolling his eyes. You could tell he was starting to get fed up with his brothers interrupting everything. 

“Jake, c’mon. It’s gonna be so comfy inside. Can’t I join you guys tomorrow?” You ask the man, with a little bit of confusion lacing your voice. He was supposed to be helping push you and Sam together, not keep you two separated.  He gives you a look that lets you know you won’t be winning that battle, so you let the older man drag you over to the pit where the other two boys were standing. Looking over your shoulder, you could see Sam trudging behind you, obviously not wanting to participate tonight. Maybe he was hoping just to have alone time with you. 

“Bug, we’ll make you a weiner!” 

“Josh, I don’t want a hot dog right now.” Your body betrays you by letting out possibly the loudest stomach growl the group had ever heard. 

“Clearly that’s a lie. Plus, we know how much you love sticking them in your mouth,” Danny tries to speak in between laughs. You could tell that he’s proud of himself for that joke. 

“Relax, Sammy boy, no one’s gonna try to steal your girlfriend,” Jake teases as he slaps his back, trying to change his little brother’s mood. Based on what you could see through the flames of the fire, Sam’s face was red - beaming with frustration. 

Sam seems to ignore his brother’s ‘girlfriend’ comment as he sits down in the seat directly across from yours, separated by the fire. Jake plops himself into the chair next to you, mysteriously pulling out an acoustic guitar. 

“Where’d you get that?” you nod towards the guitar.

“Darling, I’m full of tricks,” Jake shoots you a wink, absentmindedly strumming the guitar. Looking around, you notice there was a black guitar case lined with a maroon velvet laying on the ground - instantly feeling dumb for asking him where got the acoustic from. If anyone knows Jake, then they always know there’s bound to be a guitar somewhere around him. Sure he was in college for business, but everyone knows being in a band was his true dream. 

“Jake you gonna play us Wonderwall? Or tell us all about how you’re meant to be a rockstar?” Sam snickers at his brother. What has gotten into him today. 

Sam was truly fed up with his brothers. Especially Jake. Every fear he ever had about bringing you to the lake had happened. Why couldn’t they just let him have something good for once? Sam had fully been planning on telling you about his feelings at multiple points in the day. He even made it obvious that he was being serious, but no one cared. 

Looking across the flames, you sat in awe of your best friend. A pain forms in your chest as you think back to a certain night sophomore year where you were sat in the same position. 

“Wooooo!” 

“Sam, stop yelling! You’re gonna get us in trouble.” 

“C’mon, Bug! Live a little,” Sam slurred at you, slinging his arm around your shoulder. He was drunk off the bourbon that his older brother just had to provide him with because it was ‘homecoming’. You rolled your eyes every time Jake said that. Maybe it was something that your parents engraved into your brain. God, you could hear the lecture from them already. Bitching at you for letting yourself be surrounded by ‘drunken idiots’.

You weren’t positive about the exact moment you started to like Sam, but one thing was for certain. This year you realized you were in love with him. It happened in between all the study dates, the late night texts and the random phone calls to see what you were up to.  

But tonight? Tonight felt different. Granted, you guys were each other's dates to homecoming, but something just felt different. You couldn’t quite place what the emotion was. Maybe it had to do with the way you two slow danced tonight - your arms placed delicately around his neck, while his hands were wrapped around your waist, pulling you close. His toffee colored eyes staring into yours-giving you soft smiles all night, not to mention all the little touches and forehead kisses. 

Your mind kept wandering back to those moments as you looked up at the man, watching the soft orange glow flicker across his face. His eyes were closed and he was starting to sway, you knew what this meant - you had approximately five minutes to get him up to bed or someone would have to carry him up there. You look around to see if there was anybody sober enough to help you get the lanky boy up the steps with no avail. 

“C’mon, Sammy. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Bug, are you trying to seduce me right now?” Rolling your eyes, you let out a huff as the tall boy leaned more of his weight onto you, trusting that you would be able to get him upside and to bed safely. 

“Sam, I know you're plastered, but you’ve gotta help me out here.” 

“I always help you out. You’re my girl.” 

You knew better than to believe his words, after all he was drunk and just rambling. Hearing the words ‘my girl’  was your downfall. You hated the way it made you blush. You silently thank god that you were able to make it into his room in one piece. After plopping the boy down onto the twin mattress, you were wondering how on earth you were going to get this boy changed. Finding a pair of sweats and grabbing a loose shirt, you turned around to find Sam standing in front of the bed. 

“I thought I told you to stay on the bed.” 

“Ooo. Bossy. I like it.” You knew he was a lot to deal with when he was drunk, but this was new. 

“I’m not being bossy. I just want you to go to bed. I’m tired.” 

“I don’t want to go to bed.”

“And why’s that?” You replied back, mocking the way he was whining. 

“Cause you’re not gonna be here for me to cuddle.” 

“Sam. Stop. You don’t mean that.” 

“I do mean it,” Sam responded, stomping his foot like a two year old having a tantrum in the middle of a grocery store. 

“No you don’t.”

“Stop telling me what I think,” he demands.

“Sammy, I know you. You don’t mean it. I’m not the girl you go for. Just please go to bed.” Your heart is aching with every word you speak.

“You can’t see it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve had a thing for you for the past two years.”

“No you haven’t,” you scoff. As much as you wanted to believe him, you just couldn’t. 

“Yes I have,” he insists. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Sam, look at you and then look at me. We don’t go together.” Your arms were crossed and your eyes found purchase on anything but him. His gaze never let up.

“Bug, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.” 

“Please stop.” You could feel your breath slowly leaving your body as the young boy made his way to stand in front of you, placing a finger under your chin tilting your head up - silently begging for you to make eye contact with him. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Sam whispered as he licked his lips. He leaves your eye contact briefly to look at your lips and then looks back into your eyes. Closing your eyes trying to find the right words to say - you were interrupted when you felt a pair of chapped lips meeting your soft ones. 

Not believing what was happening,  you opened up your eyes, only to be met with the sight of Sam’s eyes still closed focused on the task at hand. Closing your eyes, you could feel yourself melting into the kiss and slowly kissing the boy back. Sam could finally feel you relaxing into him - taking it as a sign to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you in closer, running his hands through your hair. Not pulling or tugging, he was just holding you there. 

Sam shoved you away when he heard the wooden bedroom door being opened and slammed against the beige wall. Looking over at the intruder, you could feel your chest tighten up again when you saw that it was Sam’s other best friend. 

“Did I interrupt something?” Danny quizzed the couple in front of him, noticing the swollen lips and rustled dress shirt. 

“Nope,” Sam replied nonchalantly.

 After going to the bathroom that night, you decided to crash out in the boys basement, not being able to find it in yourself to face Danny after he walked in on the tender moment in between best friends. Waking up the morning afterwards, it took a couple of minutes for the realization of what happened- Sammy kissed you. Not only that, but he told you that you were the most beautiful person he ever saw. How were you supposed to address this situation with him?

Part of you wanted to run for the mountains and never face him again. Realistically you probably could live off the grid - but that would never happen, your parents would forbid it. Deciding that you needed to just talk to him, to figure out where you guys stood, you found yourself climbing up the steps of the quiet house. Placing your hand on the doorknob to turn it, you stopped yourself upon hearing muffled voices on the other side of the door. 

“So you kissed y/n last night?”

“Dude. I fucked up.” 

“But I thought you liked her?”

“Y/n? No, I think it was just the alcohol talking.” You could feel your heart breaking in two as you registered the words being spoken. 

“How are you gonna fix this?” 

“I just gotta tell her that it was a mistake. It meant nothing. I regret it.” 

If only you could be in the room and see the raven haired boy shaking his head at the lanky haired man laying on his bed hungover. 

The sudden feeling of a warm hand squeezing your knee brought you back to reality. Following up the arm of the man touching you - you were met with Jake’s coffee irises giving you the same sad sympathy look  he had given you the morning after the kiss.  You didn’t mean for any of Sam’s brothers to get involved with your relationship with him, but it just happened. After hearing Sam say the word ‘regret’, you ran outside onto the back porch in hopes of calming yourself down. 

Instead you were met with Jake smoking a cigarette and asking if you wanted to talk about it. Did you want to talk about it? It just so happens that your brain was telling you not to, while your heart had the opposite. You needed someone just to listen to you and the mysterious twin just happened to be there. That was the moment you and Jake became close. He held you as you cried - repeatedly telling you that his brother was a ‘fucking idiot’ and ‘if he doesn’t see how amazing you are, fuck him’. 

After that much needed pep talk from Jake, you pushed your feelings deep down inside and kept things as normal as you could with Sam. Meanwhile you and Jake were growing closer, but it was nothing in comparison with his little brother - the only issue is, Sam doesn’t know that. You were unaware of the fact that there were countless times the boys had been fighting over you. Well, more like it was Sam screaming at his  brother to leave you alone and to stop trying to ‘fuck you’. Jake would just look at him and give him a little smirk that would just push Sam over the edge. 

Jake moved his hand from your knee as a twig snaps in the dense woods just feet away from the group. Everyone’s attention is focused on the sound and you could feel your heart rate pick up. “What was that?”

“Probably just a deer,” Sam mutters as he peers into the darkness of the foliage. 

“What if it’s that killer?” Danny says all too casually. Your palms begin to sweat and you shoot him a death glare, challenging him to tell a cruel joke again. 

“What, you didn’t hear about it? It was on every local radio station around here.”

Sam meets your eyes then looks back to Danny. “No, we didn’t listen to the radio on the way here. I had my road trip playlist going.”

“You know how he is. ‘The radio is too mainstream,’” you roll your eyes, quoting Sam perfectly. 

Josh’s grin almost makes it seem like he could be the killer. “Oh, so you really don’t know then, huh? Well, when we got here we heard that there were several dead bodies found in the woods and the lake. They’d all been murdered.”

Your skin begins to crawl. You had just swam in that lake. The woods that once felt so serene now seem dark and foreboding. Like something was lurking, waiting for the right time to slip through the darkness and into the house of some poor, unsuspecting vacationers. 

“That’s not funny,” you mumble. 

Josh’s head snaps to you, looking near evil. “No, it isn’t. Not funny at all.”

“Cut the shit, Josh,” Jake scoffs. “Josh is just being a dickhead, but they are telling the truth. There were bodies found around here and they never found the killer.”

“What do you mean they never found the killer?” The hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you felt like something or someone was watching you through the trees. 

“Guys, knock it off. You’re scaring her,” Sam orders and moves his chair to sit next to you. “Hey, they’re just being douchebags. There’s nothing to worry about.” 

“All jokes aside, the story itself is true.  They never found the killer.. Rumor has it, one lady was slaughtered. Completely butchered. I guess the killer left a blood trail, the cops followed it into the woods. It stopped after twenty feet….whoever it is….they know how to hide. There really were bodies found around here, about three miles north.  But, I doubt anything will happen to us. He probably left town. Well, I’m hoping he did,” Danny attempts to comfort. 

“Danny,” Sam reprimands.

While you’re appreciative of Danny’s efforts, your stomach is queasy with fear. You don’t feel happy and carefree anymore. The moon shining down on the lake isn’t comforting like it once was, it’s ominous and holds secrets. The blowing wind seems like small whispers filled with said secrets.

“Can we go inside?” you ask quietly, eyes frantically scanning your surroundings. Feeling a hand cover your own, you recognize it immediately as Sam’s based on the way a crooked pinky finger is grazing against your own. 

“Hey, it’s okay. We can go in,” Sam murmurs as he laces your fingers together. It doesn’t take more than a small tug to get you out of your seat and heading towards the house. The rest of the guys decide to join you, hastily cleaning up their mess.

“Now you two can have that movie night,” Jake ribs. “We’ll be joining you, though.”

Josh immediately launches into a list of movie suggestions, but you can’t find it in you to care. Between the scare of the murders and the jumble of feelings for Sammy, you just needed to stare mindlessly at a screen for a while. 

The boys settle on the movie Psycho. You’re not sure if they’re intentionally trying to be dicks or not, but your mind is too busy to scold them. After gnawing on the skin of your thumb for a solid fifteen minutes, Sam slings his arm around your tense shoulders. The room is dark save for the glow of the tv screen and lamp that was hardly ever turned off, everyone is quiet. It could’ve been one of those world stopping moments you had with Sam whenever he danced along the boundary of friendship and maybe something more. The atmosphere was all wrong though. With the tension in the air and Jake’s worried eyes glancing at you periodically, there was no way you could indulge in this sweet moment.

Halfway through the movie, Jake stands abruptly. “I don’t remember if I put the fire out.”

“It’s been long enough. It probably went out by itself,” Josh mumbles, almost entirely distracted by the movie. 

“Do you really want to be responsible for a forest fire that could kill all of us? I’m going to check.” 

He moves through the living room and grabs his pack of cigarettes before breezing through the door. Your gut twists at the thought of Jake going out there alone. What if that killer was still around? 

You know you’re probably overreacting, but the sinking feeling in your chest wouldn’t let up, so you start to pull from Sam’s grasp. He only wraps around you tighter, shooting you a half smile.

“I wanna go with Jake,” you whisper, trying not to disturb the other two boys.

Sam’s full brows furrow, grasp still not letting up. “Why? He’s fine out there. We can see him through the window so we’ll know if something happens.” Standing your ground with a pointed look, the boy sighs and rubs your arm. “I would really like it if you would stay with me. I’ve missed you today.”

Oh. Your resolve melts a bit at his statement, some warmth returning to your heart. The puppy dog eyes he’s giving you are absolutely killer. How could you deny him? You sink back into your spot, safely tucked into his side and decide that Jake could wait until the movie was over. After all, you were being a little ridiculous about all of this. 

But when the movie is over, Jake is no longer in sight. Anxiety nearly consumes you as you lift from the creaky old couch and press your nose against the dusty pane of the window closest to you. “Guys? Why isn’t Jake back? Why can’t I see him?” 

Josh groans as he stretches out, foolishly opting to take a seat on the hardwood floor for the entire length of the film. “You know Jake. He’s probably off on one of his late night excursions.” The eldest joins your side after a moment, brown eyes scanning the darkness. “Look, he’s right there at the dock.”

There is a silhouette standing along the edge of the water at the beginning of the dock. It was far enough away that you couldn’t see any features, but the outline was there. You strain your eyes looking at the form. Was that Jake? You couldn’t tell.

“Are you sure?” you worry. “How do you know?” 

Josh claps you on the back, an amused smile gracing his youthful face. “I’m his twin. I think I could pick him out of a crowd of probably like, a thousand.”

“Let’s go to bed, okay? You’ll see Jake in the morning.” Sammy comes up behind you wrapping his arms around your midsection pulling you away from the window and towards the stairs. 

“None of you guys are going to check on him?” You ask them, trying not to be annoying but you just can’t shake this unsettling feeling in your gut. 

“Bug, he’ll be okay. Besides, we have this cool thing called twin telepathy. I know when something is wrong,” Josh tries to reassure you. 

“Y/n. He’ll be coming in at any minute. He’s gotta help me with the kayak’s tomorrow and you know he hates getting up early.” You took a deep breath continuing your journey up the stairs, trying to have faith in Danny’s sentence. Maybe I’m overthinking this. Deep Breaths y/n. 

Sam left you in the bedroom alone for a total of five minutes to change before you found yourself calling out for him frantically - you’ve never heard the man move faster. At lightning speed Sam came crashing through the door searching for your figure. Nestled into the wall closest to the window, the boy could see your hands shaking uncontrollably. Stalking his way over to you, wrapping you up in his arms, whispering ‘you’re okay’ into your hair. 

“S…Sam. There’s something in the woods over there,” you tremble into his chest, shifting all your body weight onto him, seeking as much comfort as you possibly could. 

“Bug, there’s nothing out there.” 

“Yes there is! I just saw the bushes move. There’s something out there watching us.”  

“Y/n it’s pro-”

“Don’t tell me that it’s just a deer. It’s the killer Sam. I know it is,”  you cut Sam off desperately. To be fair, your intuition never lied to you when it came to things like this.  “We need to leave now.”

“Look at me.” He didn’t give you a chance to object as he put his fingers under your chin, firmly tilting your head up. “I will not let anything happen to you. Okay? I’m gonna kill the guys. They shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Well, I’m glad they did. Sam I'm not crazy, there’s someone watching us.” Your gaze returns to the forest. You know you saw something. You hadn’t imagined things like this before after hearing your fair share of campfire ghost stories. There was something different about this time. Something sinister. “Let’s go to bed okay? I think today’s just been long and we just need to sleep it off.” 

“Okay,” you sigh and feel his hands tugging you towards the bed as you keep looking out the window. Your intuition was screaming at you to get out of there as fast as you could. Crawling into bed, you opted for the spot closest to the door incase you needed a fast escape tonight. 

“Nuh-uh. Move over,” Sam grins, towering over your figure that’s already nestled into the sheets and slowly dozing off. 

“I’m comf-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence. Move it missy. I need to be by the door.” Sam starts pulling the comforter away from you, acting like he was about to sit on top of you in hopes that he would make you giggle. He knew your mind was racing about the possibility of the killer breaking into the lake house - he needed to try to take your mind off of it, even just a little bit. 

“Okay, okay. Bossy.” You find yourself starting to get nervous as the reality kicks in that Sam is laying next to you. Flinching as you feel his forearm rest against yours, you take it upon yourself to roll over onto your side, facing the wall. You couldn’t possibly bear to face him in such a moment that seemed as intimate as this. 

If you were facing him, you would’ve seen the way that he was staring at you, having a fight with his inner monologue that told him to roll over and pull you into him, but he was scared - scared that it would ruin the friendship although Sam knew that this was his moment. Now or never. Everytime that he tried to tell you how he felt, one of his brothers had to interrupt the moment.  Following his heart this time instead of his head, he pushes himself up against your back, throwing his arm over your midsection. Your eyes fly open at the action, you knew that you were going to be in close proximity - you just never expected this. 

“Relax,” Sam murmurs into your ear. Fuck maybe he felt me tensing. 

“I am.” 

“No you’re not. Just let me hold you for a minute.” 

“I’m going to go look for Jake,” you mumble, moving his arm off of you. Trying to find an excuse to get away from him. Thinking about how he must’ve drank in those five minutes you were parted, there was no way Sam was sober and speaking to you like this. Finally succeeding and moving his arm, you sit up, getting ready to crawl out of bed when you hear Sam letting out a groan behind you.

“Why are you so worried about Jake?” The boy explodes. Shocked by the sudden outburst, you turn around to find him sitting up, red in the face. He was pissed.

“Sam, he’s outside by himself.” 

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?” At this point you were out of the bed making your way over to the dresser, looking for a sweatshirt to throw on before you went outside. 

“I said bullshit, y/n. Just tell me that you’re into my brother instead of leading me on.” 

“Instead of leading you on?” You whip around to face him, hands trembling from the confrontation.

“Wow. Do you need a hearing aid or something? Do you know how obvious it is that you like Jake? The way you’ve been hanging all over him since sophomore year? You’re supposed to be the person that’s closest to me, yet you still decide to go after my big brother. Newsflash, y/n, he’ll fuck you and leave!”

Sam’s posture is rigid, face and bare chest flushed with passion of the moment. You hate yourself for thinking he looks pretty.

“Sam, what are you talking about?” 

“You’re fucking unbelievable,” Sam spits out at you in a venom laced tone. 

“Me? Me? I’m the unbelievable one?”

“That’s what I just fucking said.” 

You scoff and tug your sweatshirt over your head. You can’t believe what he’s saying to you. He had the audacity to call you deaf, yet didn’t realize just how blind he truly is. 

“Tell me,” you seethe. “Tell me when I’ve been all over your brother, Samuel.”

He rattles off different instances, starting with sophomore year and how you suddenly grew close with Jake. He told you his perspective of those secret moments with the older Kiszka, not knowing you were actually lamenting over your own best friend. Sam suddenly grows quiet and his chest heaves. “I just wish I could be that person for you. I want that to be me. I have looked up to Jakey for so long - my entire life - and somehow I keep falling short. Even with you. I just want you to feel the same feelings I feel for you.”

Your lower lip trembles and your nails dig into the flesh of your palm. “Don’t,” you say through grit teeth. “Don’t say that to me. Especially when you regretted it so much last time.” 

His honey eyes that are darkened with distress flick from the comforter to look into yours, pink lips shaping into a small ‘o’. He stares at you for a moment before whispering, “You heard that?”  

“I had my hearing aids on that night.” 

“Y/n…I didn’t mean it.” 

“Please stay over there. Don’t come closer to me,” you plead with Sam as he gets out of bed and starts moving towards you. As much as you want the comfort of him holding you - you have to stand your ground and admit to him how much he destroyed you at that moment. 

“Please...just listen to me.”

“You’ve got two minutes,”  you bite, leaning back against the dresser and crossing your arms. 

“I was fifteen. I was scared, y/n. My brothers would tease me about you being my secret girlfriend all the time and I just- I don’t know, Bug. There’s no excuse for it. I don’t regret our kiss at all. If anything, I regret not coming to you the next day and kissing you again…this time sober.” 

You hate to admit it - your heart is aching as Sam expresses his feelings. Maybe this is the universe finally bringing us together. 

   “I came downstairs that morning looking for you. You know where I found you?” You shake your head at the man in front of you, trying to hold back tears as he makes his way slowly over. His large hands cup your face, gently rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks. 

“I saw you outside with Jake. He was holding you…something I should’ve been doing, not him. I got closer to the screen door and I realized you were sobbing into his chest. I thought you regretted the kiss. I figured the tears were because you didn’t want me the way I want you, so I just pretended that it never happened. I stood by on the sidelines, hiding how bad I wanted you, y/n.” 

“You want me?” You try blinking away the tears and Sam catches the single drop that rolls down your right cheek, gently wiping it away.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been in love with you for the past two years. Thanks for noticing by the way.” Sam presses his forehead against yours, letting out a soft chuckle. 

“I’ve been in love with you too,” you whisper, looking into his honey irises. 

“God, we’re idiots.” 

Both of you softly laugh whilst staring at each other, trying to press this memory into your mind. You silently wish that you could see this look of love on his face everytime you close your eyelids. 

“Hey, Sam?” 

“Yes, bug?” 

“Kiss me.” Your heart is pounding, but not in the uncomfortable way it had been for the last hour. Any worries you had are thrown out the window. Your mind is enveloped with Sam’s presence, his scent. He consumes you.

“Well, if you insist.” You find yourself closing your eyes as Sam leans forward, finally capturing your lips in his. It was short and sweet - nothing less than electric.

Pulling away, you two start giggling uncontrollably. 

“Can’t believe we haven’t done that since we were fifteen,” he chortles and pulls you flush to his chest. His visage grows serious as he gazes down at you, strands of hair falling and framing his face. “I’m not gonna run away this time, I promise. This time I’ll show all of them that I love you and that you are mine.”

The electric feeling flows from your lips down to your toes at his confession. This situation didn’t feel real. “I believe you,” you whisper. “Now let’s go to bed.”

The two of you lay side by side, but quickly end up being wrapped in each other. You’re almost certain that you’re flying, floating through some dreamland that only your brain would cruelly make up. You’re terrified that you’ll come crashing to the ground and none of this will be real. But in the morning, he’s still there. His soft locks are splayed around him after having fallen out of his bun in the night. Supple lips are parted as gentle breaths escape him. He’s an angel. You decide you wouldn’t leave his side until he woke. This is the perfect time to admire him uninterrupted. 

“You know it’s rude to stare right?” You flush with embarrassment knowing that you just got caught in the act. 

“Sorry.” 

Sam grins, looking down at you laying on top of him with your face as red as a tomato. He loves watching you get flustered.“Why are you apologizing? I didn’t say I hate it.”  

“How’d you sleep?” you mumble as you tuck your head back into his chest, wrapping your arms around him and squeezing tight. You couldn’t believe that this is real. Sam is yours. 

“Really?”

“What?” 

“We’re doing small talk now?” Sam giggles. 

“I’m nervous. I don’t know what to say.” 

“Stop. It’s just me, Bug. I told you last night I'm not going anywhere.” 

You open your mouth to reply, but you’re cut off by the sound of pans hitting the floor and a loud ‘fuck!’ from the kitchen. Both of you laugh out loud at Josh’s exclamation.

“We should probably go down there.” You pull yourself from his arms and slowly make your way over to the door, pausing to look back at the god-like man in bed. “You coming?”

Sam moans out a small protest. “Why? We can stay here. We don’t need to interact with them.” 

“He’s gonna burn the house down without supervision. You can stay here, but I’ll be damned if we all die in a house fire,” you joke and head out of the bedroom. It’s only a few seconds before you hear the padding of feet behind you and a set of bony fingers rest on your hips. He presses a kiss to your hair and descends the creaky stairs.

“Morning,” Josh grins as he spreads out ingredients for a large breakfast. “Day two at Camp Kiszka! How are you feeling?”

You steal a glance at Sam, forcing back a secretive smile. “I’d say we’re feeling pretty good.”

Before Josh can even ask why, the screen door is slamming open. Danny rushes in, looking pale and frantic. That same dreadful feeling from last night returns and his expression sends shivers down your spine.

Sam steps forward. “Dan, what’s wrong?”

Danny stands there shaking and wide eyed then nearly chokes over his words. “J…Ja..”

“C’mon, Danny, spit it out!” Josh moves beside the six foot man, slapping him on the back.

“Jake’s dead.”

[generalllimaginesss]

The End of Things As We Know It

Loosely based off the song “Whatever Fits Together” by Skullcrusher (beautifully written song, 10/10 recommend go listening to it). Planning on doing a few parts to this, but who knows. Not really in the mood for a happy ending, so warning? Probably not going to be proofread very well. Also, my apology is at the end of this😬

A cool draft flowed through the open patio area in the backyard of the Hughes’ lake house. The clear skies and birds chirping should have a been a picture perfect way to end the summer. It should, right? It should be nothing less than a dream to have a boyfriend that was the 7th overall NHL pick when he was only 19 years old. The reassurance of a future where everything would be taken care of by the person that went from being an awkward, determined child to a confident, diligent man is what all the girls swoon over, yeah?

Life isn’t a fairytale. Happily ever afters are nearly an impossible expectation that every little girl grows up dreaming about, but never achieves. People fuck up, people hurt people, there’s no exception to that. It’s life. That’s a lesson that, unfortunately, everybody learns one day.

That didn’t make the weight on her chest lighten any less, however. A relationship that’s been through hell and back in the span of 6 years should be able to withstand everything, especially when it was nobody’s fault of the circumstances that were basically forced in the lap of the lovers.

That’s why Y/N felt gutted, absolutely empty, sitting next to her lover on what should be a picture perfect day. Tears threatened to spill at any second when she decides to open her mouth.

Quinn knew something was off with Y/N. She wasn’t her no-filtered, free-spirited, chirpy self that Quinn had known and loved for so many years. She wasn’t talking about future plans for the upcoming hockey and school seasons, she wasn’t making plans with his brothers for the next break when they all get together, no. She seemed to take up very little space around her, her personality shrinking day after day as the summer came to a close. He knew something was coming, he just didn’t know how bad it was going to be. It shouldn’t be that bad, he thought. He had loved her endlessly and unconditionally since the day he was forced to pick her in a dodgeball game at a pep rally in high school. She may not have been his first choice in that game, but he couldn’t dream of any different choice of a partner to go through life with.

Y/N cleared her throat and quickly swiped at the tears brimming the corner of her eyes as she spoke to Quinn, “I love you, you know. So fucking much, Quinn.” Quinn got the feeling that he should keep his mouth shut and just listen, so he gave a worried nod and watched his girl.

“You have supported me through so many things in 6 years. You’ve been there for me when not a single soul has, Quinn Hughes,” Her tears were free flowing, as it would be a losing battle if she tried to stop or conceal them.

“That’s my job, babe. I would never dream of doing anything differently,” Quinn turned himself to face her, his calloused hands enveloping her manicured ones.

“I got the job offer,” She croaked out. She was about to go into her last semester of grad school, just as a position at her dream job opened up. She didn’t think she would get the job, especially with her not even graduating yet, but things worked out so that she can work as an intern and do her last semester online, and the company would be paying for it. It was amazing in every aspect, except that it would be taking her all the way to Orlando, Florida. There would be 3,222 miles between the 2 during hockey season, and 1,159 miles between them during holidays and breaks.

“Y/N, that’s awesome! Why are you upset? You worked so fucking hard for this!” Quinn chortled nervously as he gave her hand a squeeze. He was beyond confused on how this wasn’t news that they should be celebrating, but he watched her intently.

Y/N didn’t have to say anything. That’s the thing about fully emerging yourself into a relationship with somebody special, sometimes it’s easier to let them feel what your thinking versus finding words that just don’t quite feel real or work the way you need them to.

She watched as Quinn’s puzzled look turned into a slight shake of his head, left and right, denial creeping up on the man like a thief in the night.

“Y/N…we’ve been together for 6 fucking years,” Quinn’s voice cracked, his throat tightening with every breath. He could feel his heart fracturing each second that the two were sitting there. Each tear that left a stain on her cheeks were words that she couldn’t quite say.

“We’ve made it work for this long. We can FaceTime and I can fly down there some, I mean we love Disney,” Quinn had to chuckle in between a few tears that began to fall. He didn’t know what else to do. There’s not exactly a manual on how to deal with your heart fucking shattering, but if there was he’d read it.

“Quinn, you don’t understand. We’re not talking about being able to just easily go back and forth between Michigan and Florida. Orlando is where my life is about to begin. It’s going to be my new home,” She began to explain to him, but he stood up and ran his fingers through his slightly curled mess of hair.

“So what now?” Quinn exhaled and turned around to face her, his fingers intertwined behind his head.

“I’ll be here for a few more days to pack my stuff. My family is driving me and my stuff down there and helping me get set up,” Y/N explained as she searched Quinn’s face, wanting to pick up any slight emotion that flashed in his eyes.

“Was I going to be a part of that?” Surely she would invite him to help her move. She couldn’t just cut ties that easily, could she? They loved each other.

“Quinn it’s painful just having to do this. I don’t think I could function knowing that we’re over when you leave Orlando. I can’t…” She trailed off.

Quinn knew she was right, she had a valid reason to keep their relationship confined to the memories in which they had lived and the state lines of Michigan. Dragging this out probably would hurt, but damn he didn’t know how it could be any worse than this right now. She was there beside him, her perfect, loving self and his heart was still fucking shattered. The thought of her leaving him made him nauseous.

“I think it’s best you go now,” he had tears steadily rolling down his face, his breath hitched as he turned back around to face the opposite direction of the girl that his heart longed for. Every ounce of his strength trying to hold back the sob that was stuck somewhere between his throat and chest.

“What about Jack and Lu-”

“Please, Y/N, just go,” he pleaded. He couldn’t stand it. How is he just supposed to let her slip through his fingers like this? Helpless, like watching a car wreck happening in slow motion except it felt like he was the wreck. The shards of glass sliced quick and precise straight through his heart leaving a puddle of mush in its place. The life sucked right out of him.

He heard the chair slightly grind against the concrete, signaling that she was getting up, and he listened as close as his ears would allow him to her footsteps getting further and further away until the ghost of the sound lingered. The sound of the car door closing triggered more tears, but the gravel being disturbed as she drove away sent him into a rage like no other.

Quinn’s always been a pretty level-headed person, so the emotions that possessed him startled him, but he let it take over. He picked up his phone off the table and threw it as hard as he could across the yard. A spare hockey stick stood no chance against the tree that he beat with it, pieces of the stick flying around mixed with the bark. He had to be dreaming. This couldn’t be real. There’s no way this was actually happening after the best summer the two have had so far. He had plans to marry her. Why didn’t he just do it sooner? She would still be with him, in a cozy house near Vancouver, maybe a kid, and their whole future ahead of them. As he let himself feel the vomit of emotions swirling inside of him, he slid down the tree that suffered his wrath, allowing the sobs to take over.

Y/N may have been better at controlling her anger concerning the situation, but she struggled to drive home as the tears were thick and steady. Her contacts were making her vision blurry as she pulled into the driveway of her parents house. The only car in the driveway was her brother’s, and as if on cue he walked out of the front door. She had mentioned to him that Quinn would probably not be in the picture in Orlando, but he honestly didn’t believe her. So when he saw the state she was in he jogged over to the car and opened the driver door, switching the car off and steadying his baby sister as she stood up from her seat. Concern plagued his face, resulting in Y/N crying harder.

The two made it inside and fell onto the couch, the white linen providing slight comfort, the feeling of home.

“I did it,” She let the words roll off her tongue incredulously.

“You broke up with Quinn?” Her brother’s words caused her to wince. The phrase seemed foreign, distasteful, like they shouldn’t even be spoken.

He engulfed her in his arms, allowing her to let every emotion that was falling from her eyes dampen his shirt.

“Y/N we love you so much. We truly, truly do. Whatever you need and we’re there for you,” he tightened his hug around her and they sat there for as long as she needed.

——

The hardest lesson that Y/N learned in the couple of months that she had been in Orlando was that time didn’t stop for pain. She didn’t get a week to sit in bed and eat chocolate and drown herself in a bottle of Crown. She couldn’t waste her days on listening to depressing love songs as she went through pictures of her and Quinn throughout the years a million times. Time kept ticking and it held no remorse for her broken heart.

She felt numb during the days it took to uproot her life from Michigan and replant it in Orlando. She found herself on autopilot, her brain functioning to only keep her new job and keep her alive. She learned that she really did love her job. The people were welcoming, the clients she helped her mentors with reminded her why she chose this career field. She would have good days, ones where the sky was crystal clear and birds were singing to her, and then all of a sudden she would be roped back into the guilt that accompanied her happiness.

A sports article with Quinn’s name would catch her attention every now and then, constricting her throat the longer she would read it. He was having an outstanding season, and all she wanted to do was to tell him how proud she was. She wanted to kiss him one more time after a win, even if he was a sweaty mess. She wanted to have one more margarita Monday with him, catching him up with all the gossip in her sorority.

She didn’t just lose the love of her life, no. She lost the best friend that she ever, and would ever have. Nobody else that walked the earth would understand her like her Quinn. Nobody knew that when she was nervous she would chew on the inside of her cheek until it started to bleed, so Quinn had to stop her from letting it get that far. Only Quinn knew that she had to set an alarm at exactly midnight to flip her pillow to the cool side because she would rather dive in ice water than wake up in a pool of sweat. Nobody else knew that she ordered chicken strips with exactly one and a half Polynesian sauces from Chick-fil-A with a frosted lemonade. He always ate the other half of the sauce with his nuggets. He knew that her favorite shows were any of the Real Housewives series, but that she was settling with Vanderpump Rules while Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was getting ready to film again.

Nobody else knew these things. Nobody had taken the time to understand her. She wasn’t rude, she had a dry sense of humor. She didn’t cry when Jack died in Titanic, but she had to call in to work when Trevor forced her to watch Where the Red Fern Grows because she was so upset. Her personality was so interwoven with Quinn’s that she felt like she was picking each individual strand of velcro apart from the two of them in her two months in Orlando.

As she sat at her desk in her office trying to get some school work done, a knock interrupted her reminiscence of her past.

“Girl, you look so depressed. It should be a sin for a hot girl like you to be wallowing around in self pity when you literally live like 10 minutes from the happiest place on earth,” Collins took a swig of her iced coffee.

Collins was equipped with warm ivory skin, sandy brown hair, and legs that seemed to go on for days. If a model scout ever did lay eyes on the girl, she would have a contract on the spot. She was also the closest thing that Y/N had to a friend in Orlando.

The two seemed to click right away. Collins invited herself to Y/N’s apartment after her first day at the office to help her finish unpacking, one drink led to another and before the night was over Y/N was spilling her whole life story, along with a drink or two, to her newfound friend. After that the two hung out at least a few times a week and texted each other about minuscule things throughout the day.

Y/N flashed a pleading look at the girl, as if asking if she can have a rot day, but her friend sent a quick text on her phone and sat on Y/N’s desk.

“You should be getting off around 2:00 today. Go home, change into clothes for disney, and I’ll pick you up at 3:00,” Collins instructed, not giving Y/N a chance to decline.

The time flew by, and before Y/N knew it she was putting her hair in a claw clip and throwing on a t shirt, biker shorts, and her tennis shoes. She heard a car pull up outside and tried to race down the stairs so Collins wouldn’t have to get out, but as soon as she rounded the corner on the first floor she collided with a solid object.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” She was mortified as she looked up to a guy with messy brown hair and a slightly scraggly beard. She had no idea if he knew who she was, but if anybody with a little bit of hockey knowledge saw him they would know that it couldn’t be mistaken for anybody other than Matthew Tkachuk.

Y/N scrambled past him and flung herself into Collins’ car, laughter littering the air as Y/N’s cheeks were turning red. She noticed there was an extra guy in the passenger seat, probably her friends boyfriend, and wanted to crawl in a deep, dark place and never return.

Collins rolled the window down and absolutely mortified her new friend.

“Matthew, let’s go!” She yelled, the messy-haired man popping his head back around the corner with confusion etched in his face. He did as he was told, however, and struggled to slide back into the backseat.

Once he realized that the culprit that rammed into him was seated beside him, he tried his best to hold back his snorts from laughing.

“Matthew, that’s Y/N. Y/N, this is my boyfriend Jackson. Now that we’ve gotten THAT out of the way, let’s go have some fun, yeah?” Collins turned her radio up, the speakers almost shaking from Zach Bryan’s song Revival seeping out of them. The windows were down, and for the first time in 2 months, Y/N finally let herself feel happy.

She didn’t notice, but Matthew couldn’t stop himself from glancing at her. The strands of hair that shaped her face lapped against it as the warm, fall wind caught them. She was glowing and he couldn’t deny it. The embarrassment of their first meeting quickly wore off and the excitement of what Collins had dragged him into this time set in. He couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but something told him that right here, in this very second in the Florida wind, that this was the end of things as he knew it.

++++++++

Y’all, I’m so sorry for doing this, but I’m having a shitty time right now in life and I tried very hard to write something happy, maybe to make me feel better? But I quickly realized that I do much better work when I use my real emotions and ideas. When I tell you it felt like I was literally pouring myself onto this little app, it was actually so therapeutic. I’m actually going to try to proof read this well because I really like it. I promise I will come back to the Zegras imagines, but this aligns more with my emotions at the moment. Hope you understand! As always, thank you so much for reading!

[cloveroctobers]

BODYGUARD — VICTORIA HUGHES [Summer Writings]

A/N: where is the fandom on this site? Nowhere to be found and only on Twitter! Easily became my fav fem character of the series and would have loved at least ONE MORE SEASON. Would definitely watch if they decided to do a crisis one spin off in the future. Anyways Vic deserves all the love she can get and it’s a special month so here I am—if you catch my drift 😉

SYNOPSIS: life in DC has taken some time getting used to but thanks to having Travis by Vic’s side she manages—although she’s sure she would have figured it out regardless! Vic has begun navigating Crisis One on her own and being in charge of a team leads to her spending the weekend with a member Vic’s not entirely sure likes her but decides to push her pride aside through persuasion of her best friend…later bringing on further rejection?

WARNINGS: curse word dropped + fem reader has southern roots + a few OC’s added just for the purpose of this mini story + mentions of injuries and procedures & Travis still being Travis…

<- read my previous summer anthology fic here.

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~WASHINGTON, D.C.~

A few bruises, a very large angry mosquito bite, and the stench of a cigarette is the first thing Vic notices when she spots you looking out into the distance above the river. You’re not far from where your RV is parked along the growing grass and Vic snorts to herself, realizing that you weren’t bullshitting when you chatted about your ride/home down at the center. You were the first to show up before everyone else on the official start of crisis one (always on your electric scooter with a seat attached and a small wired basket in the back) tipping your, “bless your heart,” trucker hat in greeting along with a apple lollipop hanging in between your lips.

Granted the crisis one team would all receive their uniforms in due time but it certainly wasn’t what Hughes was expecting just based on your file and word of mouth from HR. Vic liked to say she handled herself well trying to work with this new team but there was something about the woman from Texas that liked to throw Vic for a loop.

“Just go over there and hint at the idea of spending some one on one time together,” Travis whispered to Vic who threw her hands up in the air in annoyance.

“We’re not even supposed to be down here! The event is back that way and I don’t even know why I let you talk me into taking a walk.”

Travis gave her a side eye, “hey, I stopped you from jamming a foam board over Duke’s head, you should be thanking me.”

Duke Conway was another member of Crisis One, a bit of a airhead surfer dude that came from a wealthy family that also helped fund this program. The event held vendors that showcased many programs over the state that didn’t mainly cater to mental health services but also just health in general. There were pamphlets, foods proven to uplift your health, demonstrations, games and even other various of activities for all sorts of ages! It was a beautiful scorching hot day out here at the recreation area that felt as big as Central Park! It also started off as a good day until Duke began blabbing to the others about how he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to purchase this new surf board on this salary (yes in DC!), purposely ignoring this elderly woman who wanted more information on crisis one.

That ticked Vic off since she always has a soft spot for the elderly, her personable trait coming into play as she assisted the woman, apologizing for Duke’s actions and answering most of her questions before Travis took over so Vic could tell Duke a thing or two. That of course led to Duke still being oblivious and Vic ready to flip on him since he’s done nothing but kick back and act as if this was some chill weekend outing.

Which led to Travis leaving the booth in Vic’s second or third in command—Travis always assumed it would be you and should be since you two seemed to work together best besides the few times you agree to disagree but instead it went to Duke’s cousin on his mother’s side, Arlington Wraith. Who was a bit of a classist snob but agreed with Vic on their cousin’s stupidity but felt they should be the only one that got to say it—despite Vic out ranking the both of them.

To cool off, Travis and Vic decided to take a walk and now Vic felt like maybe this wasn’t the best idea. The braided haired leader wasn’t sure where you ran off to since one minute you were there with the rest talking to a man that approached the vendor and then in the next you were yards away.

“Thanking you for what exactly?” Vic pulled her bottom lip into her mouth by her teeth, then used a finger to scratch at her scalp in confusion, “Trying to meddle with my love life?”

A freckled face Travis lolls his head around, “Vic it’s been how long since we’ve been in DC?”

Vic lifted her shoulders exasperated, “I dont care and I don’t need to constantly be in a relationship.”

“Who said anything about that?” Travis replied with a frown, “You two may just have sexual chemistry.”

Vic rolled her eyes at this, finding this statement to be so typical of her best friend.

“Again, been there and done that! And this isn’t even what this day is about. I’m supposed to be working and she should be too which means we should only have our heads in the game.”

Travis shrugged, “well maybe your head can be in her game.”

Vic twisted her face in disgust as Travis laughed to himself, “I can’t believe you just said that cringy garbage to me and if you want to be horny—save it until one of your late nights down at those clubs you spend twelve hours in, it’s like you think we’re in Europe or something.”

“Hey, I’m single and like to have fun.” Travis argued with his hands raised.

Vic mumbled, “Yeah that’s your problem.”

Travis fires back, “And your problem is not being laid enough.”

Vic pinched the space in between her brows, “Travis…I love you truly and i broke my celibacy a while ago and still chose to focus on my work even after that but we’re older now. Supposed to be smarter even! I’m pretty sure I’ve had this conversation with you before but I think I’m ready for more than just a lay again. I’ve worked so hard to be here and sure of myself and I want to share that along with having an endless love that lasts until I’m ready to kick the bucket.”

Travis softens his teasing as he reaches to grip Vic’s shoulders and then caressing them, “that’s sweet and I love that for you but how do you expect that to happen if you don’t take another leap of faith with someone that’s right in front of your face?”

“Again!” Vic yells, “Did the whole dating a co-worker and someone that works in the same field as me.”

Travis nods his head knowing of Vic’s dating history, “fair but you’re the one that thinks she doesn’t like you…and you could at least try to be friends since it’s actually nice having someone in your corner in the work place. I mean hey look at us! So go over there and just try.”

“You’re acting as if I’m some kid at the park that’s scared to go play with the other kids or something.”

“Well I think you are honestly,” Travis states making Vic raise her brows in disbelief, “it’s just you and I out here and I know someday will be the day where you’ll want to build a family—outside of me—with someone else and she might be the answer to that.”

Travis didn’t mean that in the sense of having children since he was sure that really wasn’t in Vic’s cards. She liked being the cool aunt to Maya and Carina’s kids and basically being the godmother to Pru, who she shared conversations with every other day but a family didn’t always have to mean producing children, it could be with the people you already surrounded yourself with.

“What exactly am I even going to say? It looks like she’s in deep thought along the horizon and I’m not sure I want to disrupt that.” Vic makes excuses now, molding her lips together as she awkwardly swayed her hands back and forth.

Travis gives her shoulders a shake, “you’re Vic Hughes…I’m sure you’ll manage,” before he circles around Vic to lightly shove her in the direction of a potential love interest, “I can confirm that they also identify as queer.”

Vic whipped around to face her best friend who grins at her, “how? What? That doesn’t automatically mean—

“Sure it doesn’t but I didn’t exactly get the chance to ask if you’re her type.”

“Uh, I’m glad you didn’t! You’re so embarrassing.”

“That’s my job. Now shoo!”

Vic glares at Travis who sends her a thumbs up in encouragement. Turning to face where you stood, it appears that you’re now facing in their direction, watching their exchange but Vic isn’t sure for how long. You pluck the cigarette forward, leaving Vic to pause and shake her head as she now charges forward to stomp it out.

“Seriously?” She holds her hands down at the stomped out lipstick covered cigarette.

Your hands goes to your hips as you await for Vic to get closer, “what?”

“Not only are you killing the environment but also your lungs and possibly other organs, you do realize that don’t you?”

“Sorry mom,” you respond while Vic rolls her eyes.

Vic fans the air before taking an inhale, “What’re you doing all the way out here instead of you know, helping back at the vendor?”

You blink, “it’s actually my day off but I pushed myself to be there since I’ve been parked out here for awhile.”

“What?” Vic looks off to the side in thought, “I don’t remember that on the schedule.”

You joke, “ah, forgot all about me as soon as Duke and Arlington showed up instead huh?”

“Yeah because they give me ulcers.”

You chuckle, “And what do I give you?”

“Hmm…Second-hand smoke?”

“That’s my first one in six months!”

Vic folds her arms, “You’re right, I remember you saying that you quit so that adds more to my disappointment.”

“Oh no, what will I ever do without the approval of Victoria Hughes?”

“Okay, I’m the only one that gets to be sarcastic here.” The brown eyed woman points, leadership kicking in just a bit.

“It was more snark but—

“Whatever! I’m here to ask about your well-being.”

You stare at Vic then, “You don’t need to do that.”

“I know I don’t but if everything doesn’t flow right then I need to check on the state of my team to make sure that it does and I can tell you’re not exactly thrilled about that but…you’re on my team.”

Watch this curveball, “Right…and you’re deflecting from what you really came over here to ask me.”

“Excuse me?”

You’re waving your hand about now, “You and Travis really know how to use your outside voices so…go on ask me already.”

Vic blinks rapidly and tightens her crossed arms as she studies your shell of a face with a clear of her throat, “I don’t even know what you’re taking about I—okay.” She exhaled before continuing, “Would you like to go on a date or hangout with me sometime…even though I’m not sure you even want to be bothered with me?”

“Wow you’re really selling it,” you snort, “what’s the matter, been out the streets that long?”

“Okay, never mind. Screw this.” Vic whips around, ready to walk away until you speak again.

“I would have said no anyway.”

Vic halts and turns back around, arms still crossed as she sways from one leg to the other as the sun burned the back of her bare arms, “What was that?”

You shake your head with your eyes closed, “And not because I don’t like you or find you unattractive because that would be a huge lie. I’d say no considering I also put in time off because I’m getting surgery.”

Vic frowns for another reason now and not just at the rejection although her mind is still spinning, “oh…is everything alright?”

“Cataract surgery…I know that’s usually an older person’s problem but I beat the odds.” You unconsciously rub at your blurry eye, “They said it’s a mixture of genetics but mainly from trauma—

Vic exhales, “from that call we received a month ago? You mean to tell me you’ve been dealing with this since then? You were cleared, I saw that paperwork.”

Vic remembered that day, witnessing you double over after a schizophrenic patient rammed a pen right into your eye. The patient was calm until you turned back around to assist with wheeling them out of the home. Everyone seemed to miss checking the pockets of her robe, where a pen with a frog top was pulled and aimed right at an off guard version of you.

It felt careless and stupid and most of the team knew this. Errors were meant to be made and it should have been one of the first things they checked after securing her but it was a small pen that held quite the damage.

You nod, “yeah guess I wasn’t as cured as they thought. It’s only in that eye so it’ll take less amount of time.”

“When is it?”

“Thursday.”

“And you’re working up until that time?”

“Yup.”

“Well send me the information so I can check up on you.” Vic holds out her phone while you take it with a curious stare.

“This a way to get my phone number?”

“I can get it anyways,” Vic honestly answers, “but i also want the details…you do have someone looking in on you afterwards right?”

You shrug, not wanting to get too personal, “I’ve got Uber and Limbo.”

“Uh…limbo?”

“My ferret.”

Vic says, “You have a ferret…of course you do, you live in a freaking RV!”

You laugh as you send a text to your own phone, listing the details in the message before handing it back over to grab your own phone to send a thumbs up emoji, “if this is your idea of a date you’re more of an oddball than I am.”

“This isn’t a date! It’s simply checking in.”

“After I told you that I’m going to be preparing myself to get my eye scrapped like nails on a chalkboard.”

“I did not need that mental image.” Vic winces.

“I know,” you smirk.

“Are you nervous about it?”

“Do I seem nervous?” You question.

Vic does that thing where she talks fast but in this circumstance was to hide the fact that she may or may not being caring in different ways about you, “Some people tend to hide their emotions better than others so I can’t exactly tell.”

You lift your shoulders, “not really afraid of a little surgery but I’m open to you holding my hand later…if that’s not crossing a line that is.”

“It is crossing many since I’m essentially the head of crisis one but I was also the one who approached you about going on a date or hang out.” Vic exhales in realization that this was basically another pattern that she ultimately wanted to avoid.

Yet here Vic was acting up in the summer time with the stamp of approval from a best friend who still hasn’t gotten their own love life together.

Funny stuff, really.

You reminded, “Which I sorta rejected.”

“Until a later date.” Vic added.

“Until a later date,” you echo meeting Vic’s eyes, “…for now do you want a shot of whiskey? I’ve got some of the best in my humble abode…and don’t worry I’ll bring it out to you to avoid any other problems.”

Vic emphasized, “We’re on the job…”

“You’re on the job.”

“And you’re about to get me into a world of trouble aren’t you?” Vic laughs with her head thrown back, somewhat scared but excited to jump into what’s to come.

There’s a glint in your eye at that as you step even closer to Vic now who feels like she should be breathing regularly but knows that she’s not, “you’ll learn to love it if you haven’t already, Victoria Hughes…so? What do you say?”

She inhales with a pretty smile, “I say sure, I’ll take a shot but just one. I don’t know much about how you Texans get down.”

“I’ll teach you.” You wink, which makes Vic’s belly flutter.

“I have no doubts about that.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“…I’m gonna walk away now so you don’t kiss me.”

Vic scoffs but her face is tight with humor,“Please get over yourself.”

You walk backwards to your RV, “Never, it’s what makes you so fascinated with me.”

“Oh god…I didn’t realize your head was so abnormally big!”

“With the brains to match.”

Vic pushed her lips out not even mad at that comeback, “…Alright I’ll let you have that one.”

You hum with another wink, leaving Vic for a few moments while Vic peers down at her phone at the text message, adding a name to match the number. When she glances over her shoulder, Travis is nowhere to be found—which actually makes Vic relieved until the creaking of your door hits her ears.

Down the steps you go, making your way back to Vic with your baggy ripped shorts, holding two shots of brown. Vic carefully takes it and holds it out to the center, “what are we toasting to?”

“Better beginnings?”

Victoria nods with crinkles by her eyes, “Better beginnings.”

“Should I be cheesy and say, together?”

“Please don’t.” Vic groans, “I’ve had enough corny for today.”

“Noted.”

They clink their glasses as you tell, “make sure you make eye contact or it won’t seal the deal.”

“So you’re superstitious?” Vic makes a mental note of that.

“To a certain extent but it’s common courtesy.”

“Fine.” Vic comments with a sigh as they briefly break eye contact to place their glasses to their lips before holding each others stares again.

One winces while the other grins, “to better beginnings.”

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Continue with my summer anthology writings & prompts here.

[spider-jaysart]

Would you be willing to share your character sheets/episodic ideas for your imagined supersons series? If not totally fine! A supersons animation would be so amazing tho btw I agree! I wish Warner bros was still the titan of children’s animation like it was when I was younger 😞

@katekanemybeloved

Ooooooh, yes!! I would be very delighted to share them!!! (And also, yeah, I wish that DC would go back to making bomb superhero cartoons again too :( like their cartoons were a big part of my childhood, ESPECIALLY the og Teen Titans cartoon series, which was and still is my top favorite animated series because of how awesome it was and still is!!!✨✨✨✨)

So here are the ideas that I've been having for my imagined series for a while now:

Some episode ideas:

Damian unfortunately has to babysit his baby neice Mar'i (who is 2 years old) for a night, even though he already had something planned on that same night, which was an investigation that he had wanted to learn more about since no one is taking it seriously enough to do it but just him. But everyone else in the family was said to be pretty busy that same night with missions of their own and Dick and Kory were needed somewhere very urgent that very night, so they chose Damian to be in charge of taking care of her until they both came back, so it upsets him very much since it interrupts his original plans. He's not very close with Mar'i either and finds her kind of annoying since he's not usually around such young kids her age. So on this boring night, he gets the idea to take her with him on his investigation instead and brings Jon along with him too, since he had came over to visit and hang out with him while he was babysitting. And during this fun adventurous episode with Jon, Damian, and little Mar'i, Damian later begins to actually develop a stronger care for his little niece and begins to not get so annoyed with her so much and actually starts to enjoy being around her more.

Damian has to get braces for a short time after an accident involving his teeth had happened during a mission, and he has to now try to learn how to deal with them for the time being, since it involves a lot of work and also kind of embarrasses him since some of his brothers and the other heroes playfully make fun of him about having them, especially since it kind of messes with his speech a little, which doesn't help him at all when trying to be a tough hero who needs to be taken seriously.

Jon and Damian both get sent to a summer camp since Clark and Bruce as Father's both think that besides their kids living the superhero life, they should also be able to have the chance to live like actual kids once in a while too before they lose the chance to actually do so when they finally reach adulthood in life. Damian's bummed about it and tries to find a way to leave the place, Jon's not upset about the situation at all and thinks that it will actually be a very fun experience to have. Though, they both later find out that there's possibly a very strange and dangerous creature lurking around the campsite that might just have a very big appetite for kids their age. So the Supersons both try to secretly investigate this mystery together to prevent the possible danger coming to their classmates there and get to also experience some of the fun things about summer camp too while they do so.

One day Jon begins to learn about the new fact that while he does like girls, he also actually likes boys too and is actually a bit confused by this, and thankfully has support on his side from family and friends while going through this new discovery about himself.

Jon is always hiding the clutter in his bedroom away from Clark and Lois by always shoving it all in his clothes closet. Though, one day while he's hanging out with Damian in his room, they both decide to play a video game together, except the controllers are missing, so Jon goes to check in his closet to see if he had thrown them in there by mistake with the rest of his mess and actually finds a shocking surprise for himself after he does so. He finds a big mysterious deep black hole on the floor of his closet that was never there before and believes that it has sucked all of his clothes and mess into it self. Him and Damian both then accidentally get sucked into it too after looking a little too close at it and have to now figure a way back out into Jon's bedroom as they both also learn about this strange new dimension together.

Damian decides to use the Batmobile behind Bruce's back one day during a mission with Jon and accidentally crashes it too during a road chase in said mission, so now him and Jon both have try to hide it and get it fixed on time before Bruce finds out about it.

Baby Mar'i gets involved in another mission with the Supersons again, except the three of them end up swapping ages in this one, so she gets turned into a kid while Damian and Jon are both turned into 2 year olds by the bad guy in their mission. So the three of them have to figure out a way together to stop this bad guy who's on the run and get said bad guy to turn them back into their normal selves before the spell becomes permanent for them all

An earth 11 episode of genderbend Damian and Jon just for fun

A school dance episode where some fun chaos happens for Damian and Jon

And of course there would also be fun episodes for all holidays during each year too (Valentine's, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc)

There would also be a birthday episode for Jon too

There would also be villains and bad guys for them to face in a lot of episodes

I have many more ideas but then it would probably turn this into a really long post lol

Character sheets and designs!!:

(Be sure to click on them for better quality!)

Damian and Jon in their hero and civilian outfits (So you know how Star from Star vs the forces of evil changes her outfit in episodes sometimes? Well, that's what Damian and Jon would also be doing sometimes in episodes in their civilian outfits too, which explains why they have more then one lol)

A closer look at them

Damian and Jon together

And Mar'i in her little Nightstar dress and normal dress (the blue star on her normal dress is supposed to be a little nod to the blue on Dick's Nightwing suit, while the star is also a nod to Starfire)

(These are all of the ones that I have for now, cause I have the other characters sheets too but then I would have to digitalize them first)

Ships involved:

Dickkory (they would already be married to eachother during the whole series and would already have baby Mar'i)

Bbrae (they would be engaged to eachother for the first season and a half of the second one, which would give us a fun wedding episode when it's time for them to marry. They would then be married to eachother for the rest of the whole series after that, but they wouldn't have any kids yet though until the final season of the series)

Timber or Timkon, or maybe Timber first and then later Timkon (not in a rush though)

Probably Damijon (I would probably continue to keep them as best friends throughout the whole series or maybe turn them into a cute ship very much later on in the series, since they do have a very great dynamic and chemistry with eachother as characters and as best friends...and also because their my otp :| but idrk)

Voice ideas:

For my imagined series, I've also always imagined Kon having the exact same voice as Marco from the Star vs the forces of evil series, cause it's also just the type of voice that I can always hear him speaking in whenever I'm reading fics or comics with him in it for some reason

And for Jon it would be a voice that sounds energetic and friendly

And Damian's would sound like the mature type of voice but still sounding like a kid and with maybe a bit of an accent in it too

For the Titans, Dick, Starfire, Raven, Beast boy, and Cyborg, I would give them the same voice actors that they've had for the og animated series and the new reboot series (cause it just really wouldn't be the same without their talented voices!😭)

Little other things:

Damian would be 12 years old in the series while Jon is 10 1/2 years old, so they would both still be in middle school in the series

Tim and Kon would be 16 years old

While Jon and Damian may be eachothers very best friends, they also have their own little friend groups. For Jon's friend group, it's Kathy, Billy, and later also kid!Jay and for Damian's group, it's Maya, Colin, Maps, and Tai Pham (they would all also team up as a whole group together sometimes in episodes)

I'm thinking of maybe adding a very young Chris Kent as a young brother for Jon and Kon so that he could grow up with Jake Grayson as a best friend after he's born and then they could also become the young Starburst duo together in the future, or maybe just adding him in as their brother as planned and letting him be around Jon's age instead

While Blackfire and Starfire may have their differences with eachother and even though Blackfire might not always treat Starfire in a good way like how she should as a sister, she sure does love her adorable baby neice Mar'i a lot

Baby Lian exists and has play dates with Mar'i

And yes, Jon would still be taller than Damian in the series lol

Duke would be in the series too (cause he deserves more love) and would also be a Batkid in the Batfamily

I would give the series a very fun and cool memorable theme song while a very fun animated intro is showing off examples of what their awesome adventures together as the Supersons is like (like something similar to Star vs the forces of evil style) everytime before an episode actually begins

It would definitely be a fun comedic show with humor to laugh at all the time but it would also become serious at moments when it needs to be (like the og Teen Titans animated series for example)

It also wouldn't be a show that's aimed at adults like the mature Harley Quinn animated series and it also wouldn't be a little kiddies type of show either, it would actually be the type of show that anyone of any age can enjoy, like the many other kids cartoons out there like: the og Teen Titans animated series, Star vs the forces of evil, Gravity falls, Steven universe, and many more

Cool and fun action scenes would definitely be included in all episodes of the series everytime whenever they're fighting bad guys and villains

Thank you very very much for the ask, @katekanemybeloved ! :D I really enjoyed sharing this!💖

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