#yale would want me so bad

[canelazombie]

my favorite piece of lore abt myself is that when i was born i didnt have a nationality so the country i was staying at begrudgingly gave me their nationality ONLY for my parents to inmediatly leave and get me another nationality back in their home country so i had fooled both goverments at 0 years old

[likeumeanit9497]

yale pt. 2 | c.s |

chris sturniolo x fem!reader

read part one here!

summary: to commit or not to commit; what will chris and y/n decide? and how will they prove to one another that their mutual decision was the right one?

warnings: smut, oral (m/f receiving), hand stuff (m/f), p in v, unprotected sex (BAD), more fluff than i usually write, 18+

notes: again i'm sorry ab the wait but part two is finally finished! it's a bit longer than my past one shots (almost 6000 words eek) because there's a lottttt of fluff before the smut. i hope ya'll enjoy!!!

ᵕᵕᵕᵕ୨♡︎୧ᵕᵕᵕᵕ

Two out of my three final exams were finished, and I was about ready to throw in the towel on my last one of the week. It was Thursday, and tomorrow was my Biology II final, which had been the one that had been stressing me out the most. As soon as I had got back to my small one-bedroom apartment that day, I had buried my nose in my textbooks in an attempt at cramming some last-minute miracle study session into my day.

That was around 3:00, and as I walked into my kitchen to make myself my fourth cup of coffee for the day, the clock on my stove read 9:26. I wanted to cry from exhaustion. Yale finals were no joke, and I had to do well on all of my exams in order to keep my scholarship for next year. On top of the stress caused by all of that, I was having an even more difficult time because my brain had been consumed by something else. Every moment of every day — whether I was trying to get some rest at night or trying to focus on answering the questions correctly on an exam — I was thinking about the last time I had seen Chris.

It had been less than a week, but my mind had replayed every moment of our time together so many times that it had begun feeling like a dream. That, in addition to the lack of proper rest I had been getting, had made me genuinely begin to question whether or not I had imagined everything that he had said before I ran out on him.

I hadn’t heard anything from Chris since then, which really wasn’t that uncommon. We typically only texted when I was back in Boston and we could meet up, and he knew that I would be busy with my finals this week and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. But regardless of how usual the lack of communication was, I couldn’t help but feel like there was a mutual tension between us even from miles away; and the shortage of interactions between us just felt like confirmation of that.

Since the last time we spoke, I had felt nearly every emotion possible regarding the situation. Guilty, happy, sad, angry, hurt, disappointed, excited, and confused. Very, very confused. There had been so many times where, as I was studying, or showering, or walking to class, I became completely consumed by the urge to text him; sometimes with the intention of telling him that I feel the same way about him as he does about me, other times my intentions were to cuss him out for making the one thing that was easy in my life so complicated. But every time I opened my phone and began typing out a message to him, I got ahold of myself and would hurriedly delete the paragraph.

Frustrated and lost in my own mind once again, I leaned onto the kitchen counter and rested my forehead against my crossed arms. The last thing that I wanted to do was go back to my desk and continue studying, but I knew that I needed to spend at least a few more hours on it if I wanted to secure at least a 90%. But my eyes were beginning to grow heavy, and the cool sensation that came from leaning on my counter was helping me calm down. Maybe I could stay here and collect my thoughts for just a few more minutes…

Four loud knocks at my front door caused my eyes to shoot open. I felt disoriented as I took a moment to take in my surroundings, glancing quickly at the clock I realized that I must have somehow dozed off in my position at the counter. Three more knocks rumbled through my small apartment, these ones more urgent than the last. As my brain finally woke up completely, I was hit with a mini wave of rage. Brad was in the same Biology II class as I was. He must be trying to study for the exam super last minute, and when he realized that he hadn’t even started taking study notes, he decided to show up unannounced at my place to get his hands on mine. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time.

I stormed toward my front door, beside myself in fury and stress. As I unlocked the door and began turning the handle, I opened my mouth to begin my crazed rant.

“Brad I swear to God I’m not-” My mouth clamped shut and I froze once the door was completely open and the identity of the person on the other side was shown.

“Hi.” Was all he said, his voice tentative and wavering slightly. His bright blue eyes were filled with uncertainty, his slouched shoulders were covered in a light dusting of snow, and held by his hands in the space between us was a bouquet of sunflowers.

“Chris.” His name fell breathlessly from my lips, and I immediately walked toward him and embraced him in a relieving hug. I felt both of our bodies relax as soon as they connected, and we stood in my doorway for what could have been hours; both of us taking a moment to relish in the comfort that came from us finally seeing one another. “What are you doing here?” I finally asked, pulling back from him and taking a good look at his beautiful face. He shifted on his feet before responding, “I just needed to see you.”

His body language showed that he was feeling incredibly vulnerable. I wanted to do everything I could to reassure him, but not yet; it was too soon. So instead, I guided him into my apartment and closed the door behind us.

“So,” I began as he stood awkwardly in my kitchen, “Have you just decided to start carrying those around as some sort of fashion statement or what?” I gestured towards the flowers still gripped firmly in his hand. He blinked quickly before looking down at them as if he had forgotten they were there, and nervously giggled. “No. Uh, I brought these for you?” His voice rose at the end of his sentence, making it sound like a question and I let out a small laugh before gently removing them from his grasp. “I was joking, thank you for these. Sunflowers are my favourite.” I replied before turning my back to him to search through my kitchen cabinets for a vase. “I know they are.” He said in a quiet voice, and I turned back to look at him quickly.

“How’d you know that?” I kept my tone light, partially because I felt like it might make him more comfortable and partially to keep my nerves at bay. “Your lock screen on your phone. It’s of you and your friends in a sunflower field. I asked you about the picture that first time we met when you went to put my number in your phone and you told me that they were your all-time favourite flower, even though you thought they were a bit cliche.” He explained all of this to me while looking down at his feet, and I felt a ripple of shock travel down my spine. How did he remember that seemingly mundane part of our very first interaction, eight months ago?

I cleared my throat as I felt my emotions begin to get the best of me, and finally found a vase hidden deep in one of my cabinets. “Well I do love them,” I finally responded once I regained control over myself, “And look at how beautiful they are! The brighten up my entire kitchen.” I showed him the bouquet, now tucked into their vase, and felt my heart flutter at their vibrancy. “Thank you so much, Chris. I mean it.” I walked over to where he was standing beside my kitchen island, and wrapped my arms around his neck. I playfully brushed my nose against his a few times, before planting a light kiss on his lips. “You have a very good memory.” I added, before moving my lips to his jaw, down to his neck; leaving wet thank-you kisses along the way. His breath hitched once I reached his collarbone, where I spent extra time suckling his delicate skin.

I brought a hand down to his jeans, where I palmed at his semi-hard member. His hands stayed still at his sides, but I could feel his increasing pulse against my lips as I moved them painfully slow back up to his. When my lips made it back to his, I pressed my body against him in an attempt at deepening our movements. His hands finally moved to grab onto my waist, giving me a moment of satisfaction, before he used his new grip to pull me away slightly. “Y/n, wait,” He started, his gaze fixed on me, “I’ve really been needing to talk about last weekend.” My stomach sunk as I began to feel the too-familiar pit of anxiety that had been haunting me for days grow once more. Not wanting him to pick up on how terrified I was to have this conversation, I planted a faux smile on my face and gave him a quick nod. “Me too. Let’s sit.” I replied before walking over to my couch.

“So…” I began once we were both seated on the couch facing each other. Even though I had spent days mulling over every detail of what I might possibly say to Chris once this inevitable conversation happened, I really had no idea how to go about this. And by the unusual silence and bouncing leg coming from Chris’s side of the couch, it was pretty evident that he didn’t know how to either.

“I thought we had agreed that this conversation wouldn’t happen until after I had written all of my finals.” I finally got the courage to speak first, before immediately noticing that my tone came across pretty passive aggressive. “I just mean — sorry, Chris. I’ve just been really stressed out.” I attempted to correct my first sentence once I noticed that his face was riddled with anxiety. Placing a soft hand on his forearm, I continued, “I just mean I’ve been really needing to talk to you, too.” A nervous smile flashed across his face at my words, and I watched as he took a deep breath. “You have?” His tone sounded unsure, and I nodded firmly. “I haven’t been able to think about anything else.” I added, slightly embarrassed by my own admission. “Neither have I.” He added, turning his body slightly so he can face me better.

“I know I told you that I would wait until after you were finished your exams, and I really tried. But I’ve been going crazy these past few days and I really couldn’t wait anymore. I’m sorry.” He confessed, and I scooted closer to his place on the couch. “Don’t be. Trust me, I’ve felt so crazy these past few days too. I’ve gone through every possible emotion whenever I thought about the whole situation, it’s like I can’t get control over my mind. It’s been hell.” I reassured him with the truth.

“Well, how are you feeling about the whole thing?” He asked tentatively, as if he was afraid of my answer. I allowed myself to contemplate for a few moments before answering, so that I could say the right thing. “Well, at first I was scared. It was just so out of the blue Chris, and my brain couldn’t process it all.” I watched him watch me as I spoke, “Then, I felt really angry. I was so mad that after all of this time you decided to drop that bomb of a confession right before I had to start my most stressful week of the year. That, along with the simple fact that I am in a relationship, no matter how toxic, and you went and made things even more complicated.” His gaze dropped to the dead space between us, clearly having a difficult time hearing how upset I had been.

“But,” His eyes met mine again as I continued, “I almost felt relieved? Like, it kind of felt like this was how it was always supposed to end up, if that makes sense. It was like some part of me knew that the universe was planning something like this to happen in a way, and that all of our sneaking around was just the build up.” I felt my heart in my throat as I spoke of feelings that I hadn’t even known I was feeling before; shocked by my own confession. By the expression on his face, I could tell that he was just as confused.

“Wait, what?” Said Chris, his eyes widening slightly. I stared back at him in silence, terrified that I might have said too much and gotten this whole thing wrong. Oh God, what if he came here to back out of what he had said last week? What if his jealousy had just overpowered him in the moment, and he was here to backtrack. Even more, what if he was here to end things between us completely? I began to feel myself panic at all of the thoughts flying through my head at rapid speed, before he finally spoke.

“Are you — are you saying that you might want this too?” Chris asked, his voice one of hesitant optimism. Immediately, I felt my initial wave of dread vanish and a new, almost excited anxiety take its place. I bent forward, resting my arms on my knees, and groaned into my hands at the feeling. “I…do.” I finally said, my voice muffled by the concealment of my face behind my fingers.

The room stayed silent for what felt like forever, my last words sat heavy in the air between us. I was so anxious I couldn’t bear to look anywhere, so I scrunched my eyes tightly shut and made every attempt at calming my nerves.

“Come here.”

Chris’s voice was so soft and calm — a refreshing contrast to the racing thoughts in my own mind — that it caused my eyes to snap open and fall on him. He still looked a bit nervous, but the genuine smile that shone across his face allowed me to release the deep breath that I wasn’t even aware I was holding. I scooted even closer to him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around me. With my head tucked into his neck, I breathed him in; allowing my nervous system a moment to relax.

“We’re really doing this then?” I finally asked as he rubbed gentle circles on my back. He let out a soft chuckle. “Looks like it.” I pulled away from his embrace and brushed his hair out of his beautiful face. “I’m gonna have to end things with Brad tomorrow after our Biology final.” I sighed, dreading the inevitable conversation that was I was sure would be made more difficult by Brad and his disrespect. However, Chris’s pleased expression brought me some joy, because at the end of the day he was who I really wanted.

Feeling like I was on cloud nine, I wrapped my arms around Chris’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Right as my lips barely grazed his, however, he mumbled something and pulled back. “No,” he began, shaking his head firmly. “We gotta do this right. Things are different now and we’re not just sneaking around, so it feels wrong to just kiss you behind everyone’s back like we had to before. Take your exam, have a conversation with Brad, and then we can start from the beginning.”

My jaw physically dropped, shocked at the maturity of Chris’s words. I wish he wasn’t but I knew that he was right. Now that we were headed in the direction of something more serious, it would be so much more meaningful to wait until all of the wrinkles of our situation had been ironed out. I gave him a smile and nodded softly, letting him know that he was right.

“So, how did you get here?” I asked, stretching my arms behind my head to work the kinks out of my sore back. “Matt dropped me off. I had to offer to do the laundry for a full month for it though.” I laughed at his response, but was also touched by the idea as I knew that Chris despised laundry more than anything. “Jesus, no kidding, that’s a long drive just to turn right back around and go back to Boston.”

“Well, no. He should still be downstairs. I told him to wait outside for a while just in case things didn’t go so well up here.” He rubbed his neck awkwardly at this fact, but I understood what he meant. “Well, if you want you can tell him to head back and you can spend the night here. I was already planning on heading back home tomorrow night so I can just take you with me.” I offered, glancing quickly at him through my eyelashes as I did to gauge his reaction. Immediately, a smile flashed across his face and he shot up from the couch as if he had been hoping I would say that. “I’m down. Let me just run to his car and grab by duffel bag.” I laughed at his reaction, and the fact that he had clearly intended on staying the night if he played his cards right.

Before walking to the door, he leaned over my figure and planted a quick kiss on the top of my head. “I’ll be right back. Maybe once I grab my stuff I can quiz you for your exam or some shit. Don’t want you to not be prepared tomorrow just because I’m here.” My heard fluttered from the sensation of his lips on my skin in combination with his thoughtful words, and I had to fight the urge to pull his face to mine. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

ᵕᵕᵕᵕ୨♡︎୧ᵕᵕᵕᵕ

Once I finally made it back to my apartment, I slammed the front door shut and slid against it down to the floor. I ran my hands through my snow-covered hair as I tried to catch my breath and wrap my head around what I had just done.

I finally broke up with Brad.

As suspected, he didn’t take it well. To be honest, it had been a bad choice of mine to do it as we were walking towards the exit of the exam building, but I hadn’t expected him to break down into tears and get down on his knees in front of countless other students and professors, begging me to reconsider. I could still hear the echos of his wails as I literally ran away through the double exit doors of the building, and I continued to run as fast as I could until I reached the lobby of my apartment complex.

And now here I was, feeling everything all at once and trying to make sense of all that has happened over the past twenty four hours. As I mulled through everything, the sound of my shower turning on caught my attention. In all of my stress from writing my exam to breaking up with Brad, I had nearly forgotten what all of it was for.

Chris.

I stood up and slowly walked towards the bathroom. Putting my ear against the door, I smiled as I listened to him quietly sing along to a Ken Carson song playing from his phone as he showered. Checking the door knob, I realized that he had left it unlocked and I decided to enter the humid washroom. The room had already begun to fill up with steam, but I could still see Chris’s back through the glass shower door. He was facing away from me, and the music was loud so he clearly had no clue that I was there.

Quickly and quietly, I began to take off my clothes from the day; keeping my eyes on him the entire time to make sure he still hadn’t noticed my presence. Once fully unclothed, I took my hair out of my messy bun and began walking towards the shower. Standing at the glass now, I brought my knuckles against the cool surface and gently knocked.

At my knocking, Chris’s body jolted and he quickly turned his body to face me. When he saw that it was just me standing there, his body visibly relaxed and a smile crossed his lips. “Hey.” He said as his eyes travelled across my naked body. “Hey.” I returned as I opened the shower door and began climbing in. I stood in front of his naked figure, the stream of water from the shower head beginning to mist my hair.

“Did you talk to him?” Asked Chris, his eyes searching my face; clearly trying to gauge my expression. I tilted my head to the side and smirked slightly. “I did.” He continued to just stare, his bare chest rising and falling rapidly. “I ended it.” I added, causing a smile to immediately cross his face. “So we’re really doing this, huh?” Chris asked as he brought his hands to my hips, pulling my body towards him directly under the shower head. Now getting completely rained on, I squeezed my eyes shut and chuckled. “What, you getting cold feet already kid?” I asked jokingly, opening my eyes to look at him and standing on my tip toes so that I could bring my face closer to his.

“No, obviously not, it’s just,” He paused when I brushed my wet lips against his softly, before whispering, “It’s just a bit scary.” I brought my hands to the back of his head, where I mindlessly twirled my fingers through his curls. “What’s scary?” My hushed tone now matched his as I spoke. “I’ve just never been in a relationship before, and I don’t want to screw anything up. I’m really really out of my realm here Y/n.” He confessed, his tone somber and his eyes fearful.

I grabbed my bottom lip with my teeth, completely understanding what he was saying but not wanting to unintentionally confirm his fears by agreeing. So instead, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him against me. After a moment of relishing in the feeling of his skin pressed firmly against mine, feeling our hearts beat as one, I spoke.

“Let me show you that you don’t need to be scared of anything.” I gazed up at him as he looked down at me, and after a short while he nodded his head. Rubbing his back delicately, I spoke. “Things aren’t going to be much different, you know,” I began placing soft kisses along his collarbone, “Sure we won’t be sneaking around,” More kisses along his shoulder, “And there will be a certain level of accountability and loyalty that wasn’t there before,” My mouth moved to his jaw, “But those are all good things because,” Finally, my lips were hovering in front of his, so close to touching that I could feel his anxious breath against them.

“They mean that I’m all yours.”

At that, Chris crashed his lips against mine. Our mouths moved in sync as his tongue swirled against mine. I gasped as Chris suddenly pressed my back against the cool tiled wall where he continued to dominate my mouth. I felt his quickly growing member press against my hip, and reached forward to begin stroking it slowly. A soft moan fell from his mouth, and I began to move my hand up and down quicker along his hard shaft. He bucked his hips slightly at the sensation, and moved his lips to leave deep kisses along my neck, down to my nipples. He gave my left nipple one long drag with his tongue before engulfing the entire thing in his mouth. He sucked hard and bit tenderly on the tip of my nipple the way he knew I liked, and I couldn’t help but release a small whine at the building need in between my legs.

“Let me make you feel good.” Chris mumbled against my tit, grabbing my ass firmly with both hands. “Me first.” I replied, a smirk on my face with his cock still tight in my grasp. Slowly, I dropped to my knees on the shower floor and was face to face with his swollen cock. Gazing at me as water dripped down his entire body, Chris watched as I placed my lips around his red tip; swirling my tongue to lap up the salty pre cum that had begun to drip from his slit. I watched his erotic expressions as his body shuddered from the sensation, and slowly began bobbing my head up and down the length of his cock. I began pumping my hand along his last few inches that I couldn’t fit in my mouth, and had to stifle my own anticipatory moan from how turned on I had made myself just by knowing that it was my mouth that was allowing him to feel this pleasure.

Not being able to take the painfully aroused state I was in, I brought my free hand between my own legs; gently massaging my own clit to relieve just a bit of the tension. The immediate satisfaction caused me to moan on Chris’s cock, which in turn caused him to press his hand against the shower wall to support his weakened frame. As he watched me pleasure both of us, his jaw slacked and his eyes glazed over with pure lust. I continued to vigorously bob my head, though I was beginning to get distracted by my own heightened arousal as my fingers maintained their pressure on my swollen clit. As tears welled in my eyes I swallowed the entire length of his shaft and began deep throating him, watching his face as his eyes squeezed shut and his free hand moved to grab my hair.

“Fuck baby, I might cum.” His words came out gravelly through his bright pink lips, and I hummed in response as I continued to swirl my tongue around the base of his dick. Suddenly, Chris released a throaty moan before pulling his hips back and detaching my lips from his member with a pop. Instinctually, I tilted my head up and opened my mouth; sticking my tongue out with a slight smirk. I watched as Chris pumped his cock with his own hand a few times before his warm fluid coated my expectant face. I quickly swallowed the few drops that had landed in my mouth, and smiled softly up at Chris as he watched. He brought his thumb to my lower lip and swiped delicately; collecting a drop of his cum that had landed there before placing it on my tongue. Tauntingly, I closed my lips around his thumb and sucked it gently as his breath hitched.

He took his thumb out of my mouth and helped me to my feet. Wrapping an arm around the small of my back, he guided me directly under the stream of water before tilting my head back so that his seed could wash off of my face. After a moment, he pulled me back out of the water and pressed me into his chest. His hands travelled across my back and down to my ass, where he began massaging softly. As he massaged, the tips of his fingers grazed my slit from the back and I began to feel the urgent need to be touched. I nibbled at his skin and subconsciously arched my back in an attempt to give his hands better access to where I needed them most.

He ran a finger through my slick folds and my heart rate quickened against his chest. “You think you can manage to go again?” I breathed as he continued to tease me. I felt his body shift slightly as he chuckled. “Yup. Just give me a minute.” The words barely left his mouth before he dropped to his knees and backed my body up against the wall in one swift motion. Before I had a moment to process anything, his mouth connected to my bundle of nerves. To grant himself easier access, he grabbed my right leg and put it over his shoulder as I moaned out at the sensation that the new angle provided. His mouth moved rhythmically as his tongue swirled around my clit in the way that he knows drives me crazy, and I already began to feel the early whispers of an orgasm in my lower stomach.

After a few moments of bliss, my body was suddenly jolted into reality when he removed his lips from me and stood up. Keeping me pinned to the wall, he attacked my mouth with his own. Deep and carelessly, our lips moved in sync with one another as Chris simultaneously hooked my leg around his hip to press his body even closer to mine. Suddenly, our kiss was cut off by my open-mouthed gasp as Chris slammed his cock deep into my core. Without giving me a moment to adjust to his size, he began driving into me with quick strokes. I struggled to continue to stand — both because of the slippery shower and the velocity of his movements — so I dug my nails into his back for grip; sure to leave deep scratches by the time we were finished.

“Fuck Chris, you’re so big.” I moaned out, feeling my core stretch out with each of his thrusts. “Oh come on baby, you can take it.” His tone was mocking, but it came out breathless as he relentlessly pummelled into me.

His face was pressed against mine, and my view of his feverish gaze and tightened jaw was interrupted periodically only by his sloppy kisses along my jaw. As his pace began to grow more careless, my vision began to grow blurry from my approaching orgasm. “Chris, please keep going I’m so close.” I begged, fearful that his second orgasm would come quicker than my first.

He brought his hand to my throat and squeezed it delicately, his eyes on mine. “I’ll wait for you, princess. Want to cum with you.” His hand moved from my throat down to my clit, where he began rubbing it fiercely. The additional contact from him instantly sent a jolt of electricity down my spine, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was going to reach my climax. “C-chris, I’m — oh God I’m cumming.” I practically screamed as the wave of overwhelming pleasure hit me. As my walls pulsed erratically around his cock, Chris released a raspy moan — a clear indicator that he had also reached his own orgasm. His movements slowed tremendously as we both rode out our highs; both of our fluids and slurred profanities in harmony with one another.

Chris’s hips stopped moving completely as we both leaned our heads against the shower wall, catching our breath. His hand that had previously been on my clit was now resting on my inner thigh where it was thoughtlessly rubbing up and down my soft skin. The thick steam in the shower was making it even harder for me to catch my breath, so I turned the temperature down before stepping under the stream of water to begin cooling myself down. Chris followed suit, and squeezed some shampoo into his hand before lathering my hair with it. Humming at the relaxing feeling of his hands massaging my scalp, I leaned back against his firm chest.

“See, at least you know that part of our relationship didn’t change.” I said jokingly as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. “No, it definitely did.” He responded, and I froze. Once again I was worried that he had changed his mind; that maybe he thought the sex might start to be boring, or that sex with emotion was too sappy. Just as those insecurities began to rear their head, Chris’s eyes softened with a big smile as he pulled me towards him. “It got even better.” I felt my body relax in his arms at those words, and I beamed up at him. “I agree.” I pressed a soft kiss to his collar bone.

“Now let’s hurry up, I want to get back to Boston before it gets dark out.” I said as I hurriedly lathered by body with shower gel. Chris moved from his place under the shower head to give me space to wash off before exiting the shower. “Stay at mine tonight? We can watch Christmas movies!” He exclaimed as he grabbed a towel to dry off. I rolled my eyes with a smile. “You’re such a cornball. But unfortunately I think I might be too because that sounds great.” He giggled at this before poking his head back into the shower to plant a kiss on my nose. “I’m really happy we’re doing this.”

“Doing what? Getting excited over watching Christmas movies?” I asked with a chuckle. “No — well, yes. But no. I meant I’m — I’m really happy you’re all mine now.” His words made me melt a little inside, and I brought an affectionate hand to his jaw and brushed my thumb against it. I took a moment to really admire his perfect features — in awe of my current reality where a man as beautiful as him could feel the way he does about me— before responding, “Me too, Chris. I’m happy I’m all yours too.”

ᵕᵕᵕᵕ୨♡︎୧ᵕᵕᵕᵕ

taglist:

@chrattstromboli @sncstur

[turtlesandfrogs]

Here's the actually* short notes for the course, "The Science of Well-Being" from Yale on coursera, which is available for free. Mostly focusing on the actionable steps.

Point the first: We/society at large is often wrong about what makes people happy/have a sense of well being. Unless you've been reading into motivation, happiness, flow, etc, already, in which case you're likely right on track.

We adapt to both good things and bad things, so neither one effects us as much as we think they will. Our brains adapt to, and filter out stimuli after a while. If we want to get the most enjoyment out of something/life, we should increase variety and take breaks. Like, drink a different kind of tea every day, or take breaks when listening to music. Also, practicing gratitude, savoring (pausing and intentionally appreciating the good moments in life), sharing experiences with others, and recalling past moments of joy. Also, you can practice negative visualization, when you on purpose think of how awful the world would be if you didn't have something that you do have.

A good job is one that allows you to practice your signature strengths and enter the flow state.

The income-increased happiness plateau is somewhere between $75k and $500k- but I found a recent article** after the comments to this effect, and "Yet is important to note that the relationship is weak, even if statistically robust. The correlation between average happiness and log(income) is 0.09 in the experience sampling data, for example, and the difference between the medians of happiness at household incomes of $15,000 and $250,000 is about five points on a 100-point scale. The flattening and accelerating patterns are even smaller modulations of a small effect. However, the emotional effects of other circumstances are also small. KD reported that the effect of an approximately four-fold difference in income is about equal to the effect of being a caregiver, twice as large as the effect of being married, about equal to the effect of a weekend, and less than a third as large as the effect of a headache." Which says to me I'm making the right move by going to a 4 day work week :P But seriously, that's great news.

We think in comparisons, and comparison is the thief of joy. You can reduce consumption of images of people who are richer, cooler, more skilled, etc than you, and that will help prevent mood deterioration. You can also reframe to compare to yourself in the past.

Being kind makes you and everyone involved happier. Buying things for others makes you happier than buying things for yourself. Giving to charity makes you happier if it builds social connection. (Why the focus on buying things to make you happier? Why not on actions you can take to make yourself or someone else happier? Probably because giving someone $20 is easier from a study's standpoint.)

Get 7 or more hours of sleep a day.

Move 30 minutes a day.

Meditate- look into mindfulness, loving kindness.

Social connection- doesn't have to be a romantic relationship! Just interacting with others, even strangers, makes us happier (still sounds fake to me, but I'm like a mega introvert). Spending time with people you like is good.

Having free time is important.

Create an environment that supports what ever change you're trying to make.

WOOP = Wish, Outcome, Obstacles, and Plan. "What's your wish for your goal? What's your best outcome? What are the obstacles? What's your if-then plan?" Really helps with actually accomplishing your goals.

*I realized I said short notes before, but then somehow that ended up being super long.

** Income and emotional well-being: A conflict resolved by Matthew A. Killingswortha, Daniel Kahnemanb, and Barbara Mellers

[rosewaterandivy]

summary: as far as dinners go, it could’ve been worse.

pairing: e.m. x eldest harrington!reader

w.c.: 990

warnings: accidental pregnancy, attempted bribery, reader a sophomore at Yale, eddie is 20

“So, Munson,” Mr. Harrington says, voice straining at politeness, “Ever heard of condoms?”

Steve chokes on his water as his eyes cut to you. Rolling your lips between your teeth, you hold your tongue despite wanting to do the exact opposite. Eddie cautions you with a quick glance, oddly reassuring.

“I hardly think that appropriate—“

“If you’re old enough to use them, then you're old enough to discuss the consequences, isn’t that right, dear?”

And for all your mother’s effort, she merely shrugs as if to say what can you do? She takes another sip of her wine.

“Dad, you said you’d be polite.” You remind him, spearing a brussel sprout with a particular fury.

“I’m being perfectly nice,” He says icily, “I haven’t even threatened him yet.”

“C’mon,” Steve says, trying for levity. “We can be civil.”

“Of course,” Your father scoffs. “Civil. It’s civil of me to invite you into my home, to dine with the trailer trash that dared laid hands on my—“

“She’s not yours,” Eddie cuts in, a mirthless laugh propelling the words from his mouth. He’s getting impatient, the pull of his upper lip just enough to give him a slight snarl. “She’s not some pawn for you to maneuver across the board anymore, Harrington.” Eddie’s eyes dart to you, calm and collected. “Hasn’t been for some time now.”

“That is enough!” He seethes, playing right into Eddie’s hands. Smoothing down his tie which had become rumpled in his outburst, Mr. Harrington trains his eyes on Eddie with a steely resolve. “I am only going to say this once.”

Eddie sits up a bit straighter in his chair. He can see you’ve abandoned the pretense of eating, fork laid delicately across the bone china plate. Your knuckles turning white as your clutch the arms of the chair. Steve catches your attention and deploys some sibling shorthand Eddie could never quite decipher, before abandoning his seat to stand at your side.

You bite your cheek, hoping the slight pain would mitigate the tears gathering in your eyes, as your brother lays a comforting hand on your shoulder, and wait for the fallout from this dinner party disaster.

Mr. Harrington points a menacing finger at Eddie, all boardroom bravado, and carefully enunciates his words. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, boy.”

Harrington’s barely started his tirade and Eddie’s blood is already boiling. He tongues his canines and forces himself to stare the man down.

“From one… father to another,” He spits the word. “I will not have my grandchild to be raised by the likes of you. As a Harrington, that baby will know exactly who they are, and who they are not.”

He hears your sharp intake of breath, knows he can’t let himself to get distracted right now. Eddie takes a slow breath as your father continues.

“I will not allow you to ruin everything this family has built. You can rest assured that the child will want for nothing. And if you walk away now,” He pulls a paper from his jacket pocket and slides it deftly across the polished table. “I can make it well worth your while.”

“William, you wouldn’t—“ Your mother gasps, wine glass clinking onto the table.

But oh, he would.

In fact, there was not much Mr. Harrington wouldn’t do to preserve the pristine veneer of his family name. And really, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d paid a Munson off.

It would, however, be the first time he’d attempted to bribe the wrong one.

Apparently, the apple fell farther from the tree than he’d bargained for.

“You done now, Will?” Eddie snarls, voice taunting as he rises to his full height and looms across the table. “Must think you’re real hot shit in that three piece suit to what? Try and intimidate me?” He scoffs, eye flitting to the document laid before him. “Have to say, that’s a pretty nifty sum you’ve had your boys cook up there. Too bad you bet on the wrong horse, huh?”

At this, your father’s once confident smirk slides off his face.

“See, you can raise all the hell you want. Drag me through the mud for all I care. You think I give a fuck about that?” He snorts, flicking the paper back down the table. “I know what people like you think of me, and that’s fine. I know who I am.” He pauses, watching the muscle of your dad’s jaw tighten in fury. “I may just be Al Munson’s screw up son to you, can bribe him just like we did the old man. But I think we both know who raised me.”

Eddie watches as the realization dawns on the man, how fantastically he’d miscalculated. Didn’t even have to mention his name, and already had old Harrington sweating bullets.

“I don’t know about you, but I wager there’ll be hell to pay once he finds out you’ve not only slandered his grandchild but also upset his favorite person in the world.”

His mouth, which had fallen open to launch a rebuttal, falls shut. Mr. Harrington eyes him quizzically.

“Oh, me? Nah man,” Eddie shakes his head and nods toward you, standing at the opposite end of the table. “Her.”

He sets his napkin on the table and pushes in his chair, his mama taught him manners after all. “Well Mrs. H., thanks for the swell dinner.”

Eddie’s body is already buzzing as you stride toward him and slot your fingers through his. Pulling him down the entryway, your heels click against the polished marble floor.

He pauses at the door, your mother and father still seated in the dining room as Steve grabs his keys.

“Y’know, I may not have much,” Eddie says, voice raised for them to hear. “But I’ll do right by them, William. No one can stop me.” An elegant bejeweled hand reaches for the door knob, “Though you’re welcome to keep trying.”

[anggiazs]

Just saw a TikTok comment saying "I think Logan stans like Logan, while Jess stans like Jess and Rory together." and I can't help but think THAT THIS IS SO TRUE!

If you're talking about Jess, Rory is never out of context. It's always talking about how they bring out the best in each other at the right time, how they need each other, how they made each other better, yada yada yada. In the end, they're soulmates, pushing towards each other. As much as I love Jess (seriously, I have a problem), I would always want him more for Rory, for them to be happy together as adults in love in a way I'm so certain they can be.

And with Logan, ... Istg if I see one more person saying "Rory should've said yes to Logan's proposal" I am gonna riot, like full on burning a house down. "But he loves her so much, he can give everything for her!" HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR HER! Yes, most of it is her decisions and mistakes, but good god he doesn't do anything real or impactful about it. He just lets her. It's always "But Logan is..." or "Logan will...", and oh my god this show is NOT titled "Huntzbergers". What about what Rory wants??? What about her??? Can't you see that he brings out the bad from her? Not only him but his entire environment???

Hhhh, most of Logan stans I see on TikTok only love him because he's rich and knows how to have a good adventurous time. Don't they care about the actual emotional connection between two destined people?? And don't even get me started on them comparing adult Logan and teenage Jess, which is another rant entirely. "THIS is how a healthy relationship should look like!", and it's a clip on Logan being there when Richard is sent to the hospital, not on him bribing Rory with coffee without even saying "I'm sorry" or any other manipulative shit he has done. There are two sides to a coin; If you refused to see that on Jess, sure as hell I'm not letting you ignore it on Logan.

And I also saw a comment saying "Logan loved her so much he'll agree to anything she does because he'll follow her every decision." and um, isn't that... like, not healthy?? Loving someone should mean you want what's best for them, knowing someone so well that with one glance you can tell something's not right, not seeing them drown in a lifestyle YOU INFLUENCED ON THEM, and just decide to be happy and follow them deeper and deeper into it. Rory and Logan would not last A MINUTE outside the Yale bubble, and that is a statement I'll carry to my grave.

[ghostfacd]

lost him | connor bedard

au masterlist

Y/N “Bells” Belliemine. She was the star of the show, the smart pretty long haired girl from Yale. One look at Bells and you’d almost feel a spurge of jealousy flow through your veins.

What everyone didn’t expect was for the girl to be dating Connor Bedard, the hockey player. Sure, he was cute and all, but really? The two just didn’t seem to mix well together.

Bells, after a long day of studying, decided that she was going to go to the party her boyfriend’s teammates have been all raging about.

It was a party at one of the frats, and although Connor told her that if she didn’t want him going, then he’s totally okay with staying home.

Despite Bells’ jealousy towards the insane amount of fangirls that Connor had due to him playing hockey for their college, Bells knew it wouldn’t be fair of her to restrict him from going out with his friends to party. She didn’t want to be that girlfriend, anyway.

When Bells arrived, her eyes automatically searched for Connor, and she couldn’t find him until she had bumped into one of his friends and teammate, Ryan.

“Oh hi Bells!” Ryan says, too tipsy to notice how Bells’ smile had transformed into a frown in a matter of seconds.

Bells had saw Connor just before Ryan had approached her, and although that would give her a sense of relief that she finally found her boyfriend, it made her stomach drop because he was talking closely with a girl.

Not just any girl, a pretty, smooth skin, skinny, and just about everything Bells wished she was in a girl.

“Didn’t expect you to be here!” Ryan wraps his arm around Bells shoulders, something the two had grown used to because Ryan was such an affectionate person. “Are you having fun?”

When Bells doesn’t reply back, Ryan pulls away to get a closer look at her face. “Why do you look so sad Bells? Do I have to beat someone up?”

Bells can only point at where Connor was standing, still engrossed in his conversation with the girl, who was now giggling and pushing him back jokingly.

What the hell.

“Oh, that’s not—” Ryan begins, but Bells already heads off, done with the party scene.

“Bells..” Ryan frowns as he makes his way over to Connor and the girl. “What’re you doing Connor?”

“What do you mean?” Connor furrows his eyebrows, taking in Ryan’s appearance. “Are you already drunk man? Here, my math tutor can give you a ride home, she was just gonna get going anyways.”

Ryan pauses, letting his body rest against the kitchen island. “Wait—math tutor?”

“Yep, apparently, when you spend all your time at hockey practice, you become increasingly bad at math,” the girl jokes, a genuine sparkle appears in her eyes. “Ryan, is it? Lets get you home buddy, I know that the hockey team has early practice tomorrow so you’re gonna thank me for this.”

Connor mouths a thank you to his tutor, “I’ll text you his address. Thanks.”

“Of course Con.”

When the two finally leave, Connor takes out his phone to text Bells as he had missed her the entire night. He just wished she wasn’t so hard on herself when it came to her academics.

You still up baby?

Ten minutes have passed, and no reply seems to come from Bells, so Connor guesses that she’s already asleep, hopefully, instead of having her nose in her textbooks.

But what he doesn’t know, however, is that Bells cried herself to sleep that night, her insecurities getting the best of her. She never once did speak about what she felt insecure about in their relationship, she didn’t want to come off as an overbearing and sensitive girlfriend, but it was really taking a toll on her.

The next day, Bells knew that she would cry if she even saw a glimpse of Connor, so she decided that she would pivot. How? By ignoring him.

She knew it would hurt her to do so, but she couldn’t bring herself to even talk to Connor after last night. The mere image of him laughing it up with the girl was enough to make her throw up.

She decides to lay low the entire day, until she sees Ryan come out of his class.

“Ry!” She says, making her way to him with a smile. “Hey.”

“Hey Bells,” Ryan replies, giving her a small smile.

Connor, who steps out the same class as Ryan watches this interaction with furrowed eyebrows. His eyes twitch in annoyance as he watches Bells smile at something Ryan says, and he hates that she lightly graze his arm for a second.

Oh, he thinks. So she cant talk to me all day but can laugh it up with my best friend?

He walks off with a scoff, not before texting her very classy, Y/N. He didn’t want to see the two people he cherished most in the world just plainly ignored him like he wasn’t there.

“You okay?” His math tutor asks when Connor takes a seat.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

His tutor scoffs. “For one, you slammed your textbooks on this table when you walked in. And two, your eyebrows are furrowed.”

“Okay, okay.” Connor sighs. “It’s just, remember the girl Bells I was talking about?”

“Your lovely and extremely smart girlfriend?” His tutor teases, “how could I forget? You talked my ear off the entire night about how much you missed her Con.”

“She’s been ignoring me since last night and now she’s all buddy buddy with my teammate.”

“Who? Ryan?”

“Yes, Ryan.”

His tutor sighs, looking at Connor directly in the eyes. “Listen, I’ve been in a million relationships, so I know how this usually goes. I think you should talk to her, communicate how you feel. Ask her why she’s ignoring you, and tell her how that makes you feel.”

“Wow,” Connor laughs, back hitting the back of his chair. “Who knew you were good at math and relationship advice Claire.”

Claire shrugs. “Just am. Now get your girl back Bedard.”

- - -

“We should talk.” Connor corners Bells the next day after his class.

“I’ll see you later Ryan.” Bells says, knowing she cant get out of this one.

Ryan nods, awkwardly leaving the couple alone.

“See, this is what I mean,” Connor scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“What is your problem Connor?” Bells says, pushing him back slightly.

“What’s my problem? What’s your problem?” Connor pinches the the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “First, you don’t answer any of my texts. And next, you’re getting all close and touchy with Ryan now?”

“Ryan is my friend.” Bells says, voice quivering. Connor had never actually yelled at her before, and this was all too much for Bells to handle.

“Friends don’t get super close with each other Y/N!” Connor yells.

“Well why did you get so close with that girl at the party then huh?” Bells yells back, upset that he was putting all the blame on her. “Friends don’t get super close with each other, right Connor? Then why?!”

“What girl?” Connor asks, exasperated. “What girl Bells?”

“That girl you were laughing with at the party!”

Bells’ words fully reach Connor’s brain, and he’s offended that she even thinks that he was getting close to Claire. He knew what a boyfriend was supposed to do, which was why he made sure to keep at least a distance between them when they spoke. And now his own girlfriend was accusing of him being too close and friendly?

“Is this what this is all about Bells?” Connor asks. “Because you’re insecure of some girl I was talking to?”

Those words simply make Bells bawl, her hands coming up quickly to wipe her face.

“You know I’ve loved you since the day I’ve known you, Bells?” Connor says, his own eyes filling with tears. “And you were busy with your college applications and weren’t ready for a relationship, which was fine, but I cannot go on like this any longer!”

“Stop, stop.” Bells cries, distancing herself from her boyfriend.

“I moved to Connecticut for you,” Connor says in a whispered voice, almost in a offended manner, “I remembered your favorite order from the cafe down the street that you go to everyday, I’m happy I did, it’s fine, and I watched as you bottled up your feelings, and I waited and waited until one day you’d open up, because..” Connor’s voice cracks, “I figured, you know, that you’d love me. I thought you’d trust me enough to open up with me.”

“I do love you!” Bells sobs, “Connor, I do, I—”

“Clearly, this isn’t working out.” Connor mutters, hands coming up to wipe away the tears that were streaming down his face. “Is it, Bells? Call me when you actually want to speak about your feelings rather than burying it.”

And for the first time, Connor leaves Bells there crying. For the first time, he doesn’t wrap her in his arms and tell her everything’s going to be okay. For the first time, he doesn’t wave her goodbye with an I love you or wipe away her tears. For the first time, Bells realizes she had lost Connor.

[r4ikkonen]

please can you do a fernando alonso imagine where she’s 22 years old and in college and he’s her sugardaddy, because he doesn’t have time for an actual relationship ? and he had a rule of no falling in love but then he realizes he’s in love with her when he’s bringing her shopping and he confesses it to her later that day after they have sex and she loves him back too

No strings attached | Fernando Alonso x Reader

—————————���—————————————

Ever since you got into your dream college Yale life has been a little bit challenging.You had to work a part time job at starbucks to be able to pay the rent and your scholarship.Yale is overall very expensive and your grades are not that bad either.All your problems disappeared over the summer break.Your friend Zara and you went to the Silverstone Grand Prix.Zara was sweet enough to get both of you the paddock passes and you enjoyed your time there very much.Zara was a big fan of motorsport and you would always come with her to watch Formula 1 or NASCAR.Even though you would struggle with understanding the terms you always found a way to enjoy every race.Zara introduced you to a lot of drivers and there was one that caught your eye.His name was Fernando and he drove for Aston Martin.

Zara often teased you about him and that drove you crazy.After the Silverstone race you and Nando got into contact and you would often talk to each other.He came up with an idea to meet at the restaurant.You gladly accepted and spent 3 hours getting ready just to see him.Your hair was shiny and your satin black dress was hugging your body.When you arrived you saw a man drinking wine graciously while waiting for you.You took a seat and his eyes went straight to look at yours.

“Oh hi y/n didn’t see you there” Fernando said giving me a slight smirk.The way he talked was very flirtatious and I tried not to fall in any off his gestures.He asked me about my college and about my life.I felt like he really cared about it and he would listen to me like I was a song.

After we finished off our desserts it was time to go home.He gave me a ride home in his new Aston Martin car that cost more than my life probably.When we arrived he stopped the car and looked at me right into my eyes.

“Remember Cariño, no strings attached” He told me while grabbing my thigh placing a warm kiss on my cheek.His dark brown eyes met mine and I felt goosebumps rising up on my arms.I waved back to him and entered my apartment.We were now using each other for each others needs, like money and attention..

Few weeks went by and I was living my life to the fullest.I truly had everything, from Dior to Chanel to all of those designers.I was now a sugar baby and Fernando made sure he spoiled me go bits.We were talking nonstop and he called me any second he gets.I really felt like he was my boyfriend.He always listened to me and he always helped me.We would often see each other when we could.He was busy with racing and scoring points for me while I studied my ass off to become a Doctor.Whenever I’d miss him I would always remember his words.”No strings attached”.They are still haunting me and I tried shaking off the feeling that I have a slight crush on him.

I went shopping to get some new clothes because I’ll be flying to Oxford to see him.I was very excited and I picked some gorgeous outfits that he of course paid for.

He greeted me with a big smile on his face pulling me into a big hug.As I wrapped my arms around his neck I could feel his after shave.I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and he blushed like crazy.We had time of our lives he showed me Oxford and we tried some great food there too.Living with him for these 4 days were amazing.

It was the last day and I already felt cranky.I didn’t want to leave him, I didn’t want to go back to my sad apartment.I wanted to stay with him forever.When I got out of the bed I saw him preparing pancakes.The smell was so strong and I couldn’t help but giggle while looking at his bare back.His muscles were so defined.His Samurai tattoo was exposed.I bit my lips and sat on the counter trying to catch his attention.

“Good morning Mi Amor” He said placing a warm kiss on my cheek while holding the pan carefully.

“Good morning love” I replied starring at him and admiring every move of his.

He slid a plate across the counter.

“Eat.” He demanded waiting for me to taste one of his pancakes.

“Mmm this is delicious, maybe I should kidnap you and make you make me pancakes mhm?” I teased trying not to sound too clingy.

“I wouldn’t mind that at all” He winked flirtatiously at my joke.

We spent the whole day to ourselves chilling on his big sofa.I was sitting on top of him resting and scrolling through tiktok.He grabbed my phone and threw it onto the coffee table. “Hey!” I yelled hopping that he didn’t break my phone.He didn’t say anything he lifted me up and undressed me exposing my bare breasts.I whined to his actions and he kept placing wet kisses on my neck while whispering something in Spanish.I wrapped my legs around his waist and he pulled out his member.I moaned at his actions as he pressed his warm fingers inside of me. “Fuck Nando please..” I groaned begging him to fuck me some more. “Be patient cariño” He whispered in my ear making me want him even more.We spent that whole morning making love..

After he made sure I was comfortable.We were still laying on his sofa naked.. I used his torso as a Pillow and his fingers were playing with my hair.We were just laying there in silence

“Cariño” He said with a frightened look on his face.Holding me by my waist.

“Yes?l” I turned off my phone locking an eye contact with him.

“Cariño there’s something you need to know” His words weren’t so clear and I was scared for the worst.I’ve thought to myself, what if he breaks up with me?What if he finds me too needy?I couldn’t shake away my fear.

“Uh look, I’ve been thinking about this for some time know and honestly, I think im in love with you, I know I know no strings attached but.. I feel very happy with you and I want to take you with me everywhere I go.”

My eyes went wide to his beautiful confession and I couldn’t help but to give him a big kiss.I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled away from the kiss “I love you”.

I’ve never seen such a smile on his face before he stared at me deeply and I could sense how happy he felt.He grabbed me closer and said

“Cmon let’s go get ready there’s one more place I need to take you too”

[strawburry01]

Pinball Wizard

Summary: Soft lil one shot of you and your boyfriend Angus playing pinball

AN: Fluffy fluff and chill stuff sorry I'm all over the place, but life sometimes be life-ing for the good and the bad. I had someone over and left tumblr open and when I tell you I've never lunged across the room faster to shut a screen....

You stood over a pinball machine, brow furrowed in frustration as the ball once again slid right through the middle of the two paddles. You swore under your breath and hit glass, losing another dollar to the machine. You were waiting for your boyfriend Angus to meet you here after his exam, trying to take his mind off however he scored. Unfortunately you had not planned for him to take so long- or for you to lose so many quarters in the process. You sipped on your bottle of Coke as you leered at the machine, as if it would do anything. Angus was the one who was good at these sorts of things, and you swore he was somehow rigging it everytime. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t sort of into it though watching how serious he got when he leaned over the machine, usually crossing one leg behind the other to get optimal positioning. Ever since you convinced him to start wearing accessories like your rings and necklaces sometimes he’d become a lot more confident in his looks. He always was adjusting his coat sleeves or collar just so people noticed. You’d heard about his time before college and knew he had always been stuck around pretty pretentious people- going to one of those schools where he needed to wear the same uniform as everyone and go to mass everyday twice a day. Personally you would’ve set the place on fire, but he always lied and said he was an angel of a student, to which you would always punch his arm at. College was different, college was better. You were studying chemistry and working a few lab jobs around campus, mostly cleaning beakers and pipetting for hours on end, and he was studying history, working to become a professor eventually. He always said he wanted to teach at Yale or some other Ivy League, but you could see him being a good high school teacher. You’d broached the idea to him once when you were both high and talking about the future, but he got quiet and ended it by saying he’d never be as good as his history teacher. 

Some kid next to you shrieked, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

“Hey hon,” Angus said, appearing next to you, plucking your bottle out of your hand and taking a sip. The circles under his eyes were darker and his voice was tired.

“Exam went that good huh?” you asked as you watched him finish the bottle of soda. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sighed as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close, setting his head on top of ours.

“What gave it away?” he gently laughed, feeling his chest rumble under your cheek as you squeezed him back. He smelled like old weathered books and cigarette smoke. He pressed his lips to your forehead before breaking away and running a hand through his mess of curly hair. “Alright give me some quarters I need to forget that essay,” he said with a small smirk as he tried to reach into your jean jacket pocket for quarters. He grabbed a handful of coins from your pocket and spun to the pinball machine you’d been opposing for the last few rounds. 

“Good luck with that one babe,” you grumbled as you moved to the right side of the machine, leaning against the wall with your hands tucked behind the small of your back. Angus laughed looking down at the lit up board.

“We’ll see about that,” he quipped, the blinking lights of the game lighting up the features of his face. You can only watch in silence as he somehow expertly flicks the bumpers racking up 100’s, 1,000’s, eventually 1,000,000’s of points. 

“How are you so good at this?” you asked from the sidelines, shaking your head. 

“I’m good with my fingers?” he answered without missing a beat or looking away from the game, to which you responded with a gentle smack to the back of his head. He only smirked. “Hey you would know right?” he added, finally drawing his eyes to meet yours. 

“Oh shut it Tully,” you sneered as you pushed yourself off the wall to go get another Coke. Before you could get far you felt his hand wrap around your waist and pull you back. He nestled you right between himself and the machine, holding his hands over yours on the sides, resting his chin on your shoulder. 

“You’re going to make me lose the game Y/N,” he mumbled into your ear, still laser focused on the game, pressing your fingers in to hit the bumpers for him. 

“What if I throw the game for you?” you threatened, hitting the bumpers with your own volition a few times before the ball reached the bottom again. Angus took the second to pinch your hip which caused you to yelp.

“I suggest you don’t try it,”. You smiled to yourself as you settled back, leaning back into his chest as you felt his arms reach out over your own to continue playing, “good girl,” he murmured into your ear as he quickly pecked your cheek as he continued to play.

The fact that this was your life now- the fact that the nerd that sat in the back of the ancient Roman civilizations class was now wrapped around you- STILL more focused on a damn pinball game than you-

“High score,” he muttered under his breath as the screen in front flashed yellow and blue. Sure enough somehow he had really just gotten the high score. 

“Good job babe,” you laughed as he flicked through the letters to spell out your name on the scoreboard.

“Couldn’t have done it without my lucky charm,” he smiled as he placed a kiss on the top of your shoulder before pushing back from the machine and stretching his arms above his head, lifting up the hem of his shirt in the process. Your eyes couldn’t help but wander down to his exposed midsection, a small bit of his tattoo peaking out, “enjoying the view?” he asked as he caught you in the act. You felt your face go red as you tried to open your mouth to defend your way out of this one, but you knew it was hopeless. 

He smirked and pulled you in by the belt loops until you were chest to chest with him, wrapping your arms behind the back of his neck. He was a strong proponent of PDA, and you for once didn’t mind it in a relationship.

“Think I can get lucky again tonight?” he said as his lips brushed yours. You pushed onto the toes of your shoes and kissed his lips, leaving him wanting more as you sunk back down. You slid your hand on top of his jeans, touching his skin under his shirt causing him to suck air in with anticipation.

“I think it’s both of us getting lucky,”. 

[cdragons]

Hey! I miss interacting with u, hope you are doing well :)

What is the song that will most describe farleighs and y/ns friendship?

Hey! This is really sweet, anon! THank you! I'm doing great, I have a ton of exams and projects with school that are kind of kicking my butt rn, but today's my birthday so I am excited to share that with my family!

This is a really tough one, mostly because I never expected this friendship to be so popular with everyone. Although I shouldn't be surprised because Farleigh Start was actually so superior in the movie.

Personally, I think these songs really fit them

Gimme More by Brittany Spears

Bad Girls by M.I.A

That's My Girl by Fifth Harmony (also works for Annabel and Y/N)

So What by P!nk

Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (look up Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with this song and TELL me that this won't be the most amazing duet with the pair)

Let me know in the comments of your opnions!

I feel like this is a good opportunity to give off some headcanons to describe the vibes I get from Fareligh and Y/n! There are also just my personal headcanons of Farleigh and his story in my AU! I made up these with the help of my internet soulmate @ethereal-athalia!

Here are some headcanons of my personal take of Farleigh's backstory in my AU and in general:

Is it weird if I can see Fareligh coming from New Orleans, Louisiana? Because I can absolutely see him giving off those vibes. He would fit PERFECTLY as a New Yorker, but I can't help but feel he would thrive in the Crescent City.

Farleigh really misses the States, and a big part of the reason he parties so much is to forget how homesick he is. I find it very odd that we are given this extremely intelligent character who would no doubt thrive in an Ivy League like Yale, Harvard, or Brown, but he's stuck in England. James definitely could have just paid for his education there, so why send him to England? Furthermore, why does James cover him up so much? Is it really just because he's family?

Remember when Felix told Oliver that Farleigh got kicked out of every school in England bc he "sucked the teachers off"? First off, ew. Secondly, sure, Farleigh is a bit of a hedonist, but all of his behavior just kind of screams to me that he's really and genuinely unhappy in England and wants to go back. That might be a reason why he was so reluctant for Felix to get close to Y/N since Chapter 1 of 'Fuck Everything.'

Furthermore, it really bothers me how nonchalant Felix is about telling Oliver that piece of information. Even if he knows that Farleigh wouldn't really care, that is still very private information about a young boy who was taken advantage of by teachers who were in a position that allowed them to abuse their power.

Also, for a film that exposes so much about its characters, we really don't know a lot about Farleigh Start and his story, specifically his family in the States.

The part where Farleigh's mom is terrible with money and constantly needs handouts from her brother, James, is very realistic - that part, I believe. But I feel like there is a lot missing with his dad.

Was his dad actually as brutish and abusive as Felix said to Oliver? Personally, I don't really see it. Even at first glance, the way Farleigh carries himself is leagues different from the rest of the Cattons. He's observant and takes in details. He uses all this information as a weapon for any opponent he goes up against.

In my opinion, I could absolutely see Farleigh's dad being a completely normal and decent person with a job as a librarian or English professor. This idea is mostly stemmed from when Fareligh made the 'thus' argument against Oliver's essay at the beginning of the movie, and this seems like something Farleigh knows as if being explained about it from a very early age.

The reason I think his father is ill-portrayed is because I feel like Farleigh's mother met him while she was in America and was intrigued by his unassuming self and married him. But then she got bored because she wasn't living the high and expensive life she was living in England with her family.

Eventually, she got bored and decided to use Farleigh as an excuse to get money from James. Farleigh's dad might have wanted custody of his son but was threatened by his ex-wife that he would never see his son again.

Farleigh is aware of his mother's toxic tendencies, but she's his mother and he loves her anyway. He know she's leeching off of him to get to her brother. But what are his other options? Let her fend for herself?

This is probably so far-fetched and a huge reach, but the Cattons are portrayed as people who love to feed off their own sense of entitlement over others by showing of 'generous' and 'charitable' they are to take of other people. When anything bad happens to them, they wear it like a trophy. Maybe that's what happened with Farleigh?

NOW! Onto Farleigh and Reader (also ft. Michael Gavey bc he's bb):

Being around Y/N is like being at home for the first time in forever (cue Frozen song) for Farleigh. When they start talking, Y/N is extremely skeptical of his intentions because she thinks that he's just trying to help out Felix. But nope! He just wants a genuine friend.

Y/N makes it clear to Farleigh from the beginning that if he wants to be friends with her, he needs to be friends with Michael. Michael Gavey and Y/N L/N are a package deal. You want one? You get the other.

Farleigh keeps his friendship with Reader a secret from Felix and is helped by Annabel (our girl got a taste of true kindness, sees Felix Catton for the leech he is, and is now part of the Y/N protection club)

With Y/N, he doesn't feel the need to party or drink until he gets alcohol poisoning to have a good time. He learns to have quiet nights doing homework or playing stupid board games with made-up rules.

Michael and Y/N introduce him to DnD, and he's the classic Bard player who rolls for charisma and ends up f*cking his party out of danger every time. Michael is a paladin, and Y/N is a monk, in case you were wondering.

Y/N sometimes uses Farleigh to model for some of her portraits. She learns to appreciate him because she and Michael do need to be reminded sometimes that it's okay to cut loose at times and that spreading their wings won't kill them.

Y/N and Farleigh definitely geek out over art history and literature (symbolism, plot holes, motifs, etc.) and are BIG soul and blues fans. When they all hang out in Y/N's dorm, they will be listening to James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles till dawn.

Y/N is someone whom Farleigh can have actual mind-stimulating conversations with in a manner that's respectful but also wildly entertaining. They will discuss everything from rousing debates about politics and current events to philosophical queries about the omegaverse and mpreg.

Michael pretended he wasn't a fan until they caught him singing along to 'Hit the Road Jack' and they never let him forget it.

Also, Farleigh is a MAJOR Michael Gavey x Y/N fan. He wants them to get together SO BADLY! But he won't do this in a productive/uncomplicated way. Nonononono, he plans to make the most convoluted, dramatic, and needlessly complicated schemes to get these two nerds together for his own amusement. *Nudge* *Nudge* *Wink* *Wink*

Real talk though, Fareligh genuinely loves Y/N and her presence as a friend. He has all these expectations placed on him and fake friends who only want to be around him for his cousins. To be around someone who not only misses home like him but also truly appreciates him as an individual and not as a commodity for networking means the world to him.

If Y/N ever does go to Saltburn for the summer (*foreshadowing*), Farleigh will do everything in his power to make sure she won't get sucked into his relatives' fake and shallow schemes.

Also, as a bonus, he loves ranting and trash-talking Oliver with Y/N and Michael. It's like free therapy with better snacks because Michael always brings candy.

These are all the ones I can think of for now, but let me more in the comments or in my ask box if you want more! It really means so much that you guys love this AU so much!

Let me know if you want to be tagged in the comments for future Saltburn AU stuff!

"Fuck Everything, But Mostly Fuck You" Masterlist

Tagging: @ethereal-athalia, @arcielee, @valeskafics, @asa-do-your-thing, @aphroditesmoon, @axelsagewrites, @the1999kid, @poolnoodlerescuer, @aemondsbabe, @@winterblu2, @abaker74, @whereismymindnow, @agustdeeyaa, @iamavailablesstuff, @bonnieblue0606, @st-eve-barnes, @@nyxthoughtss, @immyowndefender, @@ilovemydinoboi, @ahristata, @cxp1d, @jinsoulorbitzen12, @temptation-waits, @bollzinurmouth, @jcngw0ns, @seababehh, @destinydestnation, @lankyboi4, @mindless-rock, @cassavacake, @paradisepoison, @@pansexualpamandabear, @erikasurfer, @@lissamans, @cookielovesbook-akie, @thesmutconnoisseur, @izzyisstuff, @lariisouz, @mioshasworld, @themorriganisamonster, @bre99, @babypinkditto

[the-prettiest-teardrop]

Second Chance- Pt. 2

Pairing- Steve Harrington X Fem Childhoodbestie!reader

Warnings- Anxiety, Skipping meals, (not purposefully, reader just forgets to eat sometimes) Swearing, Mainly fluff.

A/N- There’s def gonna be more than just 2 parts to this, so stay tuned for more ig? Apparently this post got deleted.

———

Things were great, you and Steve were a couple, and it felt good to have him back. Days were spent just enjoying one another, and everything seemed to escape your mind, even the looming thought of college applications.

“Here honey, these came in the mail.” Steve says as he tosses a stack of college letters beside you on the couch.

“Thanks.” You smile and grab up the pile, he sits beside you and holds your hand as you open them.

Brown- Accepted

University of Chicago- Accepted

Yale- Rejected

Cornell- Accepted

Community College- Accepted

Steve sat beside you, he was obviously happy that you got into so many amazing schools, but didn’t like the thought of you leaving.

“I’m so proud of you.” His voice is muffled, as his face is tucked in the crook of your neck as he speaks.

“Thanks baby.” You chuckle a bit as you talk, running a hand through his thick locks. You had originally wanted to go to the University of Chicago, but were now considering going to community college instead, to stay closer to him. You had just gotten him back, and the thought of leaving him was almost unbearable.

You spent the rest of the day on the couch, cuddled into him, watching movies he’d grabbed from his last shift at Family Video. It was still hard whenever you two had to be apart, considering your relationship was fairly new, but he figured you needed some time to think about your future when it came to college.

As you laid on your bed, the thoughts of going to community college and starting a life with Steve became more and more enticing, and by the time you fell asleep, you had made your decision.

—

The next morning, you awoke to the shrill ringing of your phone. You grumble, picking it up from where it loved on your bedside table, the pink plastic feeling smooth in your hands. You were about to complain about being woken up like this, until you heard Steve’s sweet voice come over the phone.

“Morning baby.” His sweet, honey-like voice coaxes you out of the sleep stage you’re in.

“Mornin’ Stevie, what’s got you up so early?” You reply, curious to why he had called you at this hour.

“Wanted to know if you had decided anything about college yet?” There it was, something you didn’t really want to answer. You knew that he wouldn’t be happy about you turning down all those good colleges just to stay near him.

“Well, um, I’m still thinking about it.” You lie, hoping that he couldn’t hear the quiver in your voice. “Maybe you should come over later today, we can try and make a decision together?” You figured it would be easier to tell him in person, explain your reasoning. 

“Oh sure, I’d love to baby, I’ll bring some popcorn and a movie.” He said, his tone oozing affection. All he had wanted to do was be near you, he had just gotten you back and wasn’t gonna let you go.

“Alright, see you at 5? I can pick you up from work if you want.” You offer, picking him up from work was always fun, and Robin loved telling you about all the stupid things Steve had done that day.

“Mhm, see you when you pick me up. Please make sure you eat breakfast.” He had a habit of reminding you to eat meals, knowing how easily you got absorbed in tasks, often causing you to forget to eat.

“I will, see you tonight.” You murmur, he bids his own goodbyes before hanging up. 

You spent most of the day trying to figure out how to tell him that he shouldn’t feel bad, and that your choice in college was exactly that, your choice.

When choosing your outfit, you went for some light wash jeans, (which Steve had said made your ass look good) a striped tee shirt, and red cardigan, matching the red stripes on the shirt. You looked at yourself in the full length mirror in your room, smoothing down your hair, trying to tame some of the frizz. You smiled at yourself, stopping for a second to admire your own appearance, liking how the soft light of your lamp highlighted your face.

As you drove towards Family Video, your nerves began to kick in again. What if he was angry? What if he broke up with you? What if he felt guilty? The thoughts drifted through your mind as you pulled into the parking lot, getting out of the car and clipping your key ring to the carabiner on your belt loop. 

“Hey Y/N, Steve’s in the back getting his things.” Robin calls out as the bell above the door chimes, setting down her book to look up at you.

“Thanks Robin.” You smile gratefully, you often thought about how if it weren’t for her calling you that night, you and Steve would’ve never started dating. “What stupid shit did he do today?” You ask with a light laugh, your smile widening.

“Knocked over a box of new arrivals, usual dingus stuff.” She says causally, right as Steve comes out from the back.

“Okay, well, they weren’t on the right counter, and you put them away!” He retorts as he walks over to you. He plants a kiss on your cheek, wrapping an arm around you as he does so. “Hi baby.” He murmurs into your ear.

“Okay, hurry up, I don’t wanna watch you two make out in the middle of the store.” Robin complains as Steve continues to kiss your cheek and whisper sweet things to you. You grab him by the hand, tugging him towards the exit a bit. He quickly figures it out and begins following you to your car. 

Once settled, he takes the drivers seat and you take the passenger, handing him your keys.

“Thank you for driving, I would’ve done it, but I’m a little anxious and I don’t think driving is a good idea.” Your explanation was partially true, but you also just enjoyed watching him drive. Something about the way his large hands gripped the steering wheel as the two of you talked seemed to make your heart flutter.

“Ah, don’t worry hon, I don’t mind. I wanna take care of you anyways, so I’m always willing to help.” He explains softly, driving your car along the familiar roads of Hawkins. You could see yourself starting a life with him, something domestic, something you’d never dreamed of until him.

When the two of you pulled into your driveway, he got out and immediately got the passenger door for you, offering you his hand.

“What a gentleman.” You giggle, taking his hand and stepping out of the car.

“Only the best for my girl.” He reply’s, suddenly scooping you up into his arms, carrying you bridal style. You both laugh, and leans down to nuzzle his nose against your own.

He carries you inside, setting you on the couch and grabbing his bag. You had somehow convinced him to use a tote bag, despite complaint about looking too girly. He pulls out a few movies, offering the selection to you.

“Let’s see, we’ve got The Breakfast Club, and Back to The Future. I’ll let you choose baby, you came up with the idea.” He smiles, holding up the VHS tapes to show you the two.

“I think Back to The Future is our best option.” You reply with a smile, watching as he puts in the player, leaving for a couple minutes to make popcorn.

Once he returns, he hands you the bowl and then snuggles down beside you on the couch, pulling the well-loved throw blanket over your intertwined figures.

About 30 minutes into the movie, you decided to speak up, not able to hold in your secret much longer.

“Stevie, there’s somethin’ I need to tell you about college.” You say quietly, picking at one of the loose threads on the blanket.

“What would that be Cherry?” He asks, his voice sounding nervous. Nervous? Never did you think Steve would be nervous, but here you were.

“Well, I made my decision, and I’m gonna go to the community college, stay by you.” You explain, shutting your eyes when you feel him take a deep breath.

“Honey, you really turned down all those opportunities to be with me? I really don’t know if I’m flattered or angry.” He explains softly, reaching for the remote to pause the show. He moves so you’re facing him, his sweet chocolate eyes look into yours, the little flecks of green standing out, something you had noticed recently.

“I know, but I don’t think I could go that long without seeing you, I’ll have to live in the dorms, but you can visit easier than if I was in Chicago.” You explain, stroking his hair until your hand reaches the back of his neck, which you cup with your palm.

“You promise that this is what you want? That you’re not just doing this for me?” He speaks so kindly, and you can tell that he only wants for you to be happy.

“I promise, I promise you that this is what I want.” You smile softly, hooking your pinky with his.

“Can’t break a pinky promise.” He says softly, an almost nostalgic smile on his face.

“Can’t break a pinky promise.” You repeat, feeling like you were kids on your front porch, making silly promises to one another. “You’re gonna help me move in.” You state, nuzzling your nose to his.

“Alright, deal, I’ll move you into your dorm.” He smiles as he speaks, and you’ve never felt more loved than you do in that one moment.

[f4iry-bell]

jameson hawthorne x reader enemies to lovers | part 2

part 1

i promise the 3rd part will be better and with a lot of gilmore girls reference!!!!

Jameson barely saw her after that, the only place he saw her was their journalism class which he wanted to drop out of because he was not interested in journalism, the only reason he joined this class was to compete with her. Now that he has won, what's the point? But there was something holding him back. Maybe he knew what it was or maybe he didn't. Or that's what he'd like to think.

After class he noticed a familiar face sitting under a tree with her laptop open, working on something. He was debating whether or not he should approach her. He won their little competition, there's no point in talking to this girl ever again. But it won't hurt to annoy someone who gets annoyed easily, right? So he walked to where she was sitting. Without looking away from her screen she spoke.

“What do you want?” She asked while typing something.

“What makes you think I want something?” He answered with a question.

“Seriously, why are you here? To brag? To rub it on my face that you have the spot?” She asked, finally looking up to him.

Jameson took a seat next to her on the ground, stretching out his long legs. “I would but I was curious. What are you working on?” He asked, peeking at her screen which made her shut her laptop.

“Why? So you can steal whatever I'm working on right now as well?” She asked.

“I wouldn't say I stole your idea. I simply wrote a better piece of work than you. The better one gets the spot” He shrugged.

“It was better because you had an insider! The insider being you is very helpful to you!” She snapped at him.

“Come on, Ace. It's just a spot. You can try next year,” He chuckled.

“For people like you. You know you could easily get a job at any magazine with that last name of yours without this spot, without an internship this spot may give you but it's not like that for me. I was supposed to get that spot, so by the end of senior year I'd get an internship at a magazine and would get a proper job. I had a plan, now it's ruined. The least you could do is leave me alone” She got it out of her chest and looked away from him.

Jameson didn't know what to say, he never had an idea of how much this spot meant for her, maybe she should have told him. He felt bad regardless. He didn't console her or say anything to make her feel better or even apologies instead he left her alone like she asked. 

_

This time it was her who knocked on his fancy apartment door, furiously. Jameson opened the door and tried hard not to smile.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” He asked, leaning against the door frame.

“You backed out from the Yale newspaper” She stated.

“Keeping tabs on me now, Ace?” He smirked. 

“I got the spot. Because you dropped out. I don't want the spot out of pity!” She explained. 

“I thought you wanted the spot”

“Not like this”

“Like what? I backed out because I got bored, not because I felt bad for you. Don't get any thoughts” He smirked.

“You did this on purpose, so everytime I sit there I'll be thinking of how I'm there only because it got passed down to me” Jameson was amused.

“Ah, now I don't control your thoughts. It's just you who think like that” He said.

“You are so frustrating!” She said.

“Says you” He chuckled which only made her about to lose it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jameson took that time to check her out, he liked how she looked when she was mad at him. He found it very attractive. Something that he'll admit to himself.

“I'll get back at you, just watch.” She threatened.

“Do your worst” 

_

Exactly five days later Jameson got kicked out of his fancy apartment near the campus because someone told the landlord about how often he got arrested during his gap year and the landlord can't risk having cops showing at his door steps often. It's bad for the apartment complex’s reputation. And Jameson knew who exactly would have whispered this information about him to the landlord. The college’s dormitory was full, he can't get a new apartment near campus soon. He decided to keep his things and stay at a friend's place for a while. But then he got an idea. He packed a few things, made some calls and drove to a very friendly apartment. He knocked on the door and barged inside the apartment with his bag like he owned the place.

“What are you doing here?” She asked with a frown. “What's that?” She pointed towards the bag.

Before answering her question Jameson looked at her up and down. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that covered her shorts revealing her legs. “Well, I don't have a place to stay.”

“Aw, sad” She gave him a fake sad expression. “But that doesn't explain why you are here”

“Your roommate was kind enough to let me stay and have the couch. Very nice girl, you should learn a thing or two from her” He smirked. He called her roommate and used his irresistible charms. 

Her expression changed, to his favourite one. She gave him a hostile glare. “You’re not staying in my apartment.”

“Oh but I am.” He smirked, putting his bag down.

“You’re not the one who is paying the rent, I am. I make the decisions here” She pointed.

“And so does your kind roommate. Who likes helping homeless boys. You know, I wouldn't be here if you didn't get me kicked out of my apartment” He shrugged.

“You can literally get any apartment”

“I like this one. It's cute and cozy.” She didn't reply, instead she went inside her room and shut the door. Jameson had a satisfied grin on his face.

Jameson didn't just stay in her apartment. He messed with her, he took his fine time in the bathroom, he ate her food, he moved her things around which pissed her off even more. He would constantly knock on her room door just because he can.

When she came back after college she found him in her room snooping around. She immediately walked to him and snatched her kindle from his hands.

“Stay out of my room and away from my stuff!” She said with an embarrassed look on her face. 

“You have intellectual taste in physical copy of books, I'll admit. But your kindle on the other hand. Romance? Or must I say smu—” 

“Shut up. You had no right to go through my stuff!” She yelled.

“I understand, everyone has their needs.” He teased her.

“I said shut up. Get out of my room” She demanded.

“Relax, I didn't read anything. I just looked up the book and the internet told me some interesting things.” He explained. He wasn't going through her things, maybe her books. But he wouldn't actually go through her private stuff. He couldn't help but look up the book she was reading on kindle. It has a very cute cover.

“Out. Now!”

“Or what?”

“God, your life must be so boring that you decided to involve yourself in mine” She said.

“Boring? Ace, my life is anything but boring. Getting involved in yours just makes it better.” He explained. There is nothing boring about Jameson Hawthorne.

“Fine, you win! Now get out of my room” 

“Or what?”

Instead of replying she just groans. She was thinking, he's only doing this to get a reaction out of her. So she decided to stop giving him one. Maybe then he'll go away.

“You know what? Do whatever you want. I don't care.” With that she picked up her kindle and started reading on the bed.

“Reading that infront of me?” He asked. She didn't reply or even look at him. She was reading as if he's not even in the room.

“Hello?” No response.

“I'm going to open your laptop” He said hoping she'd stop him. But she didn't, her laptop required a passcode. He kept trying to do things that'll make her acknowledge him but she treated him as if he was invisible for a whole day. Jameson didn't like this, he enjoyed getting a rise out of her. Not when she ignored him like he wasn't even there. He was getting frustrated by this treatment. 

“I drank your juice,” He informed her.

No response.

“Oh come on.” He gave up. He gently grabbed her arm and made her face him. “At least look at me!” She did look at him, there something about the way she looked at him.

She smiled. “I win,” She announced.

“No, you did not.” He denied.

“You got frustrated. And gave up.” She smirked.

“Not true”

“Oh? Then why are you forcing me to look at you? Admit it, this only works when I give you a reaction, when I don't you get frustrated.” 

“You stopped playing. It doesn't count”

“I did not, I just used a different method” She shrugged. “My second win by the way” She told him. First the riddle, now this.

He looked at her eyes with an intense glare, he only had one win. 

“How does it feel to lose a very silly game?” She asked, bringing her face close to his. 

Bad idea. Wrong move.

 Because the next thing Jameson did was lose it, not his temper. It takes a lot more than this to get him mad. He lost control and kissed her while still holding her arm. He sure was attracted to her from the beginning. He couldn't resist when she was frustrated or like now bloating her win. He was frustrated too, because of his loss. Maybe that's why he kissed her. Probably that's why. But why did she kiss him back? Especially with the same energy as him?

His hand holding her arm moved to her waist while placing his other hand at the nape of her neck tilting her head up. Kissing her felt great, better than seeing the look on her face when she gets annoyed at the little things he does. The feeling didn't last long because she pulled back. He immediately released his hold on her waist and neck letting her take a couple steps back and then run to her room.

He didn't follow her or knocked on the door to tease her about the kiss. Instead, he picked up his bag and went back to place. It was one hell of a kiss because he couldn't stop thinking about it, the way his hands felt on her skin, the way she let him kiss. He wanted more of that kiss. More of her. He doesn't know what this feeling is and he doesn't want to know because if he did, he would have to act on it. Maybe this is where their little rivalry game ends.

part 3 →

[moonlight-prose]

"buying matching jewelry, but it doesn't mean anything, right?" WITH FRITZ PLEASEEE

LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME

a/n: so because summer is nearing it's last month and we have limited time i wanted to go full mamma mia vibes with this one. besides the friends to lovers vibes with him and this song...perfection. it was hot all week and that spurred me to finally work on this request. so i hope you enjoy babes!

summary: being best friends with fritz meant pretending you weren't hopelessly in love. it meant conversation on the beach, and friendship rings, and the utter shock of coming to the realization that...maybe he loved you too.

word count: 2.2k+

pairing: billy 'fritz' avalone x reader

warnings: fluff, a teeny bit of angst, romance, best friends to lovers, oblivious reader + obvious fritz, talk of marriage, mamma mia vibes, he's hopelessly in love it's cute, unedited + not betad.

The ring glinted in the sunlight, gold glimmering as the ocean did when the day hit the perfect hour. When the sun was slowly creeping along the sky, making a descent towards the horizon. That wouldn't come for a few more hours, but you couldn't stop yourself from sitting on the sand, eyes trained on how waves crashed to the shore.

You couldn't hear anything over the noise - the birds squawking in the distance the loudest echo along the empty coast. Somehow you managed to catch the beach during the week. When people weren't interested because they were tired from a long work day.

It rarely happened. Maybe once in a blue moon. And you soaked in the silence of humanity—nature calling you to her with a soft smile and even softer words.

"I wondered if I'd find you here."

A familiar tug pulled at your heart as you turned, seeing a familiar figure head towards you. He still wore his flight suit, his boots sinking into the sand with each step. But that didn't deter him from plopping beside you, a cold soda in his hand. An extra handed to you.

"Mav let us go early," he said, twisting the top off and gulping enough to down half the bottle.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

He shrugged. "You're always here."

"I'm not always here."

"Sure."

"I'm not–"

The smile on his lips silenced your argument—a knowing look glimmering in his brown eyes. There was no use in fighting him. He could see your different angles coming from a mile away. Giving up now would be easiest.

With a sigh, you turned back to the beach, condensation dripping onto your dress. "I needed some time away from the bar."

You didn't have to explain anything to him. Barely even had to utter a word before your discomfort was being teased out and noticed by him. That was the thing about Fritz. He could see your emotions before they even played across your face. Yet unlike others that came before, he somehow always managed to fix it before things got too bad.

"Did you want to come to my place for dinner?"

The grin played across your lips before you could even answer. "You mean your place filled with Yale and Harvard?"

"C'mon they're not that bad." He nudged you with his knee, taking another pull from his soda. "Besides, they're gone tonight. Something about free drinks at a sports bar."

You mulled it over—the small box in your jacket pocket practically burning a hole through the fabric. "Fine. Pizza, beers, and ice cream."

"Yes ma'am."

Clambering to his feet, he helped pull you up, the sun playing across his face and illuminating the grin he wore. If you could bottle up this memory and keep it close you'd open it every day. You'd take a peek of something so perfect—as if Aphrodite herself created him—just to hold this feeling in your chest. The way he looked at you left you confused, as if he saw you in a different light than just friendship.

But you never had the guts to ask him about it. So like a coward...you continued to let it go.

"I'll order in the car."

"Wait—" You gripped his arm, tugging him back a bit as you dug in your pocket. "I got you something yesterday. They had a jewelry stand in town and saw this..."

The box was brown, small and uninteresting. Until you pulled it open. A silver band etched with vines that matched yours lay in the center. You nearly left it behind—figuring he wouldn't want to wear something so dainty—but something screamed at you the second it appeared in your line of sight. The two were paired together.

Your size and his.

As if they'd been waiting for you to find them all along.

His eyes widened, breath catching in his throat, before he picked it out of the box carefully. "A ring?"

Heat spread rapidly along your cheeks, burning straight down to your chest. "You don't have to wear it. I just thought it was pretty and matched mine and..." With a cough you turned back to see another wave crash along the shore. Suddenly that's how you felt inside. "It's dumb I know."

"No it's not." Surprised etched into your chest, your gaze snapping back to him. Just in time to see how he slipped it on his left hand, smiling when it fit perfectly. Perhaps it was always meant to be there - resting along his skin, claiming his heart for yours. "I like it. Matches my dog tags."

You laughed. "I didn't get it cause of that."

"No, I know." His smile deepened. "But that's where it's going. So it'll match."

Warmth pooled in your stomach, curling around the base of your spine as he stared at his hand. A soft grin playing on his lips. And suddenly you were breathless—flutters filling your stomach as you realized what it looked like. What the others would say once they noticed him wearing a ring on his left hand. You didn't tell him where to place it, didn't offer up a certain hand.

He did it on his own without an ounce of hesitation in his body.

He wanted it there.

When you followed him to the car, you grasped the gold band on your right hand and subtly shifted it to your left. Matching him. If he noticed he didn't question you about it. And for that...you were grateful.

Turns out you were right.

Fritz was teased—rather ruthlessly—about wearing a silver band on his ring finger. Questions rose up around base. Who did he marry? Who had they not met yet? How on Earth could Fritz of all people be hiding a secret partner?

Until you served the group at the bar and Phoenix clocked the gold band on your hand. A knowing smile curving across her lips.

Thankfully she knew how to keep your mouth shut.

The same couldn't be said about Hangman.

"Where'd you get that shiny ring darlin'?" he shouted, reaching for your hand with a shit eating smile. "Lookie here gentlemen! It matches Fritz's."

"Fuck off Hangman." You yanked your hand back with a glare, twisting back to the bar.

It's not like you didn't know this was coming. The comments, the teasing. You knew someone would notice eventually, but that isn't what left you shocked and nervous. The fact that Fritz had yet to take it off sent your mind reeling. He wore it with pride. A smile gracing his plush lips whenever someone brought it up.

You'd even heard comments of it being looped around his tags as he flew—pressed close to his chest in the cockpit of his jet.

Was he wearing it to simply show you that this is how it would be? To prove that this was a silly gift. In the hopes that you would tell him he didn't have to constantly wear it.

That thought alone filled your stomach with dread. An ache forming in the pit of your body as you watched him from across the bar. You had half a mind to go over there—tell him to give it back so Hangman would get off his ass—but he looked at ease. As if nothing could bother him when the topic of conversation fell to you.

This shouldn't bother you that much, shouldn't leave you frazzled and on edge. And you didn't think it would get any worse.

Until the phone rang on a Thursday afternoon, echoing through the empty bar. You expected someone placing an order for lunch, perhaps a reservation for a table.

Hangman's voice filtering through the receiver is what floored you—his voice low and hoarse. Like he'd been shouting for far longer than he should have. And your stomach dropped.

"He's fine. Shaken up, but fine. Told me to call you."

"W–What do you mean? What happened?"

He sighed—shaky and breathless. "Engines gave out. Had to bail."

You didn't hear the rest, a shrill high pitched ring began pulsing in your ear. The words hit the ground hard and asked for you were all you could process before the phone was slamming back onto the base and you were running to the car.

Your breath was short, eyes dazed, but all that mattered was him. The image of him laying in the middle of a valley hurt tore you in half. So you slammed your foot on the gas, speeding through the streets without care.

An explanation would have to be given to Penny when she returned. You made a note to apologize later, but the airbase was in sight and you could see Hangman waiting by the front gate—a stern expression replacing his usual egotistical grin. That seemed to scare you more than what he said on the phone.

He waved you through, jogging to where you threw your car into park. Half out of the spot and crooked. None of that fucking mattered. None of it was real, because somewhere Fritz was hurt and the panic had started to eat you alive.

"Where is he?" you gasped, leaping out of the car. "What the fuck happened?"

His hands grasped your shoulders. "He's fine. Mav is making him sit on base until things level out. He's gotta see the doctor before heading home."

"Fuck," you breathed, tears pricking your eyes. "Can I–I see him? Will they let me on–"

He nodded, already leading you towards the familiar hangar. "Why do you think I'm here sweetheart? Mav had me wait for you to arrive."

On shaky legs, you did what he said when he said it. You flashed your I.D. to someone, said a monotone hello, and let Hangman take the front. A runway was to the left of you—jets lined up on the far side—but that's not what caught your attention.

The sight of a hunched over figure on a metal chair towards the front leveled the ground beneath you. The air suddenly rushed to your lungs as reality began to filter back.

He was okay.

"Avalone!" Hangman shouted. A head of dark hair snapped up, immediately setting his sights on you.

"Will?" you called.

A helmet dropped to the ground when he stood, rushing towards you quicker than he should have. And before Hangman could intervene, you started running. You sprinted with a speed you didn't know you had in you and met him halfway. Colliding against his chest as he wrapped his arms around your waist tight enough to send an ache through your ribs. That didn't register, because the pain reminded you that he was still alive—still here to hug you.

"I was so scared," you gasped, digging your face into his shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes falling shut. "I heard your jet crashed and just got here as soon as possible."

"'M okay," he mumbled. "I'm alive."

A sob broke free, tears streaming down your face, but that only made him tighten his hold. His breath warm along the back of your neck. Suddenly all the worries from the past week, all the anxiety you endured about what a stupid piece of jewelry meant didn't matter to you. How could it? When you nearly lost him today.

Living without Fritz wasn't something you wanted to know. It wasn't a future you wanted to have.

"I love you," you breathed, fingers curling into his hair.

He stilled, pulling back slightly until his face was directly in front of yours—nose nudging against yours. "Finally."

"What–"

The words of disbelief vanished when he kissed you. Because his lips were just as soft as you imagined, his touch was warm, and suddenly...the world around you vanished. He kissed you with a tenderness that had always existed in your friendship. A reverence he hoped you might notice one day. This wasn't due to injuries or fear. This was the final tie being knotted together in your relationship.

He didn't wear the ring to tease you. He didn't want to prove he shouldn't wear it.

He wanted to show you why he should.

"Marry me," he mumbled against your lips, the cold press of metal along your cheek sparked heat down your spine. "I've already got the ring."

Your eyes flew open to see his smile—bright and wide. "Marry you?" you breathed.

"Tomorrow."

"Will–"

"I'll take you to the courthouse. Call your mom. I'll do whatever you want, baby."

You clutched at his shoulders, searching his eyes for any falsity—any humor—and found none. "You're serious."

With a nod, he stole another kiss. His tongue swiped along yours far too quickly for your liking. "I almost died today and the only thing I could think about was that the ring around my neck wasn't real." He pulled back. "So I want to change that."

"By marrying me." The words didn't feel real, but somehow there they were.

"If you'll let me." His smile faltered slightly, hand stilling on the back of your neck. "Will...you let me?"

"Yes," you rushed out in one breath. Your eyes wide and hands pulling him close for another kiss. One he leaned into. "Yes. I'll marry you."

He smiled, tangling his fingers in your shirt - his palm sliding along bare skin. "Tomorrow," he mumbled against your lips.

"Tomorrow," you gasped.

[luce-ing]

Dan/Blair fics

All the Lights that Light the Way are Blinding - 5.1k - "Blair, 25 and sparkling and starting over."

good night bad morning - 19.2k - Blair refuses to be so hard up that she's giving Dan Humphrey the eye.

this is how it’s meant to be - 23.8k - Chuck buys Henry his first bowtie and a three-piece purple suit to match. Dan buys Henry his first baseball glove and comes over every Friday afternoon to play catch. Blair watches them play together and keeps thinking back to when she'd asked Dan if he didn't think it would matter that her baby was another man's child so many years ago. She remembers how, in that much too earnest way of his, he'd said, "It wouldn't to me."

the milk and honey route - 32.2k - She wishes Dan Humphrey had never taken a seat across from her their first week here. She wishes she didn’t have to contemplate the way she feels about him at all.[or, Yale AU].

Checking It Twice - 6.2k - Blair creates a checklist for her "perfect man", but someone surprising happens to match up to her demands.

oh la la, c'est si doux - 2.2k - Dan loses his voice. Blair doesn't miss a beat.

crash and burn girl - 11.7k - Blair is not prepared for the full force of Humphrey's affections.

write this down - 35.3k - “I am so going to regret asking, but—what exactly are you getting at, Blair?” Blair takes a deep breath, sitting up straight, and lets it all come out in a rush: “Come with me to Paris and pretend to be my boyfriend.”

Wrapped in Ribbons - 20.6k - Dan leaves. Blair gets everything she thought she wanted. And they don't ever think about one another. The rational part of him — the part that recognizes Chuck and Blair rely on one another in a way that escapes him, and the part that never could quite believe Blair Waldorf was his girlfriend — that part doesn’t believe for a second she’ll show up to the airport. He’s ashamed to admit there’s another piece of him, small as it may be, that has taken the shape of a hope balloon and refuses to deflate. Dan is fairly certain it’s the same part to blame for kissing Blair the first time, or writing about her the first time, or thinking that telling her he loved her was ever a good idea.

[necromancy-savant]

I really hope my history professor from undergrad is still alive. Idk if he remembers me, but I remember him. He said I was the only student in all his years of teaching to say "I want to learn Akkadian." But that's not quite accurate: what I said was, "hey, I've been working through this book (it was Caplice) over winter break every day and I'm on chapter 8 and I think I'm doing ok, but I have some questions. Can you help me out?" And he was very impressed, I think. He answered all my questions; told me I got all the translations as correct as you can get them. He called me Lugal Edward, Sumerian for "king." He gave me printouts of all of Hammurabi's laws. He lent me his sign list that had every historical version of every single cuneiform sign ever. It was in French, but that didn't matter; I knew exactly what to do with a sign list. That summer I would skateboard to the library with my books and spend a few hours translating Hammurabi's laws. I developed my own cuneiform shorthand that only I know bc I wasn't about to literally draw out every santakku every single time. I went on a field trip to Yale with a few people from the class and we used real cylinder seals. I got to use a stylus much nicer than the one I made at home from chopsticks to write with. He pointed out to me on their replica Hammurabi the signs I knew and I could read it. On my 24th birthday, (he didn't know it was my birthday until I admitted it late in the day) he took me to a lecture at Yale by Stephanie Dalley who authored my favorite collection of translations of Mesopotamian myths. I got to meet her and meet all the guys I'd read all the books by (it's not a huge field so you do get to know who's who pretty quickly.) And he bragged about me to all of them. It was the best birthday ever. After Hammurabi, I worked my way up to translating historical texts and some of my favorite myths on my own. In grad school I finally got my hands on Enuma Elish. I didn't have as much time as I would have wanted to sit and translate it, what with my actual coursework, but I did go over my favorite parts. It was the myth that made me want to learn the language in the first place. I hope to god that he's alive and that I can reach out to him still - because forget all of that, literally: I had a bad life before I went to that school and I've made nothing of myself since I left grad school. But he made me feel like I was really worth something, and I want more than anything to thank him for that

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

PROPAGANDA

Amanda Waller

Amanda Waller isn't a much-discussed character on Tumblr, but her reputation in the fandom isn't where it should be, and it's been somewhat worse after the Suicide Squad movies and Peacemaker. You need to read Yale/Ostrander's Suicide Squad to understand her character. Waller is also decent in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon. So many people just know her through cruddy two-dimensional portrayals! They want her to be a "Karen", they want her to be a shrill uppity bitch who gets put down into her place. She is an asshole, and a bit of a ruthless monster—her superiors and her agents are all much much worse. She lives in a world overflowing with serial killers and supernatural beings that can destroy major cities in 5 minutes. She was an impoverished Black mother with no college degree, and in middle age she clawed her way up through education and bureaucracy after her children were SA'd and murdered. She has done horrible terrible things, she dehumanizes and extorts and power-trips and tortures and kills. And yet at times she's been the only one standing in the way of war and destruction of colonized countries. She is stubbon and proud, and capable of shame.

John

This fella is Fascinating. just trust me on this he deserves to be here

He tried so hard to do the right thing, he feels bad and says things would be better if he was never born. He thinks he should've just stayed acting like a monster and continued to act threatening.

(LONG PROPAGANDA INCOMING)

John. Milgram. Here's a short description of the fortunes and misfortunes of the guy. It gets worse before it gets better (probably).

While MILGRAM is a prison that judges a bunch of sympathetic killers, it doesn't consider him to be one – it didn't even exactly know he existed until too little too late, when it got its grabby hands on the brain of prisoner 009, who claimed to not know anything about any murder he'd have committed. Then, footage from his brain was extracted, as MILGRAM does, into a music video, and… that was MeMe. Ninth prisoner, Kayano Mikoto, was revealed to have DID, and what obviously who do you think actually Killed Someone?

Enter John. Well. Mikoto is half deeply unaware half subconsciously scared of his existence, so the MV painted him in a rather. Deeply disturbing way, bathing in bloody baths and all that (not a blood bath though! easy mistake). Adding to that him showing up in the first Voice Drama for five seconds to punch the "protagonist" and yell for a bit, and the result wasn't. Assuring. The fandom proceeded to treat him like a cardboard cutout and variously dunk on MILGRAM for having a cliché "evil" character w/ DID despite the overall well handling of complex characters.

Two years time skip: second season ending. We get to prisoner 009 again. The protagonist Finally gets to chat with John: and voila, he's admitting to the crime, he's apparently "killed a bunch of people because they annoyed him", which means, as he's saying, Mikoto has nothing to do with the crime at all! And he, as per the judging system, should be forgiven, right! Well, he's so full of shit. The music video immediately reveals how protective he feels of Mikoto (and well, he definitely doesn't rebuke That one), that the events of murder were somehow tied in to Mikoto's job at a black company, his continuous overworking and him being mentally on the brink of breaking; that any committed violence was For The Sake of Mikoto and that John feels deeply horrible for messing up his life in any way. By making himself into the image of a "monster" he's trying to make Mikoto look good in comparison and be forgiven and all. He also mentioned if Mikoto is voted innocent he's gonna try to go dormant since he's The Issue, right, and the audience/protagonist hates him, Right, and Mikoto Also Hates him, Right?

I'm underselling the sheer devotion of this guy tbh.

Yeah, the fandom results were kinda mixed on that one. Lots of people immediately started to love him dearly and kinda forgot any people were maimed or killed with baseball bats; lots also got sold on him "messing up Mikoto's life" and actually voted Mikoto innocent Specifically because of John's promise to eventually "disappear". There's more of the babygirlifying kind in the English side of the fandom that I've seen, to be fair. And that's around where we are!

[squeliy]

if im being honest, I think rory dropping out of yale did good and bad for her. Her ego was clearly fragile, it was big when she dropped a course and she wasnt confident enough in her abilities to stay in school after a jab from mitchum (though he is so big in the industry I do understand) and with the way she is I could see her burning out in college or soon after, especially going into her upperclassman years where theres more pressure. It also was clear to me in s6 that she wasnt happy not being in school, but had her confidence shattered so much she didnt want to go back out of fear. So I think a break made her realize how much she really wanted (and deserved tbh) to be at yale. I also hateeeee lorelais reaction. well not hate but dislike. Obviously its not good and I understand her reaction, but not letting your daughter live with you?? Lorelai has a horrible relatiobship with her parents but would rather that than letting her daughter live with her and helping her get back onto the right track eventually? Yes, lorelai wants big and better things for rory, but its crazy to me that she would let rory fall into the life she tried so hard to keep herself and rory out of. But I guess their time apart also helped their relationship grow stronger? I dont know, feel free to share your opinions.